GOd, the higher Power, unto whom the ſoul is to be ſubject, he only hath immortality, and dwelleth in the Light; and he is Light: And he hath freely given his Son into the world, (by whom the World was made) for a covenant of Light, and he is the true Light, which lighteth every one that commeth into the World, that all men through him might believe, who is the Word of God, in whom is Life, and that life (marke) is the light of men; and the pure grace of God which bringeth ſalvation (by which the Saints are freely juſtified) hath appeared unto all men; yea the Eternal God of truth hath appeared unto you in his Son Jeſus Chriſt, the true Light, and with this Light hath God made manifeſt unto you your ſin and evil deeds, and with the meaſure of the Light of his Son (in you) ſometimes hath he appeare in his mighty power, whereby he hath ſmitten you for your ſins and evil deeds, and he by his power hath broken you into tenderneſs, & brought you down into lowlineſs for a time, and then by his unreſiſtible power thus working (in you) did he beget a holy Seed, from whence pure deſires and breathings after God hath often aroſe (in you) which ſeed could not, nor cannot be ſatisfied without Gods living preſence; Now ye, not ſtanding in the power which convinced you, and ſmote you and broke you into tenderneſſe, and brought you down, and then begot a holy Seed in you; from whence a pure unfained love to God hath oft ſprung (marke) you not minding the workings and movings of this power in you; nor walting in it for to receive counſel, you entered into reaſonings and thoughts, which the ſubtilty (which is the Devil) preſented in you; and ſo ye hearkned not to Gods voice (the power which had wrought ſo in you) but you entred into reaſonings with the ſubſtilty (which abode not in the power) and this begot a queſtioning in you what that ſhould be, which had ſo appeared in you, and broken you into ſuch a tenderneſſe, and had wrought ſuch a ſuddain change in you, which you were not able to reſiſt; And ye going into the reaſonings in your minds; thus you turned from the pure power of God, and then ſin (which ſeparateth from Gods preſence, which he by his power worketh in you, had in meaſure ſmitten and brought downe in you) aroſe again, and got the dominion in you, and ſo you going thus from the power wherein ye ſhould have waited to have been preſerved in the tenderneſſe, ye ſoon loſt the tenderneſſe and fear, which the power had wrought in you; and then hardneſſe of heart ſoon grew in you again, and then the ſeed which God had begotten in you, (which cannot be ſatisfied without his preſence) that began to be ſorely oppreſſed in you, by the ſin (which ſeparates from Gods preſence) which got up more and more in you; through your turning from the power which ye once felt manifeſted and working in you againſt ſin: And then a grievous weight or burthen came upon the righteous ſeed in you; and then it began to groan and cry to God from under the burthen and weight of iniquity that was upon it, and then the Light appeared more brighter in you again, (for the ſeeds ſake which ſuffered in you) and ſhewed you that you were wrong, then the Light judged you for the wrong, and then trouble came upon you, and encreaſed in your minds; and then the Serpent, the ſubtilty, the devil (which abode not in the truth) he appeared likewiſe in you, and begot a hurrying, and a confuſed noiſe in your minds, and then preſented many things unto you, and ſturred you up to do them, that ſo he might draw ye from hearkening unto the Light (wherein you ſhould have waited to have heard and known Gods voice, and council and to have ſeen and heard, what God had required at your hands) and thus the ſubtilty which is the Devil, who was a murtherer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth; ſought to draw you from the Light (which is the truth) that ſo he might murther the Righteous ſeed, which God had begotten in you, (unto which ſeed the promiſes are) Now your minds being drawn from the Light which convinced you of ſin, you entred further into ſin, and then you could not find any power for to reſiſt ſin, becauſe you went from the light which ſhewed you your ſin, where in ye ſhould have waited to have received power againſt ſin, and then the ſeed ſuffered in you, by the ſin which ye were entred into exceedingly; and trouble increaſed more and more in your mindes, (this hath been the condition of ſome of you) and then the ſubtilty drew you into reaſonings & conſultings what to do, that ſo the burthen which you felt, and the trouble in your mindes might be removed; So ye hearkning unto the ſubtilty, he then preſented ſeveral things unto you to be done, ſome of which once were commanded by God to be done by them unto whom the command came, and ſo the ſubtilty perſwaded you, that ye muſt do thoſe things likwiſe, before ye could have peace, and witneſs the burthen and trouble removed, which ye felt; So he having drawn you out of the ſenceableneſs and feeling of the light and power of God, your underſtandings became wholly darkned, as unto the counſel of God, and then theſe things which the ſubtil enemy preſented, exceedingly pleaſed the affectionate part in you, and ſome of you he perſwaded to act ſuch things as God never commanded any to act; and ſo ye going from the light (which never changeth) and hearkning unto the ſubtilty (which leads into changeableneſſe) here ye began to run into Sects and opinions, and heaps, and parties, and deviſions; yea, here is the ground and riſe, and beginning of all Sects, and opinions in the world, peoples going from the light and power of God, which leads into the ſubſtance, and into oneneſe of minde, and hearkning unto the ſubtilty which leads but into the likeneſſe of Truth, and into ſelfe-ſeparation and deviſions, and changeableneſſe of mind, and when the Serpent had drawn you into ſeveral opinions, and practices in your worſhip, then he fed you with knowledge, that ſo each of you might be able to plead, and contend for your opinions and practices; and then he begot a ſtrong, hot, haſty will in you (which hath been called zeal for God) whereby he drew you into hot contentions one with another, and ſo by little and little he raiſed up a ſecret envie and prejudice in you, one againſt each other, till at length ſome of you break forth into rage, and ſcorne, giving one another ſcornefull Names.

And thus the Miſtery of Iniquity wrought in many of you, untill the ſeed grew weak in you (as to your feeling) and became as a dead thing unto you, being thus ſtrangled in you, by your going from the Power, into thoſe things that the power of God never moved, or drew you to act, (but the Serpent which abode not in the power) So then you were not ſenſible of ſuch a burthen indeed, as ye were once, when the ſeed which God had begotter in you was more quick and livelie, and then the ſubtiltie perſwaded you that now you were right, becauſe you ſelt not ſuch a burthen and trouble in your mindes as you once did; and then a joy ſprung in you for a time, and then the ſubtiltie perſwaded you, that you were now entred into the work, and ſervice, and worſhip of God; and that he had given you ſome reward; now becauſe you were not ſenſible of ſuch a burthen, and trouble in your minds as ye were before you acted thoſe things in your worſhip, and thus the ſubtiltie beguiled ſome of you; But this condition continued not long with you, for Gods eternal witneſſe (which ye had as it were ſlain, and made merry over it) that aroſe and appeared in you again, for the ſeeds ſake, and deſturbed and broke that falſe peace, and joy and preſwaſion that you were got into, (through tranſgreſſing [and going from] that which is pure of God in you, and acting thoſe things in the tranſgreſſion, which God never required at your hands) and then with Gods witneſſe the light, you law your ſelves wrong again, and the light judged you for your forwardneſſe, and then you begun to loath thoſe practices in your worſhip, which before you delighted in, and then ſomething you came to feel ſtirring in you again, which was not ſatisfied, but breathed and groaned and cried unto the Lord: and then you were in a fine tender condition again; But then the ſubtiltie ſoon appeared in you again, and preſented ſome other new things unto you, and called thoſe which he had formerlie led you into, old emptie weak and beggerlie things, and thus he wrought in the ſubtiltie, to draw you from hearkning unto that which made manifeſt your condition unto you, and thus he hath drawn ſome of you into moſt of the Sects and opinions that be in the World, and through them, and thus in the ſubtiltie hath he wrought in you to ſave his head, (or life) for he knew that if you had hearkned unto the truth of God as it appeared in you, and had obeyed it, that then Gods power would mightily have been made manifeſt in you, whereas the ſeed immortal would have been raiſed up in you, which would have bruiſed his head.

So take notice how the Lords love, the Light hath followed you, and checked and reproved you for your haſtineſſe and forwardneſſe and hath ſhewed unto you the emptineſs and deadneſs of all the profeſſion and worſhip that ever you have run into.

And ſome times when you have been brought into lowlineſs and tenderneſs; by the power of the Lord which hath ſmitten you, then the Lord hath opened mighty things in you unto his ſeed, which breathed and thirſted after his righteouſneſs, and could not be ſatisfied without it, and then the Serpent hath wrought in you again in the ſubtilty, to lead you from that which opened, and from the pure, and ſo lead you up in the boaſting nature, to hold forth thoſe things in the fleſhly Principle which the Lord opened unto his own ſeed, and thus he hath kept you out of the life and power of truth, and he hath filled ſome of you a with many ſtrange imaginations, and expectations concerning God and Chriſt, and his appearance without you; and ſo all along he hath ſtrove to keep you from minding Gods appearance within you, by drawing your minds into the viſible changeable things, and yet the Lord in love to his own ſeed hath ſpared you; ſo mind the Lords long patience, and forbearance which hath been great towards you, for his Seed ſake in you, which breathes and thirſts after his righteouſneſs, and cannot be ſatisfied without his life and preſence.

And truely friends my love is exceeding tender and large towards you in whom there is ſuch a pure tender ſeed ſtirring, and my deſire is (who have ſeen the emptineſs of all profeſſion without the life) that you might come to witneſs the ſeed ſatisfied in you (with the pure power and life and virtue of the living God) which hath ſuffered long in you, and hath not been ſatisfied by reaſon of your diſobedience unto the light.

Therefore in tender bowels of love and compaſſion unto you, I do freely declare unto you all the new and living way which hath been from the beginning, which is Chriſt Jeſus the true light which lighteth every one which cometh into the world, whereby every one of you believing in the light, may come to receive a particular ſatisfaction from Chriſt, from whence the light doth come.

Friends, the manifeſtation of the ſpirit is given to every man to profit withall, but you have tranſgreſſed and gone from the manifeſtation of Gods Spirit in your own particulars, and ſo it is impoſſible for you for to profit in the things of God, or come to receive a particular ſatisfaction, until you come to own that, and believe in that which you have tranſgreſſed and gone from, which was given you to profit withall, and to lead you into the ſubſtance, which giveth ſatisfaction; now the manifeſtation of the ſpirit doth ſhew unto you your runings and willings, and actings and ſtrivings that ye have been in, whereby ye could never obtain ſatisfaction unto that in you which breathes to do the will of God; now you muſt mind that which makes manifeſt theſe things unto you, and as you take notice of that (which is the light) and waite in it, you will come to feel it drawing you into ſtilneſs, and coolneſs and quietneſs of ſpirit, and then with the light you will come to diſcern the ſubtilty, and the motions thereof, which hath oft beguiled you, by drawing you from quietneſs and ſtilneſs into the Airy imaginations, whereby he hath toſſed and unſetled your minds; and as you waite in that which doth make manifeſt, (which is the light) and believe in it, you will come to feel ſomething ariſing in you, in power to judge and condemn the ſubtilty, as that ſtirs in you to draw you from waiting upon God, and then you will come to know and ſeel, the ſpirit of Judgement and burning, placed in you to purge you, and as you waite in the judgement in patience and ſtilneſs you will come to hear the ſtill voice that is ſpoken of in the Scriptures, ſaying, This is the way (and ſhewing it unto you) and when you ſee the way as you waite in that which ſhewes it unto you, then you will come to hear the command in power, ſaying unto you, walk in it, and then you will come to know your Teacher which cannot be removed into a corner, and ſo here the path of the juſt ye will all come to know and witneſs in your ſelves, which is the ſhining light which ſhineth more and more, until the perfect day; for as you all waite in that which calls for ſtilneſs and ſilence to the fleſh and the motions thereof, ye will come then to ſee more light and ſo ye will come to witneſs what David ſpoke to be true, who ſaid to God, in thy light ſhall we ſee light, and then the juſt (which hath been long oppreſſed and burthened in you) will begin to ſpring and as you believe and waite in the light, your minds being ſtaid in it, you will come to ſeel Gods living power working and opperating in you, condemning and removing that in you, which hath oppreſſed and burthened the juſt, and ſo by Gods pure power, (as you waite and continue in it,) you will come to feel and witneſs the juſt holy ſeed raiſed up in you from under that which did oppreſs and burthen it, and here you will feel the captive come out of captivity by the Goſpel which is the power of God, and the priſon door ſet open, and the priſoners ſet as liberty; and then as you waite in the light you will come to feel Gods pure powerful preſence, and life and virtue running through you, which will refreſh the ſeed, which is tender, and give ſatisfaction unto it; and ſo as you all waite low in the fear of God, watching in the light, that nothing may get up in you to boaſt and glory which is not of God, you will then feel your love exceedingly encreaſed towards the pare living truth of God, and your whole delight will be to walk in the truth, in righteouſneſs and holineſs, (without wch no man ſhall ſee the living God) & as you all walk in the light obeying it, you wil come into the pure fellowſhip, and Communion and unity of the Saints, and then you will feel the life, which is the blood of Jeſus Chriſt cleanſing you, purging and purifying you from all ſin; and ſo as every one of you abide in the faith, feeling it ſtanding in the power of God that will purifie your hearts, and give you victory over the world, and then you will come to receive a particular ſatisfaction from Chriſt the power, which is the Author and ground of the Saints faith, and you will feels Gods ſpirit, and power and lifevas you dwell in it, drawing and leading you into whatſoever he requireth you to do, and as you all waite and are ſtill in that which doth diſcern the thoughts and the intents of your hearts, and makes them manifeſt unto you, you will clearly come to diſcern the ſubtilty and the motions thereof, which would draw you to act ſuch things as the Lord doth not require you to act.

So all take heed to that which diſcerns the thoughts and intents of your hearts, for this is a meaſure of the word of life, which is quick and powerful, and as you all waite in is, you will feel it to be ſo: for you will feel it dividing the precious in you from the vile, and this is the ingrafted word which is able to ſave your ſouls.

So this is not written to feed the carnal mind in any, but it is written for your fakes, who are truely breathing and thirſting, after Gods righteouſneſs, and cannot be ſatisfied without it, that ſo you may all come into the true light wherewith you are enlightened, and that you with it may come to ſee how you have been toſſed and tumbled up and down by the ſubtiltie of the Serpent, in thoſe things which could never give you true peace nor ſatisfaction; and that now through believing in the truth and obedience of the ſpirit, you may all come to witneſs a particular ſatisfaction, and that you may come to feel the pure image of the holy God reſtored in you, even his everlaſting righteouſneſs, his power, his wildom, his life and glory raiſed up in you, to have Dominion, and to rule over all the earth and to ſubdue it, that ſo the pure God of life and vertue might be glorified in your mortal bodies, and that you might all come to feel and witneſs an everlaſting habitation of reſt and peace in him who is worthy of all honour and praiſe, and thankſgiving and Dominion for evermore, Amen.

Now ſome of you who have been ancient Profeſſors will ſay to us, if we ſhould joyn to you, we muſt lay down all then that ever we have profeſſed; and what, have we been Profeſſors ſo many years and yet have to begin all again? have we known nothing of God all this time? this is hard ſay they.

To this I anſwer, friends, if you come to joyn to the truth, you muſt then lay down and leave and forſake all that which you have held up and practiced in your own wills which you were never led or required to hold up or practice by the ſpirit of truth; but I do know and own that there was a pure living Principle of God, oft ſtiring in you, in your Profeſſion, by which Principle of God you oft ſaw that you were wrong and that you did that which was not well pleaſing in the ſight of God in your Profeſſion; for that Principle of God in you, the light, Judged and condemned you for many of your actions which you acted, and ſometimes the Lords witneſs brought you into a tender low condition; and then opened things unto the Seed in you, but you not taking heed to the light to be the guide and ſtay of your minds you continued not long in that condition, but you conſulted with the ſubtiltie (which drew you from Gods witneſs) what you ſhould do, and ſo waited not in that which brought you into tenderneſs to receive Gods Councel in that, but you took Councel of the Serpent, and your own hearts, and ſo ran into things which God never required at your hands, and therefore God had no regard unto your worſhip becauſe it was not in the Spirit and in the Truth, you not being guided therein by the Spirit of Truth; ſo unto that which was in the beginning you muſt all come, which is Chriſt the true light; who hath enlightened you, and you muſt learn of him who is the light of life, the word and the Power by which all things were made, and are upheld, and you muſt be ſubject unto the meaſure of him in you, and this his meaſure if you ſubmit to it, that will bring you to ceaſe from your own wills, and works, and to waite in ſilence and patience, to ſee and feel Chriſt the Power of God, to work all your works in you and for you; and if you own the light, that will plainly ſhew unto you how God formerly appeared unto you, and how you went from his appearance; ſo the light will own that which God opened unto you at any time, but it will deny and condemn your own imaginations, which you mixed with that which God opened unto you, and ſo unto this witneſs of the Lord you muſt all come, and believe and waite in that which will ſeperate the precious from the vile, before that can be ſatisfied in you which breathes after God.

So my tender love and compaſſion is unto that in you which is not yet ſatisfied, but doth truely hunger and thirſt after the life and Power of Truth, and my ſoul doth travell for freedom and ſatisfaction of that ſeed, and I ſuffer with it, and bear many things for its ſake, for I have true unitie and fellowſhip with that in you, and I know it, and am known of it; but I cannot have unitie with many of your practices, which ye have been in, becauſe they have cauſed the Seed in you, (with which I have unity) exceedingly to ſuffer, you not being guided and led into them by the Spirit of truth, and ſo againſt all ſuch practices I do bear witneſs in the ſpirit of meekneſs, and I labour in the ſpirit of Love, to turn Peoples minds unto the manifeſtation of the ſpirit of truth, which is given to everie man wherewith to profit; ſo all people feel that and mind that, and heaken unto that which oft riſeth in your hearts, againſt Luſt, againſt covetouſneſſe, againſt pride, againſt vain and meedleſſe words, and thoughts, and againſt all evil in its appearance; and as you all minde this principle which moves and ſtirs in you, againſt all evil, you will feel it devide your good words from your bad words, and good thoughts from bad thoughts, and good deeds from bad deeds and that which devides betwixt theſe, and ſhewes you the difference of them, this is the word which Moſes and Paul wrote of, which is nigh the mouth and in the heart; Yea this is the word of reconciliation, which reconciles to God, this is the ingrafted word, which is able to ſave the Soul.

Now you being turned to this word, even to that which diſcerns the thoughts and intents of your hearts, as ye wait in this, let the ſubtilty appear never ſo ſubtilly to draw your hearts after any thing, or into any practice, which the Lord requireth not of you then this word which is the power, it wil make it manifeſt unto you, and it will ſtop you from entring into any ſuch practices if you will fully reſiſt it not, and believing & waiting in this word, it will not ſuffer you to ſpeak any haſty unſavourie words, or word, and then ye will come to be truly ſenſible of a bridle to the tongue, without which the religion is vain; and this word, ye taking it to be your guid, it will bring you into ſavourie ſound words, ſeaſoned with the grace of God, and ſo as your words and actions, and lives come to be ordered by this word (Chriſt the power of God) they will reach unto the witneſſe of God in every one where ye come, and if ye will hear this word and regard it, and not reſiſt it, it will work true faith in you, by which you will feel your hearts purified from ſin, and ye will feel it giving you victorie over the world, within and without, and if ye keep in this faith, ye will not make haſte, for ye will, feel the eternal light (which is the life of the Word, calling and drawing you out of the haſtie nature, into ſoberneſſe, ſtilneſſe, and quietneſs, and meekneſſe of ſpirit, and ſo ye will feel your ſtrength renewed in the Lord, as ye all wait upon him in his light; and all beleiving in the Light ye will not come into condemnation; and as ye all wait in that which diſcerns, and reveales the thoughts and the intents of your hearts (which is the word of power) this alſo will devide between your good thoughts and your bad thoughts, and the good motions, and the bad motions, which you will ſee ſtiring in your mindes, and if you hold faſt the word of truth, it will preſerve and keep you out of the bad thoughts and motions, and it will join you unto the good, and ye will come to feel the operation of the ſpirit, and life, and power of God in you, to ſhake, and overturn and work out that ground (which hath been in you) from whence the bad words, and bad thoughts, and bad motions hath aroſe, which hath burthened the oppreſſed the tender ſeed in you, which you never could witneſſe ſatisfied with all that ever you have performed; but as ye all believe, and wait in this unchangeable meaſure of God, you will come to feel the burthen taken off the Seed; and ye will come to feel, and witneſſe more true durable peace and ſatisfaction in one hours vvaiting upon God, then ever you felt and vvitneſſed in all the vvords that ever you have heard from any man or vvoman in all your lives, or in all your practices that ever you have practiſed (before you vvere brought to vvait upon God in his gifts, vvhich he hath given you to profit vvith all) although in thoſe things vvhich vve have practiced, I knovv ye have had a great joy appearing in you for a time, but it vvas not durable nor laſting; for vvhen Gods true and faithful vvitneſſe, (the light) appeared and ſhevved you, hovv that God never required thoſe things at your hands, vvhich you had practiced, then your joy, and peace vvithered, and came to an end, which you appeared ſome time to have in thoſe practices, and if at any time ye come to feel ſome little peace, and joy, and refreſhment, through what God opened to the ſeed in you, vvhen by his povver ye vvere brought into ſome tenderneſſe, ye ſoon loſt this alſo, by going from that vvhich brought you into the tenderneſſe; But as you all come into the obedience of the ſpirit, and abide in it, this vvill bring you into the ſeaſoned life, and then ye will come to feel and witneſſe pure peace, and joy, and refreſhment, and ſatisfaction which will laſt, and abide for ever with you, if ye abide in the ſpirit, and then ye will be made willing to lay down, and denie all that which ye have been acting, which ye never were lead and guided to act by Gods pure holie ſpirit; and to denie all ſuch alſo as would draw you to act that which God requireth not at your hands.