are they who are led and guided by the One Spirit of which the World cannot receive even the Comforter of whom you have heard should come by which they are separated out of the World and redeemed out of the Rudiments and Pollutions thereof their Fashions their Customs their Words their Wayes their Manners their Breeding their Fellowship Love and Friendship their Honour and Glory and their Worship and so are become Strangers to the World and so are hated of the World because they are not of the World and the Enmity stands betwixt the two Seeds but while they were of the World the World loved them but now they are gathered out of the World and separated from the World and testifie against the World both in Words and Actions therefore the Enmity is raised in the World against the Righteous Seed and those are they upon whom the Ends of the World are come to whom it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom though to the World in Parables and those are they that are come with a Mighty Arm and Power to trun the World up-side down whom the Lord hath gathered and is a gathering out of the World by his own Spirit of Truth and Love to walk in the Way of Truth even the Way of Holiness where the Ransomed of the Lord do walk and serve and worship him in Spirit and in Truth and such is the Father seeking to worship him in whom he is in doing his own Work even to destroy the Old Creation and create New Heavens and New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness and those are they that are the New Creatures in whom this New Work is witnessed in whom the Father hath manifested his Son that in the Likeness of sinful Flesh he might condemn Sin in the Flesh and to bind the Strong Man and cast him out of his House and spoil his Goods and so to destroy the Works of the Devil and to cut down the Man of Sin even that Son of Perdition who is exalted above all that is called GOD sitting in the Temple of God as God and saith He is God this is he by whom the World is deceived who is the God of the World even the Prince of Darkness who rules in all the Children of Disobedience and so saith John in the Light The whole World lies in Wickedness and unto this doth Christ come with a Sword for to make War with him and to take and bind him and cast him into utter Darkness and so to take his Kingdom from him and to rule himself in Righteousness And this is the King of the SAINTS who is now come to redeem unto himself a Pure People and to wash them cleanse them from their Sias by his BLOOD and so to wash away all Filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit and this is the Baptism by which they are received into his Church and Faith and here is the Effect of his BLOOD wrought in MAN and thus he doth and will manifest his Mighty Power to purifie and cleanse and make Man a fit Temple for himself to dwell in And thus is GOD with us manifested in Flesh and thus are the Saints Bodies made the TEMPLES of the HOLY GHOST and thus is the Word of Life and Reconciliation witnessed to the raising up the Soul to Life and reconciling the Soul to GOD and those are they that are begotten and born again of the Immortal Word which dwelleth and abideth forever and here is the Houshold of God the Houshold of Faith and the Houshold of Love who speak the things which they have heard and seen and tasted of the good Word of Life which was in the beginning and those are the Children of Light who are gather'd out of the dark Forms Judgments and Opinions into the Life and Power of Godliness to walk in the Light of Life wherein they are gathered and united by the One Spirit of Love and Life into One Body of which Christ is Head and here is the true Church which the Lord is a gathering and washing and cleansing and purifying by his Spirit that he may redeem unto himself a pure Church not having Spot or Wrinkle or any such thing whose Insides are washed and made clean through the Word by which they are reconciled into the Love and Union which springs from the Life of God and here is the Vine and the Branches and here is the Communion of the Church all feeding upon One Bread all drinking upon One Cup this is Christ the Life of the Saints and as many as are baptized into this Church partake of this Communion and those are they which have denyed themselves and have born the Cross of Christ by which they are crucified to the World and the World to them who are gathered into one Covenant of Life where all are Fellow-Servants under one MASTER who serve one another in Love and Meekness And here is the true Humility in the Heart wrought and here is the true Washing of Feet without Hypocrisie which some are imitating without for LIFE but fall short for the Heart the Lord requires And thus is the Church of Christ gathered by one Spirit and by the same circumcised and baptized into one Light and Life and Power where all dwell as MEMBERS of One BODY of which CHRIST is the HEAD And here is the Blessed Union and Communion in One and here God is worshipped in Spirit and in Truth and as CHRIST is spiritual so is his BODY and so are his Ordinances And here are the true Christians not those that only have the Notion of those things but they that witness and possess this in Life and they that believe have the witness within themselves and they that believe have passed from Death unto Life and the Life which they now live in is by Faith in the Son of God which Faith is without Respect of Persons who are the New Creatures who are IN Christ Jesus to whom there is no Condemnation who walk not after the FLESH but after the for against such there is no LAW for they are translated out of that NATURE for which the LAW was added and are set free by the Law of the Spirit of Life and are made Partakers of the Divine Nature of Christ by which they are made Christians and therefore saith John As he is so are we in this present World and such now witness the Effect of the Blood of Christ wrought within them and the End of his Coming and the Benefit of his Death who are Dead with him and risen through the Death of the Cross and these are they that have escaped the Pollutions of the World through the Knowledge of the Son of God within them Christ within the Hope of Glory or else no Hope of Glory for they that cannot witness him so are in the Reprobation so saith the Apostle and here is the Son in the Saints and the Father in the Son and thus are
another Thing and the most Part knew not wherefore they came together and so it is the same amongst you but it is good for you to know certainly what you speak against before you speak lest you speak Evil of that you know not calling Good Evil Evil Good putting Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness against whom the Wo from the Lord is pronounced and it is written in the Book of Conscience and there you shall read it with weeping Tears therefore take heed of treasuring up Wrath against the day of Wrath and remember you are warned And now something to all you tender-hearted Ones who are convinced by the Light of God in your Consciences which tenders your Consciences for whose sakes I have laid open my self freely so I desire that you may mind that Light of God to which I speak which is my Witness which hath convinced you that it may be your Guide which will lead you to Conversion into the Life to witness with me against the World that my Labour may not be in vain look not out at Scandals false Accusations or Reports for this is the Reward that the Righteous have received of the World and Christ our Lord and Captain shewed the Example as it is written They who will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer Persecution and they that depart from Iniquity make themselves a Prey but that which can't bear those things is not of God but turn your Ear inward to that Measure of Light in you which is without Guile that is gentle that can bear all as it did both in the Prophets and Apostles and all the holy Men of God This led them through good Report and evil Report through Persecution and through Death and this is the Way to Life and who enters must enter this Way and here is the Tryal of Faith and the Tryal of Faith is more precious then Gold So fear not but be willing to give up and to part with all though it be never so near and dear yea though it be thy Bosom-Friend and Darling For he that loveth any Thing better then me is not worthy of me saith the precious Pearl And he that will not forsake all and follow me is not worthy of me Moses thought it greater Riches to suffer affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the Pleasures of Pharoah's Court for a Season For the Pleasures of this World and the Afflictions of this World endure but a Time and pass away For all things visible pass away but the Joy of the Righteous endures for ever but if our Hopes were only in this World we were of all Men most miserable but he that endures to the End shall have a Crown of Glory as Paul witnessed So Fear not little Flock but be faithful valiant and bold for it is your Father's Will to give you the Kingdom a hundred fold shall you receive of what you loose whether Lands or Livings Wife or Children or whatsoever it is the Promise is to the Faithful and your Joy and Advancement shall be in the Destruction of your Enemies when the Lord doth make your Enemies your Footstool but this is witnessed through the War and he that endures to the End of the War shall witness this And this in my Measure I witness and out of tender Love from my Soul to your Souls do I declare it and desire that you may all endure to witness with me for Love is Charity and the Light leads through all And so I rest in my Habitation known to all who can read me in Spirit J. P. Farewell THE WATCHER OR THE Stone cut out of the Mountain Without Hands Striking at the Feet of the IMAGE Whose Head is Gold and Breast of Silver and Thighs of Brass and Legs of Iron and Feet part Iron and part Clay Dan. 2. 31 32 33 34 35. Written by a Friend to all tender-hearted Ones who hunger and thirst after God who are groping and seeking in Forms for Life to the directing of their Minds where and how to find the true Light which leads into the true Life and Power of Godliness the End of all Forms where I rest with all who in Spirit read me who am known to them wâ—â— are without by the Name James Parnell Reprinted for the Service of Truth This is a Discovery of the Ground End of all Forms Professions Sects and Opinions and also how they now are made as Friends and joyn Hand in Hand against the Substance the Life and Power of God which is now made manifest in his Sons and Daughters according to his Promise as hath been plainly manifest in several Meetings betwixt the People called Quakers and the People called Baptists which is here described And also a Description of the true Church and the Gathering thereof by the Power and Spirit of our God which is now made manifest in these latter dayes which so gloriously doth shine forth in the Earth so that all who have Desires to find the Way of Truth need no longer walk in Darkness and seek the Living amongst the Dead where it is not to be found for now Light is come into the World they that love and follow the Light shall not walk in Darkness but shall have the Light of Life but such as do Evil hate the Light and will not come unto the Light that the Light may reprove them and this is the Condemnation of the World who love Darkness rather then Light because their Deeds are Evil Joh. 8. 12. Joh. 3. 19 20 21. TO THE READER THOU that happens to be the Reader of this Book know this that my Mind and Intent in the publishing thereof was in Relation to the Simple-hearted who hunger and thirst after Grace and Godliness to the directing and turning their Minds from the Darkness to the true Light of the Lord Jesus which is not of the World but comprehends the World and makes manifest the many Wayes of the World and the Snares Baits Traps and Nets that therein are laid by him who is the God of the World even the Prince of Darkness who rules in all the Children of Disobedience now whatsoever makes manifest is Light the which Light will discover unto them whose Minds are turned to it the Wiles and Subtilties of Satan and so the Simple will come to learn Wisdom and thereby be preserved from the subtile devouring Serpent and therein the Creature will come to see wherein consists its Safety and Preservation and so Israel's Tent comes to be found For I in the Light standing above the World comprehending the many Wayes that are in the World and the Destructions therein with the many Forms Judgments and Opinions one clashing against another with their Janglings and Disputes with their Earthly Wisdom which is at Enmity with God and about those things which they are Strangers to the Life and Power thereof contending for that which fades and
Gâ—insayers stopt which made many gnash their Teeth on him and some undertook to club out the Priests Professors Arguments by beating this dear Lamb with Fists and Staves who took all patiently as particularly one who struck him with a great Staff as he came out of one of the Steeple-houses called Nicholas and said There Take that for Jesus Christ's sake To which he returned this Answer Friend I do Receive it for JESUS CHRIST ' s sake And many other intolerable Affronts were offered him in all which his Spirit was not seen to be raised in Heat or Anger but was a Pattern of Patience and Meekness And having laboured in that great Town about Ten Dayes it lay upon him to go back to Cogshall to a Meeting holden as a Fast of which read more in that part of his Writings called The Fruits of a Fast from whence he was committed to Colchester Castle and from thence had up to Chelsford Assizes in Irons and again thither re-committed where he remained until he offer'd up his Life for his Testimony He lived in that Castle about Ten or Eleven Moneths in great Self-denyal and Carefulness being truly watchful over the Flock of God both in Essex and in Cambridgeshire Huntingtonshire and the Isle of Ely and elsewhere where he had travaled and turned many to God and wrote many blessed and heavenly Epistles both to particular Persons to the Churches in general which were so many that we have no certain Account of them nor cannot place them in order as we would if all could be collected together but those Books and Papers which could be found are here composed for the View of those who desire to taste the first Fruits of this Tender Plant who in the Dayes of his Youth laid down his Life for his blessed Testimony Many Things he suffered in that Prison which is other-where in this Book to be found And as he lay in Prison he laboured for the building up of them that were Convinced and he saw the Desire of his Soul concerning many in whom he saw the Seed which he had sown Multiply and Grow to his Refreshment And at last having passed through many Tryals and Exercises both Inward and Outward and fulfilled his Testimony in Patience Courage and Faithfulness and been a Comfort to us who had believed He at length laid down his Head in Rest and Peace stretching forth Himself saying Here I Dye Innocently And after his Departure he was buried in the Castle Yard where other Prisoners use to be buried because the Cruel Goaler would not deliver his Body without Fees And though he be as to the Outward taken away his Life doth remain and his Testimony doth yet live in the Hearts of many and will live through Generations to come and happy and blessed are and shall all they be who are Partakers thereof and are Faithful therein they shall be also Partakers of that Crown Immortal with which He is Crowned Thus honest Reader have I given thee a brief Account of this dear Plant of God and of his blessed Fruit some whereof thou may'st find in this following Book which if read in Sincerity and in Uprightness of Heart will tend to thy Benefit and will give thee Cause with me and many more to bless the Lord on his Behalf who is the Well-spring of Life from whom all Good Gifts come and to whom all Glory and Honour doth belong now henceforth and forever Amen Stephen Crisp. Samuel Cater's TESTIMONY Concerning James Parnel COncerning our Dear Friend and Brother Iames Parnel I have this Testimony to bear for him in a true Remembrance of him as being Turned unto the Truth of God by him through Obedience unto which Heavenly Light Truth of God within which he turned me unto I have found and do enjoy Peace with God so that although the Dark World and Envious Priests and Professors Raged against him Imprisoned him and Persecuted him unto Death and made Lyes of him when he was dead speaking Evil of him accounting of him a Deceiver when he was alive I do say He was unto Me a True Minister and Messenger sent of God who brought Tidings of the Way of Life and Salvation unto me and many more in these Parts of the Nation whom I know have the same Testimony to bear for this Innocent Man For God hath made us Seals of his Ministâ—y through a blessed Experience of the Work of Regeneration brought to pass by this Heavenly Light Everlasting Truth unto the which he turned our Minds And this I can say also As the Lord was pleased to call him into his Blessed Work so he furnisht him with Virtues suitable for the same according to the Work of the Day in which he brought him forth and did mightily appear for him and with him in giving of him Courage and Wisdom and Power whereby he was Prepared and Fitted for every Service Exercise y â— the Lord called him unto which Service he faithfully perform'd of a Ready Mind with a Willing Heart not neglecting Nor did he refuse to appear in any Service in which his Testimony was concern'd which God had called him to bear although it were to the Ieopardy of his Life which many times he did both in Going to Steeple-Houses amongst the Rude Schollars in Cambridge both in Disputing with them and Declaring the Truth And after he went from Us he was moved of the Lord to go into Essex where he was gladly received by the Honest-hearted which wanted the Knowledge of the Lord and his Wayes which he declared unto them and many there were that Received him and Believed in the Truth which he declared But the Envious Professors roâ—e up against him in Cain's Murdering Spirit and cast him into Prison and there kept him in Hard Bonds until Death at whose Doors Hearts and Consciences the Guilt of this Innocent Man's Blood lies which all their Outward Washings nor Carnal Ordinances nor Outside Performances neither could nor can purge away but the Judgments of the Lord have been and yet will be executed upon all that have had a Hand or have taken a Part with them in shedding of Innocent Blood which the Lord will not acquit And now as to the Person Virtues and Parts of this our Dear Friend it is something upon me to give some Account of as having a Certain Knowledge of him not only because I was turned unto Truth by him but my Heart loved him which Love constrained me as oft as I could to be with him so that what Service he had in these Parts in Meetings of Friends or amongst Professors or with Priests I was frequently with him whereby I was both Eye and Ear Witness of the Mighty Power and Wisdom of God that attended him by the which He was prepared for every Work and Service which he was called unto and which he performed to the Honour of God and Comfort of his People and to the Confounding of those that
Opposed the Truth He was but Young in Years and of a Little Stature for the which he was by Brutish Envious Persecuting Priests and Professors Mocked and by them in a scornful Mind called The QVAKING BOY but in him was seen the Mighty Power of God VVhen any of them that were climed up so high in their Imaginations and strengthned themselves in their Self-righteousness and came forth in the Strength of the power of Darkness to Oppose the Truth of God which he bore Testimony unto with him did then appear the Name and Power of the Living God which was with the little Stripling David in which Name and Power he many times stopped the Mouths of Gain-sayers and by the Wisdom of God that was with him he caught the Wise and Crafty in their own Snares and Confounded them in the sight of all that had an Eye to see and so brought shame upon them whereby the Saying is fulfilled That by Weak things the Lord would confound the Mighty and things that are Despised hath God chosen yea and things that are not to bring to nothing things that are He had also a good Gift to declare the Truth and was full of Zeal and Heavenly Courage in the which he performed the same for the informing of the Minds of those that wanted the Knowledge of the Lord also to Mark Out and Make Manifest the Deceivers which People were to turn from His Exhortation was unto Us that were turned unto the Truth To Walk in it and to Watch unto it and to Keep Low in God's Holy Fear to Deny our selves and Take Vp the Daily Cross to our own Wills and to be Faithful in that Little Appearance of Light Truth which we had already receiv'd alwayes declaring unto us That if we were Faithful in that the Lord would make known more unto us whose words many of us are now Living Witnesses of the fulfilling of Blessed be the Name of the Lord forever and for evermore saith my Soul Also He was a Good Example and a Pattern in his Life and Conversation unto us by the which he preached Truth unto us as well as by his VVords for He himself lived according to what he taught us for he was adorned with Gravity and walked before us in Humility yea he had a Blameless Conversation and was unspotted from the World so that his Presence as well as his Words was a Strengthning and a Comfort to the Upright and Honest-hearted but he was an Awe a Dread to the Careless and Disobedient which made a Profession of the Truth but did not walk Answerably thereunto who he alwayes told should be cloathed with Rags which could not cover them and their SHAME should appear and they left Naked for the Light and Day of the Lord was come that would make all manifest and strip off all False Coverings so that a Profession although it were of the Truth it self would no longer do nor cover without the Life and Power be known and witnessed which doth not only Discover Sin and Evil but also Overcomes it Removes it Takes it away The Truth of this Doctrine which he preached unto us there are many of us by the good Hand and Power of the Lord have do see the Fulfilling of this Honest-hearted Young Man's Testimony both on them that received the Truth which he preached into an Honest and Good Heart and also upon the Careless and Disobedient so that I shall and do conclude in this Testimony concerning Him That He was a Faithful Servant and Messenger sent by God to Declare the Way of Life unto them that wanted the Knowledge of it and to Reprove Sin and to Make Manifest Deceivers and to Testifie against them which may be seen and felt to the better Satisfaction of them that never saw his Face in reading over his own Books and Epistles which were written by his Own Hand which all that read with an Honest Heart in a Serious Mind I doubt not but will say with me Surely the Mighty Power and Wisdom of the Lord was with him of a Truth Samuel Cater Thomas Bayles HIS TESTIMONY Concerning James Parnel THis Blessed Man the Writer of these following Books was made a Partaker of that Faith Patience through which the Righteous in all Ages obtained the Crown of Life and Victory over all their Enemies and had a share in his Day and Time as alwayes they had in this World of the Sufferings of Christ in him He was sent into this County with the Testimony of God in his Heart Mouth and therefore was Bold in the Name of the Lord to cry REPENTANCE in the Ears of the Sons of Men and as He said so lived he as many in this Town and Place are living Witnesses of who have true Cause to bless and praise the Name of the Lord and do for that He and other of his Brethren were sent amongâ—â— us He was of a sweet Savour of Christ to the Almighty God through his Faithfulness to him who sent him hither in them who receiv'd his Testimony though many there were that hardened their Hearts against the Lord of which Number were many of the Rulers Priests and Professors of that Time who notwitstanding they cryed Reformation the Ordinances of Christ Jesus Christian-Duties and the like yet manifested themselves of that Stock and Generation which always slew the Righteous and the Lord God soon stretcht forth his Righteous Hand of Judgment upon some as Warnings unto others whom he spared from that swift Stroak that they might Repent as some did and seek his Face who is the Light of the World God blessed for evermore He was as a Youth and mean in hâ—s Outward Presence and Appearance but God hath chosen the Foolish Things of this World to confound the Wise And so high was the spirit of the Professors and the Prophane encouraged thereby that with whom among such was his Name used but in a way of Derision and Scorn terming him The Railing Fellow in the Castle He owneth himself to be Christ Jesus A Wandering Star to whom is reserved the Blackness of Darkness forever But since it came to Light and the Wandering Stars seen and their Blackness of Darkness felt who durst not stand by their Ordinances Duties nor Christianity but in Obscure Holes Secret Places Vaults which shews them of a low dark earthly wandering spirit who know not the Spirit of Life from God nor the Stability thereof to set them above the Fear of Man where they lie in great Captivity The Lord hath put it into my Heart in the blessed Remembrance of his Innocent Life to bear my Testimony upon this Occasion and thus to appear in the Memorial of him And I am assured in my Spirit That although the Lord suffer'd him to be cruelly kept in Bonds until Death and to be hated persecuted beyond what we had known before amongst us yet it was for his Righteous Life sake as from
Unholy nor Unclean thing must enter So now What Assurance have you of your Salvation or what is your Faith built upon when both Christ and the Scriptures witness against you And Faith which is not built on the Rock Christ Jesus is vain and perisheth And he that hath this Hope in him purifieth himself even as he is Pure Here all your Faith is searched tryed and proved and is found all vain and perishing and so is not built upon the Rock which Perisheth not Therefore come down all you High-minded Pharisees and lay away all your Profession and throw down all your old Building and begin and lay a new Foundation for the higher the Pharisee climbs the greater will be his Fall and he that will be Wise let him first become a Fool For man by his Wisdom knows not God Here the Pharisee is shut out from the Knowldge of God who stands in his own wisdom And all you Wilful Blind Carnal Ignorant Creatures whom my Soul pittieth to see how ignorantly you are led who pin your Faith upon the Sleeves of your Fore-Fathers and live in Lightness and Wantonness spending your Youth in Vanity in Gaming Pleasures and Sporting in Drunkenness in Swearing and Lying in Vain Talk and Foolish Jestings in Pride and Lust and Filthiness and say You follow your Fore-Fathers and say What is become of them and say Your Pleasures is Pastime and Recreation and your Vain Talk and Foolish Jesting is Pastime and Merriness and so you pass the Time away and say Your Drinking and Rioting and Feasting is Good-Fellowship and Neighbourhood and so you cover over your Sins and Iniquities but Wo unto him that hides his Sin and covers his Iniquity and all this will not profit you any thing neither can your Fore-Fathers excuse you before the Lord for in the beginning it was so that Eve could not Justifie Adam neither could be any Excuse but rather Condemned him because he hearkened to the to the Voice of the Woman and Disobeyed the Lord so Adam suffered for his own Sin and so did Eve for her's And so this will be no Excuse for you in the Day of Account to say You followed your Fore-Fathers and did as they did before you But then will the Lord say Because you followed the Traditions and Fashions and Customs and Inventions of Man and have hearkened to the Voice of the Serpent and have Disobeyed my Voice and my Command and Sleighted my Counsel and would none of my Reproof but cast my Law behind your Backs and trampled my Mercy under Foot and have turned my Grace into Wantonness and have nourished your Hearts as in a Day of Slaughter and have spent my Creatures upon your Lusts and Stoned Stocked Buffeted and Imprisoned and Shamefully intreated my Messengers which I sent unto you to Forewarn you of your Iniquity and have killed my Son therefore depart ye Workers of Iniquity I know ye not into Everlasting Torment prepared for the Devil and his Angels To see now how vain your Hope is and how unstedfast your Faith is when you have more Assurance of your Damnation than your Salvation for the Lord saith No Unrighteous Person must enter into his Kingdom nor no Unholy nor Unclean thing Therefore all you who desire Salvation to your Souls Try and Prove your Faith and Hope which you do trust to and take heed of trusting to a broken Reed lest it deceive you Experience hath taught you That if a Foundation of a Building be decayed and wasted and naught the Building will Fall when a Storm cometh so let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he falleth So every one whose desire is after Righteousness hearken to that in your Consciences which raiseth up Desires after Righteousness and which sheweth you the Vainness of your Lives and checks you when you do amiss and troubles you and torments you in Conscience when you have been Drunk or have done some Evil Act be willing to be guided by that and that will lead you to Repentance and Newness of Life to forsake those things which it discovers to be contrary to the will of God and if you be willing to follow this and be guided by it you shall find a Teacher continually present checking in the Conscience for vain Thoughts and for Vain and Idle and Needless Words and Actions and so will Crucifie the Lust which is the Ground of those things and which will lead you out of the Pathes of Death into the Way of Life out of the Traditions and Customs and Fashions Opinions of the World into the Assurance of the Eternal Truth And thou that art willing to follow this and be guided by this shalt need no man to teach thee but it will be a Teacher unto thee Teaching and Directing in Righteousness Purity and Holiness and if thou art Dilligent keeping thy Mind within with an Ear open to the pure Voice thou shalt find it present with thee wheresoever thou art in the Fields in thy Bed in Markets in Company or wheresoever thou art when thy Outward Priest or Teacher is absent it may be in the Ale-House or at his Pleasures and Delights or far off it will be present with thee and will Check thee and Condemn thee for that which no Outward Eye can See and will cleanse thy Heart from Lust and Deceit and Uncleanness and will purifie thy Heart and will make it a fit Temple for Purity to dwell in and then thy Sacrifices will be Pure which come from a Pure Heart the Lord will accept them for Abel's Sacrifices he receiveth but Cain's he denies but if thou wouldest attain to this thou must be willing to deny thy Lusts thy Vanity thy Delights or whatsoever hath been thy Life For He that will save his Life shall lose it and he that will lose his Life for my sake the same shall save it So there is no obtaining of Life but through Death nor no obtaining the Crown but through the Cross So thou must deny thy self and take up thy daily Cross and follow Christ if thou wouldest be his Disciple and give up thy Self wholly to be guided by the Will of God that all which is contrary to the Will of God may be Crucified though it be never so near and dear to thee and be forsaken Lands or Living Wife or Children Friends and Acquaintance or all the World and all Delights in the World For he that loveth any thing better then Me is not worthy of Me And all things below the Lord Vanisheth but He Endureth forever So the Lord God Almighty prosper all the Tender Desires which are raised up towards him and feed the Hungry and Thirsty Souls as he hath promised and raise up his own in all his that he alone may be Glorified Praised and Honoured who is Worthy and to whom all belongeth And this is the Desire of his Soul who is a Servant of the Lord who is Hated Reviled and Derided of the World
or to the left cryes This is the Way walk in it Isa. 30. 21. Of which the Scripture is a true Declaration spoken from this Word of Truth of which Light every one hath a measure which unto them is the free Gift of God to profit withall which Light in the Conscience reproves for sin and iniquity and manifests the deceit of the heart and checks the Creature when it swears or lyes or doth amiss telling it that it should not do so and calls for Repentance and Amendment of Life and leads unto the same as it is owned and followed and as many as receive it receive power to become the Sons of God Joh. 8. 12. and 1. 12. Rom. 2. 4. But he that doth evil hates the Light and will not bring his deeds to it by it to be proved and to him it is condemnation but he that loves the Light brings his deeds to the Light that it may manifest them whether they be wrought in God John 3. 20 21. But of this Light you People and Teachers of the World are ignorant and so are doting upon the Scripture without with your dark minds there with the blind Pharisees seeking for Life where it is not to be found but will not come to Christ the Light that you might have Life but would cast him out of his Throne and exalt Scriptures above him calling them the Judge and the Light and the Word and the Life and the Rule and the Guide and thus with your dark minds you would take the Authority from Christ and would give it unto the dead Letter which is but a Declaration of these things And thus your Leaders cause you to err Isa. 3. 12. for their own ends and of the Scripture they make an Idol to get money by adding their own Meanings Interpretations and Constructions upon them which are all the Conceivings and Imaginations of their own hearts by which they lead you in Blindness ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth in your hearts but are looking without doting without in the Letter acting and imitating out of the Light for Life and so in darkness doing your own works which are not required at your hands but are for Condemnation by the Light And so in vain are you worshipping a God whom ye know not crying up his Ordinances and crying up his Commands and crying up the Scripture exalting it in the Place of Christ and thus coming neer him with your lips and your hearts far from him still living in the corrupt sinful nature ignorant of the free Grace of God which should lead you to repentance and amendment of life Ephes. 2. 5. 8. And because we do witness this Mystery which hath been hid from Ages and Generations now made manifest in us which is Christ within the Hope of Glory Col. 1. 26 27. who is the Light of the World who doth enlighten every one that cometh into the World who is the true Shepherd John 10. and the true Teacher no more to be removed into a Corner Isa. 30. 20. who is the Anointing who teacheth all things and is the End of mans teaching therefore your Ministry of the Letter who make a Trade and a Gaine of the Letter by idolizing it and setting it up in the room of Christ by taking the Authority from Christ and applying it to the Letter that your minds who are taught by them may the more be drawn without to look at it and Idolize it expecting Life and Salvation by it and no hope without it that they may the longer make Merchandize of you and still uphold their Trade and Gain by it do now see that this our doctrine of Christ to be all in all and that without him we can do nothing John 15. 5. but that by him we can do all things without the help of Scripture or any thing else without Phil. 4. 13. and that there is no other name under Heaven by which we can be saved but that he is able to save to the utmost all that shall come unto God by him Heb. 7. 25. and that he is the Word and the Scripture is not and that he is the Light and the Scripture is not and that he is the Rule and Guide and Teacheâ— and Judge and the Scripture is not but a Declaration of him to be so and that the Scripture all along witnesseth with our Doctrine to be one with it and theirs to be another Doctrine which the Scripture will not maintain but the Scripture is against and is onely brought in for Lucres sake to satisfie their own carnal ends that they may bear rule by their Means as the false Prophets did before them Jer. 5. 30 31. And this Light all along makes them manifort in all their Colours and false Covers so that they cannot hide themselves from being Deceivers and also this they do know that if every one come to know and find a Teacher within them which doth teach them the will of God and doth enable them for to obey it so that they need no man to teach them then indeed they will no longer spend their Money upon them for that which is not Bread nor their Labour for that which profitteth not and will be a Prey unto them no longer So not only their Craft and Trade and Idol will fail them but also their great Gain and Riches will be taken from them and all their Honour and Fame and Dignity will come to nought Therefore they in their hot Rage and Fierceness and Enmity of their Spirits do set themselves to oppose this Light wheresoever it is made manifest and persecuting the Publishers of this Doctrine railing against them as Deceivers Seducers Bringers in of false Lights and such as deny the Scripture and would rob it of its Authority and give it to a Light within them which the Priests call natural Light and insufficient to lead to Salvation without the help of Scripture and other outward Helps and so would set the Scripture above the Light of Christ saying among themselves If we let go the Authority of Scripture then all is gone that is to say Take away our Idol then take away our Maintenance then down with our Ministry So here is clear the Foundation they stand upon and this is the cause why they call the Scripture their Foundation and so all this Authority which they put upon the Scripture they take from Christ who alone is the Foundation of the Faithful of whom the Scripture is a Declaration and so we do own it by the same which gave it forth which unto us doth open it and reveal it and manifesteth them to be out of the Life of it and so by the Life thereof are judged and condemned as before is proved And though they call it the Word yet in the same it doth witness against them and witness Christ to be the Word before the Scripture was written John 1. And though they call
Examples and here they abide not in the Doctrine of Christ and so have not God as in 2 John 9. And this is Blasphemy to say They are the Mouth of the Lord and are the Mouth of the Devil teaching Lyes and Blasphemies telling the People that are of their Flock They are Christians and of the Flock of Christ when as they are all manuer of unrighteous Persons who live without God in the World and tell them Their Children are the Flock of Christ when they are sprinkled on the Face with a little Water when as they grow up in all manner of Ungodliness without the Fear of God or the Knowledge of God and they are Heathen that know not God and this is Blasphemy to say Christ is the Head of Heathens for he is the Head of his Flock And they tell People that a House of Lime and Stone is the Church whenas the Church is the Body of Christ and this is Blasphemy Now see whether we or your Teachers be more like Deceivers Lyars and Blasphemers and let every one's Life preach him forth and judge him and see if they be not Lovers of Pleasures more then Lovers of God who delight in Musick in Bowling in Carding and Dicing and Hawking and Hunting and all manner of Pleasures Delights Now see whether they or we be like the Apostles who never used any such thing but all their Delight was in the Work of Christ but They that are of the Flesh mind the things of the Flesh and they that are of the Spirit the things of the Spirit Now see if they have not a Form of Godliness but deny the Power and Life which the Apostles lived in therefore from such turn away And if you find that our Lives be contrary to what we profess from us turn away also But of this sort are they who creep into Houses and lead silly People captive Now see if they do not creep into Steeple-houses and say that 's the Place and no where else and lead silly People captive laden with Sins and divers lusts ever learning and never coming to the Knowledge of the Truth Some learn thirty some fifty some sixty years and above and still full Sin and as dark and blind and ignorant of the Things of God as ever And they will teach You shall never be made free from Sin so long as you are upon the Earth and hereby they set up their Rest in the Devil's Kingdom And if you do alledge We creep into Houses I answer The Apostle witnessed the same where he said I have taught you publickly from House to House And our Meetings are publick to any who will come amongst us sometimes in no House but in the Fields or Commons as the Apostles witnessed and we find the Lord amongst us being gathered in his Name according to his Promise Now see by their Fruits if your Teachers be not the Deceivers which are foretold of in the Scriptures who as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do they withstand the Truth by all the Wayes they can as it is before proved for Jannes and Jambres were the Magicians of Egypt that imitated Moses so those University Men by their Magick Arts Inventions and Imaginations and studying old Authors have gotten the Form of the Prophets Christ and his Apostles Words to trade with but deny the Life and Power and so are Traytors to Christ who are Men of corrupt Minds and Reprobates concerning the Faith but they shall proceed no further for their Folly shall be made manifest to all Men Now he that desiâ—â—s to see may see and let all who are wise hearted judge But if you do alledge They have been long and have reigned long and we are new come up and it is a New Way and we come to breed Divisions and Dissention I answer The more is their Shame and by that the more they are seen to be those that run and the Lord never sent them therefore they profit not the People at all who have reigned so long and wrought no better Reformation in the Land but it flows as much in Iniquity and all manner of Ungodliness as ever and the People that are taught by them as ignorant and as dark to the Things of God as ever and here they would keep them by an outward Power but the Day hath made them manifest and the Scripture fulfilled which the Apostle spoak of who said It was the last Times then and since they have continued you may know them by their Fruits they profess Christ in Words but in Life deny him and the Mystery of Iniquity hath reigned a long time and there hath been a time of cruel Darkness and all the World hath wondered after and worshipped the Beast and his Image and he hath reigned and by him the false Prophet hath reigned which hath deceived the Nations but now Light is risen out of Darkness and shines forth now in these latter Dayes in the Sons and Daughters of Men according to the Promise of God whereby the Wiles of Satan are made manifest to the Glory of God And now is the Separation the Sheep from the Goats the Wheat from the Tares and Christ is come to set at Variance Father against Son and Son against Father and Wife against the Man and the Man against the Wife and to turn the World upside down and this is the Cause why the World rages And this is the Condemnation of the World Light is come into the World and they love Darkness rather then Light because their Deeds are Evil and so to those who are in Darkness it is new but we witness it is no new Way but the same which was is and is to be forever and the same Signs follow but the adulterous Generation cannot see it but they that believe shall see and be healed And though the Beast and false Prophet and those that bear the Mark of the Beast do now make War with the Lamb the Saints for to uphold their Kingdom yet the Lamb the King of the Saints shall overcome and to him the Nations shall bow and the Beast and false Prophet and all that bear the Mark of the Beast into the Lake for them prepared of old shall go and for this End we are come out of our Countries and outward Habitations Possessions to preach to every Conscience the Eternal Truth as it is in Jesus the Everlasting Gospel as we have received it freely freely we give and as we preach the Gospel we live of the Gospel and this is our End and no other End God is our Witness We are accused to deny the Scripture which is false for we witness the Life thereof and by the same do we witness the Scriptures to be Truth and serviceable in its Place was written for our Admonition upon whom the Ends of the World is
come and to us it is given to know but to the World in Parables and he that would go about to unfold the Parables to the dark Minds by the Serpentine Wit and Imagination he must be kept out of the Scripture and he who takes the Scriptures and makes a Trade of them professing to interpret them and so gets a Living by them which was spoaken forth freely he is a Deceiver and must be shut out of the Scripture and who reads or takes the Scripture to talk or discourse of and is ignorant of the Life must be kept out of the Scripture for all those run in with their Serpentine Wit Imaginations wresting them for their own Ends adding and diminishing to their own Destruction and so he must be shut out of the Scripture for hence arise all these Sects and Opinions in the World running into the Scripture with their Wit Imaginations and dark Minds one imagining one Way and another another Way and one of this Opinion and another of that Opinion but Opinion is no Assurance but is fallible and every one out of the Way because they want the Life which is the Mystery and this is the Difference between all Sects and Opinions and the Infallible Truth and so they come not in by the Door but are climbing up another Way and so are shut out of the Kingdom but the same which gave them forth the same can open them and to it they are no Mystery nor Parable nor need any Meaning For they are of no private Interpretation nor came not in the old Time by the Will of Man but Holy Men of God spake as they were mov'd by the Holy Ghost neither can the Will of Men open them but the same which spake them forth the same can open them and spake them forth freely So let him that hath a Dream tell a Dream and he that hath my Word let him speak my Word faithfully What is the Chaff to the Wheat saith the Lord So he that hath the Letter let him speak the Letler and he that hath the Life let him speak the Life What is the Husk to the Kernel And what should Swine do with Pearls whose Life is Husks and there they feed He that can receive let him the same which gave it forth the same can open it And he who saith The Letter is the Word is a Deceiver and errs not knowing the Scripture for the Scripture saith that In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word of the Lord came to the Prophets and they spake from the Word of the Lord and the Word became Flesh and dwelt among the Apostles and they saw the Glory thereof as the Glory of the only begotten Son of the Father full of Grace and Truth and the Word is quick and Powerful sharper then a two-edged Sword and the Word is Immortal and this the Apostles in whom the Word dwelt bare witness of and have left it upon record and we witness the same the Word is the same which was is and is to be forever and who putteth the Letter for the Word is blind and putteth the Shadow for the Substance and must be shut out of the Scripture and he who saith The Letter is the Light is in Darkness and errs not knowing the Scripture which declareth of the Light which John came to bear Witness of who was not the Light but testified of the Light which was the true Light which enlightneth every one that cometh into the World he was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not nor knows him not and he came unto his own and his own received him not but as many as received him to them he gives Power to become the Sons of God and this we witness and by the same Light do we discern and testifie against him to be in Darkness and Blindness and is a Deceiver who puts the Letter for the Light and so draws Peoples Minds off from the Light within them to the Letter without them seeking the Living among the Dead thinking to find Life in the Letter without them as the Pharisees did and will not come unto Christ that they might have Life and also they must be shut out of the Scripture as the Pharisees were And he also that saith The Letter is the Rule and Guide of the People of God is without feeding upon the Husk and is ignorant of the true Light which was before the Letter was which all the Children of God were and are guided by and spoak and speaks the Letter from which was before the Letter was and with this the Letter witnesseth and who is guided by this cannot walk contrary to the Letter nor deny it but they know how to use it in its Place and see in what Condition it was spoaken and it witnesseth with them both in Words and Actions and they that have this have and need the Mystery within though they cannot read the Letter without nor ever learned as it was with Christ which confounded the Scribes and Pharisees and they who are never so learned without and can read and understand all Tongues and Languages without and do not read the Scripture within only feed upon the Husks are ignorant of the Life which is the Mystery which is hid from the Wise and Prudent and revealed unto the Ignorant as it was from the Scribes and Pharisees and High Priests and was revealed to those whom they counted Ignorant and Cursed and knew not the Law And they who take the Letter to be their Rule can't walk according to it because they are ignorant of the Light which opens and leads into the Life which they who spake them forth lived in but Drunkards Swearers and Proud and Wanton and Covetous Lustful Envious Ones and all Manner of Unrighteous Persons will take the Letter to talk of and say it is their Rule and Guide but are out of the Life thereof and so by it are condemned and those are the Swine that are feeding upon the Husk without and have gotten the Form but are out of the Life and Power and put the Shadow for the Substance and so live in Darkness and knows not whether he goeth but they that read with the single Eymay understand for the Scripture is within and was read within before it was read without Now Silence all the Study and Wisdom of Man We are accused to Deny the Baptism The Baptism we own which is the Baptism of Christ with the Holy Ghost and with Fire but we deny all other for there is but one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all and they who would have one Baptism outward and another Inward would have two Baptisms when the Scripture saith the Baptism is but One and whosoever have the Baptism Outward are
make many Prayers I will not hearken your Hands are full of Blood wash you make you clean put away the Evil of your Doings from before mine Eyes cease to do Evil learn to do well So it is the Heart that the Lord requireth and where your Treasure is there will your Heart be also And saith the Apostle We know not how to pray as we ought but as the Spirit maketh Intercession with Sighs Groans this is more acceptable to God from an honest single Heart then the Long Prayer of the Pharisees We are accused to be destructive to the Ministry The true Ministry of Christ we own and witness and the Ministers and Messengers of Christ we own and witness but those who have gotten the Letter and Form to trade with which was spoken forth freely and deny the Life and Power those we deny their Ministry And all those who go to get human Learning and are certain Years as it were serving Apprentiship pretending to study Divinity and when their time is expired they go amongst ignorant blind People and get a certain Place and a certain Wage and so sell that which they studyed and got into the Brain and those which receive it get it into the Brain and so they live upon Dust which is the Serpents Meat feeding upon the Tree of Knowledge both Priest and People death feeding death and with the Notion begets into the Notion and feeding the Carnal Mind with the Carnal Letter and this is the Cause why Drunkards Swearers Lyars Proud Covetous Envious Wrathful and Contentious Ones and all Unrighteous Persons have gotten the Letter to talk of or discourse of though in the Ale-house or Tipling-house but this Ministry works no Reformation only hath the Form and leads into the Form and denyes the Life and Power which is neither to be bought nor sold for Money so from such we turn away who come by the Will of Man and approved by the Will of Man and are upheld by the Will of Man and not by the Will of God and their Call and Ministry we deny which is mediate and formal Imitation and the Invention of Man and so a meer Delusion And this is the Cause why the Land so overflows with Iniquity all Manner of Ungodliness no better Reformation wrought amongst them their Ministry is so dark and dead and cold and yet the Land full of Teachers and yet the People lost for want of Teaching and so they spend their Money for that which is not Bread and their Labour for that which profiteth not But who can witness an Immediate Call by God from their outward Callings and Countries Lands Livings and Possessions into several Countries to preach the free Gospel as they have received it by the immediate Inspiration of the Spirit and speak it forth as they are moved by the Holy Ghost and as the Spirit gives them Utterance freely as they have received it freely by which Ministry many are convinced and as they abide in it are converted as many in the Nation can witness to the Honour and Glory of God who are now New Creatures and this Call we own and witness and this Ministry we own and witness which is Immediate and stands in the Will of God and such covetno Man's Silver nor Gold neither could be hired to certain Place but travail from Place to Place and have no certain dwelling Place and such are the true Ministers of Jesus Christ who make the Gospel free and without Charge And this we own and witness and for the Testimony of this true Ministry some of us are Imprisoned some Stoned some Stocked whipped and shamefully entreated as Vagabonds and Deluders and Wanderers and Raisers of Sedition and Pestilent Fellows and esteemed not worthy to live in the Nation both by Priest and People and Rulers who are out of the Commands of God and are Vagabonds and Fugitives from God who go in the Way of Cain to envy and murder the Innocent And because we declare against all who come not in by the Door but seek to climb up another Way by their Study Inventions and Serpentine Wisdom and Knowledge and so are Thieves and Robbers and those are they which are now to set up and extolled in England with great Augmentations and Benefices by the Arm and Will of Flesh now Heads of England and such Ministers and their Ministry we deny for the Hand of the Lord is against them But this which we own is no new Call nor no new Ministry but the same which was with the Prophets and Apostles and all whom God sent witnessed and here is the Difference of the Ministers of the World and the Ministers of Christ the one comes by the Will of Man the other by the Will of God the one is upheld by the Will of man the other by the Will of God contrary to the Will of Man and the one of the Letter the other of the Spirit and the one has the Form Shadow and the other the Life Substance and the Effects and Fruits of their Ministry make them manifest but from such turn away who have the Form but not the Life and Power for they are meer Deceivers and Witches bewitch People from the Truth holding forth the Shadow instead of the Substance and what is the Shadow to the Substance Or what is the Chaff to the Wheat He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear and understand We are accused to deny all Magistracy and Government I answer This is false for we own it in its Place for whilst there is Transgression there must be a Law and while the Devil hath Power over Man there will be Transgression so the Law was added because of Transgression and the Devil was the Cause of it so there must be a Law without to keep those who are without the Fear of God in Subjection else they would destroy one another and Cain would destroy Abel for this is the Devil's Work and so for this End was the Law given forth to curb Evil-Doers and to preserve and encourage them that do well And it was according to that in the Conscience Just Holy and Good according to the Will of God and serviceable in its Place And true Government according to the Law of God is serviceable in its Place And all Magistrates who fear God and hate Covetousness and are guided by the Light of God in the Conscience and execute the Law in its Place without Partiality and Respect of Persons and such are serviceable in their Place and this we own and honour and are subject to for Conscience sake but the Righteous are from under the outward Law for they are a Law unto themselves neither is there need of any Law amongst them Who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit
God which is a meeer Delusion We are accused to deny the Sabbath The Sabbath of the Saints we own which is not for a Day but Everlasting and who dwells in Christ witnesseth this Sabbath which is the Substance and the Shadow without is vanished for saith Paul let no man condemn you in respect of Meats and Drinks or of an Holy Day or of new Moons or of the Sabbath-Dayes which are but Shadows of things to come And so the World hath the Shadow and the Saints the Substance and you who have the Shadow persecute them who have the Substance as the Scribes and Pharisees and High Priests did who had and upheld the Types and Figures of Christ and persecuted him who was the Substance so they that are alter the Flesh persecuted them that are aftor the Spirit But your Sabbath is a Shadow of Nothing for the Jews Sabbath in the time of the Law was upon the seventh Day which was the last Day of the Week but yours is the first Day of the Week for which you have no Scripture and they were not to do their own Wayes nor their own Pleasure nor speak their own Words upon the Sabbath Day and here you transgress in the Figure and walk in your own Wayes and speak your own Words and do your own Pleasures both of that Day and every Day We are accused that we justifie our selves and condemn all others I answer When we were our selves without the Spirit of God and had a Form and Profession of the Saints Condition which we did not possess we sought to justifie our selves in our Profession and earthly Wisdom and to exalt our selves and be something in the Eyes of others and here we were Pharisee and yet feigned Publicans saying we were sinfull but thought higher of our selves then others though we were in the same Nature and here our Justification was of our selves and not of Christ and here all you Pharisees and feigned Publicans both Priests and Professors who are in your earthly Wisdom feeding upon the Letter but as the Light of Christ arose in us all our earthly Wisdom wherein we were exalted became Foolishness and Self was judged and denyed and all that which was of Self both Wisdom and Righteousness wherewith we covered over our filthy lustful unclean Hearts and so were as painted Sepulchres and here are all Professors at this Day who are feeding upon the Tree of Knowledge and are from under the Cross of Christ but all would not hide from the Light of God but as it arose it searched through all and lay'd open all and all our Covers became rotten and fell from us and so it will be with all Professors as the Light of Christ doth arise and the Book of Conscience is layd open for no Flesh must glory in his Presence But now we have nothing but what we have received of the Father through Death and Christ is made over unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption and though we glory we glory in the Lord for we have nothing in our selves to glory of and the Saints thought it no Presumption to call themselves the Sons of God and said they were of God and all the whole World lie in Wickedness and here the same Spirit would have accused them yet they were no Pharisees and Christ thought it no Robbery to be equal with God yet he was no Pharisee though of the Pharisees he was judged a Blasphemer and as he is so are we say the Saints yet they were no Pharisees and so who are made the Sons of God it is no Self-justification to witness it forth neither those who are made free from Sin to witness it forth as the Apostles did and to witness forth the Life and Power of Truth and deny them that have gotten the Form Notion or Profession And here Christ is the Witness and the Justification for the Way is but one and the Truth is but one and they who dwell in the Truth witness one with another for the Light of God owns its own wheresoever it is for God cannot deny himself but they that are not with us are against us and out of the Truth in the State of Condemnation for all who are out of the Truth are under the Curse in the Fall and this Truth we witness by the Spirit of the living God through Death the same Truth as ever was and there is that in every Conscience shall bear us Witness yea in the Heathen and condemn them that hate it Jer. 3. 19 20. We are accused to be one with the Ranters I answer it is false for we abhor their Principles in our Hearts and deny any Liberty to the Flesh or any light or loose or vain Conversation which they live in or any thing which is impure or unclean for our Principles are pure and clean and are at Enmity with any thing that is impure or unclean for Purity and Impurity cannot agree together and it is our desire to keep our selâ—es unspotted of the World for that which is unclean defiles and from that we are seperated who are the Sons and Daughters of the living God But some of them have tasted of the Love of God and Grace of God and have had Appearances of God but by hearkning to the Voyce of the Serpent and giving way to the Lust have turned with the Dog to the Vomit and the Grace of God into Wantenness casting his pure Law behind their Backs and walking despightfully against the Spirit of Grace and have crucified afresh the Lord of Life and put him to open Shame therefore hath the Lord given them up to their own Hearts-Lusts and vile Affections and their Consciences are seared as with an hot Iron for it is written It is impossible that those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly Gift and were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted of the good Word of God and the Powers of the World to come if they shall fall away to renew them again to Repentance but they have deceived many with their alluring Speeches and have caused the Truth of God to be evil spoaken of by their pernicious lascivious wayes but Wo Wo be to them for double shall be their Reward But God is our Witness we deny and abhor all things which are filthy or unclean and though all the World condemn it is without For there is no Condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not aefter the Flesh but after the Spirit And it is my tender desire towards all tender Consciences that they may take heed of giving any Liberty to the Flesh lest they loose the Tenderness of Conscience and harden it by Lust and Uncleanness for nothing but Purity will the Lord receive for he is of purer Eyes then to behold Iniquity We are accused that the Ground of our Religion is Popery The
Ground of the Religion made manifest to us is God himself for God is the Fountain of all Truth and Truth is Religion and Religion is Truth and this Truth we witness made manifest by God the Life of Truth and here is the Religion which we witness forth and here is the Ground witnessed forth from the Ground and this Religion is pure unspotted and springs from the Light which is pure wherein there is no Deceit neither can be for it discovers all Deceit and leads out of it both within and without but Deceit discovers not Deceit for Satan divided against himself cannot stand bâ—t all Sects and Opinions arise out of Darkness and the End is Confusion and so as Darkness is opposite to Light and Death to Life so are all Sects and Opinions against the true Religion and all will side together against the Truth though they be opposite one to another in Judgment as Pilate and Herod did against Christ and the Scribes and Pharisees and high Priests and Saducees and rude Multitude So it is now both Papist and Protestant as they call them and all other Sects and Opinions which arise out of the Fall for though they differ in Judgment yet they spring from one Root and no Difference in Life but the Light strikes at the Root which is Darkness and layes open the hidden things done in Darkness so Darkness cannot endure the Light and this is the Condemnation of the World who love Darkness rather then Light because their Deeds are evil And this is the Cause why our Religion is spoaken against more then any Profession besides all Drunkards Swearers Lyars Whoremongers Adulterers Thieves Murtherers Proud Covetous Lustful ones and all Unrighteous Persons will speak against it and call it Delusion and Heresie and Witchery and all manner of Evil which the Devil can invent and those stand up for the Priests and persecute the Truth as it was in the time of Christ and his Apostles times and this will all Pharisees and Professors do as they ever did for they can wink at one another and bear with one another in Deceit but Truth cannot at all bear with Deceit because there is perfect Enmity as there was ever in all Ages and it is no new thing And here all your Sects and Opinions are shut out of the Light and are in Darkness and so is Confusion both Popery and all other But the Truth is but one and who dwels in the Truth dwels in the Light and are the Children of the Light and there is no Confusion but all of one Heart and one Mind Epistles written in one anothers Hearts and there is that in every Conscience which shall witness it be the everlasting Truth which ever was is and is to be for ever both in them that believe and in them that perish though to the Condemnation of them that hate it And this I witness by the infallible Spirit of the Lord which cannot lie And now I have discharged my Conscience before all People in the behalf of the Truth of God not that I would have any to speak well of it but from the Ground of it for the Love and the Hatred of the Unrighteous is all one to me but for some Simple ones sake I have laid open my self and freely discharged my Conscience and I doubt not that my Labour is in vain but whosoever owns the Truth of God must own it through good Report and evil Report and must be content to loose their good Name in the World as both Christ and his Servants did and the Servant must not be greater then his Lord. And now a few words to all you Heads and Rulers and Magistrates in what Degree soever who have the Power in your own Hands who by your Power persecute and imprison the Servants and Messengers of Jesus Christ as Deluders and Deceivers Witches and Vagabonds and have no Ground for it but only by Hear-say and the evil Thoughts and Imaginations of your own Hearts and because they cannot please nor satisfie your corrupt proud Wills which is your Law by which you persecute them not weighing nor searching the Ground of things You are they in whom the Beast reigns and his Image you bear which upholds the false Prophet and Tyrannize over the Nations by his corupt Will and cause them to bow to and worship his Image and you oppress and persecute those who cannot You must drink of the Wine of the Wrath of the Almighty poured out without mixture for in the bloody Generation you are found filling up the measure of your Fathers Wrath upon whom must come all the righteous Blood shed from righteous Abel until now and this I say in the Presence of the living God by the Spirit of the living God that all you who have had a hand in persecuting of them Guilt shall follow you in the Conscience until you come to Judgment And therefore I charge you all by the Lord to take heed of medling about Religion or to lay your Law upon any tender Conscience but see that your Law be according to that in the Conscience which is pure and perfect and medle with such Affairs as you are set about and rather give Liberty to Religion then take it away as you own the Grace of God you will and see that you discharge your Consciences there lest that while you are persecuting the Truth you neglect that which you are set about for you will both persecute them your selves and suffer the Bruits to stone strike buffet them which is all contrary to your own Law Neither when they are brought before you can they have the Liberty of the Law to clear such Accusations as are laid against them but you will hear the Accusers but not the Accused and this is contrary to the Heathenish Law and are more unjust then the very Heathen who said Doth our Law judge any one before it hear him And so for Shame profess no more Love to Christ in this Nature who execute your Law upon his Servants upon such a fallible Ground which no Judge ought to do by the Law of God especially about Religion but to search out the Ground of the Matter on both side before he judge but this he cannot do about Religion except he have the Spirit of the Lord therefore take heed of medling about spiritual Matters lest through Ignorance you call Christ Beelzebub and persecute him as a Blasphemer and Deceiver as many of you have done which is written in the Book of Conscience and there you shall read it to your Sorrow And all you blind People who persecute rail and revile and reproach the Truth of God and have no Ground for it but by hear-say and the evil Thoughts and Imaginations of your own Hearts one imagining one Thing and another another Thing as the Multitude which gathered together against Paul one crying one Thing and another
received the Holy Ghost they went abroad preaching Christ and shewing thereby the fulfilling the Law and the Prophets which figured sorth and prophesied of Christ and this they declared in their Temples and in their Synagogues and they haled them out of the Temple and out of their Synagogues and brought them before Governors Rulers and Magistrates and the chief Priests and their Kindred and the chiefest Professors which were the Pharisees were the head-Actors therein but never the less they went on boldly being filled with the Power of the Holy Ghost without the Fear of Man obeying God rather then Man so they were not subject to the Authority of Man in that respect but they were subject unto the Law of Man so far as it was subject to the Law of God and so they went on preaching Christ and many believed and were baptized and received the Holy Ghost and were converted and it was so that the multitude that believed was of one Heart and of one Mind and they were so far of one being exalted over another or seeking themselves that not any of them said that ought of the things which he possessed was his Own and the Works of God went on in much Power the Ministers being acted guided by the Holy Ghost And also Stephen a man full of Faith and the Holy Ghost he declared against the Temple which God had once commanded to be built and said Solomon built him an House yet nevertheless God that made the World and all things therein dwells not in Temples made with Hands as saith the Prophet Heaven is my Throne and Earth is my Foot stool and where is the House that ye will build me and where is the Place of my Rest hath not mine Hand made all things and he judged them and said Ye Stiff-necked and Uncircumcised in Hearts and Ears ye do alwayes resist the Holy Ghost as did your Fathers so do ye and they gnashed upon him with their Teeth and fell upon him and stoned him And when Saul was converted and became Paul his Message was for to turn Peoples minds from the Darkness to the Light and then saith Paul when it pleased God to reveal his Son in me that I might preach him amongst the Heathen immediately I conferred not with Flesh and Blood and here was Paul's call to the Ministry and they were made manifest to every Man's Conscience and were a sweet Savour unto God both in them that believed and them that perished And Paul declared against the Temple and told them that worshipped there they were too superstitious and he went into their Synagogues on Sabbath-Days and reasoned with them and they persecuted him and haled him before Rulers and there complained of him to be one that prophaned the Temple and a Ring-leader of the Sect of the Nazareans and a pestilent Fellow and a Raiser of Sedition and many cry'd out away with such a Fellow he is not worthy to live and thus they suffered by the zealous Professors in those Daies but they whose minds were turned to the Light they were translated out of Darkness into the Light and became the Children of Light and were baptized by one Spirit into one Body and had passed from Death unto Life and had put off the Old Man and put on the New the old Man being crucified with Christ though some of them were Drunkards some Swearers some Proud some Covetous Idolaters Adulterers yet then they were cleansed and washed and sanctified and justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God and here was the Church which witnessed the Spiritual Baptism into the Spiritual Body of which Christ is Head and they being thereby set free from Sin their Union and Communion was here and the Bread which the Saints brake was the Communion of the Body of Christ and the Cup which they drank was the Communion of the Blood of Christ and they were in Christ new Creatures all Members of one Body and needed not that any man should teach them because the Anointing was in them and to them the Cross was the Power of God unto Salvation though to the Greeks Foolishness and to the Jews a Stumbling-block and in this Cross Paul rejoyced by which he was Crucified to to the World and the World to him and they were not conformed unto the World but transformed by the Renewing of their Minds and had one Lord one Faith one Baptism one Way one Teacher one Life and one Shepherd and one Priest over the Houshould of God and one God and Father of all being united by one Spirit into the bond of Peace and their Conversation was in Heaven and there were the Christians And though there was a time that when Christ was preached after the Flesh some preached Christ through Envy and Strife and Contention to add Affliction to Paul's Bonds yet in all this he rejoyced that the Name of Christ was spread abroad for there were many that believed not that that was the Christ that suffered at Jerusalem and was crucified as Paul himself had not and as there are many such to this Day and so it rejoyced him that the Name of Christ was spread abroad but after his Name was spread abroad and many believed that that was the Christ then the Apostle declared against such who had the Form but denyed the Life and Power and said from such turn away for as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do they withstand the Truth being men of corrupt minds and reprobates concerning the Faith and said the Apostle we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a Stumbling block and the Greeks Foolishness but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God and said the Apostle hence know me no man after the Flesh and though we have known Christ after the Flesh hence know we him no more but he that is in Christ is a 〈◊〉 Creature old things are passed away and all things become new and they that are Christs have crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts and the Apostl◠preached Christ within the Hope of Glory the Mystery which had been hid from Ages and Generations they that could not witness Christ in them were Reprobates And here it was not sufficient for them to say they believed Christ dyed for them but he that believeth hath the Witness within himself and he that believeth is passed from Death unto Life and he that believeth is born of God and he that is born of God doth not commit Sin and those were they who were made Partakers of Christ's divine Nature therefore saith John As he is so are we in this Present World and we are of God and the whole World lyeth in Wickedness and they that are of God hear us and they that are not with us are against us And then the Apostle Paul he
they stole the Apostles Words as the false Prophets stole the Word from their Neighbour so did and do those and put them into â—hapter aâ—d Verse and took a Verse and studied from it a 〈…〉 own Brain and added to it but not from the Mouth of the Lord and so do the Priests now but they run like the false Prophets and the Lord never sent them therefore they profit not the People at all and then with feigned or studied words through Covetousness they made Merchandize of the People as they do now and so made a Prey upon the Sheep as they do now and began to seek about for great Livings and Fat Benefices and left a lesser and ran to a bigger so there was their Beloved which they sought for as the false Prophets which sought for the Fleece and regarded not the Flock but sed with the Fat and cloathed with the Wool and made a Prey upon the Sheep as they do now and cryed Peace to those that put into their Mouthes and called them beloved Brethren and Christians but they that did not put into their Mouthes they prepared War against them and brought a Law upon them and haled them before Courts and Benches as they do now and thus they sought their Gain from their Quarter and ruled them with Rigour so that until within these late years the Priests raigned like Lords over the People contrary to the Practice of the Ministers of the Gospel who made themselves Servants to all And though they did ordain Bishops they did not ordain that they should live of others Estates or take the Tenths of the Increase of others Labours and live like Lords over the People but said a Bishop must be blameless the Husband of one Wife vigilant sober and of good Behaviour given to Hospitality apt to Teach not given to Wine no Striker not greedy of filthy Lucre but patient not a Brawler not Covetous one that ruleth well his own House not a Novice lest being lifted up with Pride he fall into the Condemnation of the Devil now try your Priest and Teachers by this Rule But they stood not to this who were ordained by the Pope or by the Will of Man but were lifted up with Pride and Covetousness and greedy of Filthy Lucre as they are now and so came into the Condemnation of the Devil as they do now And thus your Priests old Fathers planted their Church and so set every thing in Form and Tradition according to their own Imaginations and here is the Ground and Foundation of the Faith and Church of England so called and here are the old Fathers and the old Authors that your Priests have so much talked of and prated of their ancient Fathers even the Popes and the Bishops and though now in words they deny the Pope and the Papists and the Bishops and differ something from the Pope in Judgment yet are in the same Forms Customs and Traditions and are upheld by the same Laws as they were when they were in the Popes and Bishops Loyns and thus Antichrist hath long deceived the Nations and ruled by the Power of Darkness under a Notion or Profession of the Gospel and Faith of Christ and one Generation hath gone and another come and have not known the Lord that bought them but by the hearing of the Ear and as those that saw him knew him in whom he dwelt bore Testimony and declared of him so the Priests could tell the People from the Records of the Holy Men of God what God is and what Christ is and what Faith is and how Christ dyed for their Sins and rose again and that Christ is a Saviour and a Redeemer and what the Apostles spoak and writ unto the Church freely they get and speak unto the World for Gain and Lucre and so cast the Childrens Bread unto Dogs and so feed and puff up the dark Minds of Men with airy Knowledge what they have gotten into their Brains from other Mens Words and their own Imaginations and so made and make the People believe that they are the Means ordained by God Now many may see by this what Lyars they are and how they came up and were ordained and whose Rule Practice or Example they follow in this they do and they will be found the Ministers of Anti-christ and such as have long shut up and do shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against Men and would neither enter in themselves nor suffer others that would but so long as they had Power would bind all unto themselves and those that had any Appearance of Light so that they came to see their Deceit and separate from them they would scarce suffer them to live amongst them but praised be the Almighty who hath so weakned their Hands and shattered their Foundation and caused his Light so to shine out of Darkness to cause them to be so manifest so that all People who love Light better then Darkness may now see how ignorantly and blindly you have been led as Strangers from the Father of Light after the vain Traditions Customs Forms Ordinances and Imaginations of Man with a vain Profession and feigned Faith which you have gotten into the Notion but still in your Sins and Iniquities alive in the first Nature under Death's Dominion still Strangers from the God of Life and from Christ the Saviour and Redeemer of his People from their Sins and thus you lye under the Power of Darkness and Delusion of Anti-christ both Priests and People for like People like Priest and so saith the Prophet and your Leaders cause you to err by their Lyes and by their Lightness and though you be full of Teachers yet you are lost for Want of true Knowledge and are still led Captive in your Sins and Iniquities after those who have gotten the Form but deny the Life and Power ever learning and never come to the Knowledge of the Truth in your selves only differing from the Heathen in Name and Profession Judgment or Opinion but still alive in the same Nature in the Fall under the Curse the Children of Disobedience in whom doth rule the Prince of Darkness and you must have a Law without to keep you in Awe and Fear of the same as they have whom you account Heathen but the Righteous need no Law for because of Transgression the Law was added and you are fiâ—hting killing and devouring one another as they do whom you account Heathen and you are Drunkards and Swearers and Lyars as they are and Scoffers and Scorners and Revilers and Back-biters and Whoremongers and Adulterers and Proud and Covetous Idolaters and high-minded Oppressors as they are both Priest and People and you are Idolaters as they are eating and drinking and rising up to play and you are Envious and Malicious suing and rending and teaâ—ing one another at the Law both Priest and People pulling down others to set up your selves and you are dissembling and cozenning and cheating and
Church of Christ was met together and there it was agreed upon by the Elders That Samuel Cater and Ezekiel Cater who were formerly Elders of the Church of Christ in this Town namely Littleport and being they have departed from the sweet Fellowship of the Church of Christ c. and after so many Admonitions would not be reconciled should be delivered unto Satan I was there appointed to be the Messenger And so he ran on with his Excommunication according to their Form with their stoln Words Reply Now for the Truth 's sake for which thou John Ray hast cast us out of your Society we shall hereby clear our selves from what is or may be cast upon us in this Matter by thee John Ray and the rest of thy Society whom we know to be most bitter Slanderers of the Truth This we deny that ever we were Elders in the Church of Christ you made us Elders in your Church who call your selves Jews and are not but the Synagogue of Satan out of which you have cast us but not before we forsaked you We by the Light of Jesus Christ through the Love of God seeing both you we setting ourselves of Acting Imitating the Apostles in our Wills with a blind Zeal for Life but Strangers to the Life and Power neither could witness the same Infallible Spirit as they had as you know we all confessed and therefore we had nothing but what we got into our Brains of their Words and so got a Notion with adding to our own Imaginations of them and wresting the same with our Fallible Spirits for we durst not say It was Infallible as you also confessed your selves then it must needs be fallible for there are but two kinds of Spirits and if not the Infallible then the Fallible and though we did the very same things and spoak the same words and not from the same Spirit it was all false and as nothing as they that swore God lived swore falsly for They that have not the Spirit of Christ are none of his and his Spirit is Infallible in the least measure And thus you are shut out in all that you can do of your selves with your formed Ordinances And this we know We were also Strangers to the Cross of Christ and the Light and Life and Power of Christ which the Apostles lived in and also the One Baptism of Christ without which none can be his Disciple so we were only Jews outwardly washing the Out-side but within as foul as ever as you also are yet we say not but we had a Zeal in the same though not according to Knowledge But now the True Light is sprung in through the Mighty Love of God towards us so that we see the Weakness of our own Actings and Formings in our own Wills for Liâ—e and now are made willing through the Power of God to lay down our Crowns at the Feet of Jesus and to wait in what he hath given us of his Light and we have tasted of his powerful Word through his gracious Love towards us and now we have a Witness within our selves whenas before we knew it not but murdered it as you also do and for this you have cast us out of your Society but not for Fornication as he was in that place of Scripture which you imitate nor for making Shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience for we witness an Increase of both but the Discerning and Power is wanting in you and so you know not what you do but know this We are not falleâ— to a looser Life but to a more stricter severe Life for to serve the Lord Jesus Christ But remember this That if they that believed your Form to be the Truth could but patter over a few words of Faith and call it Theirs and then according to your Form they were put into the Water and taken out again and then received into your Church and Communion though no change of Life or Nature and this must needs be the Synagogue of Satan And this I Samuel Cater can witness for so I have Baptized and ye allowed of it but now my Eye is opened I do see it and do testifie against it That all I did so by I deceived them though then I confess it was Ignorance and so was yours but now you might see if you would therefore it shall no more be called Ignorance but Wilful Blindness But I know you will alledge You teach Godliness and Holiness But I answer You run and the Lord never senâ— you as we also did therefore you profit not the People at all and if you had not the Words of Godliness and the Form then the Ministers of Antichrist would not be like the Ministers of Christ but you are But I say Your Lives come short of what you profess for in them there is no Change but they that are Earthly-Minded and Covetous are so still and your Lives are in Pride Ambition and Arrogancy puffed up with your Vain Knowledge and with Respect of Persons and so are out of the Faith of Christ and in Wrath and Anger and Envy and Bitterness and in Lying and Slandering and Backbiting and Lust and Fleshliness we formerly being in the same Society do witness it now our Eyes are open out of which Society you have cast us and praised be the Lord that we have escaped the Snares of Darkness by the bright Shining of his Light into our dark Hearts to the which Light do we speak in you all by it to read your selves and judge your selves for by it are you seen and judged to be in Darkness and in Confusion out of the Faith and Society of the Saints but these things do we not speak out of Envy or Revenge but for the clearing of the Truth and our Consciences from your Slanderous Tongues and to lay open your Deceit and Way of Delusion to the Simple that they may escape the Delusion which we were ensnared in and that so you may proceed no further with it that your Folly might be manifest unto all as theirs was who withstood Moses Ezekiel Cater Samuel Cater A Copy of the most of the Queries aforesaid were given to this Ray but no Answer did he return A Word to all who are still in your own Forming Self-Actings and Imitatings YOU are acting in that Nature which is at Enmity with God which is not subject to the Law of God neither can be So all your Formings and Actings are in vain for they are not from Life but from Death for Life but Life comes from Death for in the Destruction of Death Life is obtained Therefore to the Light of the Lord Jesus in all your Consciences take heed which is the Witness for God to which I speak in you all which witnesseth for God against the Secrets of your Hearts which reproves you in secret for your secret Actions and Deeds of Darkness and it will search you through and let you see what
not by it you are left without Excuse and it will judge you at the last Day For he that loves the Light shall not walk in Darkness but shall have the Light of Life but he that doth Evil hates the Light which is his Condemnation Now the VVay is plain to all simple Ones who have a Desire to find it declared by a Friend and VVitness to the Eternal Truth who am called J. P. THE Fruits of a Fast Appointed by The Churches gathered against Christ and his Kingdom who go about to mock God with their Outside Worship and Appointed Fasts and Dayes of Voluntary HUMILIATION Or A Declaration of the Persecution of a Messenger of the Lord by a People who go under the Name of Independents in Essex who have set themselves in the Enmity of their Spirits to oppose the Truth of God calling it a Lye and persecuting his Messengers as Deceivers and Wanderers wherein their Persecuting Spirits are made manifest and them to be in Cain's Generation Strangers to the Spirit of Christ which never presecuted and so are none of his Rom. 8. 9. And also Of the Unjust Dealings of Judge Hills who sate upon Life and Death at the last Assizes at Chansford which began upon the Eleventh Day of the Sixth Moneth And also Several Queries that were sent to the Priests and Magistrates which may be serviceable for them or any other to Answer whom they do concern By a Witness and Sufferer in Outward Bonds for the Vnchangeable Truth of God by Cain's Generation who am known to them in Colchester Castle by the Name JAMES PARNEL Printed in the Year 1675. THE Fruits of a Fast Appointed by the Churches gathered against Christ and his Kingdom c. FIrst I shall give unto the Reader a Declaration of the Work of God in my Soul and the Conversion of my Heart from Darkness unto his marvellous Light and from the Power of Satan unto God and out of the Path of Death into the Path of Life where I now walk in the Light of my God with the Ransomed of the Lord who are availing towards the Holy City and also the Cause of my coming forth into the World to declare the Truth for which I now suffer Bonds by the Persecuting Generation wherein I once lived a Child of Wrath as all are by Nature and then I was loved of the World while I followed the Vain Courses and Wayes of the World where by Nature I was led in Imitation of others being in that Nature which is prone unto the same the time I was sent unto the Schools of Humane Learning for to learn the Humane Wisdom for which End the Schools are profitable but for the attaining of Heavenly Wisdom and Knowledge they are as far unprofitable and many Books that are there read are much for the Corrupting of Youth and nourishing of the Wild Prophane Nature which then ruled in me and I was as Wild as others during the time I followed the School and after I was taken from the School I still continued in the same Nature growing and encreasing in Sin and Iniquity following the vain Courses of the Wicked World and also was trained up in the Customary Way of the Worship of the World which is held in the Idols Temple every First Day of the Week but no Conversion there was wrought but all still continued in the old Nature both Priest and People Young and Old and as was the People so was the Priest all walking in Darkness and Blindness by Form Custom and Tradition but ignorant of the pure Light which is the Guide and Teacher of the Faithful which oftentimes did reprove in Secret when I was alone but then I knew not what it was but oftentimes it did strike me into a Consideration of my Ways and Doings and set Life and Death before me so that I have sometimes promised within my self never to do the like again but the Promise being in the Will made it did not stand but when the Temptations came the Careless Mind got out again and led me still to delight my Heart in the Vanity which my Eye did see and my Ear did hear which all passed away with the using thereof and left me to the Judgment which was due unto me for my Iniquity which did follow me time after time calling me to Repentance and the more I did incline my Mind and draw nigh to it it also did draw nigh to me and so the Goodness of God led me to Repentance and the Grace of God wrought in my Heart a Reformation and so I was found of him when I sought not and thus he both wrought the Will and the Deed of his own good Pleasure and plucked me as a Brand out of the Fire to make me a Vessel of Honour to his Name all Living Eternal Praises be to his Name forever my Soul shall Praise and Magnifie his Name forever For I may well say with Paul of Sinners I was chief for according to my Years I was as perfect in Sin and Iniquity as any in the Town where I lived yea and exceeded many in the same so that there was as little Hopes of my Conversion as any in the Town and yet though it is a Place of many People I was the first in all that Town which the Lord was pleased to make known his Power in and turn my Heart towards him and truly to seek him so that I became a Wonder to the World and an Astonishment to the Heathen round about but they were such Enemies to Goodness and so given up to Idolatry that as much as before they had loved me in my Vain Conversation so much the more they hated me in my Conversion yea and they oâ— my Family came to ensnare me and lay wait for me to entrap me but when they could not prevail they stood afar off me and Reproached me with Lyes and proved my Greatest Enemies yea and my Relations became my Adversaries and laboured to destroy what God had begun in me because that thereby I came under the Reproach and Shame of the World because I could not conform to the World in their invented Fashions Customs and Traditions and their Words Wayes Fellowship and Worship but was made subject to the Law of God and could not Respect Persons neither in Word nor Deed then the Beast which rules in Proud Flesh was disturbed who before ruled in Peace while he was worshipped but when I came to see proud Lucifer the Lust in Man to be the Beast which all the World worships and wonders after but those whose Names are written in the Book of Life therefore I could no longer follow the World in Blindness for by the Power of God my Eye was opened so that I did behold their Idolatry and therefore I could no longer be conformable to them so that their Rage and Persecution arose against me and I became a Mock in the Streets yea and I was accounted
Equity in is heart without putting off a Hat to a Magistrate and he that so doth Whether is he fit to be called a Magistrate that calleth such a one A Contemner of Authority and commits him to Prison for Mis-behaviour And whether this be Justice or Equity yea or nay 20. And you that plead this Scripture Be subject to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake Whether is it for the Lord's sake that a Man would have his Fellow-Creature to stand with his Hat off before him or for his Selfs sake and whether then it is to be obeyed yea or nay 21. And he that for the Lord's sake aud for Conscience sake cannot so rob God of his Glory and Honour as to bow to or worship any Creature but God alone who is the Creator Whether ought he to be imprisoned for Mis-behaviour or a Contemner of Authority yea or nay according to the Law of Equity And whether this is to be called Liberty of Conscience according to the Law of England yea or nay Now all you that profess your selves Christians and the Scripture to be your Rule take the Scripture and prove your Practice by the Scripture amongst all the Christians or else let the Life and Practice of the True Christians judge you and condemn you and own your selves to be in Proud Haman's Nature and so liable to Haman's Judgment And hence forward look to your Office to Rule for God and not for your selves and then you will not stand upon such frivolous things for it is a frivolous thing to look for the putting off the Hat and is no Part of True Nobility or Christianity Given forth for the Clearing of the Truth to which the Nations must bow James Parnel Here followeth a Copy of a Note that was written against the Idol's Temple which was judged a Contempt of the Ministry THis is the Idols-Temple where the Worship of the Beast is upheld down with it down with it 1 Cor. 8. 10. Rev. 13. 7 8. Deut. 12. God that made the World and all Things therein dwells not in Temples made with Hands Acts 7. 47 48 49. Acts 17. 11. Neither is he worshipped in Idols Temples made with Mens Hands Acts 17. 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth for the Father is seeking such to worship him John 23. 24. All the World wonders after and worships the Beast but those who have their Names written in the Book of Life Rev. 13. 3 4 8. And they that worship the Beast receive his Mark in their Foreheads Rev. 13. 16. As sprinkling Infants and worshipping the Works of their own Hands Isa. 2. 8. And following the Imaginations of their own Hearts such must drink of the Wine of the Wrath of the Almighty poured out without Mixture Rev. 14. 9 10 11 12. This Idols Temple that is made with Hands is a Place for Night-Birds and Scrich-Owls to meet each one with his Mate Jer. 34. 13 14 15. To the Dishonour of the only true God that dwelleth in Temples made without Hands at New Jerusalem where the Tabernacle of God is with Men Rev. 21. 3. Drunkards and Swearers Revilers and Scoffers and Scorners Proud and Wanton Ones Hypocrites and Dissemblers Envious Haters Backbiters Persecutors Lustful Covetous Ones and Earth-worms meet here the Fearful and Unbelieving Peevish Perverse Contentious Ones meet in these Idols Temples to satisfie their Lusts And saith the Lord these People draw near me with their Mouthes and honour me with their Lips but their Hearts are far from me but in vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrine the Traditions of Men Mat. 15. 7 8 9. But know you not that no Unrighteous Person shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. But must be cut down and cast into the Lake that burneth Rev. 21. 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked such as you sow such must you reap Gal. 6. 7. And to whom you yield your Members Servants to obey his Servants you are Rom. 6. 16. For he that commits Sin is the Servant of Sin and so is of the Devil Joh. 8. 34. 1. Joh. 3. This is a Deceiver that stands up here every first Day of the Week to deceive the People he is Proud and Covetous and speaketh a Divination of his own Brain but not from the Mouth of the Lord and so makes the People light and vain Jer. 14. 14. But the Lord is against him hold him not up for he ran and the Lord never sent him therefore he profits not the People at all Jer. 3. 1 2 3. But hath stollen the Letter which is Carnal with it to feed the Carnal for Carnal Ends and Lucre and so hath a Form but denyes the Life and Power and therefore from him turn away 2 Tim. 3. 5. Therefore spend not your Money for that which is not Bread nor your Labour for that which profiteth not Isa. 55. 1 2. For all the Children of the Lord are and shall be taught of the Lord and in Righteousness shall they be established and they shall be far from Oppression Jer. 31. 34. Isa. 54. 13. 1 Joh. 2. 27. He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith and be deceiv'd no longer J. P. Here follow several Queries that were sent to four of the chief Priests in Essex with some more added which may be serviceable for them or any other to answer whom they do concern SEveral Queries unto Priest Sammes Priest Sparrow Priest Willi and Priest Stellum and your gathered Churches by you to be answered according to Scripture which you profess to be your Rule Query 1. How and by what were you called to the Ministry which you profess 2. What is the Gospel which you pretend to preach and how did you receive it and whether your Gospel be free and without Charge as the Apostles was yea or nay 3. What do you minister from and what do you minister to in the Natural Man and what is the End of your Ministry 4. What Rule have you in the Scripture to take a Text of the Apostles Words and speak from it what you have studyed with your Uses Points Tryals and Motives and Applications 5. Whether do you speak by the same infallible Spirit as they did that spoak forth the Scripture yea or nay 6. And whether he that hath the same infallible Spirit need study how or what to preach 7. And whether it is not as lawful now for Fishermen Plowmen or Herdsmen to preach if they be called to it and fitted for it by the same Power and Spirit as they were in the dayes of old and whether Christ is not the same Yesterday to Day and orever according to Scripture 8. And whether any now ought to teach and preach in the Name of Jesus but who are called to it and fitted for it the same Way as the holy Men of God were spoken of in Scripture 9. Whether
Words to all my Dear Friends in and about the County of Essex AND all you my dear Friends you scattered and despised Ones in and about the County of Essex whom the Lord by his Powerful Word is now gathering out of Darkness into his Marvelous Light out of the Kingdom of this world into the Kingdom of his dear Son whom he is separating unto himself to walk before him in Holiness that you might know him and he might know you in the Light of his Countenance whose Faces he hath turned towards Sion to seek after a Land of Rest unto your wearied Souls which have been tossed to and fro from Mountain to Hill in this Cloudy and Dark Day seeking Rest but finding none But now is the Day of Beauty broaken forth nigh you even in you Yea and Glad-tidings is come unto your wearied Souls by which a pure Love is begotten in you to the Everlasting Truth which hath been freely declared amongst you by the Messengers of the Most High who have reached the Witness for God in your Consciences which doth seal the same upon your Hearts which your Teacher is and unto it you hearken and are obedient In which Light all stand still and behold the Work which the Lord hath begun amongst you and you shall have no Cause of Discouragement though the Sea doth rise and the Raging Waves do swell as if they would swallow all up yet it is limited by the Unlimited and it shall but foam out its own Shame And as I had a Time to preach the Truth amongst you to the Convincement of many so also now I have a Time to seal the same with Patient Suffering in the Bonds of the Gospel that you may see That it is no other but what we are made able and willing to seal with patient Suffering yea with our Blood if we be called to it as many of us have done in this Nation though it be called A Land of Liberty but it is for Iniquity but Truth and Equity are Strangers in it and therefore are persecuted But you that are found worthy to receive these Strangers happy are you And though the Raging Sodomites compass you about for to cause you to cast out these Strangers that they may work their Wills upon them yet be Faithful and fear them not but cast out your Darlings before them and stand in the Faith of the God of Truth and Equity and you shallâ— see the Sodomites struck with Blindness that they shall not be able to prevail against you but when they are weary with striving they shall be made to sit down in Sorrow and so shall it be fulfilled which of old was prophesied that No Weapon formed against the Faithful shall prosper but Wo unto them that lift up their Heel against them Therefore I charge you all in the Name of the God of Truth Be Faithful Valliant and Bold for the Truth received and as you have received it so walk in it that you may profess no more in Word but what in Life you seal that the Light may be preached forth in your Lives and shine forth in your Conversations to the Glory of the Father of Lights and the Confounding of the Heathen who profess God in VVords but in Life deny him And be willing that Self shall suffer for the Truth and not the Truth for Self for the Truth was ever sealed with Persecution since Gain's Generation had a Being upon the Earth and so own the Cross and despise the Shame and give up your selves to suffer for the Truth received all you that would follow the Lamb to the Land of Rest and through many Tryals you will wax strong and bold and confident in your God for God is not known what a God he is until the Time of Tryal And all keep your Meetings in the Name and Fear of the Lord God waiting for his Power in the Obedience to his Light which in your Consciences doth reprove you when you do amiss that in it you may wait and watch over the Foes that are of your own House that you may know the Warfare begun in your Hearts against your Spiritual Enemies and so the God of Power manifest himself amongst you by his Mighty Power bringing down all that in you which opposes him and would not that he should reign over it and exalt his own Seed in your Hearts and establish you in Righteousness that his Image you may bear and He shall be your God and Ye shall be his People And so in the Unchangeable Truth I rest in Unity with all the Faithful in the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God though in Outward Bonds for your sakes Known to all that can read me in Spirit JAMES PARNEL Goliah's Head Cut off with his OWN SVVORD In a Combat betwixt Little David the Young Stripling who stands in the Power and Strength of his GOD and great Goliah the Proud Boaster who stands in his Own Strength glorying in the Arm of Flesh and contemning and despising Little David because of his Youth In a REPLY to a Book set forth by an Unnamed Author under Pretence of an Answer to Thirty Six Queries propounded by Iames Parnel whom he in Scorn calls The Young QVAKER And also an Answer to several Counter-Queries propounded by the same Unnamed Author whom I understand to be one Thomas Draton a Teacher of the World at Abby Rippon in Huntingtonshire wherein his Folly and Ignorance is much laid open and the Pride and Deceit of his Spirit much manifested and also he that takes his Part who writes himself W. P. who knows not the Power of God and therefore glories in the Length of Time and the Multitude of Years But Solomon who was a Wiser Man then Great Goliah said That the Honourable Age is not that which is of Long Time neither that which is measured by the Number of Years but Wisdom is the Gray Hair and an Vndefiled Life is Old Age. And therefore let not the Wise Man glory in his Wisdom nor the Strong Man glory in his Strength for it is Vanity JAMES PARNEL Printed in the Year 1675. GOLIAH's HEAD Cut of with his Own Sword c. The Title of the aforesaid Book An Answer according to Truth that trembles not nor quakes nor quaileth given to thirty six Queries propounded by James Parnel commonly called the Young Quaker to an ancient Country Minister with some Counter-Queries by the said Minister unto the said Young Quack and his Fellows Reply HEre thou mayst be ashamed to stile thy self an ancient Minister who manifests such an Ishmael's Spirit who with reproachful Words makest a Scoff at the Power of Truth which the Ministers of God in all Ages witnessed which made them to quake and tremble And though the Truth neither quakes nor quaileth yet all that owned the Truth owned and witnessed quaking and trembling which Truth thou manifests thy self but a Professor of and a Stranger to the Power and
Body and Blood of Christ for thou saist thou hast declared the Mystery of both more distinctly and evidently then ever thou readst in our Writings And then by thy vain Philosophy thou goest about to justifie the Word Sacrament for the which thou hast no Scripture and many of your Blind Dâ—luded People do not know what it means Rep. But all this is no true Ground to believe thy words to be Truth for thy Hope is alreadâ— disproved and found to be Deceit and thy Lying Tongue hath been many times reproved as before thou boastest that thou uâ—ually spoakest by the Motion of the Holy Ghost and then wast presently found in a Lye so that there is no Credit to be given to thy Words without a sufficient Proof for here also thou may'st easily be proved a Lyar for out of thy own Mouth both thou thy self and thy Church were proved to be no Christians Then for your Discerning the Body of Christ or declaring the Mystery from your own Experiences yea and though thou couldest declare the Mystery from others Words who experienced it they that hear thee could not discern it without a Single Eye which appeareth they have not who are still Earthly-minded by thy own Confession And dost thou profess here now to have such a Spiritual People and yet durst not trust them for thy Maintenance without a Compulsive Law This also manifests thy self to be Earthly-minded and so ignorant of the Mystery And thus every way thou Deceiver thy Confusion is seen and by the Truth art thou overwhelmed and catched in thy own Craftiness Qu. 25. And whether dost thou not give Bread and Wine to Natural Men and Women yea or nay Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou confessest Thou dost give to Natural Men anâ— Women and also to Spiritual Ones as thou saist Christ himself did to all the Twelve Disciples Luke 22. 14 15. c. whereof thou saist Judas was one and the Apostle for a time thou saist gave the same to those that professed Repentance Faith and new Obedience but fell away afterwards which to prove thou quotest 1 Cor. 11. 18 19. 1 John 2. 19. Rep. Here thou Murderer of Souls by thy own Confession thou confessest the People to eat and drink Damnation to themselves not discerning the Lord's Body which the Natural Man and Woman cannot do and as for Spiritual Ones thou hast none in thy Flock for thou confessest they are Earthly minded And for what Christ did is a Mystery to thee and that which might be done for the fulfilling of what was before decreed which is nothing for thee to imitate And did not Judas eat and drink his own Damnation Neither doth these Scriptures prove that the Apostles did the same as thou dost for he was far absent from them when he writ this Epistle to them as a Warning to take heed what they did neither doth that in John prove any thing to this Purpose for thine can fall no lower then they are who are not yet Christians neither thou that teachest them as is before proved out of thy own Mouth And though here thou confessest they are a Mixt Multitude yet thou makest no Difference when thou takest thy Tythes neither appeareth it when thou givest them that thou callest a Sacrament Qu. 26. Can any be set free from Sin so long at they are upon the Earth and where must they be clensed if not upon the Earth Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou in words confessest That man may be Wholely set Free and that thou knowest no other Place of Purgation and also boastest That thou hast held forth this Doctrine long before the Quakers came as thou callest them Rep. But I find in Life thou still denyest it neither art thou thy self come up to it nor any that are taught by thee and therefore I hold thee the greater Hypocrite and Deceiver then if with the rest of thy Brethren thou didst in words deny it unless in Life thou didst seal it for Profession without Life and Power hath ever been a Dishonour to Truth and Religion Therefore silence Deceit and cause not the Truth to be blasphemed Qu. 27. What Scripture hast thou for thy Rule to give David's Conditions to be sung in a Meeter Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou canst bring no Scripture-Proof to maintain what thou dost but saist All are not of the World whom we take to be of the World to wit who are no Quakers thou saist And secondly thou saist Israel in the general to whom David gave his Psalms to be sung were the greatest part Unregenerate and men of the World Thirdly thou saist He gave them in Meeter or Measure to be sung as the Learned in the Hebrew Tongue know well Rep. All are of the World that are not Christians which neither thou nor thine are as before out of thy own Mouth is proved and also all that own not Quaking and Trembling by the Power of God are also of the World and know not God for all the Holy Men of God and David for one as is before proved witnessed Quaking and Trembling and the Son of Man was to eat his Bread with Quaking and drink his Water with Trembling And so you that despise Quaking and Trembling are Heathens that know not God And also the Way is but one and they that are not with us are against us But All Israel Trembled before the Lord who were not of the World as thou belyest them who were the Lord 's chosen People in the Figure whom he had chosen out of the World though when they forgot their God they were defiled with the World Neither canst thou bring any Scripture-Proof to maintain that David gave forth his Prayers his Prophecies his Quakings his Roarings his Cryings and his Lamentations â—o be sung in a Meeter as thou saist the Learned Ones know but thy Learned Ones may be Lyars like Thee and therefore I have no Ground to believe them seeing also that I have a Proof to the contrary for by your own Confession they were turned into English Meeter by Sternhold and Hopkinson and therefore stop thy Mouth thou Lyar. And fourthly Thou askest what Condition David was in into which every Man may not come in Time And fifthly thou say'st Are not David ' s Psalms Part of the Holy Scriptures which are permitted to all Men and are profitable for all Men to read And sixthly thou say'st The Jews did read all the Old Testament in Publick with a singing Voice as the Learned know And seventhly thou say'st Did not the Lord by his Servant Moses teach all Israel a Song of his own making as in Deut. 31. 19 20 21 22. Deut. 32. And thou say'st We will not deny but David ' s Psalms may have the same Effects even upon the Wicked c. which is false for we will deny it for the Wicked have nothing to do with them for unto the Wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my
to every Creature Neither doth either of these Scriptures which thou hast quoted prove to the contrary And how many Scriptures didst thou quote in thy Answer to my Fifteenth Query to prove that the Ministers of the Gospel might forbear Woâ—king and not to entangle themselves with the Affairs of this Life yet in all could not prove thy self a Minister of the Gospel and now thou questionest the Truth of the Scripture because neither thou nor thy Brethren were called according to Scripture But whomsoever the Lord calls unto his Work he doth take Care both for him and his Family but You that are not called by him dare not trust him without a Law of Man And in thy Ninety Eighth and Ninety Nineth Query thou seemest to accuse us with some that turned from the Truth and yielded to the Deceit of their Hearts and so gave Occasion to such as thee who wait for Occasion to Blaspheme the Truth but is is no new thing but the same which the Scripture declares of in divers places therefore saith Christ Offences must come but Wo unto them by whom they do come For there were then many such as thee in that Age who as thou dost waited for Occasion to blaspheme the Truth But if thou hadst been then how would'st thou have accused Christ who had but Twelve Apostles and one of them betrayed him and then hanged himself and another denyed him Therefore let this stop thy Mouth for speaking Evil of the things thou knowest not And as for Spencer and Gilpin whom thou here nominatest the Truth is sufficiently cleaâ—ed of them in other Books and the Priests have owned them as they did Judas which is the Name of all that turn from the TRUTH after they have received it Qu. 100. Have so many fallen into Distraction or Madness in any Sect or under any Doctrine as there hath done amongst your Hearers especially where the Number of Disciples was no more Answ. Look at Home and answer thy self witness your UNIVERSITIES as you call them for it is the Fruit of Your Studies who would find out that by Your Wit and Wisdom which the Lord hath hid from You And all that You cannot settle in Security and Blindness You lead them into Madness Confusion and Distraction if they do not in time forsake you as many will witness at this day That they are led by You into such a Wilderness that they know not which way to get out neither do You know how to direct them for You are in Confusion your selves and so the Blind leadeth the Blind into the Ditch Therefore this might have stopped thy Mouth from Falsly Accusing us But I remember TRUTH was ever accounted MADNESS and FOLLY by the Blind World who know not that Godliness is Great Gain And in thy Ninety Fourth Query thou wast Questioning the Truth of our Doctrine because of the Multitude of Disciples and now by the Fewness and thus thou Contradictest thy self And then after much of thy Filthy Stuff which all along thou hast vented forth of thy old Bottle against us which upon thee I have returned again from whence it came thou seemest to accuse our Book but dost not shew wherein and therefore I pass it by as knowing thy Lying Spirit And then thou stealest the Apostle's Words for a Cloak for the Deceit of thy Heart 2 Corinth 13. 7 8 9. which the Apostle spoak from a True and Upright Heart but thou from a False Deceitful Heart as all along hath been sufficiently proved and thy Prayers to be Abomination and that thou hast nothing to do to name the Name of God in thy Mouth who art a Worker of Iniquity and a Stranger unto God who art found out of his Doctrine and therefore with this Scripture I shall mark thee 2 John 9. 10. that all may know thee and turn away theit Ears from thee who art not to be received but denyed and therefore whosoever receiveth thee or thy Doctrine the same departeth from the Doctrine of Christ And therefore let this be a Caveat to all People to whom it shall come and look upon thee to be as Anathema Maranatha 〈◊〉 Cor. 16. 22. Given forth from the Spirit of the Lord through a Friend to all Souls witnessed in all Consciences by the Eternal Light of God by which I am known and received in the Behalf of Israel against the Armies of the Aliens who muster up themselves against the Lord and his Authority by a Friend to the Common-Wealth of Israel who is known to the World by the Name JAMES PARNEL Who is a Sufferer in Outward Bonds for the Testimony of the Everlasting Truth in Colchester-Castle 1655. A WARNING FOR All People ALL People Repent and turn to the Lord from the Evil of your Doings for the Day of the Lord is at Hand wherein the Lord will judge the World and give to every one according to their Deeds whether they be Good or Evil yea He is coming with Ten thousand of his Angels to be avenged of the Heathen and them that know him not Now all that live in Sin and Filthiness it appears you know him not for if you did you durst not live in your Lusts heaping up Wrath against the Day of Wrath wherein the Lord will appear as a Consuming Fire against all Ungodliness Rom. 1. 18. God is against you dissembling Professors who adorn the Outside serve God in Notions Words oâ—tside Forms but the Heart is not upright with God you are in the Earth in your Covetousness which is Idolatry and the Lord abhors the outside Worship when the Heartis not answerable and calls such Whited Walls and Painted Sepulchres Hypocrites Serpents Generation of Vipers and the Wo is to such how can you escape the Damnation of Hell Mat. 23. God is against you Proud Lustful Ones who make it your greatest Care to deck your selves in proud Attire inventing new Wayes Fashions to make your selves glorious in the Sight of Men that they may worship you and honour you but consider not that you are but Dust and God will lay your Honour in the â—ust for he is risen to whom all Worship and Honour is due and he will bring down yâ—ur Haughtiness and your Pride and will exalt the Humble and Meek and will seek that which was lost but will destroy the Fat with Judgment Repent ye Lofty Ones and turn to the Lord and humble your selves before him that you may be hid in the Day of his fierce Wrath lest he take you away and there be none to deliver for the Day of the Lord will burn as an Oven and they that are proud and they that do wickedly will be as Stubble and it will leave them neither Root nor Branch Mal. 4. 1. God is against you Drunkards who make it your Trade to pour in strong Drink abusing the Creature which God hath given to be used moderately for the Health and not for the Lust therein you shew your selves
Hardships and Impossibilities do appear before you and Doubts and Fears and Questionings and Murmurings Repinings and Unbelief rise in you and many Temptations bâ—take you soâ—etimes to return back and dye in Aegypt sometimes after the Delights and Flesh-pots of Aegypt sometimes that God hath utterly forsaken you sometimes to question the very Truth of God and ready to call it a Lye and here is the wavering and unstable Mind all which ariseth ouâ— of Darkness where self stands all which comes by hearkning unto self Therefore unto the Light the Messenger of God keep your Minds whâ—ch brings the Message of Peace and glad-Tidings of Salvation unto which keep close own it lone to be your Teacher Guide and Counsellor in all the Way you are to pass and in all Things that you are to do standing in the Denyal of self with all its Ends and own the Light which leads intâ— Singleness to God out of Ends and all stumbling-Blocks it will remove and through the Bryars and Thorns it will you lead and in the Mire you shall not stick but the crooked Way shall be made streight and the rough and hard Way plain and easie for in the Light is none Occasion of stumbling but keeps your Feet from erring and straying your Tongues from Evil speaking as you hearken unto this which when you are going to the right Hand or to the left cryes This is the Way walk in it This is the Word in you from whence comes Faith which makes all Things easie and possible but without Faith it is impossible to please God and Faith is the Gift of God and so is this Word of Truth from whence Faith springs which judgeth down all Murmurings Doubtings and Repinings and all Carelesness Lightness Lustings and Earthliness and condemns the Ground from whence all these Things do spring And here the Ministration of Condemnation is witnessed which in its Time is glorious through which comes the Ministration of Peace which doth the other exceed but take Heed of getting these Things in the Comprehension to talk of but let the Time of Silence and Patience have its Work in which wait for the fulfilling of these Things that within you may read them and the Life it self may shew forth it self which dothadorn and honour the Truth and so you become the Vessels of Honour but out of Faithfulness this is not witnessed For it is the Willing and Obedient that shall eat the Good of the Land Therefore Friends see how you stand in Faithfulness to what in your Measures is made known unto you for Faithfulness is of great value and Faithfulness is as well in secret as in publick knowing that all Things are publick unto God who will jâ—dge the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ therefore he that is faithful over a little is approved of God and shall be made Ruler over much but he that is â—sloathful is cast out and from him taken that which he hath These Things you have read without but now learn within and read your selves and you need not be Deceived for by the Light your Hearts are searched by it all Things are made manifest by which you are either approved or disapproved unto God in all your Words and Actions therefore by this set a Watch over all your Thoughts Words and Actions that the Righteous judge may be set up in your Hearts which judgeth down Deceit and iniquity and establisheth Righteousness in the Earth and Truth and Equity in the inward Parts and cleanseth the Heart from Evil that this alone may guide you and act you forth in all yourâ— Wayes and Doings and then self hath no Part but all Things are done in the Cross unto selâ— in Singleness unto God and he alone is glorified and the Fear and Awe is placed and the Tongue is bridâ—â—d and the Will curbed and the Heart cleansed and kept clean for it is that which goeth out that dâ—fileth Therefore I say unto you all Watch that the Pure may exercise your Minds which is the Cross to the Carnal which crucifies the Carnal and mortifies the Deeds of the Flesh and establisheth Purity in the Heart and brings forth the Fruits of the Spirit which is Love in a pure Life that here you may come to live and walk and grow together in Unity in your Measures for that which separates from the Unity is self which causeth Love to wax cold but in the Love of God abiding self is denyed for where self is owned the Love of God is denyed So here is the Enemy of your own House that you are to war against and in the Light which discovers self is your Power and Strength and as you receive the Light you receive Power to deny self in its Appearances which Power reconciles your Hearts together and works you into perfect Friendship Unity which stands not in the Will but in the pure Nature which is the Cross to Will which Nature the World cannot bear which Nature breaks the World's Fellowship Love and Friendship all which stands in their corrupt Wills wherein stands all their Customs Fashions and Traditions and all their Worship and Profession out of which also ariseth Persecution against you who dwell in the pure Nature and the single pure Language which their corrupt Wills cannot bear nor savour but look not out at what they can do unto you knowing that the uttermost is but to take the Life of the Body but eye the Lord your God in it and count it your Riches that you are found worthy to suffer for Righteousness sake for through many Tryals and Tribulations you come forth pure unto the Lord and strong in the Faith So the Lord God of Power be with you and by his mighty Power keep you low and watchful in your Conditions that your Eternal Good you may mind above all Things under the Sun that every one in the Truth received you may walk and grow daily dying unto the Things that perish that in the Life of God you may come to dwell out of the Creatures and then the true Use of them will be given you and the pure Wisdom as it was in the Beginning when Man was in the Right to the Creatures and here Paradice will be found but he that believeth maketh not hast but by patient continuing in well-doing you will reap if you faint not wherein I bid you you Farewel Dear Friends It was the Love of God in me which run forth to the Seed in you which constrained me to write unto you and visit you with this Epistle now my bodily Presence is by the corrupt Will of Man barred from you yet my Spirit doth not cease in your Behalf that the Lord by his Power by which he hath awakened you out of Sleep and caused his Witness to answer to his Truth would bless and prosper this his happy Work in your Hearts to the bringing forth his precious Seed to rule and have Dominion that so his glorious
Yea or Nay 54. VVhat is that which is lost which Christ comes to seek and what is that which was driven away which Christ comes to bring again and whether this is not to be witnessed and fulfilled in Man Yea or Nay 55. VVhat is the Paradice wherein Man was placed and what was the Image of God wherein Man was created 56. And how was Man a living Soul and whether all this is not to be restord unto Man and fulfilled and witnessed unto Man while he is upon the Earth Yea or Nay 57. What is the Tree of Life and what is the Tree of Knowledge and whether upon it you do not feed and what is the flaming Sword that is set to keep from the Tree of Life and whether it you ever passed 58. Whether the Natural Man can try and discern false Spirits by the Scripture and by what doth the spiritual Man try and judge all Things and whether by the same he did not try and discern Spirits 59. And by what did the Holy Men of God that gave forth the Scripture try and discern Spirits and whether yours be the same Tryer of Spirits as theirs was who say You must try the Spirit by the Letter 60. Whether you are not conform'd like unto the World so long as you follow their Fashions and Customs 61. VVhether you are not partial amongst your selves so long as you respect Persons These Things I do not ask as if I knew them not but for the Satisfaction of the Simple and the clearing of the Truth and Manifesting your Deceit to the World by which you have deceived the World who are the Deceivers of the World therefore answer by plain Scripture and your own Experience or else let all Flesh keep Silence before the Lord and let Guilt stop your Mouthes for Railing Reproaching and Blaspheming the Truth of God which is made manifest in these People whom you scornfully call Quakers who by you and your Agents are persecuted but where do you find that the Church of God was ever Persecutors or ever made Use of Carnal VVeapons to defend them J. P. Here followeth a Copy of a Letter that I was moved to write to Judge Hills after the Assize A Few VVords â—nto thee that art set in the Seat to do Justice and to bear the Sword of Justice in thy Hand and hast turned the Edge of it against the Righteous and laid it upon the Innocent and thy fair VVords will not shelter nor cover thy deceitful Actions but thy deceitful Heart is made manifest and thy Hypocrisie doth there appear for thou hast hearkned unto the false Prophet and by his enticing VVords thou art deceived and so puttest Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness Evil for Good and Good for Evil and so art lyable to the VVo from the Lord and hast persecuted Christ and set at Liberty Barrabas yea and I was numbred amongst Transgressors yet could not have the Liberty of Transgressors as in many Things might be nominated but in short I shall declare it First That mine Accusers should stand in the Place as Judges over me and their Accusations and false Witnesses to be heard to the full and also to whisper and buz in thy Ears in secret what they would against me and also that thou that satest in the Seat as a Judge to repeat over unto the Jury all that thou couldst gather by wrong Interpretation and Construction against me but nothing of my Defence against my Accusations but rather to drive out of their Minds by thy evil incensing what I had before declared in my own Defence but thou as it were passedst the Sentence upon me before the Jury went forth but thou thoughtst thou hadst pannelled a Jury wherewith thou wast pleased to try me according to thine own Mind and Will for the Fore-man was a Drunkard and the rest Swearers out of the Doctrine of Christ against all which I did object and denyed by them to be tryed but it was thy Will and Pleasure so to do and when they come to bring in their Evidence they had so much Understanding that they charg'd me with nothing but the Papers which I had before confessed to be mine and owned them but the Indictment they would not own to be Truth against me though dishonestly both thou and the Clerk did draw Words out of the Fore-man of the Jury which the rest did not consent to and then in thy Will with thy fair and deceitful Speeches thou imposedst a Fine upon me contrary to all Law and Equity but where Equity is not it cannot be expected for Oppression within Oppression without and he that cannot Witness the Sword of Justice set up in his Heart knows not how to handle it without for he that rules not by the Law of God in his Heart rules in his own VVill and is partial and understands not the Things of God but what pleaseth his VVill that he cherisheth and what crosseth his VVill that he would curb and the VVill of Man is opposite to the VVill of God therefore the Cross of Christ is of Use to them that know it but a stumbling Block to the VVorld but he that rules in his own VVill is no Minister of God he that respects Persons is not fit to bear Rule for God he that seeks himself is not fit to bear Rule for God all which appeared and was openly manifest in thee in the open Court as in those Things before mentioned and many other which are now out of Mind but for the clearing of my Conscience unto thee I was moved to write that thou mightst see what thou hast done and be left without Excuse of Ignorance in the Presence of the Almighty for contrary to the Light of God in thy Conscience thou hast acted by which thou standest Accuâ—ed in the Presence of the Almighty and if thy Conscience accuse thee God is greater But if thou hadst stood in the Place where thou art set to judge of legal Matters about natural temporal Things thou hadst had the less to account for but in medling to judge about Spiritual Matters is Authority which the Scripture which thou callest thy Rule doth not allow thee for the Natural Man perceives not the Things of God because they are spiritually discerâ—ed therefore in this the spiritual Man judgeth thee and thy Condemnation is great therefore lay these Things to Heart and put them not far from thee or to the Light of God in thy Conscience I do speak which eternally will witness me condemn thee in the Presence of the Almighty who hast taken upon thee to judge and condemn those whom God hath justified Thereâ—ore consider what advantageth it thee or what will it advantage thee when thou comest to give an Account before the Lord God of Heaven and Earth the Judge of all the Quick and the Dead if thou hast now Power to keep this Body in Prison until thou hast the Life of the Creature which
I am freely made willing to give up rather then to deny the Truth of my God And if I should pay one Penny for the Liberty of my Body in this Cause would be as much as if I paid the whole Fine which thou hast unjustly laid upon me for therein I should own my self a Transgressor where I am not guilty and also a bought Liberty is Bondage to my Spirit but my Liberty under thy Bonds is Bondage to thee which Liberty thou canst not rob me of with all that thou canst do for it is the Free-Gift of God which none can take away though thou wilt not allow me in thy Bonds to have the outward Liberty that thou allowest to Thieves and Murderers and Fornicators that is to have my Friends and Acquaintance to come to see me wherein the very Heathen will condemn thee who when they had committed Paul to Prison said Forbid none of his Friends and Acquaintance to come to see him Acts 22. 24. Therefore now read how thou exceedest the Heathen in Persecution and Injustice though I am a free-born Subject in England therefore let the Life of all the Christians condemn thee who never were Persecutors And this of the Lord I was moved to write which is the Word of the Lord unto thee whether thou wilt hear or forbear in the Peace of my Conscience I do rest in the Will of God known to thee by the Name James Parnel And now a few Words unto you who call your selves Gathered Churches go under the Name of Independents in Essex YOU are gathered by the Will of Man and are joyned by the Will of Man and so stand in the Will of Man and are upheld by the Will of Man by which you are begotten but still alive in the World's Nature in the World's Customs Fashions and Traditions in the World's Fellowship Words and Wayes and Rudiments only differing from others in Judgment Opinion or Profession wherein is your Life in high Notions and feigned Apprehensions and false Applications and glorious Expressions and customary Duties and vain Traditions which all appertain to the great Image which all the world worships by which they are deceived whose Head is Gold and Breast of Silver and Thighs of Brass and Legs of Iron and Feet part Iron part Clay and in the same Nature ye are found with the world the Day doth declare it and you to be the Enemies and Stangers to the Light which is not of the world which is now come into the world testifying against the world and the Deceit of the world and the Deceivers in the World and the Profession of the world And this is the Condemnation of the world that Light is come into the world and men love Darkness rather then Light because their Deeds are Evil In which Evil you are found despising and setting at nought the Corner-Stone and standing in the Enmity of your Spirits and joyning with the Powers of the Earth to persecute the Life and Power which now is manifest in the Earth and is come to discover your Empty Shadows Forms and fair Shews of Godliness but without Life and Power which you have set up in your Imaginations and thereby are deceived and blinded and led in Blindness so that you cannot see the Light nor receive the Substance now it is come and made maniest but stand up in your Wills and wisdom to oppose the same and persecute it in the Enmity of your Spirits as if you hoped to kill the Heir that the Inheritance might be yours And therefore Because you do despise this Day of your Visitation and reject and sleight the Glad-tidings which now are come to them that dwell upon the Earth and revilâ— and reproach persecute and slander the faithful Messengers of the Gospel rejoycing your Hearts in their Sufferings by you and amongst you therefore the Lord will raise up a People out of the Dust and gather them from far to bear Testimony unto his Name and bear witness against you yea and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of the Son and you and such as you shall be cast out into Tophet prepared of old for Hypocrites and Unbelievers Therefore now read your Portion ye stiff-necked and Uncircumcised in Heart and Ears who do alwayes resist the Holy Ghost as did your Fathers so do ye but the greater will be your Condemnation who go about to mock God with your Will-worship with your Calling of Assemblies and Solemn Meetings with your appointed Fasts and Dayes of Voluntary Humiliation with your Long Prayers and Feigned Duties all which are done out of the Light and so are your own Works acted by Self for Self But who has required these things at your Hands It is all Abomination to the Lord his Soul loaths it For your Sacrifices are are as Cain's for you are found in Cain's Nature Envying and Persecuting the Righteous yea the Witness lieth slain in your Streets Therefore VVo is unto you who go on in the Way of Cain for upon you shall come all the Righteous Bloodshed from Righteous Abel until now And your Profession stinks in the Nostrils of the Lord for you have lifted up your Hands against him and his Anointed and opened your Mouths in Blasphemy and False Reports against the Truth yea you are blind and stumble at the Noon-day you come near the Lord with your Lips but your hearts run a Whoring after other Lovers and you know not the Only True God that dwells in Temples made without hands whose VVorship is in Spirit and in Truth but would limit the Unlimited under your VVills as if he were not a God of Might but that you could controle him with the Arm of Flesh But Be not deceived God is not mocked such as you sow such shall you reap and your End shall be according to your Works For our God is a God of Judgment and Justice and will avenge the Cause of the Innocent upon you his Adversaries Yea and though your Teachers do cry Peace Peace unto you because you put into their Mouthes and so daub you up with Untempered Morter that you cannot see your VVouud and so heal you sleightly Yet you shall know that our God is a God of Truth and his VVord shall stand forever and their Sorcery shall appear and their Witchcraft shall be laid open and the Cup of Fornication wherewith they have made drunk and deluded the Nations shall be taken from them the Cup of the Wrath of the Almighty given them to drink their Reward And then shall you behold the Harlot with whom you have committed Fornication who now lies in your Bosoms Bewitching you with a Golden Cup with whom you have defiled your Garments then to be cast into the Bottomless Pit where you shall all be tormented together who now partake of her Pleasures and thus shall you fall among them that fall in the Day that I visit you saith the Lord. J. Parnel A Few