Honest, Ʋpright, Faithful, and Plain Dealing, with thee O Army, &c.
AT your first going forth, there was a true honest Principle which stirred in the hearts of many of you, which convinced you of sin in the particular, and it also shewed you the desperate wickedness, cruelty, tyranny and oppression which was upheld by unjust and unrighteous Laws and Rulers, whereby the honest people were much oppressed, and in several of you there arose a true zeal against this abomination, and then I know your lives, and what you had was not dear to some of you, but was freely given up to do your Nation service in breaking down that oppression and tyranny which was brought upon it by the Enemies of God, and it; and then a mighty courage and boldness arose in many of you against oppression and oppressors, and the Lord appeared with you against them, because they were his Enemies, and sought to destroy the very appearance of truth; and then many of you were low and tender, and the hearts of such people as had honest desires in them, and breathed for liberty, they were much affected with you, and the cause you declared for, and vowed and engaged to be true and faithful unto, and then the Lord appeared with you in the field, giving you mighty Victories over your Enemies, that so he might make way for his living truth to be spread, which was then stirring in his people; and the Lord vveakned his Enemies before you, and ye savv his mighty hand therein, and his mighty Work (in overturning those his Enemies) prospered in your hands (for he made you instruments therein) until he had scattered his Enemies, and then he gave you povver and opportunity to accomplish that you had vovved and engaged to do, and vvhich his light in your hearts had shewed you, that you ought to have done.
But you not keeping to that which first appeared in you, and made you sensible of the oppression that was upheld by the unrighteous Laws, Lawyers, and Rulers; an earthly selfish spirit, got up in many of you, which exceedingly increased covetousness and pride in you; and then the greatness of your pay, and the spoile of your enemies, and idleness, and the fulness of the creatures began to be more delightful to many of you, then the liberty you once declared for; and then some among you began to see how deceit and hypocrisie crept in amongst you, and appeared against it; but you whose hearts went after your covetousness and self-seeking, soon stopt them, either by threatning them, or by advancing them into greater places, or by turning them out of the Army; and thus you began to back-slide, and then deceit began to wax strong among you, and several of you began to settle your selves in the earth, and in your Enemies Estates, and then you little regarded the oppression that others suffered under, you being at ease your selves; and thus the Enemy beguiled you, and deceit wrought in you, even as it did amongst some of the Sects and Opinions; for in many of them there was a true Principle of God stirring once, which convinced them of their own sins, and also shewed them the cruelty, wickedness, and deceit of the Bishops and Prelates, and others, and caused them to witness against such; but they not keeping to the measure of God in them, a worldly, carnal, deceitful spirit increased in them, and then they soon began to settle themselves in another form, (without the life and power of God) which was as bad in the nature and ground of it, as that they had witnessed against, only it had another Name.
And in the same manner have ye acted; for ye going from the measure of God in you, which shewed you the cruelty of the oppressors, vvhich ye had fought against; ye soon began to settle the same thing in the nature and ground of it, among your selves, which you had fought against in others, onely (in deceit and hypocrisie) you gave it another Name.
And then truly great Wickedness encreased among you, (which made the heart of the righteous sad) even the same as abounded among your Enemies, (which God overthrew for their Wickedness) yea, for then many of you ran into hunting, hawking, bowling, Horse-racing, drinking, and other vain Games, and Sports, and Lusts, and Excess, and Pride, both in your Dyet and Apparel; and your behaviour was grown so lofty, (many of you) that you became a burthen to all honest-hearted people, who once had an honest love going forth towards you; but this your Wickedness caused their love to wax cold towards you, and many who were your true friends, became ashamed of you because of your backslidings.
And you raised up the spirit of enmity and bitterness in your Enemies more and more against you, by these things which you ran into; yea, you gave them great advantage by your back-slidings, and some of you saw these things many times with Gods Witness; but ye not keeping to Gods Witness in you, deceitful fears arose in you, which stopt the mouth of truth in you, when you should have witnessed against the Wickedness that was amongst you; and your fears was, lest you should have been turned out of your places, and upon this account deceit was grovvn so strong among you, and treachery, that ye durst not speak your minds one to another, for fear ye should be betrayed one by another, and so turned out of your places: And thus deceit and a slavish spirit possest ye, even till you had lost your Dominion and Authority over your Enemies, & then many of you became afraid to do that vvhich vvas just (many times) lest your Enemies should be more displeased with you; and in deceit ye bowed, (many of you) even to your Enemies, and sought more to please them, then to do that you had engaged to do; & then you turned out many of your friends, and took in many of your Enemies, and mixed your selves with them; yea, you turned out many of your faithful friends, onely for coming into the life and obedience of that which many of you professed in words, and pretended once that you fought for the liberty of.
O ARMY! this is plain truth to thee, vvithout flattery; and thus falshood overspread you, until the honest principle that once stirred in you, was almost destroyed, and then ye little regarded the sufferings of the innocent, nor the oppression that vvas in the Land, but ye rather sought to establish yourselves in the honor & fulness of this World; but (poor creatures!) ye could not settle your selves in a peace there, for your Enemies daily plotted against you, & had it not been just vvith the Lord to have suffered your Enemies to have destroyed you, because of your grievous back-slidings and wickedness? O consider it, consider it while ye have time, and prize the Lords loving kindness that he should yet spare you, and yet give you time to repent.
And seeing the Lord hath shewed you your backslidings, with his eternal Witness in you, and hath begun to frustrate the designs of those that vvould have cut you off in your backslidings; and ye confess (some of you) that you are vvilling to take shame also to your selves wherein you have back-slidden; therefore seeing it is thus, all mind that of God in you, which sheweth you your back-slidings, and believe, and wait in that, to feel that nature judged and destroyed in you, wherein all this Wickedness and Deceit hath lodged; and keepe in the fear and dread of the Lord God, that so ye may receive his pure Wisdom, whereby ye may be ordered in the particular, & that ye in Gods Wisdom and Fear may come to rule (in your places) for God, to be a terror to evil-doers, and an encouragement to them that do well.
And take heed of a selfish, earthly spirit in the particular, and of the honor, and glory, and gain of the World, (for that the Lord is against;) Oh! there is a strong, deep root of it in many of you, which the Spirit of Judgement and burning, and the Ax of God is to destroy; therefore wait to feel its Work in you.
O ARMY! in thee was I several years together, in which time I saw the mighty appearance of God with thee, even in the time of the outward War; and when the War vvas [Page 5]ended, I left thee, in obedience to the appearance of the living God unto me, who called me out of thee by his powerful Word in my heart, through which he hath sanctified me, and hath brought me into the life of that truth, which I, and many of you in the Army professed in Words.
And I can truly say in the fear of the Lord, That my love hath been, and yet is tender towards you, for the good of your souls; and I have seen your conditions, and hath considered them in the spirit of the Lord, and I cannot flatter any of you, but must deal plainly and and truly with you and all people.
Truly in many of you there is an exceeding lofty, proud, covetous, deceitful nature; and in others of you there is a lofty, proud, lustful, devouring, wanton, vain nature; though many of you I know have felt a measure of the power of God, yet verily ye have so back-slidden, that iniquity hath gotten a strong hold and root in most of you; that so ye must keep down to the Witness of God in you, which searcheth your hearts, and will let you see what is there, that so the Lord's righteous Judgement ye may all feel it, and own it upon that nature in you which is contrary to the living God; for if ye keep not to the spirit of Judgement, I know whatever ye have declared in words, that a selfish spirit will get up more and more to act in you; and verily friends, if you keep not your minds to the measure of the pure God in you, a secret boasting will be ready to get up in you, of what you have done, and then you will soon forget where you are, and your minds will run further and further into your Commissions, and into your great Houses and Lands, which many of you have got; and others minds will run into your Souldiers places, and ease, and idleness, and these things will beguile you if you take not heed, & you will soon forget the oppressions, then, that others suffer under; and if ye should do thus, verily the Lord God would soon overturn you, & break you to pieces.
Therefore all wait in the light which shews you sin and evil, that so by it ye may be brought to deny your selves, [Page 6]and to come out of the loftiness that ye have been in, into the true humility, (which goes before the true honor) and come into moderation both in your Dyet and Apparel, & in all things, & this would answer the Witness of God in people; and that being answered, it would beget again a love in them towards you, which you lost when you went into the excess. Therefore be sober, and watch in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, which he hath enlightened you withall, and believe in it, that so ye may be preserved by it, out of the deceitfulness of this World, and that ye may be kept faithful in your places for the preserving of the outward peace and liberty of the Nation, while ye feel a freedom in that which convinceth you of evil, for the bearing a carnal Weapon; & know the manifestation of God's Spirit in you, and wait to feel the motions of it, and be obedient thereto, and this will bring you to do violence to no man, nor to accuse any falsly; but it will bring you out of all such things, if you keep to it, and it will make you to be content with such wages as may find you food and rayment, and things necessary and convenient for your places, and this you would then be worthy of.
So know the Lord hath a mighty Work to do, therefore wait in his light, that ye may be kept truly sensible of your places, and go not beyond them, but keep in the fear of the Lord, and wait to know what God requireth of you in your places, lest the Lord cast you out. So remember you are warned, and it is in tender love to your souls.
This following, more particularly concerneth the Officers of the Army, [...] the Rulers of this Nation, then the Army in general.
Take heed of raising or continuing War with other Nations (in your own wills) for to get your selves a Name, and to get their earthly Treasures, as some of you have been instruments to do, for the Lord's hand hath been, and yet is against that, and he will not prosper you therein; therefore be you warned, and know that this is a warning unto you from the Lord God; and seek peace, and eschew evil, and learn to do well, that the blessing of the Lord ye may come to feel, and that this destroying of creatures about [Page 7]Religion, and the honor & gain of this World may cease.
And take heed how ye meddle with Religion, for that hath split & broken many Rulers before you; therefore set not up one sect, and throw not down another by an outward law & force, for that is wrong, & the Lord is against that; but wait in his light to receive his counsel, that so ye may be kept in Gods Wisdom, & that therein ye may be instruments in the hand of the Lord, for the keeping of the outward peace of these Nations which are under your command.
And take heed of hearkening unto such who in the kings time cryed him up, & ran to him to give them a law to settle them in their Worship; & then again in the Parliaments time ran to them & cryed them up, begging a Law to settle Church-government, (as they call'd it) & then in the late Protectors time cryed them up, & petitioned unto them with many feigned flattering words, and begged a law of them to settle them in their Worship; now these are the deceitful workers, who teach for filthy lucre, & are time observers, who through covetousness and feigned words, makes merchandize of the people; & these quench the spirit, and despiseth prophesying, and changeth with the times & Governments, let them be never so contrary, and these are neither true to God nor man, but are men pleasers, and such serves not the Lord Jesus, but their own bellies; and these wanting the power of God, runs to the Rulers for an outward power to uphold them; these are whored from the life of God in their own particulars, and these seek to stop the life of God where-ever it appears; therefore take heed of upholding or setting them up by an outward Law, lest you become the beast [mark that] which carrieth the Whore, which is to be taken with the false Prophet and the old Dragon, (the Father of all unrighteousness) and cast alive into the Lake.
Now the true Worship and Religion which stands in the spirit, and in the truth, must be set up, and established, and upheld by the Power immortal, and not by an outward Law.
But let your Law stop that in all (where-ever it appears) which wrestles with flesh and blood, and fights with the creature about Religion; for this spirit could never make manifest the true Worship & Religion, neither would it suffer others to do it who [Page 8]had the spirit of God, if it could stop them by an outward Law or force; so that which fights, wrestles, and strives with the creatures about religion, is not for Christ, but is ante against Christ & the Apostles, who wrestled not with flesh & blood, but with the power of darkness, & with the spiritual wickedness in high places, that so wickedness & deceit might be destroyed in the creatures, and that the creatures might be preserved; and their Weapons were not carnal, but spiritual.
But they that cryes out to the Rulers for an outward Law to uphold their worship & religion, they war not with the spiritual Weapons, but with the carnal, and these destroys the creatures, but cannot destroy the wickedness; & these have quenched the spirit in their own particulars, and these would quench it in others, & will not suffer him that hath something revealed unto him, to speak, but cryes to the Magistrates, or to the rude multitude, for help, and so flees to their carnal Weapons, and those being stirred up by their Teacher, some of them oft times beats those that have the truth to declare in their Synagogues, & hales them out, & railes on them, & spits upon them, and sometimes buffets, stocks, whips, & imprisons, and mangles the creatures, & so mars & defaceth the workmanship of God; and this hath been the work of Antichrist in all ages when Truth hath appeared against deceit; and such cannot truly say, truth hath prevailed on their parts, when they have thus beaten, and haled, and stocked, and whipped, and imprisoned the creatures; but violence there at that time hath prevailed, by which they that have had the truth to declare, oft times have been stopped from speaking it.
So let none do violence to one anothers persons or estates, but let your Law take hold on them that would do so but let them alone in their profession, and then it will soon appear who is in the truth, and who are Ministers of Christ, and of the spirit; for those that are in the spirit of truth, will assuredly prevail over them that be in the spirit of deceit; and this will be manifested soon, if there be no violence done to them who be in the spirit of truth, thereby to stop them from speaking the truth, and then the truth wil reach unto the Witness of God in peoples consciences; & then many who could not discern the Truth whiles there was such strivings & fightings with the creatures, wil come to see [Page 9]and feel it; and then Truth shall prevail, and deceit shall fall where ever it be▪ and what covering soever it have got, it shall be ript off, and he that is in the Spirit of Truth, and abides in it, shall overcome all false spirits.
Now I know ye are not altogether ignorant, how that the lives and goods of several in this Nation hath been made a prey upon by the Priests, who hath robbed and spoyled both the fatherless, Widows, & others; & hath prisoned several unto death by a Law made by the Popish Kings, and since strengthened by those that are called Protestants, concerning tythes, & these before-mentioned hath suffered thus for not paying tythes. Now tythes in the Law given by the command of God unto Levi the changeable Priesthood, (who was to have no inheritance among his Brethren) was for the maintenance of that Tribe, & also for the Fatherless, the Widows, and the Strangers; but Christ being come after the order of Melchisedech, he is the everlasting unchangeable High-Priest, not made by a carnal commandment, but by the power of an endless life; he offering himself up once for all, put an end to the changeable priesthood, who were made by a Law which gave them tythes; so this Priesthood & this Law was changeable, this Priesthood could not continue by reason of death; so this Priesthood being changed & ended by Christ the unchangeable Priest, made by the power of an endless life, there was a necessity also of a change & end of that law by which the changeable Priests (who could not continue by reason of death) were made, which gave them tythes; then Christ the everlasting High-Priest, made by the power of an endless life, by the same power he made Ministers, & freely gave them gifts for the work of the Ministry, which was for the perfecting of the Saints; & in the power of an endless life sent he them forth, saying, Freely ye have received, freely give, and into what house soever ye enter, and they receive you, ye may eat such things as are set before you, for the workman is worthy of his meat. These were Workmen, & they first planted a Vinyard, & then eat of the fruit thereof; first gathered a flock, & then eat of the milk thereof; sowed spiritual things, & reaped of their carnal things unto whom they had sown spirituals; preached the Gospel, & lived of the Gospel; these were not made Ministers by the will of man, nor by an outward Law, neither [Page 10]received they their maintenance by an outward Law, nor compelled or forced any to pay them; neither robbed, or spoyled, or imprisoned they any that would not give them maintenance; but they had a necessity laid on them to preach the Gospel, and they did so, and coveted no mans gold, nor silver, nor apparel; & these sought not peoples goods, but them; & their diligence and care was not to make the Gospel chargeable, for having food & rayment, they were therewithall content; & they received it of such also (mark that) as did receive them and their testimony, and so oppressed no man.
But Paul foresaw that after his departure grievous & ravenous Wolves should enter, that would not spare the flock; & Christ prophesied of them also; and these entered before John's departure, and he warned the little children (who had the annointing abiding in them) to take heed of them, for they were the Antichrists, and went from the annointing in the particular, and so from those that were in it; & then the murthering spirit got up in these, & the World went after these who spared not the flock, but killed those that had the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of Prophesie; & these Antichrists having lost the spirit, being ravened from it in their own particulars, and having killed those that were made Ministers by the spirit, who had freely received, & freely gave; then they set up their Schools & Colledges, there to make Ministers by the wil of man, & then made a carnal Law, whereby they had tythes given them; for these had not freely received, neither would they freely give; so tythes among the Gentiles was set up by the devouring, murthering spirit by a law by which law they are yet upheld, (& not by God) & they that yet receive the tythes, are found in the devouring, murdering spirit, (many of them) who have devoured many peoples goods in this nation, who could not for conscience sake pay tyths, & hath caused several others to be kept in prison until death for the same: And this hath been the work of Antichrist, who hath the sheeps clothing, the good words, but inwardly is the ravening Wolf.
And in this Work many of the Priests of England hath been found of late, as is manifest by their fruits; & they have the same unjust law to oppress & destroy the innocent stil, notwithstanding some of you have pretended and declared much to the contrary long.
Now many of the Priests when we tel them of this their cruelty & oppression, they will say, They are Ministers of the Gospel, & he that preaches the Gospel, God hath hath ordained that he should live of the Gospel. Well, we say so too, That we are Ministers of the gospel, & he that preaches the gospel, ought to live of the gospel (which is the power of God) and ought not to have any outward Law to compel any to give him whereon to live. So this is that which we (who have learned to do unto all men, as we would they should do unto us) would have, that he that preaches the gospel should live of the gospel, and not on that which comes by the force of an outward Law; but the Priests maintenance is contrary to the maintenance of the Ministers of the Law or Gospel.
Therefore, first let there be no outward Law to hinder or restrain any people from hearing any whom they believe is a Minister of the Gospel, nor yet to compel any to hear any one vvhom they believe is not a Minister of the Gospel; for an outward Law can but restrain or compel the outward man, but the heart none can restrain from evil, nor compel to the good, but the Law & Power of God only in the heart; therefore let there be a free liberty for all people to meet concerning their Worship, provided that under pretence of meeting to worship, they meet not to plot for the overthrowing of the outward Governors by an outward power, for if that can be proved and made manifest, truly then let such suffer by an outward Law.
And likewise, let there be no law to compel any one to maintain any Teacher, neither let there be any law to restrain any one from giving any thing to their Teacher, (for this is but equal) so let the people have liberty herein, that so this oppression about the maintenance of Teachers may cease; And then it will soon appear whether these Priests be Ministers of the Gospel, and whether their Gospel will maintain them, yea, or nay.
But many of the Rulers have said, If we should not provide maintenance for our Ministers, then preaching would soon fall, and then many people would become heathens.
I answer, He that is a Minister of Christ, the Power of God, which is the everlasting Gospel, necessity is laid upon him to preach the Gospel, and wo be unto him if he preach not the Gospel: And he that is sent forth by Christ, is not to take [Page 12]thought what he shall eat, or what he shall drink, or wherewithall he shall be clothed, for his heavenly Father knoweth that he hath need of all these things, and provides them for chose that he sends forth, (without an outward Law to compel it) that so they lack not any thing.
Now that Ministry which the forcing an outward maintenance for it, will uphold it, & the not forcing an ou [...]ward maintenance for it, will cause it to cease, [mark] this Min [...]try never did any good or service for God, not never can (that is God's truth unto you) at the furthest; this Ministry hath but brought people to draw near unto God with their mouths▪ and to appear to honor him with their lips, when their hearts have been afar off; but this Ministry could never bring any into the true knowledge of God, and Christ, whom God hath sent and freely given for a Covenant of light; and without this knowledge, all people upon the earth are without the life eternal▪ and so are heathens, whatever they profess in words, though they may make long prayers, and think to be heard in their much speaking, as the pharisees & hypocrites did, whom Christ call'd Heathens; therefore consider what a Ministry you have upheld, and do uphold.
So let that Ministry fall which cannot stand without an outward Law for to compel an outward maintenance for it, for the Lord regards it not, but his hand is against it, and against that which would uphold it, and both must fall together.
So what is here declared concerning Religion, and the maintenance of Teachers, and the like, it is in the equal royal Law of liberty, which is, To love thy neighbor as thy self, and to do unto all as we would be done unto.
And so if the spirit which we are led and guided by (who are called in scorn Quakers) be not able to prevail over that vvhich vve oppose in others as error, then let us be manifested to be in the error, and let us fall; onely let there be a fair tryal, and let there not be such beating, and haling, & tearing, and mangling, and stocking, and imprisoning of the creatures as hath been; for vvhere these things have been acted, many have been stopped at that time for speaking the truth, yet notvvithstanding the truth hath prevailed over all, and shall prevail. And if that can be proved against us truly, that we plot at our Meetings, or at [Page 13]any other time against the outward Governors, to overturn them by an outward power or force; then let us also suffer (as I said before) by a just Law.
And if he that sends us forth, will not provide food and raiment for us, then let us want; and if we cannot live of our Gospel which we preach, without an outward Law to compel us an outward maintenance, & if our Ministry will not stand without it, then let us want whereon to live, & let our Ministry fall.
And let none be compelled to uphold another's Meeting-place (concerning their Worship) for that is oppression; but let every one uphold their own; and that sort of professors that will not uphold the place where they meet to worship, let their house fall, and then it will appear where the earthly spirit lodgeth; for they that compel others to uphold another's place of Worship, doth but cover and strengthen the earthly spirit; therefore let there not be such havock made of peoples goods as hath been of late upon many who could not give to the upholding another's Meeting-house; for this is out of the equality, in the oppression and tyranny.
So come into that which is equal, and keep in that, and that will bring you to act that which is equal and just, unto all, and to break all outward Laws that are not equal and just, but tends to tyranny and oppression; and truly there are many Laws and Customs in this Nation, whereby the innocent are opprest; so wait to feel the power of God, that ye may rule and govern in that, (for the Lord,) and feeling the power of God, and keeping to that, it will bring you out of all deceit and transgression in the particular, and so to stand over all deceit and transgression in the general; and it will also bring you to judge righteously, without respect to persons; and this will reach to the Witness of God in all consciences.
So wait to feel the higher power to rule over the evil doer in the particular, & to know & feel the Authority of God there, & then ye wil come to rule over all evil doers in the higher Power, even in the Authority of God, & then that of God in all consciences where ye come to rule, shall answer to your government.
But if ye give way to the evil-doer in the particular, and let him have the liberty there, [mark that] then that will cause the [Page 14]Just to suffer in the particular, and then the same will give way and liberty to evil doers without, whereby the Just without will come to suffer also.
Therefore keep to the power of the Lord in your own particulars, (you who have felt it) and that will bring ye to do Justice unto all without partiality, & this will make you honorable in the hearts of the people and then shall righteousness, Truth; Equity, Mercy, & Justice, prosper over all, and be exalted, & all deceit unrighteousness, & unrighteous vvays shall be confounded. So remember, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Something after.
AND all ye that are Officers and Rulers now, who have tasted of the pure power of the Lord God, and hath felt it stirring in you against all oppression and tyranny, whereby also ye were made to witness against the back slidings of others, even to the losing of your places, (some of you) some being turned out, and others that could not stay for conscience sake.
VVell, keep to the power of the Lord which ye have felt, and do not abuse it, but wait in it, that ye may be kept low in his fear, that so those who are come to see their back-slidings, and do repent them, may come to have unity with you, and you with them, in that which kept you in any measure out of the back-slidings, and which hath also brought them to see theirs, and to repent of it; for that is but one in you both, it is even the measure of the pure God which is given you to profit withall; therefore in that all wait to receive the wisdom which is from above, that in it ye may all be preserved and kept in enity together, and that therein ye may be instruments for the setling and preserving the outward Peace and just Liberties of the people of these Nations, which are under your charge.
But verily, much of the wars which hath lately been entered into, hath not been for the peace, safety, and well-being of these Nations, (for the power being lost, pride and lust was the ground of them;) Therefore all mind the Lords wisdom and counsel, that peradventure ye may find, and see a way how to stop them, least ye bring enemies upon heaps both upon your selves and these Nations; for yet verily, breaking, breaking, overfurning, and yet overturning will be among all those that will not submit to the counsel of the Lord, and wait in his light, to be led and guided in his wisdom; for he will be known to rule in the kingdoms of men, and he will exalt his own Name over all.
Many are your Enemies within and without, therefore be not high-minded, but fear, least they prevail over you.
The Lord is near unto all those that fears him, and trusts in his Name, to deliver them; but those that go out of his fear, and trusts in the wisdome or arm of flesh, they shall be broken; the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Given forth in the former part of the 3d. Month, 1659.