believed being also I deny not then baptized with water they prayed and laid their hands on them which was an outward sign of the blessing and they received the holy Spirit now if any one shall say how could the Apostles who were but men baptize with the Spirit I answer no otherwise then they could at first beget faith and repentance in those so baptized it was the Lords work but they ministerially did it that is they having felt the power in themselves the raised life in them Ministred to the life that lay low in others and so brought it up therefore that the Lord might shew he was not tied up to time or manner in the bestowing of his gift while Peter spake those words to Cornelius and the rest the holy Spirit fell on them that heard the word so that this was the Baptism here meant by Christ which was so Essential to the conversion of the world and building up of the Saints in so much that Paul joyns it with faith as a necessary companion saying there is One Lord one Faith and one Baptisme for by one Spirit are the Saints baptized into one body Christ the baptizer being the head who moreover told the Apostles that he would be with them all the dayes that is of their Ministry even to the finishing of the age mark there was an age or certain space of time wherein the truth of the Gospel should grow and the Baptism of the Spirit or the comforters presence be witnessed through Christs Power accompanying their Ministry and then should the Mystery of iniquity in false Apostles get such a head by stealing and bringing in false Doctrines Traditions and inventions that it should God so permitting it overtop the life and so the true Ministry should cease and his living presence not be felt and enjoyed as before which most certainly came to passe as we see whose eyes the Lord hath opened in the many hundred years Apostacy and reign of Antichrist now if Christ meant that He would be alway with them to the end of the world as it s falsely rendred in English Bibles how could his words be true since we see by experience that the Glory of God which shined in his Temple in the Apostles dayes departed over the threshold the Church went into the wilderness the Seed of God was captivated by the Whore of Babylon and the man-Child Christ in his strength taken up to God and his Throne wherefore in the second restauration of the spiritual Temple and re-edifying of the holy City new Jerusalem people must first come to the true faith by believing in Christ the true light and witness repentance from all false worships and and dead works of the world as those that are wearie of Babylons captivity and that set their faces towards Sion in truth and so must wait with the Lords people in silence and humility for the Fathers promise which is the Comforter even the Spirit of truth which in his due time baptizeth such with fire and so by degrees leads them into all truth and out of all sins and errour and so the Church cometh out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved that is staying her mind upon the light within and being content with her portion be it much or little be it judgement or mercy be it in a day of blackness or gloominess or in a day wherein it is neither dark nor light or in the evening time wherein it shall be light as saith the Prophet or in the sun-shine of the day it self so not despising the day of small things or overlifted up with great things neither must they all this while set upon or practice any outward thing in the worship of God in their own wils or by imitation of others or meerly from a precept without but onely as Christ the light shall lay that precept upon them for if they do they are will-worshippers and so Idolaters for as the Son of God was once personally present in a body of flesh commanding the Apostles to teach the People at the first raising of the Gospel Church to observe all things whatsover he had before commanded them and said unto them while so present with them which the Comforter afterwards brought to their remembrance so in the reâ—toring thereof the second time none are to observe any thing or teach any thing to be observed but what Christ manifested in their bodies of flesh doth command them for saith he I go away to wit as to his Personal body and the world shall see me no more but ye shall see me that is in their own bodies manifested Now by this oh all ye Baptists may ye try your selves and present practice of water Baptism and all other Administrations and performances in your Congregations have ye witnessed this true faith or are ye yet disputing against it have ye repented of all dead works or are ye still wallowing in the pollutions of the world have ye waited or do ye wait in silence for the Fathers Promise or do ye set your selves on work in a formal Preaching and dead praying and hanging on the lips of such Preachers and Pray-ers Do ye or others keep an outward Sabbath whether on the seventh or first day from mens Precepts or a Mosaical Rule or from a Command of life within Do ye Baptize and are Baptized and break Bread from a particular Command in your selves or because the Saints formerly so practised Do ye exercise the power of the Keyes from the true spiritual discerning judgement and power or because the Churches before the Apostacy did so bind and loose Ye must know that there hath been a wide step between the Apostles and our dayes and that the gathering of the Church at first out of Egypt and the bringing it out of Babylon are two several things and are not brought to pass after one and the self-same manner as to the outward administration of things Also consider that Johns Revelation was a Prophesie of what things came and must come to pass after the Apostles and not a Relation of what was done in their dayes so that in the coming out of mystical Babylon the Lambs followers wait on him for the opening of that mystical Book as that which concerns their present condition Now when the Angel came down from Heaven and lightned the earth with his Glory whereby the everlasting Gospel came to be Preachâ—d saying Fear God and give G ory to him for the hour of his Judgement is come and come out oâ— Babylon my pâ—ople and partake not of her sins lest ye receive of her plagues Then as people came out of her by the guidance of the light the Temple of God or his holy Habitation in the Spirit was opened in Heaven they had a sight in themselves into what state they should be brought even to have a habitation in God and he in them but then was this Temple filled with smoak from the Glory of God and from
thee saith he to Timothy in the sight of God who quickeneth all things and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession that thou keep this Commandment which was to fight the good fight of Faith and follow after righteousness godliness patience meekness love c. without spot unrebukeable till the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ which in his times he shall shew who is the blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who onely hath immortalitie dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto to wit in his own wisdom or with his bodily eye whom no man hath seen nor can see to wit with those to whom be honour and Power everlasting Amen Oh that ye sword-men had your eyes opened to behold this King as he is here witnessed how would you then be ashamed and amazed at your own folly in gazing upwards as expecting to see him in a bodily shape and with a corporal eye to Reign on Earth Here you see Paul witnesseth he shall be shewn in his times and that as the onely Potentate or Monarch and yet he saith no man can see him what a contradiction may this seem to be to your grosse understandings but it is really so I averre for his appearance in the world in his times must be agreeable to his nature he onely hath immortality therefore must be seen onely by that which is immortal he dwelleth in the light and therefore must be beheld onely in the light and by an eye internally enlightned So that now stop your mouths for ever and cease from your carnal interpretations of those Scriptures which speaks of Christs coming to reign on earth but turn to within even to his light wherewith every one of you are enlightned that in that light ye may see him who is invisible dwelling in the light whom no man hath nor can see nor approach unto for assure your selves that the world shall see his bodily Shape and Person no more but the Saints do and shall see him for because he liveth they shall live also And as for the manner of this spiritual Kings Government it must be spiritually not by an outward visible shining body quelling and over-awing the enemies of his Kindomg but by his inward and invisible Power in the hearts of his People making the people to fall under him or chaining them up yea making all his enemies within and without to go backward and flee before him and although ye may look upon this as a weak inconsiderable thing because it seems not pompous to your carnal eye yet know that it is of the greatest force that can be imagined For is not Conscience more to a man than a thousand witnesses Which if it once condemn God is greater and knoweth all things and so the comment of the wicked increaseth Now that of Christ in the Saints arising in Power and transforming them into its own Image of Righteousness and true Holiness his Name is seen in their foreheads by living fruits which reaching to the witness of God in wicked men they cannot stand before it for the wicked cannot stand in Judgement nor sinners in the Congregation of the Righteous because by the Righteous Principle of God in themselves they are Judged which worketh in their guilty Consciences the fear and flashes of Eternal vengeance which fierce indignation of the Almighty that they may avoid they also are oft times brought to lay hold of eternal Life bringing forth fruits meet for Repentance and so the work of the Lord prospereth in this his King immortal his hand in his Majesty riding prosperously because of Truth and Meekness and Righteousness and his right hand teaching him terrible things and brings to pass greater things hereby than all outward force fear and violence were able to do Now the reason why ye savour not such things as these is because ye with many other Professours are out from that which should give you salt in your selves to savour withal and so being buried in the Letter of the Scriptures do interpret them according to a mind that is under the ministration of the Letter and not of the Spirit So look what truths of God are to be spiritually understood and discerned ye being out of the light do literally understand and so are for an external or personal appearance of Christ in his Kingdom even as a fifth visible Monarch in the world and for a Holy City outward just so long and broad and every way composed as that description of it in the Revelation seemeth outwardly to describe So ye will talk and be even very zealous for a New Heaven and a New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness but what fruit doth the expectation of such things in your way expected bring forth in you Doth it make you diligent to be found of him in Peace without spot and blameless as Peter exhorted the Saints to be who looked for such things Or are you in the vanities and folly of the multitude who are without Hope or God in the world How proud rough rugged earthly-minded bitter dead dry and unsavoury do many of you appear Oh People it is not a discourse of or expectation of great and outward changes or happiness though for ever to endure that will bring to the Cross of Christ and slay the enmity of your minds by wicked works but it is the knowing the Cross of Christ in your selves which is his living and quickning Power felt by waiting in his light that must bring you to take up your own cross and follow him else while you think to be the men that shall Reign with Christ and Judge the world ye your selves will be Judged by Christ in this his day which cometh and is come as a snare upon all the earth Your good intentions towards the executing of Justice and Righteousness in the earth in opposition to Tyranny and Oppression I confess is to be owned but ye take not the right course how to bring it forth for it is not the shaking a Weapon or sore threatning or the like at the Beast that will change his nature but it is the Life that is the light of men which will do it for that which alone searcheth the heart can and doth alone turn the same so that if as the Lambs true followers ye knew how to make War in Righteousness with the Whore Beast false Prophet through Faith Patience ye might should do good but if out of a rash and blind zeal ye will steer an indirect course no wonder if you arrive not at your desired Harbour for if ye will needs give blows ye must expect blows again because this exasperates the proud and wilful nature whose Element it is even to live in the fire also an outward force to an outward is like to like but a spiritual Power against a carnal is altogether different and what shall alway stand against Gods living Power in Spirit
with the whole heart and saith David in another place Let all those that seek thee rejoyce and be glad in thee and it is Prophesied by the Prophet Jeremy that when the Jews had been in the captivity of Babylon they should go and seek the Lord their God asking their way to Sion from which they had been captivated with their faces thitherward saying Come and let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that shall not be forgotten Mark when they were weary of their captivity they should go and seek not stand still and enquire onely but aske with their faces thitherward saying Come let us joyn to the Lord c. actually to set about the work Therefore saith the Lord by the Prophet in the 8th vers of the 50th Chapter Remove out of the midst of Babylon and go forth out of the Land of the Chaldeans c. which the Prophet Zachary also secondeth saying Deliver thy self oh Sion that dwelleth with the Daughter of Babylon So here is a lively representation of the Lords bringing his spiritual Seed out of spiritual captivity after the long night of Apostacy Babylon or Confusion was the state they were to depart from Sion or the Mountain of Holiness was the State they were to come to and in order hereunto they were to move and set forward neither was there any station by the way where they were to set down or continue This I speak for your sakes who for divers years have seemed to turn your backs upon the Whore of Babylon as seeing and disliking the false doctrines wayes and worships of Antichrist whereby you have been deceived and captivated but as though the Passage to Sion or Jerusalem was stopped up ye have sit down by the way saying The Church is yet in the Wilderness where she must abide till God makes way for her coming forth which is by raising up his witnesses who must appear with Miracles and such signs as the Apostles did to confirm their Ministry by till which time there is no true Gospel Ministry nor Administration of Baptism or any Ordinances of a visible Church This seems indeed to carry a face of truth with it and hath stumbled many but consider first whether ye are not some of those false prophets which Christ said should come and say Lo here and lo there whether ye are not those that say Christ is in the Desart as yet retired as to his visible appearance in the world whom to go forth after the Saints must not but must keep their own Habitations in the light to which they have been turned for saith he As the lightning riseth in the East and shineth even unto the West so shall the coming of the Son of man be and Luke addeth in his day So then here is a plain token of the Day of the Son of man or the sign of the Son of man in Heaven to wit in the true Church visible at his coming when he cometh as a Universal light that hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world by whose guidance and direction they believing in it all may come out of the false wayes and worships and deceits of the Whore of Babylon or of the whole world and out of all sin into the way of Truth Purity Peace and true Worship to serve the Lord in Spirit and Truth with one consent and those who have believed in this true light themselves which makes manifest all sin and deceit and having waited therein have felt it to be the light of life unto them quickning their Souls up to God and Baptizing them with its Holy Fire so making his living Word to be as fire in their bones and putting words into their mouths to testifie and declare against the Beast and false prophet and against the world that their deeds are evil and to call them to Repentance by believing in the same light in themselves which is Christ the true Prophet Gods faithful witness and are true and living witnesses for his Name and such as preach the Everlasting Gospel or glad Tidings although they speak in no Language but their Mother Tongue do no outward Miracles as to heal the sick cleanse the Lepers or the like nor do at all practise Baptizing with water laying on of hands or breaking of bread And thus I plainly demonstrate it to any that are not wilfully blind The Jewish state of old was the true figure of the Gospel Church after the Son of God his being manifested in the flesh who was the end of all figures and shadows look then in what manner the Lord brought forth and led the Jew outward then so doth he bring forth and lead the Jew inward afterwards Now when the Children of Israel came first out of Aegypt they were brought out of that house of bondage with a high hand and stretched-out arm as to the outward Moses was loath to go as thinking they would not believe him therefore the Lord gave him a signe of turning the Rod into a Serpent which he did also before hard-hearted Pharaoh upon whom were ten visible Plagues also sent the Sea was divided the Aegyptians drowned the Rock gushed out water Jericho fell by the blowing of Rams Horns and the like in this high manner came they to Canaan but when they for their iniquity were led into captivity by the King of Babylon at their coming out the second time there was no such outward sign shewen or any such visible work wrought in order to their deliverance but as those who had a right to a restauration of that which once they gained by such hardships and mighty works this was Gods way of proceeding towards them he raised up Cyrus to make a Proclamation of liberty and to restore the treasure and vessels of the Temple which was a lively figure of Christ the spiritual King Proclaming in the hearts of his People by the true light which is his word that they should now leave all false and wicked and deceitful wayes of the Whore of Babylon and bring back the vessels of the spiritual Temple to serve and worship God in his holy mountain Jerusalem that they be no longer defiled and profaned by Idol wayes and worships then upon this Proclamation of Cyrus those whose hearts were touched and whose spirits were stirred up as Zerubbabel Joshuah and others stood not still but set about the work leading many Jewes to Jerusalem without any more ado as Nehemiah did also afterwards by the permission of Artaxerxes and when they came thither they went to build the Temple although the enemies made them cease a while by force then the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied but did no miracle unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the Name of the Lord God of Israel Ezra 5. vers 1. whereupon Zerubbabel and Joshua arose up and began to build the house of God for it is said Hag. 1. the Lord stirred up their spirits so to do and
the spirits of all the remnant of the People for they were in the unbelief before as ye are concerning the time saying Hag. 2. ver 2. the time is not come the time that the Lords house should be built then the Lords Word in Haggai was this to convince them of the contrary Is it time for you oh ye to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lay wast now therefore thus saith the Lord consider your wayes c. And afterwards when the second Temple was built they were apt to have low thoughts of it who is left among you saith the same Prophet that saw this house in the first glory and how do ye see it now is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing mark as nothing yet saith he now be strong oh Zerubbabel saith the Lord and be strong oh Joshuah the high Priest and be strong all ye people of the Land saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of hosts according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt so my spirit remaineth among you fear ye not for thus saith the Lord of hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land and I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this house with Glory saith the Lord of hosts the silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord of hosts the Glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of hosts and I will give peace in this place saith the Lord of hosts are not these plain words to him that desires to understand the people were discouraged because their second Temple was not so Stately and pompous outwardly as the first built by Solomon yet were they bid to be strong or of a good courage for the Lord of hosts strong and mighty was with them and the same spirit remained among them according to his Covenant with them when they came out of Egypt though there were not miracles and such visible signes shewed amongst them now as then for the right of building the second Temple stood in the Covenant which was still the same to the Seed of Israel outward he to be their God and they to be to him a People whereof Circumcision in the flesh was a sign as the Circumcision of the heart is a signe of the spiritual and everlasting Covenant to the spiritual Seed saying they should not fear for he would shortly shake all and all Nations by his powerful witness which should make way for Christ to come and fill his second house with his Glory for all spiritual riches and treasures are His and in Him so that the Glory of the latter house should be greater then of the former to wit in the invisible Glory yet visible by fruits of all righteousness which to bring forth was the sum and end of all figures shadowes miracles tongues and prophesies So that they should have peace in God which passeth all Humane understanding and outward rest also when their sufferings were fulfilled Now consider whether it were not just so in the first raising up of the Gospel Church in the Apostles dayes they had the gift of tongues they did many miracles c. for it was meet and needful at the first bringing in of the first born into an unbelieving and Heathenish world that it should be so as it was at the Jews coming out of Egypt to be a visible Nation and People unto God but at the coming out of mystical Babylon the Spirit of Life from God entred saith John into the witnesses and they stood upon their feet and they prophesied no miracle or in what Language it was being mentioned and the way that the Saints overcame was by the blood of the Covenant mark the same Life of Christ which is the blood of the everlasting Covenant which the Apostles and Saints formerly stood in was in them whereby they got victory every way also they overcame by the Word of their Testimony declaring what they had seen and handled of the Word of Life and by suffering for the same even unto death as the Jew outward adventured their lives in the going on with their work against Sanballat Tobiah and the other their cruel enemies neither is this second work of God to be sleighted or little esteemed for it is done by the pure power of the Almighty in the Spirit as the Prophet Zacharie testified saying not by might nor by power that is so visibly appearing in strange gifts but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts even that by whom all things were made and so is very great and shall bring forth the pâ—rest State of the Church that ever was as in the description of the new Jerusalem the Holy City doth most evidently appear wherein shall be a new Heaven and new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness which Peter and the Saints in his dayes waited for and desired to see where shall be no more sorrow nor crying nor pain nor night and this is the State after the captivity not wrought out by outward signes and wonders but by the Internal light leading out of all that is unclean into that wherein there is no defilement which is a glorious and all powerful work so that the Saints feeling of it shall yea and do already say now is come Salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the Power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night and this purely spiritual way of proceeding is most suitable to destroy the mystery of iniquity for hereby spiritual Wisdom is set in opposition and doth discover spiritual deceit by which the Nations have been made drunk yet we deny not or limit the Power of the Holy One in this his day to come forth in what gifts he pleaseth as sometimes he hath done by healing and extraordinary fastings amongst us but this we say it is not so much a seal to the Ministry as the Lords free working how he pleaseth and how he will please to come forth hereafter when the Truth shall actually prevail over other Nations that do not professe Christianity we are not much careful as knowing that whatsoever is needful for the managing of the Lords own Work himself will freely bestow whether it be the gift of tongues miracles or any other Neither is it necessary that the true Ministry should be the Administratours of baptism with water laying on of hands or breaking of bread at their rising so constituting a Church called visible by those outward signs and shadows nay it is not convenient that they should do so for the reasons forementioned to the Baptists also for as much as Antichrist under pretence of setting up of outward false Administrations called by him Ordinances and crying
acknowledge Christ and the Scriptures in words but oppose and betray his pure Life wherefore he commandeth his wiâ—nesses now to fight with her with the sword of his mouth in the Power of Wisdom which is better then outward strength and so they act and speak as he moveth and enableth them keeping to their own gift measure and work as the Apostles and Saints formerly did to theirs and not regarding how they acted or spake so as to be moved or troubled at it as to question their call to the work of the Ministry for they know if they receive the witness of man the witness of God is greater which witness is his light within them which plainly sheweth them and sealeth in them though the whole world gain-say it that they have felt in themselves the Baptism of the spirit and fire whose effects I before declared and so the operation of his living Word which hath brought thousands of others to believe in the same light and many to feel also the same living Word and spiritual Baptism which hath shaken the Earthly part within like a cottage and also the outward body of some putting words in their mouths to declare his righteousness in the great Assembly and magnifie his Holy Name in the Congregations of his Saints this was that greater work that Christ said his Disciples should do then he had done because he went to his Father for the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified this is really witnessed among us the Spirit sealing it in our hearts so that we witnesing the one Lord one Faith and one Baptism we are thereby baptized into the one body and being many are one bread and so the true Church that is come and coming out of Babylon and out of the wilderness Glory be to the Lord for ever who hath thus visited and Redeemed his People for this living Power is the gift it self tongues miracles prophesie c. are but the gifts flowing as streams from this fountain now if the Lord do keep back some streams and give us more of the fountain in this his day we are not loosers but gainers by that and so the more to be owned as the Church of Christ But ye will say when the Church was brought out of mystical Babylon John declareth there was an Angel who flow thorow the midst of heaven with an everlasting Gospel to Preach to them that dwell on the Earth and to all Nations kindreds tongues and People which since we see not how that could be without the gift of tongues sheweth us that the true Ministry must have the very same visible gifts now as the Apostles had before they undertake to go forth That People were never truely called out of Babylon before the Preaching of this everlasting Gospel is certainly true and that it is to be Preached to all sorts of People upon the Earth is as cerâ—â—in but that this Gospel must not be Preached to some till the gift of tongues be given where by it might be declared to all is false for the Wisdom of God teacheth his People in what manner and order he will proceed in the publishing his truth throughout the world it must begin first in Sodom and Egypt where our Lord Christ the light and life hath been crucified I mean the Anti-christian State which under pretence of professing Christ opposeth him this Beast indeed is many headed and consists of divers Nations but they must not all be cut off at once but by degrees we know by experience what ever ye believe that he hath begun his work in this Isle of the North wherein we live and that there have been wayes made somewhat to awaken other Nations also the pure Language being known a tongue hath not been wanting to speak to them in and in this one thing do I behold Gods great Wisdom that he hath taken the wise in their own craftiness that whereas the Antichristian Priests have as the Hebrew and Greek so especially idolized the Latine or Romane tongue all over Europe whereby it s become a general Language hereby a good occasion is given to spread the truth throughout all these Nations of Christendome so called also so much hath been the mutuall commerce betwixt these Antichristian People for many years as counting each other to be Christians that in any of these Nations it may be either spoken in their own Language or by an Interpreter which last way is not to be despised for the mighty God brings and will bring to pass great things in these last times by weak beginnings and none is to despise the Day of small things yea the voice hath been hard in Turkie already and if any of you shall say But what had they to do to go thither without the gift of the Tongue I answer you must ask him that moved them thereto even by turning in to Gods witness which is his true light within every one of you and waiting there for Counsel ye shall know the Lords secrets and feel his Power to arise which shall bring you into Unity with their Spirits who knew their Call which ye will not then dispute but in the mean time him that is ignorant let him be ignorant but however know that your unbelief cannot make the truth of God of none effect But is it not Prophesied by Isaiah concerning the Church that he will turn his hand upon her and pâ—rely purge away her dross and take away all her tin and will restore all her Judges as at the first and her Counsellors as at the beginning afterwards she shall be called the City of Righteousness the faithful City Zion shall be Redeemed with Judgement and her converts with Righteousness whereby it appeareth that at the Restauration of the Church the second time which is a very refining time and of Redemption through Judgement and Righteousness which ye talk so much of the Ministry of the Church shall be as they were at the first gathering of it by the Apostles and so gifted just as they were The endowing of the witnesses at their Resurrection shall be with the Spirit of life from God entring into them and so they shall be as at the first for that is the gift it self which brings into Unity of Spirit all the Prophets Apostles and Saints in all ages and into Unity in Ministry as declaring one Everlasting Truth for substance and from one Eternal Root but in respect of the gifts and operations of that one Spirit or Gift it may be different at sundry times and seasons according to the work that is to be done and the various workings of the Spirit it self So God who at sundry times and divers manners spake to the Jews by the Prophets spake in the last times by his Son by whom also he speaketh sundry wayes at sundry times though not a sundry truth for the Apostles bare witness to the true light that lightneth every man and to the Word nigh in the
faithful though ye never speak with any other Tongue than your Mother Tongue or do any outward Miracle yet speaking and declaring of all his wonderful works Now come I to stand up in defence of the Truth and true Church of the first born against all you of what sort soever you be or under what name soever ye go who being out of all those aforenamed Sects lift your heads on high snuffing up the wind and think it too low a condition for you to believe in the true light within you which secretly reproveth for all sin and evil and so to wait humbly and silently therein with the People of God called Quakers in derision because they tremble at the Word of the Lord and are afraid to offend in the least thing that of God in them for so must you much deny your selves both in wisdom talking and behaviour amongst men with whom ye converse which Cross would to them seem a ridiculous and foolish thing in you Ye will say perhaps ye are above Ordinances or shadows and can live satisfied of your selves by that which ye know and are taught of God without joyning to or walking with any But consider Friends there is one great Ordinance which ye must never get above but be in subjection to if ever ye will have true Peace with the living God and that is Christ the true light who shines in every ones heart either as a Justifier or Condemner who is the great gift of the Father to the Sons of men and him whom he hath ordained to save or destroy for ever Now whatever men may talk or tattle or boast of themselves this is a more certain truth sealed in me by the Spirit of the Lord God that whosoever he be that truly believeth in Christ the light doth whatsoever the light leadeth unto and that one special thing which it leads unto is to bring the Creature Soul Body and Spirit into a right frame and order out of its own will into the Will of its guide which is the light so as that man shall not walk at random speak or do as it pleaseth him but shall freely and naturally love the Society and joyn visibly in the bond of Amity with those that believe and walk in the light knowing a time of silence as they do and a bridle for the tongue so as to keep his mouth as with a bit and this is to walk in the foot-stâ—ps of the Flock for in this manner doth the good shepherd put his sheep forth go before them in this his day the states and conditions of all those who have been in spiritual captivity so requiring it nor is it enough for any of you to say is God tied up to a Form For we know this is no form or frame of mans devising but what the light naturally and mans condition necessarily calls him into for if his delight be with the Saints and those that excel in vertue as Davids was who had a sincere heart he cannot but come amongst them in love and if they there wait on the Lord he to wait with them if they seek the Lord he to seek him with them if they love the Lords Judgements and Reproofs he to love them also and if they rejoyce in the Lord he to rejoyce also this is to be like minded and affectionate one to another hereby doth the pure and unfeigned love appear the Unity or the Onety in the Spirit is witnessed here is a Church visible in a sweet and spiritual order and yet out of any invented or humane form for although we know and say that mans order is confusion yet we also know and say that God is a God of order not of confusion Now what is more comely than for Friends and Brethren in the truth to live together in Unity and in what way can this Unity be more shewen than by meeting and assembling together to wait upon the Lord to know his Counsel to feel his Teachings to speak when he speaketh to move when he moveth and to rest when he resteth Is not this Gods way of leading his People to Canaan yea and in Canaan is not this one part of walking in the light of the Lamb is not this a part of that one heart and one way that the Lord hath promised to lead his People in is not here a spiritual Harmony and hereby doth not the Saints in a great measure appear to be a City set on 〈◊〉 Hill that cannot be hid Let that of God answer in every one of you and not your own high conceivings But ye will be ready to say What difference is there betwixt you and other Sects in this they meet together as you do in an appointed place and at a set hour they pray sit and hear one speak to them c. and you do the like Doth not right reason unless any be past reason tell you that if Persons meet they must have a Place to meet at or in and that they must also know the time of their so assembling why then do you argue against necessity it self But if the end of your so objecting be to destroy all general Assemblings of the Saints together then I say you speak not in Gods Wisdom nor know not the thoughts of his heart for the Apostle who was in the Wisdom of God and had received the Spirit of Truth to guide him saith Exhort ye one another daily least any of you be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin and whereas perhaps ye may think such Meetings are needless because of this day of the Lord that is risen and arising the same Apostle argues quite contrary saying Not forsaking the Assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching Oh! People consider that the perfect day of the Lord is most exceeding desirable of all the Children of light therefore the more they espy it the more they seek after it Now Exhortations or other Declarations that come from the light of life raiseth the light of life in others and so brings on the day for it is like fire begetting fire or like face answering to face in a glass not like the dead and dry words of other Assemblies where there is no waiting in the light first to feel the life but a continual trading and going on in self-strength but ye cannot nor dare not deny but that we do so wait and all words spoken out of that are judged by the same and if any one among us look out after words and is not as well satisfied without them as with them if the Lord will have all flesh keep silence before him that dissatisfaction is Judged also Besides if ye were in that which giveth a right discerning ye would see that words spoken from the life are altogether â—eedful for the conjviction and conversion of the world 〈◊〉 directing their minds to the true light