صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

Now consider this, ye priests, prophets, and professors in Christendom, try yourselves, and see if you be not found in this spirit as these priests and prophets were in under the law? have ye not broken the gospel and the command of Christ, as they broke the law? have you not made many widows and fatherless by casting in prison for your tythes? have not you said, thus saith the Lord, and the Lord never spoke to you? have not ye been like ravening lions for your prey? have not you vexed the poor and needy, and stranger by oppressing and spoiling? and is not this contrary to the gospel and Christ's command, who saith, freely ye have received, freely give.' So measure yourselves and your practice by this scripture.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

And Christ saith John x. an hireling will flee because he is an hireling, and cares not for the sheep.' And hath not this been fulfilled amongst the hirelings in this our age? and Christ saith, the thief com: th not, but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I am come that ye may have life, and have it more abundantly, and all that come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them, [mark,] did not hear them, and I am the door of the sheep, if by me any man enter in, he shall be saved, and go in and out and find pasture;' and therefore, come now and try yourselves by Christ's own words, who is the good shepherd, and hath laid down his life for his sheep; and therefore what say you of all them that have killed and destroyed about religion since the apostles' days, and say they have not heard the voice of Christ? do not these steal their words from their neighbours, and run, and God never sent them? and are Christ's sheep to hear thieves and robbers? and is it not Christ which lighteth every man that cometh into the world? is not he the door, and must not every one that entereth into his pasture, enter in by the light, or else how can they see the door without the light, which comes from him who is the life: for it is said, the light which shines in the heart, gives the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus, who is the door.' So they cannot enter in to Christ the door, but by the light that gives the knowledge; so try yourselves, all ye that say, Christ hath not enlightened every man that cometh into the world with a heavenly and divine light, how, you will come into the door without this light? and whether you that deny it do not keep people yet in darkness, among the hirelings, and thieves, and robbers, and from the good shepherd that lays down his life for his sheep, and are climbing up some other way? but Christ's sheep hear his voice and follow him, who is the same to-day as yesterday, and so forever, though you say there is no hearing his voice now a-days.

VOL. V.-8

[ocr errors]

And the apostle saith, let no man condemn you in meats, or drinks, or in respect of a holy-day, or new-moons, or sabbath-days, which are but a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.' Now mark, for people to jangle about such things, is but about shadows of things to come, and that which the kingdom of God stands not in, but the body is of Christ; so Christ and his body is to be minded, who is the substance of such things, that were figures, types or shadows of him; and he is to be minded, who is the head, and the substance, and life of all.

[ocr errors]

And further the apostle saith, let no man at his pleasure bear rule over you, by humbleness of mind, and worshipping of angels advancing himself into those things which he never saw, rashly puffed up with his fleshly mind, and not holding the head,' &c.

Now consider this, all ye that say, there is no hearing of God's voice now a-days, nor Christ's voice, and you have not the same power and spirit the apostles had.

Therefore, come try yourselves by the scripture, which you say is your rule, are not you they that bear rule with your pretended humbleness of mind, advancing yourselves into Christ, the prophets' and apostles' words, which you never saw in that spirit that gave them forth, and rashly puffed up in your fleshly minds: now consider whether people must own such as the apostle cried against in his day, now in our days, I say, they that do hold Christ Jesus the head, to be their teacher, and their prophet, and their shepherd, whether they must hold up such, yea, or nay? and further the apostle saith, if ye be dead with Christ from the ordinances of the world, why as though ye live in the world are ye burthened with traditions? touch not, taste not, handle not, which all perish with the using, after the commandments and doctrines of men, which things indeed have a show of wisdom in a voluntary religion, &c. [mark,] a voluntary religion, then it is not the religion that is pure, which James speaks of, &c.

Therefore, whether or no we must not follow the apostles here in our age, as the saints were in their age, and not to touch, taste, nor handle the doctrines of men, or commandments of men, which will perish with the using, though they may have a shew of wisdom in a voluntary religion; them that be not dead with Christ may follow such traditions and ordinances of men, and touch, taste and handle that which perisheth with the using; but they that be dead and risen with Christ, cannot follow such things, as in Col. 2. So try yourselves by this scripture whether you follow the apostles' doctrine, or such as he forbad.

[ocr errors]

And in 1 Tim. iv. the apostle saith, the spirit speaks expressly that some shall depart from the faith in the latter times, and shall give heed to the spirit of error, and doctrines of devils, which speak lies in hypo

[ocr errors]

crisy, having their consciences seared as with an hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them that believe and know the truth; for every creature of God is good, and ought not to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.'

Now come and try yourselves, all ye that forbid meats and marriages, are not you these that the apostle prophesied of, and the spirit spoke of, that are departed from the true faith that the apostles were in, and are in the spirit of error, and doctrine of devils, which speak lies in hypocrisy, having your consciences burned with an hot iron, and are out of the belief and the truth that the apostles were in, and so see not the end of God's creating of his creatures, to be received with thanksgiving, who saith, every creature of God is good, and nothing ought to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer; so not sanctified to you that forbid them, neither do ye know the end of God's creating them. So be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap, for he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruptions, but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. Gal. vi. 7, 8.

Now come try yourselves all ye teachers in Christendom, and look into your fields or vineyards, and see what you have there sown, and see what a great crop of corruptions and all manner of evils you may reap out of them; for you saying you have not the same spirit, and plough, and flail, and faith that the apostles had, then you cannot sow unto the spirit, by which you might reap life eternal; and though you may have all the scriptures from Genesis to the end of the Revelations, if you have not the same spirit as they had that gave them forth, you cannot sow to the spirit, neither are you successors of the prophets and apostles, except you are in the spirit that gave forth the scriptures. And the apostle saith 'let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself only, and not in another.' So now try yourselves ye priests and teachers, and prove your own work, and see what joy ye have in it; to rejoice in another man's work, the prophets' or apostles', is not to rejoice in your own work, the work that God hath wrought in you; and if you come to this, you must come to the light (as Christ said,) to see whether your works be wrought in God, that ye may have joy in him, and in yourselves in his spirit. Again the apostle saith, let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.' Gal. vi. 6.

[ocr errors]

Now is not this the scripture which you bring for your maintenance? but what is this to prove your forced maintenance by, and to cast people in prison, if they will not give you tythes, or midsummer-dues, Easter

reckonings, and the like; this was spoken to them that were taught in the word, not to them whom they did not teach, and to force from them: but you use to say, why do not they come, and hear? they may come if they will; did the apostles force a maintenance from any that did not hear them, and say, they might come if they would, and we have a law to compel it from you; if so, where is it written in the scripture, which you say is the rule? but in this your practice, have not you thrown away Christ's law and command, who bids freely to give, as they had received. But the apostle saith, he that is taught in the word,' he doth not say, he that is taught in the letter; John saith, in the beginning was the word, and in him was life, and this life was the light of men, and this is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world:' and you that deny this light, do not you deny the teaching of the word, and call the light natural? and then in your account is not the word natural? therefore, how can you have the good things communicated to you, which do not communicate the good and everlasting things to people; and you see that the apostle would not receive of them that he did teach the good word to, but laboured with his hands, that he might keep the gospel without charge, and show an example to all that succeeded him, neither would he use his power; but have you not gone beyond this power, and abused it; try yourselves. 1 Cor. ix. Gal. vi. And in Luke viii. and Joanna wife of Herod's steward, and Susannah, with many others, which ministered unto Christ of their substance.' Now this scripture, which ye also bring, proves nothing for your forced maintenance, for what they did, they did it freely; for Christ never made a law to force people to give him and his disciples maintenance; if you say he did, show where it is written. Again, Habakkuk saith in Hab. ii. 9. Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house.' And therefore, take heed of this woe coming upon you, all ye that covet an evil covetousness to your house, that ye may set your nests on high, who have coveted and taken other people's goods that ye have done no work for, be sure it will, except ye repent. And in Amos vi. is it not said, woe to them that chant, or sing to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music like David, that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.' Now consider this ye priests and professors, and others, and try your practice by this scripture, and whether you are not found in these practises, and putting far away the evil day, and approach the seat of iniquity? and are not you them that stretch yourselves upon your beds? and therefore see what judgments the Lord threatened should come upon such; and do ye think the like judgments will not come upon you, that are found in their practises: and therefore, do not profess the scriptures to be your rule, except you

walk in the spirit, which was both leader and rule, to the holy men of God that gave it forth, and according to their example that gave it forth in life and practice; for if ye do not, ye are judged.and reproved by the holy scripture, and the spirit of God and Christ, by which they were given forth. G. Fox.

Worcester Prison, the 11th month, 1674.

A LOOKING GLASS FOR THE JEWS:

Wherein they may clearly see that the Messiah is come, by the Prophets in the Old Testament, (above sixteen hundred years since,) and the manifest testimonies since.

And also, they may see their own blindness and ignorance of their own Prophets, and of the Messiah unto this day.

By which my desire is, they may turn to him, that their eyes may be opened, that they may see him whom they have pierced.—By G. F.

DANIEL was a man greatly beloved of God, who interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream: and Nebuchadnezzar's dream concerned himself, and the whole monarchy, (the head of gold,) and concerned the Persian monarchy, (the breast of silver,) and concerned the Grecian monarchy, (the belly and thighs of brass,) and concerned the Roman monarchy, (the legs of iron, and the feet of iron and clay :) and the breaking of all these to pieces as the chaff of the summer threshing-floor, and the wind carrying them away, that no place for them was found: and it was the stone that smote the image of gold, &c. and became a great mountain, that filled the whole earth? and is not this stone the Messiah? for Daniel saith, 'whom ye do believe as a prophet and beloved of God, in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, Dan. ii. 44. [mark, in the days of these four monarchies,] and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break into pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever: the stone which was cut out of the mountain without hands, it shall break into pieces the brass, and the clay and iron, the silver and the gold monarchies. Now Nebuchadnezzar did say to Daniel, of a truth his God was the God of truth, and the God of gods, and the King of kings,' &c. So now, consider, was not Nebuchadnezzar beyond you in your belief? and did not the Messiah come in the days of these four monarchies, and set up his kingdom above sixteen hundred years since? and are not those four monarchies dashed in pieces by the stone which should come in their days?

« السابقةمتابعة »