CHAPTER XII (2)

“Thirdly, They that sit down in the apostacy, that hath got up since the apostles’ days, sit down in spiritual Sodom and Egypt, and are drinking of the whore’s cup, under the beast’s and dragon’s power.

“Fourthly, They that sit down in the state in which Adam was before he fell, sit down in that which may be fallen from; for he fell from that state, though it was perfect.

“Fifthly, They that sit down in the prophets, sit down in that which must be fulfilled; and they that sit down in the fellowship of water, bread, and wine, these being temporal things, sit down in that which is short of Christ, and of his baptism.

“Sixthly, To sit down in a profession of all the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelations, and not to be in the power and Spirit which they were in, that gave them forth; that was to be turned away from, by them that came into the power and Spirit which they were in that gave forth the Scriptures.

“Seventhly, They that sit down in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, sit down in him that never fell nor ever changed. Here is the safe sitting for all his elect, his church, his spiritual members, of which he is the living head, his living stones, the household of faith; of which house he is the corner-stone, that stands and abides all weathers. ‘For,’ as the apostle said, ‘he hath quickened us, who were dead in sins and trespasses, &c., and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through Jesus Christ.’ Now, the ages are come, that his kindness and exceeding riches towards us through Jesus Christ, are truly manifested in us, as in the apostles’ days, even in us, who have been dead in sins and trespasses as they were, but now are quickened, and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, the First and the Last, by whom all things were created; who is ascended above all, and is over all, and whose glorious presence is now known. All that sit down here in Christ Jesus, see where all other people sit, and in what.

“The“The promise of God being to the Seed, which is one, Christ Jesus, every man and woman must come to witness this Seed, Christ in them, that they may be heirs of the promise; and inheriting that, they will inherit substance. These things were largely declared of; the state of the church, the state of the false church since the apostles’ days, opened; and how the true church fled into the wilderness; and the state of the false prophets, which Christ said should come, and John saw were come, and how all the world wondered after them; how they had filled the world with false doctrines, ways, worships, and religions; and how the everlasting gospel was now preached again to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people; for all they had drunk the whore’s cup, and she was over them, and sat upon them. In this night of apostacy, the pure religion and worship in Spirit, which was in the apostles’ days, the way of life and living faith, and the power and Holy Ghost were lost; but now they came to be set up again by Christ Jesus, his messengers and ministers of the gospel, as in the apostles’ days. For as Christ sent his disciples to go and preach the gospel in all the world, and after that the false prophets and antichrists went over the world, and preached their false doctrines and traditions, and heathenish and Jewish rudiments: so now again, the everlasting gospel must be preached to all nations, and to every creature, that they may come into the pure religion, to worship God in Spirit and in truth, that they may know Christ Jesus, their way to God, and him to be the author of their faith, and receive the gospel from heaven, and not from men; in which gospel, received from heaven, is the heavenly fellowship, which is a mystery to all the fellowships in the world.” Now after these things had been largely opened, with many other things concerning Christ Jesus and his kingdom, and the people were turned to the divine light of Christ, and his Spirit, by which they might come both to know God and Christ, and the Scriptures, and to have fellowship with them, and one with another in the same Spirit, I was moved to declare and open many other things to those Friends who had received a part of the ministry, concerning the exercise of their spiritual gifts in the church; which, being taken in writing by one that was present, was after this manner:—

“Friends,

“Take heed of destroying that which ye have begotten; for that which destroys, goes out, and is the cast-away. And though that be true, yea, and may be the pure truth which such a one speaks, yet if he doth not remain in that, and live in that in his own particular, but goes out, the same which he is gone out from, cometh over him. So that which calms and cools the spirits, goes over the world, and brings to the Father, to inherit the life eternal: and reaches to the spirits in prison in all. Therefore in the living, immoveable word of the Lord God dwell, and in the renown thereof; and remain on the foundation that is pure, and that is sure: for whosoever goes out from the pure, and ministers not in and from that, comes to an end, and doth not remain; though he may have had a time, and may have been serviceable for a time, while he lived in the thing.

“Take heed of many words; what reacheth to the life, settles in the life. That which cometh from the life, and is received from God, reaches to the life, and settles others in the life: for the work is not now as it was at first; the work now is, to settle and stay in the life. For as Friends have been led to minister in the power, and the power hath gone through, so that there hath grown an understanding among both people of the world and Friends; so Friends must be kept in the life which is pure, that with that they may answer the pure life of God in others. If Friends do not live in the pure life which they speak of, to answer the life in those they speak to, the other part steps in; and so there comes up an outward acquaintance, and such let that come over them. But as every one is kept living in the life of God, over all that which is contrary, they are in their places; then they do not lay hands on any suddenly, which is the danger now; for if any one do, he may lose his discerning, and may lay hands on the wrong part, and so let the deceit come too near him; and the deceit will steal over, so that it will be a hard thing for him to overcome it. There is no one who strikes his fellow-servants, but first he is gone from the pure in his own particular; for when he goeth from the light he is enlightened withal, then he strikes; and then he hath his reward; the light which he is gone from, Christ, comes and gives him his reward. This is the state of the evil servants; the boisterous, the hasty, and rash, beget nothing to God; but the life, which doth reach the life, is that which begets to God. When all are settled in the life, they are in that which remains for ever: and what is received there, is received from the Lord; and what one receiveth from the Lord, he keepeth; and so he sitteth still, and cool, and quiet in his own spirit, and gives it forth as he is moved; but to the harlots, judgment.

“Friends, this is the word of the Lord to you all, be watchful and careful in all meetings ye come into; for where Friends are sitting together in silence, they are many times gathered into their own measures. When a man is come newly out of the world, from ministering to the world’s people, he cometh out of the mire; and then he had need take heed that he be not rash. For now, when he comes into a silent meeting, that is another state; then he must come, and feel his own spirit, how it is, when he comes to them that sit silent. If he be rash, they will judge him, that having been in the world, and amongst the world, the heat is not yet off him. For he may come in the heat of his spirit out of the world; whereas the others are still and cool; and his condition in that not being agreeable to theirs, he may rather do them hurt, by begetting them out of the cool state into the heating state, if he be not in that which commands his own spirit, and gives him to know it.

“There is a great danger too in travelling abroad in the world. The same power that moves any to go forth, is that which must keep them. For it is the greatest danger to go abroad, except a man be moved of the Lord, and go in the power of the Lord; for then, he keeping in the power, is kept by it in his journey, and in his work; and it will enable him to answer the transgressed, and keep above the transgressor. Every one feeling the danger to his own particular in travelling abroad, there the pure fear of the Lord will be placed, and kept in. Though they that travel may have openings when they are abroad, to minister to others, yet, for their own particular growth, they must dwell in the life which doth open; and that will keep down that which would boast. For the minister comes into the death to that which is in the death and in prison, and so returns up again into the life, and into the power, and into the wisdom, to preserve him clean.

“This is the word of the Lord God to you all; feel that ye stand in the presence of the Lord: for every man’s word shall be his burden; but the Word of the Lord is pure, and answers the pure in everyone. The Word of the Lord is that which was in the beginning, and brings to the beginning. It is a hammer, to beat down the transgressor (not the transgressed), and as a fire to burn up that which is contrary to it. Friends, come into that which is over all the spirits of the world, fathoms all the spirits of the world, and stands in the patience; with that, ye may see where others stand, and reach that which is of God in everyone. Here is no strife, no contention, out of transgression; for he that goeth into strife, and into contention, is from the pure Spirit. For where any goeth into contention, if anything hath been begotten by him before, then that contentious nature doth get a-head, spoileth that which was begotten, and quencheth his own prophesying. So if that which would arise into strife, be not subjected by the power in the particular, that is dangerous.

“If any have a moving to any place, and have spoken what they were moved of the Lord, let them return unto their habitation again, and live in the pure life of God, and in the fear of the Lord; so will ye be kept in the life—in the solid and seasoned spirit, and preach as well in life, as with words (for none must be light or wild). For the Seed of God is weighty, brings to be solid, and leads into the wisdom of God, by which the wisdom of the creation is known. But if that part be up, which runs into imaginations, and that part be standing, in which the imaginations come up, and the pure spirit be not thoroughly come up to rule and reign, then that will run out, that will glory, boast, and vapour; and so will such a one spoil that which opened to him: this is for condemnation. Let every one mind that, which feels through and commands his spirit, whereby every one may know what spirit he is of; for he should first try his own spirit, and then he may try others; he should first know his own spirit, and then he may know others. Therefore that which doth command all these spirits, where the heats and burnings come in and get up, in that wait, which chains them down and cools: that is the elect, the heir of the promise of God. For no hasty, rash, brittle spirits (though they have prophecies) have held out, and gone through, they not being subjected in the prophecy. The earthly will not abide, for it is brittle; and in that state the ministry was another’s, not the Son’s; for the Son hath life in himself, and the Son hath the power, which man being obedient to, he may be serviceable; but if he go from the pure power, he falls, and abuses it. Therefore let your faith stand in the pure power of the Lord God, and do not abuse it; but let that search through, and work through; and let every one stand in the power of the Lord, which reacheth the seed of God; which is the heir of the promise of life without end. Let none be hasty to speak; for ye have time enough, and with an eye ye may reach the witness: neither let any be backward when ye are moved; for that brings destruction.