rewards from any man which is given freely into the world and it ever was and is persecuted by the generation of the unjust and by the powers of the earth he that comes in the Fathers name cannot be received of the world but the world is at enmity against it in this generation as ever was it converts people unto the knowledge of God and many did and many doth receive the knowledge of God thereby though some thereby be hardened against God unto destruction and the word of the Lord and the Ministry returns not in vain unto God but all by it are left without excuse the witnesse of Christ in every creature being reached to which gives testimony to the power and to the truth of the Ministry of Christ but the false Ministers and Ministry are not such for their Ministry is received by naturall learning and arts and is not the gift of the Holy Ghost but stands in the wisdom of mans words and not in the power and life of God it profits not the people at all neither doth any come to the knowledge of God thereby neither is turned from darknesse to light but Teachers and people continues in the power of Satan and in the unconverted estate the witnesse of God not reached to to bring to the understanding of things which are eternall but people are ever learning by it and never coming to the knowledge of the truth but the blind leads the blind and like Teachers like People all out of the way given to iniquity and unrighteousness and such are they who preaches for hire and divines for money and seeks for their gain from their quarter and through covetousnesse by feigned words makes merchandize of souls going for gifts and rewards and reaching for filthy lucre having setled places and so much a year these are not the true Ministers of Christ but false Ministers of Antichrist and deceivers and was never sent of God and do never bring any to the knowledge of God and such we bear witnesse against to be of the Devil and that for many generations the world hath been deceived by them who hath had the form of godlinesse but not the power and Christs words and the Apostles words without the life and they have served themselves and not the Lord Jesus but now they are made manifest with the true Light which approveth the Ministry of God and disapprove such who are Ministers of Antichrist and all that are in the light and walks in the light can receive this testimony which is given by the Spirit of God to that Ministry which is sent of him which doth fulfill his will and against the false Ministry which is not of God which runs and was never sent of him CHAP. XII Concerning the Gospel of Christ this is my testimony unto all the world THe Gospell is the power of God and it is sent of him into the world to reconcile people unto him that have been in the enmity against him it is peace to the poor in spirit and judgement to the fat and to the high minded and it is to be preached to every creature male and female under Heaven without respect of Peoples Nations or generations it is the manifestation of the love of God to the whole world togather people out of all unrighteousnesse into the living way of life peace and truth to walk with God in purity and holinesse and to deny the world and all its waies and works and worships which are evill and by it some are brought to God and to salvation and life eternal and some through it are hardened against God that they may be destroyed and condemned who are reprobates and believes not in him from whom the Gospell comes and it cannot be received by any other way or means than by the revelation of Jesus Christ in the hearts of his people and many have the letter which knows not the Gospell nor hath received it and this Gospell which is everlasting have we received from God and this is the sound of it which we give in the world unto the world fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgements is come and this is the everlasting Gospell of salvation he that can receive it let him CHAP. XIII Concerning the word of God and concerning the Scriptures this testimony I give unto all the World THe word of God was in the beginning before any creatures were made and by it all things stand and remain unto this day and the world endures for ever and by it all things in Heaven and in Earth are brought to pass which God doth and it is from everlasting to everlasting without beginning and without end and the word is powerfull dividing and discerning all things even the secret thoughts of every mans heart it is a two-edged sword and as a fire and like a hammer to cut up to burn and to beat down the word of the Lord reconciles man again to him and this word is in the mouth in the heart and the servants of the Lord handled tasted saw and felt the word of life and from it spoke sorth the Scriptures as they were moved by the Holy Ghost through the eternall Spirit and it is a declaration of the word of life which was in the beginning and endures for ever and it declares what the Saints received believed and enjoyed and none can understand it without the same Spirit that gave it forth and to such who have the same Spirit the Scripture is profitable the Word of God which was in the beginning and which endures for ever is not the Scripture which was not in the beginning neither can it endure for ever but the Scripture testifies of that word and that word witnesseth to the Scripture and they are not contrary one to the other but gives witnesse each of other but many hath the Scripture that hath not the Word neither knows it but they that have the Word cannot but own the Scriptures and this the truth as it is in Jesus testified to all the world by us who doth deny them that hereof gives any other testimony CHAP. XIV Concerning the Devill and Damnation this testimony I give to all people THere is a Devill which is out of the truth who abode not in the truth but is a lyar from the beginning and the Father of all evill and evill doing and the author of all unrighteousness and whatsoever is contrary to God in thought word and action he is the enmity against God and against all good and by his power subverts creatures and things to another end than wherefore they were created even to the dishonour of the Creator he is the god of this world the Prince of darknesse and he rules King in all the children of the first Adam who are in evill he was the cause of the first transgression and is the cause of disobedience to God to this day in all people who are led by him moving
and all things have been out of good order Kings Princes Rulers Governments Laws and Decrees have been corrupt and not right in the sight of the Lord oppressions tyranny and vain-glory hath abounded in the Nations and justice and true judgement have been neglected and mercy and truth have been strangers and the world hath been filled with violence and the whole earth stained and polluted with oppressions unjustice and cruelties and the cry of poor hath not been heard every one hath sought themselves and not the Lord not the good one of another the Kings and Princes of the earth have not been perfect nor upright before the Lord but vain-glory hath abounded and superstitions and idolatries have reigned over them and unrighteousnesse hath abounded and self-seeking and they have risen up one against another in quarrelling and destroying one another and to gain one anothers dominions by craft and Policy and strong hand and the poor hath been oppressed and troden down and thousands of thousands destroyed to fulfill their wills and lusts and the pride of their hearts all this hath been evill in the sight of the Lord and his soul hath been weary with it by the destruction of his creatures one by another even Rulers Teachers and people have all been out of the way and subverted from that wherein God hath pleasure and the Prince of darknesse hath ruled in his dominion swaying all under his Government and even all things both of civill and spirituall concernment hath been on t of the counsell of the Lord Oh what cruel injustice and tyranny in civill Government Oh what abominable superstitions and idolatries hath been in supposed Church-Governments it s a vexation to the Spirit of the Lord to consider it and the righteous soul hath long cried out and mourned under it and because of this is the Lord of Heaven and Earth now arisen to overturn to overturn Kings and Princes Governments and Laws and he will confound and break down all tyranny and oppression under which the poor hath groaned and he will change times and laws and governments there shall be no King ruling but Jesus nor no government of force but the government of the Lamb nor no law of effect but the law of God all that which is otherwise shall be ground to powder the Kingdom of the most high shall rule amongst men and the Kingdoms of this world shall be changed and shal become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ and the Lord shall be known in the earth to be the God of truth of righteousness justice and mercy and truth shall be exalted and true judgement shall be set up in the Nations and the worship in spirit and in truth shall be established for the Lord is gathering his numberlesse number to stand before his throne without guile in their mouth and without fault before him CHAP. VI Concerning mans Restauration Redemption and Salvation what they are and by whom they are wrought this testimony I give unto all people MAns Restauration is a repairing and giving again that which he hath lost by transgression and Redemption is a recovering and a winning again and setting free from that wherein man hath been held even all the Sonnes of Adam because of disobedience and Salvation is a saving keeping and preserving from sin and death and disobedience and all the waies thereof and also a saving from wrath and misery and condemnation which are the effects thereof and by the Son of God Christ Jesus is all this wrought manifested and witnessed and Restauration Redemption and Salvation is onely in Christ Jesus the second Adam and not in any other and it is wrought by him and by no other and they are the free gift of the Father unto the sons of men no way purchased by the works of the creature or desert of him but are freely given unto the creature through the power and wisdom of the Creator and only by Jesus Christ the Son of the eternal God and by the eternal Spirit are they witnessed in all that believe and through the word of life are they handled tasted seen and felt near at hand in power and not in words onely Many professes them in words and what others enjoyed of these things but hath not felt in themselves the working of the eternall Spirit neither hath the witnesse in themselves of being restored to God again and of being redeemed by him from under the devils power neither are saved by Christ from sin and transgression and so are not nor cannot be saved from condemnation and wrath for who abide in their sins and in the state unreconciled to God hath not any part or portion in these things which belongs to their peace and without the knowledge of which by the working of the eternall Spirit all mankind is everlastingly miserable CHAP. VII Concerning true Religion and the true worship of the true God this testimony I give unto the whole world THis is true Religion to be kept pure and clean from all evil and from all that which would defile in the sight of the Lord and to walk in his fear in all things this is Religion to do good and to do no evill and to speak the truth and to do the truth in all things and to do unto all men as a man would be done unto and to love God withal the heart and the neighbour as self and not to love the world and waies and pleasures of it nor to use deceit in words or actions this is true Religion and the true worship of God to be led with his Spirit in all things and to be guided in the truth at all times on all occasions this is acceptable and well pleasing unto God above all words and outward conformity and set times and daies and observances for the worship of God is not in these things but is without respect of daies places or things this Religion and worship stands in Christ Jesus the second Adam who hath lighted every man that comes into the world that all men through him might believe and by him have their consciences purely exercised towards God and towards man in all things whatsoever and this is our Religion and worship of the true God he that can receive it let him CHAP. VIII Concerning Iustification and Sanctification this testimony I give unto all people JUstification is freely by Jesus Christ in the sight of the Father and not by the works of mans own righteousness and such as are taught by Christ and guided by him in all the waies of truth and righteousness are justified by him and none else not in any word or work whatsoever but in what they are led to fulfill by him and it is the new man that is justified and not the old he that is born of God and none that are born of the flesh such cannot please God neither can such be justified by him for they are not taught of him nor saved nor restored nor
all them to envy wrath pride whoredom drunkenness theft and murther and all the works of darkness sin and death he is the fountain and root of all these and the leader and ruler in the exercise of them and of every evill word and work whatsoever which are contrary to God he abode not in the truth and he hath led all mankind out of truth into all deceit and unrighteousnesse and into every evill way and he dwells in darkness and inhabits in thick darkness and is out of the light and is separate from the presence of God for ever bound in chains of darkness and ignorance and unbelief and he hath power in the earthly part of man and a law in the members and he possesses him that is born of the flesh his covenant is with him who is not born of the seed of God who cannot sin such are in covenant with God and renewed into his image but such as are not hath the Devill power in to captivate and lead their minds into vanity and their affections and desires into all that which is evill by which the Spirit of God the Creator of all things is grieved and his soul vexed and all murther and deceitfull works of the world and all whatsoever is contrary to God in words thoughts or actions is of the Devill that wicked one and from him and all that follow his movings and worketh evill thereby they serve him and obey him he is their God and their King and they are his people and his subjects he is their Father and they are his children he is their root and they are his off-sprign and brings forth fruit unto him and serves and worships him and not the true God that made all things and all such must be cast into utter darknesse with him and shall have their portion with him in the bottemlesse pit of darknesse for ever and ever where there is no end of woe and sorrow and misery for in the anger of God there the worm dies nor nor the fire is not quenched and out of that there is no redemption for the unclean and all such who are led of him who is out of the truth and in evill are judged and condemned and damned by him who is the truth who judgeth righteously and as he hath not ceased to work evill and to draw the children of men into evill for he continually tempteth to lead from God into rebellion against him And they that are led by him are destroyed and he shall not cease to sorrow woe and misery for ever as he hath not ceased to work evill he liveth and moveth in the anger of God his beginning was in it and all his works are in it and it shall be the reward of him and all that obey him in the separation from Gods everlasting presence for ever and ever CHAP. XV Concerning all creatures that God made this testimony I give unto all the World ALL creatures that God made in their creation and beginning was very good in his sight that made them and unto man that was to use them and no creature was evill or defiled in its creation but mankind transgressing against his Maker he became evill and did evill in the sight of the Lord and he being possessed with evill and corrupted he makes all creatures evill in his exercise of them and he corrupts them and perverts them to another end than wherefore they were created and by the creatures dishonours the Creator who should have honoured him by them and they are become a curse unto man and not a blessing though in themselves are neither cursed nor evill nor defiled but is become so unto man because of his transgression and disobedience for he being in the curse and defiled all things are so unto him and in his exercise of them he is wicked abusing them upon the lust to satisfie his devillish mind and ruling over them in oppression and cruelty and hard heartedness and not in the wisdom of God as he ought and he subverts them out from their pure vertue feeding his lust in pride and voluptuousness with that which should keep him from hunger and nakednesse and so pleasing the lust in all things more than satisfying pure nature and this ought not to be for it is out of the covenant of God in which all creatures was made and in which they stand except the creature man who is degenerated out of Gods covenant and subverts all things to his own end and not unto the glory of God while he continues in that state unreconciled to God but man being restored and redeemed and renewed again into covenant with God through the condemning of the evill then all creatures to him are restored and made blessed the curse being removed out of his own heart the creatures are no longer cursed to him but good and decent and enjoyed and received in the covenant of God in the life and vertue by which they were created and by the wisdom which they were made man comes to order them and exercise himself in them and no more are they spent upon the lust nor on the vain mind nor ruled over in oppression but all that is condemned and all creatures are seen to be the Lords and the whole earth is his and the fulnesse thereof and the abuse of all creatures is ceased and they are enjoyed in their pure vertue to feed and to cloth the creature and not to be destroyed upon the lust but for the healths-sake are they used to the glory of the Creator and unto the end wherefore he created them and are pure as they were in the beginning and the blessing is felt which is more than all creatures CHAP. XVI Concerning the new Covenant and how man comes to the knowledge of God this testimony I give THe Covenant of God is unity betwixt God and man and a binding each to other to serve each other the one is bound to obey and submit and worship and the other to blesse and keep and lead and preserve this Covenant is established with his own seed for ever and there is no teacher but God all is taught of him from the least to the greatest who are in this Covenant his just Law is written in their heart to condemn all transgression and his pure Spirit is put into the inward parts to be the rule and guide of life in all things and none need to say know the Lord but all knows him in the Spirit and worships him and obeys him and follows him in spirit and in truth and such are come into peace and reconciliation and God and the Covenant with Hell and death is broken and in this Covenant there is no Priest nor offering but Christ Jesus the high Priest of God the one offering for sinne he takes away sin and makes intercession and in it is no temple but our bodies are the temple of God and he dwells in us and walks in us and there is
sake and because of being guided or not of being guided with the measure of Gods pure Spirit Therefore is man and his works good and accepted or evill and not regarded but condemned of God CHAP. XIX Concerning mans state in the first Adam before conversion and his state after conversion and what conversion is MAns state in the first Adam in transgression is a state of perfect enmity against God and death reigns in every man and he is possessed with blindnesse and ignorance and unbelief and is wholly imperfect to receive the things of Gods Kingdom or to act any thing for God acceptable to him man in that state is wholly dead to God and insensible of the presence and power and life of his Creator for he is drove from God and is not led by him he hath no power to perform any good in the sight of God but is possessed with evill and led into all evill continually hee is free from righteousnesse and free to all evill being the servant of the Devil and subject to him and overcome of him every moment and is led by him to transgresse against the Lord his heart is unclean and out of it proceeds continually uncleannesse in all manner of words thoughts and actions which floweth out of the corrupt fountain which grieveth and vexeth the Lord and his Spirit who is dishonoured daily by man through his abuse of Gods creatures who is a devourer and destroyer of them and not a preserver as he ought to be who abuseth them upon his lust and not to the glory of the Lord he loves the creature and worships the creature and is gone a whoring after the creatures and hath forgotten God that made him and all things and hath lost his own dominion wherein hee was set in his Creation and his state in his transgression is cursed of God and without the peace of God it being in the enmity against him and in all things he is wholly unprofitable to his Maker and onely profitable to himself and to the Devill and this in short is the state of every man in transgression before conversion but his state after conversion is a state more blessed for man is changed and renewed and translated by the power of the Lord through the working of the eternall Spirit through conversion his mind is changed and his heart is renewed the old is done away and a new heart is given and all things are become new even every word and work and every intent and purpose of his mind is converted into another end and guided by another spirit than before his conversion and man is again returned to God into the sense and feeling of his Maker and into covenant with him where he is blessed and all things to him for the reconciliation is made with God and the evill is judged and condemned and sin is taken away and blotted out and not remembred for man is become servant unto God and onely serves him in all things and not himself or any other creature in any thing for he hath received power to become Sonne to God and hath received power over the Devill and his temptations and death is destroyed and the effects of it are ceased and the sting of it is taken away and life and immortality is brought to light and man is made capable to act in all things for the glory of his Maker and God hath made Christ wisdome to him to rule him and guide him in all things and righteousnesse to cover him and justification to him to clear him in his sight and the new man is brought forth and the creating in Christ Jesus unto good works is known and the birth which is heir of Gods Kingdome is witnessed and unto this man is the Lord become an everlasting light and a sure hiding place for he is not the servant of sin but of righteousnesse nor an offence to God in any of his works but for his names sake is well pleased with him he is his teacher in all the waies of peace he is his helmet and his shield and his hope of salvation and his shepheard to feed him and preserve him at all times though he may be tempted yet he is not overcome for God is his strength though he may be tryed ye the is not forsaken of the Lord though he may be cast into the fire it is not to consume him for the Lord is with him all things he receives as from the hand of God all creatures he enjoyes in the Covenant with God and peace is in all his waies for it is the Lord that works in him both to will and to do of his own good pleasure and this is the state of the new man brought forth in conversion which is a turning of the creature from the power of Satan which rules in every man before conversion to the power of God which is the ruler of every man that is truly converted and this is the truth as it is in Jesus which I have received from God he that can receive it let him and if any have an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith this conversion of the creature is wrought by the Spirit of God through the Ministry sent of him and even for this cause have we received the Ministry of God through the holy Ghost that we might publish these things abroad that all people may come to the knowledge of them and may tast and handle and feel of the same word of life in themselves which will reveal the knowledge of these things to them that they may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son And now be it known to all the world and to all people in it that the Lord hath raised up a people and brought forth a seed to bear witnesse of his Name and of his dominion and power in all the earth and of these truths with many more which are but one in Christ Jesus hath God given us the perfect knowledge of even wrought them in us and revealed them to us by the eternall Spirit and as that same Spirit doth and shall move us do we and shall wee bear witnesse of these truths unto all people upon earth whatsoever both by doctrine and conversation holding forth the testimony unto others which we have received of God that Christ may be exalted and his Kingdome set up in the world and in comparison of this that we may serve God in our generation by bearing witnesse of these things which we have heard and seen nothing of this world our liberty our life nor any other thing whatsoever is not dear unto us yea even for this cause that the Name of the Lord may be testified of do we give up our selves continually to suffer all manner of evil in words or works and we love not our lives unto death that truth and righteousness may be exalted and this is the cause wherefore we passe through many