CHAPTER IX (11)

“Now“Now this birth, that is born of God, are all the powers of the world joined together to crucify; to put to death those Jews in the Spirit, as they put Christ to death in the flesh formerly. This is the birth that all the wicked world is enraged against; against this they set their watches,—this birth, brought forth by the Mighty God of Jacob, who rides upon the high places of the earth. This is the birth that the professed Christians without the life in our days rage against, and lay out all their wisdom about. Are not the chief priests and wise men of the earth consulting together how they may destroy this birth? Is not this the birth, that is banished out of your hearts, you that profess the Scripture, and are talkers of it, but do not own the light and life which the Scripture speaks of, as the Jews would not; and so you will not have Christ to reign over you, as they would not? Do you not hale out of your synagogues, and before magistrates? Do you not herein fulfil Christ’s words, who said to his disciples, They should be haled out of the synagogues, and before rulers? Do you not persecute them from city to city? Do you not almost fill your prisons with them? And now set your watches, that none may visit them, whom ye have put into prison? Is not this an unchristian spirit? How can you for shame say you are upholders of truth? Or how can you for shame say that truth hath been professed among you? Yet we grant that you have talked of it. And how can you for shame say the gospel shines among you, when you will not own the life of it; when you call it error, and the evil seed? Yea, the very truth, the very life of truth ye have blasphemed against now, as the Jews did against Christ, calling him a devil; you now call it error, and the evil seed, and stand up against it, and turn the sword against it. As in the days of the Jews, it was the Jews outward in the flesh, not the Jews in the Spirit, who turned the sword against Christ; so in these days it is those Christians who profess the Scripture, but are out of the Life of it. And is it not a shame to all the ministers of the Gospel (as they are called,) that they can find no better way to maintain that which they call the truth and their Gospel, than by carnal weapons, stocks and prisons, whips, watches, and wards, and powers of the earth? Were these the apostles’ weapons? Carnal watches and wards, stocks and prisons, and haling out of the synagogues, when they came to speak? Judge yourselves, what an antichristian spirit you have. Never talk of defending truth with that which is against truth. For are you not setting up the rabble of the world against it? Do they not join with you with swords and staves against it? Is this the life of Christians? Is not this the life of error, and of the evil seedsman?

“Surely, ye would find work enough, if ye were in the fear of the Lord, to turn your swords against profaneness, the oaths and wickedness that are in your streets and highways. How do they ring like Sodom, and give a sound like Gomorrah! But these are become a prey in this your age, that reprove in your gates sin, wickedness, and profaneness; they are become your by-word. Against them your councils are gathered, them you cast into prison, and hale out of your synagogues; and cast them likewise into prison that write and speak against it, and set your guards to stop and hinder any from visiting them whom you cast into prison, and give them the names of vagabonds and wanderers. Was ever the like heard, in the days of the heathen, against the apostles who witnessed the gospel? Did they set guards and watches in every town, in every city, to take the disciples, the brethren, the believers, that heard that the apostles were cast into prison, and came to see what they wanted? Show ye not as much rage and fury now in your age, as was in those in that age? And how can you talk of the gospel, and of defending the gospel, when you are setting guards and watches against it, and are defending that which stands against it; and the lambs of Christ are almost torn to pieces amongst you, who are like wolves? for the Lord hath now sent his lambs amongst wolves. Have not you professed the words of Christ, of the prophets and apostles, as the Jews had long professed the Scriptures, the words of Moses and of the prophets, that prophesied of Christ that was to come, and stood against him when he was come? as you do in this day of his reign, in this day of his glorious gospel, who are persecuting the messengers of it, imprisoning them, persecuting them in your streets and highways; and are setting up your watches against them, who bring you the glad tidings of peace to your souls, whose feet are beautiful on the top of the mountains; mark, on the top of the mountains, that against which the mountains rage and swell. But God will make them melt; the sun is risen, which will make them melt. God will cleave the rocks and mountains asunder, and make the hills to bow perpetually; for his Son he will exalt, and his glory he will give to Him and not to another.

“Therefore be awakened, ye rulers of the earth, and take counsel of the Lord; take not counsel together against him. Make not your bonds strong; set not yourselves in battle against him, for ye will be found but as briars and thorns before him, which the fire shall consume. Therefore be awakened, all ye talkers of the Scripture, that gather yourselves together by your multitudes and meetings, and have had your teachers; but not having the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures, the Lord God of glory, the Father of spirits, will scatter you. All your bonds will not hold you together, who are out of the Spirit, which is the bond of peace. The thrashing instrument is gone forth, which will beat the hills to pieces. Sion is risen to thrash. Out of the holy mountain is the trumpet sounded. Stand not up against the Lord; for all nations are with the Lord as the drop of a bucket. He that measures the waters in the hollow of his hand, and weighs the earth in scales, the Lord of hosts is his name, who is now risen and rising to plead the cause of the innocent; who is exalting his Son, and bringing his sheep to him. Now are they seen and known that feed upon wind, that are lifted up, given up to believe lies; who report, and say, ‘Report, and we will report it.’ Now are they seen who have a form of godliness, but deny the power; so Christ is denied, the power itself is denied; for Christ is the power of God. And the power being denied by you, that have a form of godliness, that have the words of the Scriptures, the gospel is denied; for the gospel is the power of God. Thus it is among you, that have the knowledge and wisdom that is sensual, earthly, and devilish. Doth it not appear so? Let your jails and watches witness your fruits in every town. Your wisdom is earthly, sensual, and devilish; you have a knowledge and wisdom, but not that which is from above; for that is pure and gentle, so is not your knowledge; but to know Christ is life eternal. Now your fruits have manifested that you are not of this; and so out of the power of God, which is the cross of Christ; for you are found in the world, out of the power of God, out of the cross of Christ, persecuting. So that which doth persecute, and send forth writings and decrees to stop all, and take up all, and set watches, and prepare bonds to stint the Lord; to imprison and persecute, and suffer none to go to visit them; this shows you are not Christians, but stand against a Christian’s life, which brings to love enemies.

“Where is your heaping up coals of fire; your love to your enemies; who are thus persecuting your friends? ‘He came to his own, and his own received him not;’ here is a turning of the sword against the just. Do you show here a Christian’s life, or yourselves Christians, who are filling your jails with Christians in Spirit, you that are in the letter (in shadows), as the Jews in the letter put the Jews in the Spirit into prison? Is not this the fruit in our days of the Christians in the letter, to put the Christians in the Spirit into prison? Doth not this show that your decrees, which you have sent forth, proceed from death, who thus act against the life, and them that are in it; which the Scriptures were given forth from? Is it not here as it was with Saul, when he went to persecute, to hale to prison, and bind all that he could find calling upon that name, who were Christians in the life, the Spirit, such as you are now persecuting, because they are in the life, though you profess their words? Are not your decrees gone forth from the same spirit of envy, against the same Spirit of Christ they were in? Is it not manifest to all that fear God, and to the sober-minded and honest-hearted people that see your practices, your decrees, your letters, to stop, to molest, to hinder, to imprison them that are moved of the Lord to do his will, or to go to visit prisoners whom you have imprisoned? Doth this show you to have a spirit like Paul, yea or nay? or are you not quite contrary, like unto them that persecuted Paul? The day hath declared it.

“To that of God in you all I speak, which shall witness it at the last day,—the day of judgment. Persecution was blind in all ages; and madness and folly led it: yet persecution got always a form or pretence of godliness,—a talk of religion, as in the days of Moses, of Jeremiah, of Christ, and of the apostles. ‘Come,’ saith the council, ‘let us crush them while they are young, they have almost overspread the nation in every corner.’ This is as much as to say, ‘Let us put this birth to death, as Pharaoh and Herod did the children.’ But the Lord caused his truth the more to spread. For you may read, what numbers came out of Egypt! and what multitudes followed Christ! Therefore, with consideration read these lines, and not with fury. Let not foolishness appear; but consider in humility the paths you go in, what spirit you are of, and what the end of your conversation is; for in love to your souls I write, that in the day of your visitation you may consider it.

“From him who loveth righteousness, and the establishing of it, and truth, peace, and faith, which is by Christ Jesus (Mercy and peace be multiplied among such!) but a witness against all hypocrites, and all who have a profession, but live out of the possession, in an hypocritical religion, in the lusts and fashions of the world, having a form of godliness, but standing against the power with might and main, sword and staff. Which things declare your conversation and practices to be out of Christ’s life, against the gospel practice, and contrary to the manner and order of the saints.”

We continued in prison till the next assize; before which time divers Friends, both men and women, were sent to prison, that had been taken up by the watches. When the assize came on, several of these were called before the judge, and indicted; and though the jailer brought them into court, yet they indicted them, that they came in “by force of arms and in an hostile manner;” and the judge fined them, because they would not put off their hats. But we were not called before the judges any more.

Great work we had, and service for the Lord, both between the assizes and after, amongst professors and people of all sorts; for many came to see us and to reason with us. Elizabeth Trelawny of Plymouth (who was the daughter of a baronet) being convinced (as was formerly mentioned,) the priests and professors, and some great persons of her kindred were exasperated, and wrote letters to her. She being a wise and tender woman, and fearing to give them any advantage, sent their letters to me; and I answered them, and returned them to her again, for her to answer. Which she did: till growing in the power, and Spirit, and wisdom of God, she came herself to be able to answer the wisest priest and professor of them all; and had a dominion over them in the truth, through the power of the Lord, by which she was kept faithful to her death.