Short RELATION Of what is believed amongst The People of GOD Touching divers Points of RELIGION.  

1. Concerning the Word of God, the fall of man, and Restauration by Christ.  
2. Concerning the Scriptures.  
3. Concerning Faith, Love and Works.  
4. Concerning Baptism and the Lords Supper.  
5. Concerning the Sabbath.  
6. Concerning Tithes.  
7. Concerning Swearing.   
〈◊〉 many of the servants of God have born a large testimo●●●● in these latter days, in which the Lord is establishing the 〈…〉 of his own house a too of all mountains, Isaiah 2.2. 〈…〉 1. yet the enemy the old Serpent bestirs himself, and ●●ts up his tail, thinking to cast the stars to the ground, and 〈…〉 the work of the Lord in his people, by casting stumb●●●● blocks before them, and by false accusations: therefore in love to the truth, and in the motion of ●●●e gift received, I give my testimony of these things in the year ● 1666.  
PETER HARDCASTLE.  
The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live, saith Christ, wherefore awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  Eph. 4.15.  


Concerning the Word of God.  
THe Word was in the beginning before the Scriptures were written, before the heavens or the earth were made, or any visible thing therein: before man or woman was created, who was the only begotten Son of God, by whom God made the heavens and the earth, unto whom God said, Let us make man in our Image: so by the Word, the only begotten Son of God, the heavens, and the earth, and all things therein were made. And in the Image of God, man and woman was made, and God gave them dominion over the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the air, and every creeping thing, yea over the Serpent, the most subtle of all the beasts, man had dominion, so long as he stood in the Counsel of his Creator, and kept his Command; this was the blessed estate before the Fall, man in the image of God in righteousness, and holiness, in innocency, in love with God, and all his creatures: Oh who can declare of this blessed estate, and not fall short, my tongue cannot utter it. I am but a little child, yet according to the opening of the life in me I speak a little of these things, but the Serpent which is the devil, through his subtlety tempted the woman to break the Command of God: and the woman tempted the man, and they both broke the Command of God, and eat of the tree of Knowledge, so sin entered, and death came over them: they died to the righteous life: Innocency was lost: then they saw their nakedness, and were both ashamed, and they became liable to the curse and wrath of God, and was driven from the presence of the Lord: On sad estate! who can declare it! man once in Innocency in the heavenly Image, now in the earthly: once a living soul, now is death come over him: once partaker of the blessings of God, but now liable to the curse: and this is the sad Estate of all mankind in the fall: And out of this sad and woeful estate, man by all his wisdom and power of himself cannot any way deliver himself, but must lie sinder the wrath of God for ever, except the Lord redeem him.  
But the Lord who is rich in mercy, love and compassion toward mankind, ordained a Saviour and Deliverer, by whose power, man might through faith in him be restored and redeemed out of the fall and woeful estate; which Saviour and Deliverer is his only begotten Son, the Son of his Love, which lay in his bosom, him did God ordain: and in his appointed time, sent him into the world, he who is called in the Scriptures, The Word of God, The Light of the World, the Seed (Christ) the Corner stone, the rock of Ages, the power of God, these and such like names and titles signify the one holy thing which God sent into the world, which took upon him the seed of David according to the flesh, and became man, and preached the kingdom of God, and the Gospel of the kingdom, opened the eyes of the blind, made the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak: by these and such like Miracles he was approved of God, and many believed he came from God; but the Jews, the Scribes, and the Pharisees, and chief Priests caused him to be put to death: so he suffered in the flesh, but was quickened by the Spirit and power of God, which power he received of his Father, to lay down his life, and take it up again, and in the Lord's time entered into his glory, which he had with his Father before the world began, and now is at God's right hand in a glorious celestial body, and by his power he ministers life to his sanctified ones, and with his light enlightens every man that cometh into the world, that all men through the light may believe, and come to Repentance: And as many as receive the light, by believing in it, they receive power, and by the power of God, sin is wrought out of the creature, which came in by the power of darkness in the fall: and so as man becomes dead to sin, be becomes alive to God, and so the Image of God comes to be restored, and man into the Image of God again, and this all done by Christ the power of God: so let flesh be silent, and man deny himself, and lie in the dust before the Lord, and exalt his great and glorious name, who alone is worthy to receive Honour, and glory, who hath redeemed, and is redeeming many unto himself, that they may sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the sanctified ones in his heavenly Kingdom for evermore.   

Concerning the Scriptures  
THe Scriptures that were spoken by the holy men of God, as they were moved by the holy ghost, are the Words of God, and a true declaration of the mind of God, and of those things which were most surely believed amongst them, who were eye-witnesses and Ministers of the Word Luke 1, 1, 2. Exod. 20.1. Exod. 4.15. Chap, 19, 6. Chap. 24, 3. & 4.8. Deut. 1.1. Chap. 4.36. Micha 2.7. Deut. 18.18. Chap. 31.5. Ecles. 12.10, Rev. 1.3. Chap. 22.18. And Judas saith in his Epistle, Remember ye the words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: Many more Scriptures might be added to prove the Scriptures that were spoken from the Spirit, to be the Words of God, but these are sufficient to inform the simple, and convince the gain-sayer. The Scriptures are serviceable to the Children of Light, who have the same spirit that gave them forth. But they who are guided by another spirit, wrist the Scriptures to their own confusion.   

Concerning Faith.  
FAith is a pure and perfect Gift of God: An evidence of things not seen with any carnal eye: And as Hearing comes by the Word of God, even so Faith comes by Hearing: For who can believe in him of whom they have not heard: This is the living faith which stands not in man's wisdom, but in the power of God. And by the operation of this pure living faith in the power of God, man comes to witness his heart purified from dead works, and so comes to have dominion over the spirit of the world: and saith John in his Epistle, Chap. 5. verse 4. This is the Victory that overcometh the world, even our Faith. And whatever sacrifice is offered to God out of this living faith, is sin, and the Lord hath no delight in it, and therefore the Lord had no respect to Cain and his offering: neither hath he any respect at this day to them that offer in cain's nature, therefore are they wroth, and persecutes the just: so people may see in the light, from what spirit persecution ariseth about Religion and worship of God. And by the living faith in the power many Miracles and wonderful works were wrought both in Moses' days, and the Prophet's days, and Christ's, and the Apostles days, the deaf heard, the blind came to see, the lame walked, and the dead was raised to life again; even so now in this our day, by faith in the same power, the deaf comes to hear, and the eye which the God of the world had blinded, is opened; and the soul which had laid dead under death's dominion, is raised to life: Blessed be the Lord God Almighty for evermore, saith my soul.   

Concerning Love.  
LOve is of God, for God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life: and this is the free Love of God unto mankind; and where this Love prevails upon the hearts of people, they come to love God who first loved them, and are made willing to obey his voice, and do his will in what he requires of them: And it was the Love of God in times past which made his people endure Trials and Tribulations of what kind soever they were. And the same love in this our day makes the people of God willing to endure Trials and Tribulations of what kind soever the Lord permits to come unto them, for the trial of their Faith and patience; and not only so, but it causeth them to love their enemies also; because Christ commands it, and because God loved them when they were enemies to him by wicked works. Christ saith, Love your Enemies, Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven. These things are fulfilled a-among the children of God, born of incorruptible seed. But as it was in time past, so it is now, He that is born after the flesh, persecutes him that is born after the spirit: but let the little children continue in the love of God, and keep the word of his patience: for saith one in a certain place, They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.   

Concerning Works.  
GOod Works are such as proceed from the spirit of God the fountain, from whence all good comes. And they who keep in the living faith, it works by love, and where the love of God is in the heart, there ariseth good thoughts, and good words, and good works. And here the good tree is known that brings forth good fruit: but on the contrary, such as are guided by the spirit of the world, are out of the faith and love of God, and from such ariseth evil thoughts, and evil words, and bad works: and here the evil tree is known that cannot bring forth good fruit: And to the root of this tree the Axe is laid to hue it down even for the fire: so the children of Light, they discern what the tree is by its fruit, and what the fountain is, by the water that springs from it.   

Concerning Baptism.  
THere is one Baptism effectual to salvation according to Ephes. 4.5. 1 Epistle of Peter 3.21. Of which, Water-Baptism is an Figure: And this is the Baptism of Christ which is with the holy Ghost, and with fire, which both Moses's Baptism and Johns' Baptism figured forth, and they both pointed at Christ. For saith Moses, Deuteronomy 18.15. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet like unto me, unto him shall ye hearken. And saith John, I indeed paptize you with water unto Repeatance, but he that cometh after me he shall baptise you with the holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his Wheat into his garner, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire: And this is the Baptism which is in the name of the Father, Son and holy Ghost; and they who come to this Baptism, they know the fan in the hand, and the purging of the floor, and the gathering of the wheat into the garner, and the burning of the chaff, and the old man plunged into death, and the new man raised unto life, which is the sum and substance of all; and the substance being come, the shadows fly away. And saith the Apostle, By one spirit are we all baptised into one body, 1 Cor. 12.13.   

Concerning the Lord's Supper.  
THe Lord hath prepared a Supper for all his servants who are made willing to labour in the day, and do the work that God appoints them. And blessed are all they who are accounted worthy to come to the Lords Supper, they are such as are turned from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, and waits upon God, that they may know his will and do it, that they may be redeemed from sin, and have their fruit unto holiness, Rom. 6.22. These partake of the true bread that comes from above, which is Christ: they are members of his body, and eats of his flesh, and drinks of his blood, and so are kept alive unto God: and saith he, Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him and he with me, Rev. 3.20. Now they who witness him come, have no need to receive the bread and the cup outwardly, which was commanded to show forth his death until he came; But they at whose door he knocks, and can have no entrance, he neither sups with them nor they with him, and yet these may eat the bread and drink of the cup outwardly, and have neither Union nor Communion with the Saints, but remains in sin and iniquity, and heathenish abominations, and so crucifies the just, and puts him to open shame with their ungodly deeds.   

Concerning the Sabbath.  
WHen the Lord had made the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, he rested the seventh day, which was a sign of the everlasting rest, he w●uld bring his people to when they had done their service to him: and when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, he commanded them to observe every seventh day a Sabbath of rest, and they were a sign of the everlasting rest, Exod. 31.13. Ezekel 20.20. And now I bear my testimony, that God hath prepared an everlasting rest for his people; and saith Christ Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and you shall find rest unto your souls, Mat. 11.28, 29. So they who are in the faith, and comes to Christ, and learns of him, denies themselves, takes up the cross, and ceases from their own works, to do the Will of God: these enters into the rest, and sits down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven: but they who live and die in sin, they come short of the rest which God hath ordained for the righteous, and are shut out of the Kingdom of God, For no unclean thing can enter therein; therefore I say as the Apostle once said. Col. 2.16, 17. Let no man judge the true Christians in meat or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shodow of things to come, but the body is of Christ, and Christ is the sum and substance of all.   

Concerning Tithes.  
THe Law was added because of transgression, till the seed should come, Gal. 3.19. and they that were of the Tribe of Levi, who had the Office of the Priesthood, had a Commandment to take Tithes of the people, according to the Law which were of their brethren, and came out of the loins of Abraham, but the seed Christ is come an Highpriest for ever after the power of an endless life: so the Priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the Law, Heb. 7. The Priesthood being changed, and the Law fulfilled, and the hand-writing of Ordinances taken out of the way, which was against us, nailed to the Cross of Christ, Col. 2.14. Who is ordained an Highpriest over the house of God for ever, a Minister of the true Tabernacle which the Lord hath pitched, hath power to ordain Ministers to preach the Gospel which is the power of God: By which Gospel of Glad-Tydings unto captivated souls, the hearts of people comes to be opened, and love springs up to minister carnal things to such as have need of them: For so hath the Lord ordained, That they who preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel: thus it was with the primitive Christians, before the Deceivers and false Prophets came in, and the Apostasy entered: but Christ declared of false Prophets that should come in sheep's clothing, but were inwardly revening wolves, by their fruits they should be known. And Peter saith in his second Epistle 2.3. That through covetousness with feigned words, would they make merchandise of them. And Paul said, That grievous wolves would enter in, not sparing the Flock, Acts 20.29. And in his Epistles describes them more fully, and calls them Covetous, and proud▪ Truce-Breakers, without natural affection, highminded, and lovers of Pleasures more than lovers of God. And Judas declares in his Epistle, They were entered in, and said, woe unto them, they went in the way of Gain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for Rewards. And John saith in his first Epistle, 2 chap. Little children it is the last time, and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now there are many Antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time, they went our from us. Now by these Antichrists false Prophets and Deceivers which entered in the Apostles time, but more abundantly after, came in the Apostasy, they being gone from the life and power of God themselves, drew others after them: so when the life and power of God was departed, darkness came over, the night came over the day, and people wrought in the dark, and built Idol-Temples, or Mass-houses, and set up Crosses and Images, and brought in Tithes again, which the Lord never commanded them: but now is the day dawned again, after the long and dark night of Apostasy, and the Son is risen, and many are witnesses of him: and such are made willing to suffer imprisonment of their bodies, or spoiling of their goods, rather than to pay Tithes to Priests, or money to repair Steple-Houses: and now many of them are wroth as Cain was, and prepairs War, as in time past, Micha 3. and so they make it manifest by their fruits, they are of the false Prophets and Deceivers, that Christ and the Apostles told us of.   

Concerning Swearing.  
WHile man stood in the Counsel of God, in righteousness and Innocency before the fall, there was no need of Oaths: but when man was fallen from God his Maker, and lost the Image of God, death came over, and hardness of heart and unbelief came in, and then oaths were used to confirm promises, and end controversies: and lest the Jews should serve other gods than he that brought them out of Egypt, he commanded them to swear by his name: but from the beginning it was not so: but Christ is come, the beginning and the end, the first and the last to restore man again into that which he was in the beginning: as it is written, The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost: so when the Image of God is restored again, and man into the image, there is no need of Oaths, but every man will speak the truth; and therefore said Christ unto his Disciples, Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths: but I say, Swear not at all: This is Christ's command unto his own: and Moses commanded to hear Christ, Deut. 18. And when Moses and Elias talked with Jesus in the holy Mount, Peter, James and John heard the voice from the excellent Majesty, which said, This is my well beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear him: Now how can any Christian swear, and not break the command of Christ. And James saith, Above all things my brethren, Swear not, neither by heaven nor by earth, neither by any other Oath, but let your yea be yea, and your nay nay, lest you fall into condemnation. Hence it is that the true christians rather then break the command of Christ, and fall into condemnation, are made willing to suffer imprisonment, or what may be permitted to come for the trial of their faith, knowing in themselves an enduring substance. And saith Christ, Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  
The End.