HE that stumbles at the light, stumbles at the door, and his minde is erred from the truth, and he followes his owe will, and walks after the imaginations of his own heart, without a Law or a guide to his feet; and so falls into snares and temptations; and into the noison lusts, which doth hurt and annoy the Spirit of grace, which should lead and guide man up to God, out of the fall and transgression. He that sees not with the light▪ he is blind; for the light is the eye of the body, and makes manifest the light of the body, which cleans­eth from sin, and leads to the body, where Christ is the head, where the unitie stands in one▪ by which all comes to be united, by one▪ who is the light and life of men, and comes to the one baptism; and all who waits in the light that is pure, comes to know the name of the Father and the Son, which is one: and here is the one baptisme seen and received; and all that comes to be baptized into his Name, comes to be baptized in­to his nature; and comes to see the word which was in the be­gininng; and there is no other name but the word which san­ctifies and washes: so all that knows not this Baptism, nor this Word, nor this Name; knows not salvation from sin▪ but lives in the reasonings and Imaginations, and knows not that water which is the gift of Christ, nor the Spirit which is given to every one to profit withall; of which a man must be born of, else he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; and all who denies the light wherewith Christ hath enlightened every one withal, denies the gift of God, which leads to repentance; and so lives in sin. Repentance is the gift of God; and this is the gift of the Father which was promised, the light of the world; and all that receives not and believe not in the light, they are in the old nature; and he that is not born of the light, is not born of God; for God is light: he that is not born of the light, knowes not the Virgins womb, [Page 9] where the Man-childe is borne and conceived; nor the day of Christ, nor cannot discerne his coming, but lookes for signes and outward observations; Lo here, and there, in the outward; and are in the unbeliefe; nor discernes not the Kingdom where Christ reignes, which is not of this world: all things that are outward, are of this world; and who live in them, and have their hearts exercised in them▪ knows not that which leads to before the world▪ and to the end of the world; and knows not the true and faithfull wit­ness, the beginning of the Creation of God: and all that waits in the light, waits not in the grace of God, but waits in that which turnes the grace into wantonness: there Christ suffers, and is denied, and another is owned and learned of, and a­nother teacher: and where the grace of God is not taught and learned of, ungodlyness is not denied, but ungodlyness is denied: where the grace teacheth, and where another thing is hearkened unto and learned of, that which is not like God▪ is learned, and deceipt is brought forth, and the Childe of fornication, which must not inherit: and all who learne of this nature, they are blind, and Ignorant of the will of God, and so knows not the Doctrine of Christ, but their eyes is without in the world, where the false prophets are gone out into the world; and there is the Errors, and the Sects, and the judg­ments, which are many, and the opinions which are out of the unitie, and their vaine Imaginations, and vaine thoughts lodges in the heart; and there the light of Christ is not known, but the woman speakes, which ought to learn in silence, who was first in the transgression. And all you that put the letter for the light, are blind▪ and calls it the Word and the Gospel: you are not knowing the Scripture, nor the power of God; for the word of God is the power of God, which is immortal and eternal, and all that which is visible stands in time, and cannot lead to know him which was before time, in the beginning: and so all you who are in your earthly carnal minds, Imagi­ning a Rule without you, and a word without you, you have not learned of him who is entered with the veil: you are hunt­ing upon the wild mountains and forests, and knows not the [Page 10] voyce of the true Shepherd, who saith▪ learn of me; whose word is nigh thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart: and thou that hath not hearkned unto this, a separation thou never didst see, but darkness is upon the face of the deep; and the Word of God is not known, by which the heavens and the earth was made, and all things therein are upholden by the word of his power; which word of power is seen by them whose mindes are turned within; and there the thoughts and intents of the heart is by it discerned, and seen; which word is quick and powerful, and discernes the secrets of mans heart; and is as a hammer, to break the rocks and the hard hearts: and this is immediate and eternal: and all who knows not this, your carnal minde stands wholly in your, and your hard hearts is unbroken; and the mountaines is unlevelled, and you walke in the crooked ways of the old serpent, in subtiltie and deceipt, and stands covered before the Lord; and the straight paths of righteousness you have not known.

Therefore awake out of deceipt and security, all sorts of peo­ple, where you have been making your rest in the lap of the adulterer, and have drunken of the wine of fornication, and of the old drags of unrighteousness, whereby the whole man is in flamed, and the whole course of Nature is set on the fire of hell: and filth and abomination lodges in the heart: and you talke of the word of God, and of the law of God, and of the new covenant, and yet never see any thing in you which you can own to guide you, which is contrary to your wills, which is the will of God.

All sorts of professors, whether Presbyters, Independents, Bapists, or of what name soever you are called by, who sayes you are separated; let me ask this: What are you separated from, and what separated you? If you deny the sufficiency of the Spirits teaching alone, and it to be the rule and alone guide unto God, who is separated from sinners, and behold them a far off: I say, you who cannot own that which shews you your vain minds, and vain thoughts, and that discerns the thoughts; if you cannot own this, the word of God you never knew, nor [Page 11] the Law written in your hearts, nor the word of separation; and all are in your imaginations and vain conceivings▪ in your fleshly minds▪ here and there setting up an Image raised from a dead letter, and founded on your earthly Imaginations, and they stands in the vallies of vain hopes; and there is no life in nothing you worship and set up, neither sight nor hearing; and every one of you worship a dead thing, and that which makes not the comers thereunto perfect; but you are all pleading for imperfection and sin in the body, and all joyne together to oppose the life and power of God which the Saints ought to press after: and they that stand in the counsel doth ob­tain victory, and witness of his righteousness which is perfect.

Are you not many of you turning into the old Bishops, road, who would tie all unto their Idols temple, or parish-Church so called; and are not you many of you going about to stop all from hearing any but you, under payn of Excom­munication? Oh the gross darkness you are led in, and the wilful blindness, who have taken up your rest in that which is carnal and without, where all the hypocrites may come: verily I say unto you, your rest will be but as the leaning upon a bowed wall, or as a reed of Egypt; for the ground of iniqui­tie stands whole, and the whole body of darkness is not re­moved; the earth is whole; the fallow ground is not plowed up; thornes, and briers, and fruitless trees which cumbers the ground of the Lord, is not cut down; and so the works of condemnation you are none of you brought from under, but selfe stands, and your wills is alive, which is at enmitie against God: only talking of a Christ at a distance▪ and his righteousness as far from you as betwixt earth and heaven: and here is your Justification, applying this unto your selves, while you are dis­obedient to the grace of God in you, this is your fayth and your rest▪ and this fayth all the world hath and this hope; but this fayth cannot justifie, nor not one of you hath assurance who hath but this; who doth not witness Gods righteousness brought forth in you, which is wrought by the word of fayth, which is incorruptible, which justifies, and gives assurance, and is witnessed through the death of the Cross.

[Page 12]And therefore I cannot forbear but to declare your Igno­rance▪ and shew you your deceipt you ly in, and your ragged veiles you hide your selves under: for I know your peace you have, is that which will not last; and therefore be not secure and careless, nor obstinate, but lay down your Crowns at his feet, and come out of your ease and rest, and fleshly exaltation, puffed up by the wisdom of the flesh: and that which you have gathered in, and not witnesses of the same wrought in you, all for the fire: yet a little while, and time shall be no longer, for the end of time shall come upon all your strength: and all your rest in the flesh, and ease in your beds that you have made, shall be taken away: you have slayn those desires in you which was once after God, and now fol­lows the pleasures of the flesh, and have set up such a Wor­ship over every one of you▪ as you can live at ease, and in plea­sures, and in pride and vain-glory, and covetousness; and are men-pleasers, and respecters of persons; and yet your Justifi­cation stands sure, and your fayth which you hold; and this fayth is reprobate, which leads into the works of darkness: Oh you are high, you are strong warriors for the prince of darkness, and greater opposers of the power of the Lord, then they that have professed lesse, who are gone before: Verily, this is fulfilled in this generation: Publicans and harlots enter the kingdom, and comes to fit down with Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, and you are shut out.

Will he accept you for your words? will he accept you be­cause you eat his bread and drink his wine? and one of you is hungry, and another company of you plead that your commu­nion must now be as much wine as you can drink; and this is Gods ordinance, you say. Oh ye blind and slow of heart to be­lieve! Is not Parphar, and Damascus and Jordan, and all the water his, and the cattel upon a thousand hills? is he behold­ing to thee for thy lame and blind sacrifice? will he accept you for these things, while your wills stands, and while you hate to be guided by his light and Spirit, which cleanseth the inside? shall I not say as Paul sayd of Circumcision, It's neither bap­tisme, or not being baptized; it's neither breaking of [Page 13] bread, nor drinking of wine, neither your observances and washings; your prayers nor your fasts; your feigned com­munion and fellowship▪ but a new creature that God re­quires: not outward washings, nor things carnal, which none of these things makes perfect as pertaining to the consci­ence, nor the coming unto these, doth not purifie nor make the answer of a good conscience: while you do not witness that which makes you partakers of the divine nature, you have no fellowship with the Father nor the Son, but only sacrifice to your nets, and feed upon ashes, and would take those things which was but figures, to oppose the substance▪ as the Jews did; and never looks for him to be revealed in you, who is the end of the figures, and the end of the law for righteousness, and the end of the prophets, who now is not worshipped in the oldness of the letter, nor in figures, but in newness of Spirit, and in the new and living way which he hath consecrated for all them that come to him, and believe in him, and comes to within the Veile: Heb. 10. 20. nay, these things which you call ordi­nances, as you practise them, are not so much as the image of heavenly things; and though you come to them year by year, and weeke by weeke, they do not make you that are comers thereunto perfect: for if they did, then there were a necessity for the continuance of them. But now to that of God in all your consciences I speak, which shall witness in the day of the Lord, that your consciences are no more purified, nor you made any more perfect, then the first day you took them up. And this I say unto you in love to your soules, I know no more of the power and presence you do witness among you in these things, then if you worshipped in the temple at Jerusa­lem, and burned incense, and offered sacrifice and burnt-of­ferings, which Christ sayd was left unto them desolate: and verily in the day of the Lords account, you shall bear witness unto me, that I speak not in mine own name, although you cannot believe: I say, the Lord is departed out of these things, and the Gentiles and heathen, who knows not God, hath now all these things to tread upon, and all also to feed upon: but this I say unto you, Sacrifices and offerings without, which are [Page 14] Carnal and elementary, and perishes with the using, he will not have: but he is come, whose flesh is the life of the Saints, and his body is known which is prepared to take away sin: and it was witnessed of him▪ and he is come to do the will of God: and this is he in whom the Father is well pleased, who is the light of the world, and hath enlightned every one that comes into the world: and whoso is not led by the light, he is not led by the Son▪ and there is no offering but in the light that is ac­cepted, nor nothing which is well pleasing to God▪ but what he now Commands, who is entered to within the veil, into the Heavenly tabernacle: and you whose Hearts the veile is over, and flesh is over, unturned to him you are; and his face doth not see, nor his mind doth not know; and now his worship is no more outward and Carnal, but spirituall and everlasting: and all you that cannot own the measure of God in you, which shews you his teachings and doctrine, the offering up of that which is perfect, you do not know, nor the offering up in and by the eternal Spirit you do not know; and so doth not know purging away sin; but still you are Checked and Condemned in your selves, notwithstanding your large phyla­cteries and long garments of self-righteousness; and selfe ta­ken in performance in your wills, from Imitation; yet all of you confess the guilt must remain: because none of you are come from under Condemnation, therefore you judge all is so. Ah ah, miserable redemption and Justification is this! what re­demption is wrought among you▪ when the light in your own Consciences shews there is guilt; and you are under the power of pride, and Covetousness, and envy, and wrath, rayling and slandering them that bears witness against your deceipt; and hath not power over your tongues, nor over your thoughts; but are led captive by him that workes unrighteousness: nay, so ignorant are you, most of you, that you know not what it is that is in captivitie, and what it is that wants redemption, nor what it is which the Gospel is preached to: and puritie of Spirit you do not know. Verily I say unto you all, whose minds are not turned to the light of Christ, which will let you see, notwithstanding all your righteousness and fulness, which [Page 15] you judge you have attained to there is one thing you lack yet▪ you that hath keeped all the commands in the letter, which few of you have done, you must sell all, and give to the poore: and yet before you witness a disciple of Christ, you must take up the cross of Christ which you all stumble at, and it is fool­ishness to you, as it was to your generation, who were in your nature who sought to be justified by the works without them; and even you are the same▪ looks that God accepts you, be­cause you have conformed to the outward part of the Law, or Scripture: and if that will not do, then you looke to be Justified by the righteousness of one you have heard of with­out you: and even then, when you your selves are found sin­ners, and so would make Christ a Minister of sin. How long will you speake these things, and how long shall the words of your mouth be as a strong wind? doth God pervert Judg­ment, or doth the Almightie pervert Justice? Job. 8. 2, 3. shall not he that sins dye? and is not he that commits sin, of the Devil? doth God justifie him that's of the devil? nay▪ he shall condemn him: the Gospel is not preached to that seed, but the day of vengeance, and tribulation and wrath upon eve­ry one that doth evill: and whom he Condemns, he Justifies not; and whom he redeems, he redeems out of sin, and creates them that they may walk to the praise and glory of his grace: them that praises grace, and glorifies grace, walks in it, and are under it, and it hath Dominion over; and their ungodly­ness and worldly lusts is denyed▪ and holyness and righteous­ness is brought forth, and the Image of God is restored.

Oh how long shall death talke of the fame of wisdom! how long shall a deceived heart lead you aside! how long will ye be blind, how long will ye hearken to your Imagina­tions! is any redeemed out of sin? where sin rules, and where it is acted, grace reigns not: is not this the grace of God which Condemns mans will, and selfe, and the lusts of the flesh? and you that are in your wills, and selfe in every thing standing, doth not the grace Condemn you? how then, or by what are ye Justified? but this hath been a piece of your Di­vinity, when that in your Consciences Condemned you, [Page 16] looking up to Christ Justified at a distance. Oh you vayn minds▪ is not the light of Christ one with Christ? is Christ di­vided from his Spirit, or against himself, or in himself? when that his light Condemns, and his spirit reproves thee for sin, doth he Justifie? doth not his spirit bear witness in the spirits of them that are sanctified? and is not this the spirit which Convinceth for sin? and as thou actest sin, it reproves thee, and bears witness against thee; then How should it bear wit­ness to thee? and so you may see, all of you who tells of Justification by faith, that you are in a dreame, and not in the faith that Justifies: for he that is Justified by faith which is true, he hath the witness in himselfe: now if thou be reprov­ed in thy selfe for sin by the light of Christ, where is thy wit­ness in thy selfe? shew it.

For them that are saved by grace, and Justified by faith, selfe and self-will, and the lusts of the flesh, and disobe­dience to the Grace of God, is Judged and Condemned, and selfe-righteousness, Titus 3. 5. 6, Not by works of righteous­ness that we have done, but according to his mercy he sa­ved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the holy ghost. Ephes. 2. 8, By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of your selves; it's the gift of God: and them that receives, and believes in the gift of God, are Justified: and grace is the gift of God, which teacheth to deny ungodlyness: and them that are taught by this, it teacheth and leadeth out of all sin, and so redemption from sin is witnessed, and Justification is witnessed; and the gift of God which is the Spirit of Promise, seales the assu­rance in the heart: but where sin is committed, grace raignes not through righteousness: and thou that art here, art under the Law, and under wrath and condemnation; and art not under grace that Justifies through faith: and so your cover being taken off, see your shame all, and blush and repent.

NOw your faith which leads you not to believe that you can ever be freed from sin, this faith is reprobate, and brings forth no good works, but dead works, and is not the life of the Just, but the Life of the unjust, which leads not to over­come the evil, and the works of the Devil, nor leads not into the Rest which is in God: for you speake your own words, and thinke your own thoughts, and hath not ceased from your own workes; but worships in your wills, acts in your wills, speaks in your wills, and are your own, and doth not see an o­vercoming of sia, but a growing into it, into deceit more and more, and looking all is done for you; and you believe Christ hath done all, and hath fulfilled the Law for you, and yet doth witness nothing done in you, nor the Law fulfilled in you, nor sin destroyed in you; and yet you say you lay hold upon the righteousness of Christ by faith.

O what righteousness is that you lay hold of, which is im­perfect, and leads not out of imperfection? that is not true faith that lays hold on a righteousness which is imperfect: and all of you say, all that is in you there is defects and Imperfecti­ons in it, yea even the graces and gifts of God, you say they are Imperfect: then Consider, if you see Imperfection in all those things you have laid hold on, and have received, then you know not faith, nor grace, nor the gift of God, which is per­fect; but believes in a dream of a thing done, and an apprehen­sion of a thing at a distance without you: Imagining you are eating, but when you awake you are hungry; Imagining you are saved, but when you enter into your Hearts, see nothing witnessed, nothing done, nor redeemed from nothing; your faith and hope stands in works, and that is all; preaching the letter over, and proving that which is proved, and was proved in them that witnessed the life of those things in them that are written: but nothing is proved in you, but applies their [Page 18] righteousness, which was the righteousness of faith, and of Christ, which was in them, wrought through death, to you that are alive in sin, and lust and pride, and enmity, and malice, and deceit; yea, even to the head of the Serpent, and so would be covered in your in quity, and saved from Guilt and Condemnation and wrath: But to be clensed from sin you regard not: for if you own that word, and faith, and hope which is of God, it will slay and kill that life for ever, and destroy all your wisdom which stands in the earthly na­ture: and therefore I say unto you repent, and cease from your way▪ from your vain conceivings, and all be uncovered; and you will see the first principle you have to Learn: so all your faith which is out of the Light, is seen, which you gather in from the letter, and not wrought in the light, it leads not out of the world, nor to above the world: but all who have faith, works in the light; and mortification, and sanctification, and holyness is brought forth, in purity, uprighteousness, meek­ness, temperance, patience, and the fruits of righteousness: for it is not dead; but the Just man lives by it, and his works ap­peares in the world, and is as a light; but your faith which is dead, talks of it: and when you are viewed in the light, no fruits of righteousness grow in you; your hope and faith is vain, and it will not save you from condemnation in the day of the Lord: and because you finde written in the Scriptures, that by the deedes of the law no flesh can be Justified, there­fore you would exclude the worke of grace, and the righteous­ness of faith, and the life of Christ, which brings forth fruits, and all faith is dead without works: for as the body lives not, but it moves and acts, no more is faith living, except it move: and so you whose faith stands in words, and in things taken on in the fallen wisdom which you read without you, that faith is reprobate unto every good work, and is vain: for the living is not witnessed, nor the dead raised in you to life, nor the lost sheep found, nor that which hath been driven a­way brought back; but the earth yet closeth the blood, and the earth in you covers the slain, and the grave you see not opened, nor the dead raised incorruptible: and so you are unchanged, [Page 19] but the corruptible lives, and the mortal, and draws you after it, and is exalted, and the head not known, who is the life of men, nor exalted: and so he draws you▪ not nor leads you not; but you are led by your own wills, and Another girds you not nor the gird of strength is not at all known but in words: and so the old man is alive uncrucified with his deeds: but his deeds are brought forth; and so by your fruits you are known.

ANd to all sorts of professors I shall clear my conscience to you all, and finish my testimony, that I may dwell in peace with the Lord, who hath commanded me to bear witness to his Name▪ and his love also constrains me; and in love to the seed of Israel, who are bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; who are of the true Circumcision, that they may come out of Captivitie from among the lying Inchanters, and Sorcerers, and Diviners, where they have been long held Captive, and the heritage of the Lord laid waste: and therefore you whose hope is without you it's vain, whose hope stands without, in these things which are weak, as the Apostle said of the Law, which made nothing persect, because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it, which stood in washings; and signes of the true tabernacle they were, yet they did not make perfect: so I say unto you, your bread, and wine, and water, which were figures of a more heavenly thing, they do make nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope▪ Heb. 7. 18, 19. and so while you have hope in any thing without you, you stand in that which is Imperfect; and Con­tends about that, but looks not for the hope to be brought in, by which you might draw near unto God, Christ the hope, the light: and while this you own not, to lead you, the light, you cannot draw near unto God, but he will slay you, and kill you notwithstanding all your words: and all that walks in the light, comes to see the hope brought in; and this hope [Page 20] purifies the heart, as Christ is pure: and then by it and through it there is a drawing near unto God, and an access to him with boldness: for where the lively hope is▪ there is no guilt; then there is boldness: and so you whose hope is in words with­out, and not in you, you forget God; all that forgets the light▪ forgets God: your hope is the hope of the hypocrite, which shall perish; whose hope shall be cut off as a spiders web, Job. 8. 14, and all your hope which doth not purifie the heart, and give you victory over sin dayly▪ is the hope of the wicked, Job. 11, 20▪ but the eyes of the wicked shall faile, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

NOw concerning faith, it is begotten in the heart of man, by preaching of the eternal Word; which word is nigh, in the mouth, and in the heart; and all that comes to hearken to the word which is pure, and receive it, and believe in it, comes to see faith revealed, by which they draw near unto God; and this is begotten by the word of faith, which is the word of Christ; which word is spirit and life to all that re­ceive it; and by it is the mountains removed, and sin over­come▪ and victory witnessed over sin, Mat. 17. 20. and this faith is pure, and leads into purity; it is the gift of God, and leads all towards God that hath it: and it is perfect; and all that stands in it, comes to have the will of God perfected in them, and that which is imperfect, comes to be done away; and the Just lives by it▪ Heb. 2. 4. and in it, and by it, and through it, is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, Rom. 1. 17. and all that do witness the birth which is from above, which is borne of God, which sins not; faith is the life of this birth, which is Just; and the Son of God lives by it, who doth the will of God; as it is written; The life that I now live, is by the faith of the Son of God: and all who [Page 23] hath it, and believes in this, shall never die: for by it is trans­lation witnessed from sin and death, and condemnation, into the Immortal life; and by it is Gods righteousness revealed; and well pleased is he with all who walk in it; and where this is not, his wrath and displeasure arises: and all who stands in the least measure of it, is perfect, and comes to be free from sin; for it brings and reveales the righteousness of God; which Justifies, Sanctifies, and Mortifies; even the righteousness of God which takes away sin, and purges the heart from all filthyness both of flesh and Spirit: and thus remission of sins comes to be witnessed▪ and man Justified by the righteousness of Christ▪ which is the righteousness of faith, wrought in the Creature by the eternal Spirit and word, which is one: and thus assurance comes to be made manifest: for it bears witness, and is the true evidence of the everlasting substance which is brought in; and sin, and self, and all Iniqui­ty comes to be seen and revealed, judged and Condemned, and cast out; and Gods righteousness comes to be the life of a believer, even the life of Christ, which is immortal; by which man comes to be redeemed and purchased unto God, and not his own, but becomes servant to him, and obedient to him; whose life is given and laid down, and revealed to redeem his own seed: and all that come to see this, comes to prize his love, and walkes in his fear, and hath the shield of faith, by which they are defended from the enemie of their souls, and his temptations are resisted, and the fiery darts quenched: and so the enemies comes to be subdued: and this faith is present power against all sin; and all that keep in it, out of doubts and distrusts, and consultations, and murmurings, come to be preserved: and all that hath this faith, doth believe the overcoming of all sin, and walk from faith to faith; and they are daily renewed in the Lords strength, and comes to have Victory, as they keep in it, and so remains in the true rest with God for ever, which none that lives in sin shall ever come to attain unto.

THe Lord is risen in his glory, and is arising in his power, to tread down the mountaines: all nations make way, make way, and all ye Isles be removed, all ye high walls fall down, and all ye strong towers be rent asunder: all ye strong gates flie open; ye fenced Cities fall; ye mighty men of valour bow; your hands shall grow feeble, you mighty warriours for the prince of darknesse: a day of sore distress is coming upon you: the princes of Tyre shall no more rejoyce; ye dukes of Edom shall fall by the edge of his sword; ye daughters of the Philistins shall no more rejoyce, nor ye daughters of Moab▪ who have been at ease from your youth, shall no more take pleasure in your delicacies; for the earth is growing thin and feeble, where all your re­nowne and glory lay; the root is cursed, from whence your joy hath sprung: God is risen, and blasting all with the breath of his mouth, and darkness shall cover all your pavilions; and leanness shall cover your faces; who have rejoyced at the Cap­tivitie of the holy seed; for now is he arising, as a Giant that runs his course, and shall tread down the earth, and blast all its glory; and will fan the nations; and all the uncir­cumcized in heart shall be as chaff, for now is the Lord bringing his determination upon the whole earth, to cut down all the Gods of gold and silver, and spoyle all your pleasant pictures and images which stand in the earth, which you have worshipped in your hearts; yea the Lord of life hath a sacrifice in Babylon to performe, to confound her languages which is many, and to slay all her Children, in the place where they have slaine the seed of the free-borne. Woe is me; what will [Page 25] become of ye▪ ye shepherds who have nourished people into the nature of Swine, and led into the nature of Dogs, and hath driven away the sheep from the fold; and hath begotten no­thing but subtilty and deceit in peoples mindes; hath made them wise to do evil, and subtil to deceive, and cuaning to turne away from righteousness; yea many of their eares you have bored, and they have sold themselves to be bond-slaves unto you, and to their lusts for ever: a wofull reckoning will you make, to the Lord of heaven and earth, who is coming to take an account of all, what they have done and brought, and what sheep they have gathered in: the Bill is drawne against you all, you hirelings; the Cup of vengeance will be your re­ward; not one lamb have you brought in the bosome of the father, nor one sheep into the fold; but hath scattered them: so that by deceiving them so long with your strange voyce, they have forgot the true shepherds voyce▪ for into a Wolfes nature you have nourished them, and they are become wild▪ and now loves no fold, no bond nor limit; but loves to lie downe with you upon the mountains of iniquity, pride, lust, and deceit; where all the wild beasts of the field play: and they are all gone out of the way, into the crooked paths of un­righteousness; and they follow your example who leads them▪ and this will be proved against you all shepherds who are idle, who loves the fleece, and feeds upon the fat, and seekes for your gaine from your quarter: the blood of soules will be your Charge; guilty will you all be found; your mouthes stopped: the light in your consciences shall be the Lords witness, bound will you be, and cast into utter darkness.

And you that have set up your selves to be Teachers, who pretends Separation from the world; who have run in your wills, and have gathered to worship an image with a more beautifull face▪ you are strong, you are fat; you shine▪ you are full; you appeare as Oracles▪ at which them that seeks after knowledge, seekes unto; you are painted over with names and Colours, and appeares of a comelie hue: your Cup is golden and beautiful to behold, to the earthly wisdom, and desi­rable to drinke of; yea many have drunke of it▪ and are drink­ing [Page 26] of it, and they come to grow tall, and as strong as horses in battel, and as rampant as lions, and as Behemoth, who thinkes he can drinke Iordan drie. But one thing you have left behind you, and that is the cross of Christ, which is the power of God: now is the Lord coming to fan you, and to weigh you, how you came hither, to tell of justification, and of being saved by the righteousness of Chist, when you will not owne the simplicity of the Gospel; nor the meeke principle to giude you into the Lambes nature: your flocke is not so speckled as the former, and yet they feed in the same pasture, where knowledge, the tree of knowledge is the food; which nourishes them into a strange nature, and turnes them farther into degeneration. Woe is me for you all, who are leaders, and you who are thus led; upon the left hand among the goats you will be turned, who hates the still small voyce; that you cannot abide to hear in you: therefore you are erred for lack of true knowledg, and you shall goe into captivity with them that go into captivity: for you have lost the key of knowledge, and you are setting up, and seeking to open, with another thing then the key of David; but you must either have that▪ or else, where the Saints life is, you cannot come, although you are reaching at it with your sensuall wis­dome; but farther it flies from you.

Oh when will you be weary of feeding upon ashes; of winde and air, which puffs up your fleshly mindes! when will ye seriously consider, what ye enjoy of God, and what you possess of him? are you not lost in your selves, in and about that which you acount great part of obedience unto your God?

Are not some of you who are called Baptized persons, dif­fering about the form? some baptizing into this, some into that? some sprinkling, some dipping, some plunging: where is your example for these things? nay, do not the most of you con­clude no salvation without it, although in words, some of you will denie it? and as for that you call your supper and commu­nion, which is but carnal and earthly, you have none of you the forme; one of you is for eating before supper, another [Page 27] after supper, another for as much bread and wine as you can eat and drinke; and so your God is your bellie, and you mind earthly things: and in stead of remembring of Christs death, you crucifie him afresh, one with lust, another with envie, another with pride; and so in stead of coming to the table of the Lord, you feed at the table of devils; and nourish the flesh, and deceit and uncleanness: and as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses by making likenesses; so do you resist the spi­rit of the Lord, because it comes not according to your car­nal will, nor your vaine conceptions: and so deceit leads you all, and the cross of Christ you know not; and those things you have formerly declared against you now take up: some pretends sending out to preach▪ & takes Tythes, others crying out against them in words, and yet upholds them, and payes to the priests whom you say is not ministers of Christ; and so waste the Lords, goods to uphold deceit; and betray the just in your selves; and not one of you will suffer for that you judge your principal; and now you begin to creep into the Idols­temples, and worship there, and seekes to the powers of the earth to uphold you: and one of you preaching up free-will a­ther downe, another an election of persons, and yet you never knew true faith which is without respect of persons: another company of you▪ dreaming of a personal raign in your Carnal imaginations, and judges just such a God and a Christ as your selves, that you may live in pride and lust, and filthy and earth­ly mindedness, and envie; and yet talke of raigning with him: but of being baptized into his death, you know nothing, nor suffering with him you know nothing of, nor of bearing his reproach dayly nor of suffering the spoyling of all: and deny­ing all for him, this you are strangers to; and you that tell of exercising your gifts, you have no gift but acquired by long raking in the letter, and the exercise of your carnal wit and knowledg in contention and strife: you have treasured up a great deale of stuff in the earthly memory; and this you call a gift of the Spirit; and such a one you make a Pastor or an Apostle on, and he begets into his Image; but still in the curse, and makes proselytes in the same likeness; leads into sorts and [Page 28] opinions from the true gift of God; for who hath a gift, it exercises him first, and then he declares unto others of those things which the gift of God hath wrought in him: and he that knowes the gift of God, is led out of his own way, will, and time, into his will from whence it comes: and here is the ministrie Christ alwayes blessed; not in their owne wills, but in his will, and this wrought a reall change in peo­ple, from Satan's power unto God's power▪ and so in all your separation, self shines in all you have: not the forme, much less the power. Another sort tells of a power to come, and of a greater glory to be revealed, and a more glorious ministrie then hath been yet; yet your eyes is without, and the glory you looke at, is in great words; and your expectation will fayle: for you neglect the present measure of Christs gift that leads to repentance, and that you are got above, and this is too low a thing for you▪ you judge because you heard of this, and talked of it▪ therefore you are past this; but I shall say unto you all Adulterers and Adulteresses, Come down from off your moun­taine of exaltation exalted above the door and the Cross: and you that are here, are Thieves and Robbers; your mindes is without, feeding upon the tree of Knowledge and imitating: the best of you, in your fallen wisdom, and your foundati­on, is but upon report, as the vagabond Jewes were; in the name of Jesus that Paul preached, they would cast out unclean spirits; and they were sorcerers: and what are you now, who only preaches of Christ that Paul and Peter and John, in the name of that Jesus they declared of, and his righteousness they spoke of; but knows not his name in you, or his power, nor his righteousness, but in tradition, imitation, and conforming in the earthly will: here is all your worship, all of you calling the letter the light, the word the Gospel; nay some of you so im­pudent as to call it spirit and life: and so now you are made manifest and seen; and your God, and worship, and all your profession, is tryed by the light, is seen, Comprehended and weighed, and judged with the light; and all this will be too narrow to cover you in the day of the Lord, which is com­ing as a thief upon all the world, who make mention of the [Page 29] name of the Lord but not in righteousness: & therefore strip you, make you bare, be uncovered, cast off your old ragged covers which will rust and wax old; and mind the first principle, the light that shews you evil, and own it, to lead you, and guide you out of sin, or else I testifie unto you, you shall die in your sins; and wrath Eternal will be your portion, except you repent and cease from your vain thoughts and words, and wait to see the Law of God revealed in your hearts, that may shew you sin, and condemn this nature in the Transgression, and doe it away, and slay you, and quicken another thing which is dead in trespasses and in sins: and while you sin, the Image of God is dead, and Christ suffers: so while you have time, prize it.

ANd you mingled people of Babylon and Egypt▪ who are in darkness, and loves to be so; who are blind, and loves to be so; who wallowes in your iniquity, and loves to be so; who live at ease in the flesh, in pleasures and wan­tonness, you are dead while you live; you have taken up your rest in the earth; you are inlarging your barnes, you are cieling your houses, and you are building with hewne stone, and Ce­dars; and are laying house to house, and land to land, and are making your selves great in the world, and seeking a name among men: you are swallowed up of the earth, and you go upon your bellies, you feed upon dust. VVoe unto you that are here, you have your consolation here, you lay up your bags, where thieves break forth and steal: your gar­ments are moth-eaten, your gold is rusty, & your silver is can­kered; and there is your god which you worship, which you have set up▪ and worships in your heart. And when you [Page 30] have over-reached your brethren▪ and cheated, and oppressed, and defrauded your brethren, and are grown rich, then you say, God hath given you all this; when as ye have stolen it, and got it in Usurie, and oppression, and deceipt: and when you have it, Spends it upon your lusts, and by your greatness grinds the face of the poor when you are become strong in the earth, and have spread out your boughs so broad that nothing can grow that is neer your shaddow; and yet talk of God at a distance; but you know him not, but live in carlesness and ease, and liberty of the flesh▪ and pleasing the carnal mind: the Mighty day of the Lord is at hand, which shall come as a theife upon you, and require all your souls at your hands, and take them away; and then whose shall all these things be?

And all you poor blind people of the world of all sorts, who followes the blind guides and teachers of the world, who know not the path of righteousness themselves, but live in covetousness, pride, oppression, seeking for their gaine from their Quarters in the steps of their fore-fathers the false Pro­phets which the Lord declared against by Ieremiah, Isaiah, E­zekiel, Hosea; and Christ cryed out against such blind guids as led the blind: and the Apostles declared against such whose hearts was exercised with coveteous practises; and them you set up for your teachers who are not taught of the Lord: and they walk in the broad way, and you follow their exam­ple; and yet you have a green tree to worship under, which seems beautiful in your eyes; you talk of a God and Christ▪ and of his Gospel and ordinances▪ but knows him not, nor his will, nor how he will be Worshipped, but according to the customs and fashions of the Nations▪ as the Heathen doe; and follows the traditions of men, and lives in pride and fulness, and at ease, lust, and envie, in covetousness and double-mindedness, in drunkenness and riotousness, Sports, Pastimes, Pleasures, gaming playing, nourishing your hearts as in a day of slaugh­ter; wanton wilde, in swearing, lying▪ cursed speaking; in fool­ish jesting, in filthy communication, in laughter and folly, which is madness: The dreadful God of Heaven and Earth [Page 31] is arising in his power, and his day is coming upon you▪ that shall rip up your hearts, and you shall see that you are Hea­thens; and knows not God, although your Idol-Shepherds and hirelings have told you you were Christians, because you came one day in seven, and heard a few words spoken from the Imagination of their own braine, and all the week long and year long live in carlesness▪ and in all the abominations before mentioned, and many more; and yet you hate to be reproved, and hate to be reformed: Dreadfull is the day that is coming upon you, all sorts of carnal professors, and vain talkers, and busie minds; which talkes of that you cannot witness: Terror▪ terror, dread and wrath, Vengeance in flames of fire, will God raine upon the ungodly, and snares, and turn them into Hell, with all them that forget God. Think on this, Oh all you careless wanton earthly minded people, whose God is your bellie, who glory in your shame, who minde earthly things, and turnes his grace into wantonness, and sport your selves as in the day-time; and never consider your latter end, and sleights the day of your visitation, and so dies in your sin; and will lie downe in everlasting misery except you repent.

Terrible and dreadful is the day that is coming upon all the world, and all you who make mention of the name of the Lord, but not in righteousness, in the many Sects, and Opini­ons, and judgments, in Babylon, Confusion, and error; the Lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord hath spoken, who can but Prophesie? the Lord hath roared out of Sion▪ and uttered his voice from Jerusalem, he will send a fire in the gardens that you have made, and consume all the thickets round about it; and you shall be a shamed of the Oakes that you have chosen, and of the trees you have worshiped under▪ and the groves where ye have committed fornication with o­ther lovers; and hath forsaken the Lord, and joyned your selves unto Idols: and now your hearts is become hard, and you will have none of the wayes of the Lord, nor will that Christ should reigne over you▪ for you hate his light which shews you sin and evil, and would turne you from it, and [Page 32] out of blindness and ignorance: but your wills leads you, and the crooked ways of the Serpent you follow▪ but now is the time neer finished; all your joy shall be at an end, and all your lovers shall forsake you; and you shall mourn and howl ye careless people, who live in deceit, and are wise to do evil, and mighty to work wickedness, but to doe good hath no under­standing.

Awake, awake; Arise, arise, and stand all up to judg­ment: let the heathen be awakened, for the Lord shall roare out of Sion, and utter his voice as a whirlwind; and the hea­vens and the earth shall shake, and the mountains shall melt at his presence, and all the hills shall melt before him, and all the Isles shall flie away at his presence, who is risen to take Ven­geance upon all the ungodly; and all shall be slain before him. Assemble your selves, and come all ye heathen, and gather your selves together round about: for the Lord will plead with you as in the valley of Jehoshaphat, and there will he sit as Judge, to give every one their portion according to their work. Awake, all you that are asleep, and stand up to Judgement; the Angell of the Covenant is come, and the time of harvest draws neer; the reaper is come with his sharp Sickle, and is come, for the press is full, and the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great: Multitudes, multitudes shall be slain, and bound in bundles, and cast into the lake, and into the valley of decision: the Sun and the Moon shall withdraw their shining, and the stars shall fall, and lose their light; yet a little while and time shall be no longer, but you will be swept into the pit, where shall be weeping and wailing, and gnash­ing of teeth, and overturned as Sodom and Gomorrha, and you shall know there is a God, who is pure and holy, who will judge you not according to your words and feigned de­ceitfull hearts, but in righteousness. And so all dread his name, and fear him, and tremble before him, and bow your selves, and submit unto him, least you perish for ever from his presence, and be tormented with the devil and his angels in the lake of everlasting fire.

And all you ungodly, think on this, for this shall be the [Page 33] portion of your cup for ever, who sleight the day of Gods love and visitation, and turnes his grace into wantonness: his long­suffering shall come to an end, and his Spirit will not al­ways strive with you: and then he will arise in his wrath, and take vengeance upon his enemies, and bind the tares and the briers and thornes in bundles, and cast them into everlasting fire, where, where is perpetuall exilement from the presence of God, and from the Lamb for ever and ever, and from the light of his countenance; and this as the Lord lives will come upon all who are not cleansed from sin, and purged from your ini­quity; and destruction is of your selves; it is not because there it no balm enough in Gilead, nor no Physitian, nor because you have no grace nor power; but because you despise it, and will not come to Christ, who is the light, least your deeds should be repoved; nor mind that which is given into you, to lead you out of sin; and so the one thing needful you heed not; and you that doe not, will lie down in everlasting mise­ry and sorrow world without end.

CEase gadding abroad, and seeking in that principle which leads you further from God; and from your own wis­dom, and reason, which is in the fall, and in the disobedient nature: for there can you never finde peace, nor the way that leads unto it: all that you have heard, you see still there is one thing lacking, and you are unsatisfied: and while your eyes are without, his power you know not that gave the Saints dominion; and the further you inquire in the natural fallen wit and reason, the further you are off the first principle that leads to know God. Now I say unto you all, Christ Jesus, who is anointed of God to preach glad tidings to the poor and to the captive, who in the days of his flesh declared and [Page 34] preached the Kingdom of God was neer; yea in them, I say unto you, now he preaches by his Spirit in the world; and he is now in the world: and this is he that convinceth the world of sin, and shews thee thy evil deeds by his light in thy consci­ence: and as thou waits upon that light that is given from God, it will open thy understanding, and let thee see all that ever thou hast done, and will bring trouble upon thee, and a true sensibleness of thy condition; and will bring wrath upon that nature in thee which is corrupt and contrary to the light: for the light is of the nature of Christ Jesus; and so thou wilt come to see as thou waitest in the true light wherewith▪ Christ hath enlightned thee withal, two seeds, and each of these seeds hath a nature, and they are one contrary to the other in their natures: the nature of the one is to work unrighteousness; and of the other, to bear witness against sin, and also works righteousness; and these two are contrary: the one leads into bondage the Just, and the other leads into bondage the Injust: the one is the Image of God, the other the Image of the devil: and if thou wait in the light, thou wilt see two striving in the wombe; and here is nation against nation, and Kingdom a­gainst Kingdom; and these are at variance; and the life of the one is the death of the other. Now that which lets thee see that Cain and Ismael are goodly children, who are of the first birth, yet they must not enter, nor have any share with the seed of the free-woman, but must be cast out, and therefore another seed must be witnessed, which the pro­mise is to: who are born again, are born of that which is pure, of the living water, and that washes from sin and uncleanness; and also of the Spirit, which is life: they that are borne of this, enters into the City, where no unclean thing enters; for God takes nothing into Communion with himself, but that which is made holy, and cleansed, and purged, and purified, by the operation and working of his Spirit; which Spirit is life to them that receive it, and it reproves them that receives it not: and this is in the world, and reproves the world; yet the world receives it not, and so lies wholly in wickedness, in darkness, and blindness.

[Page 35]Now unto you that hath but any stirring or desires begot­ten in your hearts after God or his truth, that so you may know the power of God which gives dominion over sin, hearken a little, and I shall declare unto thee, if thou have an eare to hear Christ Jesus who is the light of the world, and hath lightened every one that comes into the world by his true light: and this is it that shews thee thy evill deeds, and the vanities of the world, and shews thee what is evil, and discovers unto thee all things that ever thou hast done, and will check thee when thou doth any thing contrary it, and Judge thee for that which is past: and this is the gift of God; and as thou turns thy mind to it, It will turn from sin and evil unto Jesus Christ from whence it comes: and this is present with thee; and as thou hearkenest to this, thou seest God is pure, who is present, and by the light takes notice of all thy actions and performances, with what heart thou dost them, and offers them up in: and this will let the see if thou regard iniquity in thy heart, all is abomination to the Lord: therefore keep into this, and it will shew thee sin and evil before thou commit it; and as thou stands in the Coun­sell of the light, thou stands in the Counsell of Christ, and his power preserves thee; for the light is power: all that hear­ken not unto another, is preserved out of sin, and temptation, and pollution, and sees an overcoming by the power of Christ which is present: and here is a guide to all your minds who have wandred here and there and have found nothing; here you come to know the Doctrine and teaching of Christ which leads into all truth all that believe in it, and receive it; and so it will change you out of pride and wantonness, out of covet­ousness and earthly mindedness, and from sin it will lead you, and from the pathes of unrighteousness, into righteousness, which is the pure path of the Lord, which all comes to injoy peace in, who walk in it: but the cross of Christ must be taken up daily, or else you cannot walk in the way of the Lord: and so to the Cross all come, and to the Yoak, that you may see the wild nature bound under and limited, and your vain thoughts Judged out, and you may come to see the straight [Page 36] way where no lyer can enter, nor no ravenous beast, nor no unclean; but they come all to be kept out: and so as you love your soules, and the way of the Lord mind the witness of Christ in you: and if you go from it, and despise it, it will follow and pursue you, and you shall never know peace: while you stand in disobedience to the Grace of God, and the free Gift of God, you can never see redemption, nor know Gods power which he gives unto all that receive him: and you cannot receive his gift, but self and self-will must be denied; and so the will of Christ, which is the will which wills in the light, and works in the light, and reveales sin by the light, and declares righteousness through the light; and here the com­ing of Christ comes to be seen, and his day comes to be known, which Abraham saw: but through death this comes to be read and known: and so turne all to this here: the word you will hear, which is pure and powerful; it sepa­rates as you hearken unto it, and divides between the pre­tious and the vile in you all who love it; and it's nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, and discerns thy thoughts: and here thou wilt learn, as thou waitest in patience of the Son, in whom the Father is well pleased: and if thou hearken to a­ny other, it's the false Prophet which leads thee to Error: and so the displeasure of God will come against thee for ever un­til thou return. Blessed is he that hears, and receives and considers, and prizes the offers of grace, and the day of Gods everlasting love, and ownes the gift of God in him revealed, which leads to repentance, and works a change in the heart and mind of all that believe in it, and gathers up into its nature all that waits in diligence, and believes in it,: and so the day of redemption comes to be seen, and known out of death, out of the grave▪ and immortality comes to be brought forth, and incorruption comes to be put on: and they that witness this, can truely say we have found him whom our soul loves: and doth not look for any other.

[Page 37]Blessed is he that hears, and considers, and waits to be made partakers of Gods righteousness revealed, Justifies all that receives it, and believe in it; and they by it comes to be Pillars in the house of God for ever, and follows the Lamb whither soe­ver he goes, where Pure Peace is injoyed for ever and ever.