took and gave another to read and said I pray thee read it and he said I cannot for it is sealed and he gave it to another and said I pray thee read it and he said I cannot for I am unlearned so to learned and unlearned it is a mistery And truely I freely declare unto all the sons of men that there is none that can open the seals thereof neither is there any found worthy in Heaven or in Earth but Christ Jesus the Lamb of God the Light of the World who hath enlightned every one which cometh into the World and till men come to give up to be led guided and directed by this pure Light in all their words and actions the mysteries of the Kingdome of God nor godlinesse they will never come to know nor understand for the vail is over their hearts and until it be rent and taken away by the power and vertue of the Light they run on as the Jews doe in darknesse and know not at what they stumble for though the mistery of godlinesse be great yet it is but one to all and in all either Jew or Gentile even God manifest in the flesh the Emanuel God with us even with men and in men and this is the Mistery of Mysteries which the Apostle said hath been hid from ages and generations which was Christ in them the hope of their glory and without this be witnessed there is neither true hope nor true glory though men talk of hope yet it is but the Hypocrites hope which perisheth and will never bring them to glory no farther then the earthly which is but grief and vexation of spirit but he that hath and is truly possessed with the true and living hope abiding in him purifieth himself even as Christ is pure even from all earthly affections either of glory honour or riches wisdom or any other earthly thing being given up in all things to seek the true honour and glory which cometh from God onely though for so doing he may and is accounted a fool poor and simple and rejected by those who possesse onely the false hope who seek the riches honour and praise of the Kings and Princes of this world which are the manifest fruits and effects of their hope And thus is Christ become the true riches of the soul and the creatures glory whereby he comes to tread all other things under his feet and counts them but as drosse and dung in comparison to it So here all may prove and try their hope by its manifest and apparent opperations in brief the one hoping this and that power will be the chiefest that they may have accesse unto it to maintain their Church and Religion and the other desiring that God onely may have and take the dominion and that he alone may rule and reign because he knoweth it is in God and the gates of Hell can never prevail against it therefore matters not nor fears any outward strength because his strength and hope is in God alone who purifies and makes clean all who hope and put their trust in him by the power of his own seed in them to rule and reign which bruiseth the seed and head of the Serpent for ever and conquers the last enemy and such onely come to witnesse the true and living birth which is of God which sinneth not and comes to be restored into the same glorious state and condition as Adam was in before he fell And this is the substance of all words and also it is the end of Christs ministring even to bring people unto this by which they come to know as I have said the promise of God fulfilled to wit the seed of the woman to bruise the Serpents head and their bodyes to be Temples and habitations of God through the Spirit and he to live and walk in them as he hath promised but the ministry of Satan is to preach up sin as long as men live by which means he may keep his Kingdome for he hath no other Kingdome but it Therefore let men professe what they will in word he matters not as long as he hath his Dominion in their hearts and his head unbruised there where he sitteth as God even in the Temple of God and this is the abomination of desolation amongst the sons of men which is to be made desolate in this the day of Gods Almighty power in which the mistery of the Man of sin shall be fully revealed and made manifest and the Kingdome of the most High shall be established with men and in them And this great and glorious work shall not be by might nor by force of men but by the arm and Spirit of the Almighty God whose power shall be evidently made manifest to free and set at liberty the sons of men from the bonds of sin and corruption that they may no longer be Satans bond-slaves I say all such shall come to witnesse this who shall cleave to the Lord with sincerity of heart in this the day of his gracious love unto the sons and daughters of men but those that reject his love and will none of his reproof shall witnesse and also feel his power in wrath and dreadful vengeance who will assuredly render unto them according to their deeds and so much the more as they have slighted the day of their visitation and rather believed Satan and his messengers that his power is greater to keep them in sin and bondage than Gods was to deliver them though the Scripture it self which they seem to professe beareth witnesse against them And the Apostles Ministry was to open the blind eyes and to turn people from darknesse to light and from Satans power unto God and they who believe in this Ministry and receive it in the love thereof they come perfectly to know as they are turned from darkness which is the power of Satan unto light which is the power of God and witnesse in deed and in truth the power of God greater to deliver from sin than Satans power is to keep in sin therefore the unbeliever and Satan and his Ministers shall all be taken and cast into the lake of Brimstone and Fire and be tormented for ever and ever and the little stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall become a great mountain and cover the whole earth for ever and shall grind all his enemies to powder for God Almighty hath determined it and his Decree is unalterable Therefore O thou Nation of France in particular I warn thee as one whom God hath warned and constrained so to do that thou stand not in the stubbornnesse of thy heart against the Lord and his Anointed in this the day of his power but submit unto him by repentance and forsaking of thy sins that thou mayst find mercy else he will teare thee in pieces and none shall be able to deliver thee out of his hands which is his eternal word unto you all Therefore lay it to
also witnesse it so upon yours if ye come and submit unto Davids humble spirit of prayer and repentance which was the cause God did so delight in him above many for the humble and contrite spirit which David was of God will in no wise despise for he even confessed his sin and forsook it and willingly submitted unto the judgements of the Most High for it by which meanes he had acceptance with God And thy word saith he I have hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee for that is the dayly care of the honest heart least God should take his holy spirit from him for he prayeth continually that God would renew his dayly countenance upon him which made Davids heart more glad than those who had all the encrease of the earth so all you who take Davids words to sing and talk of deal faithfully with your own souls and see whether you are come to his spirit yea or nay and until then his word and penitent heart is your condemnation which you shall eternally witnesse to be true in the day that by Davids spirit ye shall be judged who said depart from me all ye that do wickedly and was made the song of the drunkard Truly Friends the Lord hath made my bowels as an open fountain towards you that you may no longer be of that generation which Solomon speaks of who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not purged from their iniquity I shall as being truly moved of the Lord thereunto lay these following things before you to consider seriously of as being things which every one who dare professe the name of Christ and Christianity ought truly to mind to the end they may not be only Christians in name but in nature which will only stand you instead in the dreadful day of judgement wherein God will appear with flames of fire to render vengeance to the wicked which day hastneth apace Therefore read and consider Whether Christ Jesus when he spake unto his Disciples saying Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect did not speak really as he meant And whether he would bid them be that which was impossible for them to be Secondly Read through the whole Scripture and see if you can read of any other Salvation but that which is from sin And whether or no that was not the promise of God unto Adam after he had sinned to wit that the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head which seed was Christ And whether this is not to be witnessed in every regenerate man or woman yea or nay And whether the Serpent be not head in all untill this be witnessed yea or nay For seeing the Scripture saith we are saved by faith in Christ whether is there any true faith which saves but that which gives true and perfect dominion over all sin And whether there be any other true faith which justifieth before God And whether this faith only be not the true faith of Gods Elect seeing the Scripture saith that God justifieth not the ungodly shewing that no unclean thing is justified before God And can any in truth say that they are justified but those who witnesse this faith by which the just liveth and obtaineth victory yea or nay Whether the free grace of God hath not appeared unto all men And whether all those who receive it and are taught by it are not led and taught to deny all ungodly lusts And whether they who are not thus taught by it are not of those who turn it into wantonnesse And whether it will not be their eternall condemnation yea or nay Whether Christ according to Johns true and faithful testimony which he bare of him hath not enlightned every man which cometh into the world And whether this Light doth not judge righteously for God against all sin in the consciences of all men And whether if they reject its reproofs it will not be their condemnation yea or nay And whether God hath not so promised that he would give Christ his only son for a Covenant of Light that he might be his salvation even to the ends of the Earth And whether any ever came to witnesse salvation but those that thus witnessed Christ a Covenant of Light to be their leader and teacher yea or nay Whether God hath not promised that in his new and everlasting Covenant all his people shall be taught of him And whether those who are yet looking at man for teaching be not out of this pure holy Covenant yea or nay Whether God hath not promised that he will live and walk in his people And whether they who do not witnesse it even their bodies to be the Temples of God be not the Temples of the Devil yea or nay Whether any are or can truly be said to be the sons of God but those who are led by the Spirit of God And whether any are true Christians but those who have put on Christ yea or nay Whether any are Christs but those who have the Spirit of Christ And whether any can witnesse the true Baptisme but such who have received the Spirit yea or nay Whether there be any other Baptisme needful unto Salvation but this to wit by one Spirit into one body by the Holy Ghost and by fire And whether all other sprinklings are nothing but traditions of men yea or nay Whether the true Christians did not come to witnesse Christ in this life to be wisdome justification and redemption yea or nay Whether Christ in the Saints was not the onely hope of their glory even to live in them as he did in God and through which they came to have fellowship with the Father And whether they who came to witnesse this were not sanctified throughout in body soul and spirit yea or nay Whether Christ did not give himself for his Church that he might purge and sanctifie it and present it to the Father without spot or wrinkle or any such thing And whether any can come to be true members of this Church but those who come to witnesse a true purging in this life seeing the Scripture saith the Church is in God to whom no unclean thing can be united And whether all who say they are members of the Church of Christ and doe not witnesse this to wit a cleansing be not lyars yea or nay Whether the true Ministers of Christ Jesus do not preach freely as they have received freely And whether they who preach for hire gifts and rewards or yearly maintenance are not Ministers of Satan yea or nay Whether any can be truly said to be the Ministers of Christ Jesus but who are sent by him and called immediately by his voyce unto his work And whether all others are not of man and by the will of man who run and are not sent yea or nay Whether such men who say they can never be freed nor put off the body of sin as long as they live
what end they were created even for them to serve his body and his body to serve his soul and his soul to serve his Creator in the body and as he thus stood in the fear dominion and wisdome of his Lord all things were blessed unto him and all things were clean and pure and being guided by the pure holy Spirit of his maker is counselled as in the beginning and hath a law-giver as at the first but when once he gave ear unto the voyce of the Serpent who was more subtile than any beast of the field consented to eat of that which was forbidden him that he should not touch to eat even of the tree of knowledge of good and evil let him which readeth understand he had liberty to eat of every tree but that all being good and that also for all that which God made was good and blessed but for food it was not to be eaten of nor touched And as I said when man once had transgressed the righteous Law of his Creator he lost his glorious Dominion he had and the pure Spirit of the Lord by which he was covered departed from him so that he was naked without a covering then shame entred in upon him and so he went to make unto himself other coverings then those which he had in the beginning to hide himself but all in vain So all the professors in the world who are not covered with the holy Spirit of the Lord may read and see what they are doing for this is truely your state and condition feeding upon your own knowledge which is forbidden and feeding thereon are thereby set on work to make unto your selves other coverings then that of the holy Spirit of truth and righteousnesse So read and consider when Adam had once done so the Lord cast him out of his Garden and he lost his dominion which he had and God placed Cherubins at Eden gate which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life so that men could never enter again that way but through death even the death of that nature and wisdom which he fed on which was of the earth and is earthly sensuall and devilish So read and consider whether you witnesse this yea or nay And so man being drove out of the earth the curse entred and the Serpent became head in him and he that was the sonne of God before and was guided by him in all his actions became the son and servant of the Devil and a bondslave unto corruption and thus was the Lamb slain even the just seed of God became oppressed in him even as a Cart that is loaded with sheaves which before bore rule in him wholly yet the Lord having regard to the works of his hands and his bowels being moved with pity towards them his mercy being over all the works of his hands took not his holy seed from him but made a Covenant with man that the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head which was become head in man then which promise was witnessed and fulfilled in Abel who was righteous and was accepted the seed of God bearing rule in him and the seed of the envious one was brused which reign'd in his brother Cain and so being one with the holy seed became a sufferer and suffered by the seed of the evil one in his brother and here was the first persecution and from that day unto this hath the just suffered by the unjust the seed of the Bond-woman persecuting the seed of the free-woman which kept the Commandements of God So here all men may read and see what stock and generation they are of and what seed is head in them for one of the two beareth rule in every individual man upon the face of the whole earth where the seed of the woman is head there is peace humility meeknesse long-suffering patience temperance love to all bearing and forbearing praying for enemies and suffering and enduring all things not having confidence in the arm of flesh nor yet a helper in the earth not seeking revenge but committeth its innocent cause to God knowing that vengeance belongs only to him praying for enemies doing good to those that despitefully use them and this this only is the life of the true christian for in him alone this holy seed of God beareth rule and hath dominion for they are the peace-makers but where the seed of the Serpent beareth rule there lust reigneth from whence cometh all warre strife contention and debate and this was Cains nature even to kill and murder who was a Vagabond drove from God yet he built him a City and called it by the name of his son and so from this stock hath risen oppression and murder and getting of possession in the earth and this was the fruit and effect of that seed which from him sprung for which cause the holy Spirit of God was grieved from day to day until it had repented him at the heart that he had made man which caused Noah to preach unto them righteousnesse but they rejected his counsel and would not be warned but they continued eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage all in the lust and unclean nature which crucified the just and so continued until the day of wrathful unresistable vengeance and flood of Gods indignation brake out upon them And thus in all ages have those in whom this seed of enmity hath borne rule provoked the holy God to wrath against them yet he forbore with them until they had filled up their measure of iniquity in which time he sent his holy servants the Prophets to warn and forewarn them of the wrath which was due unto the transgressors and still as they did reject the councel of the Lord and his tender reproofs they felt his heavy hand in the end for he hath said his Spirit shall not always strive with man though men may as they did then seek by their own strength policy and wisdome to build them a Tower to reach up unto Heaven but God confounded their design for neither by that way nor by that meanes could they ever bring their purpose to passe and from that stock came and sprung all the divisions upon the face of the earth one building this thing and the other that thing and all in the confusion being confounded and dispersed in their understandings by the wise God though vain man may think by such meanes to build him a Tower to reach up to Heaven but such are the thieves and the robbers which climb up another way then Christ spake of who came not in by the door which is the light the onely and alone true way to God and there is not another but men are so hardened and their understandings so darkned through the deceitfulnesse of sin that though these things are plainly written and spoken of in the Scriptures yet they cannot perceive them the book being become to them a book that is sealed which one
ever for the witnesse of God in me answered thereto and that their message was true and faithfull for I had that in me which had never consented to the evil of my wayes from my youth up untill that day but was a witnesse against me when I did sin against God and after had brought sorrow upon me for my vaine and wicked conversation and after I had believed their report concerning the holy pure light of Christ as they told me it came from him and would lead to him I witnessed their words to be true and at this time am ready to seale to the truth thereof with my blood if called thereunto of the Lord for through it I came to have accesse to God and no other way yet so as through judgement which laid hold of the transgressor in me and all that ever I had done came to be judged by him who sitteth upon the throne and liveth for evermore So I came to witnesse the promise of God in me that judgement should rest for a light to the people for it was so in me and I heard a voice saying This is the way walk in it turn neither to the right hand nor to the left so my teacher came to be near me even in me and will never be removed into a corner any more if diligently heeded and followed which teacher is the light of Christ in the conscience which shined in the darknesse in me though the darknesse could not comprehend it but as I came to heed it diligently it did comprehend all the darkness in me and for me and hath given me a clear discovery of all things pertaining to the Mysterie of the Kingdom of God which are needful unto salvation and I came to see Pharaoh and his host overturned which kept the seed of God in bondage in me and I passed the Red Sea into the wilderness where I came to know a sacrifice offered up which he did accept and not before and then I came to mount Sinai to the giving forth of the Law which was terrible to the flesh but it was and is glorious unto me and will be for ever for it laid hold on nothing but on that part which is estranged from God wherein I had seen many wonders and overturning of enemies yet many temptations and provocations I had to returne into Egypt again and that I should never be able to enter the promised Land the enemies were so great which I know all will come to be tempted in like manner who come truly to travail towards the Land of rest but to such an one I say be of good cheer and courage for if thy heart be given to God he will of a truth be with thee in all thy travails even to the end thereof and thy work will be only to keep in the Faith and so thou wilt find thy strength will be to stand still and see the Salvation of God For this testimony I faithfully give and bear for the Lord that it is he only who doth and will subdue all their enemies in and for them be they never so many or mighty who truly put their whole trust and confidence in his name alone who is a strong tower in time of need I say such shall possess the gates of their enemies and shall come to witness with me as I do at this day the elder to serve the younger which is the true work and promise of God and the true travail of the seed into the Lord of rest and there is no other salvation to be looked for even the subduing casting out of the seed of the bond woman that the Seed of the free woman which is Christ the Son of the most high God over all blessed for evermore may have the preheminency in the creature and thus coming out of Egypts darknesse I came to see that all the teachers in the world made by the will of man were but soul-deceivers for they had not the word from the Lord neither were they sent by him therefore did not they profit the people at all and were but Babels builders one building and another destroying and all in the confusion and the most refined of them were but Ministers of the letter and not of the Spirit boasting of other mens lines made ready unto their hands serving and worshipping the works of their own hands according to the oldnesse of the letter and not according to the newness of the Spirit and teaching them for Doctrine the traditions of men And thus are poor people in an expectation of deliverance and salvation through their teachings but all in vain for when they have heard them all their life time they tell them they can never be freed from sin and yet tell them they are good Christians though they be Drunkards Swearers Liars and wicked persons and this is the fruits of their Ministry which all shall witness with me who come to the one teacher and Shepherd of the soul who saveth all to the uttermost that come unto him who is the light of the world and enlightneth every one which cometh into the world who saith Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart who is the way the truth and the life and he is the door even the light for the way is but one the truth is but one which is the light the onely way to God and there is not another And no man cometh to the Father but by me saith Christ the light the door the way the life so none can ever come to God nor the way to God nor the truth but who comes to the light wherewith they are inlightned which comes from Christ and condemneth all the evil that is in the creature and sheweth a man all that ever he hath done for saith the woman of Samaria Is not this the Christ who hath told me all that ever I have done So all likewise who come unto the light they witnesse with her and with me the same thing and all who come into subjection unto it shall come to witnesse the wild Colt tamed upon which never man sat and then and not till then is Hosannah sung nor blessed can he ever be who comes in the name of the Lord by any untill this be fulfilled and witnessed by them and in them and this onely is the state of a true convert and true Christian and is my testimony for the Lord which shall stand for ever whether ye will hear or forbear And thus far have I cleared my conscience towards you in obedience towards God and love to your immortal souls therefore prize it while ye have time least the things which belong to your peace be hid from your eyes and a lamentation be taken up by the just for you as was over Jerusalem saying O Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thee as a Hen gathereth her chickins under her wings and thou wouldest not Therefore I say again and again lay it to heart and prize Gods everlasting love unto you all which is freely tendred unto you notwithstanding that your sins have surpassed the measure of many Nations and remember Nineveh who repented at Jonahs preaching in Sackcloath and ashes whose sins and abominations never surpassed yours which is a word of truth unto you all therefore take her for an example and repent in time least Gods judgements overtake you for Gods anger is kindled against the workers of iniquity he will destroy them from off the face of the earth that nothing but holiness may reign for evermore And the meek alone shall inherit the earth for ever and ever And this is the infallible Decree and purpose of my God which can never be recalled but will stand for ever and it hastneth to be fulfilled and he will overthrow Powers Princes Kings and Dominions even all such as shall oppose or withstand him in this his glorious work whom he will destroy in his fury will break them in pieces Therefore O ye powers of the earth down with your Crowns at the feet of the Lamb and ye shall find mercy but if ye resist him he will grind you to powder And this is the word of the Lord God unto you all and I shall be innocent before the Lord God of my life for ever therefore be awakned and beware what you do now ye are warned for you will be left without excuse if you perish and you shall know that you have been warned in time by one whom the Lord hath truly required so to do which if I should not wo wo would be unto me for ever so I shall lay down my life here in Peace and Rest and shall rejoyce if ye take warning more then in the treasures of Egypt who am called by the name of Charles Baily THE END