CHAPTER X (5)

About this time I received some lines from a high professor, concerning the way of Christ, to which I returned the following answer:—

“Friend,

“It is not circumstances we contend about, but the way of Christ and his light, which are but one; though the world hath imagined many ways, and all out of the light; which by the light are condemned. He who preached this light, said, ‘He that knoweth God, heareth us; he that is not of God heareth us not: hereby know we the Spirit of Truth, and the spirit of error.’ It is the same now, with them that know the truth; though the whole world lies in wickedness. All dispensations and differences, that are not one in the light we deny; and by the light, that was before separation, do we see them to be self-separations in the sensual, having not the Spirit. Their fruits and end are weighed in the even balance, and found to be in the dark, the lo-here, and lo-there thou tellest of. The presence of Christ is not with them, though the blind see it not; who see not with the pure eye which is single; but with the many eyes which lead into the many ways. Nor are any the people of God, but they who are baptised into this principle of light; by which all the faithful servants of the Lord were ever guided in all ages, since the apostacy, and before. For the apostacy are and is from the light; and all that oppose the light was apostates. They who contest against the truth, are enemies to it, and are not actuated by the Spirit; but have another way than the light. All such are in the world, its words, fashions, and customs, though of several forms, as to their worship; yet all under the god of this world, opposing the light and appearance of Christ, which should lead out from under his power, of what form soever they are: yet are they all joined against the light. All these are of the world; and fighting against them who are not of the world, but are gathered and gathering out of it; and so it ever was against the people of God, under what name soever.

“They only are saints by calling, who are called into the light; and sons of Sion, who vary not from the light, to which the Spirit is promised, which is not tied to any forms out of the light; wherein all inherit who are co-heirs with Christ; which many talk of, who inherit the earthly instead of the heavenly. And whereas thou speakest of Christ and his apostles clothing themselves with the sayings and words of the prophets; and of their being your example in so doing; I say, wolves will take the sheep’s clothing; but the light and life finds them out, and judges (not by their stolen words, but) by their works. Nor did Christ cover himself with any words, but what were fulfilled in him; neither do any of Christ’s boast in other men’s lines made ready without them: to which rule if ye be obedient, fewer words and more life will be seen among you. Then ye will not count it straitness to silence the flesh, and hear what he saith, who speaks peace, ‘that his people turn no more to folly.’ If ye once know that what is stolen must be restored fourfold, the mouth of the false prophet will be stopped, which builds up in deceit, but not in righteousness.

“And whereas thou sayest, ‘The Spirit of truth affords nothing but endless varieties;’ I say, the Spirit of truth thou knowest not: for the Spirit of truth said, ‘there is but one thing needful;’ and to speak the same thing again, is safe for the hearers. But that spirit, which affords nothing but endless varieties, is not the Spirit of truth; but is gone out into curious notions: and the number of his names and colours is read nowhere, but in the unity of the Spirit of truth. All others call truth deceit, and deceit truth, as the blind, that opposed the light, ever did; who are ever learning endless varieties, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, nor to an end of their labours: but when they are out of one form, get into another; so long as they can find a green tree without. Thus ye are kept at work all your life, and to the grave in sorrow, as the dumb priests, thou tellest of, have been before you: only ye have got a finer image, but less life. And thou, whose teaching hath no end, art in the horse-mill thou speakest of. I have read the epistles of Timothy, and to the Hebrews; and there I find the duty of all believers is, to see the law of the new covenant written in the heart, whereby all may know God, from the least to the greatest. I know the Holy Scriptures are profitable for the man of God; but what is that to the man of sin, to the first-born, who is out of the light, and being unstable and unlearned, wrests them to his own destruction; but to the life cannot come?

“And for your two ordinances thou speakest of, I say, upon the same account ye deny the priests of the world therein, we deny you; being both of you not only out of the life, but out of the form too. That command, Matt. xxviii. 19, ye never had, nor its power; which was, ‘to baptize into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.’ What Paul received of the Lord, that body, and that bread, ye know as little, but what ye have found in the chapter; nor the coming of Christ either, who cannot believe his light. And whereas thou speakest of preaching Christ of envy, and pleadest for it; I say, such preachers we have enough of in these days. What else art thou doing, who sayest, Paul was sent to baptize; though Paul says he was not: and so thou wouldst prove him a liar, if any would believe thee before him. Thou sayest also, ‘for ought thou knowest, he might baptize thousands.’ Thou mightest as easily have said millions, and as soon have proved it. Thou mayest say the same of circumcision also, and on the same ground.

“As for the signs that followed those that believed, which thou sayest are ceased; I say, they who cannot receive the light cannot see the signs, nor could believe them if they should see them to carp at; no more than formerly they could do, who opposed the light in former ages. They cannot properly be said to cease to such, who never had them; but have only heard or read, that others long ago had them. But that the power, and signs, and presence of God is not the same that ever it was, in the measure, wherein he is received in the light, that I deny; and declare it to be false, and from a spirit that knows not God, nor his power.

“And as for the gospel foundation thou speakest of, I say, it is to be laid again in all the world. Ye never were on it, since the man of sin set up his forms without power. Till ye can own the light of Christ, which the saints preached, and their life and practice; for shame cease to talk of their foundation, or glorious work, or quakings and tremblings, which are the saints’ experiences, which the world knows not, nor can own: though ye cannot read that ever any came aright to declare how they knew God, or received his word, without them. In thy exhortation thou biddest me ‘love Christ, wheresoever I see him:’ but hadst thou told me where one might come to see him, or how one might know him, thou hadst showed more of a Christian in that, than in all thou hast spoken. But it seems, ye are not all of one mind: some of you say, ‘he is gone, and will be no more seen, till doomsday;’ but if ever ye come to see Christ to your comfort, while ye oppose his light, then God hath not spoken by me. This thou shalt remember, when thy time thou hast spent.”

Great opposition did the priests and professors make about this time against the light of Christ Jesus, denying it to be universally given; and against the pouring forth of the Spirit, and sons and daughters prophesying thereby. Much they laboured to darken the minds of people, that they might keep them still in a dependence on their teaching. Wherefore I was moved of the Lord to give forth the following lines, for the opening of the minds and understandings of people, and to manifest the blindness and darkness of their teachers:—

“To all you professors, priests, and teachers, who are in darkness, and know not the Spirit in prison, nor the light that shines in darkness, and which the darkness doth not comprehend; but are the infidels, whom the god of the world hath blinded, and to whom the gospel is hid. For though ye have the four books, yet the gospel is hid to you; who are now wondering at the work of God, and do not believe that Christ hath enlightened every one that cometh into the world. I offer you some Scriptures to read, which will prove your spirits, and try them, how contrary they are to the apostles’ spirit, the Spirit of Christ and of the saints. Christ went and ‘preached to the spirits in prison,’ 1 Pet. iii. 19. He that readeth, let him understand, whether this was a measure of the Spirit, yea or nay, or the Spirit without measure, which he ministered to? ‘For he whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him,’ John iii. 34. Here Christ had not the Spirit given to him by measure. The apostle said, ‘We will not boast of things without (or beyond) our measure.’ 2 Cor. x. 13. So here was measure, and not by measure. Christ, who received not the Spirit by measure, told his disciples he would ‘send them the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, that should guide them into all truth: for he should not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and show it unto you,’ John xvi. 13, 14. Mind, read, and learn; the Comforter shall receive of mine, saith Christ, and shall show it unto you: who hath the measure, receives of his who hath not by measure. The Comforter, when he comes, is to ‘reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment,’ ver. 8. Now all mind the great work of God: the Spirit of Truth, which leads the saints into all truth, which receives of Christ’s, and shows it unto the disciples, who are in the measure, he shall reprove the world of sin, because they do not believe, &c. The Comforter, whom Christ will send, takes of his, and shows it to the disciples; the same reproves the world. Mind now, whether this be a measure, yea or nay, which comes from him, who received not the Spirit by measure. He that leads the believer into all truth, reproves the unbeliever in the world, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; so he that is led into all truth, sees that which is reproved, by the Spirit of Truth that leads him. Now Christ saith, ‘He shall take of mine, and show it unto you.’ Is this a measure, yea or nay, from him to whom God gave the Spirit not by measure?

“Again, the Lord said, both by his prophet, Joel ii. 28, and his apostle, Acts ii. 17, 18, ‘It shall come to pass in the last days, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants, and handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.’ Look, ye deceivers: here the Lord saith, he will pour out of his Spirit; mark the word, OF the Lord’s Spirit upon all flesh. What! young men, old men, sons and daughters, and maidens, all these to have the Spirit of God poured forth upon them? Here, say they, these deny the means then: nay, that is the means. And the great and notable day of the Lord is coming, wherein it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. The God of the spirits of all flesh is known; ‘And,’ saith the apostle, who would not boast of things beyond his measure, ‘that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them,’ Rom. i. 19. By this which was of God manifest in them, they knew covetousness, maliciousness, murder, deceit, and ungodliness; and knew that the judgments of God were upon such things; and that they were worthy of death not only that did the same, but who had pleasure in them that did them. Therefore said the apostle, ‘the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men,’ &c. Now this of God manifest in them, which God showed unto them, by which they know unrighteousness, and God’s judgments thereupon, and that they which commit such things are worthy of death; whether this be a measure, yea or nay, which is of God, and which he hath showed to them? What was that in them that ‘did by nature the things contained in the law, which showed the work of the law written in their heart,’ Rom. ii. 14, 15? Mark, ‘written!’ Shall not this judge them that have the outward law, but are out of the life of it? The apostle saith, ‘the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal,’ 1 Cor. xii. 7. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; but ‘the manifestation of it is given to every man to profit withal.’withal.’ Mark, ‘to one is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.’ Mark that, to every man severally as he will.