THE RESURRECTION OF John Lilburne, &c.
HAving many and strong compulsions, from the measure of the light of the Lord now shining clearly within me, and raised up now to a good degree of life and power in my soul, to make a publike declaration in print, of my reall owning, and now living in, (in my present attained to measure) the life and power of those divine and heavenly principles, professed by those spirituallized people called Quakers; at my owning of which, all my old and familliar friends (in a manner) are so much troubled and offended with me for, and my great adversaries so jealous of the reall intentions of my heart within me, at my so doing, and by that measure of the Light of JESUS shining in my soul, I am now directed and guided to intitle it as aforesaid, and here at this place (as an introduction, before I come to the main thing of that which through the strength of God I have now to say) to insert here the copies of the very two first Letters, that ever I writ of note, after the great and glorious power of God had seized upon my soul, to let in the real beginnings of convincement into my soul, of my spiritual blindness, deadness and emptiness, and by which I came to see a clear glimps of that spiritual fulness that was, and really is, in the divine and heavenly declared principles of the aforesaid precious people: The first Letter being to my wife, take in these following words.
For my deer and loving wife Elizabeth Lilburn, at her friend George Wades (house) a Cook, at the Sign of the Sun neer Guild-Hall, and Lawrence Lanes end in London, these with speed deliver.
WHat in a great measure my temper of spirit was before thy coming to me, I in its measure communicated unto thee, by the copy [Page 2]of my letter to Luke Howard, which I have here inclosed thee at thy leisure to peruse: And what distemperedness my earthly spirit was in, at, and towards thee, at thy and my last meeting upon Saturday, the tenth of November last, I need not to repeat unto thee, being (I beleeve) it is fresh enough in thy own memory.
And the frame of my heart, after thy reconciliation and mine (so far as God hath given me the spirit of discerning, and searching it) I in no small proportion in reallity discovered to thee.
And since my departue (upon VVednesday the 21. of November last) se [...]ting my-self seriously to a deep and weighty consideration of that work that my soul longed for a new to be a travelling in; And giving fulness of scope to that divine and heavenly voice of God speaking plainly in my heart, unto which I am truly able to set my seal to, that it is that spirit, or power of the Holy Ghost, or true Comforter, spoken of Joh. 16.7, 8. that convinceth, or reproveth the world, or the carnal, or first, or fallen nature in me, of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement, and is that eternal and everlasting spirit of truth, that (imbraced and closed with) leads my soul by its divine and strong power, or attractive drawings, step by step in its measure and degree into truth, and in my heavenly fathers good time, I doubt not but it will establish and build me up in truth, Ioh. 16.13. and mould me into a real conformity in life and power (in real and substantial injoyment) to the wayes of truth, of light, and life, be they never so difficult to the flesh, carnal man, or fallen, or first nature in me, or never so full of the cross, or self-denyall, or giving up my own reason, understanding, will, wisdom, and affections, to be crossed and crucified by the Will and Wisdom of JESUS, the annoynted above measure of the Father, and to be guided or led on by him the living life, light, or power in all the sons of men, that have the greatest degree, or least of sparks of divine or heavenly light, shining within their dark, (in their small degree or measure) or inlightned, inlivened souls, in their larger degree or measure.
I have, since I see thee, read extraordinary much of those two volumes which I shewed thee, containing both almost seventeen hundred pages, of the writings of those preciouseft (though most contemptible) people called quakers; the truly beloved objects of my soul. And this at present, (because I rather now heartily desire to live in the possession, power, or life of truth in my soul, then in the bare profession, notion, or talk of it) I shall, and can in sincerity say to thee, that my soul hath been amazed, and even confounded by them; not as Herod by Iohn Baptist preachings was, for fear of eternal wrath (or loss of his Tetrarch-ship by, or) for his sins, which to avoid made him reform, and amend many things, Mark 6.20. but of real breakings, or shame of soul, that so glorious a Talent, as my Lord and Master (by the clear, lively, and powerfull breakings in of his divine and heavenly light into my heart) long, and many yeers ago bestowed upon me, should by me (or my first, and carnal wisdom) be most ungratefully, and unfaithfully, like a lighted [Page 3]candle put under a bushel, or hid, or buried in the earth in me, in obscurity and darkness: Or, that my soul should by the will and wisdom of the first nature, ambitiously (Adam-like) eat anew upon the tree of Knowledge of good and evill, and thereby covet to be esteemed something amongst the sons of men, (more then the Divine Wisdom would have me) with that measure or degree I had attained to; and therewith be with it (like the unbelieving Jews, the type in the flesh) or the first (or mean in its degree or measure, to what I ought to have thirsted after) out-goings of the divine and heavenly teaching, and instructing spirit, or voice of God in, or unto my soul, willing and content to sit down in the wilderness, or journeying way to Canaan; and not with precious Ioshua and Caleb (the spiritual anti-types in that particular, or in another particular, the outward types, of the spiritual travelling anti-types, the seed of God under the Gospel, into Gods spiritual rest in himself) be willing, longing, and desirous, by faith in the strength of God, (resting as the old Israelites after the flesh ought to have done, in his faithfull and powerfull promise of carrying me on) through all difficulties, self-denyals, crosses, and hardships whatsoever; to travell into the spiritual Kingdom, or heavenly Land of Rest, that God in the naked injoyment of himself hath prepared for (and at this very day I beleeve hath experimentally and really bestowed the clear injoyment of, upon many of) his Ransomed ones, contemptibly and scornfully called quakers.
I say unto thee, the real (and close applyed home unto my soul by the spirit and power of life from God, that now aloud again speaks within me) consideration of the premises, or that which is foregoing, and that people afar off, (yea, ignorant ideots, fools and prophane As is clearly proved by the printed speeches of severall of the prisoners in Northhampton and Eversham Goals. ones) in comparison of my being so nigh at hand so many yeers ago, to the clear and full possession of the spiritual Land of Canaan, should enter into the glorious Kingdom of God, or that clearness of Rest, Peace and Union in, and with him, that now clearly to my spiritual understanding they iajoy, and there bring forth the ripe fruits of spiritual old age in comparison of me, of Praises, Honor, and Glory to the Lamb: and to the ancient of Dayes, that clearly sits upon the Throne in their hearts, as having judged down, conquered, and overcome, within them, all their sinns or spiritual enemies, and caused them to triumph over them, as in his strength, divine and heavenly power, reigning and ruling as King and Lord over them.
O, I say unto thee again, the real sight (in its measure and degree) and spiritual consideration of these things, since I last see thee, for divers hours in several nights, one after another, when my God denyed sleep unto my outward eyes, and caused my soul to be awake with himselfe, and to be really exercised in an interchange of Divine conference, contemplation or parley with him, hath even caused my soul to weep, sigh, and mourn within me before him, and in his strength and almighty power to indent with him, and now in good earnest to ingage in my soul, or spiritual man, to be obedient to his heavenly and divine voyce, speaking [Page 4]clearly in me, and to follow him (least I should now by any longer resistance, totally quench his divine drawings) through the denyal of my own (or natural reason) will, wit, wisdom, desires and affections, and with a real weanedness from worldly or fleshly honour, applause, glory, riches, or creature-fulness, yea, even to a final denyal of father, kindred, friends, my sweet and dearly beloved (by me) babes, or thy own self, who viz. thy self, for many yeers by-past, I must avow it before the Almighty in sincerity and truth, hath been to me the greatest & dearest of all earthly delights and joyes.
And now therefore look about thee in good earnest, and see what thou hast got to thy self, as to the flesh, by thy eager desires, and strong indeavours to bring me back again into England; for the day of thy real, strong, and full temptation and trial, never came upon thee till now, if God give thee not by degrees the fulness and compleatness of spiritual and heavenly strength and ability to bear it, and go through it. For my part I am now in reallity and truth, in the clearly, lively, or evident seeing of the wisdom, and loving hand of a tender and indeared eternal father, in stripping me naked of all earthly and created excellencies, and taking my outward Estate, and profitable worldly Imployment, and all my worldly glory from me, and graciously, and supportingly leading me through the valley of Baca, Psal. 84.6. or tears, outward dangers, and death, for now almost four yeers together, and seperating fromme for a long time, that wonted delight that used to be betwixt thee (my old and real I doll) and me; and at my coming to this place, clearly unrobeing me of all and every one of my old friends, and familiar acquaintance, that were any way fit, or able to do any thing for me; and thereby hedging up my way, that I must, whether I will or no, in spite of my teeth, once again give ear to the serious and plain voice, call, or counsel of the most High, speaking in, and unto my soul.
And so in much mercy and indeared loving kindness, as he did in my great straits in the Bishops time, prouided and sent to me a poor dispised (yet understanding) Priscilla, to instruct me in, or expound unto me the way of God more fully, or perfectly; (whom I am compell'd now to tell thee, I shall love respect therefore, the longest day I live upon the earth, let her continue by whomsoever to be judged never so rigid or contemptible) so here at his place he hath also provided for me an Aquilla, (being a contemptible, yet understanding, spiritually knowing, & single hearted Shoomaker) to do the same now to my spiritual, & no small advantage, refreshment, & benefit, by means of all which I am at present become dead to my former busling acting in the world, and now stand ready with the devour centurion or captain, spoken of Act. 10. to hear and obey all things that the lively voice of God speaking in my soul shal require of me, upon the further manifestation of whose glorious presence, my heart with a watching fear & care desires to wait, and to walk faithfully, and tenderly, and humbly in that measure of Light already received, and out of the strength of indearedness of love, and tenderness [Page 5]of affection, that hath long in times by-past, dwelt in me towards thee and of late in much sincerity is renewed unto thee again; I have with the same eternal, wel-wishing of thy-spiritual happiness, as I do my own, ordered Giles Calvert to send unto thee several of those printed pieces of the quakers, that in the serious reading of which have been most convincingly, instructive unto my soul; amongst which I have judged in the first place Iames Naylor (that strong, or tall man in Christ) his Something in answer unto (thy and my indeared friend) John Jackson (that tall Cedar in great profession of Religion) his book called, Strength in weakness, (which book the last Post I received from thee) in the reading of which piece of Iames Naylors, I must set my seal to it, that there goes along in the breathings out of it a great deal of the quickning life & power of the spirit of God, & unto it are annexed several pieces of that precious and divine soul, VVilliam Deusbury, the Lords now, or late glorious prisoner, in Northampton common goal, (to whose precious and heavenly spirit, although I never see his face, mine in indearedness of love is glued unto) whose books is cald, The discovery of the great enmity of the Serpent against the Seed of the woman, and his discovery of mans return, have been pieces in my reading of them seriously, that by the power of the Almighty hath spoken home to my soul I have ordered to be annexed unto them (as I remember) as many as makes them ten in number; and then twelve more in another volume principally for answering Objections, I have ordered to be sent unto thee, which I hope thou wilt receive (before this come to thee) bound up in that method that J have directed.
And now my dear love, for whom my soul travells with God for thy eternal good, with the same sincere heartedness as for my own, hoping that thy late out-fall and mine was but for a set season, that so as divine Paul in another sense speaks, Phil. 15. thy reconciliation and mine again might now remain firm in love for ever.
I therefore earnestly intreat thee, not to much cumber thy self in thy many toilings and journeyings for my outward liberty, but sit down a little, and behold the great salvation of the Lord; and if by any means possible thy spirit can be made free to it, retire thy self but for one week, or the like, into thy own chamber (as being sequestred from all thy friends & acquaintance) and with as much seriousness and deliberation read this, and the forementioned precious books, with the letter that thy & my indeared, spiritual, & faithful friend, Luke Howard, yesterday sent unto thee (as the real out goings of the measure of the spirit of God in his heart towards thee) as I have often and deliberately read thy last Post-letter to me, Dated at VVhits-Hall, upon Wedneseday the 28, of November last, and often wept for joy and gladness of heart, at that they honest exhortation to me, at the last and of it in those words, viz. My Dear, Retain a sober patient spirit within thee, which I am confident thou shalt see shall be of more force to recover thee, then all thy keen m [...]tal hath been; I hope God is a doing a work upon thee and me too, as shall make us study our selves more then we have done.
O my dear Love, I am deeply already entred into my part of it: The mighty power of God inable thee to get in too, and also to go through thine, and effectually to go cheerfully & willingly along hand in hand with me, which abundantly would render thee more amiable, lovely, and pleasant in mine eyes, although thou wert then clothed in rags, then thou couldst be to me in thy drawings back, or standing still where thou wast when I last see thee, though therein thou wert clothed all over with rich, and outwardly glistering earthly Diamonds, and in the greatest of earthly prosperities.
I am sorry for that hard portion thou tell'st me thou hadst in going from me, in thy dangerous travelling upon the Thames, and I desire to bless God for thy deliverance from so nigh a death.
I am also sorry thou art so straightly put to it for money, but to live upon God by faith in the depth of straights, is the lively condition of a Christian: O that thy spirit could attain unto it!
According to thy desire in thy Letter, and my own present genius or frame of Spirit (which now can contentedly feed savourily upon bread and cheese, and Small-Beer alone) for saving of money. I have discharged my old Nurse, and borrowed 20. s. to give her to carry her towards her husband, and by her have I sent these lines to deliver to thine own hands.
Of which, poor ignorant soul, I must say this to thee in truth, that although the woman, in my clear understanding, be but wholly in the first nature of fallen man-kinde, yet she hath been in the hand of God, an instrument of much service, (honesty performed) faithfulness, and tender compassion to me, in the day of the greatest and unparalelled extremity of my outward desires in the Isle of Jersey, for which, in her station, I must value her as long as I live, and if ever outward prosperity in any competent degree be my portion, really requite her; therefore I expect from thee, if she have occasion to use thee, that thou beest tender and respectful to her for my sake.
And for my Liberty, about which thou so weariest and spendest thy self and earthly strength, as thy Letter acquaints me with thou dost, I can say no more to thee then what was contained in my Letter, directed to thee, and Dated Nov. 21. last, (which I gave here to thy own hands) but that I am in my present temper of spirit, ready really with Peter at the sight of the glorlous transfiguration of Christ, to say, its good being here (for me) for here in Dover Castle, through the loving kindness of God, I have met with a more clear, plain, and evident knowledge of God and my self, and his gracious out-goings to my soul, then ever I had in all my life time, not excepting my glorying and rejoycing condition under the Bishops, and now the pangs and travelling throes of God are powerfully afresh upon my very heart, and therefore now in my own will, I could rather wish thee and my sweet Lambs to be with me here, then I at present with thee and them where thou art, yet submissively and heartily I say, and can say, the Will of my heavenly [Page 7]Father be done in me, by me, and for me; in whose Will I leave thee and thine, with all thy and my friends, and rest,
The forementioned second Letter, take in these following words.
For my indeared friend William Harding, commonly called Mayor, at Weymouth in Dorcetshire, these deliver.
SInce my arrival here, I have often been desirous in my own spirit, at large to have writ to thee, but hitherto by a power above me, I have been hindered, and yet am, as to the particular aforesaid; only now I thought it not only convenient to acquaint thee, but am thereunto compelled to tell thee, that meeting here with one of those precious people called quakers, of which people thee and I at the Isle of Iersey had much talk of, and getting into my hands two Volumes of their printed papers, amounting to about seventeen hundred pages, I have with seriousness of discourse, and serious reading therein, been knock'd down off, or from my former legs, or standing; and giving scope to my true teacher and guide, the light of God speaking in my soul, I am becom at present dead to my fallen, or first natures reason, wit, wisdom, and desires, and also totally becom dead to my old busling waies in the flesh, and now in a great degree or measure, am struct down dead to the very earth within me, and by that light which gloriously with in my soul hath shined round about my first, or corrupt nature within me, I am like Paul with astonishment and amazement, Act. 9. fallen down flat at the feet of Jesus, and hearing a voice speaking within me, to perswade me for my good and benefit, to become willing to be guided and directed by the heavenly wisdom of Jesus my Anoynted; I have thereupon given up my self wholly to be guided by his divine teachings shining within me, before which I now stand ready to give ear to what by it shall be told me, being willing and desirous to have the scales fall further from the blinde eyes of my soul, that they may be further open'd; and that a power therewith may come in to my soul, from the Holy Ghost, which may inable me in the strength thereof, to redeem my lost, and mis-spent by-past precious time, and not now to consult with flesh and blood in [Page 8]my daily taking up the Cross of Christ, and following him whithersoever he shall by his call, or heavenly Divine voice within me, lead me.
I say, I am compelled from a power within me, at this present time, in brief to tell thee these things, and to require thee from God, to give ear to that true convincing light, that clearly speaks in thy conscience, and by the assistance thereof to strive with the first, or fallen nature yet ruling in thy soul, and lay aside that greatness of wit and earthly wisdom that thou hast attained to, and in that measure of Light that long since thou hast received, withdraw into thy private Closet, and seriously meditate upon these brief lines. And being thou in my late conversing with thee, told me, thou hadst read, or hadst sent me down from London most of the Quakers Books; Let me in love to thy soul, earnestly intreat thee, with seriousness to read over (strong and tall in Christ) Iames Nayler, his sheet of paper, intitled, Something further in answer to John Jacksons book, called, Strength in weakness; (which Iohn Iackson is my indeared friend, and old and long acquaintance, and a greater professor of Religion now, then ever thou thy self in all thy zeal once was; therefore in him thou mayest plainly read thy own condition) and that precious prisoner of the Lords in Northampton Goal, VVilliam Dewsbury, his two books, the first and excellentest of which is called, The discovery of the great enmity of the serpent against the seed of the woman: & his other book is intituled, The discovery of mans Return: and the Lord by his almighty power set them home to thy soul. I heartily desire to return thee my hearty thanks for all thy kindness and tenderness manifested to me at Jersey, in our passage from thence, and at thy own house: so with my hearty salutations presented to thee, and all thy friends that were with me at thy house at Weymouth. I desire to let thee know, that by my moral, honest, carefull, and industrious old Nurse Elizabeth Crome (who by reason of shortness of money with me, I am forced and compelled to part with) I have writ thee a few lines in her behalf, intreating thy countenance and favourable respect to the old (and real serviceable to me in my great distress in Jersey) woman; in case in things that are just and righteous before God, she desire thy favour, and what thee, or thy friend and mine, Edward (commonly called Lievtenant) Tucker, in that particular doth for her, I shal thankfully look upon as actions done to thy souls
With which fore-mentioned main or principal thing that I have now to say, I thus proceed, and go on with it; & here in the especial presence of the Lord declare, that by that present measure of light now born up in my understanding, and moving in my soul at this very time, I am here compelled to let the Reader (whosoever he be) to know, that as I have long understood from my wife the original of my fore-going Letter to her, she conveyed to the hands of Oliver Cromwel himself, and at his Sonin Law's desire, Charls Fleetwood (my old, and somtimes much familiar greatly obliging friend) gave him a copy of it, and notwithstanding the clear declarations of a sincere (changed in measure) heart in the said Letter, at the penning of which, I had then lost all manner of ability to consult with one grain of Machivel, or humane deceitful policy, having then the very dreadful, and aweful, immediate, convincing, judging, and burning up power of God upon my soul; yet upon my said writing, and my wifes disposing, as aforesaid, of my said Letter, many and great jealousies arise upon me at VVhite-hall, at the strange politick contrivance of my (largely reputed by them) politique heart in my turning quaker, (of which I had several wayes exact information) which it seems out of humane fear, took that powerful impression upon my poor weak wife, as that, as I judged by her Letters to me, troubled the poor afflicted Woman at the very heart, and compelled her by writing in a vehement manner, to press me to sign such an ingagement as George Fox did, (the Copy of which I have seen and read) and sent it up to Oliver Cromwel to secure him from his pretended fears of my politick indeavouring to craw the temporal sword against him; unto which for many reasons having then no manner of freedom in the earth to do it (George Fox though even then a precious man in my eyes, his particular actions being no rules for me to walk by, unless I lived in the very same life and power of Spiritual injoyments that he did, and had the very self-same motions in spirit from God, that led him to a freedom and ability to do such, and the like particular actions) I therefore then ceased it, and did it not; and if I had then done it for my own particular human ends, as to avoid further persecution, and the like, I had in so doing been an outside pharisaical imitator, and the greatest and basest of hypocrites, which sin alone is the height of GodsMat. 24.51. Rev. 3.15, 16. See Mat. 6.5. & 23.13, 14. Luk. 11, 44.46. &c. abhorrance, for although I must before the Lord now truly avow, that the said Letter was a true and faithful (without fraud or guile) declaration of as real and spirituall a power of God in its measure, seising upon my soul, for my conviction of my spiritual blindness and sinfulness, as ever seized upon Pauls, declared in the 9 of the Acts, or any mans that ever breathed upon earth, yet betwixt the Winter-storms and fierce tempests of conviction, (or rather the beginning of it) and the pleasant Sunshine, dewey, and springing days of growth into a measure of refreshment, there is a vast difference; and therefore then the true occasion, or real ground of all outward war and humane busling contest being not taken away, or absolutely crucified or subdued at the very Root in my soul, if then I had signed such an engagement, [Page 10]I had clearly gone beyond my souls then living and real attainments, and thereby ran presumptuously and wickedly beyond my measure, and so had tempted the Lord my then present Leader, and spiritual guide, and abominably sinned against him.
But now in my already attained growing up measure, having the experimental witness of God within my 1 Joh. 5.10. self, that I am already truly and really attained, in substantial, and witnessed within me, real truth, with the young men in Christ, spoken of by the Apostle1 Joh. 2.13. John, to a good measure or degree, in overcoming the wicked one within me, so that now I am able to witness in truth and righteousnes, that the true grounds or reall occasions of all outward wars, and all carnal bustings, and all fleshly st [...]ivings within me, is in a very large measure, or degree, become dead or crucified within me: wen true grounds & real occasions, of all the outward iron and steel sword war in the world, and all the w [...]cked and fleshly fore-runners of it and dependants upon it, truly riseth from its fountain, the raging power of sin, or lust within, in carnal, and unregenerated, unsanctified, and unjustied (before God) mens hearts, as is plainly & truly witnessed by the apostleJam. 4.1, 2, 3, 4. James in these words, From whence comes wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts, that war in your members? ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts. Ye Adulterers and Adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God: whosoever therefore will be a friend to the world (that spiritual Kingdom of Satan in unsanctified mens souls) is the enemy of God.
And therefore Christ, the true Lord of the soul, and the true Head-Master, and King of that heavenly spiritual kingdome (as the Devil or Prince of the air, is the Head-Master, King, or God of the Kingdom of this world, in the hearts of the children of unsanctified, and unjustified, disobedientEph. 2.2.3.5, & 6.11. & 2 Cor. 4.4. Jam. 1.13, 14, 15. Joh. 12.3. & 16.11. Rom. 6.16.20. & 2 Tim. 2.26. & 2 Pet. 2.19. & 1. Joh. 3.8.10. men) that he hath provided for all redeemed, sanctified, justified and righteousRom. 6. [...]0, 22, 23. & 8.1, 2, 3, 4. Rom. 14.17. & 15.13, 14. & 1 Cor. 4.20. & 2 Cor. 4 6. Gal. 5.22, 23, 24. Eph. 5 7, 8, 9. Heb. 12.22, 23. & 1 Joh. 1.5, 6, 7. Rev. 6.14, 15, 16, 17 & 21.3, 4.22, 23. & 22.1, 2, 3, 4. Isa. 60.19, 20, 21. souls, declares at his very answer before Pilate for his life, and saith, My Kingdome is not of this world, if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from Joh. 18.36. hence; and therefore it was when Judas betrayed this spiritual King, Christ, into the hands of his murdering enemies, and that his servant Simon Joh 18.10. Peter stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and stroke a servant of the High Priests, and smote off his ear; that this spiritual King, Lord and Master, cured the wounded man, although he was hisLuke 22.50 51. enemy, & commanded his servant Peter to put up his sword again in his place, further saying to him, For all they that take the Sword [mark it well] shall perish with the Mat. 26.51, 52, 53. see Gen. 9.6. Rev. 13.10. Sword: Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more then twelve A constituted full Roman Legion of souldiers, at this time as I remember the Roman Histories, was reputed to be commonly about 7 or 8000. men. Legions of Angells. And therefore all the whole Laws of his inward and spiritual Kingdome, are made in quite opposition against the Laws of the meer glorious out-side kingdome of the God and Prince of this world; unto which two Masters, or [Page 11] Kings, or Law-givers, it is impossible for any man in the world, or upon this globy earth, to be a servant to them both, at one & the same Mat. [...]24. Luke 16.13. time, but he that commits sin is the servant of sin, and so the servant of the Joh. 8.34.41, 42, 44. Rom. 6.16. & 2 Per. 2.19. & 1 John 3.8.10. devil; and he that is the servant of sin, is free from righteousness, and so from being a servant or subject unto Rom. 6.17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 1 Joh. 1.6. & cap. 3.3, 4, 5, 6, 9. & 5.1, 2, 3, 4, 18, 19. Joh. 7.17. & 8.31, 32. & 9.31. & 12.26. & 14.15.21, 23, 24. & 15.4.7.10.14. Christ. And therefore the Spirit of Christ, this spiritual inside-King, dwelling in the Apostle Paul, declares, that there is no fellowship betwixt righteousness and unrighteousness, nor no communion betwixt light and darkness, nor no concord betwixt Christ and Belial, nor no harmony betwixt the true beleever (that knowsJoh. 17.3. God) and the infidel, (and such are all they that truly knows not1 Thess. 4, 5. Se Tit. 1.16. Ex. 5.2. Psal. 79.6. Jer. 10.25. Ro. 1.19.21. Eph. 4.17, 8, 19. God.) And there he further demands: what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols? for ye are (saith he to the true knowers of God in Corinth) the Temple of the living God, as God hath Levit. 26.12. said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people; wherefore come out from among them, and be ye Isa. 52.11. separate saith the Lord, and touch not (mark it well) the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto Jer. 31.1. you, and ye shal be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord 2 Cor. 6.14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Almighty. And therefore it is, that the very same Divine Spirit that dwells in this Spiritual King Jesus, speaking in the Apostle Iohn, requires all his Spiritual and true Subjects, not to love the world, neither the things that are in the world, for, if any man love the world, (that Kingdom of Satan the Prince of Darkness, as) the lusts of the Flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world; and the world (and the vanities and empty pleasures of it) passeth away, and the lusts thereof; but he that doth the will of God, abideth for 1 Joh. 2.15, 16, 17. ever.
Yea, the contrariety is so great betwixt the foresaid two Kings and Masters, that whatsoever in the King, or Ruler in the Kingdom of the world, (or falne, or unrenewed man) and the Subjects thereof, is esteemed highly, or excellent, is an abomination in the sight of Luke 16.15. See chap 6.24, 25, 26. Mar. 13.13. Joh. 5.41.44. & 7.17, 18. & 8.50.54. & 11.41, 43. & 15.19. & 16.35. God: And therefore this Spiritual King, having purchased all his Subjects and Servants with a glorious price (as the greatest demonstration of love) of his own blood, by his spiritual Command requires them not to be the servants of1 Cor. 7.23. men, but to glorifie him both in body and1 Cor. 6.20. see chap. 3.16, 17 & 2 Cor. 2.5.15.17. &c. soul; and therefore his grown up servant Paul, declares himself to be no man pleaser, avowing himself, that if he were a man-pleaser, he should, nor could not be the servant ofGal. 1.10. see 4.3.9, 10.11. & 5. 1 Col. 2.8.30.22. Christ.
And therefore the same Apostle, by the infallible spirit of the Lord, requires the Spiritual Subjects of this Spiritual King Jesus, to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which (saith he) is your reasonable service; and be not conformed to this world (the kingdom of the prince of darkness) but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minde, that ye may prove what is that good, & acceptable, & perfect will ofRom. 22.1, 2. God; and therefore when any man becomes a spiritual Subject of this Spiritual King Christ, and dwells in him, he becomes a new creature, & old things in him are past away, and all things in him are becom2 Cor. 5.17. new, spiritual, & savory; yea even his very thoughts, & his words [Page 12]are found few and divine, his behaviour righteous and solid, his deeds upright, and free like God from all respect ofMat. 3.34.37, 39, 40, 41, 45, 46, 48. & 6.25 31, 32, 33. and 7.12, 13. and 23, 3.5, 6, 7.8, 9.10. Mark 12.14. Luk. 20, 21. Act 10.34, 35. Deu. 10 17. Esth. 3.2 5, 6. Job 32.21, 22. Prov. 10.20. & 28.21. Rom. 2.11. and 1 Cor. 2.16. and 15 33 Gal 2.6. Eph. 4 29. and 5.4. and 6.9. Phil. 2 5. Col. 3.5.8, 15.16. & 4.6. 1 Tim. 1.10. & 6.3, 4, 5, 6. & 2 Tim. 1 7.13. and 4.3. Tit. 1.9.17. and 2.1, 2.8. Jam. 2.1. to 10. and 5.12. and 1 Pet. 1.15, 16, 17. and 4.12. and 2 John 9, 10, 11. persons: and although there be such a perfect and absolute contrariety betwixt all the laws & constitutions of these two Kings or Masters, and a continuall and perpetuall war betwixt the Subjects thereof, yet the weapons of the warfare of Christs Spiritual, Heavenly, and glorious Kingdom, handled and used by his Servants and true Subjects, who although they do walk in the flesh, yet do they not war after the flesh, and therefore their weapons of warfare are not carnall, but mighty through God; to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God, and bringeth into captivity every thought to the obedience of2 Cor. 10.3, 4, 5. Christ: The Armour of Proof of these Spiritual warring Subjects and Souldiers of this spiritual glorious King, is to have their loynes girt about with truth, & having on them the Brest-plate of righteousness, and their feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the Shield of Faith, wherewith they shall be able to quench the fiery-darts of the wicked, and taking the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of Eph 6.13, 14, 15, 16.17. God; which Spiritual Sword, or Word of God, is quick and powerful, and sharper then any two edged Sword, piercing, even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart; neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, (who is this Spiritual sharp Sword, or eternall and everlasting Word of God that indures for ever) but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to Heb. 4.12, 13. do. With which Spirituall Sword this spiritual conquering Lord and King, pricked and wounded to the very heart three thousand of his enemies at once, by the Ministration of his single Spiritual Souldier, the Apostle Peter, which made them bitterly to cry out for a Plaister, and a Physician to heal and cureAct. 2.37.41. them: which spiritual Sword is the only and alone weapon that this glorious, conquering, spiritual King useth to fight withall against all enemies, the powers of the Prince of Darkness of this world; and with which only and alone he conquereth andRev. 1.16. and 2.12.16. and 19.15.21. Hos. 6.7. overcometh carnal Weapons of any kinde whatsoever, having no place, nor being of no use at all in his spiritual Kingdom, for his Subjects are to love their enemies, to do good unto their haters, and to resist or requite their evill withMatt. 5.39, 40, 44, 45, 56. good, and to dwell in love towards all men, as the God of love himself dwells inGal. 6.10. and 1 Thes. 3 12 [...] & 5.14, 15. 1 Joh. 4.16, 17. love, and to be holy as God is1 Pet. 1.15, 16. holy, and perfect as he isMatt. 5.48. perfect, and therefore not in the least to draw temporal weapons against their enemies; for among the true and real Saints of the Lord in the mountain of the Lord, where the Lord himself is the inward and soul-teacher and instructer of his people and Subjects in his own waies; there all the temporal swords are to be beat into plowshares, and their earthly spears into pruning-hooks, & no more using of carnal swords, or so much as learning of earthly war, is to be exercised amongstIsa. 2.2, 3, 4, 5. them, but they are to walk in the pure, holy, & peaceable light of the [Page 13]Lord, which shal & wil lead the sanctified, justified and redeemed soul to advance, or set up the innocent, harmless, peaceable lamb-like nature, or seed of Christ, to become Lord and King in the heart, of, and over the Lyon-like warring; devouring, and destroying-wicked nature of the serpent, the devil, & satan, within man, yea in the Gospel-mount of God, or the spiritual kingdom of Christ (under the Gospel-dispensation) the habitation of the true Saint of God; The wolf shal dwel with the lamb, and the leopard shal ly down with the kid, & the calf, & the young lyon, & the fatling together, & a little child shal lead them. And the cow and the bear shal feed, their young ones shall lye down together. And the lyon shall eat straw like the oxe. And the sucking-child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall pui his hand on the Cockatrice Den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Esa. 11. 6, 7, 8, 9. & 65.25. mountain, saith God; For the earth shall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea. Yea, they shall be far from Esa. 54.14. & 66.11, 12. Oppression: Yea, and violence shall no more be heard in the Land; (of the spirituall Kingdom, inhabited by the spirituall subjects, or true Saints of Christ, nor) wasting, nor destruction within their borders; but they shall call their wall salvation; and their Gates Praise. The Sun (or borrowed humane Lights, or Rudimentall Ordinances) shall be no more thy Light (saith God) by day, neither for brightness shall the Moon give Light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting Light, and thy God thy glory. Thy Sun shall no more go downe, neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting Light, and the dayes of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people shall be all Righteous, they shall inherit the Land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, & a small one a strong nation; I the Lord wil hasten it in his Esa. 60.18, 19, 20, 21, 22. See ch. 40.19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26. Rev. 7.14, 15, 16, 17. & 21.1, 2, 3, 4, 5.10.11.22, 23, 24, & 22.1, 2 3, 4, 5. time.
In all which consideration, I say, I have now the faithfull and true witness in my own soul, that the Lord himself is become within me, the Teacher of my soul, and inabler of me to walk in a measure of his pure wayes and paths; yea, and so clear a teacher within me, is he already become unto me, as that I with confidence beleeve my inward Teacher shal never now more be removed into a corner; but is, and shall be as a continual voice speaking in my ears; This is the way, walk in Esa. 30.20, 21. see ch. 24.18, 19. & 35.7, 8. & 42.2, 3, 4.7. & 44 3 & 5 [...].7. & 54.13. Prov. 6.22, 23. Ps 37.31. Deu. 18.15, 16.18, 19. & 34.6. Jer. 24.7. & 31.31, 32, 33, 34. and 32.14, 15. Eze. 11.19. & 34.22, 23.24, 25, 26.27 & 36.24, 25, 26, 27. and 37.22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28. Joel 2.28, 29. Matt. 11.27. Luk. 10.22. Joh. 1.5 9 12 & 3.21. & 6.41.45. & 7.37, 38, 39. and 9.5.39. & 10.7.9, 16. & 11.9, 10.25.22.12.35, 36, 46.48. and 14.16, 17, 18, 19.23 26. and 15.5.15. and 16, 7, 8.13, 14.26, 27, 28. Act. 1.4. and 2.4. [...]6, 17, 18. Rom. 10.7, 8, 9, 10. Gal. 1.15, 16. Heb. 8.7, 8, 9 10, 11. and 10.16.19, 20. and 1 Joh. 2.2.20.27, and 3.24 and 4.13. and 5.10 20 see Act. 17.27, 28.31. and 26.16.18. Rom. 1.19.21. and 2.15. [...]6, 27, 28, 39. and 1 Cor. 7.19. and 2 Cor. 2.3. & 4 6. Gal. 3.3. & 5.5, 6. & 6.15. Phil. 3.3. Col. 2.11. & 3.11. & 3.11. & 1 Tim. 4.10. Tit. 2.11, 12. & 1 Joh, 1.5, 6, 7. it: By which divine teaching I am now daily taught to dye to sin, and led up by it into living power, to be raised up, and inabled to live in a pure measure of Righteousness; and by which inward spiritual teachings, I am, I say again, led up into power in Christ, by which I particularly can, and do hereby witness, that I am already dead, or crucified, to the very occasions, and real grounds of all outward wars, and carnal sword-fightings & fleshly buslings and contests; and that therefore I confidently [Page 14]now believe, I shall never hereafter be an user of a temporal sword more, nor a joyner with those that so do. And this I do here solemnly declare, not in the least to avoid persecution, or for any politick ends of my own, or in the least, for the satisfaction of the fleshly wils of any of my great adversaries, or for satisfying the carnal will of my poor weak, afflicted wife; but by the special movings and compulsions of God now upon my soul, am I in truth and righteousness compelled thus to declare, that so I may take away from my adversaries all their fig leaf-covers, or pretences of their continuing of my every way unjust bonds; And thereby, if yet I must be an imprisoned sufferer, it may from this day forward, be for the truth, as it is in Jesus: Which truth I witness to be truly professed and practised by the savouriest of people called quakers: And to this my present declaration, which I exceedingly long and earnestly desire to have in print, and for which I know that I can chearfully and assuredly lay down my life, if I be called to witness the truth of it, I subscribe my outward name