The banner of love, under which the Royal Army is preserved, and safely conducted being a clear and perfect way out of wars & contentions : with a short testimony unto the way of peace, given forth for the edification and comfort of all that truly fear God / written by ... William Smith.

The banner of love, under which the Royal Army is preserved, and safely conducted being a clear and perfect way out of wars & contentions : with a short testimony unto the way of peace, given forth for the edification and comfort of all that truly fear God / written by ... William Smith.

Table of contents

Title page

THE Banner of Love; Under which The ROYAL ARMY is Preserved, and Safely Conducted.

A Short TESTIMONY unto the WAY of PEACE.

§

[Page]

[Page]

THE BANNER OF LOVE, Under Which The ROYAL ARMY is Preserved, and Safely Conducted. Being a Clear and Perfect Way out of Wars & Contentions; With A Short TESTIMONY un [...] the VVAY of PEACE. Given forth for the Edification and Comfort of all that Truly fear God.

Written by the hand of One who bears Good Will to all Men, WILLIAM SMITH.

LONDON, Printed for Robert Wilson, at the Sign of the Black Spread-Eagle, and Wind-Mill, in Martins Le Grand, 1661.

THE Banner of Love; Under which The ROYAL ARMY is Preserved, and Safely Conducted.

[Page]

[Page]

THE Loving Kindness of the Lord God is abundantly made manifest, and with the Cords of it the hearts of many are drawn unto him, and made willing to Love, Serve and Obey Him, and to Deny what is contrary to him, and to Follow his Leadings to come into more Acquaintance with Him; whereby there is a true Tenderness begotten, which doth earnestly Thirst after Him, and there is nothing so Dear as His Love, and for His Love the World is Denied, & the Thirst is more and more increased after God, and presses after more Communion with His Love, and in the Breathings the Love opens, and the Streams thereof reach the Thirsty, and with the sweet Savor of it the Thirsty is Refreshed, and it becomes exceeding Pretious, and in it Strength is Renewed, and the Bones are made Fat, and so the breathing Babe is Nourished; and this Fountain is Freely Opened, that all that Thirst may come, and all that Hunger may be partakers of the Love of God, and in the Light of Christ it is obtained: For it is given of God to seek those that are out of the Love, and to bring them into the Love; and as it appears [Page] to discover that which Separates from the Love, the mind Turning unto it, the Judgement takes hold, and that which separates from the Love is Denied, and upon the Cross crucified, and the power removes it out of the way, whereby there is Ease given to that which is Oppressed, and the w [...]y is cleared of that which Separated from God, and so the Light Leads out of the Earth and all Earthly things, and Leads up to God the Fountain of Eternal Love, in whose Pure, Presence the fulness of Joy is found: And as the Light is believed in, so is the Translation wrought, and the Power puts off the Old, and makes all New, and a Birth comes to be Born that is of God, and it loves the Father and delights to do His Will, and the Father spreads his Love over it for a Banner, by which it is Protected and Preserved in its Growth and Increase; and what it makes War against, the Love is a Banner over it, and the furious Beasts are thereby Stopped, and also driven back, and that which Presses after Communion with God, it goes forward, and the Banner of Love is Spread over it; and this is the great Battel to be Fought, and unto it hath the Lord God gathered a Remnant, and orders them under His Banner, by which they are Encouraged to make War in Righteousness, and in Love to overcome their Enemies, and in Patience to silence the foolish and gainsayers; and of the Immortal Seed is this Royal Army Born, and they are Conquerours through Him that loves them, and spreads his Banner over them, and their Weapons are Love and Patience, by which they overcome; and they do not think ill to their Neighbors, but Love their Enemies, and are Ready to do Good to those that are contrary minded; and they would have all come to the Love of God, that they [Page] might be saved; and what the Father Leads them unto, His Love Constrains them to follow, and when they are Persecuted the Love Constrains them to Bless, and in Patience they Endure it, and seek no Revenge upon it, but overcome Evil with Good: and this is the Royal Army of the Lamb, who are Born again, and redeemed out of the World, and their Union is with that which was before the World, therefore are they Persecuted and Evil entreated by the World, who are Separated from the Love, which they are partakers of, and over whom it is spread for a Banner, and they have nothing in their hearts but Love and Good Will to all men: And this is an Army that the Lord God hath gathered, and is gathering, from amongst the Earthly Warriors, whose strength is in the Horse and his Rider, and the Lord God puts into their hands the Spiritual Weapon, and with it they go forth to Battel, and they seek to Save mens Lives and not to Destroy them, their Weapon is Stretched forth to cut down the Proud Lustful Nature, from whence all Warrs arise, and so to bring People to the Meek and quiet Spirit, and to Live Peacebly with all men. And this is not like the Aliens Army, who are strangers unto that Spirit that Leads into Love and Good Will, and to do Justly, and walk Humbly with God, it is quite of a contrary Nature; The Aliens Army draw their Swords, and kill one another; the Royal Army have put up their Swords, and would have all men Saved; and who needs to fear such an Army, whose Banner is Love, And their Weapons Good Will? There need no Horsemen and Strong Armies to oppose them, nor Prisons to quiet them, for they are Marching under the Banner of Love, and in Love Meet their Enemies, and Quench their Fury; and whatever can be done against [Page] them, Love is their Banner, and with it they are wonderfully Preserved, and as any thing arises to turn them back, the Love Protects them, and is a sure Refuge for them, and with it they stand Armed, and the fiery darts are quenched; and though the wicked may strike Exceeding soare, yet doth the Love Defend and Preserve, and from it there goes forth a mighty Strength, that Drives back the wicked One, and overcomes him, and under this Banner is Safety, and in this Royal Army is Love and Good Will, and to be Born into the Love, there is Strength Received, and the Enemy is Driven back and confounded, and all that keep under the Banner they are kept from Danger; For It goes before and Leads Forward, and It also comes behind and is the Rereward, so that the Army is Compassed about with Love, and it is the Banner over them, and Safely Conducts them in their travel, and makes their Passage Easie, so that they willingly go forward, and march boldly in the strength of Love, in which they are stronger than their Enemies; and One falls at the Right hand, and Another at the Left, and as they would Stop for going forward, the Love Wars against them, and Overcomes them, for there is nothing Stronger than Love; It makes an Easie Passage and drives that back which stands in the way, and whatever Rises, it Falls again, and the Armies of the Aliens are put to flight; for in the Strength of Love One chases a Thousand, and the Army of Royalty Marches forward and takes Possession, and they are kept under the Banner of Love, and are ordered by it, and it is a Bulwark for them, that the Enemy cannot come▪ any way to touch them: And this is the Banner that keeps unto the End, and who are gathered to it, and travel under it, their Strength is in it, and their Diligence [Page] is to be kept Faithful, and they stand Watchful, left they should be drawn aside and thereby fall into Danger; for the Enemy is near, and if the Watch be not Kept, he will Tempt, and also Entangle, and so bring the Hands to be weak, and the Knees to be feeble, and Draw the Mind to look at the weakness, and then bring up his Army, and place them in the way, and they appearing Mighty in Strength, he then draws into Reasoning which way they must be Overcome, and if that cannot be seen Speedily, then he draws to Consult which way to Escape them; and if he take not there, then he labors to drive Back again, as if it were not possible to Overcome such strong Enemies in such a weak and feeble state; but he is a liar; therefore let none encline unto him, though here he hath wronged many, and hath secretly entised them from under the Banner of Love, and hath drawn them out of the Order of Gods Royal Army; But the Watchful are preserved in safety, and walk in the strength of Love, and believe that all things are possible, and their Faith works by Love, and in the Faith they go forward, and by Faith in the Love they are made Conquerors; and these are Free-born Children of the Living God, who are gathered under the Banner of his Love, and there fight against the World, the Flesh and the Devil, against Principallities and Powers, and Spiritual wickedness in high Places, and they stand by Faith, and fight the good fight of Faith, by which Victory is obtained, and in the Faith that works by Love, Flames are quenched, Lyons mouthes are stopped: And this is the Saints Weapon with which they go forth to Battel, and in which they are made stronger than their Enemies, and they are of the Royal Seed, that God hath blessed, and are true Followers of the Lamb, and fight under his Banner [Page] and they must have the Victory; for in the Love are all things ended, and as the Lamb appeares and spreads forth His lovely Banner, so unto him will the gathering be; and unto His Royal Army there shall be a great Increase, and they shall wax stronger and stronger, and their enemies weaker and weaker; and as the Gathering is unto Him, and His Banner known, so will Swords be beaten into Plowshares, and Spears into Pruning Hooks, and Wars will cease, and Cruelty come to an end, and Love will abound, and the Banner of it reach over Nations; and this is the Lord bringing to pass with His holy Arme, and a lovely Army hath he Gathered, and they willingly follow Him, and His Banner over them is Love, and under it they are Protected, and safely Conducted, and goe Forward in the strength of Love, and all that withstands them must fall before them; For the Lamb makes the way, and His Royal Army follows Him, and He exalts Himself upon his Throne, and Establishes His own Government in Everlasting Righteousness, and in His Royal Army doth His Purity shine, & His Meekness, Patience and Gentleness, is the Garment of their Praise, and with His Vertuous Life are they beautified, and their strength is in Him, and under His Banner they abide, and when He Leads, they stand in readiness to Follow, and so keep the good Order, and He prepares the way and makes it Easie; and though many Tribulations and afflictions come upon them, yet he doth not forsake them, but stands by them, and His Lovely Banner covers them, and with it He preserves them, and He bears the Affliction with them, and so upholds them in it, and makes way through it, and works Deliverance from it; And this is the Lamb of Glory, who Leads His Royal Army in the Way of Peace, and He Proclaims [Page] His Peace on Earth and his Good Will towards Men, and doth not Destroy Mens Lives, but appears to Save them; And the same Mind he begets in his Followers, who are an Army of Peace, as He is The Prince of Peace; And yet they Fight His Battel, under the Banner of his Love, and their Warfare is not Carnal, but Spiritual, and in the Spiritual He sets up His own Kingdom, and into it He Conducts His Royal Army, and there gives unto them an Everlasting Inheritance, in His Everlasting Kingdom, which doth Recompence their Faithfulness; And these are a Royal Army that Fight the Lords Battel boldly, and yet dare not Destroy the Life of any, but abide under the Banner of Love, and there in Patience rest; And He appears His own Cause to plead, and makes them more than Conquerors through His own Love; And these are a Peaceable People, who are guided by a peaceable Principle that is of God, and in Peace they obtain the Victory, and the Lamb comes forth in His Power, and takes the Dominion, and sets up His own Government in the Kingdom of Peace; And this is a Spiritual Work, and it is His own, & not to be accomplished by any Carnal Weapon, for that cannot Establish a Spiritual Kingdom, and the Lamb's Kingdom is Spiritual, His Government Spiritual, His Royal Army Spiritual, & they cannot fight about an Outward Kingdom, but mind the Inward Work, and to be Kept with Him, whose Kingdom is not of this World; And so they come more into an Inward Spiritual Work, and wait to know an Inward Spiritual Change, whereby Christ is Revealed in Spirit, and comes in his Power and Glory, and takes his Right and Sets up his Kindom, and in it Reigns, and puts down all his Enemies under him; and this is his Battel in which he appears to exalt his own Name in Dominion, and in [Page] his Right he Reigns this day, and he is the King of a Royal Army, who are Strong in his Strength, and Lovely in his Beauty, and unto him alone they give the Praise and Glory.

Now all that are Striving and Warring, and have it in their hearts so to do, and thereby think to set up their Religion, and their Observation; or such as Expect a time in which Christ will appear Personally upon the Earth to Reign, and have it in their hearts to cut off and destroy the contrary minded, and so by Weapons of War Fight for His Kingdom, and thereby exalt Him into his Dominion, unto such sorts of People it is said, Be still and quiet, lest ye put sorth your hand to do Evil, and so provoke the Holy One to anger, and in your froward minds provoke one another, and so kindle Wrath and Anger one in another; From which comes all Wars and Contentions, which is not the way that Christ appears in, nor the path in which he leads His Royal Army: Therefore let all men appear in the Moderation, and cease from Warring and Fighting, and Killing one another, and let them mind the thing that concerns their own Peace, and follow that pure Principle of Light in their own Conscience, which will teach them to put up their Swords, and to live Peaceably with all men; And it will purge out that Revenging Blood-thirsty Spirit which provokes hastily to commit Cruelty, and it will not suffer one man to Kill another, for it commands the contrary, and he that Kills transgresseth against it, and is not of the Lamb's Royal Army, who have put up their Swords and cannot learn War any more; And unto such it is said, Be Faithful still, that a clear Deliverance may be wrought out, and let the Patient be Patient still, that Patience may have its perfect Work, and that there maybe [...] [Page] an Intireness; so will the Lamb Lead up his Royal Army, unto the Fountain of Living Waters, and there reward them with Fulness of Joy, and crown them with Glory and Immortality; and this is his Day, and with his Royal Army he goes forth, before whom the Nations must tremble, and the glory of all Flesh must be stained: for His Work is New, and he will not piece it to the Old, but the Old must pass away before the glory of his Rising. And now is the Lord God Crowning his Seed, and giving unto it the Power, and Glory, and Dominion; and the Righteous Rejoyce, and the Royal Army are Glad: For He is Come whose Reward is with him, and his Power he takes unto him and Reigns, and thus is his Kingdom come, and the Joy and Peace therein is Known, and the Banner of Love is Spread over the Flock, and they are gathered in the One Spirit, and are the One People, of the One only True God, and with one heart they offer a Sacrifice upon the holy Altar, which is for a Praise throughout the whole Earth.

Stand still ye Aliens and see the Salvation of God:

Go on ye Free-born Children, for great is your Reward.

A Short TESTIMONY unto the WAY of PEACE.

[Page]

THe Life of Christ is sweet, it is the Substance of whatever can be spoken; To Inherit a measure of it is Joy and Peace, and the Desire of the Simple is abundantly Satisfied therein; It is the One Thing Needful to be Chosen, and being Chosen, to be Watchful in it to abide; for the Erring from it goes down to Death, and without it is Distress and Sorrow; It is abundantly Revealed in this Day, and the Breasts of it are layd Open to the Weary; It hath its Course in the Valleys, and Flowes in the Channel of Lowliness; The Humble meet it in the Way, and in the pure Streames they receive their Portion; To be Low and Humble is the Way of Life, and therein do the Lambs enjoy their Pasture; As it is Tasted it Draws still after it, and the more it is Tasted, the more it is Beloved; and as it is Beloved the more it Springs, and Flows to that which Thirsteth, and in Patience Waiting the Virtue of it is Felt, and the Mind sinks down, more into it and the Delight is in the Sweet Savour of it: This is the Way of the Humble, and this is the Path of the Lowly Mind; Hither do all the Lambs resort, and here do the Babes Receive their Consolation; It is the Endless Fountain that Ministreth to the Thirsty, and Releives the Weak and Feeble in their Travel; In it are All things done, without it Nothing; Life is the strength of all, and in the Humility it is Possessed, and in the Meekness, the Riches of it are Felt; The Lowly Feel the Way of its Passage, and in the Path of Humility it Runs exceeding [Page] Sweetly; They that Abide in their measure, Receive their Consolation, and Feel their Gathering into Union with Life, and in it are Translated out of the Earthly, and so an Undefiled Birth is Born, which in the Chaste Mind is Retained, and truly Beloved, and unto it alone belong the Issues from Death; it is not to be Contained in any one Place, nor Comprehended in any one Vessel; There is no Limitation of its Breaking forth, but when and where, and in whom it pleaseth; it Prepares the Vessel for its use, and makes it Honourable in its own Holiness; It Springs and Fills according to its Pleasure, and the Vessel must be New that doth Contain it; This▪ is the day of its Renown, and many Partake of its precious Virtue; The Low Estate is exceeding Sweet, and to be truly Humble is the Way of Life; To keep Self in the Nothingness, brings in Joy and Peace, and to be Abased makes truly Contented; for in that Path the Streams do Run, and in the Savor thereof is Sweet Consolation; The Patient Waiter knows it, and the Humble in Heart can Seal unto it; And this is a Birth of Innocency born of Immortality, and as it doth Arise it humbles the Mortal unto the Death of the Cross, and makes self of no Reputation, and in the Believer it works its own Freedom, and Purges out the Corruptible, and makes Way into the Believers Heart, and puts Joy and Gladness therein, whereby a Supply is Ministred unto that which stands in Need, and with this are the Babes Nourished, and the Lambs Refreshed, and herein is Joy and Peace obtained and truly possessed; and as the Mind in the Lowness sinks down to the Life, so doth the Life Exalt it self into Honour, and Spreads abroad its Renown in the Heart, and becomes exceeding Glorious in the Beauty of its own Holiness, and [Page] fills the Vessel with its perfect Life, whereby the Adoption is wrought, and a Child brought forth that is an Heir of God, and a Joynt-heir with Christ, who in the Believers Heart reveals his Innocency, and in the Humility brings forth his Glorious Image, where he is Felt in the Covenant of his Grace, and Enjoyed in the Power of his Endless Life; And then he is truly Touched, and his Vertue Received, in which Strength is perfectly Renewed, and an Increase and Growth Witnessed, and the Innocency Springs, and Brings to God the Father, and the Heart unto it is Joyned and United, and is made One with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ; And so he that Begets, and he that is Begotten are truly Loved; and in the Lowness this comes to be Attained, and the Glory of it Revealed, where he is beheld who is the only Begotten of the Father, Full of Grace and Truth: For through the Judgement that comes to be Separated, which cannot be united, and then the Innocent is Raised, and the Meek quiet Spirit springs, and thereby Life is given, and there is a partaking of it and a Living by it, and this is sure Bread, that Nourishes and Strengthens with his Living Virtue, and Ministers Sweet Consolation to the Worthy Receiver, and many are made Partakers of it, and thereby are Strengthened in their Testimony for God; And though many Exercises come upon them, yet they are Upheld to stand Faithful, and as the Mind keeps down, and Abides in the Fear, the Lords Name is Known, and the Safety in it, and the Wicked One cannot Touch, though he may strongly Tempt; But as he Appears he is Judged, and the Innocency Preserved, and the Simplicity Retained, which is Exceeding Precious to be Enjoyed; For Innocency and Simplicity is ever Accompanied with Joy [Page] and Felicity; And to be in Union with the Innocent Life, is Joy and Peace, and the Love Arises and Sheds abroad in the Heart, whereby the Heart is Overcome to Love God, and all Babes born of the Innocent Life, in which perfect Unity is Felt, and the Love hath a Free Course, & Knits the Heart unto God & unto one another, whereby a Tenderness Springs one towards another. So that Humility is the Way to come into true Unity, where there is nothing Remaines, but Love out of a pure Heart, that seeks not to be Exalted, but still to be Humbled; And in this Path the Love and Life of God hath a Free Course in Every Particular, and Meets in the Unity▪ and Embraces each other, where the Innocent Life hath its Rejoycing, and in true Love and Tenderness reacheth to its own in each Vessel, and in this State there is true Satisfaction and Contentment; And a great Carefulness there is, lest the sweet Savour of it should be at any time Lost; And it is of a Bearing and Long-suffering Nature, and in the Humility keeps in the Feeling, and Possesses its Portion, and it hath Enough as it Partakes of the Love in the Unity; And it strives not after the Enjoyment of any thing, but Waits to keep in the taste of the sweet Savour of the Life; it Covets not to be Rich, that thereby it might be Exalted, but keeps down in the Poverty, and in the Humility Inherits Life and Immortality; And it Travels in Lowness and Plainness for Preserving in Love and Peace; It seeks not after Worldly Glory, for of the World it is not, but the Power of an Endless Life it is; and in many hath the Lord God Revealed it, who therein Feel his Presence and Peace, his Love and Grace, and are Partakers of it through his own good Will; and his Love is Felt, wherewith he Loves his own, and there is a Watchfulness to [Page] abide therein; So that he Reveals it more and more according to his own Pleasure, whereby the Innocency is strengthened, and the Glory of its holy Life spreads in the Vessel, and so a Death comes upon Self, with all its Glory, and a New Life in the Seed is Felt, which lives to Gods Glory; and when at any time the Love is not Felt, nor the Refreshings of it▪ Tasted, then doth the Babe sit in the Lowness, and wait in the Patience, until the Spring Opens in its own Freeness, and when it Opens none can Shut, as when it Shuts none can Open, and when it Opens it fils with Love, and mightily goes forth to Heal, and Bind up in Unity; And though in the Innocent Life Unity cannot be broken, yet who are not born of it, have not Unity with it, nor with such as are truly of it; But something would be Exalting out of the Humility which God doth not give Grace unto; But where the mind keeps down in the Light this cannot Enter, but is kept under Judgement, through which Innocency is brought forth, and in Love it doth abound and draws the Heart into it, and fills it with the Excellency of its Treasure, whereby the Heart comes to be perfectly United to it, and unto all that are Born of it, and thereby there is Oneness made in Christ, and then no more Twain but One New-Man in him who makes Peace, and Reconciles to God the Father in one Spirit, in which Union is Felt with God, and with all born of God; and there is nothing so Sweet as here to dwell together, and to come into this Habitation is Joy and Peace for Ever; And in this holy Birth of the Seed, there is but one Heart and Mind, and so one People unto the Lord God, who are truly his own People, his Chosen Generation, his Royal Off-spring, and he is Raising them in his Authority to Trample Satan under foot, who labours in his Subtilty, [Page] many and divers ways to wrong the Innocency, and in nothing more than in breaking Unity, but his head is bruising, and he must go down into a bed of sorrow, and the Innocency come up into Peace and Joy; in the way of the Humble is this known, and in the path of the Poor it is brought forth and perfected, and no way is so safe as the way of the Humble, for there is Gods Teachings known, and his hand is felt that brings down into Death, and quickens and raises a new Life, that seeks nothing but his Glory, and as it is brought forth it travels to Convert Sinners unto God, and when they are Converted, then to Strengthen them and Build them up in their most holy Faith, and so to bring every one to the measure of God, that they therein may be Edified and Comforted; And this is truly the Son of Humility, whose Travel is for Peace and Unity, and the Lord God is satisfying the travel, whereby the Faithful in Unity Rejoyce together, who have born the burden and heat of the Day, and have not been slack in their Testimony, but through Perils and Dangers have Travelled, to gather People unto God, and to bring them into the Unity of the Spirit of God, which he is largly fulfilling in this day; And as the Mind keeps down and waits in the Stilness, so doth the Life arise, and in it is the Desolate Comforted, and the Needy relieved, and the Love and Unity is Felt and Enjoyed, and with its strong Cord it Joynes perfectly together, and knits the heart into Oneness, and makes a willing People in one pure heart, whereby the one onely true God is Served and worshipped, and in his own Work Praised; And this Honour have all the Saints, who are born of the Innocent Life, the Lord God is with them and amongst them; And in the midst of Afflictions his Comforts delight them, and his Goodness abounds in them; And this is Joy for [Page] Mourning, and Gladness for Heaviness, and in the Humility the Garment of Praise is Received, and the Birth Immortal is Cloathed with it, and God gives his Grace unto it, and therein it is Beautified and Honored ▪ and this Honour cannot be attained until Humility go before; And this is the Honour which the Lord God is bringing forth by a Strong Hand, and by an Outstretched Arm, and in this Simple Innocent State the Springs of Life are Felt and the Streams thereof have a free Course, and they Flow in the Heart, whereby the Love is felt in its fresh Visitations, and the Mercies in the Renewings, and the Heart is gathered into it, and is made One with it; So that there is a Habitation known in the Love, and from the Love nothing can Separate, but the Heart is more and more Quickned to Love God, and to Love all the Children of God, and this Flows out of a pure Heart servently, and truly loves the least Babe, and Succors and Relieves the Weak and Feeble; And with this Garment are the Humble Cloathed, and are very Beautiful and amiable, and the Lord keeps them in his saving strength, so that in Love they do abide, and it increases more and more in them, and in it they grow up to Perfection, and when the Love is perfect, all Fears with their Torments are cast out; So that to Endure Afflictions is Joy, and not worthy to be compared to the Glory of Innocency Revealed; And this keeps close with God, and girds up the Mind into perfect Union with him, where the Life is felt and sed upon, which doth truly satisfie the Desire of the Hungry; and in this State there is Contentment, and in Content there is perfect Peace and Joy: So the Way of the Humble is the Sweetest Path, and in Choosing of it there is great Reward, for in it is Innocency found, and there doth Love spring and abound, and the Life is tasted in [Page] which Innocency is Increased, and the growth of it is in a sweet pleasant valley, where the streams hath their Constant Course, and is alwayes touching and nourishing the Root, which causes every Branch that partakes of the Sap, to become Exceeding Fruitful; and the Vesture is then made Glorious, with which the Kings Daughter is Beautiful within; and when the Darkness at any time works to draw out of the Humility, and to betray the Innocency, the Watch discovers it, and the secret workings of it, and in the Light it is seen to be of that nature, which will defile the pure Innocency, and near the Beauty of its holy Image, so with the Light it is Judged, and is not touched, and from it Innocency is Preserserved, and still springs in it▪s Purity, and spreads it self more in its tender Life, and beautifies the House of its Holiness, and the Image of it is Love, and in its holy Life is Unity and Peace; The Mind that keeps Low, feels it, and waiting in the Humility it is Known in the Enjoyment of it, and the Unity is with it, and with all that are born of it; Then the Love is like a fresh stream, that cannot cease its Course, nor stop its Flowings, but must shed it self abroad, and Embrace its own in the Unity, and there is no habitation that yields the like Peace: Blessed are they that are Born into the Love and Life of the Innocent Immortal Seed, for they are Children of the Kingdom without End, and are bound up in Unity, and keep the Bond of Peace. And here was the holy Order of Gods Creation before Transgression, and it was Very Good in his fight, and into this Order of Unity and Peace is the Lord God Restoring by the Resurrection of Life, in which the Seed is known, and its holy Order in the Unity, and in its own Innocency it Creates Peace, and hath its Ministration in its self, and gives forth [...] [Page] requires, whereby every Member is Supplied, and the whole Body in Unity Nourished and Comforted, and so grows up unto an holy Temple in the Lord, which He fills with his Glory, and hath the Preheminence, and is the Head unto whom all the Members are subject; and He binds them up in the Bundle of Life, and makes them partakers of his Divine Nature, in which they are truly One, and his Love constrains them to love Him, and to love one another, and hereby they are perfectly known to be his Disciples and his Chosen Inheritance; and He ordains Peace for them, and gives it to them, and men cannot take it away from them; and they in the Love, and Life, and Peace of the Seed, Rejoyce together, and are comforted one in another. So in the Humility the Seed of Honour springs, and reveals its Innocent Life, and spreads abroad the Glory of its Renown, and all the little Babes it covers with its own Innocency, and cloathes them with a Garment of Righteousness, whereby they are translated into the Heavenly, and stand adorned with Purity and Chastity, and profess the Treasure of Wisdom and Life: And this is the Cause that the Lord God will plead, and who abides faithful in it shall receive their Reward, and shall come to the End of their Testimony in Peace and Joy, and shall meet with a Portion to answer their Tribulation; and this Testimony doth truly spring from the Innocency, and in Meekness and Humility is given forth, and unto the Innocent reacheth in the Love and Life of Unity, that unto it the Gathering may be, and every one may feel it in the Increase, and therein grow up into the measure of the statu [...]e of the Fulness of Christ; for as the Fear abides upon the Heart, so is the Mind kept down and low, and walks in the Humility in which [...] [Page] there is safety; and when at any time it is lifted up, and exalted by any Wile of the Enemy, and that there is a departing out of the Fear, and a going from the Path of Humility, then comes Trouble and Sorrow; and as the Light is minded, the particular state is opened, and it is seen what is uppermost, and bears Rule in the Heart; and by diligent waiting the present Condition opens more and more, so that the Book of Conscience, and the things that are written therein, are made manifest, and they are discerned with an Understanding, and it is seen what the Union is with; and if it be not Innocency in the True Love and Unity, the Light Reproves it, and Judges it, and the Judgment being waited in, the Innocency springs and encreases, and in the midst of Judgment Mercy reaches to it, and in the Mercy it grows and comes into Dominion; then is His Mercy known over all His Works, and in the Mercy, Love and Unity is preserved: So nothing is more safe, than for every one to be minding their own House, and see how their own Family is provided for, that every Particular may in themselves feel Good Order, and their own Habitation keep in Peace and Quietness, which gives true Satisfaction and Contentment, and every one will then feel the Good Order of the Body in Unity, and will Enjoy their Peace and daily Consolation; and this is Exceeding sweet and precious, and more to be desired than whatever is beside it, that the Innocent Life of the Holy Seed may reign, and that it may be the Garment of all that this day bear Testimony unto God's living Truth; So will the Glory of its Renown spread over the Nations, and the Beauty of its Holiness shall still ravish the Hearts of many, and the Lord God Everlasting, whose Love [Page] is without End, He will certainly plead with all that stand in the way, and break down the High Mountains that are proudly exalted, and He will feed the innocent Babes, and increase their strength, and make each one stronger than the strength of Enemies; and who walks in the way of the Humble they do know, that God will not spare the Proud, neither withhold his Grace from the Humble, but He will lay down the one and exalt the other, for he will have the Seed to Reign; and in this holy Birth of the Immortal Seed, an Immortal Inheritance is possessed, wherein the Blessing, and Joy and Peace is obtained, which doth constrain to give up the Body and Spirit to glorifie God; and all that abide Faithful with God, and walk in their own measures received, He will Replenish them with his Goodness, and satisfie them with Marrow and Fatness; for He will bless the Humble and crown the Innocent with Glory and Renown for ever.

The Day of the Lord is glorious, in which He hath gathered a People to walk in his Fear, and to follow Him in the Path of Humility, where He teacheth them and makes them to understand His Precepts; and He fills them with his Love, and spreads it over them, and keeps them under the Shadow of it, where they rest in the Feeling of his Presence, and thereby their Hearts are Enlarged to Him, and His Love Constrains them to keep a Conscience void of Offence, and neither to sin against Him, nor to do any Violence unto Men, but to walk soberly and peaceably, and to behave themselves in Love and Tenderness unto All People; and in the One Spirit hath the Lord gathered them, and in the One Spirit He hath bound them up, and they are His People, [Page] and He is their God, and dwells amongst them, and walks in them, and the Prince of Peace orders them, and they are His Royal Army, in whose Love and Life they stand in Unity, and give up their Bodies and Spirits unto God, that his own Will may be done, and the Intents of his own Heart performed, and his own Name therein glorified.

WILLIAM SMITH.

From Worcester County Goal, being there a Prisoner for Obedience to the Command of Jesus Christ; Second Month, 1661.

THE END.

[Page]

[Page]

Information about this book

Title statement

The banner of love, under which the Royal Army is preserved, and safely conducted being a clear and perfect way out of wars & contentions : with a short testimony unto the way of peace, given forth for the edification and comfort of all that truly fear God / written by ... William Smith.

Smith, William, d. 1673.

Edition statement

1661

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2005-12 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A60616

ID [STC]

Wing S4288

ID [STC]

ESTC R3922

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

12018797

ID [OCLC]

ocm 12018797

ID [VID]

52591

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A60616)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 52591)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 824:15)

Source

— The banner of love, under which the Royal Army is preserved, and safely conducted being a clear and perfect way out of wars & contentions : with a short testimony unto the way of peace, given forth for the edification and comfort of all that truly fear God / written by ... William Smith., Smith, William, d. 1673..

Extent

23, [2] p.

Printed for Robert Wilson ...,. London :: 1661.. (Reproduction of original in Duke University Library.) (Signed at end: William Smith.)

Creation

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.