A TESTIMONY FOR THE TRUTH And against DECEIT and DECEIVERS WITH A Reproof unto those who are not Faithful to the Truth which they are convinced of By Stephen Smith Isaiah 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed for their Envy at the People Verse 12. Lord thou wilt ordain Peace for us for thou hast wrought all our works in us Printed in the Year 1668. A Testimony for the TRUTH and against Deceit and Deceivers with a Reproof unto those who are not faithfull to the Truth which they are Convinced of FOr as much as it hath pleased the Lord in his great love and tender mercy to visit many who have been long covered with Darkness and drawn by the Subtilty of the Serpent working in a Mystery within and without in his Instruments from enjoying that Love and great Riches which is declared of in the Scriptures of Truth which should be revealed in the latter dayes in his Everlasting and Unchangable Covenant which Promise of the Lord many who had true breathing after him and could not be satisfied with feeding with Swine upon Husks but truly breathed after Living Refreshment and after that Bread which nourisheth that Birth which is Eternal and have delighted in the righteous Judgments of the Lord over the Enemy and Oppressor of Mans Soul through which Judgments the Love of God hath greatly been manifest having thereby brought to the knowledge of his Everlasting and Unchangable Truth to the exceeding great refreshment and satisfaction of the Souls of many thousands who have earnestly desired the same before the World and all its glory and having received the same in the Love of it and known Freedom by it in the Injoyment of the same do meet together as the manner and practice was of those who lived in the Fear and Dread of the Lord in the Primitive times so now in the pure Fear and Obedience to the just and equal requirings of their Creator whose Wayes are Equal Right and Just meets together to wait on him to the end they may be refreshed and fed with the same Bread of Life that so the Plant which the Lord hath planted may grow that so they may be changed from glory to glory till at length they may come to bear the Image of the Heavenly whereas formerly they have born the Image of the Earthly and those who so meet in the Spirit of Truth can truely say they never waited on the Lord in vain but do witness true refreshment from the God of Love whether a word be spoken in their Meetings or no so that they can truly sing in their Spirits of Mercy and of Judgements forasmuch as the Lord hath mixed Mercy with Judgments and hath not executed Judgment without Mercy in which hath greatly appeared his wonderfull Love to lost Mankind of which great and unspeakable Love there are this day to the Glory and Praise of his great Name even from his own Works thousands of Living Witnesses and hundreds have laid down their Lives in Nasty Holes and Stinking Prisons and many have been Banished and many have suffered cruel Mockings many thousands the Spoiling of their Goods whose Righteous Testimony through the Eternal Spirit of Love and Truth they have gladly born in this Day of Gods Power to the exceeding Comfort and Refreshment of all that are faithfull Followers of the Lamb but is and shall be to the astonishment of all who persist in their Disobedience against the Spirit of Truth and continue in their Rebellion against it and this righteous Testimony through all who are true Worshippers in the Spirit and Truth who are led and guided in all their wayes by the Spirit of truth being Sons and Daughters of the Living God so greatly beloved by him so that those that touch them in a wrongfull manner do touch the Apple of his Eye who created all things for his Glory and though his Mercy is great in not executing Judgement speedily but gives space and time of Repentance yet if they mind it not but let the Day of Gods Love pass over their heads that Terrible Voice they shall hear My Spirit shall strive no more let Flesh know that it s but Grass when the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it it shall fade as a Flower and that in a moment when his Anger is kindled which may be when the Worker of Iniquity is in the height of his vain glory and greatest boasting so as that righteous Testimony through all who are in the true Innocent Seed unto which all the Blessings and the Promises of the Lord are doth stand as a true Witness of the Lords great Love in this day wherein he is making known his great Power against all Workers of Iniquity and unrighteous Actions and deceitfull Workers who can feign and flatter with all sorts of debauched Persons and all dissembling Hypocrites Persons of unstable minds joyning with the cunning twisting twining Serpent in all its appearances in their earthly sensual and devillish wisdom being in the Adulterous whorish spirit degenerated from the Spirit of Truth holding a Profession of the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of Persons receiving honour and giving honour according to the Customs and vain Traditions of the World by which means they have no knowledge of that Honour which is from Above yet notwithstanding these great Abominations which they commit in the sight of the Lord and all them which lives in their faithful Testimony against them yet they lean upon the Lord and thinks there shall come no evil upon them but except such do speedily repent and turn from their Abominations and bow to the righteous Testimony of God in them which shews them the deceitfulness of their heares to the end they may above and before all desire a clean heart and a right Spirit that so they may be single hearted toward their Creator and all men which except that be known the Lord will send a day upon them wherein shall be weeping and howling and bitter Lamentation and their Torment shall be so great that in the Morning they shall wish it were Night and at Night they shall wish for Morning and many shall desire Death rather then Life So I greatly desire that all People would mind in coolness how it stands between them and their Creator and deal impartially with themselves for of a certain God will not be mocked but such as they sow such they must reap So all mind the Fear of the Lord which is to depart from Evil that so the Curse of the Lord may be done away and his Blessing known and received And those that comes amongst the Possessors of Truth who have heard the sound of it and so a belief is raised in their hearts that God is found by them that diligently seek him in the Way of Truth many there be that are thus perswaded and so frequent Meetings together with them
are consulting the mind being drawn from the Witness for God in their hearts by their wilfull yeelding to the Enemy of their Souls who is alwayes ready with his Baits to betray them who desires ease in the Flesh and whose minds are out in studying Arguments to keep them in the same the subtil Serpent being here at work to the end that the Creature may pertake of his Table for he knows that then they cannot pertake of Gods Table as the Scriptures of Truth declares so at his Table he hands out curious words in Prayers and hanging down the head like a Bullrush and with feigning and flattering words to all sorts of Deceitfull Workers and doth help to turn and wind with all sorts of Worship which the Beastly Nature sets up and so tells them there is Flesh as well as Spirit to be satisfied and that they must live in sin as long as they have a being here and to others whose natures be inclined to Lust he provides plentifull Dishes for them and others who are disposed to Drunkenness he directs them to Companions and opportunity and at his Table are variety of Dishes for the Covetous man or Proud High Heady Boaster Curser Ranter for all sorts that will come to his Table he hath curious Dishes in a plentious manner and in all these he promises content and satisfaction but as he ever was so he is and ever will be a Lyar for let those speak who hath fed most plentiful at his Table if ever they were satisfied but that the more they fed the more hungry they were let all all these forementioned and Gamsters speak for themselves and Thieves and Murtherers and the like But in some he works more in a Mystery and furnisheth his Table with curious words and so feeds them and decks them but alwayes at his Table he hath this Dish for all sorts of Professors and Prophane that they must live in Sin in this Life this is as it were a Chain by which he holds all that will believe so fast to his Table and then let them be as rich as they will in comprehending and getting into the Brain-knowledge the Scriptures and outward Learning so though the work grows so high in the Mystery of Iniquity that the Enemy of the Soul hath exalted himself above all that is called God and so makes a shew in fine Words and in long Prayers and in curious Arts yet whilst he can keep them in his Chain to his Table if they cannot have ease in professing in one Sect he will give them leave to profess in another Sect and if that will not serve he will give them leave to go into the profession of Truth it self and further to meet together with them in the Truth any thing but hearing the Voice of the Son of God and obeying which brings to the Table of God and so overthrows his Table to any thing but this his Chain will reach Now as to what is before those that have seen something of Truth and some trouble hath by reason thereof risen in them but for love of a little ease to the flesh such their minds being out willingly goes into the Devils Chain and so feeds at his Table where they are furnished with Arguments against the Spirit of Truth manifested to lead and to guide into all truth and so out of Sin which is the Devils Chain but being thus furnished according to their hearts lusts being in the Adulterous Spirit takes all occasion to speak evil of the Truth and them that are in it who are true worshippers of the Lord according to his Will in Spirit and Truth so the god of the World having blinded their minds an evil eye gets out and this watches for the halting of them who are in Truth and when the just hand of God is gone out in making manifest some who have been in the profession of Truth who have hardned their hearts against reproof till at length their hypocrisie and guile is made manifest on which they hereby take occasion to speak evil of the Way of the Lord and them that are in it the Enemy of their Souls giving them thereby some ease for the present but it lasts not long but the Fame of Truth is sounded in their ears again by the Witness for God within or else from those in whom in dwells without them then the Lamb riseth and gives torment again their Coverings be too narrow will not serve them neither shall they Wo to the Rebellious Children saith the Lord that take Counsel but not of me and that cover with a covering but not with my Spirit So all unrighteous Coverings which people of unstable minds are under the Wo of the Lord is against so what will become of them that are under them O that men would in coolness consider whose day of Gods Visitation in Love is not past lest by their often provocations he visits in his great Displeasure and says My Spirit is weary with striving it shall strive no more now for the sakes of many who have yet true Breathings after Living Refreshment and are willing to take up Christs Yoke and Burthen and to follow him that is meek and lowly in heart that so they may find rest for their Souls for their sakes I shall give a brief Relation of the Ministers of Christ and of the Ministers of Antichrist First The Ministers of Christ must know Christ and see him and believe on him John 6.40 But some will say Who is there that knows not Christ Doth not all that can read see what is writ of him in the Scriptures of Truth And is not that the Ghrist which you mean who suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem and the like Yes we do own the same Christ and that which the Scriptures do declare of him is true and we do expect no other but to know him no further then the report of him though that be true this is but a poor knowledge which the Workers of Iniquity have of all sorts that lives visibly in gross and manifest Sins and notwithstanding that knowledge yet live and abound in the same so that knowledge only though that as I have said be true is not sufficient to fit a man to be a Minister of Christ But saith the diligent Enquirer What knowledge then is necessary for a Minister of Christ To know him as he is the Mystery hid from Ages and Generations but now is made manifest to his Saints to know what is the Riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the Hope of Glory Collos 1.26 27. To know him as he is a Covenant given to the People and a Light to enlighten them manifested within them to give the knowledge of God and to know that he is the Light of the World and how he hath enlightened every man that comes into the World to know him to be the Word in the Heart and in the
that are in the work of Truth in a bare Profession of Truth never throughly given up to the end that Truth may be their Guide in all their wayes but comes and sits down with some reserve in their hearts which they covet to keep as Achan did the goodly Babylonish Garment which was appointed for the Fire but for so doing the Curse of the Lord followed him though his covetousness was a trouble to the Children of Israel for a time yet at length God made it manifest and so will the Lord do those who comes amongst Friends with a reserve in their hearts that which is appointed for the Fire they that covet to keep notwithstanding the many Precious Meetings they come to and hear their conditions plainly laid open to them yet still consulting with Flesh and Blood which will never yeeld that true obedience should be given to the Lord so cannot amend but continue in the same course of life for not taking heed to the Councel of the Lord nor giving wholy up to be guided by the Spirit of Truth such are not in the Way of Truth but sit down as dead Branches by those of the Vine but their Fruit doth manifest them for those that deals so deceitfully with their own Hearts how can it be expected they should be true to others so such becomes an ill savour to Truth as long as they continue so and a burthen and a trouble to them that are in the way of growing in the Truth but let them know who harden their hearts against Reproof and though they do come amongst them that lives in the Fear and Dread of the Lord and so meet together that they may receive a continual supply of the Bread of Life and enjoy the Presence of the Lord yet their so coming with a reserve in their heart they cannot profit by it So at length seeing they cannot bring the Way of the Lord to their way they begin to grow cold in meeting and so by degrees the Enemy draws out the mind and then gets room for his consultations and so perswades them to wait no longer but that all Places are alike and so at length some gets into the Mass-House with other silly People laden with sins ever learning and never able to come to the Truth and begins to perswade themselves or the Enemy of their Souls perswades them that there is little difference in the Declaration of the Ministers of Christ and Antichrist their words say they are all good and so begins to build Babel again having rejected that Love which did appear for their Everlasting good having chosen to please themselves in some small thing which they could not part with though no better then a Mess of Pottage for which many have sold an Eternal inheritance so with Cain they are in the Curse wandering up and down in that which is cursed of the Lord and not beloved of good men so the Lord hath dealt justly in making them manifest They went out from us because they were not of us but their reward will follow them And many others there be that comes to Meetings and hears Truth declared often and confesseth its the Truth but when they see if they come to obey they must take up a Cross to Flesh either in denying to fear man or else hazard of losing Goods and some their Companions and Acquaintance though it may be in iniquity and such like Baits the Enemy of mans Soul hath ready for that mind which is willing to catch at them to save that alive which is in the Curse so sometimes they come and sometimes stay away and then come again and the Enemy of their Souls gets a wound now and then but for want of giving up at length the Enemy begins to be whole again and so the Spirit of the Lord is grieved and quenched by degrees and the Enemy grows stronger and stronger and at length he gets these Reasons in the Creature because the Enemy knows many will not be satisfied without some plausible Reason so he tells many why thou art but a poor Creature or you are but poor Creatures and what can you do without power so here the willing mind readily catches at this bait and then when they are asked why they give not up O say they we want power O that I had but power to do so and so how joyfull should I be and such like stuff the Enemy furnisheth them withal who are willing to receive it and in the mean time slights the appearance of Christ the Light in whom Power is received by grieving and quenching his Holy Spirit of Truth in which is the greatest manifestation of Love that God could bestow on lost Mankind in making manifest his Son in their hearts for the redeeming them up unto himself out of their lost condition in the nature of Adam in the fall up into the Nature of the Second Adam which never fell but how is this Love of God slighted by those who thus wilfully yeelds to the Enemy of their Souls and rejecting the Lord who searcheth the Heart and tryeth the Reins and then say they want power and its true when people have given themselves up to the power of the Enemy whose nature is to do all the hurt he can they may well say then they want power to do good that being disesteemed and accounted of as a thing of nought having cast behind them the great Love of God in his Son and embraced something which the Enemy hath set before them as some glory in the World and the like but as he was alwayes a Lyar the Devil so will he be found in this for instead of giving them the glory of the World he is fitting them for Gods Wrath and Indignation that so when he is cast out of those of more upright hearts and more thankfull that he may possess those Swinish natures and so throw them headlong into a Sea of Destruction with others of the like bad natures of whom I shall say something Those are they which have heard and seen something of Truth by reading Books or speaking with some in the Truth whose words being accompanied with power proceeding from the Spirit of Truth they not having been able to resist but standing over them questionings and reasoning hath been raised in them concerning their buildings whether or no they be upon the right Foundation but that being catch'd too which shews them their conditions so plain that they have no assurance of their well-being but in doubtings and reasonings and fears through which secretly torment doth arise but their minds being from him that shews them their conditions which though it be the greatest Love that God could bestow on lost Mankind yet in that it brings a Cross to flesh seeing plainly that if they hearken to it they must forsake all their vain customs traditions of the world with all its Lusts Vanities these things not agreeing with Flesh Blood with which they
Mouth to know him to be the Reconciler unto God to know him to be the Anointing which is true and teacheth all things to know him to be the Spirit of Truth which is manifest to lead and to guide into all Truth to know Christs Flesh and what it is to each to know Christs Blood and what it is to drink it but some will say all this may be read in the Scriptures But by the way thought the words may be read in the Scriptures of Truth yet the knowledg of the Mystery which is declared of in those words is not attainable by reading them But because some are willingly ignorant and so desires to be rather then to have true wisdom in Gods Way and so stumbles at all I shall say a little concerning seeing the Son which is necessary for a Minister of Christ First To see him to be the great Love of God manifested to convince of Sin to see him to be the wonderfull Power of God and how that he died to the end that whether we sleep or wake we should live together with him to see him as he was manifest to destroy the Works of the Devil to see him to be the great Mistery of Godliness God manifest in the Flesh and much more might be said of the knowledge and sight which a true Minister of Christ hath but what hath been said is enough to satisfie the truly hungring and thirsting Soul but the full loaths the Hony comb But is this all may the upright-hearted say Nay they that thus have obtained mercy to have the knowledge of what is above declared must receive it in the love of it and this Love of God thus manifested in them they must give up to obey being his Everlasting and Unchangeable Covenant which is the Key of Knowledge manifested to rend the Vail and to break the Chain of Darkness and to open the Mysteries of the Scriptures of Truth and to give the knowledge of God whom to know is Eternal Life so Iniquity being taken away and Sin being purged through the knowledge of Christ who is the Power of God and God known to walk and to dwell in them through the Son of his Love who is Gods Righteousness as God hath said I will dwell in you and walk in you The Eye of the Understanding being thus opened and the Revelation of Christ being daily witnessed to fit and to furnish them with Wisdom from above to speak a word in season unto all conditions being thus filled with the Love of God and his Glorious Appearance a constraint lying upon them through the Power of God that dwells in them and from the great Love of God in the same such cannot be silent nor eat their Morsel alone but the Love of God doth constrain them who have Wives and Children and Estates and several others that have no Wives and Children to leave their Callings and several Imployments and go abroad as Sheep among Wolves to declare this great and unspeakable Love to the end That People may be turned from Darkness to Light and from Satans power to the Power of God that others may partake of the same Love of God in his Son Christ Jesus with them But for this their love how Barbarously and Cruelly they have been used many having finished their Testimony in Nasly Holes and Prisons and other great Cruelties which would be too long to relate so these thus furnished with the Love and Power of God and being obedient to the same being Learned men in the Book of Life these are not to take with them Scrip nor Purse so as to be carefull of Earthly things but as they have received freely do minister freely but into what house they come where this great Love is answered in the same Love of God in measure what things such set before them for necessity they eat and drink and the like seeing it comes from their Fathers Love but when they come into a place and cannot see in the Counsel of the Lord that that Love is answered in which they come there they cannot receive though in never so much necessity True say some these are fit Qualifications for a Minister of Jesus Christ but be there any such now adayes How dost thou know them Yes I do testifie as thousands beside my self are ready to give the same testimony that such Ministers qualified as before mentioned there be many in this Day of Gods Power But how do you know may some say I answer By turning us to the great and unspeakable Love of God manifested in our hearts which shews us our conditions how it stood between us and our Creator as it had done long before but we knew not that this was the appearance of the Son of his Love till those who had tasted handled seen and selt the powerfull working thereof told us but told us also the first step must be through Judgment so a belief thereof being raised and a clean and a perfect obedience yeelded to it we in time found its power in us opening the Eye of our Understandings and revealed the mâ—n of Sin and so came the knowledge of the Spirit of Truth to be revealed in us and by it we had a sight of the unfruitfull Works of Darkness without in his Instruments and the sight of the Spirit of Truth and those that were Ministers of it But notwithstanding this Testimony if some should be hard to believe let such deal so ingeniously with their own Souls as to go and hear and try with a single heart and hold fast that which is good and this is desired to the end that others may be partakers of the same Love of God and of their assurance of their being reconciled unto him through his Son to whom be glory for ever Now there being a necessity that the Ministers of Christ should be qualified as is before mentioned the Ministers of Antichrist may be easily known but for the sakes of such aforementioned I shall lay down some marks of them First They are such who never knew the Son of God in the Everlasting and Unchangable Covenant manifested in them so not learned men in the Book of Life but are alienated from the Life of God through the ignorance that is in them not knowing him manifested in them who is infallible but in their fallible wisdom by the Art of Tongues gets the Prophets Christ and the Apostles words and something out of Heathen Authors and so in their vain imaginations patches up an hours Discourse and so for the love they have for their god which is their Belly they sell their Art at as dear a price as they can for several hundreds by the year some for more and some for less but all as dear as possible as I heard a Priest say once if it were not for Tythes who as would should preach for him but this being so well known to all that its alone for their god which is their Belly that
their Mouthes is opened there is little need to speak of that these being Sayers but not Doers so not accepted of God these are they which run and are not sent which speaks a divination of their own Brain so not like to profit the people you may read of them at large Ezekiel the thirteenth read the Chapter from such Priests and Prophets as these is Profaneness gone forth in all the Land read Jeremiah the twenty third so they are sufficiently markt out in the Scriptures of Truth But some say we know all the Priests now adayes are bad enough and the smoothest of them preaches for filthy lucre sake but they speak good words so we may do as they say and not as they do O foolish People is it not because you love such easie Prophets who speaks peace to you in your Sins that you thus speak have you not heard what the Scriptures of Truth sayes Do men gather Grapes of therns or Figs of Thistles By their Fruits you may know them Should we not count him a very Fool that should go look for Figs on Thistles or sweet water out of a bitter Fountain What if they should say the Lord lives that is a true saying to them which knows it in themselves but it s a Lye to them who say it and knows the contrary in them but these Priests which Peach for Hire cry Peace to men whilst they put into their Mouthes to the end their god may be supplyed which causes and constrains their Mouthes to be open but in case you deny to put into their Mouthes then Demetrius like prepares War crying out we have a Law and if you wont pay we will make you pay But by the way what compulsive Law of man doth Christs Ministers use or were they to use prove any such thing in the Scriptures of Truth that they were to compel any man to give to them now if God hath appointed no such Maintenance by his Righteous Covenant and Law Is it not stealth in his sight to compel and take that by mans Law which God hath not appointed in his Law Look about you Priests for the Righteous Judge will sit in Judgment and to the Lambs Bar to give an account you must come and then the twisting Serpent will stand you in no stead but all things will be laid bare before you what esteem you have had of your god which is your Belly for the serving of which how have you yeelded unto the lying Spirit and so like Ahabs Prophets perswaded instigated many to go on in Persecution though to their destruction Have you not told the Magistrates that the Quakers are Ring-Leaders of Faction though you never come to their Meetings nor never examined the cause why they dissented from you nor never heard that they went about to disturb or molest any of their outward injoyments but barely because they bore a faithfull Testimony against the twisting twining Serpent the great Enemy of mans Soul which Spirit of Error your god cannot be served without so a great stir and ado you make in being Instruments of casting into Prison haling and tearing away the Goods and the like from those who lives in the Fear and Dread of the Lord God Almighty and in peace with men though in enmity with the Serpent the Enemy of mans Soul so the innocent blood which hath been shed in Nasty Holes and Stinking Prisons cries aloud unto the Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth who is Lord of all who created all at his pleasure and can destroy all in the same those that be innocent out of the revengefull spirit have committed themselves and so cannot use any compulsive way with Weapons that are Carnal but in plain Demonstration and Power of the Spirit of Truth and their innocent Cause to the Judge of all they have committed to be cleared in his will and time who will assuredly do it But further to clear that you are the Ministers of Antichrist if notwithstanding what is declared any yet be in doubt Hearken what Christ saith to the Wicked I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye cloathed me not sick and in prison and visited me not Then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirsty or a stranger or sick or in prison and did not minister unto thee Then shall he answer them saying Verily I say unto you inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me and these shall go away into everlasting punishment Matth. 25. In the same Chapter he shews the Righteous mans love and his reward and how did they express their love to Christ Did they do it in speaking great words of his Name No as you may read they visited his Brethren in their necessities so mark by the way there were Righteous men and now are though the Ministers of Antichrist for their gods sake would have all err and stray again from the Lords way but the Pearl for which they have sold all and bought is of more value then so but since Christ hath Brethren are not they them which are led by the Spirit of Truth and if people be given up to obey it will it not lead them out of the Spirit of Error If so then must they not depart from your wayes who are in the Revengefull Spirit Well then since those that are led by the Spirit are Sons of God as the Scriptures of Truth declare Rom. 8. and Heirs with Christ for he that sanctifieth and them that are sanctified are all of one wherefore he is not ashamed to call them Brethen now since there is such a unity between Christ and his Followers Shall it avail them any thing who call upon Christ yet persecute so near Relations as his Brethren And since those that visited them not in their necessities received such condemnation what will become of you And you Generation of wicked Doers who have been the cause of the Imprisoning so many of Christs Relations where several hundreds have laid down their lives for their faithfull Testimony against you because of your Adultery from the Lord and his Worship which is to be performed in Spirit and Truth and have set up worships according to your own hearts Lust and because of the Lords Patience and Long-suffering and great Mercy how do you harden your hearts against Reproofs and for good return evil and so go on scoffing and mocking well though the Lord hath exercised a great deal of patience it s my belief it will not last long but he will execute Righteous Judgment and plead the Cause of the Innocent who hath committed all to him with Praises and Glory from his own Works for ever The 21th day of the 11th Moneth 1667. Stephen Smith THE END