new Name Immortality which abideth for ever those I say speaking forth mysteries which men by wisdom cannot know though not my steries to the simple who lived or doth live in the wisdom of God but men in their own wisdom even sensual men who have not the Spirit going about to comprehend those things which they enjoy not they drowned their understanding and darkned their sight and so the eyes of their Mindes being blinded they of themselve wrest the Scriptures to their own condemnation But to my understanding and great is my mistake if the Spirit of God doth not bear me witness herein where the minde is staid in that Truth which is manifest plainly in and unto all men and be guided thereby in faithfulness and respecting nothing before that Obedience which is required by it surely therein God will be glorified for his Grace hath appeared to all men and he requireth no more than what he hath given onely Grace for Grace and he that abides herein needs not desire to dive beyond himself thinking thereby to apprehend that knowledge which is acceptable though in the sight of God accursed but in time he will witness a Comforter which will lead him out of the Spirit of this world into the beginning where all Truth is made manifest and when in joying the same Spirit and living in the same Life which the upright and true Servants of the Lord hath done then will those mysteries of God which are hid from the fleshly wisdom be made known Life and Immortality being raised to Light and so being staid in a sound minde the glory of the Lord will be seen to the peace of his and surely if the Lord please to reprove convince and correct the wandrings of such as are gone astray from him and have exalted themselves upon the Mountains being lifted up above all what is called God and guide them to wait thus upon himself there needs no fear but the blessing which he hath reserved for his Chosen even the eternal rest with himself shall be their reward Whereas it hath been spoken That I was not right principled in the way of the Quakers so called and that I had not a clear understanding of what their Ministery held forth I say deceit speaks in those who thus report of me for before I was perswaded to comply with them I had a right Knowledge of their Belief and Practise but the occasion by which I became to be lost in my Understanding and so distracted and confused in Mind may be observed in divers particulars before spoken yet for the Truth sake I shall discover the thing more plainer But first I shall speak a little of what condition I was in before I came amongst them Having been very zealously affected in divers wayes before there was begotten in me much fleshly wisdom in which my hope did much rest believing it was the mystery and wisdom of the holy Spirit revealed unto me by which I was perswaded that the true worship of God was a true endeavouring to live up to that Obedience which the outward Law required wherein I failed of what this Law required that Doctrine I was learned in continually laboured to perswade me that Christ which died at Ierusalem had perfected for me and so I was not under the Covenant of Works but under the Covenant of Grace Yet nevertheless all this time I could not enjoy a true peace but was greatly dissatisfied with my Condition sometimes being perswaded that I was out of the Faith a Reprobate a Cast-away being out of the Election and other times when covered over with deceit I should glory in my condition Now when being fully perswaded by what I learned from these People before named that the Truth indeed was to be found in us which Truth was made known by the Light in us which Light as it was spiritual if following it it would guide out of all the works of the flesh to the worshipping of God in Spirit and in Truth I was then to begin a new Religion and to lose all that ever I learned before all that Wisdom that Knowledge Faith Hope Love Zeal c which before I hoped in and so to wait out of my own Thoughts and Imagination as in Obedience to the Ministration of Condemnation which was to pass upon all that which was of flesh by which the Spirit was to be renewed and as Death passed upon the one Life was to be restored unto the other until a new Birth was brought forth from which would proceed the Ministration of Righteousness unto Holiness the end of which as saith the Scriptures is eternal Life My Understanding being now thus opened I was posfessed with much Joy in the sense of that Love I had received and was in hopes to enjoy and on the other side I was incensed with much Fear lest I should be careless and so lose my way in the Wilderness before I came to the Land of Canaan and also lest I should die before I witnessed the first Resurrection Whereupon I was resolved to give all diligence that my Calling and Election might be made sure but being naturally of a very hasty forward Minde and my Resolution in part being a Covenant of my own there was speedily begotten in me an extream fiery Zeal so that in the general I was hastily carried for the before the true Light by which in a short time I became lost in my Understanding and then being to seek in the wilderness the Disputer was raised to Life and so exalted it self mightily pleading the cause of his people upon which there was proclaimed a desperate War in which division the Enemy which was for Condemnation having darkned the Light of the Sun formed it self in the shape of a true Light and so deceit having gotten the power to bear rule in Israel my mind was led forth out of the true Obedience as is before related by which the simple became exceedingly deceived but when after it had finished his course and I was restored to a right Understanding it is known that no weapon formed against the Just did prosper but my Life was as a clear Light in the sight of those amongst whom I was known being guided in that Obedience which was professed by those people amongst whom I was This may reprove the Gain-sayer for my witness therein is true Such who may be dissatisfied with any thing contained herein might judge of me otherwise then they ought because of those hands by whom what I have written is countenanced I therefore declare that before any of them had the least knowledge of my purpose I had writ of my self being perswaded it concerned me as a Duty chiefly for those Reasons before spoken but when after some considerable time that this discourse was wholly perfected I was perswaded in what I have done that so such serious mindes as might question the Truth of any thing contained in it might the better receive a satisfaction Since my separation from these people there hath been dispersed abroad concerning me divers scandalous and false abusive reports by which where it hath taken place I am presented as a lewd person changed from whatever it is known I have been but unto the Truth am I made manifest by which Truth in me and in all those that thus have spoken and do speak against me am I justified which Truth is and will be the Condemnation of what is believed or spoken touching me untruly True since it pleased the Father to make known the excellency of his power in the raising out of nothing this body that the Image of himself amongst other of his works might therein appear compleat both in Body and in Spirit to the glory of himself and to the praise of his Name I say since the beginning of this Creation of God a disobedient Mind hath appeared in me against that Will that Grace which God hath as his Law made known in and to me and I have amongst others many times rejected the offers of Grace by the presumptuous resolvedness of my own peremptory will so that I cannot justifie my self yet am I bold wherein I am made free in the sight of God being witnessed by the Spirit of Truth False reports and good reports must pass but my Witness liveth for ever I know and have heard of many which were of them that were convinced in themselves of much delusion they lay under and so their Understandings being enlightned they were reformed in their Judgements but not one of these have I known or heard that have not received from them the like Judgement and scandalous untrue reports that have been given forth concerning me Wherefore by right according to their Law though false I must come under the same Condemnation with them But herein is my Peace the Word of Truth bearing me witness against all deceitful Lyes The end
understand That he did not witness a Command for the using of those Ceremonies though formerly in his own Will out of imitation they were practised by him but when he witnessed a Command then he should Obey Now being disquieted in regard of his perfect Separation from the Unity of Spirit which formerly he owned with us we parted at variance but after his departure being dissetled as touching them by what was spoken from him I went privately and examined with my self how I came to take them up and what it was that upheld their reign in me so finding that my will was the first cause I went to divers that were of us and contrary to my mind I held an Argument as though I owned those things which formerly with them I denied that I might learn from them what Reason or Ground they could declare to the destroying of my pretended Judgement so after examining the Scriptures much discourse I found not only some inclination of their Belief in respect of them but a real convincement in my self And so after a short time through the Mercy of God I came to see not onely a death of that extraordinary imaginary and devilish Spirit by which I was so extreamly deluded but also the weakness of that in me which through a Cloak of Righteousness debarred me of my living and conversing with men as I had done formerly in the way of my livelihood and now I affirm from the Truth of God manifested in me that through a slavish Fear that I was in bondage unto I was as others are kept in those Delusions and that there is no more sin in the not using of these Ceremonies than in the using of them provided that wisdom guides MUch time hath bin spent seriously in the Examination of every particular herein declared but the strangeness thereof might occasion many serious Minds to question the Truth of it but I solemnly affirm in the presence of the Eternal God before whom all things are manifest that with a clear Understanding in the sence of my Distress while under those Temptations and powers of Deceit I have endeavoured to make known the Truth in sincerity of Minde And the God of Truth beareth me witness That to my knowledge I lye not in any thing spoken also much of this might be justified by many Eye-Witnesses True it is matter of Admiration and also greatly might it be admired that the goodness of God should so far exceed the depths of Satan and the powers of Darkness as that the deceitful workings of this evil One should be made manifest and that by the discovery of his Grace through his abundant Love which alwayes rejoyceth in Mercy after so great an Apostacie from himself he should restore his own Heritage to the place of their abode and settle the Understanding the Minde and Affections of his lost Creature upon the Foundation-Rock which will abide when all things else must perish Praises to his Name for ever and all whose Mindes are united to the upright and faithful Obedience and staid therein let them say with me Amen Now since the Lord hath appeared so mightily towards me in restoring from the Death and in raising out from the Grave the Light of himself by which my Understanding is better established than before it may be judged acceptable and desirous to know what the Foundation of my Faith is now I say The Scriptures they do discover the Minde and Will of God and they are profitable to the edifying of all under what estare or condition soever but the Will of God is in part made manifest in all not only by what hath been learned from that Discovery of Truth in the Scriptures but where the Scriptures is not And by this invisible Law written in the Hearts of all Men are Men convinced of every secret Temptation which lusteth in them to evil if giving heed unto it and as this Law-giver in us is spiritual so that Ministration of Righteousness in us is spiritual and that Obedience which it requireth is in Spirit and in Truth by which those that give heed unto it are and may be guided out of all the Works of the Flesh above the Law into a possession of that Covenant which giveth Life and so witness a new Birth born of the Spirit without which there is no entrance into the Kingdom as saith the Scripture Except a Man be born again of Water and of the Spirit he cannot see the Kingdom of God and then will those Covenants be made manifest and fulfilled which saith Unto such who fear my Name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings and he shall turn the heart of the children to their fathers and the heart of the fathers to their children And ye shall be all taught of God from the greatest unto the least so that you need not say one to another Know the Lord. And I will write my law in their hearts and place my fear in their inward parts that they shall not depart from me c. Now where the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled there is God made manifest and so far as that Obedience which it requireth rules in man so far have they Unity with God But yet I do not say That the Scriptures are in the least to be disesteemed but great is the advantage of these who have them to assist in the wayes of God which guide to God For much was the profit of the Jews before the Gentiles in that the Oracles of God were committed unto them the Law the Prophets being made known to and amongst them which the Gentiles had not but now far greater is the benefit or if disobeyed the just Condemnation of those who have the Scriptures more plain to the edifying of them in the Way in the Truth in the Life which is of Christ and leads to himself than ever the Jews had before Christ was manifested in the world But surely greater deceit was never made manifest than is now the unclean thing having bewitched and darkned the Understandings of Men so mightily True it hath been his business alwayes to remove the Obedience required by God of Man and so disquiet their peaceable enjoyment that he might ingraft a rebellious Nature in or upon that Tree which God hath made on purpose to bring forth the Fruits of himself to make known his name in but now the subtilty of his workings are far more admired by them in whom he hath taken place than ever before for when before the will of God was so plainly discovered in the Scriptures to the view of the world as it hath been since Christ and the Apostles dayes much of that hold for his deceit which he hath now was not Those who lived by the Faith of the Son of God whose Habitation was with Christ in God who were exalted in heavenly places in Christ Jesus who witnessed Revelations in whom was established the Life of Righteousness that
The Foot out of the Snare OR A Restoration of the inhabitants of Zion into their Place after their bewildered and lost Estate by the Operation of a violent Power and Authority wrought in the Author by the Prince of Darkess under an Appearance of the brightest Light BEING A Brief Declaration of his entrance into that Sect Called by the Name of QUAKERS With a short Discourse relating what Judgment he was learned in by the Ministry of those People Together with the Revelation of a Spirit in himself Also what Desperate Delusions he was led into by yieldding a subjection to the Teachings of a Seducing Spirit in him under a shadow of the true Light and how this Body of Deceipt came to be destroyed With the manner of his Separation from them By me John Toldervy then Servant to Col. Webb Thus saith the Lord-God Behold I lay in Zion for a Foundation a Stone a tryed Stone a precious Corner-stone a sure Foundation he that believeth shall not make haste Wherefore hear the word of the Lord ye scornful men that Rule this People which is in Jerusalem This thy Brother was dead and is alive was lost and is found London Printed by J.C. for Tho. Brewster at the Three Bibles neer the West-end of Pauls 1656. TO THE READER FRIEND UPon a Presumption that thou art One whose Minde is in some measure fitted for Information and not of those who are Resolved into Self and Hardened against any Discovery which might effect to the enlightning of their Understanding where their own Weakness Fancy and Imagination hath formed it self in them which depraved Condition I sadly witnessed somtime to have been mine own At which time though any Person whatsoever yea were it possible to have been an Angel from Heaven that should have attempted me with any Information contrary to my Espoused and Indulged Fancy and Imagination I should have concluded such a Messenger and Message unresistably Accursed And through the depravedness of my Understanding adjudged it to have been the Spirit of God in me which had so concluded If this Discourse should come into the hands of any such Person or Persons as such there are too many I expect but little Fruit upon their accompt but they are by me pitied for as much as their Bondage and Captivity is Great and much to be lamented though the God of Truth can restore a sound Minde and a cleer Understanding unto such who by their own Righteousness under a seeming appearance of Self-Denial have made themselves Servants to other gods And when this power of God is made known that they might be Guided in one Worship of one God living in them indeed they shall admire and magnifie that gracious Arm by which they were made Free as I do this day and then this Discourse will not be unsutable or unpleasing unto them In the mean time to such whose Minds are Free and not Entangled I would give an Accompt briefly of the Matter but chiefly the Occasion of this ensuing Discourse together with my Intent and Scope therein though the subject Matter doth relate principally to the Persons who go under the Name of Quakers as being so distinguished amongst men and of the Effects which were wrought in and by me through the Guidance and Teachings of a Seducing Spirit in me under a pretence of Light yet is not my Scope to traduce the Persons nor to incense the Powers or Authorities Ministers or People against them For I know many of whom they are not known have abused the Truth by seeking to Defend themselves in that deceipt which that Spirit that is of God in them hath witnessed against by which the generality of men are through their misguided Spirits are already beyond measure bitterly incensed against them Touching the Occasion It is not unknown to many yea I say to many in and about this City of London That I was in an eminent way as a first Fruits of those who gave up themselves to those Wayes and Teachings wherein I profited not a little nor went I on with a slow pace But I confess such was the fire of zeal which burned within me that by it I was over-powered and hastily Acted forth without Knowledge I mean such Knowledge as was according to God but such as my Teachers held forth in some measure I abounded in as the Discourse it self will witness but the tendency thereof in the General was to Folly and Madness as I by sad Experience witness in my measure But God who is rich in Mercy through his great Love wherewith he hath loved me hath magnified the same in opening mine eyes and turned me from the Darkness wherewith I was bewildered and benighted even to Astonishment and Admiration Having opened my Mouth and put a new Song into it of Praises to his Name in despight of all those cruel denountiations of Woe and Plagues which have been pronounced against me even to Eternity since my departure and Separation from them by some of those who could once have put me into their Bosomes whom I nevertheless patiently bear within Love having better Perswasions towards them It having therefore pleased the Father to Rescue and Deliver my Soul out of this deep Pit and raised me up and set me as a living Monument of his Praise beyond expectation I durst not shut up in Silence the marvelous Wiles and deep Deceipts and Devices which the Enemy had upon me through which I have been carried and from whence through Mercy Redeemed that I might tell to Others how bountifully God hath dealt with me remembring me in my low Estate for his Mercy endureth for ever 1. To which end therefore that I might make known my Duty of Praise and Thanks to God for the Riches of his Love towards me as also to express my tenderness towards my Brethren my Companions in the Bond of Love who are environed in the same Circle and Maze kept in Bondage by their own misguided Spirits subjected to Lawes and Ordinances Ceremonies and Traditions of their own Inventing to which they are nevertheless in so great Subjection as amounts to Eternal Death and Wrath and Firy Indignation upon the Breath thereof Of which may be said Who hath required these things at your hands May not this be a Word in season to some by which they might be perswaded at least to Debate the Matter with their own Souls and to Consider where they are and who requires these things wherein they are so prepostrously Zealous denying themselves their Just and Lawful Liberty out of a slavish Fear but there is such a Resolvedness that I can scarce conceive that this might be successful to many yet the power of Truth can overturn all things which exalteth it self under a shadow of Good as being maintained by a Lye 2. That the Example of my Zeal and Forwardness of Minde without serious Consideration and Examination taking all for Truth affecting those Notinal Apprehensions which in that Way I was then
that it required I could not be redeemed and since that the Truth was made manifest if disobeyed no remedy I should be eternally damned Wherefore as I respected my Salvation this Redeemer was to work me and to dispose of me according to his will and whatever I willed was not to be done but to be crossed by my being subject to this Redeemer Upon which there arose a great Controversie in my Spirit of what stood in the will of man and what did not said one Spirit This is in the will when it was not on the contrary said another Spirit as to the same thing this is not in the will and so through fear I should always yield a subjection unto that Spirit by which I was limited and brought under bondage to do many things in my will against my will whereupon I became a destroyer of the will of God as touching that Liberty which was allowed me in the use of my Members either to speak or to act also in the use of those Creatures made for the service of Man and so as those former weaknesses which reigned in me through the darkness of my understanding came to be destroyed my understanding being not then well enlighened greater weaknesses as to the not enjoyment of my self did arise also as one imaginary being in me came to be overthrown there was begotten the like Being in another shape and by it was I wrought upon to believe many things by me undeniable and also led forth and acted from one thing unto another according to what followeth So believing that what was manifested of God in man was the Light of Life which was one with himself as it is written I and my Father are one by which was given unto Man a savory discerning of what was Good and what was Evil what was darknesse which darknesse was to be expelled by this light there remained therefore nothing for the Man to do but to stand in the Will of that which was pure in him and so by it he became a Judge of what impurity or the Law of Sin would act him in which sin the occasion of Death was to be swallowed up in victory that so only the light of life which is innocent might live there being nothing in Man for Death even as a King over-ruling all in subjection unto himself Whereupon was concluded that Man was the Cause of all this distraction and confusion in himself and so abstracted from this confusion was that being which made an appearance of holinesse in the minds of all professed religious People subjected under divers Forms Ordinances and Ceremonies which is a vapour it self and must die as the Ordinances were shaddows and are ceased but Man having lost the kernel the substance which giveth nourishment and satisfies he feedeth upon the dry husk and being not refreshed with the true Bread and Water of Life he remaineth alwaies seeking and never comes to know what is true alwaies feeding and never satisfied until he comes to understand where the Bread of Life is to be found which is in himself according as it is written I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and so eternal life living in us there needs no more thirst there needs no more hunger after Knowledge this is eternal life to know God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent But since there is much Mysterie recorded in Scripture it is concluded that the knowledge of those Mysteries is to know the Will of Christ and so the way to salvation yea it is believed that the knowledge of the Scriptures is to know God and Christ though it is spoken concerning Christ I am the Way the Truth and the Life And again it is written the Word is nigh you in the mouth and in the heart so that the Way the Truth and the Life is in us that which giveth Salvation But saith * Judas 's love being removed from Christ by the seducements of the Deceiver his understanding became lost and so his minde was driven out from God into the Earth Judas How is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the World But this Conclusion also proceeds from the evil one transformed in Man he being scattered very confused and darkned in his understanding covered as with a vail and so Satan as an Angel of Light moveth and leadeth forth to divers Duties which are his own for the upholding of his Reign in Man Also feeds Man with Wisdom and variety of pleasant Language called Gifts in performances for the upholding of his Duties by which sin being shaded over he is justified many being called failings but perfection is not to be attained in this life but in another life hereafter though it is written Except Christ be in you ye are Reprobates having rent the garments of righteousness ye are acursed being hipped up above the Truth and trampling the Blood of the Covenant the life of the Innocent in the dust so that if the Author and Finisher of our Faith be living in us there is perfection but if not perfection is not faithfulness being ceased Now the World was understood to be the Garden of Eden in which Man was placed at the first and still is and the Trees of this Garden all living beings proceeding out of the Earth living in and upon the Earth all which having their being of God the life of all things by somwhat of himself that proceedeth forth of the Earth God the Life who created all the Life from whence is received the increase of all It was also understood that Paradise was in Man where his delight should be where his minde should be stayed at unity with God who made choice to take up his Habitation and abode there himself with his increase the Family of Love and beloved Ones who were to be kept nourished and refreshed by Man 's living obedient unto the will of God in the same simplicity of Love and so at unity with this Family of Love the Seed of Israel Then was this understood to be the state in which all men were created and is now also the cause of his fall All men were made of nothing and still are as one Generation passeth away another Generation succeedeth by God the Author of all and so as one increase by him was brought to their end another increase was produced forth of himself according as it is written I kill and I make alive Therefore in the first Creation of Men they were made pure and holy without sin in the likeness of that God who was their Maker perfect for where no sin was there was perfection But Man when he came into a growth in the World he saw the excellency of that Provision of that Fruit prepared of God to be a nourishment or refreshment for him he began of himself by hearkening to the weaker being in him the fleshly minde to be discontented with that allowance which was sufficient
because of the tenderness that I had towards the Pure in me for in regard of the desparate case I was in I was tender of every thing that I speak or acted So the following day about the evening immediately there sprang forth of me thoughts so fast as one could follow the other without the least moving by me to think any thing then began the destruction of the body of sin and so those thoughts remained flying abroad in the Air every moment so fast as could be while about two or three dayes and then immediately as before concerning Thoughts there arose a speaking in my minde so fast as one word could be expressed after another so those Thoughts and Speaking in my minde continued every moment of time as I remember about two months and all along as time went away that Being which thought and spake sink'd deeper in my minde till in the end they were swallowed up in victory but from that time of a about two months they began to cease a little about one or two hours at divers times in a day and so as time came on they ceased by degrees while at last I could have remained an hour or two together without any thing in my Minde or the least Thought and in the end sometimes a whole day with very few Thoughts or any thing in my Minde then came I to witness a Redeemer from that body of sin that lived in me Now in the whole time of this speaking in my Minde and flying abroad of my Thoughts I laboured according to the teaching of my own Spirit to keep in my Minde for the destroying of these Thoughts and Speaking so by the power of that which was low in the Mind the Meek the Humble like as a Lamb and a Lion gentle and strong was the strength of this sin subdued and by that Light which saw it was there a fire kindled by which it was destroyed and burned up and the ashes blown away like chaff before the winde In all this time of the war every Member were Enemies against me whatever my Minde was taken with either in seeing in hearing in smelling in tasting in feeling what was minded by any of my Sences this evil One in me would be raising of Thoughts in things of the like Nature So almost a years time having been spent amongst these people with exceeding zeal in their way acted forth from such a Love that may not be expressed and very strict in the performance of every of these Ceremonies before spoken when being through rich Grace abundant Mercy in some measure restored unto the like enjoyment I had before I knew any thing of them through a great providence the Lord was pleased to enlighten my Understanding by the manifestation of what was according to himself in me compared with what was given forth from himself recorded in his Scripture the manner of which is declared following so that weakness which ruled and reigned in me and by which I was subjected to the performance of those Ceremonial Practises being made known by the Truth which abides for ever I was freed from the former Obedience by which as a slave I was kept in bondage through much deceit covered with a voluntary Humility worshipping therein I knew not what Whereupon there was occasioned a bitter envy in them against me so that with greatest violence they took to themselves that power of judging me to be a Judas a Betrayer of the innocent and that wherein I was separated from them therein was I joyned unto an Harlot which Harlot they denied giving me to know That the Plagues of God would continually follow me which Condemnation I must own for I was turned out to among the wilde Beasts in the broad way which way did lead unto eternal Death These and many such-like terrible judging Expressions were made known unto me by a noise from a Chief of them but forasmuch as the same Nature lived in me for a time by which I was not onely acted to judge all men that were not of us to be reprobated from the knowledge of the Truth and so accursed from God with what judgment followeth those who are in such a condition but I abhorred the very sight of Men so that I knew the ground in him from whence this judging of me did arise Wherefore I was minded to let pass what was spoken judging better things of him and that through the weakness of his Understanding out of a simplicity of Love to the Truth and good intents towards me was he thus moved to speak of me Now all this time of my being amongst this people I durst not declare any thing of my minde unto any but those of us or hearken unto any thing spoken by any which bear Testimony against any thing practised by us so that I came not to see what might be offered from any as an Objection against those Ceremonies looked upon as substantials in performances But afterwards seeing a Friend at the Meeting which was of us whom I had not seen for a time whose understanding was enlightned touching many things which formerly he was subjected unto though not known unto me So after some passages between us he began to speak somthing concerning those words Thee and Thou intending to bring me to understand what that was in me by which I was guided to the performance of them and being wary lest I should apprehend in him a dislike touching the using of them and so occasion a disturbance in me he brought his Discourse so about that it was required I should give an Information of what was manifested in me touching the Evil that lay in the not performance of them though not by way of Question So having examined with my self I gave him Answer That the word You did respect more than One But the words Thee and Thou were the true English words so that that minde by which the words were removed out of their places was the pride in Man which Nature stood in the Fall and therefore it was not to be fed but as though in a pretence of holding a contrary Argument He Discoursed with me for the word You and not the words Thee and Thou especially in some cases One ground of his Argument was Give no offence to Iew nor Gentile nor the Church of God all which kept the Peace to those that could bear them the words Thee and Thou but to those that could not the word You. So after some time of Discourse upon these words he spake in the same kind as though by contraries concerning taking off the Hat and civil Respect between man and man with the rest of those things refused by us but there being not a sufficiency in me to Answer what was spoken by him I told him That I was Convinced in my self and so I was moved from the Lord in what I did but could not make out to his understanding what was my Convincement Then he gave me to
in the way the Instruments by whom this Redemption was to be wrought how it was to be done and where which was in the man c. Also that the Scripture was not the Word of God but it was what was spoken from the Word by the Word was meant Life and the Scriptures were a Declaration from this Word of Life the Word was the substance from whence it was spoken and this substance the Word of Life was the measure of God manifested in man the gift of the Holy Spirit manifested in flesh made known in all that thereby they might be guided to profit in that obedience required of God also by which all the disorder in the Creation of man made by the flouds poured forth in man in that time of God's displeasure occasioned by his fall from God into the Lust was to be put into the same order they were at the first which was good by which Word the mountains were to be leveled all hills were to be cast down and the valleys were to be exalted crooked places were to be made strait and rough wayes to be made smooth every thing was to stand in awe before him the lofty minde was to be pulled down and all high thoughts and imaginations were to be burned up and these things being not done by the Word in you the pure Witnesses of God lie slain in your streets the house of darkness the house of bondage those Cities which spiritually have a relation to Sodom and Egypt and I was sent by God to declare against that in you by which you are blinded and so the Witnesses kept slain expressing with a firm confidence that searching of the Scripture was not the way to finde out the knowledge of Christ but the turning the minde to within there to be taught by the measure of God the Law written in the heart and so standing in obedience to it in time death being passed over all that sinned Christ would be brought forth which sin reigned from Adam till Moses even over all that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression Adam the earthly nature in man which prevailed with him to be earthly minded to love the Mammon of unrighteousness which death reigned over the whole man till Moses the servant of God which gave the Law to the children of Israel the seed of the Faithful by which they were to be guided to the Angel of the Covenant Christ and so witness the perfection which to know saith God is life vvhich life was manifested in him and he savv it the onely Begotten of God and from vvhat he had seen felt heard and understood in himself that vve also might have fellovvship did he declare these things concluding with a strict Charge in the Name of the living God that we turn to him the Rock whence we were hewn as we respected our eternal peace bearing record that he the God of life stood waiting ready to receive all that turn to him and having your faces Sion-ward go on bearing your Crosses joyfully for his reward is with him and his work before him So after about an hours discourse in things of this nature all spoken with a firm confidence mighty powerfully declared with so much scriousness that possible could be supposed to be far beyond whatever I saw by any man and using those words Thee and Thou barren of any Complement or whatever might be taken in them to please man they departed Now upon the consideration of divers things also the strong Ingagement laid upon us as we tendered our eternal happiness together with that bold undaunted confidence he had in the Truth of what was spoken all my former Knowledge my former Belief my former Hope being struck with a great Fear was immediately dashed in pieces they being taken to be earthen Vessels made by the Wisdom which was begotten of the * Self for the justifying of Self earthly Man and then coming to understand that they were of those People called by the name of Quakers together with what formerly I knew of them I became strongly affected with them divers also of the same Meeting at the same time being possess'd with the like perswasions Whereupon much love acted me to follow them very zealously but in order to a more perfect clearing of my understanding I remained a time before I complied with them or made my self known to any one of them in which time meeting with one whom I formerly knew to be a very serious true-hearted Man who was converted to their Belief and also subjected to their Obedience who gave me to understand that they were sent forth to preach the Gospel by the same Christ that the Apostles were and that the Person that Son of God which died at Ierusalem was not the Redeemer of Man from Sin but the Redeemer was in every particular Man that Light by which he was given to see Sin and enabled by it if obeyed to be redeemed from Sin which Christ had redeemed them perfect and now lived in them Lord of all things by which they were made the Sons of God and so what was manifested unto them by that substance from that substance were they moved to speak which was the same Holy Ghost by which the Apostles were endued sent forth enabled to preach the Gospel and declaring of them much to admiration how that sometimes in the night they were immediately commanded by the eternal Spirit to go forth and preach the Gospel also by the like command some of them were limited to fast from Food as I remember about twenty or more dayes together * And afterwards I knew some who fasted 30 or 40 days which was intended to make them willing and pliable to the will of God in the travel of their Spirit before they came to the Land of Canaan the rest of the new created Being or Work of God in them So he gave me to understand the next day of their meeting and the place where with earnest invitation to be there Now that I might have the Counsel of God in what I did as touching my uniting with them when I came home I went to Prayers and being mightily carried forth in that Duty very often before the time of their meeting I looked upon it as a sign which did make manifest the good pleasure of God in my closing with them so at that meeting three of the chiefest of them being Speakers whose matter and manner of preaching was more taking unto me than all the former but especially the powerful operation of their Prayer all which effectually wrought upon me whereupon my minde being established I was moved to make a confession of my self concluding with the owning of them in the presence of all the people upon which I became subject to the teachings of a Spirit in my self the which being believed to be the Christ of God the Redeemer from sin I was fully perswaded that if denying any thing in the least