have declared of them then examine and try your selves whether you be in the Faith in which they were made partakers of the Divine Nature for the words which from the Life are Ministred will not give unto any a Possession of the Life neither are they the WAY unto Life but they are a true DECLARATION of Him who is the WAY TRUTH and LIFE and the Light being believed in which from the Life is made manifest it leads to the enjoyment of the Life from whence it comes and then is the knowledge of the Lâ—ght of the Glory of God revealed and known in the face of Christ and the Understanding is then opened and the Scriptures known and set in their right place so that you have neglected the needful thing which is but ONE and have chosen the wrong part and cumber your selves with many things having got the Saints words and want their Life You are dayly cumbred in your minds about their Meanings and know not what they meant when the Truth is spoken by them in plainness So being from the WORD you are from the Saints Life the WORD that was in the Beginning was their LIFE and they witnessed that LIFE to be the Light of men and in the measure of that Life received they gave forth the Scriptures which none upon the earth can understand without Union with a measure of the Word of Life from which the words were Ministred forth So that you are found to be amiss and wandering in a way that doth not lead to life and all that you have formed and brought forth is but the Work of your own hands conceived and generated in the Earthly Corruptible part which fled the Hour of his Judgement and could not abide his coming in Judgement So you never came to the Judgment-Seat where the MIGHTY falls and the LOFTY bows where the EARTH trembles and the HILLS melt and all Flesh is put to silence You did not wait in the Way that in the Victory over the Corruptible you might have come to life in the Incorruptible but you started aside when Judgement came to be laid to the line and could not abide such a Tryal so you fled it and retained the Corruptible and saved your life in it and the Birth after the Flesh is seated over God's Witness and that is the Birth you set up and strive to make it fair and beautiful and to enrich it with the choicest things that it may appear beautiful unto men and if you have but Scripture to speak you are perswaded the thing is right and so you carry on your practise in words and set up your Kingdom in words but you want the Power and the Flesh never came into subjection to learn silence but speak though it be not permitted And thus do you run in the many things and cumber your selves with them and labours to set them where they ought not to be you would set the Words above the WORD and give them the Name of the WORD and call them the Word of God and in this you erre and knows not the Scripture nor the Power of God for CHRIST is the WORD of God and his Name is called so Rev. 19. And the Words are nor CHRIST but a true Testimony of him So amongst the Words you find how the Saints in some things walked and what they practised and then you strive to make that thing to your selves and to observe it and do it as near as you can And here you are found transgressors of the just Law of God who saith Thou shalt not make to thy self any Graven Image nor the likeness of any thing Now what difference is there in the Ground betwixt You the Pope though in the appearance there seem to be such a great space And though you read of such things which the Saints performed and in which they were accepted if you want their Life and make the thing to your selves you are found Transgressors of the Law and comes under Reproof for doing that in your Corruptible Wills which they had peace in as they performed it in the Incorruptible Life and yet in the appearance no difference found in what is done So you read that after they received the Word and believed they went into the Water and were baptized and you come to observe and do the same because you read that some of them walked in such a practise and you say you believe in Christ and you receive his Word and you go into the water and are washed and call it Baptism And here is no difference found in the Likeness of the thing but yours appears the same as theirs did in the outward practise But come up to tryal the Light makes all things manifest as they are and doth not judge according to the appearance but judges righteous Judgemment they did receive the Word and they did believe and some of them went into the water and were baptized unto John's Baptism and after that were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Acts 19. And then the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake and prophesied Can you read this Scripture not see your selves where you are Who would be alwayes swimming in the Water would not come to the Holy Ghost and Fire that his Name you may know in which Salvation is and his Fan you may feel which in his own hand is placed which purgeth the Floore from all filthinesse and prepares the Temple to exalt his own Name in This is the Baptism which they witnessed who in his Life believed and in which they were baptized into his Death and there were buried with him and so came to the Resurrection through the operation of his Eternal Power you are not come to know this Practise but are satisfied with your going into the Water and coming out again when neither filthinesse of Flesh nor Spirit is cleansed from you but the pollution still abides and the Old Man lives And so you are short of the Saints Condition whose practise you pretend to follow and that Spirit by which they were baptized into one Body you are not found subject to and this was not water that baptized them into one Body neither was it water that baptized them into Christ and by which they put him on but it was the Eternal Power of Life in which they were baptized and in which Baptism Self was buryed and all the Affections and Lusts of the Flesh were destroyed and here was not Self standing in them neither did they make any likeness for that part to glory in but judged it down in the Power and in the Power were truly baptized into the death of the Corruptible Earthly part and could no longer live to themselves and then was the entrance Ministred into the Fathers House where Daily-Bread they received which did refresh the Immortal Soul Now because they were made Witnesses of such a state who believed followed the Light and denyed themselvs took
which was Moses life whose understanding was opened to see to the beginning and beheld God's Eternal Power in the Creation and the movings of his Spirit upon the face of the Waters and his bringing Light out of darkness and when this was opened to his understanding and he had seen it then he declared it and it was written and that which was written was called Scriptures but that which Moses declared as the Word of oâ— Life which was in the beginning and this Word was with God and was God who said Let there be Light Gen 1.3 mark God said it this was the Word the thing was done and came to pass Then God saw the Light that it was good and he called the Lâ—ght Day and the Darkness he called Night and the Evening and the Morning were the first day Gen. 1.4 Mark this The Word said Let there be Light and the Light was brought out of Darkness so the Morning was come and the first Day was created in the Eternal Word and â—nto this Life was Moses gathered and had his Understanding opened that he could see to the Beginning and behold the Works of God in the Creation which was wrought and brought to pass before his time upon the Earth there was no Traditâ—on to give him the knowledge of it but the Light which shone out of darkness in his heart in which he was gathered unto God and had union with his Life and in the Lâ—fe revealed Moses had clearness in his Understanding to the Beginning and beheld the six dayes Work and the Creation finished and also the seventh Day in which God rested He â—eheld man in his Innocency and Vprightness and saw the Image in which he was created and the purity and glory in which he was formed he beheld the Habitation in vvhich he vvas placed and he saw the covering with which he was clothed and in which he stood before the Creator and was not ashamed he beheld Paradise and all the Trees of the Garden and saw what was allowed unto man for Food and what was forbidden He beheld the Serpents subtilty and his deceitful working and saw how he entered and how he prevailed over man he beheld how he drew enticed man's mind from his obedience unto God and he saw how man fell and degenerated from the Power that had made him and he beheld the entrance of sin and transgression and saw the Curse and Death that came over all men in the Fall he beheld and saw the Love of God open and the Seed of the Woman promised to break the Serpents Head This was â—oses understanding opened in the Light that shone out of darkness which was manifest within himself in which the Morning appeared and the First Day did break unto him then in the Light he read thorow the generations that were before him and declared of their states and conditions and of their wayes and doings and then it was written and became Scriptures Mark It was not Scripture before Moses had declared it and what he hath declared and what is written is true and given forth by him in the Power that made all things manifest to him So he declared of Adam and of hâ—s Innocent state and of his Fall and of his driven-out-state he declared of Cain and of his Sacrifice and of Abel and of his Sacrifice he declared of the Flood that came upon the World of the ungodly and of Noah a just person who with his Sons and Daughters were preserved in the Ark He declared of Abraham the Father of the faithful and of the Covenant that God made with him and his Seed for ever he declared of Ishmael and Isaac of Esau and Jacob and through all the generations that had gone before him and he did not receive these things by Tradition or by any knowledge that came without him but as they were opened and made manifest within him where he beheld and read them in the Light and Life by which all things were made and created and into which he was gathered and united This is that Moses whom God sent into Aegypt to bring up Israel his chosen who with mighty Signs and Wonders delivered them from under Pharoah's Power and was a Leader unto them out of Aegyptian Darkness and from under the heavy Tasks that they weâ—e oppressed withall He received the Law at Mount Horeb and he writ it in Tables of Stone that Israel might know the Statutes and Ordinances which the Lord required that they should observe and keep and that they might obey the Lord their God this was the Covenant which God made with Israel in those dayes when he brought them out of the Land of Aegypt and it was committed unto Moses who was made a Minister of it and taught the people to observe and do it that they might possess the Land which the Lord their God had given unto them and that they might not forget the Lord and his Benefits And this was Moses Ministration for the Law came by him howbeit this Ministration was not the Thing it self neither could make the comers thereunto perfect yet in its time was glorious and was a true Figure and Shadow of him that was to come which afterwards was to be more fully revealed whose glory exceeded and Moses Ministration was but a Type of him and a School-Master to bring unto him who was before the World was and it held forth though more darkly as in a Glass the glorious appearance of CHRIST the Word of God and Power of God who was yet to come and to be made manifest and revealed of whom Moses truly prophesied when he said A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto me him shall you hear in all things and who will not hear the voice of that Prophet shall be cut off from amongst the People Mark They were to be cut off that would not hear the voice of him of whom Moses prophesied who was yet to come and to be the end of the Lâ—w for Righteousness and to be the fulfiller of it and to save and redeem from under it seeing that no flesh could be â—ustified by it because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it and because it was a Ministration of Condeâ—nation unto such as did not continue in all things written therein therefore Moses testified of him who was to be raised up and directed all to hear his Voice whose Ministration was to bring in Everlasting Righteousnesse and to redeem from under the Bondage of the Law and this was Moses Testimony unto CHRIST the Power of God and he did not direct People to look at any thing or hear any thing that was written before his time but to look to Christ and to hear his Voice that they might come to that which made the World and was in the beginning with whom Moses had then true union and felt his life and beheld the Excellenâ—y of his glory which was still to be
revealed and both the Law and Prophets bear witness unto him and the Scriptures throughout testifies of him and declare his unchangeableness who through all abides the same what he was in the beginning he was the same to Moses and to David and all the Prophets and Holy men of God who all received a measure of his unchangeable life and were thereby inspired and as that in them moved so they spake and declared and their Testimony agreeâ— in one for they were all come to that which vvas in the beginning and all declared the same thing according to its manifestation unto them that from Moses until John all the true Prophets boâ—e their Testimony unto CHRIST the Power of God whom they knew to be freely given of God to be a LIGHT and a LEADER that he might be salvation unto the ends of the Earth as they received they Ministred and truly testified of his Power and what they knew him to be made unto them so they declared of him and witnessed him to be a King a Judge a Law-giver a Rock a Fortress a Deliverer And so according to the Manifestation they Ministred and not by Tradition or Custom That the Testimony of John agreed with the Testimony of Moses and they both witnessed the same Thing and had Union with the same Life So John was come to that which was in the Beginning and in that he was the greatest of all the Prophets and was sent of God to prepare the Way and to make the Pathes streight for he was near to be revealed in glory of whom Moses and the Prophets had testified and John declared of the Word which was in the beginning by which all things were made And he testified That in the Word there was Life and the Life was the Light of men John 1. mark The Word in the beginning is the Life and Light of men by which all things were made This was his Testimony who was sent of God to bear witness unto the Light and he did not declare of another then the holy men of God had done the same that Moses and the Prophets had testified of and he was sent of God to bear witness unto this Truth which was in the beginning and he did not testifie of that to be the Light which Moses and the Prophets had written before him neither did he testifie of himself to be the Light but that is the true Light saith John that enlightens every man that comes into the world John 1.9 Here was the Light shone out of Darkness in John the Morning and the first Day was come unto him as was unto Moses and he beheld his Glory as the Glory of the onely begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth Then God sent him to bear witness unto the Light which in him was made manifest that all in the Light might believe and he called unto others to behold him and said he was the Lamb of God and was come to take away the sins of the World John 1.29 Mark He beheld him and his Glory and felt his Power and what his Power tooke away then he declared him as he knew him and not from any Tradition or Writing before him though then there was much written which did truly testifie of him Weigh this Truth all ye Priests and Professors and ponder it in your hearts Have you beheld Christ and seen his Glory whose Name in Words you declare Have you felt his Power to take away your sin If yea then why do you teach for Doctrine mens Traditions and build upon other mens labours and stretch your selves beyond your own measures running into the Lines of what others have written And if nay then how dare any of you make mention of his Name or speak of his Glory or of his Power seeing you have not beheld him yet made manifest in your selves You are not sent of God no not one of you who cannot witness in some measure the glory of the onely begotten of the Father revealed in you Therefore let all flesh be silent and the mouth of Iniquity for ever stopped and let none speak more of Christ or his Glory and Povver then they knovv a measure of his Life made manifest in their mortal bodyes by vvhich they come to know their sin taken avvay For John testified that the giving forth of the Law vvas by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ John 1.17 Mark Grace and Truth vvas come unto John by Jesus Christ and he had beheld and had felt the Virtue of it by vvhich Moses Administration vvas fulfilled in him And this is John's Record who vvas sent of God to bear Witness unto him in whom is life the same vvhich was in the beginning of vvhom Moses testified that so their Record agrees in one and their Testimony is unto the same Life in Unity for they vvere gathered unto Him vvho vvas in the beginning and vvas made manifest through Generations to be a Light and a Leader and all that believed and obeyed him had Life Eternal in him And this is he that vvas made under the Law to Redeem them that vvere under the Law and in fulness of time came and vvas made manifest to Israel and vvas the end of the Law for Righteousness unto all that did believe and so he fulfilled the Ministration of Condemnation which could not justifie any because of its weakness he brought in a Ministration of Righteousness which did exceed in Glory And this was the Word in the beginning which became flesh dwelt amongst them they beheld his glory and received him and as many as received him unto them he gave Power to become the Sons of God even to as many as believed in his Name And John preferred him before all saying He that comes after me is preferred before me for he was before me and his shoo-latchets I am not worthy to unloose I baptize with water but he shall baptize with the Holy Ghost and with Fire whose Fan is in his hand he must encrease but I must decrease saith John And when he came and was made manifest unto Israel of whom Moses and the true Prophets had testified and whose Glory they saw was to be revealed he Ministred forth of his own Fulness and of his Fulness they received who upon him waited and in him believed Then he confirmed the Testimony of all the Holy Men of God saying I am the Light of the World he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life John 8.12 And this Testimony the Pharisees could not receive but told him he bore Record of himself and his Record was not true These were the wise Generation and the Scripture-learned ones in that day who had the Law and the Prophets read amongst them every Sabbath and yet did not behold his glory when manifest amongst them of whom Moses and the Prophets had testified nor did not believe his own
fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth them from all sin And this is John's Testimony unto the Saints gathered in the Light and then he exhorted them to abide in it and walk in it and receive the Teachings of it For saith John You need not another Teacher but the Annointing which you have received of him and abideth in you Mark the Annointing which the Saints had received it did abide in them and they needed not that any man should teach them but as the same Annointing taught them all things and is truth and no lye 1 John 2.27 And in the Truth received they lived and it did abide in them and by the same Spirit of Truth were they led into all Truth and had Fellowship and perfect unity one with another in the Truth and they were dear and tender over one another and loved one another with an unfeigned Love and these were they that were born of God and were Children of the Light and of the Day and they were not of the Night nor of Darknesâ— but out of that state were redeemed and saved by the Power of Christ and in his Light they were led into the holy City which John in the Spirit saw descending out of Heaven from God having the glory of God and her Light was like a Stone most precious and the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof and the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the Light thereof and the Kings of the Earth bring their Glory and Honor into it Rev. 21. Mark all that are saved must walk in the Lambs Light which shines in the Holy City and thither the Kings of the Earth must bring their Glory and Honour and all must be laid down at the feet of him who reigns for ever for unto the Lambs Power must all be subject he is greater than all there was none before him neither is there another after him the Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the Ending the First and Last Rev. 22. Mark I am Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the Ending the First and Last And here Moses and John meets in unity and their Testimony agrees in one and all the Dispensations and Administrations did hold forth this excellent Glory which unto John was revealed in the Spirit and from the beginning to the end of all that is declared and written in so many Words it is but a Testimony of him whose Name is called the Word of God Rev 19 Mark The WORD is his Name and it was in the beginning and by it was all things made that are made and all the Holy Men of God received it and had a part in it and by it they all obtained Life and they testified that there was not another Name given whereby any could be saved And this is declared in Words and is called Scripture of Truth but is not the Word whereby Life and Salvation comes For that was in the Beginning and is the same this Day and abides for Ever CHRIST the Power of God the Salvation of God without any variableness or changing and what Moses saw him to be in his time John saw him to be the same in his time and as he was made manifest unto them so they testified of him and exalted him above every Name and laboured to gather people unto him and many believed in him and were united to him and by one Spirit were baptized into one Body and had fellowship and communion in one life and in the Spirit they worshipped God with one accord and served him with one consent And this was glorious in its time and a Service accepted of God for they were single and upright to God and worshipped him in his own Spirit and his living presence was amongst them and the Light of his Countenance did shine upon them and their hearts were made glad and rejoiced in him and they offered up a living Sacrifice of Praise unto his Name Then did Antichrist begin to work amongst them and with his subtilty entered and prevailed over some of them and through his deceivableness entangled them and drew them from their obedience unto the Power in which they were gathered then did those forsake the rest that in the Power were kept went out from them and turned the Grace of God into wantonness and made Shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience then Night came upon the Disobedient and the Vail spread over them and darkness covered them and they lost the Life and Power of God and went out from the Spirit and from the Truth and so became false Apostles and Deceivers holding the Form but denyed the Power had the Sheeps Clothing kept the Words but inwardly ravened from the Spirit And these Apostates who were gone from the Life and Power of God and had lost the Leading of his Spirit they turned into the Flesh and joined to the Harlot and committed Whoredom and generated in the Flesh and conceived a false Birth and in their own strength brought it forth and it turned a Persecutor of the Birth born of the Spirit and exercised Dominion and Lordship over others and sought to pervert the Right Way of the Lord and to turn people from it and after the Saints decease who by the true Spirit were guided then the false Apostles and Deceivers prevailed and drew people unto their Way which stood in the Form out of the Power so that the people were covered with gross Darkness and their minds blinded that the things of God were not at all perceived then they sought out many Inventions and made many Likenesses and set up Forms and every man's Way seemed right in his own eyes and all became observers of their own Way so set up the Kingdom in their observations and all crying that Christ was in that Way which they had made and observed Now Christ beheld the coming of such and exhorted to beware of them and not believe them nor go forth after them for he declared that they were false who shall cry him up in any observation or set up the Kingdom of God in any such thing therefore saith Christ The Kingdom of God is within you Luk. 17. So in this dark Night of Apostacy that was entered people ran into Confusion and did not understand one another And when this glorious Day was lost that the Saints lived in who gave forth the Scriptures and that people were gone astray and erred from the leading of the Spirit and had no union with the Life and Power that the Saints enjoyed then they got their Words and in the strength of their Imaginations they set up a Way and formed a Likeness then centered in the Form and rested there for Life so was the Light and Day of God lost and no Morning in them appeared but gross Darkness was over them and
this is the time GOD and ternal LIFE 1 John 5. Mark the Son of God was come the true Birth was born in them and they knew him to be the only true God and obeyed and worshipped him and in him they had Eternal Life and this they witnessed to be true But who knows him not to be come that is True they are not in the Saints Life so runs into their Words and gets their Words and sows them together and makes themselves Coverings but abides in the Darkness and brings forth that which is false then searches the Scriptures for Words to prove their Image a lawful Son And this is the bottom and foundation of all professed Religions this day centring in the Letter and running thither for shelter but are all from the Life and out of that which is the sure Refuge and Defence and though all these Births differ in their Form and Likeness yet in the Ground one and all nourished from one Root and the difference is in their branchings forth and appearances for they reach to the Letter in their comprehensions and from that imagines how the Saints practised and worshipped and then they adde their own Inventions and Conclusions concerning it and so makes it up as a thing that is true and these are divers in appearance some carved out into one likeness and some into another some appearing more excellent and glorious than others and some being more painted with Scripture-words than others are and so they make up the Image which Daniel saw whose brightness was excellent and the form terrible the head of the Image was of fine gold his Breasts and his arms of Silver his Belly and Thighs of Brass his Legs of Iron his Feet part of Iron and part of Clay Dan. 2. Mark here was divers appearances in the Image and some more glorious than others to behold yet but one Image and from the Feet unto the Head it seemed more excellent in shew but all must fall together for the foundation is in the mixture and the little Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands it smites the Mixture and brings down the whole Image and in the fall of it there is no difference made from the Feet unto the Head but the Iron the Clay the Brass the Silver and the Gold was broken to peeces together and became like the chaffe of the Summer-threshing-floors and the wind carried them away that no place was found for them and the Stone that smote the Image became a great Mountain and filled the earth Dan. 2 23. Hear O BABYLON for this is the Lord's Decree against thee this day and all the Apostates that inhabits within thee though many may be climbed up to the Head of Gold yet they are part of the Image whose feet is Iron and Clay and the little Stone will bring them down with the Rest and they must fall and be destroied before the brightness of his Rising who is come to fill the Earth with his Glory and though Babylon be diverse in appearance and there be many branchings forth in her and that there is not an agreement amongst themselves yet they differ not in the root but all springs up from the heart that is deceitful and desperately wicked which lieth degenerated from God and the night of Apostacy spread over it and the fruit that is brought forth by them hath one taste and is all bitter and no savour of the life of God is felt amongst them And though it be so that all sorts and sects profess God and with their lips seem to honor him yet is their hearts far off from him and their fear towards him is taught by the precepts and traditions of men and in their works they are all found to deny him and lies in darkness and confusion some setting up and some pulling down some building and some destroying so doth the Inhabitants of Babylon dash one against another and breaks one another and destroies one another about their professed Religion and are all out of that which mâ—kes for Peace and that wherewith one may edifie another So the Image hath been made and set up and all these branches put forth since the daies of the Apostles the Spirit of Truth being lost and people having run in the night of Apostacy they have been like blind men groaping for a Way to walk in and when they could not find the Saints way then in their inventions they made wayes to themselves and what they made that seemed right in their own eies So have all the people a way and a worship and in their own way their hearts is most delighted and in that they are â—est satisfied though it never bring them near to God or to feel the refreshings of his living presence 1. Now the POPE those that walk and worship with him they have a way and unto them it seems right as others do and they strive and contend for it and counts all Hereticks that differ from them and in their zeal to their way and worship they make Laws and Decrees for to cut off and destroy such as cannot own their way and walk with them and the Pope challengeth the first place in Government and Power as to those things that concerns Religion and sets himself over all and sits as a holy Father and Head of the Church and institutes and orders what his will leadeth him to and that he sets up in practise and profession then unto that must all bow or draw his displeasure upon them and he concludes something from the Scripture that may be a ground for him in his practise imagining that he is as Peter was and hath power as Peter had and fits in Peters Seat to rule but is not found in Peters life so an earthly carnal man dark and blinde not perceiving the things of God and is far off from that in which Peter had power to binde and loose so sits in a decked Seat in the pride and hautiness of his hearâ— and in that rules over people by the might of his earthly powers which Peter never did so the Thing he maketh to himself and sets up a likeness out of the power and the form is practised and a Will-worship performed and in that is the Pope with his people satisfied and thinks that they do God service but are found in the degeneration and alienation from the life of God and the in dark night of Apostasie where the mystery they cannot perceive so in darkness walk and know not whither they go because that darkness hath blinded their mindes 2 And from the same Root another branch springs up something higher and is called PRELACY whose birth is conceived in the same womb as the other and brought forth in the same strength and they flye to the Scripture to uphold that part of the Image which they bear forth and from the Scripture they would prove their's a lawful birth having read of Bishops and Church-order of Prayer
and Preaching of serving and worshipping God and in words they deny the Pope and his practises and cannot joyn nor own his Birth to be lawfully begotten yet there is none nearer in the brotherhood nor none more like in their form and appearance but are all in darkness and neither knows nor understands one another though children of one house so they live in strife and contention warring and fighting about their likenesses because different in form and neither of them a true birth but lye in darkness and under the shadow of death where peace they know not 3 And then another branch puts out something above either of these and is called PRESBYTERY and they make a great noise with the Scriptures and Form a great Likeness and bears forth a higher part of the Image and they contend more earnestly by how much they have a fairer shew and they would have their Son to rule over all and would have all compelled to fall down and worship their likeness which they set up and presses to a conformity under penalties and punishments and they have Scripture to turn unto by which they would prove their Birth to be the onely childe so they plead their call to the Ministry lawful because they read some were ordained by the gift of the Holy Ghost and by the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery and they ordain Elders and Deacons and Officers in their order and practise having read of such names in the Scripture and they contend against Pope and Bishops and those Names and cannot own nor joyn with them but wars and fights and destroyes them and so Babylon lyeth in darkness and confusion and yet in the ground one for the Presbyter's Branch is from the same Root and his birth conceived in the same womb with the Popes and Prelates and no difference but in the likeness made to themselves for they be all in darkness and from that which was in the beginning and doth not know a part in the life which the holy men of God enjoyed and from which the Scriptures were declared 4 Then springs up another branch over all these and is called INDEPENDENCY and these have something like a form of godliness and their Birth appears more glorious than any of the other but is not the true Son and though in many things they be separated and differs from them yet in others they joyn and consent unto them and these bear but a higher part of the Image by how much they have more of the form of godliness and are more zealous in their practise and professed worship and these do not so much strive after Compulsion as some others do though they would set up their Son as Chief and would have him adored and worshipped above all and they cannot own neither Pope Prelate nor Presbyter in their practise but seperates from them and gathers into more particular union and fellowship together and they run to the Scriptures to prove their Birth lawful and their practise warrantable but are with the rest in darkness and in confusion degenerated from the Power of God by which all things were made and knows not the life of Moses the Prophets and the Apostles but stands â—loathed and decked with their words and there seem to be something and to stand above others in their shew of godliness and Will-worship but knows not the life revealed so their strength lyes in the letter and what the Saints have declared who were in the power of God redeemed That they build upon as their foundation and in their imaginations practices in some things as they read the Saints did and there they rest satisfied and contented with their present states and conclude to themselves a belief in Christ and applie his promises and what he did for them in that body that suffered without the gates of Jerusalem and by his death and offering all things is accomplished for them and no sin shall be ever imputed unto them though they live in it and through his Mediation and Intercession for them as he is at the right hand of God at a distance from them they believe that they have access to God and to the Throne of his grace and are accepted of him and yet they neither know God nor Christ nor the place where they say he sits at the right hand of God and upon confession made of this belief and if there be something of soberness in people that they do not appear openly prophane such they receive into fellowship and brotherhood when the birth of God lyes oppressed under the pride of their hearts and no fellowship with God nor one with another in the life of God then they break bread together and calls it an Ordinance of Christ and meet together and speak and pray in words which is a branch of the old Root and a higher part of the IMAGE seemingly more glorious and this is the faith which all people in words wil confess as they do and doth not at all differ from the faith of the POPE the PRELATE PRESBYTER all confessing faith in Christ and a hope to be saved in Christ and that he hath satisfied for all sin past present and to come and in the life to come they shall obtain eternal salvation by Christ and this is but the same which all will acknowledge in words and differs nothing in the ground from the faith of those they are separated from but branches forth of the same Root and all their practise springeth out of the same ground and is the Harlots Childe though dressed with a fairer Covering Another branch there is which makes up the form of the Image and branches forth from the old root and is called BAPTISTS who have formed a birth fair in shew and is seemingly more glorious than any of the other and they are also in strife and contention about it and they flye to the Scriptures to defend it and to prove it to be the lawful Childe and because they read of some that went into the water and were baptized they observe and do the same and reading in the Scriptures that there were some who met together and exhorted one another and were edified and comforted one in another they observe and do as near as they can what they read of the Saints practise and so conceives a birth in the same womb and brings it forth in the same strength as others do and in the ground it differs not and concerning Christ and salvation they are of the general faith with the other parts of the Image and many of them hath the strongest confidence in it and contends most earnestly for it being in their mindes perswaded that Christ hath satisfied for all their sin and hath reconciled them unto God though they be sinners and by him they hope to be saved after this life is ended and so are set down in a carnal security and rest at ease in the formality and are strangers to the
away How did you Reform that which you call Baptising Infants you layed by the sign of the Cross which was made by a man called Minister in the Childes Fore-head and you layed by those called GOD-FATHERS and GOD-MOTHERS and yet you continued sprinkling water in the Childrens Faces and call it Baptisme and say You baptize them into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost What Scripture have you for this practice Did not the Sign of the Cross and sprinkling water in the Childes face both spring from one Root and neither of them can be proved Warrantable from the Scriptures of Truth and you have layed by the One as unlawful and continues the Other as lawful and this you call REFORMATâ—ON Are you not in the Midnight of Apostacy who upholds such things in your Profession of God which the Saints never practised nor any Scriptures declare of such things being used by them Who taught you to sing Davids Words in Meeter and to call upon your Congregations to sing to the Praâ—se and Glory of God and to have a Clerk to publish them and give them forth Is this to sing with the Spirit and Understanding and to make melody in your hearts to the Lord who have not a Psalm before the Clerk give it forth and then for all people of all Conditions to sing the Words though they know nothing of the state of David who Published the words from the sensibleness of his Condition as then he was in when he did declare them so they were true in him but such as cannot witness David's state you make them to sing Lyes in Hypocrisie And who taught you to take a portion of Scripture and call it a TEXT and tell people It is the Word of the Lord and that they may finde it written in in such a Book Chapter and Verse and then raise Doctrines from it Uses Motives Helps Arguments and make Applications Is not this the Colledge Work And have you not learned it there And is not this the Philosophy and vain Deceit which peopâ—e is to beware of Do you know the Scriptures and the Power of God you that are so wise in your own Eyes Where is you Scripture for these things Or did ever the LORD of LIFE and GLORY teach his Ministers so to Do as you are Doing at this day You are from the Saints life and in the old Root and your Birth is begotten in Whoredome and formed in the Inventions and Imaginations of the Old Man and brought forth in the strength of that Nature and the Lord's Controversie is sore against You because you do in Words profess him but in your Works deny him Therefore Repent speedily and turn to the Light of Christ in your own Consciences and be not so wise in your own Eyes but become Fools to you own wisdome that you may be wise in the Wisdome of God that your understandings may be opened to know the Scriptures and the Power of God For the Lord is visiting the Nations in this day of his Mercy and his love reaches unto you and with a measure of his Spirit he doth Reprove you and secretly discovers unto you the intents and thoughts of your hearts Turn when Reproof comes and hate it not for the Lords Love is tendred to you in that which doth Reprove you Hearken to it that you may be Converted and Healed before the Door of Mercy be shut and no place of Repentance can be found for the Lord hath a Seed to gather from amongst you that cannot live long with you such is the earnest desire after life in many this day whilest it is called to day let none behard but all wait to Receive from the Lord in tenderness that his Spirit may guide and lead you which is manifest in you and that the fruits thereof may be brought forth by you that LOVE and PEACE and GENTLENES may abound amongst you that WARRING and FIGHTING and DESTROYING one another may all cease that the Sound of the TRUMPET and the Al-arm of WAR may not be heard in the Land but that you may be gathered and united in the Spirit of Life where no Confusion nor Distraction is but perfect love and peace for ever Turn to the Lord and walk in the way of Understanding A few Words of tender Counsel unto those called INDEPENDENTS with all that walk in that way HEar ye Wandring ones who upon the Mountains are scattered You are tossed up and down and driven to and fro in the Cloudy and dark day something of the Morning did once appear unto you though you knew it not and in the Dawnings of the light which in you did begin to shine your understandings were opened and you beheld the Formes and Practises and abominable Idolatries which were come up in the Darkness and a true tenderness was raised in you towards the Lord and a breathing there was in you to enjoy his presence and you departed out of the Idolatrous wayes and worship could not joyn with them nor own their Customs and Tradâ—tions which were set up but seperated from them and gathered into a more particular and private Fellowship to wait upon the Lord and in this tenderness abiding and you kept in the fear to wait and the Visitations of God did break upon you and his Love did open to that which breathed in you and this was a good Day unto you and you were sweetly refreshed in it But behold how you have erred and from the Lord are gone astray and betrayed the Innocent Life you were not faithful unto God nor did not sink into his Counsel that his Arm of Power might have wounded the Head of the Transgressor smitten him down into the Death buryed him under the Judgement for ever you fled from Him when you should have joined unto Him and so never came through the Gaâ—e of Death to obtain Life in the Resurrection But you reached forth with that Mind which should have come to Judgement and with that Mind comprehended those things which in the Day of Tenderness were opened to you in the Light then did you enrich your selves and grew Wise and Mighty in Skill and Knowledge and you decked the false Birth with that which God opened to you in the Day when you breathed after him in the unsatisfiedness of your Minds were in the true hunger and in the sensibleness that you wanted Bread so you betrayed the simplicity delivered it up into the hands of the subtilty under which it lyes in Captivity and sorely oppressed and afflicted and so you erred from the LIFE which was near to be revealed in many of you and lost the WORD and drew back again and ran into the words and have got the words and with them stands filled in the earthly mind that fled the Judgement and there you are lifted up and exalted above the Witness of God and the false Birth hath beautified it self with the Saints words and sits
in the Temple as God for you sought out an easier Way then that which God hath prepared and drew aside for self-safety and denyed the Cross which the Light leads all unto that obeys it So you never entered in at the strait Gate to know the enmity slain which would not have the Life to reign but you got up in the Knowledge and grew wise in the Comprehension and branched forth in a shew of Godliness and in your own Wisdom brought forth what you conceived might be the nearest to the Saints Practise So a Birth you formed in the deceitful heart that is corrupted and lyes degenerated from God and though you be in some things seperated and more particularly gathered in appearance yet do you lye mixed and confused with the rest of Babylons Inhabitants you can go to their named Churches and hear their Colledge-Ministers which are made by man contrary to the Scriptures of Truth so you are in the luke-warm state neither hot nor cold and your Garment is party-coloured and it is neither Night nor Day amongst you for you are run into the many inventions and drinking of the Cup of Fornication and are joined to the Harlot and commits VVhoredom with her and brings forth a Birth that is after the Flesh which cannot please God so hath the old Enemy deceived you and betrayed the innocent Life which once breathed in you and you are seated and centered in your Form and there have your dependance for satisfaction and you flye to the Scriptures to prove your Birth to be lawful and you have got Saints Words and in something appear as they did in Practise and you can say That so you find it written and so did the Saints practise and so do you but you want the life which they were born into thorough the working of God's Mighty Power and in which they declared the Scriptures and if you could perform all that ever you read concerning their practise and be not come into their life it will not be owned of God to be a true Worship and Service though they in what they did were accepted and rewarded And none upon the Earth can understand the Scripture without a measure of that life from which it was ministred And so have you erred for want of knowledge because that darkness hath blinded your minds and though much you profess and boast of high things yet your Deeds testifies against you even as others do from amongst whom you are gathered in your Worship you are vain and light minded foolish jesting and idle talking abounds amongst you you are high-minded and lifted up with a perfect Tincture of Pride many of your hearts are after Covetousness which doth not become a people professing the Knowledge of God These things are not charged upon you to upbraid you or to boast over you but that you may come into stayedness and soberness and humblenesse of mind that when God's Witnesse smites upon you and reproves you for those things that be evil you may be sensible of its reproof for the Light of Christ which is pure it doth not consent to or allow of any such things but reproves them without respect of persons but you are so lifted up in your vain minds that you are not sensible of it neither have any regard unto it so you delight in the thing as if it were a Priviledge purchased for you by Christ whose Name you profess and you can plead for your Lightness and say it is your Liberty to rejoice and be merry and your Covetousnesse you can call it Carefulness and Providence and your Pride you can put it upon your Quality and Ability So hath the Enemy vailed you and drawn you from the Spirit of Life which doth certainly reprove you in your own Consciences for these things and thus the Enemy doth lead you out of God's fear and into vanity and then seeks a fair excuse to cover it but you are found to walk after the flesh and satisfies that part with all the affections and lusts of it and the Witness of God is not regarded by you though it be alwayes near you and in your secret Chambers with you and often smiting you and reproving you yet you are so high over it that you do not heed it nor when it calls you hearken not to it but run in your own Way and follow your own Wills and the imaginations of your own hearts and slights the Day of your Visitation and the sweet tenders of God's Love unto you in the Light for he waits to be Gracious though you be Careless and his hands are stretched forth still that he might gather you and do you good You are a People whom the Lord strives with though you have rejected and slighted and grieved his Spirit yet is his tender Mercy open towards you and the Arm of Salvation he reaches to you that into his own House he may bring you and there deal forth Daily-Bread and give you Water of Life freely I travel in Spirit for you and the Love of the Father reaches to you and I know from the Lord that there is an unsatisfied Cry in many of you who want the Bread of Life and Water of Life to refresh your Souls And when you have received that which you call your Ordinance and have eaten and drunken of the Temporals you want that Meat which endures to everlasting life and something in you that hungers and thirsts after the enjoyment of that Oh! there is a Seed amongst you that must not dye in Aegypt nor alwayes groan under Pharoah's Power but must be redeemed by the out stretched Arm of the Almighty His Love draws near you the Morning springs fast upon you AWAKE and behold what God is tendering to you hasten to it and lay hold upon it look not abroad but come within and feel it near you that you may know the Power to save you and the Arm that is stretched forth to redeem you and the Manifestation of God's Spirit within you will be strength and safety for you and as you turn unto it obey and believ in it it wil not leave you nor forsake you but will be a present help unto you in the needful time and in the patience waiting the DAY will break and the SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS will Arise and the thick Clouds and Foggy Mysts that darkens your understandings will vanish away like the Morning-Dew and the brightness of his Rising will destroy ANTICHRIST which so long hath been exalted in you and all the loftiness and haughtiness will fall before him whose appearance is glorious And thus doth he manifest himself and makes known his Eternal Power in the hearts of all that wait upon him in the Measure of his Light and carries on his Work prosperously in his own hand cutting down and sparing not whatsoever stands in the heart contrary to him and would not have him to Reign and his Works declares that it is he for he works Faith