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
A DEFENCE OF THE True Church Called QUAKERS Come and coming out of the Wildernesse Babylon and the dark Night of the Apostacy of Antichrist into their own Land which is Sion the Mountain of Holinesse there to Worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth against the several Sects and sorts of people called Independants Separatists or Brownists Baptists Fift Monarchy-men Seekers and High Notionists of all sorts who by the True Light are found and discovered to be out of the same Written by J. C. According to the measure of Wisdom given unto him from God who is the giver of every good gift LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate 1659. WHen the Jewes outward Returned from the Captivity of Babylon which was the true figure of the Saints coming out of the long and dark night of Apostacy from the Doctrine and Life of the Apostles in the Primitive Times which was the Captivity of the spiritual Seed so great and many were their Enemies who endeavoured to cause their Work in repairing the desolate and ruined places of Jerusalem to cease that those who were imployed in that Work with one hand wrought and with the other held the Weapon even so is it and must it be now at the Return of the spiritual Seed not only within by exercising Faith and Prayer upon and to him that is able to save to the uttermost and in his strength wrestling against the Dragon and his Angels Principalities Powers and Spiritual Wickednesses in High Places and sundry temptations so quenching by the Armour of Light all the fiery Darts of the wicked one but also without both by holding forth the Word of their testimony and sealing it with their bloud and sufferings for the conviction and conversion of sinners so fitting stones for Gods spiritual building and also by stopping the mouths of gain-sayers who shall not be able to resist the Spirit by which they speak So standing in the gap and quitting themselves like Spiritual-men against the Beast and false Prophet and all the Armies of the Aliens Hear now therefore all ye that are called Independants Separatists or Brownists Baptists Fift Monarchy-men Seekers high Notionists of all sorts the Apologie or Defence that I in the wisdom and strength of my God for without him I can do nothing do make against you and for the true Church called Quakers against whom and whose standing Profession ye variously have prejudice and do contend And First for you called Independants ye assume a great Name but ye are not found in the Independant nature and so are not the true Church for although ye professe your selves as to the visible Administration of Church-power not to have dependance upon other Congregations or Churches as an inferiour on a superiour yet are there many things apparently seen amongst you which do un-Church you and remove your Candlestick far off for the true golden Candlesticks among whom Christ the Son of God walketh do hold up and hold forth the true light that it may shine before men but ye as do the common multitude reject it sleight it and Dispute against it as invalid and insufficient to lead in the way everlasting and so ye would have it kept under the bushel yea quite extinguished in the hearts of men and would have the Scriptures or Writings to be a light to it and not it an enlightener and opener of them whereby ye stumble at the Scriptures themselves and cannot discern of the times and seasons or of the Saints several states and conditions to God-ward who because they sometime witnessed a war and striving against the body of sin therefore say you they must alway while they live carry it about them as though the Saints fought as those that beat the Air or as though their labour were in vain in the Lord Oh! foolish people and unwise when will ye come to the true Teacher in your selves that ye may believe and know the Promise made unto the seed That there shall be no more a pricking Bryar unto the House of Israel nor a grieving Thorn of all that are round about them that despise them and they shall know that I am the Lord Also that their Enemies which they have seen to day they shall see them again no more for ever And that ye may see their interest in Christs Prayer whom the Father heard alwayes because he did alwayes the things that pleased him who said Neither Pray I for these alone to wit for the Apostles and Saints then in the world that they might be sanctified through the Truth but for them also who shall believe in me through their words that they all may be one c. I in them and thou in me that hey may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Mark This was a state of Saints Perfection in this world that worldly Spirits might be convinced thereby but ye being in the unbelief are even as the multitude alwayes hanging upon the lips of men whose tongues are not touched as the Prophets was with a Coal from Gods Altar who witnessed his sin purged and so are ever learning and never come to the true knowledge for the Pastors and Teachers of your Congregations have not yet witnessed the Vrim of the Sanctuary I mean the true spiritual Gift by believing and waiting on the true light which shineth in their dark hearts that should give them power from on high to minister in but are either men learned with the learning of this world or such who through strength of Brain and often reading of the Letter of the Scriptures can compose a Form of Words and deliver it unto you after a Priestly manner so that ye as still unsatisfied heap to your selves National Priests also for Teachers sometimes hearing the one and sometimes the other Yea some of your Pastors so called are National Priests also Oh! Friends it might shame you and make you blush for shame if ye could rightly consider to call your selves the Churches of Christ and Independants and be thus so dependant on mans Teachings Yea joyning with the National Priests about the way of sending out a Ministrie and bearing the Beasts very Mark in your Foreheads while ye are so called owning your Baptism in your Infancie to be true though ministred to a blank and by those who sprang from a Popish stock and sprinkling your own Infants now from a false apprehension of the Promise made to you and your seed after the flesh so calling that the seed whereas the true Churches of Christ knew no such seed nor owned any but that which sprang out of Christs womb in the Regeneration who is a quickning Spirit So Christ the Corner-stone and Head of the Church even the true and universal Light is come to fight against you with the sword of his mouth and to testifie to your faces That though ye call
your selves Jewes yet ye are not but do lye Yea your Conversation in the world most plainly sheweth that your spot is not the spot of his Children for we see you so mingled and interwoven in the Pride Covetousness Policie and Folly of the world that we could not by any holy walking know you or cull you out as the clean from the unclean or as Sheep from the midst of the Goats if we did not now and then hear some of you called Independants Lord how emptie a thing it is to have a Name to live and to be dead Wherefore come to him who is the Resurrection and the life which life is the light of men and becometh the light of life to all that believe and wait in it that they may bring forth fruit unto God and so become living stones built up a spiritual House for this is the Church of the First-born whose Names are written in Heaven For what is it for people to cry The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord The Church of Christ the Church of Christ and to be polluted and unclean both in Worship and Practice or to call themselves the Children of Abraham and not to do the Works of Abraham for he forsook the Idolatry of his Fathers House and in obedience to the Lords call came into a Land that he shewed him so comming to the Cross to his own will he also saw Christs day and was glad and walked before the Lord and was upright but ye do neither of these as being still in the abominations of the Whore who have made the Nations drunk as kicking against the prick the True Light and Reprover for sin and evil and living in the Detestable Waies Customs and Fashions of the World so the Sun-shine of the Light in this the day of the Lords Power hath put and is putting out your Candle in obscuritie hath removed your Candlestick because ye repented not for he hath raised up a People at last in this Nation wherein he hath placed his Name that it might not fall in the streets who as they are faithful to the first Principle of God in them to wit the Light shall out-live out-shine and eat out the Heart and Soul of all Professors and professions in the World that are found in the Idolatry Pride and Vanity thereof though under great and fair pretences of Christian Religion which stands not in high words but in loving Mercy doing Justice and walking humbly with the Lord God so every way and in every thing keeping themselves unspotted of the World yea hating even the garment spotted with the flesh So that neither can ye Brownists or Separatists in this the Lords day escape his Righteous Judgement and censure though ye seem to stand at a greater distance from false Worship then the Independents do but being weighed in the equal ballance are found too light to be accounted by us for the True Church of Christ yet I Know that because it is said in the Scripture come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch no unclean thing and I will receive you c. ye are very confident of your standing for ye say ye are separated from the National Antichristian Worship abhorring their Idol Temples and will not hear any of their Baals Priests or break any Bread with them c. But consider impaâ—â—â—â—lly whether ye touch no unclean thing yea whether ye came not from them with their grand abomination in your bosoms which ye have ever since fostered and practised and that with a seeming no little zeal I mean the Sprinkling or Baptizing of your Infants upon the account of their being the Seed of the Covenant as they are your Children who say ye are believers a most bewiching Sorcerie this is and an exceeding betrayer of the Pure Life of God and that which bears death in the very face of it and if ye are true to your own Principles ye must needs be soon un-churched hereby and brought back to Babylon do what you can for your Children being hereby made Visible Members of your Body they must needs be accounted Brethren as they grow up in years amongst you though Regeneration be not witnessed by them for by your own Approbation and Act ye received them in before they knew their very right Hand from their left and so they must have all the priveledges of Brethren though not discerning the Lords Body or able to separate between the Precious and the Vile or not savouring the things of the Spirit of God as the Natural man doth not whereby a confused medly and mixt multitude must needs appear yea and the tares soon overspread and overgrow and overtop the Wheat if there be any and so that which ye counted the Churches of Christ plainly be come and be seen to be by those in the Light but the Field which is the World is not this to mock God and to throw down with one hand what ye would set up with the other Come to the Light of Christ in your Consciences which makes manifest all things and let True Judgement proceed But alas ye are as great Enemies to that Pure Principle of God which should reprove you for all deceitful and confused actings and give you a right discerning and purge you from all sin as any other whatsoever and are so rivited on the letter without that ye will not endure to hear of the True Light within which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the World without which no mans heart could be searched or ever any man converted to God For I would know of you Separatists how any of you at first came to be troubled for sin or to have any good desires begotten in you towards the Lord or his Truth which ye desired to know and wâ—â—â— willing to suffer for was not this done by the Spirit of the Lord which moved and stirred in you and whence came this convincing and illuminating Spirit came it from above the clouds or pierced it into you from without or was the thing alwayes within you striving and strugling at several times though ye took little notice of it before ye began to be humbled by it can any man even while unregenerate flee any more from Gods presence and Spirit that his hand should not find him out then after Regeneration or could David have done so before conversion more then afterwards can the wicked hide themselves that the Lord should not see them any more then the godly I believe ye will all answer Nay and if so is the Spirit of the Lord God who filleth all places and things with its presence out of a wicked man or at a greater distance as to place from him then from a Righteous Man though in the manner of its operation in them I know it is different judging and reproving the one and comforting and encouraging the other So then the Spirit or Life being in and nigh every one
his power that none was able to enter thereinto till the seven Plagues of the seven Angels were fulfilled none could fully behold and enjoy the Glory of the Lord till all his Plagues and Judgements were executed upon the Transgressor and transgression within which being finished an enterance was ministred into the New Jerusalem that came down from God whose light was clear as Chrystal and wherein John saw no Temple that is he saw no outward Constitution of a Church visible by those two signs of Water-baptism and Laying on of Hands which were called the first Beginnings or Principles in the Hebrews or breaking of Corporal Bread but the Lord God Almighty the Lamb were the Temple of it that is whosoever hath a dwelling place in God who is perfectly pure holy is in this day to be accounted a Member of this holy City which also had no need of the Sun to shine by day nor the Moon by night nor the light of a Candle all created helps and shadows were uselesse there for the Lord God alone and the Lamb are the light thereof so that by this Scripture alone are all you Baptists for ever silenced for pleading for a necessity of Baptism or laying on of Hands or breaking of Bread or Mens Teachings or Scripture-light without the true light opening them because after the coming out of Babylon there is to be no visible Temple so as to say lo here or loe there which is by a shadow or sign nor no need of any such thing to distinguish the Saints from the World or lead them up to God for they shall see his face even by his immediate light and his Name shall be in their Foreheads even by his pure Image of Innocency and Righteousnesse which shall most plainly appear to the view of the World and so by these two things shall the Glory of the second Temple be greater than the Glory of the former And if any of you shall say This state and time is not yet come and therefore the sâ—gns visible Administrations must be practised I Answer Those that can truly say they do believe in Christ the Light and have forsaken sin as aforesaid and are purely moved to be Dipped in Water c. to help their weakness or in obedience to the inward Command let them do it and prosper but let them not sit down there alwaies or strive to bring back others thereto that see no need thereof yea rather that it would be but a hurt and cloud unto them for although many of the Saints the Lambs followers yea perhaps most do not yet witnesse a full entrance into the aforesaid Condition yet in all of them the Temple of God is opened by the light of the Lamb and the Vials are pouring out daily to destroy sin in them that vails the perfect sight of God and so now their work is to look stedfastly forward till all impediments that hinder their perfect and continual Peace be removed and not to take up their time by the way about the Exercise of those things which must not shortly appear or be of any use Thus are your skirts also discovered and your House left unto you desolate for ye have not been faithful to that pure Principle of God which at first stirred in some of you and might then move you to be Baptized with Water but are set down in a fleshly rest not waiting for the spiritual Baptism that should have made you dead to the World and Crucified you with Christ and also have Exercised you by its pure Gift in all your worshippings and goings forth so that ye hereby not growing up in that which is living and eternal are grown more earthly sensual dead carnal and formal than divers years ago when I walked among you yea even as dead and dry as the Priests themselves preaching in such a method as they setting up your Desks and Pulpits and Clocks and Hour-glasses to see how the time goes away and your Members sitting some of them in their Pride and all of them gazing upon an Image in a Desk or Pulpit yea and some of you so degenerate from your first Principles that ye as do the Independants so called mingle your selves with the Nation about sending out a Ministry yea and some of your Chief Leaders have lately not blushed openly to declare That you hold it your Duty to stand by and preserve so much as in you lies the publick Ministry of the Nation whom ye judge ought to have their Liberty So it seems ye are ready to defend them in offending and afflicting those who in the tenderness of their Consciences and holy Zeal for the dreadful pure Name of their God cannot maintain or feed but openly oppose the false Prophets the Ministers of Antichrist the Emissaries of Satan and deceivers of thousands of Souls of which sort these publick National Ministers are as denying Christ Jesus the Son of God to be both a King a Priest and a Prophet which thing you Baptists some years ago did earnestly affirm and declare For take away the Law of man from maintaining them to Usurp upon Constrain or Punish others and they are no more than other men But t is no wonder that ye so declare your selves who are so far degenerated and leavened with the Principles and Interests of these Pharisees who say and do not that ye shew the greatest Opposition to the Saints holy and zealous Practises as irrigular or out of Rule But ye have not declared what those Practises particularly are nor what rule they are out of whether that of the Old man or of the New Lord what a Church or Spouse of Christ are these pretended Believers Baptized become who have not a word to plead for him whom they own to be their Husband against the Beast but would submit in silence to any humane Government nor against the false Prophet but have a hand to preserve him accounting those that do in this day of the Lord oppose them both to be irregular as though they thereby would cast the whole bulk of persecution and rage and malice of the multitude upon the Lambs followers who are called and chosen and faithful in their measures of life and as being themselves afraid what man could and can do unto them Neither would your Independant Brethren have us to be Countenanced or Intrusted by the Nation when as none know aright how to Govern others but those that are themselves governed by the Lord Jesus who are anointed to Govern as well as to Preach for the spirit of true Government is a pure and majestical Gift of God not consisting in whorish and pompous state but in the beauty and Glory of simple Truth and naked Justice which layes the Rod upon the back of the Transgressor and smileth upon the wel-doer impartially And O Nation because thou considerest not this therefore are not thy breaches healed but rather increased unto this day Oh be ye ashamed to
call your sâ—â—â—es the Churches of Christ when ye are so far out of the Life and Practise of the Apostles and Prophets upon whose foundation the former Churches were builded Jesus Christ himself the true Light being the Head Corner-stone For Consider whence the word Church is derived even from a word that signifies to Call out so that the true Church of Christ is a people called out of the Wayes Wickednesses Formalities Customs and Fashions of the World into the pure obedience to and worshipping of God in the Spirit by his own living Word which is nigh in the heart and mouth to which Word ye should do very well to take heed as to a light shining in a dark place which is your dark hearts that it may lead you out of all the wayes of sin death and deceit into the paths of all Righteousnesse even into such a pure way wherein no Ravenous Beast that fights against the witness of God and his living truth can ever come saith the Lord Almighty and that because of his flaming Sword which turneth every way to keep the way of the Tree of Life from all such But you will object and say The Light which thou so much speakest of and callest Christ within as the Enlightner of every man that comes into the World is no more but a Natural instinct or endowment or Light of Nature whereby man is able to reflect upon himself when he hath done good or evil yea and sometimes restrain from the evil and do the good as well as commit the evil whereby his conscience accuseth or excuseth him for Paul saith in his Epistle to the Romans when the Gentiles which have not the Law do by Nature the things contained in the Law they having not a Law are a Law unto themselves and again the uncircumcision which is by Nature keeping the Law shall judge thee who through the Letter and Circumcision art a transgressor of the law This one thing may for ever stop the mouths of all such Objectors if they would but consider that as in the truth it is Paul is not here speaking of any thing but that which justifies in the sight of God for it was not his work to declare to people being an Apostle of Jesus Christ any Faith Peace Reconciliation or Obedience but what tended to the justification of life therefore he saith before that he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Power of God unto Salvation to every one Jew and Greek that believeth and therefore he saith in the thirteenth verse of the second Chapter that the Hearers of the Law are not just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified for when the Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law these having not an outward written Law are a Law to themselves whereby they by the Finger of God which wrote the effâ—ct of it in their hearts which is the light of Christ that enlightneth every man are justified in the sight of the living God or condemned in his sight by the same Finger or Light so that their consciences either excused them unto the justification and salvation of their souls or accused them unto the damnation thereof so it is most plain that that Principle whereby they by Nature or Naturally did the will of the Lord was no other then the light and life of Christ without whom I believe none of you dare deny any one can be justified But moreover because of your hardnesse of belief Consider what ye say when ye speak of Nature or doing by Nature the word Nature comes from a word that signifies to be Born so that whatever a man doth by Nature he doth by that which was born with him or brought forth with him into the World as beasts also do in their kind yea and inanimate creatures in their kind so moving and rest are general works of Nature because every Creature moveth or resteth from a Principle which it had from its birth but here men are apt to commit idolatry in not minding and seeing whence this birth or nature and the works thereof proceeds and do subsist for in the Eternal Power and God-head who was in himself most glorious before any thing was born or brought forth or before nature was doth all things and nature with all its works subsist have their being so that they are nothing but what he is in them yet every thing in its degree measure and order and so man is in the highest degree of acting from that abilitie which the Creator who is the Soul of the World and Life of all things placed in him Now this being rightly considered all that which men in a sleighting manner are wont to call instincts of Nature or natural light or endowment is the very effect of the Life of God himself stirring and moving that way so then mankind having an ability in him from his birth to reflect upon himself as to Godward when he hath done good or evil which the beast is not capable of so as to be accused or tormented or excused and comforted this ability call it what ye will is from the life of all things and the Eternal Word of his Power which is the light and life of men which cannot be separated from mans understanding whereby the Spirit of a man becomes the Candle of the Lord and so the effect of the Law is written in mans heart by the Finger of God by Nature or from his birth for that word implyeth no more and in this did the Gentiles differ from the Jews in that these had a law also outwardly declared which was added because of the height of transgression against the Law in the heart till the Seed or life that there placed it should arise to fulfil it and the other onely the Principle by Nature or the forced ability from their birth without any outward engravement or writing whereupon the Jews boasted over the Gentiles because to them were outwardly committed the Oracles and Ordinances c. Wherefore Paul to stop their mouths for the seed was now raised saith for when the Gentiles which have not a law do by Nature or the Principle placed by God in them from their birth the things contained in the law these having not a Law outwardly written are a law to themselves that is have the Pure Principle of God in themselves from their birth shewing them what to do and what to abstain from and so if the uncircumcision which is by Nature keep the Law that is if they which are not from their birth circumcised outwardly as not being the Seed of Abraham according to the flesh do keep the Law by the same pure Principle of God they shall judge the Jews outward who having such a a Law and Circumcision do yet transgresse the Righteous principle of God which sheweth them that inwardly which the law outwardly declareth of and which Circumcision outward
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