Christ's Lambs it cannot be well with you Your Teachers may tell you of Sin in the general to be the cause of these Plagues but they tell you not nakedly and truly for what the Hand of the Lord is lifted up against you neither indeed can they because of the Blindness of their Hearts and the Spirit of deep Sleep that is fallen upon them So Friend these things are on me as from the Lord to advertise thee and you all of in love to thy Soul and you all and to desire you in the Name of the Lord to lay them to Heart and ponder of them and not to pass over them slightly as too many have done because they come from such a one as I who am as a Man rejected by you Yet the Lord loves my Soul and cares for me praised be his Name and in the Patience and Joy and Strength of the Peace of God's Blessed Spirit am I kept and preserved in these continued Bonds and Sufferings for his Names sake and the Love of Christ constrains me to seek all your Good and Welfare in the Lord though the more I do this I be the more hated and persecuted of some for my Good Will but this I impute not here to thee but desires that thou maist more and more keep thy Heart and Hands clean from the great Offence to wit the Hatred of Goodness and good Men which hath sunk Nations and Kingdoms into the Pit And my desire is That the King and all in Authority may timely know and consider of these things as things of most Concernment to their Immortal Souls Rests God's Servant Thomas Taylor Wo to the World because of Iniquity WO to the World because of the great Iniquity that lyeth upon it O how are the People of this present time wholly loose in their Hearts to all manner of Vanity The Lord seeth and well pondereth of these things though you O poor deceived People will not see it For O how the Enemy of your Souls through long Custom hath blinded your Minds so that the Good which God hath commanded you you like not at all but the Evil which your own Hearts have devised you call Good and so bring your felves under the Wo Wo Wo to the cursed Customs of the World which are many Your Races both by Men and Beasts where Multitudes meet together to spend their precious Time and to satisfie their Vain Covetous and Drunken Minds the Lord is against it and Judgment from Heaven lingreth not you will not be warned until you feel it Rests God's Servant and Witness against all vain Inventions Thomas Taylor An Apology from the Harmless against the Unjust And to the King and his Magistrates against Plotting WE who are of the World called Quakers do testifie as in the sight of the Blessed Lord God of Heaven and Earth that we are clear in our Hearts from all Plottings or Contrivings of Evil or Mischief against the King or any of his Subjects and that our Meeting apart from the Steeple-house Worship is meerly in Obedience to God and at his Command who saith Come out from amongst them who live in Sin and plead for the continuance of the Body of it Yea in the Regenerate themselves during tearm of Life And so while we touched the unclean thing with you we could not be accepted of God and therefore the Lord called us out that we might meet together as we do and have done these many years in his holy Name and Fear to worship him in Spirit and Truth not in a Pretence but in the real Truth of the thing And we have found his Heavenly Presence with us and his Holy Promise fulfilled amongst us which saith Where two or three are gathered together in Christ's Name he will be in the midst of them Praises to him for ever And now as concerning those People called Monarchy-Men who are Fighters with Carnal Weapon and it seems did rise up to disturb the Peace of the Nation by outward Force we do utterly deny and not only them but all others who think the Kingdom of Christ can be set up with a Carnal Weapon or that his Church can be preserved and kept clean by worldly Force for God hath given us graciously to see beyond all such things and hath manifested in us that Blessed Heavenly Power and Spirit of Christ by which his Church which is his Body is raised up and preserved and builded up for evermore and the Sword of this Blessed Spirit of Jesus which is the Word of God we know for the cutting down not of Persons but Sins Praised be God and so to the outward Fightings and Warrings our Hearts are dead and we dare not avenge our selves as the wicked World doth but to God to we commit our Cause in Well-doing for he is the Avenger of all Wrongs and Pleader of the Innocent Cause of his People in all Generations Glory to his Name over all And therefore it cannot be but a most unjust thing that we should suffer by a Law that was made against Plotters and Seditious Conventiclers I say we who through the Grace of Christ are made to witness against all such things from our very Hearts and therefore it concerns all who are in Authority to see what they do and to distinguish rightly of Matters lest they cause the Innocent to suffer as some to their own Hurt have done and so bring God's Judgments upon them for not the greatest that ever were upon the Earth could escape God's Judgments who wronged his People witness Ahab's House and all the great Kings of the Nations in all Ages who touched God's People who were as dear to him as the apple of his Eye Do you not remember what they did to Daniel for the Worship of his God and how the Lord delivered him and the Pit devoured his Adversaries with the Informers and false Accusers Daniel could not worship but according to the Law of the God of Heaven and so we cannot worship but according to the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus Must we therefore suffer well we are helped by the Love of God to rejoyce and bear patiently the Will of the Lord until he plead our Innocent Cause and judge in Righteousness betwixt us and our Adversaries for in his Judgment is our Boldness Glory to God for ever but the Haters of the Good cannot stand before him The Jews said They had a Law and by their Law Christ ought to die Was that a good Law which condemned the Innocent So whatever Men pretend as a Cloak to cover their Doings from Men yet God sees the Hearts of all Persecutors of the Righteous and will judge them as such Rests Thomas Taylor Against May-poles O People of Penkridge and the Places thereabout who had a Heart or Hand in the setting up of these Heathenish May-poles especially this second time you have shamed your selves and your Religion thereby in the sight of all and
Provision for the Flesh to satisfie it in the Lusts thereof with Meats Drinks Pleasures Pastimes and all manner of foolish Inventions but that People should abstain from Fleshly Lusts because they War against the Soul And did not the Apostle weep for such as made a God of their Belly and Gloried in their Shame and minded Earthly Things and plainly tells them That they were â—nemies to the Cross of Christ and their End was Destruction Phil. 3. And so thou whoever thou art that pretends to Honour Christ by making Provision for thy Fleshly Part to satisfie it in the Lusts thereof thou art no Servant of God and Christ in this but a denyer of his Truth and so instead of following Christ in the Regeneration and daily Cross and Self denlal thou follows Christ's Enemy the great Antichrist and Satan who hath seduced the Minds of People from Christ's Doctrine and Life into the Doctrine and Life of all Unrighteousness and so they that Eat and Drink and Game and Sport after the Custome of the Heathenish World their Professing of Christ in Words will do them no good in the Day of the Lord when God will Reward every Man according to their Deeds for now instead of a Holy Pure Righteous Self-denying Life which God requires thou offers him an unclean Sacrifice of an unholy and corrupt Life which he will not accept And so many shall come in that Day and say Lord Lord Open unto us to whom he will Answer I know ye not depart ye Workers of Iniquity O dreadful Sentence to such as it hits who like Esau sell their Birth-right for a mess of Pottage and chuse rather to follow the Fleshly Sinful World in the broad way to Destruction than the Lambs of Christ in the streight way that leads to Life Eternal So all Awake and Arise from your dead defiled Customs and Practices of Sin to the pure clean Fear and Worship of God for God is a Spirit and Christ is a Spiritual Lord and will be Worshipped and Served in Spirit and Truth and who is this Day seeking such to Worship him who shall bring forth Fruits to him worthy amendment of Life And one thing is needful saith Christ and Mary that sate at his Feet hearing his Word chused that good Part which shall never be taken from her but Martha was cumbred about much in the outward as too many are now and that in a Heart far from that of Mary's Heart to their Souls great disadvantage So he that hath an Ear let him hear for these Words are Faithful and True Thomas Taylor To the King O That the King and all his Councils the Parliament and the Rest would hear and believe these Words for in the Truth of God's Spirit and Uprightness of my Heart are they thus written and sent to them for that purpose Consider of your ways for thus saith the Lord the Holy One Creator of Heaven and Earth Mine Anger is kindled against you because you have not made a Separation betwixt the Precious and the Vile but have numbred my People who tremble at my Word with the Transgressors and will not hear the Voice of my Mouth to let my Israel have their Liberty to meet together in my own free Spirit as I have Taught them to wait upon me and to Edify one another in their most Holy Faith but you will Punish them and Afflict them and evil Intreat them for this and surely if you go on in this Work and think to destroy this my Heritage from being a People upon the Earth and to Root them up from bearing a Testimony to my Name in their Holy Assemblies before the Children of Men I will Work Wonders yea I will Work Wonders and make all the Earth to know that these your Thoughts and your Doings are against the Lord and his People as truly as ever Pharoah and Egypt and the Nations there abouts in that Day of Israel 's Oppressions and Deliverances did know have you no Vnderstanding that you would eat up my People as Bread saith the Lord in whose hand is your Breath Oh! that you could once lay things to Heart what you have done and what you should do and not still take Counsel at a wrong Spirit which hurries you thus on in a way that is not good to the grief of God's Spirit and in the end if continued in your own Destruction have you not Heard and do not you Read what God hath done in former times to great Kings and strong Nations for their Doings against his People and do you not know that the same Evil Spirit which causes you in other things to do what you ought not to do and to leave undone what you ought to do is the putter of you forward in this grievous Work of Persecuting the Seed of God who Fear and Tremble at his Word and work out their Salvation with Fear and Trembling as the Lord Commands and who in their Meetings never had nor at this Day have any other end but to Glorifie their God the true God over all in obeying his Voice with a true good Will in our Hearts towards all Men without the least thought of Evil to any as God's true God over all Men without the least thought of Evil to any as God's true Witness in all Consciences where it is harkened unto doth plainly Testifie at this Day as it hath done ever since we were to God a People For from War Bloodshed Wrong and Spoil hath the Lord called and delivered our Souls into his Holy Habitation of Truth Peace and Love that as Lambs we might in the midst of the Earth stand in Christ's Innocency to hold forth the Virtues of God who hath Blessed us in Christ Jesus with the Knowledge of himself whom to know is Life Eternal And so if you hate us because God loves us what will be the end O Consider consider this matter is of the weightiest Nature And so though at present by reason of the Darkness that is upon your Minds you do not see us as we are but present us to your selves as Evil-doers or so yet seeing you know in your own Consciences as in Words also you often Confess that in other things you are miserable Offenders you ought to be more Moderate Sparing and Careful what you do in this present matter concerning us because where Sin is and remains there must of necessity be a want of Ability as to the right judging and discerning of Men and Matters Spiritual as Christ foretold of some that through the Error of their Minds should think they did God Service when they were Killing his Children This was a sad Mistake Therefore let this be upon your Hearts when you lye down and when you rise up and when you sit in Counsel and walk by the Way to keep you from Sinning this great Sin against God for never did any strive against God and Prosper and thus in God's Spirit having given you in a few Words
the one to smite their Brethren and the other to Excommunicate them ☜ the one to cast them into Prison as Schismaticks and the other to cast them out of the Church as Prophane c. And so for this thy summing up and concluding God hath concluded thee with the wicked Persecutors whom the Judgment of his great Day will meet But hold O! R. B. thou that art thus hot and without all fear in pleading for the Devil's Kingdom I say when the Lord bids us and we obey him in separating from the Wicked is this all one with the Sin of Persecution Oh thou Unjust Man the Lord will be terrible to thee in the Day of his Wrath which is nigh at hand to come upon thee if thou repent not for all thy Villany against him and for all thy daubing deceitful words in the beginning and end of this Direction the Lord sees thee to be a Fighter against him and thy Reward will be according to thy Works as he hath said and all the Rocks and Mountains of the Wicked World for whom thou pleadest shall not hide thee from his stroke As testifies the good Spirit of the Lord Jesus in his Servant Thomas Taylor Some more of the strange Sayings of this Richard Baxter in his Book Page 219. GODLY Men are much liker to be in the right than Vngodly Men. Answ This shews what a Stranger he is to the certainty of Godliness Page 220. Sometimes the worser sort of Men may hold fast the Truth Answ This is a gross Lie for the bad cannot hold fast the good unless in Prison If any better Persons deny Infant-Baptism the worser Sort of People would be all against them and yet be in the right Answ Thus Sprinkling of Infants for which there is no Scripture must needs be wrong whosoever hold it and the Corruption of it appears so much the more because the worser Sort are so much for it Many do take a Form of Prayer or Liturgy to be unlawful meerly because the most of the worser Sort are for it Answ If thy Hearers be so bâ—dly-taught yet those that are taught of God forbâ—ar such things as they know he requires not of them but what Form or Liturgy is that which the most of the worser Sort of the People are for is it not that which speaks Peace to the Wicked by telling them they were Regenerated by sprinkling a little Water on their Faces or the like when Infants And that they shall be saved though they continue in Sin all their Lives long But the Hour cometh and now is that neither in the invented Forms of the Hypocrite's long Prayers nor in the short invented Forms and Liturgies of the Prophâ—ne but in Spirit and Truth as the Lord Jesus enables them will God be worshipped and served by his People for the Day is dawned and the Shadows fly away and as the Day doth more and more arise in its Glory will all the things of vain Men pass away Page 221. The sum of his 44th Directions by his own setting down runs thus Ye take the Examples of Religious Men to be one of your most Perilous Temptations and therefore labour to discover especially what are the Sins of Professors in the Age that you live in that you may especially watch and fortifie your Souls against them And adds That sometimes the strictest Sort run in a Gang after one Opinion and sometimes after another Answ Here I Appeal to that of God in all that fear his Name and are alive to Truth whether this do not wholly tend to the hardening of Pharaoh's Heart against the People of God in these Days who are in the Truth it self and not in Opinions as the Hypocrites are For though such as are begotten into Forms of Religion without the Truth by the Hirelings do never cease from erring yet the truly Religious who are begotten to God by Christ walk in the Way undefiled which the Fools who are upright in Heart cannot err in But this his telling of running in a Gang is a filthy and reproachful Speech wholly of Ashdod and the Lord will judge thee O Enemy for thy work R. B. and therefore let all that fear God take heed of this Man 's Soul-defiling and Heart-hardning Doctrine for out of the dark and wicked Kingdom wherein he and all such live is the Lord calling his People And to conclude If any would see this Harlot in its fine Dress and the Crooked Serpent in its glittering Colour on the Head which must be bruised and yet with his Sting in his Tail which is full of Venom let them consider that 44th Direction which runs thus Desire the highest Degree of Holiness and to be free from the Corruptions of the Times but â—ffect not to be old and singular from ordinary Christians in lawful things for instance If it were to go in a meaner Garb than others and as the Quakers not to put off the Hat or with the Friars to go barefoot or in a distinguishing Habit that all Men may see and say This is a singular Person in Religion it is easie to see how this gratifieth Pride Answ But now that the Lord is arisen according to his Promise Isa 27.1 which saith In that Day the Lord with his sore and great and strong Sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent even Leviathan that crocked Serpent and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the Sea Therefore I say it is that the Dragon is so wrathful to pour forth his Floods of Persecution after the Heavenly Woman and her Man child And there fore it is that the Crooked Serpent in such Men as this is is so at work every way seeking with their Cunning and Crafty Deceitful Doctrines to pierce the Heart the Life of Truth by their Darts and so with their fair colourable words as the Apostle speaks to deceive the Hearts of the Simple and Ignorant People but the Lord taketh the Wilely in their own Craftiness and the Pit they dig for others themselves fall into and the Lord 's Spiritual Sword of Truth pierces through all their Lives and Dead in the great Sea and Puddle of their own Iniquities before the Lord and his Saints this Day they lye Glory to his Name the Mighty God over all who is worthy For what more glistering and fair-seeming words can the Serpent give than to say Desire the highest Degree of Holiness and to be free from the Corruptions of the Time But that this R. B. intends no such thing no nor believes that any shall ever attain to any such thing whilst on the Earth is most manifest by the whole current of his Doctrine for not only in his former Books where he hath publickly declared That sinless Perfection is the Doctrine of the Devil hatch'd in Hell c. But even in this very Book it fully appears what an Enemy he is not only to the highest degree but even to Holiness it self where amongst his
like Not knowing what they say nor whereof they affirm when they speak of such things because to the Kingdom of Heaven within in Man they are Strangers Eyes they have but see not and Ears but hear not for the inward Eye which should see have they fast closed and the Ear which should hear have they shut lest they should see and hear and be converted and be saved But Blessed is the Eye that sees the Kingdom of God which he hath set up and is setting up in his Trembling People and the Ear that hears the unutterable Word of the Living Father which raiseth the Dead they shall ever be Prasing of him in the Congregation of the Righteous where none can come to make affraid for these Love and Fear the Lord and that frees them from the Fear of Vain Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils But all whose Religion stands upon the Sandy Foundation of Mans Wisdom and Thoughts and Doings which Perfects not to God these will be like the Chaff which the Wind scatters to and fro the Regenerating Power of Gods Eternal Spirit they being ignorant of in themselves all their shew of Religion is meer Hypocrisie and the Religion of Hypocrites shall never be established for all who gather not with Christ shall scatter and every Plant that his Heavenly Spiritual Hand hath not Planted shall be rooted up O! What Darkness have you wrapt your selves in and how is the Understanding Part clouded in you that you will neither see nor learn to know the things that pertain to Everlasting Life Can you say the Branches of the fallen Tree the first Adam are Unholy and Corrupt because of the Unholiness of the Root And will you not see that the Members of the Heavenly Man Christ Jesus who never fell are Holy because of the Holyness of the Root For if the Root be Holy so are the Branches Anoint your Eyes with Eye-Salve that if possible you may see and know a better Root in you than the fallen Mans Nature to grow on that the Kingdom of Holiness you may feel come near you For they that are in the Flesh cannot please God whatever they may profess And this adds to their Misery that when they have brought forth the Deadly Works of the Flesh they would charge them upon Gods Elect and make their Works like their own These Fleshly ones are great Enemies to Christ and his Righteousness and his Members for they that are in Christ are New Creatures and to Abel and his Offering God hath still Respect though Cain and his Offering was always Rejected because Polluted with Sin as the Prayers and Performances of all Hypocrites are at this day Therefore for this purpose was the Son of God manifested and is at this Day Received of the Faithful even to destroy Sin which is the Devils Work And in him to wit Christ Jesus the Light is there no Sin nor Sinsul Narure So they that Love Christ and Walk in his Life and Light please God for he is that Way Undefiled wherein no Unclean can Walk but the Redeemed are here And what if I should set down the words of Jesus to wit Whosoever abideth in Christ Sioneth not whosoever Sinneth hath not seen him nor known him 1 John 3.6 Can you believe it I know you cannot whilst you stand reasoning with Flesh and Blood not Believing in the Light that Lighteh every Man that cometh into the World but call the Light of Christ in Man Natural and thâ—n put the Letter which only witnesses to the Light instead of it And then the Enemy works in your Natural Earthly Wisdom causing you to wrest Scriptures to Establish your Empty Forms which maks nothing Perfect and this was the Sin of the Old Jews who though they talked of the Messiah yet when he appeared they would not come to him that they might be saved and so under the Dead Profession of the Letter they lay Slain And tho' they had a Zeal for God as you have now yet it was not according to Knowledge and so stumbled at the Stumbling-Stone and so in their dark minds would needs keep up the Forms and Shadows of things in opposition to the Substance the thing it self Christ Jesus when he appeared as you do now O! that you could be perswaded of this how well would it be for your Poor Souls in time to come Therefore now that the True Heavenly Everlasting All-sufficient Light is broken forth again from under the Clouds after the long Dark Night of Apostacy turn your Minds in to know a measure of it in you and wait therein to be led out of all the Dark Paths of Sin and Error by it For I am the Way saith Christ the Light that true Light which Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World and I will send my Holy Spirit of Truth to lead into all Truth He is come and his Promise fulfilled Glory to his Name forever And do you not know that Christ is in you except you be Reprobates saith the Apostle And if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light then have we fellowship one with another and the Blood of this innocent Lamb cleanseth from all Sin and washeth from all Unrighteousness all real Comers thereunto saith the same Spirit Therefore go not forth for without are Doggs and all Liars but Truth and the Kingdom of it is to be found within nigh in the Heart O how Beautiful is the Way of the Just Holiness is the Girdle of their Reins continually their Hearts ponder deep things in Holiness they do no Iniquity who walk in this Everlasting Undefiled WAY Christ Jesus the Light for by the Light are they led out of all Defilements and to such there is no occasion of Stumbling O stoop down low with your minds to the Light of Christ in you that convinceth you of Sin and Evil that through the Light the true Door and Daily-Cross to the Carnal Mind you may come into the Sheep-fold for all who clime up another Way are but as Thieves and Robbers and must be judged as Goats and set on the left hand because they would not hear Christ's Voice the Light in the Conscience to be led by it Great Wo to the Climers over the Door such neither receive Christ nor his Servants whom he sends but choose rather to follow such as love to be called of Men Master and live in the respect of Persons and Persecuting Nature and daub over an old Heart with fair Promises of Life as it is amongst you this Day for what tho' some in the outward stand against you for your Form and Words sake as the Heathen of old did the outward Jews yet both those outward Jews then as you outward Professors do now stood and do stand against Christ and us for his Truths sake For we find it true from you all that whosoever walketh in Christ and holdeth forth his Life and so Worshippeth God in Spirit and Truth shall
Testimony lives with me to bear for my Dear Father Thomas Taylor that True and Faithful Servant of the Lord who was Born near Skipton in Yorkshire and was brought up a Scholar and sent to the University and in process of time he came to be a National Minister and so continued for some Years but in those Days he had not many Equals for he was a Man of a Tender Spirit seeking after a further Attainment of the Knowledge of God and his Holy Way whom to know is Life Eternal which the Lord in his own due time made known unto him After he had heard the Word of Life declared in the Demonstration of God's Holy Spirit through his Faithful Messenger George Fox he was then evidently Convinced of the Blessed Truth as it is in Jesus he never after turned his Back upon it many Days and Nights of great Sorrow and Anxiety of Spirit he underwent until the Old Leaven was purged out by the Spirit of Judgment and then he became a Vessel of Honour fit for the Lord's Service and left his Benefice which he then had at Richmond in Yorkshire not consulting with Flesh and Blood what he should do for a Livelihood but trusted the Lord that he would provide for him and his Family he having then a Wife and Five small Children whom he afterward through the good Providence of God lived to see brought up to be Men and Women Now this Faithful Servant of the Lord not distrusting of the Mercies of God gave up freely whatsoever was Dear and Near unto him that the Lord required of him that he might win Christ the Lord who had Visited him with his Day-spring from on high and Ruled him by his Grace and gave unto him the Word of Life to declare unto the Sons and Daughters of Men Warning and Admonishing them to turn from their evil ways and to seek the Lord whilst he might be found and great was his Labours and Travels in those Days being moved often to go into Market-places and Steeple houses to declare the Word of the Lord to the People where he often met with great Opposition and Sufferings from the Hands of Unreasonable Men but the Lord by his Mighty Power delivered him wonderfully out of their Hands and many long and tedious Imprisonments this good Man underwent in his Day but with great Patience and Contentedness of Mind knowing it was for his bearing his Testimony to the Lord's Blessed Truth and not for evil-doing And this I have further to say for this Worthy and Honourable Servant of Christ who loved not his Life unto the Death that he might serve the Lord in his Day who was a Faithful and True Minister of the Everlasting Gospel and laboured mightily in Word and Doctrine and many in this Nation were Convinced by that powerful Word of God that run through him and they have great Cause to Bless and Praise the Name of the Lord even as I may say on his behalf for he was a Zealous Man for the Truth in his Day and was one of the Worthies in Israel who went through many Combates both with Professors and Prophane and by the Assistance of God's Holy Spirit oftentimes put them to silence and the Truth prevailed over all Blessed be the Name of the Lord for Ever And now not being willing to be too tedious to the Reader else I could mention many more things concerning my Dear Father who was a Faithful Follower of the Lamb wheresoever he led him through good Report and bad Report for he valued nothing so much in this World as the Propagation of the Truth for his Life was hid with Christ in God at whose Right Hand there is Joy and Rivers of Pleasure and that for Evermore And a little before my Father's Departure out of this World as he lay upon his Sick-bed several Friends that came to Visit him standing by him he being very sensible to the last spoke on this wife I am going to my Father and your Father to my God and your God and so departed like a Lamb and is gone to his Everlasting Rest to receive that weighty Crown of Glory that is laid up in store for all them that loves the Appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ and keeps their Garments unspotted of this World Thomas Taylor Jun. Middlesex the 3d Day of the 3d Month called May 1697. A short TESTIMONY OF Hannah Taylor Concerning her Dear Father Thomas Taylor THis I have to say concerning this dear Servant of the Lord who followed the Lamb through many Tribulations and wash'd his Garmens white in his Blood That he served the Lord with a perfect Heart and that he was endued with the Spirit of Wisdom and of Understanding in the Truth which he did value above all the World and all the Preferments thereof For he counted all as Dross and Dung in Comparison of that Pearl of Price which he Laboured for both Night and Day Yea for Sion's Sake he could not rest and for Jerusalem's Sake he could not hold his Peace Because the Spirit of the Lord was upon him and he had Anointed him to be a Preacher of Glad-Tidings to the House of God's Israel But he was a Reprover of the Vngodly yea his Testimony was against all Wickedness and Evil-doers Yea he was clad with Zeal as with a Cloak and with the Righteousness which God had put upon them as with an Helmet Yea he was a Valiant Soldier indeed he fought a good Fight he kept the Faith and from henceforth for him was laid up a Crown of Life which at the time appointed he did receive with all the Redeemed of the Lord who rest from their Labour and their Works follow them Hannah Taylor Robert Barrow's TESTIMONY Concerning Thomas Taylor HE being a Man with whom I was Acquainted and Conversant for the space of Thirty Years some part of our Acquaintance in the time of our Notion and Outward Profession of Religion in the form thereof but the most of our time was after God in Mercy had opened our Understanding and revealed his Son in us by the Word of Life and Spirit of Truth to know Christ in us the Hope of Glory He was Educated and Bred up at one of the Colledges of Oxford and became a Parish Preacher and had a Place in the County of Westmoreland yet in those Days he was a Seeking Man having Real Desires to understand the Things of God and the Mysteries of his Kingdom and was a Man of an Honest Life and Clean Behaviour and in his Preaching and Judgment was more Refined than the rest of his Neighbouring Priests and many of his Hearers were a People commended of the Common Hireling Priests of the World which Priests Nick-named his Hearers Roundheads and Puritans and many of those so called came frequently from the next Parish and Town of Kendall to hear him amongst whom I was one and he used to let John Audland and Francis Howgill sometimes Preach in his
to Unity and Concord amongst Friends which while he lived he was Careful to preserve he had a great Delight in it and laboured much for it In a word he was a Man of Peace and as he Delighted in it now is a Possessor of it and of that Joy that is Immutable in which he lives with his God a Possessor of that Blessedness and Reward which through the same Faith and Patience we that are yet behind shall assuredly obtain as therein we keep in the Lord's time Many good things he wrote in his Day if thou read this Book thou wilt perceive and meet with good Exhortations in it which will I hope tend to thy Strength and Incouragement William Fallowfield A short TESTIMONY Concerning that Faithful Servant of the Lord Thomas Taylor Whose Memory is Blessed DEAR Tho Taylor he was a Man who loved the Truth with a sincere Mind and sought the Honour thereof and not himself He was ready at all times to speak a word for God as there was occasion to inform the Minds of People to that which would stand them in stead when time here shall be no more He was a very good Instrument amongst us and a blessed Example in his Conversation which did bespeak him to be the Servant of Christ Jesus He loved the Prosperity of Truth more than all other things whatsoever and for that was he given up in Soul Body and Spirit to serve the Lord and his Generation Faithfully Travelling from Place to Place for that end and as he lived in the Truth so he finished his Testimony in the same And though his Body be removed from us and gone to the Earth from whence it came yet his Spirit lives amongst us and his Life shall never die Truly I am not without a living Sence upon my Spirit what a Loss we have of him amongst us who was always ready to serve the Truth and the least in it and Sorrow is ready to seize upon me in the Consideration thereof yet when I consider that it is according to the Will of the Lord I am therein well content knowing that he hath this Advantage of us that are left behind viz. Is freed from Danger of falling into the Snares of this World which we are liable to whilst in this Body except we keep in that which is only able to keep us whilst we remain here And I do believe that the Lord will raise up the same Life in others to Testifie to the same Truth which he lived in and that the Testimony thereof shall never fall This is great Comfort to me and all who love the Lord to whom be living Praises Honour Glory and Obedience given for ever and for ever more from my living Soul which he hath quickned to himself by his Living Power and Heavenly Life to him I say be all the Glory given now and always Amen Mary Comberford The 26th of the First Month 1681. Thomas Taylor 's EPISTLES TO FRIENDS MY Dear Friends and longed after in the Lord whose Minds are turned in by the Light of Jesus Christ from the Worlds Worships and Ways in measure to wait upon God that you may learn by the Teaching of his Spirit in you how to worship him in Spirit and Truth who is the Fountain of all your Soul's Happiness prize his great Love to your Souls every one of you in particular and wait to receive the Law from his own Mouth to the quickning and reviving your Souls out of the Death and for the daily watering and refreshing that which lives of himself in you for if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in you he shall by that Spirit quicken your Mortal Bodies for all whose Hearts are purisied through the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ are in the Covenant of that Everlasting Love of the Father which gives to all that waith on him a full Possession of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light but Wo and Misery from the Lord to the Unclean in the Earth And therefore mind your Soul's Guide which is pure Light of Jesus Christ and be Faithful unto the Lord in whatever he makes manifest in you to be his Will and let not the Worlds Frowns or Smiles cause you to draw back from the Truth in any thing which the Saints have so great Recompence of Reward in but be simple be pure be harmless be innocent be Lambs and walk as Lights amongst a Generation of crooked and devouring Minds and think not strange concerning any Trial but imbrace the Cross which is the Saints Rejoicing and in Patience wait to see the Fleshly Mind Crucified with it which would have ease below God and do all things in the fear of God and let not the Ear be open to the Enemy but mind that which shows you the strait way continually and learn to love one another more and more for Love is of God but none can love as Brethren of Christ but those that love God and keep the Commandments and as you follow Christ in the way of his Cross and Sufferings you will Delight in one anothers Fellowship but as any depart from the Light and Iniquity abounds in any the Love in that Person waxeth cold So God Almighty Bless you with his Everlasting Mercy to set free your Minds from all your Sins to run the way of his Holy Commandments so rests Thomas Taylor TO FRIENDS AT Stickland-head DEAR and precious Friends of God who into the Fellowship of the everlasting Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God the Light of the World that Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World are called and who have tasted of that Heaventy Gift and upon that true Bread do feed Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be among you and in you all every where in every place multiplied with the Increases of the eternal Power of the Holy Spirit in all your Hearts Amen Thomas Taylor your Brother and Companion in the Patience Sufferings and Kingdom of Christ unto you all sendeth Greeting and by the Spirit of the Lord God doth hereby give you all to understand That it is the true Grace of God and Power of Life into which you are called and which you have received and wherein you stand and whereby you are inlightned and have been given to see the old dead way of Sin and Formality to avoid it and the good and living way of Truth and Righteousness in Spirit to embrace and follow it to the Praise of our Holy Heavenly Father World without end And this Grace of God that hath thus brought Salvation to us and is our Teacher and Guide in the good Way is the same that would teach all and would have all Men to be Saved and to that purpose hath appeared to all Men to leave all without Excuse So Dear Hearts all in the Light and Power of this Pure Truth of our God made manifest in us
Christ which they be freely inlightned withal which shines in their very Hearts and Consciences which searches their very Hearts and Reins and makes manifest to Man his Thoughts and from which none can hide any thing but all things are naked and bare before him the Light Christ Jesus who lighteth every Man that cometh into the World Jew and Gentile one and other who searcheth the most hidden things of Man and brings them forth to the Judgment of his Righteousness for though the Night may hide the Adulterer and the Thief from Man it hides them not from God there is one nigh in the Heart and Conscience that tells Man and Woman all that ever they have done and do daily do even their secret Thoughts is not this the Christ of God the true Messiah that was to come and is come and dwells amongst us and we look not for another And of his Fulness have all we received and do daily receive who believe in his Light which shines in our Hearts according to the Scriptures of Truth And this the Fulness of our Blessed God and Saviour Jesus Christ the Light is it which filleth all that come to him with all Spiritual Blessings and Heavenly Good Things and without whom all is Darkness Emptiness Death and Desolation as all the poor deceived lost Sons and Daughters of the faln Adam do sooner or later know and are made to confess But Blessed are they that consider of things in time and lay things to Heart before it be too late for there are but Twelve Hours in a Day in which Men may work saith Christ and then the Night cometh in which none can work but the Door will be shut upon all who have slighted and neglected the Day of their Visitation O England England and all Lands far and near that you had known or could yet believe the things that belong to your Everlasting Peace before they be hid from your Eyes therefore turn ye turn ye at the Reproofs of God's Wisdom and Spirit of Light and Truth which sounds through all and lets you see the Vanity and Evil of all your Works and Frailty of all your Lives how soon the Thread of your Life is cut off And then where is the great Emperors and Kings with all their Crowns And where is the great Captains and Commanders with all their Bloody Victories And where is the Wise Achitophel's and Cunning Counsellors of the Earth with all their Admirers And where is the Covetous Oppressors with all their Houses full of the Spoils of the Innocent Yea in that Day where is all the Glory and Lusts of the World with all the Lovers of it Surely in Darkness and Misery shall they lye down together and Death shall have Dominion over them even all who have not believed in the Light Christ Jesus and who have not followed him in the Regeneration that they may be saved but have spent their Days in the Pleasures and Lusts of the present evil World to Destruction Now therefore O all People hearken to the Counsel of the Lord in this your Day and learn of the Lamb the Light who calls you to Repentance from all your grievous Ways How long shall the Spirit of the Lord strive with you When will you cease learning War and Destruction and Oppression and Spoil O when will you beat your Swords into Plow-shares and your Spears into Pruning-hooks O when will you go and say one to another one Neighbour to another and one Nation to another Come let us all be humbled before the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who made us all of one Blood to dwell together upon the Face of the Earth in Truth Goodness and Love to serve one another and so as Branches of one Tree to receive Life and Vertue and Power from our God into our Souls to strengthen us unto his holy Work who came not to destroy Mens Lives but to save them whose Kingdom is not of this World and therefore is not set up or maintained with Carnal Weapons Violence and Spoil but by the Eternal Spirit of our God whose Fruit is in all Goodness and Righteousness and Truth and let not the wicked Devil the Destroyer deceive us any more by his Lies and Delusions but let us all with one Heart and Soul resist his Temptations when he perswades us to seek to be great in the Earth and be avenged on them we count our Enemies let us not hearken to him but let us overcome their Evil with Goodness and not to seek the Destruction of their Persons or Spoil of their Estates as the Heathen do that know not God but let us follow the Example of Jesus Christ God manifested in Flesh who when he was reviled reviled not again but pray'd for such as despitefully used him O come let us follow this meek Lamb in Righteousness and Truth and let us learn of him in our Hearts who is meek and lowly that we may find rest for our Souls who rebuked his Disciples who would have had Fire to come down from Heaven to destroy the Samaritans who would not at that time receive Christ for what knowest thou O Man but the Samaritans may in time come to a better Mind and then thou wilt see it was thy Will and not God's that desired their Destruction in their Sins for Christ would have all to be Saved and to come to the Knowledge of his Truth but many will not come to him that they might have Life and so their Destruction is of themselves and their Condemnation just And who are now therefore those that withstand the Doctrine of the Truth which saith Love your Enemies and seek not the Destruction of their Persons and Estates but seek them by good Doctrine and good Life to bring them out of their Sins And if they will not but rather hate thee for thy Good-will be content thou hast quitted thy own Soul and art clear of their Blood and so thou becomes a Sufferer with Jesus Christ and shalt Reign with him in due time I say who are these now on the Earth that are against the good Self-denying Doctrine of Christ and continue in the hateful destroying ways of the old Jews and Gentiles but such as will not be counselled by the Lamb of God the suffering Seed who said Learn of me for I am meek and lowly of Heart but ye are Men of corrupt Minds and account Gain and worldly Honours and Promotions more than Godliness who cry Peace Peace to themselves in their Sins And that same Spirit in them which creates that false Peace in them is the same that stirs them up to kill destroy oppress and spoil one another for selfish and worldly Ends but the Lord is arisen to Judge all these Evil things and to redeem a Seed to serve him as in the beginning of the Gospel before Antichrist the Murtherer got up amongst them that professed Christ in Words but denied him in Deeds and so had a Name
one Neighbour to another and one Nation to another Come let us all be humbled before the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who made us all of one Blood to dwell together upon the Face of the Earth in Truth Goodness and Love to serve one another and so as Branches of one Tree to receive Life and Vertue and Power from our God into our Souls to strengthen us unto his holy Work who came not to destroy Mens Lives but to save them whose Kingdom is not of this World and therefore is not set up or maintained with Carnal Weapons Violence and Spoil but by the Eternal Spirit of our God whose Fruit is in all Goodness and Righteousness and Truth And let not the wicked Devil the Destroyer deceive us any more by his Lies and Delusions but let us all with one Heart and Soul resist his Temptations When he perswades us to seek to be great in the Earth and be avenged on them we count our Enemies let us not hearken to him but let us over come their Evil with Goodness and not to seek the Destruction of their Persons or Spoil of their Estates as the Heathens do that know not God but let us follow the Example of Jesus Christ God manifest in Flesh who when he was reviled reviled not again but prayed for such as despitefully used him O come let us follow this meek Lamb in Righteousness and Truth and learn of him in our Heart who is Meek and Lowly that we may find Rest for our Souls who rebuked his Disciples who would have had Fire to come down from Heaven to destroy the Samaritans that would not at that time receive Christ For what knowest thou O Man but the Samaritans may in time come to a better Mind and then thou wilt see it was thy Will and not God's that desired their Destruction in their Sins For Christ would have all to be saved and come to the Knowledge of his Truth But many will not come to him that they might have Life and so their Destruction is of themselves and their Condemnation just And who are those now therefore that withstand the Doctrine of the Truth which said Love your Enemies and seek not the Destruction of their Persons and the Spoil of their Estates but seek by good Doctrine and good Life to bring them out of their Sins And if they will not but rather hate thee for thy good Will be content thou hast quitted thy own Soul and art clear of their Blood and so thou becomest a Sufferer with Jesus Christ and shalt Reign with him in due time I say who are these now on the Earth that withstand Truth and continue in the hateful destroying Ways of the Old Jews and Gentiles but such as will not be counselled by the Lamb of God the Suffering Seed who said Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in Heart But are Men of Corrupt Minds who account Gain and Worldly Honour and Promotions more than Godliness who cries Peace to themselves in their Sins And that same Spirit in them which crieâ— that false Peace in them is the same that stirs them up to Kill Destroy Oppress and Spoil one another for Selfish and Worldly Ends. But the Lord is arisen to Judge all these Evil Things and to Redeem a Seed to serve him as in the beginning of the Gospel before Antichrist the Murderer got up amongst them that professed Christ in Words but denied him in Deeds who had a Name that they lived but were dead from that true Life which was in Christ Jesus whom in Words they professed And though the Passage we seel now to be as hard of coming from amongst the false Christians and Turks as it was for the first true Christians to come from amongst the Jews and Gentiles yet the Almighty Power of our God is able over all and through all to carry us on to the end whom he hath called and saved with a mighty Salvation ever-praised be his Name and who will yet save his Beloved Seed Israel and gather them from the East and West and from the North and South to sit down with Christ in his Kingdom And this is no ill News to any but who are glewed to Deceit and married to Iniquity but it is Glad-tidings indeed to all that love their Souls and the Honour and Glory of Truth more than the things of this perishing World And I could desire that all who are apt to reason as the Jews did when they heard the Declaration of the Gospel of Peace and Kingdom of God which stands in Righteousness and Peace saying If we let this go on then the Romans or Others will come and take our Place and Nation I say that they would consider That the very Course which they to wit the Jews in the Denial of the Truth took for saving of themselves brought utter Destruction upon them and their Nation But what shall vain Man in his foolish faln Wisdom and earthly Reasoning think to be Wiser than God and to have a greater Care and Love to the Creation than God himself who made it hath What! shall Angels at the Birth of Christâ—sing Glory to God on high and Good-will to Men and yet when the way of God in Christ is published for bringing this great Work of Salvation to pass vain Man must come in with his false Mind and say This is the way to confound all Order and destroy all Good And that this Doctrine turneth the World up-side down And that the Messengers of Christ are pestilent Fellows and Movers of Sedition O Earth Earth Tremble before the Lord for thou shalt never have Peace in thy own Ways thou shalt never be Saved by thy own Strength thou shalt never be Established by thy own Counsels thou shalt never have true Peace nor any Plenty within thy Borders until thou believest the Gospel which saith Learn of Christ whose Kingdom is not of this World and whose Weapons are not Carnal but Spiritual Mighty through God not for the pulling down of Outward Walls and Bodies but for razing and pulling down and destroying the strong Holds of Sin and Satan in the Hearts and Lives of the Children of Men For after that saith the Apostle The World by Wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the Foolishness of Preaching to wit such Doctrine as this which is a Cross and Stumbling-block to all Corrupt Flesh to save them that believe So lay things to heart ye People of the World and Inhabitants of all the Earth for God's Purpose is not to exalt any Man or Men of this World or to glorifie any Flesh but to exalt his own Son Christ Jesus the heavenly Man the Lord from Heaven the Truth over all of whose Kingdom and Government there shall be no End And all that obey his Voice and for Obedience thereunto are made willing to Suffer with him shall reign with him for evermore But all others whether they be called Christians or Turks
is gathering his Lots from amongst them into his happy Fold of Truth and Rest that the Judgments of God may hasten upon the wicked Sodom and Egypt who burden the Just that God's righteous Soul may be eased of them Even so come Lord Jesus for thou art worthy to reign saith my Soul Thomas Taylor Richard Baxter's BOOK ENTITULED The Cure of Church-Divisions ANSWER'D and CONFUTED And he PROV'D to be a Physician of no Value Who hath Manifested his Folly and Weakness in Undertaking a Work which he hath so little Understanding in By THOMAS TAYLOR For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to Covetousness c. They have Heal'd also the Hurt of the Daughter of my People with sweet words saying Peace Peace when there is no Peace Jer. 6.13 14. But ye are Forgers of Lies ye are all Physicians of no Value Job 13.4 London Printed and Sold by T. Sowle next Door to the Meeting-house in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-Street and at the Bible in Leaden-Hall-Street near the Market 1697. Richard Baxter's BOOK ENTITULED The Cure of Church-Divisions ANSWER'D and CONFUTED RICHARD BAXTER a Man who through a shew of Learning and Religion had gotten in Oliver Cromwell's Days a great Esteem in the Minds of the Ignorantly Zealous Professors of Religion in this Nation and especially in the Parts of Worcester-shire about Kidderminster where he then resided hath since the Change of the Times and coming in of the Old Common-Prayer-Book-again much manifested his Nakedness Confusion and Unsoundness to every Eye that in any measure is open to see the difference of Truth and Error in the ground of it as by his Works appear And that it is so amongst other things that Book of his fasly call'd The Cure of Church-Divisions which I have now under-hand to Answer doth plainly manifest For instead of Curing Divisions he hath shew'd himself to be a Physician of no Value and so instead of Curing hath struck at under a Judas Kiss of Unity and Concord the very Life and Foundation of all true Christian Unity and Amity to wit The Free and Perfect Teachings and Gifts and Work of the Spirit of Truth the Spirit of the Father and Son in his Believing Members whereby they cry in a spotless Mind Abba Father and freely and powerfully declare the Glory of his Kingdom to the Children of Men and instead thereof would bring in and establish that Soul-deceiving and Church-dividing Doctrine of Humane Learning and Humane Helps as absolutely necessary to the procuring and engaging as it were the Holy unlimited God to give unto the Creature his Holy Spirit and the Knowledge of the Mysteries of his Eternal Will and Kingdom for the same as in Answer to an Objection in the 6th Page of his Book in his first Direction so call'd is to be seen The Objection against his Carnal Reasonings for Old Men's Knowledge is in Page 5. where he saith I know those that I have to do with will say That Divinity is not learn'd by Labour and Men's teaching as other Sciences and Arts are but by Teaching I add yea and most free Gift of the Spirit of God and therefore the Youngest may have as much of it as the Eldest And to this R. B. there thus Answers Answ There is some Truth saith he and some Falshood and much Confusion in this Objection But let us hear how this R. B. proves that that there is either Falshood or Confusion in the Objection It is true saith he that the Saving Knowledge of Divinity must be taught by the Spirit of God but it is false that Labour and Humane Teaching are not the Means which must be us'd by them who will have the Teaching of the Spirit Reply But O the Darkness yea rather Enmity that is in R. B's Heart against the free Teaching of God's Spirit That he would find any thing against so plain and manifest Truth as is in this Objection But what will not Flesh do that is lifted up with Conceits of his own Wisdom to keep up its Honour before the People rather than the Purâ— Undoubted Truth of the Gospel and Self-abasing Spirit of Truth should Reign and have the Preheminence But to this I say that a Child of Light in the least Measure doth easily see the Falshood of that Spirit by which this R. B. is acted in this his Answer For the Wind of the Spirit bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof thou natural Man but neither knows whence it comes nor whither it goes so is every one that is Born of God And without this Birth all thy Knowledge is Damning not Saving John 3.7 8 c. And Job 32.7.8 I said Days should Speak and multitude of Years should Teach Wisdom But there is a Spirit in Man and the Inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding And saith God It shall come to pass in the last Days that I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh and they shall all know me from the least to the gâ—eatest Yea and Young-men shall see Visions and Servants and Hand-maids shall Prophesie And ye have received an Vnction from the Holy One And ye know all things saith the Apostle John and ye need not that any Man teach you This is the Day of the Lord wherein these things are fulfill'd prais'd be God And the New Covenant abundantly witness'd in the Children of Light whom this wicked Book of R. B's strikes at but his Wickedness turns upon his own Pate and his own Iniquities shall slay him For he by his Carnal Wisdom would darken Knowledge and shut the Kingdom of Heaven against Men as his Predecessors of Old the Pharisâ—es mention'd Mat. 23. did But the Lord hath open'd a Door to the Believing Souls this Day which all the Powers of Darkness shall never be able to shut Glory to his Name for Ever But what is that Labour and Humane Means that People must use for getting the Spirit of God or Saving Knowledge of Divinity as he calls it Is it tumbling over a Ruck of Books stuffed with Art and Humane Wisdom or Learning from below as this R. B. hath long done to the darkning of his Heart from the Knowledge of God and Way of his Spirit so that he knows nothing of it after all his long lost Labour but what he knows naturally as a Brute Beast and that 's plain for it sanctifies him not as by his confessing That his best Duties even his Prayers are not without Sin and affirming That no Man prays without Sin As in his Book is to be seen Page 195. and in his Preface And so the Prayer of Faith and Preaching by the Spirit he is ignorant of yea Preaching by the Spirit is become a Mock and a Derision to him and his Brethren at this Day But Paul and all the Ministers of Christ Magnifie the Free Grace and Infinite Gift of the Spirit of God according to that 2 Cor. 3. saying Not
heavy Burdens that lye upon Soul or Body and so in Deed and Truth to let the Oppressed go free and to break every Yoke and to be Merciful Pittiful and Tender-hearted one to another according to Jesus Christ O! this is the Fast that pleaseth God that which his Soul and the Soul of the Righteous Loveth But to see People gather together for a few Hours of a Day and in a few or many Formal Words Confess Sin and Wickedness and yet Live in it this is Abominable in the sight of God and all good Men. Therefore all Awake Arise and stand up to Judgment O all ye People of the Earth who are found in such Deceitful Worship for God is not Mocked neither will he be at all Reconciled to you until you from the Heart put away all your Sins whereby his Glory this Day is so much stained and until you bring forth Fruits of Righteousness and such Words and Works daily as are worthy amendment of Life Thomas Taylor Something in Answer to some Passages in that naughty Book called A Looking-Glass for Ladies HE saith in Page 89 and 90. There are two sorts of Love One Legal The other Evangelical The First which is Legal is to Love God with all our Hearts all our Souls and all our Might This saith this Man no Man can attain unto in this Life no not the Regenerate themselves To which I Answer That this Man shews plainly that he knows not what he saith but is not only a False Witness against God and his Work in his Regenerate People but also a manifest Contradicter of himself for saith he Evangelical Love is when a Man begins here truly to Love God 2. When he doth daily grow and increase in this Love 3. When he is Constant in the same to the end so that nothing can draw him from God This he and all that sort will in words confess the Regenerate in this Life may do and yet not love God with that Love the Law requires What Contradiction is this Is not this Love perfect and answerable to God's Law when one First Loves God truly Secondly Grows and Increases daily in this true Love and Thirdly When one is so constant in the same that nothing can draw the Soul from it And therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 8.3 c. That which the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh and for Sin condemned him in the Flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit Now let any who knows God give in his Witness if this Man do not deny the very End of Christ's Coming in the Flesh which was as the Apostle saith here to fulfil the Law in and for his People that they might love the Lord their God in Christ Jesus with all their Heart Soul and Might according to his Holy Law as one well said That which the Law requireth the Gospel fulfilleth But such Men as this who flatters the faln Sons and Daughters of Adam by pleading for respect to their Persons knows nothing of the Matter in themselves but only as they imagine from the Letter without they tell every Man his Dream to his Neighbour and so by their false Doctrines and Self-contradictions as is manifest here do daily make the shame of their Nakedness appear and their Envy to the Servants of God whom they Reproach under the Name of Quakers appears very much in such sayings as he there sets down saying This serves to reprove the Quakers who are possessed of Perfection through Satan's Pride and adds O that ever a poor Worm of the Earth a very Lump of Sin and Corruption to think that he dare look God in the Face in a sinless Condition These need not a Psalm of Mercy saith the Lying Spirit in this Sam. Smith that writ that Book these will not be beholding to Christ To which I answer and say First It 's Blasphemy to say That the Regenerate Man's sinless Perfection is proud Satan's Work For it is Christ's Blessed Work to perfect his Saints as Eph. 4.12 13 14. and Chap. 5.25 26 27. And Secondly It 's a false Slander and unjust Accusation of us whom the World calls Quakers to say That we either say or think that any Worm of the Earth or Lump of Sin and Corruption either dares or ever possibly can look God in the Face or ever attain to a sinless Condition for Earth Sin and Corruption cannot enter into God's Kingdom or inherit Incorruption But this we say That the Regenerate who are Born again even Born of God of the Incorruptible Seed of his Heavenly Ever-living Word are sinless and perfect in Christ Jesus with whom they are one and in him do in all Holy Humility and Acceptance with the Father stand before his Throne where no Earth nor lumps of Sin and Corruption nor no false Accuser of the Brethren nor Respecter of Persons can ever come Again whereas this Man Sam. Smith saith The Evangelical Love before described is far short of that Love the Law requireth is a false Witness and Accuser of Christ as though he came to destroy or make void the Law But do not think saith Christ that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil And is not this the great Thing and Sum of all the Law and the Prophets thou shalt love the Lord God with all thy Soul Mind and Strength And doth not Christ the Power of God fulfil this in his Members Yea yea as Paul said expresly in Rom 8.4 before mentioned That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit But now such as profess the Letter and want the Life and so walk not after the Spirit but the Flesh these do not love wholly nay not at all in Truth and so with this Smith are Breakers of the Law of God and so not at all in the Kingdom of God The next thing observable in this wretched Man's Book aforesaid called The Looking-glass is his grievous Opposition against the Doctrine of Perfection Where he saith That there is none so Godly Righteous or Religious here in this Life or can attain to that Measure of Grace to be Perfect but stands in need of the Exhortation Prayers and Godly Advice of others To which I answer and say That though godly Exhortation Prayers and Advice amongst Brethren of Christ be lovely yet for him to say There is none so perfect but stands in an absolute Necessity of these from Man is not true for the Apostle speaking not to the Teachers only but to the Brethren of Christ in general 1 John 2.27 These Things I have written to you concerning them that seduce you but the anointing which ye have of God the Holy One teacheth you all things and you need not that any Man teach
are approved may be made manifest He doth not say Heresies come for want of a Pope and General Council And I may add another Reason and that a main and universal one and that is Peoples either not living in the Spirit or not walking in the Spirit and so not keeping the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace And so not keeping the Head to wit Christ in whom if the whole Body be coupled and knit together increase of the whole Body to wit the true Church is made to the Edifying of it self in Love and not otherwise Eph. 4. This is the Cause and continual Cause A Second Reason of those Differences saith that Popish Book is because the very Ground work of Protestancy is That all Men even the whole Church of God are Fallible and subject to Err so that they cannot pretend to Certainty or Infallibility saith he for any one Point of their Belief To which I say if any Protestant say the whole Church of God is Fallible and subject to Err if they understand the Church as Paul doth in Ephes 5.25 26 27. and as he doth in 1 Tim. 3.15 or as Christ doth in Mat. 16.18 where it is said The Gates of Hell shall not provail against it they do not well For though all Men as Men in Adam the Earthly are not only Fallible and subject to Err but also really in Deceit and Error yet in Christ Jesus the Second Adam the Lord from Heaven that quickning preserving Spirit of Truth there is no Fallibility nor Error as the Apostle saith 1 John 3. He that abideth in Christ sinneth not Ver. 6. And he that is Born of God sinneth not nor can sin Ver. 9. But what is all or any of this Glory to the Pope or his Synagogue which he falsly calls the Church of God For they do not attribute the Infallibility to the Eternal Spirit which is in every true Member of Christ's Church which is their Leader into and Preserver of their Souls into all Truth but to the Pope and General Councils as though Infallibility were annexed to the Dream of Peter's Chair and not to Christ's Spirit in the Faithful O the Abomination of Desolation that is in this Popish Doctrine But what is there such Unity amongst these Deluded Disciples of the Pope Surely nay for as we read there was amongst the Jews the several Sorts and Sects of Pharisees Sadducees Libertines Cirenians Alexandrians and the like yet all against Christ So in the Popish Hierarchy there are the several different and divided Sorts and Sects of Franciscans Dominicans Jesuits Cappuchins Carthusians and others all agreed this Day as of long time they have been against the Blessed Crown Kingdom Dignity and Dominion of our Lord Jesus Christ But these with all the rest of Mystery Babylon's Merchants have cause to wail because the Light and Spirit of God in Christ Jesus is broken forth in Power and great Glory this Day to judge them all that the Kingdom not Worldly but Heavenly may be given to the People of the Saints of the Most High God for an Everlasting Inheritance as in Dan. 7.27 Here also I may well take notice of some other words that this Popish Pleader hath in his Book Treating of this Matter viz. Since then saith he to be of one Religion is to be of one setled Perswasion in Points of Faith and seeling cannot be without Infallibility or Necessity it is not well possible that any two Protestants or Sectaries to be of one Religion every Man Expounding the Scripture as he lists and no one having Power to Controul the others Exposition of it I Answer and in the Power of Christ do grapple with this Beast that arose out of the Sea and with his Image also and do say That no Humane Conceit nor Natural Man's Exposition with the help of all the World's Wit and Skill whether Pope or other is infallible or binding or controuling But by the same Spirit that gave forth Scripture whether in a Fisherman Tradesman or other now as well as formerly is the Scripture rightly Understood and Expounded So the true Oneness in Religion stands in the Oneness of that Spirit that gave forth Scripture and gives a right understanding of it and of all things as the Apostle saith The Anointing which ye have of the Holy One teacheth all things and by it you know all things 1 John 2.20 And he that hath not this Spirit is none of Christ's Rom. 8.9 And he that is guided by this Spirit is a Spiritual Man and so not to be judged or controuled in his Spiritual Concernment by any Man of this World neither Pope nor other as saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.10 15. It is so But whereas he tells of every Man Expounding the Scripture as he lists I say this is the Pope and all his Priests Fault and of all the wicked World besides who are not in Heart and Life subject to that one Pure and Holy Spirit that is of Jesus that leads Spiritually into all Truth which Truth is one And so though they that are of another Spirit may agree never so much and in never so great numbers in their several Ways of Deceit yet the true Religion of God's Holy Ones in Light they still remain ignorant of And so his Blindness of imagining that Protestants and Sectaries as he calls them cannot be two of them of one Religion doth hereby fully appear For not only they but all the People of the Earth under what Name Notion or Profession soever are either the Children of Light or Children of Darkness and so not only two but all of the same sort may and do agree in the Root in their Religion if it may be called so though we know there is but one true Religion and that is truly and properly the Religion of God's People the Children of his Light even that which in Purity and Holiness binds their Hearts to God And so by this word Controuling which this Remish Agent here useth it is easily seen how the Pope hath set up and maintained his Wicked Kingdom that is to say by a Worldly Controuling Power over Mens Souls and Consciences and not by the Power of Truth For if his Earthly Power with his Worldly Assistants were taken from him his Decretals Expositions Bulls Excommunications and Curses for not obeying his Commands would be of little force this Day in the Earth because of the Light that God hath raised up in the Hearts of People this Day to discover him Glory to his Great Name for Evermore And so the true Judge and Controuler of all Judgments and Controulers is on his Throne this Day judging in Righteousness and on his White of Glorious Power going on Conquering and to Conquer the Man of Sin in all Lands and his Holy Ones in Light His Called Faithful and Chosen follow him with great Joy of Heart Rev. 19.11 12 13. He that hath an Ear let him hear what the Spirit
God Christ dees not send him or bid him go to the Spirit of Truth and wait for it Had Christ done so he might then have sent or directed the Man out of the way to get Life Eternal and so further from God than before for then the Man had not come through the Father to him according to John 6.44 45. And Page 15 further erroniously thou say'st You Quakers cannot find as that Christ the Prophet did give any Command to any People as was in ignorance of the Ways to Salvation or Life Eternal that they should leave off to be taught of Moses or his Law or Precepts and go to learn of the Spirit of Truth and let that teach or lead them God forbid O miserable Blindness and Ignorance That ever any Professing God or Scripture should thus belch out their Enmity against the Spirit of Truth The glorious Promise of the Father without which all Knowledge and all Profession is a meer Nothing but a heap of Darkness and Confusion and without which there had never been any true Prophet nor Scripture of Truth for Holy Men of God spoke not in their own Wills or Times but as they were moved by the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth without which never Man did nor never Man can come to any Saving Knowledge of God or Christ or the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God and Christ and therefore saith Paul after many Years zealous Profession of Moses's killing Letter That which the Eye hath not seen nor the Ear heard nor hath entred into Man's Heart to conceive God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirit of God that Spirit of Truth searcheth all things even the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.9 10. And therefore saith the same Paul 2 Cor. 3.6 God hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth Life And therefore saith Christ John 16.7 It is expedient for you that I go away that the Spirit of Truth which leads into all Truth may come who is the Saints Comforter And this is that means by which the Father draws to Christ even the Spirit of Truth and not as thou ignorantly Dreamest the Letter of Moses's Law John 6.44 45. And so T. Hall thou art not far from that unpardonable Sin of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost who says That if Christ had directed the Man in the Gospel to go to the Spirit of Truth and wait for it he had directed him out of the way of Life O sad that ever such a Monster of Men should appear in these days when the Lord is so graciously arising with his Healing Wing of Light Life and Spirit to save his Israel out of the Hands of their Souls Enemies And thou T. Hall say'st farther God forbid that Christ should send or direct People that were in Ignorance of the ways of Salvation to go and learn of the Holy Spirit of Truth to be taught of it and not at Moses 's Law I say again This proceeds from the same bitter Root of Error and Blasphemy in thee that the former did and so Wo Wo Wo to that Nest that hatches such Venomous Birds and Cockatrice Eggs as thou dost And if that People of whom thou professest thy self a Member should see these things and not deny thee for them they would be as much to blame as thy self who hast plunged thy self so deep into the Pit of Destruction that no less than a Miracle of Mercy can help thee to see and acknowledge the Truth of God whom thou hast Blasphemed For O thou full of all Unrighteousness What must ignorant People come to know the things of God by but only by the Spirit of Truth as Paul says No Man knows the things of God but the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.11 And saith Paul Gal. 3.2 to some of like mind with this T. H. concerning Moses's Law This only would I learn of you Received ye the Spirit by the Works of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith And Verse 3. Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the Flesh Thus he shews That the Spirit of God is received into the Believing Soul through the hearing of Faith preach'd and not by any fleshly conforming to Moses's Letter of that Law for saith he in Ver. 10. of that Chapter As many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse For it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them See T. Hall what thou hast done for thy self and wouldst do for others by pleading for Moses's Letter of the Law to be over Christian People thou hast brought thy self under the Curse for they that come under that Covenant of Works must not only do all things written in the Book but they must continue therein without Sinning or Offending against it otherwise they are Cursed as the Apostle James in another place saith He that keepeth the whole Law and sinneth in one Point is guilty of all And so as I instanced to thee in that of the Sabbath day for though in thy blind Mind thou wouldst be a Teacher of the Law yet thou neither knowest what thou say'st nor whereof thou affirmest for the Sabbath-day which Moses commanded to the People under that Covenant was the Seventh day of the Week which thou neither keepest thy self nor any of thy Fellows and so you are guilty of breaking the whole Law and so under the Curse And whereas you think to save your Heads by saying You keep the next day being the First day of the Week for a Sabbath that will help you nothing at all for the Law admitted of no change of the day which was the Seventh from the Creation into another day And so the Apostles meeting together on the First day of the Week was so far from establishing the legal Sabbath that it was on purpose done to shew that Christ the end of the Law and everlasting Sabbath of Rest to his People was come And so to thee T. Hall and all of like mind with thee I say as Paul to the Galatians Chap. 4.21 c. Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law Do ye not hear the Law For it is written Abraham had two Sons the one by a Bond-woman the other by a Free But he who was of the Bond-woman was born after the Flesh but he of the Free woman was by promise Which things are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants the one from Mount Sinai which gendereth to Bondage which is Agar For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in Bondage with her Children But Jerusalem which is above is free which is the Mother of us all For it is written Rejoyce thou barren that bearest not break forth and cry thou that
that he saith A New Covenant he hath made the first Old Now that whichâ—d cayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away This is the Apostle's Conclusion from the former words as is to be seen in the last Verse of that 8th Chapter to the Hebrews Now mind whoever thou art that reads these words that the Covenant which here he calls Old was that which God made with the Fleshly Seed of Abraham at their coming out of Egypt which is mentioned in the Writings of Moses as you may read and part of this Covenant was the Two Tables of Stone which the Lord by his Angel delivered Moses for that People to observe and keep with the rest of what Moses had in Charge for them and set down in the outward Book to be done and which the Children of Israel did Promise and Covenant that they would observe and do but they broke Covenant with God as all Flesh ever did and doth at this Day and so the Lord regarded them not for no Flesh can do what the Pure Spiritual Lord God commands them having no more help thereto but what a Law or Letter without can furnish them withal and therefore the Lord God in love to Man's Soul sent Christ into the World to be his own Arm and Power to and in Man to bring forth that Righteousness and Holiness which he required and therefore saith Paul after he saw his own utter unableness to do the Will of God with all the outward Helps that ever he had he concludes that they that are in the Flesh cannot please God let them turn which way they can for the Enmity against the Law whilst in that Principle and in that thou T. H. art still remains against the Spiritual Law of God as he saith Rom. 8.7 For the Carnal Mind is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be And therefore as Paul so must all come to Christ the Lord that Spirit to know him in them to destroy the Enmity out of them that so the Will of God and Law of his Mouth which is Spiritual may be done in them and so come to witness as Paul there in Rom. 8.2 did That the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made them free from the Law of Sin and Death And the Ground or Reason of the Lord 's gracious Dealing with Man in the next Verse e sets down saying For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh and for Sin condemned Sin in the Flesh And the end of all this he shews in the next Verse saying That the Righteousness of God's Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit And thus he stops the Mouths of all the Enemies of Christ who with Tho Hall would object That with Preaching of Christ and his Light and hi Spirit in Man to be all in all they make void the Law Answ Nay nay I say By Preaching Christ we establish the Law to the Glory of God in Christ over all And so thou Tho. Hall hast been he which hath not hitherto either truly heard Moses nor the Prophets nor Christ nor his Apostles or his Spirit in these days and so canst not in that wretched Mind believe though one come from the Dead And so for the Truths sake and to stop the Errors and Blasphemies of this Thomas Hall who ceaseth not to pour forth his Ignorance against the Lord Jesus Christ and his blessed Spirit of Light and Life in Man the only Teacher of God's People in these Gospel days have I writ these Lines that the Truth of the Gospel against his and all such Unbelieving Jewish Persecuting Spirits in these days may stand cear over all their Heads and triumph for ever in the Hearts and Consciences of all tender and honest-minded People whose Desires 〈◊〉 continually after the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof whose Kingdom is everlasting and the Righteousness thereof is Pure Spotless and Undefiled of God and endureth for ever And this is our Righteousness and the Righteousness of all Saints Praised be God for ever and for whose Name and Truths sake and for bearing Testimony thereof in this World do we suffer Reproach and Persecutions from the present evil World not only of the Prophane but even of many such unreasonable professing vain Talkers as this T. Hall who would be Teachers of the Law not knowing what they say nor whereof they affirm as Paul the Apostle of Christ witnessed of such in his days who would never be quiet from opposing the Gospel with their False Interpretations of the Law until God cut them off and cast them away for their Wickedness But we know saith the same Apostle in that place to wit 1 Tim. 1.5 6 7 c. that the Law is good if a Man use it lawfully I nowing this that the Law is not made for a righteous Man but for the Lawless and Disobedient for the Vngodly and for Sinner c. So say we and so the Law of God we love and honour â—s God's Ordinance for good to restrain limit and condemn such ungodly and unreasonable Spirits as this T. Hall is for those that will not believe nor obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ must be ruled and bruised and condemned with the Iron Rod of God's righteous Law which whatsoever it saith it saith to them that are under it that every sinful Mouth may be stopped and all the World of wicked unbelieving Men may be found guilty before God Glory to his Name for ever who giveth us the Victory by Jesus Christ our Lord who is our Light Life Wisdom Righteousness and Salvation for ever whose Grace alone is able to keep us and preserve us and present us and all that believe in his Light and know him in them unto himself without Spot and Wrinkle and unreprovable in everlasting Peace Rests a Lover of the Soul of Man which is in great Captivity until it come to the Liberty of God's Sons and who in a patient quiet Suffering way do wait to do it good as a Servant of God wherein I may be known amongst Men by the Name of Thomas Taylor but in the New Name which is of God and not of this World which the Father hath given me doth my Soul rejoyce And though I be set a-part for Sufferings amongst the reproached despised People of God called Quakers by the World yet we are Happier than our Persecutors in that the Lord is on our sides and justifies us in his way which is Christ while his Holy Spirit testifies against our Adversaries because they are his Adversaries He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear and give Glory to God by believing for these words are Faithful and True Thomas Taylor FINIS A Testimony for the Lord God and His Work in the Earth HEar O EARTH and hearken ye
dwels keeps People always learning and never brings any to the Knowledge of perfecting Truth of the Lord Jesus for how should it For they have Run and I never sent them saith God therefore they shall not profit the People at all Jer. 23. And under this woful Condition lieth all the World of unbelieving People who believe not in the Truth Christ Jesus but follow their own dark Spirits which see nothing of the Kingdom of God nor the Holy Worshippers therein A long and dark Night of Apostacy hath passed over the World since the Apostles time wherein the Spirit of Antichrist and Devils hath wrought effectually in the Children of Disobedience as was foretold to the blinding of their Minds and hardning their Hearts against the Everlasting Gospel of Truth the Heavenly Light and Power of God unto Salvation and hath so deluded them that they have thought they were doing God service when they were Persecuting his Truth and Members of his Body as many in the same dark deluded state do at this day but now the Lord is lifting up his Standard against that great Whore Dragon false Prophet and their Armies who Gog and Magog like would devour the Lambs of Christ And now no Weapon formed against Christ his Truth and People shall ever prosper any more at all but the Lamb shall have the Victory and the Kingdom Dominion and Greatness of it shall be given to the Saints of the Most High God whose Kingdom is Everlasting and that Nation Kingdom and People that will not bow to Truth will moulder away and come to nothing as the Lord hath said For now is the effect of every Vision fully to come and no more at all to be prolonged And therefore Wo Wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth and the Sea who are putting the Day of the Lord a far off crying Peace Peace when there is no Peace for there is no Peace to any who will not have Jesus Christ the true Light that Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World to rule in them and over them for his is the Kingdom Glory and Power and he will Reign for Evermore in the midst of his Enemies Glory to his Name without ceasing Amen and Amen saith my Soul whom thou hast Redeemed O Holy One of Israel to set forth thy Praise amongst the Living in Jerusalem thy Holy Hill so be it So now O all ye that love Righteousness and daily wait to see the Heavenly Kingdom thereof set up in you and in all People I T. T. your Brother in the Joys and Sufferings of the Gospel having had through the Mercifulness of our God and Father perfect knowledge of his Good Way from the beginning of this Day of his Love which hath dawned upon his Beloved Seed in these Islands and in all the World do declare and bear my Testimony for God amongst many Brethren that there is no way to God the Father of Light but by the Light Christ Jesus that true Light that Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World with a Light that is Pure Free Spiritual and Sufficient that all Men through it may believe and so be led out of Darkness Sin and Death the ways of Sin into the Marvellous Light and Life of Righteousness and true Holiness and so into Fellowship with the Holy God without which Holiness none can see him nor enjoy him for ever For this Gift of God the Light is Holy and in all that believe and receive it it brings forth it s own Blessed Image which is Holiness And it is Free and works according to its own Blessed Nature in all that joyn to it setting them free from all their Spiritual Enemies whatsoever and so making them Free-born Children of the Heavenly Jerusalem which is free for evermore from all the false and imbondaging Impositions of the Man of Sin whatsoever And so also because this Heavenly Gift of God Christ Jesus the Light who Lighteth every Man John 1.9 is perfect and shines in the Heaâ—t therefore it doth of its own Nature make perfect every Man that wiâ—h their Hearts receive it and so come to God by it It makes perfect to God as pertaining â—o the very Heart and Conscience of all its Lovers for if you Love the Light you Love God from whence it comes for he that Loves him that is sent â—oveth also him that sent him And therefore I say unto all People upon the face of the Earth that all that Faith Hope Worship Religion or whatever it may be called That stands not in and is not carried on in this Power of God the Light which Lighteth every Man is nothing worth Every good and perfect Gift saith James cometh down from the Father of Light who is Unchangeable and it shines in the Heart of every Man though the Darkness which through the Full hath gotten place there comprehends it not yet the Light is there a sure Foundation a tried Corner-Stone Elect and Precious Blessed are all that fall upon it so as to be broken into Godly Sorrow and Tenderness of Heart and Blessed are all that Build upon it they shall be called the Elect of God Precious Sons and Daughters of Zion and their Building shall never fail them nay the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against their FAITH because it standeth in the Power of God Christ Jesus the Light that ever Liveth to keep them in a good and safe Condition that thus come to God by him The Day is dawned which makes all things manifâ—ll Praised be God forever even the Spirit of Truth which leadeth into all Truth is come and the Holy Anâ—iâ—ting is witnessed in all that believe in the Name of the Living Unchangeable God which Teacheth all things and it abideth in the Faithful Hearts and is sufficient And he called the Light Day and so the joyful Day which the Lord hath made being come we will Rejoyce and be Glad in it though the Children of Darkness be never so Angry For the Lord our Strength will maintain our Cause against all his Foes for evermore so be it And now though the Children of the Night be many and Professors of the Letter of Scripture that want the Life of it come forth as so many Armies to plead for and contend for their several formed Ways and invented Worships against the Children of God this day who Worship God in Spirit and in Truth yet Greater is he that is in us then he that is in the World and so though we are forced to Build in this our Holy City New Jerusalem with our Spiritual Sword in our Hand yet we are all well content finding the Lord still with us in this Day of the Restoration of all things And so though Tobiah and Sanballat with all the Heathen Mock and carry false Reports concerning us to the Rulers of the Earth yet through the Help of our God we are enabled to go on in our Holy Spiritual Work in the Lord 's Holy City
be hated of all men whether Professors or Prophane who are out of that Life and Holy Worship even for Christs very Name and Life's sake because it is a Cross and Offence to all the World who are in their own Wills under what Form or Profession soever who are gotten into a Profession of Christ without Christ and the daily Cross which his Followers bear Therefore all who are climed up into the Tree of an outward Profession without the true real seeling and Spiritual acquaintance with the daily Cross and fiery Law of the Lord and flaming Sword which Guards the Tree of Life which is in the Hand of the Angel of the Covenant for the cutting down of the Man of Sin that the Birth Immortal which is Holy may onter in and possess the Inheritance must come down again I say they must come to the beginning from which in their fallen Wisdom they are wandred to learn of him in Silence who speaks from Heaven whose Word is nigh in the Heart before ever they be established for except you become as little Children not in Talk but in Truth ye cannot enter God's Kingdom O ye People hearken awhile whether Teachers or Hearers You who have been feeding upon the Tree of Knowledg and never came through Gods Judgments the Flaming Sword to the Tree of Life Your Food is Death your-Works will Burn and your Fig leaf-Covers will fall off you and you be left Naked and Bare to the shame of your Nakedness as in the day that you were Born For what is any Covering unless it be that of the Spirit of Christ The Lord God who is of Purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity will bring your Deeds to the Light of his Judgments from which you cannot flee and before him will nothing stand but that which is Pure Your defiled Preachings Prayings Singings Hearings Readings will be rejected and cast out as Dung from the Presence of the Pure Holy God that is a consuming Fire You have multiplied words without Knowledge Ye have not been neither yet are ye Doers of Gods Will to the Witness of God in your Consciences I speak therefore in vain do you say Lord Lord and he will not hold them Guiltless that take his name in Vain Your Garment is not of the Pure White Linnen which is the Saints Righteousness but Linnen and Woollen is your Covering a thing forbidden by Gods Law Your Field is not sowen with the one Heavenly kind of Grain the Good Wheat but another Seed have you mingled with it and the mixture is so great that the Bad hath almost choaked and covered the Good in you If you will work you must into Gods Vineyard and be exceeding Diligent and Laborious in Spirit in plucking up the Weeds by the Roots in you the Light of Christ in your Conscience waiting in it will give thee Understanding But Wo will be to them who call the Light Darkness and put Darkness for Light and so suffer the Good in them to wither and nourish the Bad Part in them which is like the Grave that never hath enough but is always learning at Man without and not at Christ within and Ministring from the outward Dead Spirit of the World and not from the measure of the Living Spirit of Christ and so not taking heed to the Word of Faith which is nigh in the Heart the Word of Christ which is Spirit and Life they never get Victory over their Sin as is manifest but go laden Teacher and Hearer all their Life long with divers Sins and Lusts as was said before So Wo to the selfish Workers who speak their own words and think their own thoughts on this the Holy Sabbath Day of the Lord God wherein he hath given his People rest from all their weary Labour and Burdens The outward Day the first Day of the Week shall not Cover you nor be a Sabbath to you but in the breach of Gods Holy and Everlasting Spiritual Sabbath of Rest you being found you must bear his Judgment Behold all ye that kindle a Fire this Day and that compass about your selves with Sparks walk in the Light of your Fire and in the Sparks that ye have kindled yet know that your reward from the Lords Hand is to lie down in Sorrow I say all you who feed upon and whose Faith stands in the wisdom of Vain Mans words raised up in the subtility to please the itching Ear and not in the Power of God which washeth the inside a Day of Scattering cometh upon you it cometh and a grievious Whirl-wind from the Lord and the Pleasant Breasts of Mystery Babylon which you so much delight in shall be dried up for the Lord hath rejected your Confidence because you have rejected his Good Word and Counsel and chosen your own Delusion and evil entreated his Servants whom he sent rising up early and sending them time after time to warn you to come out of all your Dead Forms and Dead Faith into the Living Virtue and Power of his eternal Spirit of Truth to Worship him there and to know it in you but you would not therefore the Lord will yet do that Great Work and Wonder amongst you he will confound the Wisdom of your Wise and bring to nought the understanding of your Prudent Men and they shall be as Women weak and feeble the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it and the Songs of your Temple shall be Howlings in that Day because of the Vine of Sodom that will bear no more Grapes but so many as have drunk of the Wine of her Fornication must Drink of the Cup of Gods Wrath. And all you who talk of your Faith and suffering Condition and yet Live in your Sin you know not what Spirit you are of for the same mind that you think to suffer in is it which by Transgression grieves the Spirit of God and stands against the setting up of his Kingdom in your selves and the Testimony thereof in his redeemed Ones this Day And so if you could give your Bodies to be burnt in this your Unsaved and Unsanctified Condition it would prosit you nothing at all Wherefore come out from amongst them all you that would be happy and touch no unclean thing but give your Hearts to the Lord to know his Light in you to teach you and he will receive you and hide you from the Wrath that is to come upon all that are not in him as saith his Spirit in his Servant This is a Message of Truth to all you in and about Stafford and those of like Spirit with you elswhere who go under the Name of Presbyterians Teachers and Hearers to Read and Ponder in the cool mind that you may know what the Lords Mind is concerning you in this his day wherein he is manifest with his Fan in his Hand to purge the Floor that he may gather to himself the good Wheat and burn up the Chaff For we knowing the Terrors of the Lord
People of England to Weep Page 64 To the Comers and Goers by the Prison-Window of both Sâ—â—â—s Page 65 To King Charles the Second concerning Persecution c. Page 67 To Informers Page 69 Some Serious Considerations concerning the Priests of the High Places called Churches their Sprinkling Infants Marrying People and Bâ—rying their Dead c. Page 70 To the â—ury-men of Appleby Page 73 To 〈◊〉 and Rulers Page 74 A Testimony of Truth Page 75 To all that are Worshipping in the Outward Court without God in the World in diverse Forms Page 78 To William Thornton called Justice at Hipswell in York-shire Divulged for the Information of other Moderate Enquirers after the Lord Page 81 To the Presbyterians so called Page 88 To the Presbyterians Page 90 To the Blind Teachers Page 91 For the Great People of the Earth who love the Pleasures of Sin these ib. Concerning Bread and Wine Page 93 The Indignation of the Lord upon all Nations Page 94 To Loose and Wicked Professors Page 108 To Protestants Page 109 To the Sons of Vanity Page 110 Who they are that only Rejoice in the Birth of Christ Page 111 A Testimony against Persecution to King Charles the Second and his Magistrates Page 112 Wo to the World because of Iniquity Page 114 An Apology from the Harmless against the Vnjust And to the King and his Magistrates against Plotting ibid. Against May-poles Page 116 To a Dancing-Master Page 117 To the Fruitless Vineyard of England Page 118 To the People of England Page 119 God's Controversie with England declared Or a Warning-word by way of Reproof to the Inhabitants thereof even to such as forget God and are adding one Sin unto another Page 121 A Faithful Warning to Outside Professors and Loose Pretenders to Christianity of all Sorts Page 123 Something as it came to mind of what passed at the Assizes in Stafford betwixt the Judge and the People of God called by the World Quakers But the Reproach of Christ is to us great Riches and the Scorners God will judge Page 131 To the Jury-men of Stafford that brought him in Guilty Page 138 To King Charles the Second Page 139 Against Lotteries Page 142 To Stafford Page 143 To the Mayor of Stafford Page 144 For them that Rule in Stafford ibid. To the Kings and Rulers Page 145 Concerning his being taken Prisoner of Seven Years Continuance Page 147 To the Mayor and Priest of Stafford Page 148 Concerning the Fallâ—n Christians Page 149 To the Vain People of the World Page 150 An Exhortation to all People Page 150 To the Teachers and Magistrates of Tamworth Page 151 To sinful People Page 152 To the Children of Men Page 154 To the Fencers ibid. Concerning Sprinkling Page 156 Concerning Burying and Churching of Women c. Page 157 A Testimony against Bull and Bear-baiting Page 159 A Testimony against Sporting and Playing Page 160 A Loving Exhortation to all Kings Pri ces Potentates Bishops and People in the whole Christendom Wherein is a distinction betwixt the True and False Teachers Page 162 A few Necessary Questions and Conclusions for the Present Parish-Teachers of England c. Deeply to Ponder and Answer in God's Fear for the Good of their own and the Peoples Souls that are under them for the Lord is arisen to call all things into Judgment Page 171 A Strong and Terrible Alarm Sounded out of the Holy Mountain against all the Wicked Inhabitants of the Earth Page 179 Watching for Sin Page 181 A Warning to the Nations to lay aside all Prejudice and Enmity the Ground of Strife and Wars and to come and Embrace the Light of Christ Jesus that they may see themselves and come to be Saved and Healed and Vnited in the Love of God Page 182 To People whose Hearts are turned from the Lord Page 189 To the Magistrates Page 190 To the Generation of Fleshly Fallen Christians not worthy the Name of Christians Page 192 To the King Page 193 An Exhortation to remember the Judgments of God Page 195 To the Vnclean Communicants Page 196 God's Virtue and Goodness Extolled ibid. Richard Baxter 's Book Entituled The Cure of Church-Divisions Answer'd and Confuted Page 201 Some more of these strange Sayings of this Richard Baxter in his Book Page 232 Some Gentle Remarks on a Book Entituled A Discourse concerning the Idolatry Practised in the Church of Rome Page 249 The Day is Dawned that makes all Wickedness manifest Page 255 To some of T. Hicks 's Friends Page 257 Something concerning that called the Common-Prayer Page 258 A Testimony for the Lord the good Shepherd and true Minister of the Sanctuary and true Tabernacle which God hath pitched and not Man against all the False Shepherds and Hireling Ministers and Teachers of the World under what Name or Notion or Form soever who have run and God never sent them and therefore cannot profit the People at all Page 273 The true Fast from the False Page 283 Something in Answer to some Passages in that naughty Book called A Looking-glass for Ladies Page 284 Thomas Taylor who was ten Years and an half in Prison at Stafford writes a Letter to a particular Adversary Page 293 To the People at and about Stafford a Testimony for God and his Truth and against Deceit and Deceivers especially the Hireling Priests as a Warning Information and Instruction in Righteousness to them and all People elsewhere concerned by the Spirit of the Lord in his Suffering Servant Thomas Taylor Page 294 Something in Answer to some Passages in that Wicked Antichristian Book written Catechism-wise by some Popish Stickler for his Master the Pope the Romish Antichrist and his Followers Printed at Douay and subscribed H. T. Page 299 A Warning to the Papists at Stafford Page 314 Something in Answer to a Paper from a Nameless Author directed to be left at Joseph Holt 's in Okeham Page 317 A Copy of Verses writ upon occasion of a Visitation so called Page 326 Certain Queries Propounded to the People called Anabaptists especially to such as believe and hold forth that Water-Baptism is an Ordinance and Command of Christ Jesus the Door of Entrance into the true Church and so of such Absolute Necessity as that there can be no True Gospel Church-Fellowship without it Page 333 Christ Exalted above Moses and the Spirit above the Letter Page 337 A TESTIMONY Concerning our Dear Friend and Brother Thomas Taylor Who was Convinced of the Lord's Everlasting Truth and Received it in the Year 1652. HE had been an Eminent Parish Priest and of Note among the Professors and other Priests and also a Lecturer in several Countries Preaching Sermons on the Week-Days And he coming to Swarthmor in Lancashire with some other Priests I ask'd him and them before Judge Fell Whether he or any of them could say that they ever heard a Voice of God or Christ from Heaven that bid them go to Speak to any People as God and Christ did to the Prophets and Apostles And Thomas
said before them all that he never heard any such Voice or Command And I ask'd him what he Preach'd to the People then and he made Answer and said His Experiences and I told him his Experiences might not reach to every Condition but he that had the Word of the Lord might Preach it whom God sent and that would Reach all Conditions who knows all Conditions And so the Lord's Word and Power struck him that he was Silent But the rest of the Priests were High and Opposed and came to nothing And Judge Fell wondered and was astonished at what he heard Thomas say that he had never heard the Voice of God nor Christ to Command him to Preach to any People and the said Thomas Taylor being look'd upon a High Priest and above the Common Priests and a Sober Man and Beloved among the outward Professors and so I went along with him that Day to a place called Newton in Lancashire where he used to Preach sometimes and he was very much down and sad and groaned that Night And the next Day we went to a Meeting which we had in the Steeple-house-yard but he would have gone into the Steeple-house but the Priest would not let us and I told him it was no matter And there came another Priest from Vnder-Barrow and several others and Thomas sitting still at last a tender Spring of Life Sprang up in him and he Spoke very well in it to the People both of his own Condition and the People's and where they had been and now how they must turn to the Lord Jesus Christ And the Vnder-Barrow-Priest and some other Professors were Offended and Opposed him but the Lord's Power came over them all For he was look'd upon in the time of his Priesthood above them And Thomas Taylor grew in the Grace and Truth of Christ and came to know the Word of the Lord and Preach Christ Freely as then he had Received Freely and forsook his Parish-steeple-house and his old Parish-wages and the rest of the Priests that Preach'd for Hire and he Travelled up and down in many parts of England Preaching the Word of the Lord and his Gospel freely as he was Commanded who had Received it freely And likwise his Brother Christopher Taylor who had been a Publick Preacher to a People was also Convinc'd and Preach'd Christ freely And many Disputes Thomas had with the Priests and Professors and continued still in his Confession to God and his Truth and People and what their Conditions were and had been formerly And so from that time he continued in the Truth and the Grace of God and grew mightily in it and boldly Preached it and saw where the Priests and Professors were and by whom they were made and sent not of God so that the Priests and Professors grew in a Rage against him and Persecuted him And he having been a Lecturer at Richmond in Yorkshire was made to go there and Turn his Back to the Priest and put his Hands to both his Ears and stop them as a Sign how God had stopt his Ears unto their Sacrifice and Service and Offering And then after he was cast into a Prison at Appleby in Westmoreland for the Truth 's Sake under a cruel Goaler and a very bad Prison being a sad smoky place by the Smoke that came out of other Rooms enough to Choke him But he continued Faithful in the Life and Power of the Lord and the Lord delivered him thence And afterwards he Travelled up and down Preaching to Priests and Professors and warning all both Small and Great to Repentance and Amendment of Life turning many to the Lord. He was after a while cast into Prison at York for Truth and after some time the Lord there delivered him And so when he was at Liberty he still continued Labouring in the Work and Service of the Lord Preaching the Everlasting Gospel and Turning People from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan to the Power of God And also his Life and Conversation Preached being a Man of a Sober Life and Sound Judgment and a good Understanding in the Truth And after he had Travelled much up and down in several parts of this Nation he coming into Staffordshire was there Imprisoned and Premunired for refusing to Swear in Obedience to the Command of Christ who says Swear not at all and there he was kept Prisoner Ten Years and a half in the Town of Stafford under cruel Goalers and a sore tedious Imprisonment he had and great Sufferings by those Magistrates as his Letters will Testifie and a wearisom Imprisonment he had through the wicked Prisoners which burdened and grieved his Righteous Soul And when he was at Liberty and Travelled up and down in the Power of the Lord in the Lord's Service being a Man of a Tender Spirit and Conscience sometimes he met with Bull-baiting Bear-baiting Plays and Shews and Cock-fightings and Mountebanks and Ringers of Bells c. which burdened and grieved his Righteous Soul that People should spend their pretious Time in Sports and Vanities and such as professed Christianity which were more like the Heathen-Romans than Christians who was made to Admonish such and Reprove them as his Letters Testifie and not to spend their time so Vainly The Lord was with him and did assist him who was an Elder indeed and Partaker of the Glory that is to be Revealed who sought to Establish such as he Convinced and were Convinced in the Truth and Gospel the Power of God who was Beloved of God and all his Faithful People And many bad Prisons or Goals he was cast into for the Lord Jesus Christ and his Truth 's Sake And he had a Dispute with Doctor Owen at Oxford and the very Scholars could say That Thomas was too hard for him for the Lord with his Eternal Arm and Power did Support him And he was a Faithful True Upright Man in the Lord's Truth to the last and turned many to the Lord Jesus Christ that they became Hearers and Followers of him who Speaks from Heaven And he loved the Government of Christ and his Spiritual Heavenly Order among his People And when he had fulfilled his Ministry and finished his Course who was a harmless and blameless Man in his Conversation he laid down his Head in Peace and Died in the Lord and is Blessed and his Works follow him Much might be writ of this Honest and Faithful Servant of God Thomas Taylor 's cruel Hardships and Sufferings that he went through for Christ and his Truth 's Sake He finish'd his Days at Stafford with his Wife in 1681. after he had been an able Preacher of the Gospel from about 1652. And is at Rest with the Lord And Blessed is he that Dies in the Lord yea saith the Spirit his Works follow him Precious 〈◊〉 in the sight of the Lord is the Death of all his Saints Psal 116.15 George Fox Edmonton in Middlesex the 24th of the First Month 1681.
dwell and therein let every Soul bathe it self and drink thereof abundantly and therewith be covered that as an Helmet Sword and Buckler it may be unto all our Souls against all Assâ—ults of the Enemy and a sure Hiding-place from Storm and Tempest And the Lord God of Glory upon this Rock of Ages you all preserve that living Water and living Bread even the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ your Souls may here feed upon and be perfectly nourished with it up into the Fullness of Life and Perfection of Peace for ever more That so upon the Wing of this living Spirit and Power of our God in Christ we may be all continually carried and under the Shadow thereof be warmed and caused to grow triumph and rejoyce over all Weaknesses Wants and Powers of Darkness whatsoever For greater is he Dear Hearts that is in us and for us the glorious God in Light and Righteousness Ruling and Saving than he that is in the World the Power of Darkness raging and destroying And the World with its Strength Joy and Glory which deceiveth and is deceived is to be trampled upon and kept under foot as a thing that perisheth and passeth away with the Fashion Trouble and Remembrance of it But the Glory of our God and Goodness of his Love with the Power of his Truth Fatness of his House and Peace and Fullness of his Christ and Kingdom endures for ever dearly to be prized of us Praises Praises everlasting Praises to his Holy Glorious Arm of powerful Love for evermore And let every Creature in Heaven and Earth Praise him and all his wonderous Works in us and for us where these shall come and in all his redeemed Ones every where glorifie him in Pureness in the Immortal Mansions of Light and Love that cannot change nor be taken from us for ever and ever So again all Dear Hearts Brethren and Sisters in the Covenant of Life Children and Servants of the Most High God in the Life and Strength of God and his everlasting Light of Truth manifest dwell and walk in it indeed grow over all the World and Powers of Darkness and Wickedness whatsoever that the Seed of the Promise inheriting and the Seed of the Serpent and Transgression cast out you may indeed be true Witnesses of to the Glory of the Lord God and Good of your precious Souls for ever For he that Believes and in the pure Faith truly waits hath and knows the Witness in himself the Spirit which he hath of God for his everlasting Comforter but the Witness of God and his Face is against him that doth Evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But the Love of God and Glory to such as continue Faithful and Patient in the Well doing bearing the Cross and enduring it to the End And Blessed are all that keep the Commandments of Life that they may witness a daily Access and Freedom to the Tree of Life and Throne of Mercy to feed thereon and Live for ever For now is the Life arisen and the true Light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World appeared and of his Fullness have all we received even Grace for Grace and his Commandments are not now to us Grievous Praise to his Name for ever And our Rock is not like the World's Rock even many of themselves already being Judges all Holy Praises to him that hath not cast us off for former Ignorance and Unbelief but hath in this his day of endless Mercy stretched out his Arm of Power for us and his Wing of Love over us even to everlasting Salvation So be it Thomas Taylor From the place of my outward Bonds here at Appleby in Westmoreland in the first Month 1658. Let this be Communicated amongst the Faithful of the Lord in their Meetings or otherwise as Freedom within and Movings are TO FRIENDS IN Warwick-shire and Stafford-shire c. MY Dear Friends in Christ Jesus in Warwick-shire Stafford-shire Worcester-shire and Hereford-shire with the parts thereunto adjoyning where my service in the Lord hath been my tender Love in the Bowels of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ doth dearly Salute ye all Praying in the Spirit for you all and for all Saints that as ye have received the Truth of God through the Persecutions and Reproaches of the present times so you may all with the abounding of the Grace Mercy and Peace of the Everlasting God amongst you be found therein Continuing and Walking to the Glory of his Name to the End to the receiving of a full Reward and finishing the Testimony of Christ amongst you to all Joy and holy Rejoycing in the Spirit and to the full assurance of Faith in the sight of God our Father Blessed for ever who hath chosen us and called us out of the Death in the Powerful Word of Truth to be his Children and Servants to bring forth Living Fruits of Righteousness to his Glory and to bear his Name thro' the daily Cross and Sufferings of his Son before the People of the World that he in all things may be Honoured who is the Head Christ Jesus and we his Members through the Operation of his Power in us may be given daily to feel the Glory of his Love which shed it self abroad in every part of the Body by Vertue of Union with him and Fellowship in the Eternal Spirit of Life And this is the Portion of the Living Branches who Faithful in his Work of Faith are found and abide not looking back at the Glory of Egypt nor murmur at the hardness of the way but pressing forward to the Mark set before them in Righteousness which is of God where the man of the Earth comes not but is shut out for ever So God Almighty your Hearts keep clean and your Understandings always open to discern the things that differ and to chuse the things of the Spirit of God which will be to your Everlasting Peace and Glory in the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father to whom be all Glory and Honour for ever Amen And now dear Friends as for my outward Condition you may hereby know that it was so ordered that within two or three Days after I was got to my outward Being in the edge of York shire here was an Assizes to be at this Town called Appleby in Westmoreland some Fourteen or Fifteen Miles North of it whether I had movings to come not knowing my service in particular until I came there and therefore when I was come to the Town after pretty Service in the Town amongst the Country People I was ordered to go into their Steeple-house at the time when the Sermon before the Judges as they call it was in hand and there waiting in the Will of God and hearing unsound Doctrine delivered I was moved in Spirit Publickly upon a Seat amongst them all immediately after the Man had done to declare against it for which they pu'lld me down and to fulfil the Scripture hawled me
out of their Synagogue and as I passed in their Hands amongst the Croud through the Grave-yard and into the Streets I Sounded forth the Day of the Lord and the Judgments of our God upon all the Wicked Head and Tail and for that together for what was done in the Steeple-house they further hawled me by Command as they said to the Prison the common Goal where I remained till the next Day and then afterwards was led amongst the Fettered Felons as they call them to their Judgment Seat three several times Thus was I numbred among the Trangsgressors and made contented to bear Christ's Reproach And though the Enemies did not only prepare a Bill of Indictment against me and by their Juries as they call them Judged me guilty as they call it of a Disturbance but also the Judge whom God will Judge did set Five Marks Fine upon me and Imprisonment until I should pay it though indeed the Disturbance and Offence was on their part for they Disturbed me in the Precious Work of the Lord and have kept me hitherto in the Goal for my good Will towards them the Lord forgive them for they do they know not what and so what in them lieth provoke the Wrath of God against themselves But Blessed be the Lord tho' they have and do use me as is said yet the Truth both at the time of my Examination and since hath had Dominion over them and the Friends of Truth in the Country rather encouraged to go on in the Truth than any way daunted the Glorious God of our Life and Peace be Magnified And so let all your Hearts dear Friends in the Living Power and Truth of our God be Comforted and Established even to you I Speak who know the goodness of the Cross of Christ and submit willingly unto it in all things not to be Terrified at all by the Enemies endeavours knowing that through many Tribulations we must daily pass to the Kingdom And this is a Faithful Saying that If we Suffer with Christ we shall Reign with him And truly Friends the Love of God to my Soul hath been so preciously and is daily Manifested in this Prison-Condition that if it could be Expressed you would never be much troubled after it at the Sufferings for the Truths Sake So all in the Light Walk and in the Power of Truth Dwell that you may bring forth Fruits in all things to the Living God that in Peace you may lay down your Heads and with joy give in your Accounts to God continually as Good and Faithful Stewards and Servants in his Vineyard and work whereunto you are called And the Lord God of Fulness supply what may seem wanting unto you or any of you in regard of mine or other Friends in the Ministry our absence in this time knowing that we are not our own but in the disposing of Him who Rules and Orders all according to the good Pleasure of His own Will and that for good in all things to such as Fear Him and in Spirit truly wait For truly Friends I had thoughts of being up amongst you again may be before this time if this or the like had not hindered So Rests your dear Brother in the Faith and Service of the Gospel Thomas Taylor TO FRIENDS Dear Friends MY Tender Love in the Lord Jesus Christ doth dearly salute you all wishing and desiring even from the Bowels of our Tender Father's Love all pure Refreshings and holy powerful Strengthning unto all your Souls that you may be born up and carried on in the way of his pure Fear and heavenly Righteousness which he hath brought you into and blessed you in to do his Will and to glorifie his Name for Ever that our Souls may live together in the sweet Unity of Love Life and Peace with our God out of the reach of the present Evil World to sound forth his holy Praises World without end even in and under our own Vine and Fig-tree Christ Jesus where none can come to make us afraid and where the Troublers of Israel neither do nor ever shall come to disturb our Happy Peace and Rest World without end For Dear Hearts however things seem to be in the outward yet truly God is good to Israel even such as are of a broken contrite pure and clean Heart So God Almighty you all keep and preserve even so in his pure Love for Ever rests yours all Dearly in the Love of our Father Thomas Taylor A Loving and Seasonable Advice TO THE Children of Light From a BROTHER Thomas Taylor YE Children of the Most High Begotten to God by the Word of his Power which liveth and endureth for Ever and who through the Leadings of his Heavenly Hand are brought through the Vail that is the Flesh into the Holiest of all the Banqueting-house of the Father where his Banner over you is Love all Day long and so are come to read your Names written in the Book of Life which is a Mystery hid from all the Wisdom of the World I say unto you O all ye Children of the Heavenly Wisdom keep your Habitation keep in the Wisdom and Strength of the Lord God Almighty your Father and give not your holy Things to Dogs nor cast your Pearls before the Swine for the Dogs will turn again and rent you and the Swine will tread the Pearl under their Feet So be ye wise in the dispensing and dealing out of your Heavenly Father's Treasures which he hath betrusted you withal and made ye Stewards of for his Glory O stand in awe and sin not in this weighty Matter be not too lavish amongst the wicked Contenders of your Master 's Choice Goods to get a Praise to your selves but be content to be as Fools before them rather than to let the Babylonians into your Treasures yea though they make a dissembling shew of Love lest a Judgment follow as it did to Hezekiah of whom you may read Isa 39. Chapter throughout O my Friends the Serpent is Subtle and Herod is Cruel and therefore wait in the dread of the Lord God to feel and savour the Serpent's Voice in all for no more will any that are guided by the Serpent receive Truth in the Love of it though it be never so plainly told them where it is and what it is in it self and what it will be to those that receive it in Love I say no more will they love it than Herod did the young Child whom he only enquired after that he might slay him So we may daily see that the Contenders and vain Enquirers of this present time are of Herod and the Serpent's Race who cannot endure to hear of the Birth of that Seed that is above every other Seed and is King of the true Jews in Spirit and to whom all the Fleshly Births under what Name or Profession soever must be subjected and bow And as the love of the Lord doth indeed constrain us as freely and abundantly to Communicate of
our Heavenly Treasure to the pure in Heart who hunger and thirst after Righteousness as we have received them even so doth the same Love and the Wisdom thereof engage us to do as our Heavenly Father doth who hides the things of his Kingdom from the Serpent's Seed the Wise and Prudent of the World and so the Cross is the safe way and so as we stand in the Cross our preaching is to the Jew outward a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness as in former Times 1 Cor. 1. And so in all our Disputings and Reasoning with the World about the Things of God's Kingdom we must mind the Cross lest for want of a Hedge the wild Boar of the Forrest get in and hurt the tender Plants of God Friends strive not in your Wills for Victory but wait in the Light to feel the Spiritual Weapon the sharp Two-edged Sword of the Spirit of God to cut down the Adversary There came one to Christ and said Are there few that shall be saved And he said Strive thou to enter in at the strait Gate so his Answer was in the Cross and he minded more the Edification of the Man's Soul than to please the busiebody's curious Mind so we must dwell in his Wisdom and that will lead into Christ's Work Another asked him What he must do to enter into Life He answered What readest thou So to such as profess Scripture to be their Rule or so to bring them to the Obedience and Judgment of their Rule and if they cannot believe Scripture which they acknowledge to be true how can they believe our words whom they look upon to be as Hereticks and Deceivers The Servant of God saith the Apostle must not strive but in Meekness instructing them that oppose themselves to the Truth must seek to bring them to the Truth that thereby they may be delivered out of the Snares of Satan whom their Ignorance are led Captive by him at his Will Now the Servant of God in this weighty Matter may consider what manner of Opposers these are whether they stand in a lower or higher place of wickedness for some are wicked in a high measure who will neither enter into the Kingdom of God themselves nor suffer others as Elimas the Sorcerer Acts 13.9 10. who withstood Paul seeking to draw the Deputy from the Faith These may be more severely reproved as was thereby the Apostle but still with this Cantion that all be done by the pure Sword of God's Spirit and not by the Wrath of Man for the Wrath of Man works not the Righteousness of God And such Opposers as this had Christ to do withal against whom he pronounced so many Woes declaring their wicked Root by calling them Vipers and Serpents and Children of their Father the Devil Mat. 23. throughout and John 8.44 But to others who are not so high and strong in their Wickedness much Wisdom Tenderness and Patience must be used that if God may at any time give them Repentance that from the Darkness to the Light of God they may be turned as Jude saith in his Epistle Ver. 22 23. Of some have compassion making a difference and others save with fear pulling them out of the Fire hating even the Garments spotted by the Flesh And all my Dear Friends in Christ Jesus who are at any time called forth by the Power of the Lord God to Encounter your Spiritual Adversaries the Disputers of this World who Goliah like are so wise and strong in their own Conceit and have so armed themselves with their Carnal Weapons that they are not afraid to defie Israel yea Israel's God I say keep in the Power of God and trust not to Saul's Armour but wait to feel the little Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands to hit the Enemy in the Forehead and to bruise his Head and to strike at his Feet that the false Foundation whereon he standeth may be removed and so the Image may fall into nothing at once And in this great Business to wit the Lord's Controversie my Friends always mind your own Standing and Foundation to keep close to it and not to be driven from it by any means for the Enemy will seek to draw you from your sure Ground the measure of Life and Experienced Truth in you into vain Janglings and fruitless Disputes to gratifie their Corrupt Minds wherein is no Edification to the Soul which the Servant of God must wait in all things to edifie and though for our Work herein we may be accounted as Fools by the World who cannot judge but by the outward Appearance of things yet with God shall we be accepted because Doers of his Will and our Jay in his Sight and Presence shall abide and none shall take it from us as thus we abide in God's Will Work and Covenant who is over all Blessed for Evermore And Friends of Scorners we must beware for their Root is Rottenness and their Ground Accursed and the good Seed in them hath no place to grow And of such as Professing Scripture and Wisdom and neither can nor will believe that Christ lighteth every Man that cometh into the World with sufficient Grace or Light though John saith expresly That in the Word Christ Jesus was Life and that Life is the Light of Men and the Light of that Life shineth in Darkness to wit in Men lighting every Man that cometh into the World and that such as received him in that his Appearance to them he gave Power to become Sons of God John the first Chapter I say of these Unbelievers before-mentioned it may be truly said they are Children of Darkness and so much is not to be said to them but even to bring them to Christ's Light in them to know it and learn of it for till then they will never understand Also such Professors as have been long Reading Scripture and have heard the like Testimony of the Kingdom of God from the Spirit of God in his Servants in these Days and yet plead for outward Shadows and Sounds and things that perish with them to be the Way and Means of the Kingdom and are Ignorant of the Mystery of it in Man and so deny the Word and Power of God nigh in the Heart and yet in this their Darkness separate themselves in Profession from others thinking themselves to be something when indeed they are nothing these are to be turned away from and judged As also such as deny sinless Perfection and so know not the Birth of God in Man but will plead for Sin yea in the Regenerate during term of Life as though Christ were a Minister of Sin and could make nothing perfect like the weak Figures of the Law Though the Scripture saith expresly The Birth of God sins not and he that abides in Christ sinneth not and that Christ the better Hope makes perfect See Heb 7.19 and 1 John 1.5 6 7 8 9 10. Now the Reason why the Law could make nothing
perfect was because it could not take away Sin and so that Perfection that is not sinless is no Perfection at all therefore it 's said That Christ by One-offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 And behold the Lamb of God that takes away the Sin of the World Amen TO FRIENDS That Abide in the Truth AS ALSO To such as are gone from it FRIENDS all still mind the Light of God in you even that which is not of this World but leads out of the World and the Worships Lusts Customs Fashions Traditions and Inventions thereof up to God from whom it comes which Light was preached unto you in the Beginning and as your Minds were turned to it and believed in it true Judgment was executed upon the Man of Sin in you and through the Light wherein God's Saving Power is felt you became more than Conquerours over the World and the Mind thereof and so you became Lovely in the Eye of the Lord the Father of Light and so he entred into Covenant with you and you became his and he yours in Truth Power and Righteousness and his Banner over you was Love and is Love to all who have kept their first Love and have continued Faithful to his Witness and have brought forth Fruits to God you have reaped Life because you have lived in the Spirit and walked in the Spirit and sown to the Spirit of Life which God hath freely given you to profit withall and to be a Blessing unto you in the midst of the Earth But to such amongst you who came out of Egypt with you and saw God's wonderful Working at the Red Sea and came through the Sea to the dry Land amongst the Israclites of God but are now fallen a Lusting in the Wilderness and with your Hearts turned back again into Egypt and so cannot enter Rest with God's People because of Unbelief I say your Condition is Sad and greatly to be lamented and your Bondage is great that after all your Experiences of Pharoah's Oppression and the Mourning of the Seed under his Yoke and your Knowledge of God's great Power for you at the Red Sea that you should so soon forget your own Miseries yea and the Mercies of God also in delivering of you so Miraculously from under the Enemies Power that you would be yea are in the Brick-kills again What Is it the Onyons and Garlick of Egypt and Flesh-pots that hath bewitched you that you are so weary of the Lord's Yoke that the Heavenly Manna hath no Savour to you O Foolish People How are you bewitched that you should not love nor like to follow the Truth which hath wrought such Wonders for you O the Treacherousness of your Unbelieving Hearts How have they deceived your selves and all who looked for Good from you How Foolish and Unwise are you become to sell the Hope of eternal good Things for that which you have seen to be nothing but meer Husks Shadows and Vanity But now therefore if it be possible call in your Minds consider in your Hearts what it is that the Lord requireth of you you cannot be Happy without God and his Truth but he can be eternally Happy and Glorious without you he can cloth himself and wrap up himself in eternal Light Life Power Fullness and unspeakable Glory and Satisfaction without you but you without him cannot enjoy one dram of Light Life Comfort Satisfaction or any Good for in Christ the Light God's Gift all Fullness dwells and out of him or without him nothing but Emptiness Misery Disappointment and endless Woe yea Vanity of Vanities and a sore Travel as all things under the Sun in your best Condition without Truth whilst here and endless Woe without all Comfort when gone hence Without me saith Christ ye can do nothing And so say I Without Christ ye are nothing nor have nothing but are meer Beggars Prodigals Lost Undone Blind Wretched and Naked Out casts profitable for nothing so Return Return Renent Repent saith my Soul in the Light of the Living to you all So be it TO FRIENDS MY Dear Friends in Christ Jesus who are Faithful in God's Covenant of Light and Life to dwell grow and increase yea and to bring forth Fruit of Righteousness to God's Glory abundantly my true and tender Love salutes you all and my Spirit in God rejoyceth because of you all and I cannot but evermore upon every remembrance of you Praise Laud and Magnifie the great and glorious Name of our Heavenly Father for his tender Love and tender Mercy to you all and for the Power of his Love in Christ whereby he hath reached help to your Souls in the needful time when all help of Creatures was at an end and hath raised you up from the Dead to be his living Witnesses in the Day of his Love to Israel and hath chosen you for his People and to bear the Name of Sons and Daughters Servants and Hand-maids in his House to do his Service and to bear his Name in Righteousness before the Children of Men. O my Soul is even filled with the sweet heavenly Vertue of this Love of God upon every Remembrance of you even of you all and every Member of the Holy Body of Jesus Christ in every place For who can express the Beauty of your Life and Fullness of your Treasure which you possess in his Love O Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath chosen us and set his pure Love upon us whereby it comes to pass that we are more than Conquerors over all the things of Darkness and Powers of Evil that would separate us from his pure Love O Glory Glory to his great Name who by his pure Love hath begotten us again from the Dead into the Image of his living pure and holy Nature of Love to love one another and to reach forth pure Love in Spirit and Truth unto all yea unto Enemies for at the Birth of Jesus this was sounded forth by the Heavenly even Peace on Earth Good Will to Men. So that when Men have us and speak Evil of us we know they have no Cause for it for if they know our Love and good Will to them they would love us and much more the Father of our precious Life by whom we are begotten into such a pure heavenly Love as even labours and travels night and day how we may fulfil that great Service of Love and continual Duty of good Will that we owe to the whole Creation of God For Oh how great is the Bondage of a great part of it as yet being so burdened with the weight of Corruption that lyes upon it that it ever cries unto God by reason of Oppression and waits for the Manifestation and Enjoyment of the pure and holy Liberty of the Sons of God wherein God alone may be glorified and the Creature set free to run in the ways of his Commandments with Joy and the wicked one
precious Faith Grace Mercy and Power from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be abundantly multiplied in you and the Blessed Arm of his Power support you and carry you through all the present and future Tryals for the Gospels sake on Earth for us hath the Lord drawn out of the many Waters and set our Feet upon the sure Rock of Ages the tryed Foundation and brought our Souls into the unmoveable Rest Glory to his Name for ever that we might be to his Praise and Glory and Honour for ever that he might dwell in us and we in him for ever and so be safe for ever under his Wing where the Wicked cannot come because of Unbelief and that great Violence whereby they have stopt the way of all good from their Souls But now Dear Hearts and Beloved in the Lord you who have loved the Light and received the Power which makes all manifest and cleanseth from all Sin you are Blessed even the Blessed of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who loves your Souls with a perfect Love and fills your Hearts day by day with his Infinite Goodness Therefore as a Recompence for all his Mercies give up your selves to his Holy Will in all things and love the Lord the same our everlasting God and Father with all your Hearts Souls Mind and Strength and he will do abundantly for you and us all even his whole Israel in every place beyond all that we can ask or think Look not out at the World nor their Love nor Hatred for they are Men and not Gods but keep in the Sanctuary of God the Spirit of Christ and there is Safety with him is the Well of Life which refreshes our Souls continually and makes all things easie and possible to us through Faith in his Name and Patience So let Patience have its perfect Work for we have daily need of it that we may continually see and feel the Love of the Lord in the Land of the Living and not be clouded with the Spirit of this World which gendreth to Bondage in any thing For if Lot's Wife look back she is presently turned into a Pillar of Salt and if the Israelite turn back but in his Heart into Egypt he is snared in Unbelief So my Dear Friends look up to the Lord in Spirit and Truth and wait continually to feel his living Presence in you to keep you open and single to him that of the powerful Spirit of his Holiness which slays the Sin and quickens the Soul to God you may be Witnesses and so come to possess the Immortal Kingdom where Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost only reigneth So with the Dear Salvation of my Love unto you all I commend you to the Lord to bless keep and water with his Goodness continually to his Glory who only is Holy and gives us freely every good thing to enjoy both for Soul and Body who is near to the Righteous in every Necessity to Help and Save to the uttermost To whom be Glory and Immortal Praise Even so rests with you in the full Assurance of his Tender Mercies in Christ Jesus your Dear Brother Thomas Taylor TO FRIENDS TO the Called and Chosen of God the Dear Vessels of Life and Glory in all the Earth doth the Tender Salutation of me your Dear Brother reach who as a feeling Member in the Holy Body of the Lord Jesus do daily partake with you of the Blessed Joys of Life Eternal and of the present Sufferings for the same who therefore cannot but continually through the pure Love and Lifes Motion breathe out amongst you the Happy state of our Innocent Souls because of Truth upon every Occasion to the stirring up and refreshing of the tender good thing the Heavenly Mind in all to the joint Praising Blessing and Magnifying of the Lord 's great Name for his abundant kindness towards every Particular Faithful Ones for Ever and Ever for he is good to Israel unspeakably unalterably true to them for Ever And now Dear Friends seeing God hath been so gracious to us above all the People of the Earth as to set his Name upon us in Righteousness to the Amazement and Astonishment of many and hath caused our Rod that was dry even as others to flourish and bear Fruits in the midst of the Earth to the Praise of his Living Power as a Token of his Acceptance and Choice And seeing God hath so graciously performed his Promises to us his Seed made to his Israel of Old in bringing up our Souls from Death and our Life from the devouring Sword and hath unloosed our Tongues to speak of his Wonders in the great Congregation why shall we not then speak good of this the Name of our God the true Everliving God in Comparison of whom the whole World with their many Idols Gods and Lords are nothing We may not be hindred by the Adversary from breathing forth our pure Life given us of God for his Glory in a continual mention of his Holiness for if we should be silent the very Stones would do it for now is the Lord Jesus arisen indeed and ascended far above all Heavens Principalities Powers Names and Greatnesses whatsoever and come again to our Spirits according to his Blessed Promise that of his unspeakable Fulness we might all partake in abundance to the causing of our Cup to overflow with all Holy and Heavenly Consolations and Praises for the perfect Salvation of our God to the watering of every tender holy Plant in Israel that waits for the same For as the Dew to the tender Herbs so is thy Blessing O Immanuel to the Garden of thy own planting thy Beloved Plants that waits for thee amongst whom the pourings forth of thy Name is as sweet Ointment And Blessed are all that wait for thee who hast inclosed thy Beloved People in the Arms of thy own Almightiness and filled them with thy own Blessed Kingdom and Righteousness who hungred after thee even so Father of Life be it for Evermore to thy own unspeakable Glory who alone art worthy So now Dear Friends into the Unity of the Holy Life Power and Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ let every Soul of us gather and retire it self to be nourished up thereby and preserved to a daily and perfect Victory over all Temptations and Provocations whatsoever that upon the very Head of the Serpent we may tread and let us not look at the seen things for therein lyes the Wiles and Temptations but let us eye and feel the Blessed Invisible Life and Powerful Heavenly Spirit of our God to carry us through and over all to his Glory who hath said That he will never leave nor forsake his tender breathing Seed that waits on him so Blessed are all that are found in this his Covenant and follow him as Dear Children and Obedient Servants in the sure and safe way of the daily Cross and Self-denial to a perfect mortifying and subduing of the fleshly
evil part and a full Resurrection of the spiritual over it so rests your Dear Brother in the Unity of the same Blessed Living Victorious Faith Thomas Taylor From the Place of my Confinement for the Everliving Testimony of Jesus in the Fifth Month 1664. TO Friends in LONDON OYE my Dear Friends and Beloved of the Lord in the City of London my Love in the Lord Our Life is drawn out at this time to salute you with an Epistle of pure and unfeigned Love because you are Dear and near unto my very Heart in the feeling Life which hath given us the Blessed Victory over all Sin and Works and Words of Death to serve the Will of our Heavenly Father with all Fervency and Perseverance in our Day Age and Generation to the Praise and Glory of his Grace in Jesus Christ our Lord whom our Souls can never cease to love because the Savour of his good Oyntment is ever fresh upon our Souls and his Law of Life it is that we daily seel to have set us free and to keep us free from the Law of Sin and Death Praised be the God of our Salvation for his unspeakable Gift though the Enemy of one hand say we are no Christians and on the other hand call us a Form and bark at our Holy Unity and Blessed Agreement in the ever-living Truth and exercise of it for the good one of another and Service of all Yet over all these unclean and unrighteous Spirits and all others of like nature we are more than Conquerors and like a Rock unmoveable which the Enemy may split himself with dashing against Yet Praised be the Lord our Rock stands sure for it is Holy Pure and Everlasting and the Gates of Hell shall never be able in the least to prevail against it nor us as we upon it continue rooted and grounded in the Love of God and one of another in his Seed where all the Promises of Life and Salvation are Yea and Amen for ever And so you my Dear Friends and much longed after in the Lord when I consider the many Tryals and great Contradiction of Sinners of all sorts which for the Love and Zeal of our Holy Lord God and his unchangeable Truth you have endured from the beginning my Heart is greatly affected with the Glory and cannot but Praise the Lord for you that you are even become as a Bullwark of his Truth in the midst of a crooked degenerate and Back-sliding Nation who though like Sampson's Foxes they look with Faces several ways yet in Heart are one every one with Firebrands and Stings in their Tails like Scorpions to do Mischief by stirring up the bad part in People against the Simplicity of the Gospel of Love and Life of our Lord Jesus Christ which would gather unite and heal all of all their Soul-Maladies for ever if they did not make themselves unworthy of But O how the Truth to you doth still abide in its Lustre and Glory without Alteration knowing that you as we your Brethren in the same every where are set for the Defence of the Gospel The Lord hath set his Love upon us and it is from Everlasting to Everlasting and therefore in his Name and perfect Goodness may we safely trust and Storms will be over and his unspeakable Peace and Joy which is with us and hath so unspeakably refreshed us shall be with us for ever We need not go to the Egyptians for help as the Wicked do for in the God of Israel is our Hope and Help who keeps Mercy and Covenant with his Dear People for ever and ever And when I also consider how the Samballat and Tobias of this Age say on one hand What will these silly returning Captives do And on the other when I see the little Horn with a Countenance more stout than his Fellows in his very Words of Reproach and Work of Scattering tell of your Scattering whom God hath gathered I cannot but say O Lord Bless thy People whom thou hast so powerfully delivered and govern and keep their Hearts in perfect Peace with thee through all and over all even as thou dost this day for ever and ever that many may come to the Brightness of our day and Glory of our Kingdom which is not of this World but of God eternal our Father who is over all Blessed for ever So under the Shadow of his ever-blessed Wing my Dear Brethren and Sisters dwell and here is the true Munition of Rocks where the Living Bread is sure and the Living Waters never fail rests your Dear Brother in the Patience and Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ at present in outward Bonds for the Testimony of his Truth in this place Thomas Taylor Stafford 21st of the 12th Month 1667. And I desire that this may be communicated as the Nature of it requires to the whole Flock of God in and about the City in the precious Wisdom of God with Bowels of Love unto you all So be it TO Friends of SUDBURY Side DEar Friends and Well-beloved in the Lord Brethren and Sisters in the Holy Covenant of his Everlasting Love my very Heart and Soul doth dearly salute you all and often do I remember you in the Dearest Affections of unfeigned Love as is meet knowing your Love and Tenderness to God's Truth and me your Dear Friend and Brother for the Truth 's sake from the beginning and how the Lord of his Infinite Love in Christ Jesus hath separated us from the present evil World for himself to hold forth his Vertues before the Children of Men in a pure Life and so to feed at his Table as the Faithful do in the unspeakable Fellowship of his Eternal Spirit of Life and Peace whereby O how often yea how continually he hath and daily doth refresh feed and strengthen our pure Minds as in the simplicity of our Hearts together or asunder as to the outward we have and do daily wait upon him and in his Light are staid upon his Power in our inward Man to the Praise of his Glory which makes us that we cannot but love him and one another in and for him and so we cannot but remember him and one another and so pray for and rejoice in one another's welfare as living Members of his Heavenly Body who is over all God Blessed for Ever who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls and therefore we shall not want nor miscarry as we abide in his Love and this we know Dear Hearts that as we keep his Commandments we do abide in his Love and are at Rest in his Power Many from the Letter may say God is their Shepherd or so and therefore they shall not want but truly Friends there is none can say this in Truth but who are led by him and subject to him in Heart and Life they are the Sheep of Christ who hear his Voice and follow him in the Regeneration not losing their first Love but growing and continuing in it
and the Destruction of Antichrist and the setting up of the Kingdom of Christ not by might nor by Power but by the Spirit of the living Lord God believed and witnessed by and amongst us who are reproached by many for the Truth 's sake under the name of Quakers but the Reproach of Christ is to us great Riches and the Scorners God will judge And again all People when you see the Company of Priests the Parish Teachers gather together on heaps upon every occasion at the Foot of the Great Men of the Earth to get their Conclusions and Doctrines Established by a Law for binding under Darkness the dark People who are Ignorant of their Wiles and unacquainted with their Ends and for the Ensnaring of Tender Consciences who are come to the Teachings of Christ and his Spirit and so have found the true Shepherd and Bishop of their Souls and so through Grace have escaped the layers in wait I say when you now see them gathering together by Troops for these evil Purposes and the like Self-ends marvel not at the matter for it is no new thing but one of the old things under the Sun as you see here for the World's Teachers set up in the Will of Man have always been many and evil kept up by the evil Power but the true Prophets not so but rather few and faithful and those preserved by the Power of God yea often found that the Prophets of Baal are Four Hundred and Fifty and the Prophets of the Groves Four Hundred which eat Meat at Jezebel's Table for one Elijah the Prophet of the true God who feeds upon the true Bread and ministers it forth as he hath received it freely to others without Self ends See 1 King 18 Chap. Ezek. 34. Jer. 23. 2 Tim. 4.3 1 John 4.1 And so the false Teachers under Antichrist are set forth bâ— an Army of Locusts the sound of whose Wings was as the sound of Chariots and of many Horses running to Battel Rev. 9. from 1 to 12. Ver. when the true Witnesses are set forth under a small number even two Rev. 11. And so those many Locusts and Frogs the false Teachers are the unclean Spirits of Devils working in his Servants his Ministers going forth unto the Kings of the Earth and of the whole World to gather them to the Battel of that Great Day of God Almighty being thereunto fitted in a Miraculous manner being trained up in the Wisdom of the Serpent and Sorceries of Egypt for that purpose so that none can avoid following them but such as are in the holy Anointing whose Names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life see Rev. 16.13 14 2 Tim. 8.9 1 John 2.20 27. Rev. 20. last And of the truth of this to wit of the great number and swarms of Locusts false Teachers of all Coats Black c. and of all Names and Orders Popes Cardinals Bishops Deans Deans and Chapters Prebendaries Priests Parsons Vicars Curates Rectors Ministers c. let thy many Thousands of Soldiers of this kind fighting daily against the Lamb and his Army under Satan's Banner and in constant known Pay as Hirelings in thee O England Scotland France Ireland Spain Germany Italy and other Lands be witness And therefore O whole Earth and World How art thou Corrupted How great is thy Misery What Lamentation shall be taken up for thee A wonderful and horrible thing is committed all abroad in thee Thy Prophets Prophesie falsly and thy Teachers are Lewd and Treacherous Men bearing Rule by their means over thee fleecing thee in that greedy Mind that seeks the Gain from the Quarter and can never have enough crying Peace Peace to thee when the Lord hath not spoken it and preaching unto thee a Vision of their own Head and Heart and not from the Mouth of the Lord and so strengthning thy Hands in thy Wickedness and stirring thee up to Wrath and Persecutions against the Innocent and thou lovest to have it so and what will ye all do in the end of these things Will not the Lord invade you with his Troop Will he not come upon ye O Princes as Clay And tread you down under his Glorious Power Oh People as Mire is trodden down under Foot in the Streets And who of all the false Spirits and Teachers that you in your Rebellions against God have followed shall deliver you out of his Hand So all be warned and repent and return to Jesus Christ the one Head Shepherd and Bishop of the Soul and as was said before know him in you to be your Teacher that out of the Hands of all Devils you may be delivered And now having time prize it for this is assuredly the Day of your Visitation and after that the Judgment upon you all for Wo Wo Wo both is and will be more upon you all who puts the Day of the Lord afar off and who love Darkness rather than Light because your Deeds are evil and your Head and Leader is not Christ but he that came up out of the Bottomless Pit and shall go into Perdition with all his confounded Followers the Children of Darkness And therefore on the other hand all ye Servants of the Lord my Brethren and Sisters in the Truth of Jesus Christ every where who are Sufferers for his Names sake be encouraged for stronger is he that is in us than he that is in the World and there are more with us than them though we be not known to the World nor our aid 1 John 3.1 2 Kings 6.16 c. for little Children we are of God and the whole World lyes in Wickedness and so one single Elijah and two Witnesses being God's Troop are well able to encounter with all the Troops of the Wicked for Truth shall prevail for ever and ever and all Iniquity shall stop her Mouth and so shall the due Praises be sung from off Mount Zion our Holy Hill unto our God the Holy One of Israel World without end for his Goodness to us even for evermore Amen and Amen For now is the Day of the Lord appearing and Fire goeth out of his Witnesses wouths and who of all the Adversaries can stand before him who is a consuming Fire and to the Wicked everlasting Burning Isa 33.13 14. Given forth for the Good of all People by the Spirit of Truth in a Servant of the Lord who for witnessing forth Truth as he was moved of God in the publick Assembly of all sorts of People at Appleby Steeple-house in Westmoreland in the Assize Week there in the sixth Month 1675 against the Deceit there uttered though not until the Priest had done his Oration or Sermon as they call it yet was hawled out of that Synagogue and so being hurried along into the Streets and declaring the Day of the Lord and warning them all and calling them all to Repentance was sent from thence by command from some it's aike by an Officer to the Common Goal for my good Will and
His limitless Nature to a creatural Form like thy self as the Wicked do who know him not And so of that Beast and mysterious Babylon thou art who this day with their many Heads and Horns and Forms of False Knowledge and Worships and Churches so called do all with one Consent push and fight against the Lamb the Light and Son of the Incomprehensible and Infinite Father and his Faithful Followers but the Lamb both hath and ever shall have the Victory and the Mouth of all Iniquity shall be stopped saith my Soul And so well had it been for thee if thou hadst continued Faithful amongst us but a Wanderer and Unfaithful in Heart hast thou been many a day and so the Whore that watched in the Evening for the unwary young Man hath caught thee in her Net and there thou art a Slave in the Bands of Darkness to the great Wounding of thy poor imprisoned Soul Thomas Taylor TO George Ward And those that had Fellowship with him GEorge Ward to thy self and those in Fellowship with thee whether Speakers or Hearers a few Words from the Movings of God in my Heart You are weighed in the Ballance and are found wanting and the Glory of the Holy Kingdom of God you are fallen short of in your Unbelief and have not a Heart as yet to walk in the strait and narrow Way that leads unto it You have not suffered your Minds and Souls to be guided by the pure Light of Jesus Christ that hath Visited you in great Love in these Days but have rather chosen to follow your own Thoughts and wrong Expositions of Scripture to your great hurt And because you have Preached and Professed that washing the outward Water is the only Gate in the Christian Fellowship you are both to loose your Credit amongst Men by owning the more Excellent and Everlasting Way though it be most plainly declared and by the Spirit demonstrated to you in these Days And so you go about to Establish that which makes nothing perfect in Opposition to the Power of God which only makes Perfect And so you resemble them of old who stuck in the Shadows of the Law in Opposition to him that was the End of the Law and came to fulfil it Christ Jesus over all God Blessed for ever And so if I could have found in you a true Desire after God's Kingdom may be I might have gotten a little Liberty to have Reasoned with you at this time of the things thereof But seeing there hath been so many Endeavours and Desires in us after your Eternal Good and ye will not come to Christ to know him in you that you may have Life for this time I thus rest in Peace with my God the Righteous Judge believing that in his own Way and Time he will Silence every Tongue that moves against his Blessed Truth the Light and those that love it and follow it in the Regeneration in this Day of his Power wherein the willing People are brought up through the Death of the Flesh to serve the Lord in the Land of the Living in new Jerusalem as our Souls do this Day ever Praised be his Name the Arm of his Holiness for it is worthy And now where is the Disputer of this World who pleads for seen things which Quicken not the Souls and will not have the Invisible God who is the Resurrection of the Life to Rule in them but are glad when they can get any thing seemingly that makes for them in their perishing Way But our Work is Praised be God to hold the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints in a pure Conscience and in the Ability that God giveth us to help to bring People to God where is the true Rest for ever And those that will not submit their Minds Hearts and Souls to the Light of the Eternal Word which is nigh in the Heart shall never be Established in Righteousness and Peace but shall weary themselves in the very Fires for Vanity and this we have Learned through many Tribulations Blessed be God for his Unspeakable Gift and so if you be Wise be Wise for your Souls and Learn with us to sit in Silence at Jesus Feet to know what he requires of you and cease your running and doing without him for you have spent too much time in Vain already seeing the Spirit of the World is unfallen in you Rests your Souls Friend and a Lover of the whole Creation of God being become a willing Sufferer for the Holy Seeds Sake And whereas you or some of you seem Offended that Widdow Cock hath left you and come amongst us and say she hath done it and yet given you no sufficient Reason and Satisfaction for her so doing I say that Reason I suppose she hath shown sufficient to some of you but to give Satisfaction to you in it that is hard seeing you Speak Evil of the Good Way of God which she hath tasted of amongst us for of a Truth the Lord and his Power and Presence is with us Blessed be his Name for ever And she stayed too long upon the barren Mountains where your Flocks Feed Thomas Taylor TO A Plundering Priest YOUNG Man all thy Prayers Preachings and Praises are Abomination to God so long as thou keepest the Just in Bondage Thou being but newly as it were come on to the Stage of the World begins thy part very badly if thou hadst been as an old over-grown Tree in Customs of Covetousness less could not be expected from thee than what some in Swaledale have sound But thou being as I hear a young Man under the Notion of a Schollar nay more of a Minister of the Gospel to fall on a Suing People at Law and putting in Prison upon account of Hire quite stains all thy Glory and blasts thy Reputation with the Odium of a Hireling and Fersecutor Thou might consider if the God of this World had not blinded thy Mind what thou daily as it were reads in the Scripture Whatsoever ye would that Men should do unto you even so do unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets And if thou be not come so far as the Law and the Prophets thou art most unfit to take the Gospel into thy Mouth For without all question if thy Condition had been Michael Râ—w's thou would have accounted it hard Measure to have been so dealt withall as thou hast dealt with him A Man with a Wife and ten or eleven Children depending much upon his Labour for their Maintenance and this Man to be put into Prison and there kept from year to year for nothing at all but because for Conscience-sake to God he cannot put into thy Mouth What a Cry this hath and will have in the Ears of God it concerns thee deeply to consider for he is well known not to with-hold Right from any where it is due But though his Sufferings for time be long yet thine if thou repent not will be very
the Ditch they are both in this day of God manifested to be and that which makes their Sin out of measure sinful is their Unwillingness to come out of it though one do reach never so loving a hand of help unto them Also by this we know that they are no Messengers of God who cannot put a difference betwixt the Precious and the Vile to wit between such as are under the Curse of the Law and such as are under Grace to wit betwixt such as are born after the Flesh and such as are born after the Spirit But here the Apostle John a true Minister of Jesus put the real difference when he said in the forementioned Epistle and Chapter Ver. 7 8 10. Little Children let no Man deceive you He that doth Righteousness is Righteous even as he to wit Christ is Righteous He that commiâ—teth Sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinneth from the beginning For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the Works of the Devil And in this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devil Whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God So Wo to all evil Doers and unclean-hearted hearted ones who believe not the Truth nor receive the Truth as it is in Jesus but in your Hearts suffer Madness and Folly to rest and in your Hearts continue full of Evil while you live and so with the Dead lye down in Sorrow But on the other hand Blessed and Happy for ever are all you who have believed in the Light Christ Jesus and abide in him with Thanksgiving your Cup daily overflows with Heavenly Blessings from his Heavenly Fullness and ye are Compleat in him who is the Head of all Principality and Power and in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge and in him abiding you daily witness his Circumcision in you which is made without Hands in putting off the Body of the Sins of the Flesh and not keeping on you the Body of the Sins of the Flesh as the Hypocrites do who only talk of Christ but in his Life do not walk So all Dear People who love your own Souls and would know the Salvation that is in and by Christ Jesus come out from amongst them that plead for the Devil's hold which is Sin Folly and Madness to be in Peoples Hearts while they live as though the Son of God were not come to destroy the Devil's Work which is Sin and so to cleanse the Heart Soul and Conscience to God from Sin And being come out from amongst these Blind Guides you will come Savingly in the Light of Jesus that leads forth from them all you that follow the Light to know daily more and more the things that belong to your Eternal Peace Also to set forth the Fruits of these Teachers how little they prosit them that follow them because they have run and God never sent them I shall mention one Passage which I had with some of these Nonconforming-Priests Followers at Stafford for I being moved of the Lord to go amongst them they did not only violently hawâ— me forth with their hands and threatning Persecution to me from the Mayor but also opposed the Blessed Doctrine of Sinless Perfection by Christ with an Argument directly one in nature with that which Priest Osland one of their Teachers yesterday brought to the same end as is said and it was this Rom. 3.10 c. There is none Righteous no not one There is none that understandeth there is none that seeketh after God None that doth good nor knows the way of Peace nor have any fear of God before their Eyes but Destruction and Misery are in all their ways c. Now when they had brought this I could not but somewhat wonder to see such gross Ignorance of the Gospel in such a Professing People for who could so have abused and wrested Scripture as to bring the wretched State of such as are manifestly declared by their Works to be under the Law and Curse to prove against the Happy State of such as by Christ are delivered from both and stated into the Holy Life of God's own Righteousness And so these Professors who know not God nor Christ are laying all these heavy Charges upon God's Elect whom he justifieth What have Christ's Members no fear of God before their Eyes And do not they know the way of Peace but Destruction and Misery in all their Ways like the wicked World whose Mouths must be stopped yea yea praised be the Lord for Ever the Day-spring from on high hath vilited us that sate in Darkness and the true Light now shineth that hath led the Zion of God out of all those Condemnable Things before-mentioned into the Way of Life Truth Holiness and Peace Glory to his Name for Ever And so by this it appears how like these Priests and their Followers are all sucking at the Breasts of that Mystical Whore and Dragon that opposes the Lamb and his Followers but the Lamb shall always have the Victory as he hath this Day Glory to his Name over all For a Voice came out of the Throne saith John Rev. 19.5 saying Praise our God all ye his Servants and all yet hat fear him small and great And I heard as it were the Voice of a great Multitude and as the Vâ—ice of many Waters and as the Voice of mighty Thunderings saying Alleluja for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Wife hath made her self ready and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine Linnen clean and white for the fine Linnen is the Righteousness of Saints And is not this Garment sinless and without spot Yea yea And blessed are they that are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Amen Thomas Taylor To all that are Worshipping in the Outward Court without God in the World in diverse Forms THE ETernal Truth of God is now making iâ—self manifest in Sons and Daughters Servants and Handmaids according to Scripture and the Lord God of Heaven and Earth to his own Glory is raifing up his own Seed by his own Power and in this Day of ours working that Work and Wonder which the Children of the Night cannot believe though it be told them And now is the Searcher of Hearts appeared and the hidden things of Esau are in searching up and Judgment bâ—gins to take hold upon Old Ely's House and the Vengeance of the Almighty upon his Prophaâ—e Sons And now that these things are in doing the Powers of Darkness band themselves together to keep out the Judgment but all in vain for the Consumption decreed must overflow in Righteousness and the Hall shall sweep away the Refuge of Lies in Priest and People and all Fellow ships and Communions of People whose Hearts are in the Earth and who are covered but not with the Spirit of
form or way of Religion so called whatsoever that are disobedient to the Light But dear Heart so long as thou judgest of Spiritual things in thy Natural Reason as here thou dost how many seeming Contradictions will there be in the Writings of the Holy Prophets and Apostles which never can be reconciled to that fall'n Wisdom but are all in Unity only to those that are new Born in God from before whose Eyes the Veil is done away in Christ who is the Wisdom of God and the Power of God to all that receive him in Love but a stumbling Block and Rock of Offence to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks who stumble and are offended at the stumbling Stone the Light within through Disobedience as saith the Scripture And therefore here will be thy Wisdom even to cease from Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils and all the Wisdom of his Words and Teachings which are without and which stand in the Will of Man and as was said before to hearken to the alone Teachings of the Spirit of God the Light wherewith Christ hath enlightned thee within which stand in a daily cross to thy own Will and Reason and of all Men and cast off every weight and burden of Sin that hinders thy Soul from running the ways of God's Commandments as in that Light they are discovered to thee and so the Beam being removed out of thy Eye and Judgment brought forth into Victory in thee thou wilt see clearly into the Mystery of Truth as it is in Jesus which yet truly the Veil of dark Flesh being unremoved in thee hinders that thou canst not and therefore in the Fear of God sink down into the deepest Humility and willingly become a Fool that thou may'st be wise for to Repentance thou must come which yet thou hast not come unto before thou enter the Kingdom to that in thy Conscience do I speak which will show thee this to be true hearkening to it though the Enemy at present in thee it seems whispers otherwise Oh! the Serpent is more subtil than any Beast of the Field and hath deceived the whole Generation of the first Man and doth and therefore his Head being not yet bruised in thee causeth thee to cover but not with the Spirit of the Lord and so the Woe will meet thee till his Head be bruised in thee by the Seed of the Woman which way soever thou turn thy self Therefore must thou pass a strait Gate as all the Children of God have and do before thou come to Feed on the Tree of Life even the fiery flaming Sword must thou pass which is in the Hand of a Cherubin which yet thou hast not passed and therefore thy own Life and Strength yet remain which yet must go or thy Soul Perishes for ever for that Sword must cut down the Subtilty that that which hath led out from God may not lead to God for it cannot but the Simplicity through the destruction of the subtile Serpentine Wisdom must enter which breathes after God to do his Will that must enter by Jesus Christ And for that thou presses the necessity of a search by what Spirit I was acted in Writing and that because as thou say'st these are Times of strong Delusion wherein Multitudes are Captivated c. Thou may'st know that though it be true that many are Captivated by Satan now as at other times and strongly deluded yet neither in these Times nor any other were any Captivated in those Delusions but such only as received not the Truth in the Love of it but have Pleasure in Unrighteousness even such as turn the Truth of God into a Lye and holding it in Unrighteousness becoming vain in their Imaginations worshipping and serving the Creature more than the Creator And such God in Justice doth indeed give up to believe a Lye and to be strongly deluded by thinking themselves to be of God and Christians when old things are not passed away from them much less all things become new and such are they also that the God of the World hath blinded the Minds of such who are minding Earthly Things who live in the Lust of Uncleanness turning the Grace of God into Wantonness having indeed a form of Godliness but denying the Power the daily Cross loving the Friendship of this perishing Evil World and the things thereof as the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and the Pride of Life making it hereby manifest they know not the true God in his Power and his Purity within them but Worship they know not what a God at a distance far away from them and a Christ by hear-say And now Friend consider seriously and lay these things to Heart for to thy Conscience in the sight of God I speak Dost not thou love the things of this World Art thou in Soul indeed seperate from them Dost thou not love Fineness in Apparel Fineness in Dwelling Fineness in Meat and Drink Fineness in Speech and Conformity to the World in their vain Fashions and Customs in many other things I say unto thee in tender Love God is no respecter of Persons and dost thou respect Persons Art not thou more afraid to Offend some than others and more careful to please some than others and that because of the Person Friend let me speak plainly to thee hath not thy fear of displeasing thy Carnal Relations now at Hipswell been a cause of thy strangeness to us I know it is not altogether as thou writest that because thou thinks us deluded that thou art so estranged from our Fellowship which once thou seemed to Love but some other thing the Light in thy Conscience will let thee see what it is Ah! the Cross the Cross thou must bear if thou should'st now own us will be I fear found in the Matter though I know it will be heard to confess it if thou hearken to the Serpent and not to the pure voice the Light of God in thy Conscience Dear Heart consider it is not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of God as the Scripture saith and thou wilt I know acknowledge but those only that do the Will of the Heavenly Father which is Perfect and Holy and though thou look at it now as something harsh to be told of Dissembling with the Lord within yet I know through the Revelation of Jesus Christ in me if ever thou come to see in Truth the deep Deceitfulness of the Heart of Man thou wilt see a dissembling Nature lie lurking within thee under many Vails which now thou seest not and though thou say now Lord let thy Kingdom come thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven yet then when God comes to set up his Kingdom in thee and so to advance his Son Jesus Christ in thee in the destruction of the Kingdom of the Devil and of all thy own Wisdom Glory and Idols and so to do his Will in thy Earthly Heart
have guided thee through the dark howling Wilderness to Sion But thou being careless and felfish thou lent thy Ear to the voice of the Stranger and cryed Lo here and Lo there and so wast thou led out of the Way into By-Paths of Sin and Death where thou hast been lost from the true Life and true Light and Spirit that wrought in thee in the beginning And thou hast not to this day throughly considered thy loss nay very little is thy Nakedness and Wretchedness laid to Heart in thee And now therefore thou that art called Christendom What is the Wood of thy Vine seeing thou hast left off to bear Fruit to the Lord better than the Wood of another Tree nay it is not so good as any For if the Salt that should season other things have lost its Savour wherewith shall it be salted and of what use is it but even to be trodden under Feet of Men. O! that thou wert wise to consider at least in this thy day the things of thy Peace in this great Day wherein the Bridegroom which hath been as one travelled into a far Country is come again and is appeared in his ancient Love Power and Perfection to visit thee and to seek thee out of every place where thou hast been scattered through Sin in the long Night of Apostacy to see if any of the pure Love that was in thee in the day of thy Espousals may be recovered to himself that he may know how to do thee good and how to make manifest his ancient love unto thee which bowed the Hearts of his simple Israel into such love of his goodness as to follow the Lamb wheresoever he went in the beginning But O! thou polluted Woman how art thou wandred away from the true Sheep-fold How art thou gone a whoring from thy God! How art thou covered with the shades of Night And how art thou lost amongst the Countries and mingled with the Heathen yea thou hast chosen thy own ways and worshipped the works of thy own Hands and hast cast the pure Law of God behind thy back Yea the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ which hath shined to thee and would have gathered thee up to God thou hast rejected and hast not liked to retain God nor his Light in thy Knowledge And so thou art become vain in thy Mind and thy foolish Heart is become so dark that thou worships thou knows not what like those that know not God and art become a Prey to every Beast of the Field and art bowed in thy Heart to the Creatures more than to the living God the Creator And therefore will he arise in great Majesty and dreadful Power and will yet again bring to pass his Act his strange Act in thee And he will not meet thee as a Man but as a consuming Fire Because thou hast rejected his Goodness Patience and Forbearance And hast heaped to thy self Teachers after thy own Heart who have rocked thee asleep with their false Voices crying Peace Peace when there was no Peace for there is no Peace to any wicked one saith the true God profess what they may For the Lord is come to look for Fruits And now Wo Wo to the Fruitless Trees to the Briars and Thorns for the Fire of the Lord God will consume them And now will the Lord God bring to nothing all thy Might Wisdom Glory and Greatness whereby thou host exalted thy self and dishonoured him and the Meek shall Inherit Heaven and Earth And blessed is he that overcometh that Evil and wicked Spirit that so much reigns and rages in thee for he shall be called God's Son and shall Inherit all things as saith the Scripture For the end cometh And who shall stop the course of the everlasting Sun of Righteousness whose Day is dawned blessed for evermore O thou Corrupted Earth who wallows in the Blood of thine Iniquity who art become Deaf to the Heavenly Voice and art become an Enemy to nothing so much as to that good thing that would unburden thee of thy Corruptions O O how hath Hell inlarged it self for the multitude of those wilful Transgressors in thee that are posting on in their sins this day to the Chambers of Death who are making Provision for the fleshly Lusts which War against the Soul who will not believe what their miserable State shall be though one come from the dead to declare it in true Experience to them But O thou little Remnant of Wheat amongst such a heap of Chaff O thou lovely Seed of God which brings forth Fruit of Righteousness to his Glory and so shines forth as Lights in the fore-said dark World Do thou rejoyce and be thou glad for ever in the Lord thy Saviour who hath loved thee with an everlasting Love and by his Arm of Power hath raised thee up to be his Servant and hath gathered thee into his Bosom of Safety to lie down and rest in Peace with himself for evermore So be it even so be it saith the Spirit and the Bride So do thou O Lovely Holy Seed begotten to God in Righteousness do thou trust â—nd rejoyce in the Lord thy God for ever And be not troubled nor dismay'd at the roarings of the Waters of Babylon but be still be still be at rest and Peace in the Arms of the Lord God Almighty blessed blessed for evermore From a Lover of God's Everlasting Truth Thomas Taylor PEOPLE THIS know that the Entrance into Righteousness is the Only and Alone Entrance into the Kingdom of God and there is not another Christ is God's Righteousness and so the Door He that entereth not in by me saith Christ is a Thief and a Robber So see all People where you are I am the Way the Truth and the Life also saith Christ and no Man cometh to the Father but by me So consider all People Is Christ your Way And is nothing Truth to you like Christ And have you a Life in nothing at all as in Christ Deal honestly with your own Souls and deceive not your selves for God will not be mocked Bring your Deeds to the Light and seek not to hide your Sins from the Lord For there is nothing secret which shall not be made manifest Drunkard bring thy Deeds to the Light Thou knowest by the Light thou shouldst not be Drunk nor spend God's Creatures upon thy Lust Here thou hast learned thy Condemnation and the Wrath of God abides upon thee in this Condition profess what thou may'st And all thy Prayers and Performances are Abomination to the Pure God whilst thou abidest in the Lust of Drunkenness for it defiles And all ye Vnclean-hearted Ones who burn in your Lusts one towards another and are as the Brute Beasts who know neither Guide nor Rule over your Minds but are in the Evil Liberty to follow your own Evil Hearts Bring your Deeds to the Light and it will let you see you should not be so It will tell you That the
which sets the Soul free from all Sin for how should People ever come to the Knowledge of the Truth by following such Teachers as are out of the Truth For if the Blind lead the Blind must they not both fall into the Ditch Also seeing you profess the Scripture and not unwritten Traditions to be your Rule and would have People to believe that what you do is according to Scripture therefore it 's demanded in a few words further 1. What Scripture have you for your Sprinkling of Infants and Signing them with the Sign of the Cross and telling People That thereby they are made Members of Christ Children of God and Inheriters of the Kingdom of Heaven when in your own Catechism in Contradiction to your Practice you teach That Children by reason of their Infancy or tender Years then cannot perform the Requests of Baptism to uit Faith and Repentance 2. And what Scripture have you for your Sureties so called which you most unscripturally call the Childrens God fathers and God-mothers which you pretend to make up the Defect in the Infants by and for putting these Pretended Sureties upon such bold Undertakings and unadvised Promisings of that for the Child which they never yet did for themselves nor indeed have Faith to believe that so great Works can be done in any upon Earth to wit To forsake the Devil and all his Works c. seeing that such generally held That none can live without Sin Is not Sin the Devil's Work Yea yea And is there any Undertaker for Man to God-ward but Christ And was there any Surety betwixt God and Man but Christ only who saith Without me ye can do nothing So then this evil Custom of your undertaking being derogatory to the Honour of Christ Who can say that God hath required it at your Hands But if you will yet plead for it shew us your Scripture for it if you would be esteemed to act as Protestants and not as Papists and to own Scripture above Mens Inventions and Traditions 3. Also what Scripture have you for your Surplice Canonical Coats Typpets c. and for wearing Black rather than other Colours seeing the Apostle blamed such as placed Religion in Days Meats and the like surely he would not agree with such as place their Religion in Garments and Colours Blessed be the Lord whose Day is dawned which makes all things manifest and none will hate the Light of it but Evil-doers 4. And what Scripture have you for your Tithes Easter-Reckonings Mortuaries and the like now under the Gospel and for your Laws which you call Spiritual to compel the People to pay you them seeing Christ is come the End of that Levitical Priesthood under whiâ—h Tithes were payable by Law 5. What Scripture have you who profess your selves to be Christians for your Swearing Swearing in your Courts so called Swearing in your Spiritual Courts 〈◊〉 The poor People called Câ—uâ—eâ—-Wardâ—ns grâ—â—an under the Burden of this evil Custom O this is far from following Christ who said and saith unto his Swear not at all but you are grown to that pass that you cannot trust one another without Swearing no not in your Church-matters Is not this a Fruit of Apostacy and departing from that ancient Faith which was once delivered to the Saints 6. And what Scripture have you for giving David's Prayers Prophecyings Roarings Quakings Tremblings and Confessions in Rhyme and Meeter to the World to sing who are of another Spirit than David was and so utterly unacquainted with David's Conditions and so instead of singing with the Spirit and Understanding as the ancient Christians did you sing in a Form without the Power thereby not honouring but rather dishonouring the Lord who is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth 7. And what Scripture have you for teaching People to worship one another and for your Ring in Marriage where you teach them to say With this Ring I thee Wed and with my Body I thee worship Is not God alone to be worshipped How then are such to be accounted Christian Ministers who abide not in Doctrine 2 John 9. And lastly seeing you pretend to be Christ's Ministers and so God's Free-men I ask you these few plain Questions further Gal. 1.10 viz. 1. Why do you limit your selves or suffer others to limit you to such and such Forms of Words and Gestures and Apparel as is in Use amongst you in all your Services Is it from any Excellency you see in those Words or Forms more than in any other Or is it because you are so weak of Judgment or brittle of Memory as that you can do little without Book Or is it not rather for filthy Lucre sake you are willing to be soâ—ty'd because you know that without Conformity to the Wills of the great Ones in this Matter you can get no Power to compel Peoples earthly things from them O what will not the Love of Money compel covetous-minded People unto 2 Tim. 6.10 11. 2. What is that makes you go to the Bishop rather than any other Man or Men for Ordination as you you call it Is it because you know or believe that he is more Holy than any other Or hath more Power to confer any Spiritual Gift upon you by Imposition of his Hands more than any other If you say he hath where had he it And wherein doth it appear Or is it not rather that you go now to the Bishop for Ordination as you or your Brethren went formerly to the Classical Presbytery so called in Oliver's time because this is the Way now as the other was formerly to impower you to come into Parishes and be their Teachers and command their earthly things from them by Force whether you do any Spiritual Work for them or no Yea from such as in the Lord's Light see you to be no Ministers of the Spirit and therefore not able to minister Spiritual things and therefore deny you Oh that ever such a thing should be among such as profess to be Gospel Ministers 3. Whether do you believe that all things in the Church ought to be done and spoken in the alone Power and Spirit of the Lord Jesus And if so then how can you expect but that God will overturn overturn all Things until he to wit the Lord Jesus Christ to whom all Power in Heaven and Earth is given comes to rule in all and over all to whom of Right it belongs So be it And what is the Cause that you are so dark in your Minds as concerning the Mystery of Christ's Kingdom and the Spiritual Saving Power thereof if it be not that mentioned in the third Chapter of Micah's Prophecy verse 5 6 7. where it is written Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my People err that bite with their Teeth and cry Peace and he that putteth not into their Mouths they even prepare War against him therefore Night shall be unto you that you shall not have
a Vision and it shall be dark unto you that you shall not Divine and the Sun shall go down over the Prophets and the Day shall be dark over them then shall the Seers be ashamed and the Diviners be confounded yea they shall all cover their Lips for there is no Answers of God So be not proud for the Lord hath spoken but see in the Dread and Fear of God how you can acquit your selves from the Charge against False Prophets and Teachers mentioned in this Paper and more abundantly in the Scriptures For if you be found in their Sins how can ye escape their Plagues Rev. 18.4 For Wo will be to them that seek deep to hide their Counsel from the Lord and their Works are in the dark and they say who seeth us and who knoweth us see Isa 29. from ver 10. to ver 16. Read and consider and be wise for your Souls From one who Travails for the Prosperity of Sion Thomas Taylor A Strong and Terrible Alarm Sounded out of the Holy Mountain against all the Wicked Inhabitants of the Earth WO Wo unto you Rulers Priests and People who live without the Fear of God and do hide your Abominations in Hypocrisie and Dissimulations you are got into several Sects and Opinions and there some of you have long made a Profession of God with your Tongues and Lips but your Hearts are removed far from him so that your Profession stinks in the Nostrils of the Almighty and he Ioaths and abhors your Preaching and Praying for you are weighed and are found too light your Covering are too narrow they will no longer hide you for now you are searching with the true Light wich makes you manifest and rips off your Coverings so that your Nakedness appears the Day hath made you manifest and now is the Light risen and with it you are seen to be out of the Life of Truth yea you are found to be the greatest Enemies to the Life that be upon the Earth for you seek to Murther it wheresoever it is brought forth yea and in all its appearances you seek to Suppress and Murther it Remember your Fore-fathers Cryed Not this Man but Barrabas and your Cry and Practice is seen-to be the same in Nature now for in you and by you is the Son of God Cryed against who hath long forborn you and because his Judgments were not speedily executed upon you have strengthened your selves in your Wickedness and Imaginations and have provoked the Almighty to Wrath and have not considered that his Long suffering towards you was to have drawn you to Repentance but the Day of your Visitation you have despised and have hated the Light of his Son in your Consciences which hath often shewed you your Evil Deeds and so have trampled the Blood of the Covenant under your Feet and have done despite unto the Spirit of Grace and have chosen to follow the vain Imaginations of your own Hearts and have contemned the Counsel of the Lord and would not that he should Reign over you For which cause his Judgments linger not against you but are ready to be poured forth upon your Heads even upon you who have sold your selves to work Abomination in the sight of the Lord and are Worshipping in the House of your Imagery and are joyned and become one with the great Whore of Babylon who hath made her self Drunk with the Blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus but now is she come in Remembrance before the Dreadful and Terrible God and now shall both she and her lovers be Plagued and Tormented together Therefore ye Nobles and Rulers Captains and Mighty Men Priests and People High and Low Rich and Poor Bond and Free who have Committed Fornication with her Awake to the Judgment and behold your King the Old Dragon which is the Devil and Sathan for he is come forth and deceives you and he is come to gather you to the Battle of the great Day which is at Hand for the Harvest is ripe and the Winepress is full and your Fat 's overflow and the Measure of your Iniquities is great and now will God be Avenged on you who will bring you all down to the Valley of Descision even there shall the Day of the Lord be upon you which will be a Day of Pain and Anguish a Day of Blackness and Gloominess and of thick Darkness unto you that have slain the Witness of God and have made merry over him Your Mirth is almost at an end and instead thereof shall be Mourning and bitter Lamentation which shall come upon you in one Day and now is the Day of Vengeance Proclaimed now is the Trumpet Sounded forth behold the Lyon Roareth Therefore O all Inhabitants of the Earth Fear and Tremble before the Living Dreadful God and Dread ye his Name For now is he arising in his Majesty and Glory to shake Terribly the Earth the noise of a Trumpet goeth before him which soundeth an Alarm Strong and Mighty is he there goeth a Sword out of his Mouth and a Threshing Instrument is in his Hand wherewith he will cut down the tall Cedars and thresh the Mountains to Dust A Fire proceedeth out of his Mouth also which shall devour and burn before him and none shall be able to quench it and the Breath that cometh forth of his Nostrils shall scatter the Earth as the Whirl-wind scattereth the Dust Yea Terrible and Dreadful will he be unto you wicked who Live in the Earth you shall not be able to behold nor stand in his Presence Therefore Weep and Howl and Lament for the Misery that is coming upon you for Destruction is at hand yea the Lord hath decreed an overthrow of the Wicked of the Earth for now shall his overflowing Scourge pass through the Earth and the Beesom of his Destruction shall sweep you away except you Repent For your Wordomr and Murders and Idolatry and Drunkenness and Swearing and Lying and Wantonness and Prophaness is come in Remembrance before the Dreadful and Terrible God who will be avenged on you at once Rejoice ye Saints who are clad with Zeal and Shout for Joy you Sons of the most High God and Sing ye Heavens and you that dwell therein for the Lord is risen ye are Witnesses thereof Behold he cometh in and with ten thousands of his Saints to judge the Earth in Righteousness and to execute his Judgments upon his and your Enemies The Vials of his Wrath are made ready to be poured out upon them and his Indignation is waxen hot against them which shall burn and slay and consume them unto the end Glory Glory Honour and Dominion and Praise be given unto our King who liveth for ever for he is worthy to reign over all who was dead but now is he alive and liveth for evermore and hath redeemed us from the Earth and hath brought us above the Earth to reign with him upon the Earth eternal Praises to our King for evermore who
a hint of what certainly is and will be And so having cleared my Conscience to God and paid my debt of Love to you in this matter I leave all to him who is the righteous Judge and the true Pleader of the Cause of the Innocent in all Generations and the Avenger of all Wrongs that are done upon the Earth and rests his Servant in whose Love is my Souls Life who am a Sufferer for the Testimony of the Everlasting Truth amongst the Despised People of God whom the World in Scorn call Quakers yet the Reproach of Christ to us is great Riches Thomas Taylor An Exhortation to remember the Judgments of God HOW long O ye People of this present time will ye grieve and burden the Spirit of the Lord with your Works How long shall he suffer your Manners unpunished Is it not high time for the Lord to lay to his Hand seeing you have so covered his Law with your Traditions and vain Customs that the poor People can hardly find any one thing you do savouring of Pure Christian Doctrine or the Apostles Practice But the Hand of the Man of Sin is the Worker in you and by the power of the Earth is your Building upheld But Wo to the Building which the Lord hath not builded and Wo to the Builders of that House wherein all the Wicked of the World inhabit lye down and are at ease and bring forth their Young Is this the Church of God Nay nay this is the Synagogue of Satan and not of the Living God for the House of God is Holy and nothing but Holiness dwells there nothing that defileth can enter this day into God's Temple for Holiness is the Ornament of God's House for ever So Wo to the false Builders and Daubers that cry Peace to People in their Sins the Lord speaks no Peace to any Sinners but Judgments Plagues and Woes to Priests and People who live in their Sins and plead for a Continuance in Sin as long as they live as at this day Wo to the unspiritual Men that bind heavy Burdens upon others and will not touch them with one of their Fingers that bind the poor Men whom they call Wardens of their Church by Oath to do impossible things and punish them that make Conscience of their Ways and dare not Swear nor Forswear but would keep their Hearts clean to Christ in whose Church is neither Swearing nor Forswearing this day but the Yea is Yea and the Nay is Nay in all things in Truth and Righteousness But Wo to the wicked World that takes God's Name in their polluted Lips the Lord is arisen to judge thee in Flames of Fire for the day of the Lord is dawned upon thee and thy building will he thrown down and a visible downfall shall Babylon have upon the Face of all the Earth for the Pastors have not gathered in nor visited with Truth the good Seed but with Force and Violence over it do they Rule and therefore is the Lord arisen to plead the Cause of the Poor and Innocent as the Mouth of the Lord hath said So be it And let all the Earth fear and tremble before the Lord this day fâ—r our God the true God is a consuming Fire and will by no meaâ—s acquit the Guilty Thomas Taylor To the Unclean Communicants YOU that tell of a Communion and say you eat Bread and drink Wine in remembrance of Christ's Death and yet live in your Sins confessing with your own Mouths that you daily leave undone that which you ought to have done and do what you ought not to do and that there is no Health in you Consider of your Ways and see in what your Fellowship and Communion stands Doth it not stand in Sin and Disobedience And examine your selves what you eat Do you not eat Damnation to your selves not discerning the Lord's Body For the Lord's Body is Holy but you are Unholy and live in Unholiness as your selves confess and as is manifest in your Lives and Conversations so you have cut your selves off from being of Christ's Holy Body you that live in your Sins and do your own Wills and leave undone that which he wills now to do for no unholy or unclean thing can be joyned to Christ's holy Body Again Christ's Body is a sound and healthful Body and no Leper in it but you have no Health in you as you confess and so you are of that Body and Number who have not as yet so much as touched the Hem of Christ's Garment with a true Heart but are in the Mud and Filth and Diseasedness of this sinful lost World through which the wholsom Waters of God's Sanctuary have not run to cleanse you So all you do in this your sinful State is unclean in the sight of God and he can take no pleasure in your seeming Services because of your Sins For as the Leperous Bodies under the Law were shut out of the outward typical holy Place so the Spiritually Defiled are altogether unfit in this day to enter into or have Communion with any thing of Christ's Kingdom Thomas Taylor God's Virtue and Goodness Extolled O Thou pure God of all Heavenly Glory Virtue and Goodness how Holy are all thy Ways and Righteous all thy Judgments O how plainly and clearly hast thou manifested thy Mind and Will to Mankind in all Generations and especially since the first publishing of thy Gospel and in this of ours and yet alas with grief of Heart may it be said never was the Earth more burthened with the Evil of her Inhabitants than at this day never was there more provoking of God by evil Customs and bad Doings than now They spend their Days in satisfying the Lusts of the Flesh and of the Mind that is Earthly Sensual and Devilish and say in their Hearts unto God Depart from us for we desire not the Knowledge of thy Ways The strait way of Christ they perfectly hate and the broad way of the World which leads to Destruction they willingly chuse because their Hearts are evil and to Christ's Light they will not bring their Deeds because they be so evil that the Light will utterly condemn them And thus in the Blindness of their uncircumcised Hearts they heap up Wrath against the Day of Wrath and Revelation of God's just Judgments upon them And though the Trumpet of the Lord hath been plentifully sounded amongst them yet they will not hear nor awaken to Judgment but say in their Hearts Yet a little more Sleep yet a little more folding of the Hands to Slumber the Judgment is far off we will not forego our present Pleasures and worldly Delights for Glory to come Where is he that 's come from the Dead to tell us what 's in another World Let 's Eat and Drink and take our Fill of Pleasures for to-morrow we Dye and are not say they O the Wretched O the Atheistical Hearts of the Men of this present evil and adulterous Generation The Lord
Truth and for Deceit that the Simple-hearted might for ever be warned from following such any more for who would have thought that ever him called Dr. Bryan of Coventry and Richard called Mr. Baxter of Kidderminster who were so promoted in Oliver's time for Conformity to Oliver's Laws and Religion in opposition to the Prelates and their Common-Prayers should now with a little blast of Mens Breath be silenced as R. B's Epistle to his Book saith for a time and so shattered and confoundâ—d with the Fall that when they awaked and got a little Breath that they should for fear of Men be so transformed into other shapes as not to be ashamed to get into their Mouths blasphemous words of making People Members of Christ Children of God and Heirs of his Kingdom by having a little Water sprinkled on their Faces by a Man-made Priest when they were Infants and understood nothing which passage is contrary to the Scriptures of Truth as all sober minded People may well understand yea and this Bryan himself knows in his own Conscience that they are not sound words though he most notoriously and falsly says to please the present Evil World with all that the Holy Scriptures warrant them in a Sacramental Sence But I desire that all People who fear the Lord would take heed of such dangerous Heresies for the Scriptures of Truth do not allow of Falshood in any Sence at all for it 's absolutely false in the sight of God and to all good Men that Infants by any such outward Sprinkling or doing as they call Baptism are made the Children of God Members of Christ Heirs of his Kingdom seeing the Scripture now here commands any such thing but saith That except People be born from above they cannot see the Kingdom of God But the Day is dawned that makes all things manifest Praises to God And therefore People consider what a Wretchedness those are under who follow such blind Guides as turn and change with every Time and can be any thing or nothing in appearance so that they can but keep up their Name amongst Men. What was was the Common-Prayers and such things so odious a thing in the Eyes of these Priests in Oliver's Time And is it now yea the worst part of it become such an Idol in their Eyes as that those that dwell in God must be condemned of deep Prejudice for not Consormity to it What will not that Spirit that climbs over the Door and never was sent of God to preach the Gospel say or unsay so as it can but please the present Times But Oh thou Blasphemous Bryan the Accuser of the Brethren Can those that dwell with God deny to conform to that Worship or Service which is of God And therefore it is safely and truly concluded that the Service thou pleads for is not of God because for Conscience to God with whom they dwell they cannot conform to it But Oh how the Serpent creeps upon his Belly to do mischief by seeking to perswade the Consciencious People That by their not joyning with the Parish-Worships and Assemblies they open their Mouths wide to cast a Scandal upon their Persons as Prophane and upon the strict Profession of walking precisely according to the written Word which they think says this Bryan in that P. 292. of his Book gives you no warrant for your Separation c. And then down upon his Belly he goes saying My humble and earnest Request to you is to lay aside your Prejudice and examine by the good Word whether your Separation be not sinful Answ To which I answer in the Word of the Lord Blessed for ever that we who for the Work and Word of the Lord in our Hearts and Mouths are by the sinful Priests of England and elsewhere disdained and scornfully called Quakers are not separated from them because of any Prejudice or the like against them but God who by his Everlasting Light of Truth hath shewed us the Evil of their Doings and of our own when we worshipped we knew not what amongst them he I say hath separated us from them and joyned us to himself in Christ Jesus where with him our Dwelling is indeed though Bryan think not so praised be the Name of our most Holy Lord God for evermore And so we are not yet to examine whether our Separation be sinful or nay for that is done and we do know it to be good according to the good Word from the beginning most certainly And so the Offence which the Parish-worshippers take is Offence without all Canse on our parts given and so it is no other than the Unbelievers took in all Generations against them that feared God as the Jews were offended at Christ and his Apostles yea and all Christians in those days because they could not worship with their Neighbours in their Superstitions as this Bryan would have us and not only so but they killed Christ and his Apostles and grievously persecuted the Christians for their Separation then as they do us at this day and so the Reproach of Christ is to us great Riches and the Persecutors God will examine and judge And as Moses did chuse rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy Egypt's Glory for a Season so Bâ—essed are all that with us are perswaded in their Hearts to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes not heeding what the Wicked say or judge of them but as the Apostle exhorts looking at Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith who for the Joy that was set before him endured the Cross and despised the Shame and so through all the Tryals and Persecutions of this World enter into God's Glory where none can come to make afraid But if there be any who through Prejudice as this Bryan speaks and not by the Spirit of the Lord are separated from the Parish-Worship it is necessary for such to see to themselves and consider lest their Return be as Shameful as their Separation was Sinful like this Bryan and R. B who it seems all this while have been no real and true Separatists to God but have been only in the Self separation according to the Will and Force of Times For though the poor deceived Followers of such Men be at present more averse from joyning with the Superstitions of the Times than your Hearers are as R. B. says yet if you grow not out of their rotten Root into the Root Christ Jesus you will be weary and faint in your Way before the end But let all know that these Self-separatists who have not their Birth of God are not real Dwellers with God though this Bryan it 's like had an Eye especially to such in his words and to whom it 's like in a special manner he applies his fawning flattering Words and Desires But what 's the Reason may we say again that these Non-conforming Ministers by R. B's report are not so much against the Parish Way of Worship as now managed
the Kingdom of his own Son over all to whom every Knee shall how and every Tongue confess for he is worthy The Springs of Life gush out apace from the Presence of the Lord into the Hearts of the Righteous and Righteousness runs down like a Stream through the Valleys of Israel to bring forth the Heavenly Fruits of Righteousness to the Glory and Praise of the Great and Good Husbandman who is over all God Blessed for Ever of whose Holy Reign Kingdom and Government there never shall be end But of the Kingdom of the Man of Sin and all Antichrists there shall be an utter end and Death and Hell shall be cast into the Lake of Fire and the Judgment of the Living and Everlasting Truth of our Heavenly Father shall go forth more and more for the discovering and consuming the false Hope and lying Refuges of all Hypocrites who have covered themselves and not with the Spirit of the Lord the Zeal of the Lord of Life will perform this that his Name over all may be exalted who is worthy whose Appearance in Glory this Day the Children of the Night have greatly withstood and the Dragon hath made great War against the Lamb but praised be the Lord the Lamb hath got the Victory and the Lamb's Followers are this Day with their Feet upon the Holy Mountain where none can make them afraid rejoicing in this that they have found the Lord whom their Souls loved and do love for Evermore So be it Thomas Taylor To some of T. Hicks's Friends YE Hicks's Hearers of Tixall-hall and elsewhere who Read his Defiled and Defiling Book called A Dialogue between a Christian and a Quaker Fear the Lord God of Heaven and Earth for I do affirm in the Truth of Christ that it is a meer Work and Invention of the Wicked One in that Servant of his called T. Hicks who goes under the Name and Profession of an Anabaptist as they are termed I say this Man was put on by the Wicked One who is called the Devil and Satan who was a Lier and False Accuser of the Brethren of Christ from the beginning to Render us the Servants of the Lord called Quakers Odious to the World For the very first Words and Title of his Book is an absolute Lie for never was there such a Dialogue between a Christian and a Quaker but it is a meer Fiction of his own naughty Heart and Head for Rendring us and the Truth we hold Odious and it is a False and Wicked Representation of us and our Religion to the World for the which God will severely Judge him And indeed by this manner of way that he takes who or what kind of Profession is there that he can miss grosly to abuse Seeing he takes upon him like a Prevaricator or Stage-player both to ask the Question and give the Answer so as may serve most for his own wicked End and Purpose and make his Opposite infamous O the Wickedness of such Actors and their Work but Praised be the Lord we are out of the reach of his Malice for under the Holy Wing of God's Power and Protection are our Souls gathered by the Eternal Power of his Living Word in Christ Jesus our Lord And you that Read this Book whether called Papists or Protestants if this Hicks had a Mind to Render you Odious could he not this way he takes do it as Plausibly as against us and so I would not have you hurt your selves so as to strengthen your selves against us and the Truth which we Live in by such bad Books and Endeavours as this Hicks hath come forth in for if that your Minds stand open to receive them you will never want them for the Enemy of your Souls and ours yea of all Mankind will never be wanting to furnish you with Lies for Strengthening his Kingdom in you and hindering you from entring into the Kingdom of God And if you would know the Reason of his thus rising up against us I say it is because through the Grace of God given us we Preach the Mystery of the Kingdom of God even the Wisdom of God in a Mystery as Scripture speaks And that Striking at his carnal Conceptions of things and his Idolatrous Thoughts of outward Water-Baptism hath stirred up the Venom in him which by this his Book he hath Vented but the Lord is the Pleader of his People's Cause which is our Joy and our Armour against all the fiery Darts of all wicked Ones for the Birth Life Death Resurrection Ascention Glorification of Christ and his Coming again to us according to the Scriptures of Truth and Heavenly Promises through the Power of God to our Souls Eternal Salvation and Comfort we Witness Glory to the Lord for ever whatsoever this Book or any thing of like nature can or may say to the contrary so as Christ said to one of our Brethren in times past The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against us And so in the Peaceable Habitation of the Love of God in Christ Jesus do we lye down together with all Holy Souls and Spirits of Just Men made Perfect Hallelujah for the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth in Mount Zion and before his Ancients Gloriously And so let the Mouth of all Iniquity be stopped for ever saith my Soul Thomas Taylor Something concerning that called the Common-Prayer AND Now all People that you may see we do not without cause Cry against the Priests and deny to joyn with them in the present Common Service now in use amongst the Parish Teachers of England which you are enjoyned upon several Penalties to submit unto I shall in the strength of Truth unbowel it a little unto you that you may at least in part see the true inside of it and not be deceived with the outward Appearance any longer for the Lord is arisen in his mighty Glorious Power to scatter all those Clouds of Ignorance and Error that have long vailed and covered the Minds of People and to be himself the Teacher of his People how to Worship him For his Spirit is greatly burdened with the Manners of the People who take his Name so continually in vain as such do as are only Confessors of their Sins but never forsake them but all their Lives long doing what they should not do and so instead of lessening their Sins are daily adding Sin to Sin covering with a vain verbal unfeeling Confession of Sin but not with the Spirit of the Lord. And so in the very entrance into their Work their Foundation is seen for they manifest themselves not to be in the New Covenant of the Spirit of the God of Life but in the Old Covenant of the Letter saying The Scripture moves them to confess their manifold Sins and Trespasses But when will it be seen that the Scripture moves them to forsake them for a Confession of Sin in Words we hear amongst them but the time of forsaking them never as yet come to be seen
you but as that teacheth you c. and you know all things And these things saith another Apostle to the Brethren do I write unto you by way of remembrance not absolute Necessity as this Man speaks to stir up your pure Minds And this Doctrine of the Hirelings is only to keep up their Masterly Power over the poor Peoples Consciences and indeed denies the Gift of God's Spirit and coming of Christ in the Flesh and the very End of his Ministry which was for the perfâ—cting of the Saints even in this Life See Eph. 4. at large But the Hirelings Doctrine which perfects nothing but Sin keeps People always learning laden with divers Sins and Lusts but never brings them to the Knowledge of the Truth which sets free from Sin and therefore from such according to Christ's Doctrine ought all People to turn away But what must this Sam. Smith and his Fellows who would be accounted Masters of Assemblies be taught of others Indeed they stand in need of teaching for they have run and God never sent them and therefore they cannot profit the People at all as is here manifest The Reasons of this Smith for denying Perfection saith he is Because the Best of God's Saints and Servants in this Life are not capable of Perfection And is any Child saith he put by his Master into the highest Form the first day he comes to School Or doth he not lead him on by degrees The Apostles themselves that had the Spirit and so in a Capacity of more plentiful Revelation than we are yet Christ tells them he had many things to tell them but they could not bear them then And for this he brings John 16.12 To which I answer That this Man here doth manifestly abuse Scripture and by that the Nature of his Naughty Spirit in all his Discourse is easily seen For here he saith they had the Spirit and yet could not bear Christ's words whereas Christ in that place makes the want of the coming of the Spirit the very Cause why they could not then bear his words and therefore he saith in the very next words in that of John 16.13 Howbeit when the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all Truth and shew you things to come And so this Smith is one of them that abuses and wrests Scripture tending to his own and others Destruction But whereas he saith That the Apostles who had the Spirit were capable of a more plentiful Revelation than they are that 's true for they to wit such Hirelings and Wresters of Scripture as this Smith is are Sensual not having the Spirit and so are far from receiving any Vision or Revelation from God seeing it 's their common Doctrine to deny Immediate Teachings and Revelations from God for that 's ceased say they But for him to say as these his words would insinuate That the Apostles in those Days were capable of more plentiful Revelation than any are in these Days is false for God is the same to his now as then and such as are Faithful in a little now shall be Ruler over much as well as formerly and saith Christ I pray not for these only but for all that shall believe on me through their words that they may be one as we are One. And for his Reason or Proof That the Best of the Best of the Saints and Servants of God in this Life are not capable of Perfection the very Child or School-boy he speaks of may come forth and consute it For what though a Scholar be not perfect in his Book at first doth it follow that he never shall be while he lives He may as well say so as the other for his Comparison doth utterly make void his false Doctrine against Perfection as Experience of all Men both Masters and Scholars proves But what a Mountain of Enmity is risen up in these Deceitful Teachers of these Times who love to be called of Men Master against that Heavenly Doctrine of sinless Perfection is manifest to all in this that though they can allow of a Perfection in all Arts and Sciences in their kinds yea and of a Perfection in the growth of all other Creatures in this kind but cannot endure to hear tell of much less to allow of a Perfection in the Children of the Everlasting Father God over all who is this Day well witnessed upon his Throne Ever Praised be his Name bringing forth his Heavenly Birth and Babes and so making all things new But who ever but this Slanderous Spirit in this Smith said That though People have lived in Drunkenness Swearing and open Prophaneness many Years yet if but once come to be lifted as he scornfully calls it into that Society to wit of such as he and the rest of the World in Scorn call Quakers that presently they are perfect and without Sin And then like the troubled Sea he foams out his own Shame and adds saying in that forementioned Book I Challenge all the Quakers on Earth and in Hell to give a sober answer to these Texts of Scripture Eccles 7.2 1 Kings 8.46 Prov. 20.9 Answer By these words of this Enemy of God and his Perfect Work in his Saints any who judge in the Light of God in the least measure may see the Rancour and Malicious Blind Nature of that Spirit by which he was acted O! that ever Men should take upon them to be Ministers of the Gospel as such would be accounted and yet utter such base words Did ever any Enemy of Truth from the beginning of the World to this Day make such a Challenge What! must People come out of Hell to give thee a Sober Answer What! hath Passion and Envy so blinded thy Heart as to imagine that the Inhabitants of Hell can resolve Questions and that in soberness nay nay they must be Heavenly People that give truly sober Answers in such weighty Matters as these and therefore thy unsober wild words in these Matters shews where thy Dwelling is to wit not in Heaven amongst the Saints and Spirits of Just Men made perfect but in the Earthly Sensual and Devilish Wisdom amongst those who are Enemies to Truth and Perfection and so Ministers of Antichrist who plead for Sin during tearm of Life and not of Christ who came for that very end to perfect his Saints and to present them himself even in this Life without spot or wrinkle or any such thing Eph. 5.25 c. And so the Reproachful and Malicious words of this Sam. Smith against the People of God called Quakers and their Holy Doctrine of Perfection put aside I say concerning those Scriptures he mentions and first to that Eccles 7.20 For there is not a Just Man upon Earth that doeth good and sinneth not that Solomon here speaks of Men under the Law and of the Generation of the First Adam in the Fall amongst whom there is not indeed a Just Man that doeth good and sinneth not but this doth not make
Lord in the Mouth of Christ's Ministers which we own is the Savour of Life to Life and of Death to Death But so is not the false frothy Doctrine of the Hireling and false Accuser such as this Sam. Smith who wrote this Book which we disown is nothing worth and therefore cannot profit the People at all And therefore he tells a great Lye in saying That God hath set his Seal to the Ministry of such as have run and God never sent them as is manifest by this Man who is not ashamed to speak all manner of Evil falsly against whom the Lord hath Blessed for his Name 's sake for those whom God sends are one with and not against such as are of God But because he neither knows the Father nor Christ therefore he thinks he doth well to persecute and revile us with all slanderous words which will be his own Burden in God's Judgment-day And for Church Order it 's manifest by the Walking of our Members who owns it most for they who walk most orderly in Life and Conversation own Church-Order indeed but those that live Disorderly and know not so much as a Bridle to their Tongue are the Disoâ—wneâ— and Breakers of the Good Order of Christ's Church and Spirit But what is that Baptism he saith we disown For the Baptism oâ— Christ which is but one by that one Spirit of Truth into one Body we dearly love and own for in it are we presented Clean to God ever Praised be his Name But that Baptism which the Hirelings use and plead for for which there is no Scripture we cannot own for if we should then should we disown the Light of Christ which makes it manifest to be vain and nothing And for the Lord's Supper we cannot but love and own it with our very Souls for it is our Souls Food and the Lord is known to us and in us daily by breaking of his Heavenly Bread in the midst of us as he said Behold I stand at the door and knock if any Man open to me I will come in and Sup with him and he with me And for Prayer to God both Publick and Private those that say we disown this do plainly manifest that they know little of us or our Practices but are shameless Forgers of Lies against the Innocent for which and for all their Sins God will judge them it is so But for Singing of Psalms what hath this false Accuser of the Brethren to do with Singing For not Singing but Mourning is the suitable Exercise for the Wicked What will ye yet Sing and Rejoyce and make Merry over the Witnesses of God which ye have slain in your Streets and over the Lamb that lyes slain in the Streets of your Spiritual Sodom and Egypt where our Lord was Crucified But the Days of Mourning are at hand to all that now sing in Sin and the Days of Darkness to them will be many But Peace upon the Israel of God in whose Book our Names are Recorded by the ever-blessed Finger of our God ever Praised be his Name who hath put a now Song into our Mouths even Psalms of Salvation to our God and to the Lamb for ever more according as it is written Rev. 14.1 c. And I looked and lo a Lamb stood on the Mount Sion and with him an hundred forty and four thousand having his Father's Name written in their Foreheads And I heard a Voice from Heaven as the Voice of many Waters and as the Voice of a great Thunder And I heard the Voice of Harpers harping with their Harps And they sung as it were a new sâ—ng before the Throne and no Man could learn that song but the Redeemed from the Earth These are they that were not Defiled with Women for they are Virgins These are they that follow the Lamb wâ—eresoever he goeth These were redeemed from among Men being the First fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their Mouth was found no Cuâ—le fâ—r â—â—ey are without Fault bâ—fore the Throne of God And what will not all this perswade our Adversaries that there is singing of Psalms among us and that Sinless Perfection is not the Devil 's but God's own Doctrine and Work and attainable by the Believers in the Light And that this Man who writes this false Looking-glafs was a great Enemy of God and Blasphemer of his Heavenly Tabernacle in charging them with Gross and Absurd Opinions for keeping to Yea and Nay without Swearing in all things and holding forth the immediate Teaching of God's Spirit according to the New Covenant which saith They shall all be taught of God and God is a Spirit and to be known and witnessed in Man immediately to teach him and to write his Heavenly Law and Doctrine in his Heart or he perishes in his Sins and Ignorance it is so Thomas Taylor T. T. who was Ten Years and an half in Prison at Stafford writes a Letter to a particular Adversary J. D. IF the Wisdom of this World which is Foolishness with God had not clouded thy Mind thou couldst not have so juâ—ged as to account it Foolishness in me to abide in Prison whereas thou may'st as well say That to keep a good Conscience to God is â—â—olishness for in Obedience to God and for doing his Will have I suffered amongst you these many Years Also whereas thou tookest upon thee to be an Instructer saying If I did seek unto God he would deliver me out of Prison I say unto thee again as I said then That the Lord God of Life and Truth the True God over all Blessed for ever hath graciously delivered my Soul from the Pit of Darkness and Ignorance Sin and Wiâ—â—edness in which the whole World of Unbelieving People who receive Honour one of another and seek not the Honour that comes from God only do miserably Lye And as for my Body it is offered up to the Lord to do and suffâ—â— according to his Blessed Willâ—â— And 〈◊〉 thee plainly and all People in the Word of the Lord 〈◊〉 for â—oing his Blessed Will in witnessing in his Holy Power against the Wickedness of this present Evil World who in words profess they know God but in Deeds deny him as is too manifest to every one who do not willfully blind the Eye of the Understanding for because of Oaths and Drunkenness and Pride and Covetousness and Oppression and all manner of Uncleanness and Unrighteousness the Land Mourneth and the Inhabitants thereof God for these things will make to tremble and because in Obedience to Christ I cannot join with you in these Things I am made a Prey as it were For I say unto thee and all the World What Evil have I done I praise the Lord I am not conscious in my self neither have my Adversaries made it manifest of doing or intending the least Evil to the King or any Man within his Dominions but have endeavoured to my Power to do good unto you all and so the
travellest not for the Desolate have many moe Children than thee which hath an Husband Now we Brethren as Isaac was are the Children of the Promise But as then he that was born after the Flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now Nevertheless what saith the Scripture Cast out the Bond woman and her Son for the Son of the Bond-woman shall not be Heir with the Son of the Free-woman So see Tho. Hall where thou art a Child of the Bond-woman Born after the Flesh Persecuting us whom God of his Free Love in Christ Jesus hath Begotten and Born Spiritually unto himself to Serve and Worship him in his own Free Spirit and so in the same to bear witness for him against thine and all the Slanderous Lying Tongues and Pens who will not have Christ by his Eternal Spirit of Truth to Rule yea to be King Law-giver and Saviour in his People But this Wicked Antichristian Spirit of yours as the Lord both hath and will by the Brightness of his Appearing discover so he will likewise by the Spirit of his Mouth utterly consume and for Ever destroy And thus the Lord Jesus the Son of the Father shall Triumph over thee and all his Enemies in Righteousness for though the Law and Covenant of Moses was for the time until Christ came to the Jews of great use yet Christ being come the Promised Seed Grace and Truth yea Life and Immortality in its Glory was made manifest and enjoyed in the Believers both then and now and did as far yea much more transcend the Glory of the Law as the Sun doth the Moon and therefore the Jews the whole Fleshly Seed of Abraham had their New-Moon Feasts to signifie the shadowy Night Dispensation they were under short of the Day and therefore saith Malachi the last Prophet under the Law save John Baptist in his last Chapter To you that fear my Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing under his Wings so though in the Law there was Condemnation against Sin yet the Life and Healing Vertue is only in Jesus Christ And this is the very thing that John Chap. 1. saith The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ So that the Offender under Moses died without Mercy but the Believer in Christ and the Abider through Faith in Christ is Healed by the Mercy that is in him to all that so are found in him And so you that daily Confess you do what you ought not to do and leave undone what you ought to do and have no Health in you you shew plainly that you never yet knew Christ but are yet in your Sins under the Law which makes nothing perfect and so all your Righteousness in this state is like menstruous Rags indeed and your best Works Sin and so you being ignorant of God's Righteousness and going about to establish your own Righteousness have not submitted to the Righteousness of God which is Christ For that no man is justified in the sight of God by the Works of the Law is evident for the Just shall live by Faith And the Law is not of Faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Gal. 3.11 12. Rom. 10.2 3 c. Now T. H. What would'st thou have judged of Paul if thou hadst been in his time Surely the same that thou dost of us who are of the same Holy Faith with him and so would'st have Condemned the Just and Chosen Barrabas Obj. But saist thou Paul saith Gal. 3. That the Law was our School-master to bring us to Christ And from thence would infer That Moses 's Law in the Letter is to be a School-master to all People now to bring them to Christ Answ To which I say first as I said before and it is most certainly true that those words to bring us Gal. 3.24 is not in the Greek Copy out of which the English was taken but put in by the Translators who did it as supposing those words made up the Sence But these words to wit to bring us are so far from helping the Sence that they quite alter it as though the Letter of the Law of Moses were the Means or Instrument by which the Father draws People to Christ under the New Covenant as this T.H. foolishly Dreams as is manifest by his often thereupon bringing in that of John 6.44 45. where it is said by Christ That no man can come to him but whom the Father that sen him draws and they shall all be taught of God as it was written in the Prophets This Drawing of People to Christ by the Father is by Moses ' Law saith he and this Teaching of God spoken of by the Prophets is by the Laâ— of Moses saith he which was a Law in the Letter Now that this Interpretation of this T. H. is an Absolute Wronging of Christ and Wresting the Scripture all may see who do consider the drift of Christ's Words with the Parties he spoke unto in that place for there he is speaking to a People that were under the Law who for all that the Law in the Letter could do for them remained still ignorant of the Great Mystery Christ for Christ in Man the Hope of Glory was the Great Mystery which Paul was sent to Preach Col. 1.28 And therefore when Peter said to Christ that he was the Son of God Christ tells him That Flesh and Blood had not revealed it to him but my Father that is in Heaven And how did the Father reveal Christ to Peter What by the Letter of the Law as this Man saith By no means but even as Paul saith 1 Cor. 2. By the Holy Spirit And as he saith in another place 1 Cor. 12.3 No Man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost And received ye the Spirit saith he Gal. 3.2 by the Deeds of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith And this is that Glorious Promise of the Father spoken of by the Prophet and recited by Christ which was more manifest in the Gospel Day according to that well known place in Joel and mentioned by Peter which saith I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh Acts 2â— And so this being so and the Foundation of this Tho. Hall being removed his Building will fall And now again to the Business of the Laws School mastership That it was never intended by God to be so any longer than until Christ the very next words to wit there in Gal. 3.25 shew For when he had said that the Law was their School-master to wit unto or until Christ he presently adds But when Faith is come we are no longer under a School-master and this he Illustrates in Chap. 4.1 c. by a Comparison taken from an Heir in his Nonage and at full Years saying The Heir while he is a Child is in one Condition but when at full Years in another So the Church of God under the School-mastership of
HEAVENS for the Lord hath spoken even the Lord God mighty in Power and excellent in Wisdom Loving-kindness and Mercies have appeared and are made manifest in the Children of men and the Isles of the Gentiles do feel his Power and partake of his Promise in the Light in the Life in the Eternal Covenant of his Peace and Truth whereby Japhat is perswaded in the Tents of Shem to dwell And this is the Lords own doing and it is marvellous in the pure eyes of all that behold it and the eye that seeth is Blessed and the Soul that heareth and beleiveth is Blessed and shall be Blessed for the Lord the faithful God is Arisen and his appearance is like the Sun when it Ariseth and Shineth in the Brightness of its Glory and therefore are we refreshed and caused to live in his sight and to bring forth the living fruits of Righteousness to his praise and glory Glory glory for ever for the Heaven gives now its dew and the Earth yeilds its encrease and the blessing is upon the People and the Nations of the World shall bow and the Inhabitants of the Earth do tremble at the Glory of the Lord at the Majesty of his Appearance in this his glorious day wherein he hath Visited and his Visiting his Seed and calling his Servants out of Egypt and delivering his Beloved out of the hands of him that was too strong for them and putting a new Song into our Mouths And his Rest is Glorious and his Praise is Holy and his Renown is spread abroad and his Foes become his Foot-stool and the Ransomed of the Lord do unto Zion return and in the Light of the living God do all the day rejoyce and praise him upon the truly Spiritual and well tuned loud Cymbals in the heights of Israel in the Holy Temple in the Promised Land in the Purchased Possession in the Holy Mount even the Mountain of God's everlasting Love in CHRIST JESUS where his eternal Arm of Power and Faithfulness is truly witnessed And this is the Mountain of Gods House and Holiness indeed which is now on the top of all Mountains and here the Lord is fully seen and his living Power daily felt and his everlasting Love continually enjoyed for watering and refreshing the Babes and living Plants of the New Jerusalem glory glory for ever glory to the Righteous for this is comly And now is the day of the Lords gathering and his Angels are gone forth and his Trumpet hath sounded the Alarm out of the holy Mountain Place these Sheets after Page 130. unto all the Inhabitants of the Earth And now if any Old or Young High or Low can come forth and stand before the God of the whole Earth they are warned and called upon to bring their deeds to the LIGHT to the day of the Lamb that true Light that lighteth every man that cometh unto the World John 1.9 For now indeed is the day of the Lord God appeared and the Lamb is come and who may stand before him who can abide this day of his coming for he cometh in the thousands of his Holy Ones to Judge the World even all that are Proud and do Wickedly in his sight and to convince them of all their ungodly deeds and hard speeches which they ungodlily have spoken against him and whereby they have slandred the foot steps of his Anointed Ones and blasphemed his Heavenly Tabernacle which he hath pitched amongst men that he might dwell amongst them and be glorified for evermore So WOE is to the Wicked and much Wrath will be upon the people who now stand out and strive against the Lord even the Lord the habitation of Justice in whose hands is their â—â—eath who are careless Children and do not regard this day of their Visitation So all having time prize it and bow to the Lord God and know this day of your Visitation for the Lord in his Glory is Arisen and his Eye beholds and with his own pure Light is trying the children of men And now even now shall the Mouth of Iniquity be stopped and the Righteous shall rejoiyce and be glad as the Scripture hath said Yea the high praises of God is already heard in their Mouths and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God is felt going forth Conquering and to Conquer And the Mountains are moved and the lesser Hills are afraid and the hearts of the Hypocrites do melt for fear at the presence of the Lord at the appearance of our God the true God the everlasting Father who is exalting his own Name and seting up the Kingdom of his dear Son and shaking terribly the earth glory glory to him for ever and for ever for he is good and his Mercy endureth for ever and of his faithfulness there is no end All flesh is grass but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit and shall inherit and sound forth the living Praises of the living God for evermore as it is at this day So be it Given forth in the movings of the Lord as a Witness to his Truth in this his Day by one who bears the Reproach of Christ amonst many Brethren by he evil World under the name of Quaker Thomas Taylor Ignorance and Error REPROVED BEING AN ANSWER TO SOME QUERIES That one JOHN REYNOLDS Wrote to Two of the People called QUAKERS By THOMAS TAYLOR LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle next Door to the Meeting-house in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-street and at the Bible in Leaden-hall-street near the Market 1697. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER WHEN the Lord God of Eternal Power began by his Spirit to move in these Nations in the late times of Trouble and there was an Opening in the times for the Zeal of the Heart to work out it self then every one betook themselves to that Fellowship and People that agreed most with the Working-Principle that was in them and so there came a distinguishing and knowledge of those seeking Souls according to some thing most obvious to the Eye of the World and so they called some by the name of Presbyterians some Independent and the like For as for those called Prelatical they were not of such a pressing Nature as to seek forward much after the Spiritual Kingdom but rather Breathed after their Old Form how they might come to that again without the former Troubles to lye down in that But those called Presbyterian or mixed Independent in answer to whose Queries or one of them the ensuing sheets are they seemed so Zealous while the Worlds Power countenanced them as though they would have taken Heaven as it were by force and not only so but even of late also since the Second Charles came in and they began to be put out of their high Places by some old Incumbent as they call them or upon some other Account as Zealor so yet did some of them keep up their Custom of Preaching amongst People in publick where they could get place
that but thou addest a great and wicked Lie and Slander in saying we condemn the most Eminent Saints and Martyrs for thou say'st they were not of our Minds and thou seemest much Troubled that thy self also whom thou hast so high an esteem of could not pass the Censure of those thou scornfully calls Quakers have any of them called thee Deceiver and the like I say see if it be not true that might be thus spoken unto thee for it is no Derogation to the Honour of Truth to say the Truth it self may call a Deceiver false Accuser and Reproacher by their proper names For in Matt. 23. and John 8. see Christs Language to the Hypocrites of those Days so the Error was not in Christ his calling them so that were so but in those Pharisees there calling Christ a Deceiver and Devil when he was not so nor could be and for the most Holy and Zealous Christians amongst you that thou say'st had the like Names from us I answer if any under the Name Quaker called thee or any of thy Company otherwise than they in the Light saw true or could make good they were to blame but if any in Truth have declared your Inward Condition to you though under such Tearms you ought rather to repent than to kick and spurn at it in your hard Hearts for it will be hard for you to kick against the Pricks and for Spewing you may take that to your selves whose Throat is an open Sepulchre wide opened against all that are Holy and Zealous in Christ to separate from you and witness against your Deceit And so if those thou callest Holy and Zealous Christians amongst you together with thy self be weighed in the Ballance of Truth it will appear you are as far from that State as the East is from the West But I demand how thou knowest the Saints and Martyrs were not of our Perswasion and Practice for thou dost not judge with the Light that is Pure and Spiritual as is manifest nor see with a single Eye but only judgeth with thy Evil Thoughts and False Imaginations for we say in a few words that our Mind and Practice is to believe on the Name of the Son of God that true Light that Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World and to love one another and to labour to keep a Conscience void of offence towards God and all Men And I Read that the Saints and Martyrs were of this Perswasion and Practice with us and so we have a Cloud of Witnesses both Ancient and Modern of the Truth of this our way and so if thou hast Books that tell of other manner of Saints or Martyrs I deny both them and thee in calling them Saints who are not for the Saints of God and Martyrs of Jesus are one Body in all Ages not loving their Lives to death that so they might always keep to God's manifest Truth in them without denying it before Men and this is that which the Lord God hath wrought in us poor Despised People to the Glory of his Grace in this his day that no Flesh might Glory but as it is written Let him that Glorieth Glory in the Lord who alone is worthy Qu. 7. But in thy seventh and next Query thou thinkest thou hast gotten something against us because say'st thou we use to cry against you as Hirelings and that you would Preach no longer than People put into your Mouths but now say'st thou it 's manifest that many of these are ready to lose all for the Testimony of Jesus and to Preach the Gospel freely though it be in danger of Imprisonment Answ To which I answer and say That the Testimony of those thou scornfully callest Quakers against you stands firm and true for all these thy high swelling Words of Vanity for we know none of you Preaching freely as yet and the reason why you talk in the form you do it because you cannot keep your fat Benefices O Hypocrites What Whining and Complaining is there by you in these days for your Belly But for Preaching the Gospel you have manifested your selves to be Ignorant both of Christ and of the Gospel by denying the sufficiency of the Light which Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World John 1.9 and then put the Letter for the Light and so fight and strive with your Brethren about your form and several Imaginations of the Letter one cries up a Bishop another a Presbyter and both of you Ignorant of the true Bishop and Elder But John Reynolds would'st not thou and thy Brethren be at the Gain from your Quarter again if Common-Prayer could be dispensed withal Oh if you be brought into such a suffering Frame How is it that we have no more of your Company in Prison Nay nay your old Heart is in you yet and ye would be sucking Lambs Blood still if you had Power and that the God of Heaven sees and will take Vengeance on you for it and that which you cannot do with your Hands you are doing with your Tongues and Pens as is manifest But I have often said if you could Preach freely that is without a set or forced maintenance in the state where you are that would not at all commend you to God or his People For you have run and God never sent you and therefore you remain so ignorant of him and profit not them that follow you for when did Christ bid you go to the Universities of the World to learn him there And when did he bid you go to such a place and such a place and there sit down and Eat the Fat and Cloath with the Wooll and Preach the Thoughts of your vain Hearts as you have done and would do and be guarded by the Magistrates Power that none should speak to you in your high Places nor going nor coming from thence O call to mind the day of your fulness and of your Pride the same measure you mete to others is God measuring to you you must be broken to pieces because you turn not to the Lord for all this And to the despised thing the Light in your Conscience you must come and bow before it as others have done before you be healed and if it give you a word to speak you may speak it otherwise you must be silent or you perish The Lord is arisen and so if indeed you can kiss his Rod you may find Mercy but if you still go on justifying your selves in his sight you shall certainly moulder to nothing the Lord hath said it who is daily gathering his Lambs out of the Mouths of all Devourers Glory to his Name for ever But what Testimony of Jesus can you either give or suffer for who have so Vilified and Reproached the Spirit of Prophesie in Sons and Daughters in Servants and Handmaids in these Days For the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophesie And now all People I shall lay before you a little more the Condition
to do to compare your selves with Christ and his Holy Prophets You that deny the Immediate Revelations and Teachings of God's Infallible Spirit in these Days and instead thereof set up Schools of Humane Learning to make Ministers by O Hypocrites When will you give over perverting the right Ways of the Lord and leading the Blind into the Ditch You that love to be called of Men Master Greetings in the Market uppermost Rooms at Feasts chief Places in the Synagogues as the Pharisees did all which Christ dis-allowed What have you to do to compare your selves with Christ and his Prophets They are not Hirelings and Fighters and Pleaders for the Worlds Gain as you are And so tho' all that heard the outward Declaration or Sound of Christ or his Prophets Words were not Converted yet that makes nothing for you who have only a Sound and so Convert none to God But as I said before beget them into your own Images making them more able to Dispute against the Life of Truth than some others and so greater will be your Condemnation But now your Sheeps-Cloathing being pull'd off the Lord will be Glorified in his Power in the Conversion of many to himself without you For he hath rejected your Confidence and laid waste your Mountain and the Mountain of the Lords House is on the top of all your Mountains in this great Day of the Lord wherein in all the Children of the Lord are taught of the Lord and walk only in his Light which comprehends and teaches to avoid all the cunning crafty Ways of the Serpent and now not in your Congregations but in that Holy Assembly is the Swords beaten into Plow-shares and the Spears into Pruning Hooks and no War any more learned but under the Vine and Fig-tree all sit eating their pleasant Fruits and taking the Cup of Salvation and both Praying unto and Praising the Name of the Lord. But thou say'st we have Drunkards Fornicators c. among us as well as you and that they are with us at out Prayers if we have any and that they are not so severely dealt withal as yours are for thou say'st some of yours cast them out which we do not Answ Yea thou false Accuser such are cast out from us and from the Church of God and with us they can neither Eat nor Pray but with such as are Ignorant of Christ and the Sufficiency of his Light and know no Light nor Teacher but a Letter without as thou hast manifested in thy Queries they may both Eat and Preach and Pray and when you cast out Drunkards and Fornicators from amongst you you must cast out your selves for in that Nature you and all Hypocrites are and so some of you are Drunk with Wine and strong Drink and some with the Cup of the great Whore some in the outward Fornications others in the inward and some in both so that your Tables are full of Vomit and every Bed defiled amongst you And for the outward Drunkards and Harlots and such like though we cannot but reprove and cast them out in that State yet this we say of them that they may sooner enter into the Kingdom of God than you that judge your selves free and are not for you are so Painted and Conceited that it is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of Needle than for you to enter in and this makes your Wound more Uncureable for you neither enter in your selves nor suffer others And for those words in thy Parenthesis whereby thou questionest Whether we have any Prayer amongst us shows thee to be a great stranger to us and our Practice for Prayer with the Spirit and with Understanding we allow and are taught to practice and say with the Apostle Pray continually but the wicked Hypocrites the Lord rejects whose Prayers to God are Abomination and so it would have become thee to have said less of us and to have judged more soberly and moderately of us until thou hast known us better than thou hast done for thou hast little knowledge of us it seems by coming into our Assemblies but only judgest by Here-say and false Reports which brings thee under Condemnation and Shame when the Light now searcheâ—h all things but your Ways and Practices are well known to such as are now come from amongst you and so in that they cannot be deceived And now John Reynolds to proceed I see much of the Wisdom of God in bringing thee forth thus to manifest thy self in thy Queries and the next three Queries that follow do with those already mentioned fully manifest thy great Ignorance of the Reformation of things brought to pass in Christ for the Law had but a Shadow of the good things and yet thou stickest not to plead for it and so thou hadst need learn the first Principles of the Christian Religion which thou remainest Ignorant of before thou be a Christian thy self much more seeing thou takest upon thee to be Teacher of others but to set down thy Queries themselves or so much of them as is the substance of the whole Qu. 14. And thy fourteenth Query is Had not the Saints in Scripture-times their set places for publick Worship as well as we Had they not their Temple 1 Chron. 6. which Christ calls his Fathers House of Prayer and whips the Buyers and Sellers out of it c. Answ To which I answer You have indeed an outward Temple or House made with Hands to Worship in of your own devizeing the Old Popish Mass-house and so cannot be called the Fathers House of Prayer so well as the Jews was for the Temple at Jerusalem was made by God's Appointment for the outward Circumcision to Worship in during the Law as a Figure of Christ's Body to be Magnified and therefore he whipt Buyers and Sellers then out of the Figure as he doth now out of the Substance but you have not only the Enemies Nature in you but you have brought forth his Work into open view in your outward Temples also which were never Built by God's Command and so there is Buying and Selling amongst you as was amongst them as every Eye seeth For there you Men made Priests sell Words the Words out of dead Books to the People and they give you their Money Glebe-land and Tythes for them O filthy Merchandize The Lord hath shaken his Hand at your dishonest Gain and is whipping out such Merchants by his Powerful Truth out of his House and your dead Works which you sell at so dear a Rate in your Stone-houses which you call Churches shall no Child of Light ever buy of you For the true Bread of God his free Gift is now witnessed Praises for ever One sort of Merchant Priests sell their Sermons and Mass to the People for Money another sort their Common-Prayer and Sermons and the third their Sermons and Directory And thou John Reynolds pleadest also for Synagogues and Pulpits and when thou hast set down Scriptures that
thee who wilt not have it to rule in thee the Lord hath no respect nor to thy Offering So prize your Time O all ye Strangers to the Life of God and make supplication to your Judge Christ Jesus that Lights every Man that comes into the World for this is the condemnation that Light is come into the World and Men Loved and do Love their evil deeds and hate the Light for every evil Doer hates the Light saith Christ yea it is so whatsoever the Hypocrite the Evil-Doer with his Mouth may say to the contrary And all ye Children of the Light walk in the Light and be thankful for the Lord is Arisen in Mighty Power to Crown you with his Glory his Glorious Righteous Wisdom Holiness and Salvation he is come indeed to fulfil all his Promises in you and for you to the Glorifying of the Arm of his own Power and for your Souls endless comfort and why should any of you be afraid of what Man can do against you seeing you fear God and love the Children of Men and you are not of them that seek to destroy Mens Lives but to save them as much as in you lieth Arise Arise break forth into singing ye Sons and Daughters of the Heavenly King the Lord our Righteousness for thy Light is come and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee And thou shalt no more be termed desolate for thy Maker is thy Husband and thy Land is married indeed And thy Plants grow and thy Gardens cast a Sweet Smell Oh! Happy are they who Believe in thy Light and walk in the clear Sun-shine of thy Day No Stumbling nor ocasion of Stumbling is on thy Mountain nor in thy Valleys but on the Dark Mountains whereon the Haters of Christ walk is all the Stumbling of this present World Thou who art come in at the true Door Christ Jesus the Light of the World thy Kingdom is not of this World but is a Kingdom without End which cannot be shaken wherein dwels Righteousness indeed and thy Pasture is Fresh and green all the Year bong being wet with the Dew of Heaven yea in thy Happy Lot are both the upper and nether Springs and Bread of Life for evermore where rests with thee in the Purest Love thy Brother in the Joys and Sufferings of the Gospel Thomas Taylor In the 12 of the 6th Month 1669. A Message of Truth to Professors WO to the Teachers of the People that daub with untemper'd Morter and cry Peace Peace when the Lord hath not spoken Peace For the Lord speaks Peace to none in their Sins but they Teach for Doctrine That none can Live out of Sin whil'st on this side the Grave and so they Minister for Antichrist the Man of Sin and not for Christ who is without Sin in Gods Righteousness And he that keepeth Christ's Commandments dwelleth in him and he in him and his Commandments are not Grievous saith John And again He that is Born of Christ Sinneth not for the Everlasting Father of the Vnspotted Generation it he And herein saith the same John and all the Living Members of Christ is our Love made Perfect that we may have Boldness in the Day of Judgment because as he is so are we in this World But the Masterly Teachers of this world cry out O the Commands of Christ who is God are hard none can keep them we must â—ive in Sin whilst on Earth no Perfection here no Victory over all while on this side the outward Grave These have their Eyes abroad and Judge after the Flesh and the things of Gods Spirit are Foolishness to them The Grave of Sir 〈◊〉 lie dead in and know not the Resurrection from it and so 〈◊〉 norant of Christ who is the Resurrection and the Life And the â—â—r in such is shut as yet that should hear the Sons Voice whose Vâ—â—â—e raiseth the Dead O Foolish and Slow of Heart to believe all that Christ and his Prophets have spoken Doth not Christ say The hour is coming and now is when the Dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall Live For as the Father hath Life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have Life in himself John 5.26 And in another place He that Liveth and Believeth in me shall never die for God is not the God of the Dead but of the Living for the Dead cannot Praise him And And I will Ransom them from the Power of the Grace I will Redeem them from Death O Death I will be thy Flagnes O Grave I will be thy Destruction Hos 13.14 And again Ezek. 27.12 c. Thus saith the Lord God Behold O my People I will open your Graves and cause you to come up out of your Graves and ye shall know that I am the Lord and I will Place my Sanctuary in the midst of you for evermore These Words are Faithful and True and the Israel of God who are risen with Christ know them and in the Birth Immortal being passed from Death to Life do set to their Seal That God is a Faithful Performer of his Promises this Day For Life and Immortality is brought to Light through the Gospel which is the Power of God to Salvation in all that believe in God and know his Christ in them who is the Death of Death and Destruction of Sin and Life Eternal to enjoy Glory to his Name for ever And against this Living Faith and Quickning Power the Gates of Hâ—ll shall never be able no prevail But as any said before Wo to the Teachers of the People who Daub with Untempâ—â—ed Morter who look outward and judge of things according to the Flesâ— and outward appearance of things and plead for the Life of Sin during the whole time of Mans being upon Earth and look at the Grave without and Death without and so lie Dead in Sin and Buried in the Grave of their Spiritual Wickedness themselves and so leâ—d about a People filly as Women in Matters Spiritual laden like themselves with divers Sins and Lusts always learning but never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth For who know the Truth as it is in Jesus are set free by it For if you be set free by the Truth then are ye free indeed saith Christ This is more than all outward Knowledge and Profession to be so free as not to be under the Power of any Sin Lust Temptation Will of Man nor any of the Powers of Darkness whatsoever but Free as Christ is Free who is over all God Blessed forever But now that Christ is come to set up this his Holy Glorious Kingdom in the Hearts of the Children of Men where is this Faith to be found on Earth But the Multitudes of Earthly Professors cry the Kingdom of Heaven hereafter the Kingdom of Glory hereafter no Perfection on this side the outward Grave none can overcome or put off the Body of Sin whilst here and the