THE REDEMPTION OF THE Seed of God At Hand.  
Declaring the Return of the True Church out of the Wilderness into her former State of GLORY.  
RICHARD MOOR.  
Th●● s●●●● the Lord, Keep ye Judgement and d● Just●●e; for my Salvation is near to come, and my Righteousness to be revealed, Isa. 56.  
Printed in the Year 1677.   

A TESTIMONY Concerning RICHARD MOOR.  
THE Author of this Book being a faithful Servant of the Lord, and zealous for the Truth, who laboured and travailed in the Work of the Ministry, both in England and beyond Sea, and was in Barbadoes when he wrote this little Book, which was some Years since; and because the Press hath been fully supplied with other Things, there was not an Opportunity to print it; but knowing it was his great Desire it should be published, and having now a fit Opportunity, I was willing to answer what his Mind then was: He came to London to visit Friends in the 11th Month, and there fell sick, and on the 13th Day of the same Month he died in Peace; and thus much is signified concerning him by one who truly loved him for the Truth's sake.  
E. H. London the 14th of the 9th Mon 1676.   

TO THE READER.  
WHoever thou art that readest this ensuing Treatise, if thou findest any Thing in it which doth appear strange unto thee in the reading thereof, be not troubled thereat, but stand still in the Coolness of thy Spirit, and turn in to the Measure of the Light of God, which shineth forth clearly in thy own Conscience, and there thou wilt see it openly made manifest unto thee; but if thou readest it in the Power of thy own Will, and therein standest expecting to receive Benefit thereby, thou wilt find nothing but Deadness and barrenness; for the Appearance of God and his Eternal Truth hath at all Times and Seasons been contrary to Man's Will; for it is now as it w●s in the Days of Old, it comes not by the Will of Man, but holy Men speak as they are moved by the Spirit of God; and as it was in former Ages, so it is now in this our Day, for he that departeth from Iniquity maketh himself a Prey unto this Generation of Evil-doers, who set themselves in Perverseness against the Lord, and have hardened their Hearts, and stiffened their Necks against the Appearance of the Lord, and of his Eternal Truth; and he is come to be a Cross to the Will of all Flesh; for if the Things of God came according to the will of Man, than the World would receive them; but seeing it crosseth Man's Will, therefore the World hates it, and calls it Foolishness and Madness, and cries out, that them that are given up to follow it are Deceivers, and are deluded and bewitched.  
R. M.   

THE CONTENTS.  

I. THe Return of the True Church out of the Barren Wilderness into her former State and Glory.  
II. The Destruction of Babylon, the Mystery of Iniquity, and the Mother of Harlots, and the Abominations of the whole Earth.  
III. A Revelation of the Man of Sin and Death, wherein he is separated from the Man of Righteousness and Life, which two Men are of two several Births, which Births proceed from the two Seeds, which two Seeds are herein manifested and declared, the one to be the Seed of God, and the other the Seed of the Serpent, whose Head is now to be bruised.  
iv A Word of Love unto the Sons and Daughters of Zion; and a Hand held forth unto them who are yet in Egypt's Captivity, and to them who are yet in the Desert Wilderness.    


A True Manifestation of the Church's Return out of the Barren Wilderness, where She hath remained since the Days of the Apostles, which Church is the true Spouse, the Lamb's Wise. Also the Speedy Downfall of Babylon the Mother of Harlots, declared, etc.  
NOW is the appointed Time come, wherein the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob is risen and arising to manifest himself unto his People, and to make himself known to those that have long waited for this the Day of his Appearance, unto whom the Son of his Righteousness is arising with healing in his Wings; and now is the great Jehov●h appearing in his Dread and in his Power, to the establishing of his Covenant unto ●braham, and to his Seed forever, and he is now gathering his Elect from the four Quarters of the Earth, and redeeming the Seed of Jacob out of their Captivity, and the Outcast of Israel from under their Yoke of Bondage.  
Therefore prepare thee to meet thy God, O Israel; for behold he is come and coming in Ten Thousand of his Saints, and who may abide the Day of his Appearance? for the Eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful Kingdom, and he will destroy it from off the Face of the Earth, saving that he will not utterly destroy the House of Jacob; for behold he sitteth upon a white Throne, before whose Face the Heavens and also the Earth shall fly away, and their Place shall be no more found at all, his Eyes are as a Flame of Fire, and on his Head are many Crowns, and he hath a Name written that no man knows but himself, & is clothed with a Vesture dipped in Blood, and his Name is called The word of God, and out of his Mouth goeth a sharp Sword, wherewith he doth smite the Nations, and he treadeth the Wine-press of the Fierceness and Wrath of the Almighty God, and he hath on his Vesture and on his Thigh a Name written, KING of KINGS & LORD of LORDS, and in his Hands is all the Power of the Earth, and also of the Heavens; for behold he makes all things new, old things must pass away; for the Dragon having had Possession for so many Days, even many Generations, of the old Heaven, and also of the old Earth, which I say the subtle Dragon having gotten the Dominion thereof, he by his Filthiness defiled it, so that the true Virgin could no longer remain therein, but was driven forth of it, and was banished into the mourning and desolate Wilderness, a place prepared her of God for so many Days, and her Heir which she had brought forth, which is to rule the Nations with his Iron Rod, hath been caught up from her to God, and so the Dragon hath had the Dominion of the true Virgin's Territories, since the Days of the Apostles, and hath made War with the Seed of the Virgin, and as it were overcome them, and in her Dominion he hath placed the great Whore, the Mother of Harlots, and she hath corrupted the Earth, and also the Heavens, wherein the true Virgin was placed before she fled into the Wilderness, the Whore having polluted them with the Filth of her Fornication; for her Superscription is, Mystery-Babylon the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the whole Earth: And the Nations which the true Virgin's Heir should have ruled, they have all been the Seat of this great Whore, and she hath guided them and ruled them, as a man would guide and rule the Beast whereon he rideth, and she hath made them all unstable as Waters, for she sat upon Peoples, Multitudes, Nations and Tongues, and all the Kings of the Earth have committed Whoredom with her, and have drunk of the Cup of her Fornication; for she held forth a golden Cup in her Hand, a smooth Profession and pleasing Pretences, but within full of Abominations; yea, rich and poor, bond and free, even from the Beggar upon the Dunghill to the Prince upon the Throne, they all drunk of this Cup, and have been drunken with the Wine of the Whore's Fury; and many of them have (as it were) drunk the Blood of the Saints and of the Martyrs of Jesus Christ, whom he hath raised to bear their faithful Testimonies against the Whore, and against her Fornications; and all the Blood that hath been spilt upon the Earth is to be found in her, for within her lodgeth the Ground of all Iniquity, and the Foundation of all Transgression.  
But now hath the Lord God remembered his poor banished Spouse, which sits mourning in the Wilderness, and the great Persecution of her Seed; and great BABYLON is coming into his remembrance, and she shall receive a just reward from the Lord God of Life for all the Abominations that have proceeded from her since the time the Virgin fled into the Wilderness; & though she hath long sat as a Queen, and hath known no Sorrow, but hath had a Husband, and hath brought forth many Children of Fornication, and hath lived deliciously for many Generations, whilst the true spouse (the Lamb's Wife) hath sat desolate in the barren Wilderness, where she hath been childless and deprived of her Husband, yet nevertheless thy Judgements are at hand, and thy Downfall approacheth, O thou great and Antichristian-Babylon; for Sorrow, Desolation and Misery is even ready to seize upon thee; and the Smoke of thy Torments doth begin to rise, and thy Kingdom is full of Darkness, and the Lord God hath discovered thy Nakedness and thy Sorceries, and thy false Divinations, whereby thou hast deceived the Nations, and caused them to receive thy Beast like mark; and many are they that are come out from thee, and will no longer be partakers with thee in thy Sins, lest they should partake with thee of thy plagues; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth thee; and thy Cup which thou hast given to others shall be filled unto thee double, even the measure that thou hast measured to others, shall be measured unto thyself double, and all that wherein thy soul delighted must departed from thee and thou must come down and sit in the Dust, O thou Virgin-Daughter of BABYLON; & thou shalt be no more counted delicate nor fair; for the DECREE is gone forth against thee, and thy Judgement is assuredly coming upon thee.  
Therefore all ye Inhabitants of the Earth, harken diligently and your Souls shall live, and take WARNING in this the Day of your Visitation, and go no longer on in your Pollutions, but come forth of the midst of BABYLON, and be no more partakers with her in her Sins; for, if you do, you will assuredly partake with her of her plagues; for she must be burned up and consumed, and brought to nought by the fiery Fierceness of the Lord's Wrath; and the old Heavens, and the old Earth, wherein she hath ruled in all this Dark Night of Apostasy since the Days of the Apostles, must be destroyed with her, and all them that wilfully resisted the Voice of the Lord their God in their own Hearts and Consciences, calling them out of BABYLON, the Land of Darkness, into his marvellous Light.  
Therefore beware of kicking against this▪ but if in wilfulness and stubborness you reject this the large Love of God towards you, yet nevertheless let it be known unto you all in his living presence, that you have at large been warned, therefore shut not your Ears at the Voice of Peace, and be not like to the deaf. Adder which stoppeth his Ear at the voice of the Charmer, although he charms never so wisely.  
For now Wisdom uttereth her voice in the open Street, and in the broad ways, she crieth at the Gates at Entry of the City, at the coming in at the Door, unto you O men I call, and my voice is to the Sons of man, O ye simple understand Wisdom, and ye Fools be of an understanding Heart, and know in th●s your day the things that belong to your Peace before they are hid from your Eyes, and the Door of Mercy be shut upon you, and the Decree sealed against you, and Repentance removed far from you, so that you cannot attain to it, although y●u should seek it with tears.  
Now as BABYLON comes to be destroyed, so likewise is the marriage of the LAMB prepared, and preparing, and his Bride is making herself ready even the true Virgin, the Lamb's Wife (the true Church) is now returning out of the desolate and barren Wilderness, where she hath sat for many Generations in a mournful state and condition, a place not known to the World, a place prepared her of God for so many Days; and now praises be unto the Lord our God, the Days are near expired, and she is returning again into her former State and Glory; and the Lord is now creating for her a new Heaven, and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth Righteoushess; and if any question what her former Glory was, and wherewithal she then was beautified? let them with singleness of Heart stand in the Light of the Lamb, look into John's Revelations, and there thou shalt see what he declareth of her, and of her Glory & Beauty in Ages past, even in his Days; for he saw her a woman exceeding glorious and beautiful, even clothed with the Sun, having the Moon under her Feet, and on her Head a Crown of twelve Stars: She was clothed with the true Light of heaven, even with the brightness of the everlasting day and the Moon with her changeable things was under her Feet▪ & she was ●rowned with the Brightness of the Glory of the Lord God of Life, and she travailed to bring forth the Manchild that should rule the Nations wi●h a Rod of Iron. Now this was the state of the true Church in the Days of the Apostles, before the time of her Banishment into the Wilderness: And John saw this to be wonderful, even in Heaven. Now this will be the State and Condition of the true Church after she is returned out of the Wilderness again; and the time is assuredly come, where in the Lord God will  her with his own Brightness, and with his own eternal Glory, and she shall again bring forth the Heir, which shall rule the Nations with his Rod of Iron, and shall bind PRINCES in Chains, and NOBLES in Fetters of Iron; and he that doth deny this, doth deny plain Scripture, for they bear Witness, that Zion shall arise and shall shine for●h, for her Light is come, and the Glory of the Lord is risen and arising upon her; and though the Darkness doth cover the Earth, and the gross Darkness the People, yet the Lord shall arise upon her, and his Glory shall be seen upon her, and the Gentiles shall come to her Light, and Kings to the Brightness of her rising, and she shall awake, and put on her Strength and her beautiful Garments shall be put on; for henceforth there shall no more come into her the Uncircumcised nor the Unclean; therefore cleanse your Hands ye Sinners, and purify your Hearts ye double-minded, that you may be accepted in this the Day of the Lord's l●rge Love and Mercies, that is so largely held forth and proffered unto you, to invite you, that you might not partake of the Plagues of BABYLON, which shall speedily come upon her at unawares, in an Hour when you least think of it shall Desolation and Destruction come upon her, and upon all them that are found in her, partaking with her of her Sins.  
O therefore as you tender the Eternal Welfare of your precious Souls, which ought to be counted as dear and as precious in your Sight as any Man's Soul that ever lived on the Earth; for they are precious in the Sight of the Lord; therefore prise them and this the Day of your Visitation, for you know not how soon the dark Night may overtake you, and you may be sealed up in the Pit of utter Darkness, and no Means afforded you, whereby you may be redeemed into the Light again; therefore consider of these Things while you have Time and Space, and come forth of Babylon, and touch no more of her Uncleanness, lest you perish eternally with her in your Stubbornness, and gain▪ saying the Witness of God in your own Consciences, which d●th stand a true Witness against you in these things; and let not the long Forbearance of so merciful a God, whose Spirit hath for a long time striven with you, and still rises up to condemn you in your own Hearts for your evil Deeds; I say, let not his long Forbearance harden your Hearts against the Day of Slaughter because his Judgements are not speedily executed upon you; for verily his Spirit shall not always strive with Man, but at last you will provoke his Wrath, & cause it to be kindled against you, & his fierce Indignation will break forth of a sudden upon you, and Horror, Dread and Terror will take hold on all such ungodly Wretches, which do Despite to his Spirit of Grace, which hath long striven with them in their own Hearts and Consciences, and have turned it into Lasciviousness, and Wantonness, and put the Day of the Lord their God afar off from them; yet let all such know, that he is nigh unto every one of them, to smite them in their own Hearts and in their own Consciences, for disobeying of his righteous Law and just Command, which he hath clearly made known unto them; for what may be known of God is made manifest in thee, for he hath showed it unto thee, O Man: And though there hath been a long time of Darkness & Ignorance, whereat the Lord hath winked; but now since the true Light hath shined in all Hearts so manifestly, so that none can plead Ignorance after they once come to be acquainted therewith: now doth he command all Men every where to repent, & he that shall deny to obey his Commands shall be left without Excuse in the Sight of God▪ and in the Sight of his Witness, which shineth in his own Conscience; for the Commands of God are not grievous, but they that love him keep his Commandments, and meditate upon his Law Day and Night; for their whole Delight standeth in walking in his Statutes.   

The Man of Sin & Death separated from the Man of Righteousness and Life, wherein the first m●n Adam is manifested to be of the Earth earthly, and the second Man Adam to be from Heaven heavenly.  
THou that hast any Long or Breathe after the Lord God that made thee, and form thee in the Womb, who stretched forth the Heavens as a Curtain, and by whom the Foundations of the Earth were laid; and thou that hast any Thing in thee that is oppressed by the unrighteous Power, and groans under the Burden of Oppression, and desires to be set at Liberty, even into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God; arise out of thy dark Slumbers, for the Night is far spent, and the dawning of the Day of the Lord God of Power is come, and the everlasting Son of Righteousness is risen and arising, even Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God, the Son of the everlasting Day, who is the true Light of the World, and hath enlightened every Man and Woman that cometh into the World with a Measure of his true Light, which Light shineth in the Consciences of all the Sons and Daughters of Men, and this is the Light that lets thee to see the Thoughts of thy own Heart; For he that form the Mountains, and created the Winds, he declareth unto Man his Thoughts, and the secret Intents of his Heart, whether they be good or evil; and this the Lord hath placed in thee to bear a true and faithful Testimony for him against every Appearance of Evil, & is God's Gift unto thee, which Gift is perfect and without Sin; for it is a true Measure of his Son Christ Jesus, which hath enlightened every Man and Woman; this did never at any Time consent to the speaking of any evil Word, or the acting of any unrighteous Action by thee, or any other of the Sons or Daughters of Man, but hath and doth at all Times stand a Witness for the Lord God of Life, and hath at all Times been the Condemner of the Transgressor and the Worker of Iniquity in thee and them: Now fallen Man being Darkness itself, having no Means whereby to discern his own Thoughts, yet this Light hath shined in the Darkness, but the Darkness could not comprehend it; therefore hast thou and all Mankind for a long time walked in Darkness, and thy Deeds have been the Deeds of Darkness, and thou art become a Stranger to God and to his Ways of Light and Life, by Reason whereof thou lovest Darkness rather then Light, because thou lovest thy own Will & thy evil Deeds, which proceed from thence, whereby the Heritage of God in thee hath beenlaid waste, & his Righteous Seed oppressed and trampled under Foot in thee by the Power of Unrighteousness through thee; but now after his long Forbearance, and after many gentle Admonitions which he hath held forth to the Rebellious Sons and Daughters of Men; after all this is he appearing to make himself known, and now are the Cries of the Oppressed entered into the Ears of the Lord God of Sabbath, and he is now jealous for his Seed's sake, which hath long suffered under the Burden of Oppression, and he is now manifesting himself in this his great Day, to plead with all Flesh in the Valley of Judgement; and he will Overturn, Overturn, Overturn, till he comes to reign, whose Right it is; for long hath the Powers of Darkness reigned in all Mankind, whose Right it was not; but now Christ Jesus making himself known, who is the true Light of the World, and he is arising to reign, whose Right it is.  
Therefore come into the Moderation, and seriously consider in thy own Heart how thy Condition standeth before the Lord thy God, if thou were immediately called to an Account before him for thy Deeds done in the Body, whether good or evil; and come but with an honest Heart to the Light of Christ Jesus in thy own Conscience, and that will let thee, and all the Sons and Daughters of men see how your Condition standeth in the Presence of your God; for be thou assured, that if the Witness of God in thy own Conscience condemns thee for thy evil Words and Actions, God from whence the Witness came is greater, and will not any ways justify thee therein, but if thou give up to be guided by his Light in the Singleness of thy Heart, than thou wilt come into the Beginning of the Creation of God▪ and see his Work daily manifested in thee; and thou wilt come to see the Sword of the Lord God of Jacob to cut down & to destroy the Transgressor at all times in thee, and thou wilt come to see that nature in thee that would stand up to take the Sword to kill or destroy thy Fellow-creatures, or oppress or defraud any by the Unrighteous Power, thou wilt come to see that Nature to perish by the Sword of the Lord in thee, which Sword is the Word of the Lord, which is a Discerner of the Thoughts of the Heart, and divides between the precious Thoughts and the vile, therefore as thou tenders thy own Soul, come to that Sword, and bring all thy Thoughts unto it, and in the Light thou wilt come to see a nature in thee that hath a long time led thy Soul captive under the Captivity of Sin and Satan; and thou wilt come to see that nature carried away captive by the power of Christ Jesus, even into the Land of Forgetfulness; for he is now risen in this his Day to lead Captivity captive, and to set free from all Oppression, and now is the Day of his plenteous Redemption come, and his Salvation will he make known unto the Ends of the Earth, and will redeem all them that come to walk in his Light and that obey and follow it in all his motions, and that contentedly come to take up the Cross daily to their own wills, and so in Singleness follow Christ the Light, them will he redeem from under the Power of Sin and the Devil who is the Author thereof; and from the World and all its enticing Lusts; and as they give up wholly to be guided by the Light, and to take up their Cross daily, which crosseth the carnal will, and so come to deny themselves, and to follow Christ, who saith, I am the Light of the World, whosoever followeth me, shall not abide in Darkness, but shall have the Light of Life; and he that comes into this, comes into the true Faith, which purifies the Heart, and they come to receive Christ, and to as many as receive him, to them Power is given to be the Sons of God, and so such come to know what the Seed in them is, and what it is to have the tender Babe of Grace form in them, and what it is to be born of God, and so such do not commit Sin; for they have the Seed of God remaining in them; for that which is born of God cannot commit Sin; for the Prince of this World hath no part in this new Creature, who is created in Righteousness and true Holiness.  
Now thou that art born after the Flesh, and art in the first Nature, thou art a Stranger to this new Birth, which is born of God, and thou art ready with Nicodemus to cry out, Can a man ente, rnto his Mother's Womb again when he is old? or shall there any thing be brought forth by God whilst man liveth upon Earth, to be made manifest to be without Sin? So thou art altogether ignorant of the wonderful works of the Lord; for the God of the world having blinded the Eyes, and darkened the Minds of all that live in the old nature, so that they therein cannot please the Lord their God, but their delight is in the works of Darkness, whereof the Devil is the Prince; and they love the world and the Glory thereof, and so the Love of the Father is not in them, but now if thou dost but come to believe in the Light, and into true Obedience to it in tender Simplicity, thou wilt come into the spiritual warfare, and to march under the Banner of CHRIST, who is the eternal CAPTAIN of our Salvation, and thou wilt come to see the Battle fought in Heaven between the Lamb and the Dragon; even in God's Kingdom, which comes not by observations, to say, lo here it is, or lo there it is; for his Kingdom is within thee, and there the Battle of the great God is to be fought, between Christ the Prince of Peace, and the old Dragon the Prince of darkness. Now as Christ the Lamb of God comes to take away the Sins of the World, and to lead his Soldiers forth, he arms them with the whole Armour of Light, in Patience, Meekness, Humility, Chastity, Soberness, and Gentleness, Love and Tenderness, contented in the Will of God tosuffer all things with Cheerfulness, so it may tend to his Glory: Now these are they which are to make War in Righteousness against the Principalities and Powers of Darkness in high Places, at whose Appearance all flesh shall tremble, and all Hearts shall be astonished; for Fearfulness shall surprise the Hypocrites.  
Now as Christ appears prepared to battle, and hath armed his Soldiers with those Weapons , so likewise the Dragon he arms his Soldiers with his Armour, which is the whole Armour of Darkness, which consists in Hatred and Malice, Envy and Persecution, Pride, Hastiness and High-mindedness, Oppression, and Tyranny, Covetousness, and Drunkenness, Lying and Swearing, Defrauding and Deceit, Wantonness and Whoredoms, and many other wicked Weapons, which the Light will make manifest to them that abide faithful in it.  
Now let every one in particular come to a honest search in your own Hearts, and examine yourselves without Deceit, and see whose Banner you are marching under, and whose Armour you wear; for it is but vain for any man to deceive himself any longer; for look whose Armour thou bearest, his Soldier thou art, and his Wages thou must look to receive; for if thou livest in Sin and Wickedness, thou art a Servant to Sin, and the Wages of Sin thou must expect to receive, and the Wages of Sin is Death, therefore it were good for thee to ponder the thing wisely, lest thou bring thy Destruction upon thyself; therefore am I, out of the Tenderness of my Soul, and in bowels of Compassion towards thee, moved to warn thee, and to advise thee in dear and tender Love to the oppressed Seed in thee, which groans to be set at Liberty. Now the Desire of my Heart is, that thou shouldst awake out of death, and come unto CHRIST the LIGHT, that he may give thee Life; and to cast off every weight and burden, and the Sins that so ea●●ly beset thee; and that thou shouldst put off the Armour of darkness, and put on the Armour of light; for assuredly there is nothing that makes a Separation between thee and thy God, but Sin; but now, herein stands the wonderful Love of God towards the fallen Sons and Daughters of Men, who were dead in Sins and Trespasses, and altogether in Darkness, without any Means or Hope of Recovery in themselves; now the Lord beholding poor distressed man in this State, whereinto the Prince of Darkness hath captivated him, out of the Tenderness of his Compassion unto the poor distressed Sons and Daughters of men, he gave his only begotten Son into the World for a Light, and to every man and woman which is born upon the Face of the whole Earth, hath the Lord in mercy given a measure of this true Light which hath enlightened every one which cometh into the World, in which Light standeth the Power of God and in this Light man comes to see his Sins, and to see the Deceit of his own Heart, which otherwise he could not have seen; and though thou art unacquainted with it, yet that is it that lets thee see the actings of the Prince of Darkness in thee; for if he plotteth in thee any mischievous Intents, whereby to destroy any man's Person or Estate, and so endeavours to make thee an Instrument whereby he may do it secretly in the dark, and although no Eye of man can see thee, nor see his secret acting in thee, yet this Light will follow thee, and discover his subtle Delusions unto thee, and make him many times appear odious unto thee, and calls thee and invites thee from following of him, and many times brings Fearfulness and Dread upon thee for thy wicked Actions; now this is that that would redeem thee out of Sin, which saves all them that believe in and follow the Son of God, the true Light of the World, out of Sin and Death, which is the Wages thereof.  
Now it is but vain for thee or any other to call Christ thy Redeemer and thy Saviour, and to say, that thou hopest to be saved by Christ after thy Death, because he was crucified at Jerusalem sixteen Hundred years ago, and yet thou livest in Sin and Wickedness, in Pride and Vainglory of this world, which passeth away as a Vapour of the Night afore the Morning Sun; but for all this, let me tell thee plainly without Deceit, nevertheless for all thy high Conceits of thyself, and for all thy vain Hopes and thy feigned Faith, thy Hope is the Hope of the Hypocrite, which will perish in the time of Trial, and thy feigned Faith cannot give thee victory over the world, therefore if ever thou comest to witness Redemption to thy Soul, thou must witness Christ's Death to kill Sin in thy mortal Body, and thou must witness his Resurrection in thee.  
And as for his Sufferings at Jerusalem I own according to the Declaration of the Scriptures, but thou must witness him nearer to thee then at Jerusalem, if ever thou witness him to be thy Redeemer, and the Salvation of thy Soul.  
Now let me reason with thee a little in Coolness and Moderation; if Christ be thy Redeemer, what is it that he hath redeemed thee out of, seeing thou yet livest in Sin, and in the Pollutions of the World? And if he be thy Saviour, what hath he saved thee from, seeing thou art yet in Bondage to Sin and Iniquity? Therefore the sting of death is not yet taken away while Sin remains, so thou canst not call him thy Redeemer in Truth and Righteousness unless thou couldst witness him to have redeemed thee out of sin and transgression, and thou dost but deceive thyself to call him thy Saviour, unless that thou couldst witness that he did save thee out of temptations when they arise in thee from thy own Lusts, and so from Sin which they bring forth, and from Death which is the Wages thereof.  
Now as the first Nature hath reigned, which is of the Earth earthly in all mankind, which is the first Adam, over whom Sin came to have the Dominion, whereby Death came to reign over all Mankind in that nature; so now, as the Children of men come to be begotten into Christ the Second Adam, and so born of the new Birth of Righteousness, they come to know what the Immortal Seed is, whereunto the Promises are Yea and Amen, and come to witness Christ to be the Redeemer and Saviour in Deed and in Truth, and that his Cross in them is the Power of God unto Salvation, and they see, as they abide faithful in that which crosses their own fleshly wills, therein they come to see the power of God and as they stand steadfastly faithful in it they come to see the Power of Light in them, which is far stronger than the Powers of Darkness; for they come to see Victory in it over the Devil & all his subtle Delusions, and over the Flesh and all its Lusts, and over the World and all the Vanities thereof, and as they abide in this Power, which is CHRIST, the Light of the World, and the Power of God unto Salvation, and as they follow him faithfully through all Sufferings, and all the Hatred and Malice which arises against them in the Children of Darkness, they will come to see him to trample down all his Enemies in them, and make them his Footstool; but as any man or woman goes out of the Cross, wherein standeth God's Power, and let their own wills rule in them, than they go into the Power of the Prince of the Air, which ruleth in the Children of Disobedience, whose Dominion wholly standeth in man's corrupt and carnal will, and then he leads them captive at his own Pleasure, and so as they stand in his Dominion Sin comes to have Power over such in all his Motions, and then comes in Complain and Murmur against the Lord, who made them; and so they come to cry out for want of Power, and because they cannot have power and victory over Sin in their own wills, and in their own time, which is the very Ground wherein the Power of Sin standeth; then when they see they cannot have Power over Sin there, which is impossible for any to attain to unless they come out of the Power of their own will into that Power which crosseth it; then they come to plead for Sin in themselves, than they not having Power over it there, they inform all others that they can never have Power over Sin, nor be set free from it whilst they remain in this earthly Tabernacle; and than if the Lord raise up any to witness that he hath redeemed them from under the Power of Sin, and so by his Power in them which is a Cross to the carnal will of man, freed them from the Power of sin and Death, then cry out those that live in all manner of sin and pollutions, these are Deluders, take heed of being deceived, when, alas! there is nothing reigning in them that they can be deceived of but sin and wickedness, and so they cannot bear the hearing that they should be free from sin until the Lord cut off them and their sins together; but they never consider that, as the Tree falleth, so it lieth, and as Death leaves them, so assuredly shall Judgement find them; for in the Grave there is no Repentance, neither can any unclean thing enter into God's Kingdom, which consists of Purity, Holiness, and Righteousness.  
Now the scriptures they declare that God is Light, and if we walk in the Light, and a●ide in the Light, as he is in the Light, than we have Fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Chr●st cleanseth us from all Sin. Now if thou comest into this LIGHT, this will let thee see that there is something in thee that doth check, reprove and cross thy own natural will, and this is the Power of God in thee, and would be unto Salvation if thou wouldst but obey it; for it will crucify thy old Nature, and stand a Cross over thy own will, and so keep it down, that it might not rule in thee, and so thy Soul will come to stand in the Power which is above the Power of sin, and so come to be saved out of sin, and out of Death, which is the sting thereof: And so as thou comest into the Light, and therein standest with an Upright Heart, the Light will make sin and the Power thereof manifest unto thee in all its Motions, and will crucify all that is of the first Nature, and all that which ariseth from thy self, and will judge out that Power daily which hath moved in thee, and hath carried thee forth at all times to act contrary to the Mind and Will of God, and hath caused thee to oppress the Seed which God hath placed in thee; and so ZION with the pure Seed of God in thee cometh to be redeemed through Judgement, and her Converts come to bring forth a righteous Life and Conversation.  
Now thou that readest understand, The Life is more than Meat, and the Body is more than Raiment, and the pure Life is more than Knowledge; for old Adam, or the first Nature may eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and so by th●t may come to talk much of the Truth, and what the Saints enjoyed in former Ages, but cannot come into the Life thereof; for he is driven out from the tree of Life into the earthly Imaginations without him▪ and the ANGEL of the Lord with his flaming Sword, even the Righteous Law is placed to keep the Way of the Tree of Life lest he put forth his Hand and take of the Fruit there of and eat, and so live forever: Now the first Nature is not to live forever, but for an appointed time; for that is the first Adam and his Life which standeth in sin, and he hath transgressed the Righteous Law of God, and so hath sinned, and that Soul that sinneth must die the Death, and so death cometh to reign over all Mankind from Adam till Moses, from the first Nature till the Seed of God in the creature moveth under the burden of Iniquity, whereby it hath been pressed down, as a Cart is pressed with sheaves, and comes to stir up the Creature, and draws him into some Consideration, and brings him to understand his Condition, that he is even a Captive under sin in the Land of Darkness, even in spiritual Egypt, and under many Lusts which are as so many hard Taskmasters to him, and that he is but a stranger and a sojourner there, and that the Lord hath promised him a land of rest and freedom, but he knows not how to find it out until the Lord God shall raise up the great Prophet like unto Moses to lead him out of this Land of Darkness through the red Sea, by his LIGHT, or PILLAR of Fire, which Light is Darkness unto the Egyptians even in their Day, which Pillar of Fire is to guide the Creature through the long desert Wilderness into the land of rest; and Moses is till the Prophets, and the Prophets they declare that there shall a REDEEMER come out of Zion, or the Seed of God within, who shall reign in Peace and Righteousness over his own House, which shall be raised up; for he will make them a willing People, and he will turn unto them the pure Language, and they shall all call upon the Name of the Lord with one Consent, and he will bring back again their Captivity, and settle them in perfect Peace, so that they may every man sit under his own Vine, and under his own Figtree, and none shall make them afraid: And the Prophets they are till John, who is as the Voice of one crying in the Wilderness; now the VOICE said, Cry, the Prophet answered, what shall I cry? That all Flesh is Grass, and the Clory of man as the Flowers of the Field, therefore prepare the Way of the Lord, and make straight the crooked Paths, and let the high lofty Mountains of Man's proud Will be laid low, and let every Valley, and low despised Place be raised, that so the ransomed of the Lord may pass▪ and John he baptizeth to Repentance, and bringeth the Creature into a Sorrow and a Trouble, because it cannot bring forth Fruit worthy of Repentance, and he declares that he is not the Messiah that is to come after him, which is to be preferred before him, whose Shoe-latchet he was not worthy to unloose, but that he is sent to bear his Testimony of him, and John he is till Christ, and when he comes which is the true Messiah, and the true Redeemer of the promised Seed of Israel after the Spirit, who is the second Adam, and the true Prophet like unto Moses, whom the Lord hath promised since the Days of old, even this is he that shall come out of Zion, and shall bring Deliverance unto that Seed in all the Sons and Daughters of Men that hath long groaned, and that which Zion hath long travailed with, and been in Pain to be delivered from under the Burden of Oppression; and he will crucify the old Nature, even the first Adam, who hath been the Oppressor, and nail him to the Cross, and so by the Cross to him ●nd to his corrupt Will will mortify or kill his Deeds, even by the Power of the Spirit, which Power standeth in that which crosses the old Nature; now the first Adam's Life, that standeth in Sin, and in Transgression, and in Deceit and Guile, which are all the Fruits of Death, whereon he feeds, and is in some sort satisfied, for he dares not approach unto the Tree of Life, because the Angel of the Lord's Presence standeth with the flaming sword ready lifted up, even the righteous Law, which still lays hold on him when at any time he approaches near unto the Tree of Life, this cuts him down, so that he at all Times remains in Death, and feeds upon the Fruits thereof; this is the true State and Condition of the first Adam who hath lost himself, and is fallen from God his Maker: But now the second Adam, whom the Lord is creating, and whom he hath created, even after his own Image, in Righteousness and true Holiness, who was and is the first born among many Brethren, even Christ the Son of the living God, who puts an End to Transgression, and destroys Sin, and says, O Death I will be thy Death, and fulfils the Royal Law in all things, and passeth through the flaming sword, for the Fire cannot touch him, but he has free Access to the Tree of Life, and feeds plentifully upon the Fruit thereof, and so lives forever, and nothing will satisfy him but the very Life itself: And this is the true Condition of the second Adam, who is the true Heir of all things: Now he that comes to have this Babe begotten in him, that which hath begot him will bring him forth; for shall I bring to the Birth, and not bring forth? saith the Lord; now he that comes to be born of this Birth, and to have his Life to stand in this, he shall with this come to eat of the Tree of Life; for this is he that shall enter in at the straight Gate into the City whose Builder is God: Therefore if thou feelest any thing in thee which stirs and moves in thee against sin, and against the very Appearance of Evil, there lies the seed out of which this Babe is form; and therefore as it is as yet but weak, as in Appearance to thee, thou oughtest to be tender over it, even more tender than the Mother that is newly conceived is over the tender Fruit of her Womb, and beware of bruising of it, and of smothering of it, for a small thing will offend it and choke it; but as thou art tender over it, and with Carefulness dost cherish it, and come to take Delight in it, thou wilt find it to grow daily, and increase in thee from strength to strength; but thou must beware that thou dost not at any time lay any Burden upon it, whereby it may be offended, for if thou dost, thou wilt come into Condemnation for the same, and thou wilt come to suffer Loss in thyself, which Loss will not easily be regained, for thou wilt find Deadness and Barrenness to arise up in thee, and the Dread and Terror of the Lord will take hold daily upon thee; until the Lord hath executed his Vengeance upon that which hath oppressed his seed; for thou must assuredly come to know a day of Vengeance in thee to light upon the Head of the Transgressor, and a Night of s●rrow, before thou canst know the day of Joy and Gladness.  
Therefore if thou wilt give up freely to let the Seed of God go free to serve the Lord its God in Truth and Righteousness, and wait in Patience to see the Oppressor judged and condemned in thee, and to see the Vengeance of the Lord to be laid upon the Head of the Transgressor, and so to become one with that which judgeth, and executes the fierce Wrath and Indignation of the Lord upon that which oppresseth the righteous Seed in thee: Now if thou become one with the Lord in this, and give up thyself willingly in Obedience to him, than a short Work will the Lord make in the Earth, and thou shalt come to see him whom thy Soul loveth, who now doth but spring up in thee, as a Lily among Thorns, but when he comes to be brought forth, he will be the fairest amongst ten thousand, and this is Christ in thee, the Hope of Glory, and thou wilt come to live in him, and he in thee; and so thou wilt come to live in the Life that was before Sin was, and before Transgression was, and shall be when Sin and Transgression is destroyed, and shall be no more; and then thou wilt come to witness old things to be done away, and all things to become new, a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness; and thou wilt come to witness God's Will to be done in thy Body of Earth as it is in Heaven, and his Kingdom in thee to be come and established, and his Power made known in thee to the destroying of the Power of Sin and Satan, and his Glory to be made known in thee to the setting forth of his eternal Praise in the midst of all his Enemies; and this is declared by many who are faithful Witnesses of it, according to the Measure which the Lord hath freely been pleased to give and bestow upon them, and this do they witness to be an eternal Truth, according as the Spirit of the Lord God of Truth hath revealed it unto them; for they never received from Man, neither by Man, but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ, who leads into the Path of Light and Life all that are willing and obedient to follow him; now these things are deep and hidden Mysteries to them that yet remain in Darkness; but if thou canst but read the Scriptures singly without adding thereunto thy own or any other Man's Imaginations, they testify of him that hath the Life in him, and they declare how the two Births have been brought forth in all Ages, which Births came from the two Seeds, even the Seed of the Promise and the Seed of the Serpent, and between these two Seeds there is an everlasting Enmity placed, so that they can never be reconciled one to the other, but still arise one to destroy the other; but at last the Seed of the Woman must and will get the Victory, for that must come to bruise the Seed of the Serpent's head, although the other bruise his Heel for a short Space; now see the Seed of the Serpent brought forth by the first Birth in Cain, how the Enmity comes to work in him, so that he came as it were to murder Abel, the second Birth, which was brought forth of the Seed of the Promise, and wherefore was it, but because the Sacrifice that was offered up by the promised Seed was accepted, and his, the Seed of the Serpent was not; therefore Cain, the first Birth, who as in Reference to his outward Birth after the Flesh was therein his Brother; but yet he being ruled by the contrary Seed to Abel, the Enmity caused him to rise up and to murder innocent Abel, and then he became a Fugitive and a Vagabond upon Earth all his Days, not having an Habitation in God, although he builded a City, and called it by his Son's Name; so here the Seed of the Serpent bruised the Seed of the Woman's Heel, and yet the Serpent's Head was bruised in this thing: See the Declaration of Jacob and Esau, and there thou shalt see it more nearly and clearly made manifest unto thee; for there thou may'st see the two Seeds Placed together in one fleshly Womb, and there they strove which should first come forth to the Birth; I know thou canst not but with me witness these two Seeds in thee, striving which shall be brought forth; now rough Esau came first forth in the Birth, who became a Hunter, and hunted up and down after Venison, and became a rough hairy Man, of whom it was said, The Elder shall serve the Younger before they had been instrumental to do Good or Evil; then after him Jacob was brought forth, who by true Interpetation is a Supplanter, who stayed at home with his Father, who in Process of Time came to get both the Birthright and the Blessing, for the Blessing of Right belongeth to him, for he was blessed in the Womb, for in him the promised Seed sprung up, who at last became a great People; yet was he by Esau long kept out of the Birth▪ right, although that Esau had sold it to him, and counted it a small thing, even a thing of nought, and sold it for a thing of small Value, even for a Mess of Pottage, which afterwards he would have sought the Blessing with Tears, but could not attain it; but the Power of Jacob daily increased, so that he became a mighty people, and the Dread and the Terror of the Lord was with him, which caused the Heathen, even the Stock of Esau, even many times to fear, and tremble, and stand astonished at their Presence: Yet nevertheless this fleshly Seed of Jacob, which came out of his fleshly Loins, came to be corrupted, and the Seed of the Serpent came to bear Rule in many of them, so that the Seed of God came to be oppressed in them, which should have born Rule over the Seed of the Serpent in their earthly Bodies, so that many times there was hardly one to be found in an Age, or one in a Generation which came to witness the Serpent's Head to be bruised in him, or that the Seed of God ruled in him in singleness and simplicity; so that the Lord came as it were to be forgotten amongst the Sons and Daughters of Men; but yet there was the Seed within, which still breathed and groaned after God, for which seed's sake the Lord hath long waited, that he may be gracious unto the Sons and Daughters of Men, otherwise he had long ago consumed them in his Fury, and his fierce Wrath had broke forth upon them, as it did upon SODOM and GOMORRAH, and all the Cities of the Plains.  
But he hath at all times raised up his own seed in some, so that they have born their faithful Testimonies for him against the seed of the serpent, and so by them came to give forth Laws and Statutes, whereby the Children of Men may come to know his Mind and Will, so that in the Performance of them they should li●e, but they that disobey the same should die the Death, than all they which were of the Seed of Jacob after the Flesh said, that whatsoever the Lord should command them, they would perform; but the Lord full well knew that there was not such an Heart in them, which caused him to cry out, Oh that there was such an Heart in this People to obey me, than should their Peace break forth as the Morning, and their Righteousness as the Sun at Noonday; but the Lord's allseeing Eye saw that there was the Seed of the Serpent still lodging amongst them and in them, which soon afterwards showed itself forth, which caused the Lord's Wrath to break forth upon many of them, even to their Destruction: And although the Lord had wrought great Deliverances for them, even in carrying them down into the Land of Egypt, and causing them there to endure a hard time of Servitude and Bondage under the Hand of Pharaoh's hard Taskmasters; and raising up his own Seed to show itself amongst them, even to the redeeming them out of the Land of Bondage, and from under their Egyptian Captivity, even by many grievous Plagues and mighty Wonders, which he shown forth upon Pharaoh and his Egyptian Host; and carried them through the Depths of the Red Sea, as upon dry Land, and destroyed Pharaoh and h●s Multitude, who pursued after them, and led them through the Desert Wilderness, and caused Water to gush cut of the Rock to satisfy their thirsty Souls, and fed them many Years with Manna in the Wilderness; yet nevertheless for all this his large Love towards them▪ this pure Seed of God was still oppressed in many of them by this Seed of the Serpent, which caused the Lord to destroy many Thousands of them in the Wilderness, before they came into the promised Land; so that there was but a very small Number of them that came out of Egypt, that entered into the Land of Rest, even but Two Persons, which were JOSHUA and CALEB; for all the rest were destroyed, because the Seed of God was oppressed In them, even by the Seed of the Serpent, which caused them To complain, and To murmur, and to departed from his Statutes, and rebel against his Righteous Laws; yet still the Seed of God cried and groaned unto him under all this, and his Ears are continually open unto the Cries thereof; and for this Seed's Sake he raised up a People out of the Stock of JACOB, even in the Wilderness, which he caused to enter into the Land of Promise.  
And whenas they stood faithful in his Laws and Statutes, he destroyed their Enemies before them, even in a wonderful and miraculous manner, so that in process of time they came to have victory over all their Enemies, and to sit down in the Land, in Rest and Peace, and the Lord made them a Dread and a Terror to all Nations round about them, and they built strong Holds and great fenced Cities, so that they became a mighty People; & as they stood faithful unto the Lord, he made them as a Sign, and as a Wonder unto all the Nations of the Earth, so that his Fear and Dread fell upon many that had been Strangers to (and alienated from) him; & they were set as a City upon a Hill, which could not be hid, but still there was the Seed of the Serpent lodging in many of them; for when they were brought to sit down in Rest and Ease, the Seed of the Serpent came to rise in them, and the pure Seed came to be oppressed, and the pure Simplicity, that came to be lost, and they rebelled against the Lord, & transgressed against his pure Laws & Statutes; and they committed Whoredom, even with the Heathen, and then the Lord raised up his Seed in his prophets, and sent many of them unto them, to fore-warn them of the Destruction that would come upon them, if they still went on in their Rebellion against the Lord: And as the Lord had set the House of Israel, whilst they stood in his Statutes, as a Sign, and as a wonder unto the Nations round about them, so now likewise he hath set his Prophets, in whom his Seed is raised, as Signs and Wonders to the House of Israel, because they were become a rebellious People; but many of the Prophets they murdered, wherein the same Seed of the Serpent that was in Cain appeared; and some they cast into Prison, others they Banished, so that they provoked the Holy One of Israel to Wrath, so that he let lose the Heathens against them, and suffered them to destroy their Land, and to lay waste their fenced Cities, and to carry them away Captives into strange Lands, till he had humbled them, and brought them low; then, when they were in Distress they called upon him, & cried unto him in the time of their Trouble, and his Ears were open to them, and then he many times by his Prophets came to reason with them, and to lay open before them the many Deliverances which he at sundry times had wrought for them, & of the Largeness of his Love towards them▪ & yet how they had all along rebelled against him, and turned his Righteous Law behind their Backs, and not regarded his Reproofs; but yet, when he by Afflictions had brought down the Seed of the Serpent, so that they came low in Heart, and in Mind to be humbled towards him, and to let the oppressed Seed in them to arise, whose Sighs and Groans were to the Lord, for whose Sake the Lord brought back again their Captivity, and caused them to rest in their own Land, in Peace, and Safety; and when he had ruled them many Years by Judges, than they desired to have a KING, even as all the Nations round about them had, who were Strangers to God, and in this they provoked the Holy One of Israel; but yet for his own Seed's Sake he suffered all this and much more, And gave them a King in his Wrath, even Saul the Son of Kish, and anointed him with his own Spirit, that he might have Understanding and Wisdom to rule and govern them, that they might walk humbly in the Statutes of the Lord; but he himself soon disobeyed the Voice of the Lord, when he was sent to destroy the Amalekites, that he should not spare old nor young, but slay both Man and Woman, Infant and Suckling, Ox and Sheep, Camel and Ass; but see how the Seed of the Serpent arose in Saul, and the Children of Israel, and caused him to disobey the Commands of God, by sparing Agag (the King of the Amalekites) alive, and the best of the Sheep and of the Oxen, and of the Fatlings, and of the lamb's, and all that was Good, and would not utterly destroy them, but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly, and so provoked the Spirit of the Lord which anointed him King; and the Lord repent that he had set up Saul King over Israel, and he rend the Kingdom from him, because his pure Seed came to be oppressed in him; and so, as he gave [those People] a King in his Wrath, he took him from them in his Sore Displeasure.  
But then he sent his Servant Samuel, whom he anointed to be a Prophet unto the House of Israel, and sent him unto Saul, to acquaint him that the Lord had rend the Kingdom from him; and the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and with it his Honour; but yet, behold the Subtlety of the Serpent in him, who would have tempted the Prophettohave honoured him before the People, when that in him, to which the Honour did duly belong, was departed from him; but herein the Serpent's Head (in some Measure) came to be bruised: Then the Lord sent his Prophet to anoint David King over Israel, who was the Son of Jesse; for said the Lord, Behold, I have found a man after my own Heart to reign over Israel; to whom the Lord promised, that out of his Loins, after the Flesh, should come the MESSIAH, that should rule over the spiritual Seed of Abraham, and that there should not want one to sit upon the Throne of David henceforth, even forever, and that his Kingdom should be an Everlasting Kingdom, and of his Dominion there should be no End, and the Government should be upon his Shoulders; this is the great Prophet that Moses foretold of to the Children of Israel, that should come, saying, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up from among your Brethren, like unto me, him shall you hear in all things, and it shall come to pass, that he that will not obey the Voice of this Prophet shall be cut off from amongst the People.  
Now consider what this Moses was, who declareth this unto Israel, he was one whom the Lord preserved in the Court of Pharaoh, in Egypt, which was of the stock of Israel; and by his Hand the Lord brought many Plagues upon the Land of Egypt, and by him delivered the Seed of Israel out of their Captivity.  
So likewise, this Prophet that the Lord hath promised to raise up, like unto him, from amongst their Brethren, even from within the midst of every man, which shall bring JUDGEMENTS and PLAGUES upon spiritual Egypt, even the Land of Darkness, & bring Deliverance unto the spiritual Seed of Israel, which now groans under the Burden of Oppression. This Messiah, even CHRIST, all the Prophets pointed at him, and prophesied of his Coming, even in the one Body of Flesh; for they prophesied, That a Virgin should conceive and bear a Son, and they should call his Name EMANUEL, which by Interpretation is, GOD WITH US; and he promised To give him for a COVENANT unto the People, and for a LIGHT unto the Gentiles, that he might be his Salvation unto the End of the Earth; and that he should put an End unto all Types and Ceremonies, which then the Children of Israel observed, & were commanded so to do, even by the Lord their God, and had their Priests, their Levites, their Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifice, their Heave-Offerings, their Peace-Offerings, their Shewbread, their Passovers, their New-Moons, their Sabbaths, their Solemn-Assemblies, their Temple and Altar, with the Ark of the Testament; but yet all These were but Shadows of things which were to come; for the Substance was and is CHRIST; for the Seed of God was yet (for all this) oppressed in them; for they smote with the Fist of Wickedness, and many times provoked the Lord to Wrath, so that he destroyed many of them, and they caused him to say, that though the number of the Children of Israel were in number as the Sands on the Sea Shore, yet should there be but a Remnant of them saved, which Remnant was them in whom the pure Seed of God came to be raised up to bear Rule, and so they came faithfully to believe in the Promises of God, and so by Faith they came to be saved; for they came to witness it to give them Victory over Sin, and so they believed in Christ the Son of God, which was to come, & to be made manifest to the World in general, and was manifested in them in particular; and of his Coming all the House of Israel believed, in the Notion, and in a Carnal Sense, but yet in Process of time, when he came they would not receive him; for the Seed of the Serpent raised up in them a Heart of Unbelief, so that they were hardened against the Promise when he came unto them.  
And although the Wise Men & the Astrologers could tell Herod, the very Place and time, when and where he should be born, and although the Lord did send his Prophet, even John, to bear witness of him, and in baptising o● them into Repentance, and so to prepare the Way before him, so that many of them believed, that John was sent of God; and although he declared, that there was one coming after him whose Shoe-latchets he was not worthy to unloose, yet their Hearts were hardened by the Seed of the Serpent, which ruled in them; so that when Christ was brought forth amongst them, who was and is the true Redeemer of the spiritual Seed of Abraham, even the Seed of the Promise, for which Seed's sake the Lord hath all along spared them, and his fierce wrath has been withheld from breaking forth upon them, so that they were not utterly destroyed from being a People; but yet his Wrath broke forth soon after upon them, which burned in Fury like the Fire, till it had consumed them, and cut them off from being a People, and scattered them up and down the Earth as Vagabonds, because of their Hardheartedness & Unbelief, which arose in them from the Seed of the Serpent, because they rejected him whom the Lord had sent to bruise the Serpent's Head; but before they came to be cut off, do but behold the Seed of the Serpent how it came to work in them in the Enmity against the Seed of the woman▪ even CHRIST, and how in subtlety, assoon as Herod came to hear of his Birth, under a pretence of worshipping, him he would have slain him, but the Lord delivered him out of his Hands, by sending him into Egypt, where he remained till after Herod's Death.  
But yet, see how the Bloody Serpent's seed was raised up in Herod, which caused him to cause all the Children in Bethlehem to be slain; but yet, after his Death CHRIST JESUS came to be made manifest unto Israel, even in the Land of Judea, and at Jerusalem, and in all the Regions round about, even by disputing with the Scribes and the Disputers of the Law, in their Synagogues & in their Temple, who confounded them by grounded Reasons & strong arguments, making it appear to them by Scripture, and by evident Signs, and miraculous Wonders, which he wrought amongst them, that he was the Messiah that was to come, whereof the Scripture declared, and many there were that believed in him, and that forsook all to follow him, even of the poor, foolish & despised by the world; but yet the Seed of the Serpent still ruled in the great, mighty and potents of Israel after the Flesh, and in the wise Scribes and Pharisees, and the Rulers of the People, so that their hearts were hardened, that they could not believe, because he came not according to their Expectations in their carnal Imaginations; for said they, When Chr●st cometh, who shall know from whence he comes? but for this Fellow, we know from whence he is: is not this the Carpenter's Son whose Father and Mother, Sisters and Brethren are amongst us daily?  
So, because he came not according to their proud Wills, which could not stoop to so mean a thing as the Carpenter's Son, although the Lord had declared by a Voice from Heaven, that he was his beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased, and that they were to hear him; yet still they were carried on in Hatred against him by the Enmity from the cursed seed that reigned in them; and them in whom the Seed of God came to bear rule, which confessed Christ to be the Son of God, were hated, despised and called cursed, because they knew not the Law, and turned out of their Synagogues; and the Enmity increased (daily) in them against him, so that they (daily) sought Opportunity to take him, that they might put him to Death; but yet they durst not lay hands on him, because his appointed time was not yet come: Now the Priests and the Chief Leaders of the People caused them to err, so that the Scriptures (came to be fulfilled) which declared, That he should be a Man of Sorrow, and one acquainted with Grief, and be despised and rejected of men, and that they should hid as it were their Faces from him, and esteem him as smitten of God and afflicted; so the People then cried out, That he cast out Devils by the power of Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils; others they cried out, He was a Companion to Publicans and Sinners; others, That he was a Sabboth-breaker; others cried out, He hath a Devil; why hear ye him? So there came many false Accusations to be raised up against him by the seed of the Serpent, and the Enmity which he raised up in them, whose Head Christ came to bruise.  
But yet, notwithstanding all this, many were they that believed on (and followed after) him, amongst whom he declared the Message unto them which the Lord had sent him to declare, which was, That he was the Light of the World, and that whosoever followed him should not abide in darkness, but should have the Light of Life; and that for Judgement he was come into the world; and that the Prince of this world might be judged, which should come after him, but had no part in him; and that he that had formerly had his Sight might be blind, and that he that had been blind might receive his Sight. And he did many Miracles amongst them, even Raising the Dead, causing the Lame to walk, and the Blind to see, and the Deaf to hear, and the Leper to be cleansed; and he exhorted them, To walk in the Light whilst they had the Light, that they might be the Children of the Light; and that they should work while they had the Day, for the Night should come wherein no man could work. And he told even the Scribes and Pharisees, That the Kingdom of God came not with Observations, that is to say, Lo here it is at this place, or lo there it is at that place, but that the Kingdom of God was nigh at hand, even within them, and therefore he often exhorted them to Repent, and many times spoke to them in Parables, comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to a Grain of Mustardseed, which should be sown in the Earth, which is the least among many Grains, yet it should spring up into a great Tree, wherein the Fowls of the Air might roost; and he compared it to a lost Groat, which could not be found till the Woman had lighted the Candle and swept her House; and he compared it to a certain Lord, who went into a far Country, who called his own Servants, and delivered unto them his Goods, and unto one he gave five Talents, and unto another two, and unto another one Talon, to every man according to his several Ability, and straightway took his Journey, than he that had received the five Talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five Talents, and likewise he that had received two gained also other two; but he that had received one, went and digged in the Earth, and hid his Lord's Money; after a long time the Lord of those Servants cometh, and reckoneth with them▪ and so he that had received five Talents came, and brought other five Talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five Talents, behold I have gained besides them five Talents more; his Lord said unto him, Well done thou good and faithful Servant, thou hast ●een faithful over a few things, I will make thee a Ruler over many things, enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord; and he also that had received two Talents came, and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two Talents, behold I have gained other two Talents besides them; and his Lord said unto him, Well done thou good and faithful Servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee Ruler over many, enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord; then came he which had received the one Talon, and said, Lord, I knew thee, that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed, & I was afraid, and went and hid thy Talon in the Earth, lo there thou hast that is thine; his Lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful Servant, thou knowest I reaped where I sowed not, and gathered where I strewed not, thou oughtest therefore to have put my Money to the Exchangers, and then at my coming, I should have received mine own with Usury; take therefore the Talon from him, and give it to him that hath ten Talents; for unto every one that hath, shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath; and cast ye the Unprofitable Servant into utter Darkness, where shall be Weeping, and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth. And he compared the Kingdom unto Ten Virgins▪ and to many other things, which would swell into a great Volumn to declare and open the Mysteries thereof.  
Now all this was to be found within man; for there he told them the Kingdom was, whereunto this was likened; and he advised them, to strive to enter into the Kingdom; and told them, The Gate was straight, and the Way was narrow, which leads into it; but the Way was broad, & the Gate wide, that leads into Destruction: yet nevertheless for all this, the god of the World blinded their Eyes, and their Hearts were still hardened, although there were some that bore witness to their Faces, whom they had sent unto Christ to seek to ensnare him by Words, and testified, That never man spoke like unto him, yet for all this the Enmity came to burn the more violently in them against him, which Enmity arose from the Seed of the Serpent which lodged in them, whereby they sought Opportunity that they might by any Means put him to death which was not unknown to him, who was the express Image of God the Father, in whom the Godhead dweltbodily; so that he was the Searcher and Discerner of the Heart, and by his Light he makes manifest the Secrets thereof; for he saw through the Pharisees, who made large Profession of God the Father, but yet they rebelled against the Son of God, whom he had sent a Light into the World, therefore he pronounced Woe against them, calling them, Blind Leaders of the Blind, and Hypocrites, and Whited Walls, and likening them unto Painted Sepulchers, which outwardly made a fair show, but inwardly were full of Rottenness, telling them, that they washed the Outside of the Platter, but the Inside remained full of Filthiness, and that they paid Tithes of Cummin, Mint and anise, when they omitted the weightier Matters, even Justice and Judgement; these are they that in outward Appearance did walk as to the Law blameless, yet Christ warned his Disciples to beware of the Leven of these great Professors, who did all to be seen of Men, they made Long Prayers in the Synagogues, and loved the Chiefest Place in the Assemblies, and Greetings in the Marketplace, and would not keep Company with Publicans nor Sinners, but cried out against Christ, because his Disciples did eat with Publicans and Sinners; yet nevertheless, Christ told his Disciples, that unless their Righteousness did exceed the Righteousness of these High Professing Scribes and Pharisees, they should in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: and he many times did dispute with these Professors, who sat in Moses' Chair, but they being Carnally-minded could not understand him, because he spoke unto them in a spiritual Sense, therefore what was spoken by him unto them was as Parables, which they could not understand; and many times his Say were so hard amongst them, that them that believed on him could not understand; for even his Disciples, whereof he had chosen twelve particularly unto himself, many times asked him in private, what might be the Meaning of what he had spoke to them in public: And he sent forth many of his Disciples to declare his Name abroad in the World, and that they should publish, That CHRIST, the M●s●ias, who was the Redeemer of the World, which the Prophets prophesied should come, that now he is come a Light into the World, that whosoever believes in him should no longer remain in Darkness; and he foretell to them the Destruction of their Temple and Temple-worships, and that he was come to put an End to it all, and that they should no longer worship him at Jerusalem, nor in the Mount at Samaria, but he that will worship the Father, must worship him in Spirit and in Truth, and that such the Father seeks to worship him; and that God was and is a Spirit, and those that will worship him, must worship him in Spirit and in Truth; and he told his Disciples, that he had chosen them twelve, and yet one of them was a Devil, and he foretell them, that he should be betrayed by one of them into the Hands of Sinners, and that they should be all offended because of him; but honest-hearted Peter, who was one of the 12. told him from the pure Simplicity that lodged in his Heart, that though they all should forsake him, yet he would not; but Christ saw how secretly the Seed of the Serpent lodged in him, & so answered him, that before the Cock should crow he would deny him thrice; and he told them, that the Shepherd should be smitten, and the Sheep should be scattered, and that the Chief Priests and Elders should take him by Policy & hale him before the Judgment-Seat, that he should (by them) be put to Death, and that the third day he should rise again, & that he would go before them into Galilee, and that no Man could take away his Life, but that he laid it down that he might take it up again; for he had Power to lay it down, and Power to take it up again, all which came to pass according as he had said; for the Enmity still arose amongst the Jews against him from the seed of the Serpent, which lodged in them, and caused them to combine with the Chief Priests and Elders, who hired Judas Iscarriot, even one of the twelve, to betray him into their Hands for thirty Pieces of Silver, and so came with a Band of Soldiers, and with a traitorous Kiss betrayed him into the Hands of Unreasonable Men, who came forth with Pikes and Staves, as if he had been a Murderer, whenas he daily taught in their Synagogues, and disputed with them in their Assemblies, and no Man laid hands upon him; but now was the Time come wherein the seed of the Serpent must bruise his Heel, and he must bruise the Serpent's Head; for he had compared his Life unto a Corn of Wheat, which when it was sowed in the Ground was but one, but when it sprung up it came to be many; and he said, that the Son of Man must be lifted up, and when he was, he should draw all Men after him; and he told his Disciples, that he would come again unto them, and be with them unto the End of the World, and that he would not leave them comfortless, but he would send them the Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth, which should lead them into all truth, and bring all things to their Remembrance, and that he should convince the World of Sin, of Righteousness and of Judgement; and that he was the good Shepherd, that would lay down his Life for the Sheep, and that all the rest were but Thiefs and Robbers, whose own the Sheep were not.  
But now, thou that readest, do but consider and behold how mightily the Enmity which is placed betwixt these Two Seeds works in each of them one against the other, see how the Seed of the Serpent ariseth to bruise the Seed of the Woman's Heel in the Disciples of Christ, and them that had believed in him, when he was betrayed, and taken and bound and sent away to the Judgement Seat, how the Seed of the Serpent raised up Doubtings, and Fear, and Questioning in them, whether he were the CHRIST yea or nay, whereby the pure Seed of God in them came as it were to have its Heel bruised for that present time, & they all forsook him, except Peter only, in whom the Seed of God was raised up in something a higher Measure than the rest; but yet in the very time of Trial, when he cane to be questioned concerning Christ the Seed of the Serpent raised up in him a slavish Fear, which caused him to deny Christ, even with Oaths; but then the Cock cr●w, and he remembered Christ's Words, and he went forth and wept bitterly: Now see also the Strive that were betwixt the Two Seeds in Pilate, how from the honest Simplicity of the Seed of God which lodged in him, he confessed, he found no Fault in him whom they called the King of the Jews, but would have loosed him from the Bands of Death; but yet see the Workings of the subtle Serpent in him, which raised up a Fear in him of displeasing the People, whose Mouths were continually opened unto him, crying out, Away with this Fellow, crucify him, he is not worthy to live upon the Earth: Now behold what a straight Pilate was in between two, even in himself; they cried out, That they would have Christ crucified, and Barabas the Murderer delivered to them, and his Wife sent to him, That he should have no hand in the Death of that just man; for She had been much troubled in a Dream concerning him, and that of God in his own Conscience testified unto him, That he was innocent of the things whereof he stood accused before him; then the Seed of the Serpent risen up in him, and caused him to work wickedness in Hypocrisy, and caused him to call out unto the People, and to tell them, that he would not have any Hand in the Death of this man, but that his Blood should be upon them, and upon their Children, and they all cried out that it might be so, so Pilate called for Water, and washed his Hands, and said, That he was innocent, as concerning the Blood of this Just Man; and so he delivered him unto them to be crucified, who formerly had great Strive in his Body of Flesh, in so much that it caused him to sweat Drops of Blood; so likewise now upon the Cross the Seed of the Serpent so bruised his Heel whereat he cried, MY GOD, MY GOD, why hast thou forsaken me? but at his Departing, when he yielded up the Ghost, than the Seed of the Woman began to rise to bruise the Serpent's Head, when the Veil of the Temple rend, and the Rocks clavae, and the Graves opened, and many of the Saints that had slept came forth, and Darkness came over the Earth; then Fear and Dread fell upon the Hearts of many, and the Serpent's Head was bruised down in them, so that they confessed, that they believed, he was the Son of God: And although they buried him in a strong Sepulchre, and rolled a mighty Stone upon the Mouth thereof, & although the chief Priests and Elders sealed it with their own Seal, and set Soldiers over it to watch him, lest any Man should steal him away in the Night, yet the third Day he risen again, according to the Scriptures, in such a Miraculous Manner, that the Sight thereof struck Dread and Amazement upon the Soldiers, which caused them to for sake the Sepulchre and to go and tell it to the Chief Priests and Elders, yet see the Subtlety of the Serpent, how it wrought in them to cover the Gild from the sight of Men, and how he turned his Head to save it from bruising, in causing them to give the Soldier's Money, that they might go their way and report, That whilst they were asleep his Friends came and stole him away from them; yet nevertheless he appeared unto many after he was risen from the dead; for the Bands of Death could not hold him: And the first which saw him after his Resurrection was Mary, who stood weeping without at the Sepulchre, and Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? who seekest thou? She supposing him to be the Gardener said unto him, Sir, if thou hast born him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him aw●y, Jesus said unto her, Marry, she turned her self and said unto him, Raboni, which is to say, Master, Jesus said unto her, touch me n●t, but go unto my Brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God & your God; and Mary Magdalen came and told the Disciples, that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her; and now the Seed of the Woman was raised up mightily to bruise the Serpent's Head: He afterwards appeared unto his Disciples at sundry times and Places, bidding them to go and preach the Gospel to all Nations; & he told them, that he would be with them to the End of the World, and commanded them to go to Jerusalem, and there to wait till they should receive Power from on high, even the Holy Ghost the Comforter, which he had promised to them before; and he told them, that after the Holy Ghost was come upon them, They should be Witnesses unto him, both in Jerusalem and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost Parts of the Earth, which accordingly came to pass, when they were met together with one accord, on the Day of Pentecost; for there suddenly came a Sound from Heaven, as of a rushing mighty Wind, and it filled all the House, where they were sitting, and there appeared upon them cloven Tongues as of Fire, and sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other Tongues as the Spirit gave them Utterance; and there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every Nation under Heaven, and now when this was noised abroad the Multitude came together and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own Language, and they were all amazed, and marvailed saying one to another, Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans, and how hear we every man in our own Tongue wherein we were born, we do hear them speak in our own Tongues the Wonderful Works of God; and they were all amazed and in doubt, saying one to another, what meaneth this! Now the Seed of the Woman was raised up in many of these devout men, and the Serpent's Head came to be bruised; but yet there were others in whom the Seed of the Serpent ruled, which caused them to mock and to say, These men are full of New Wine, but Peter was raised up amongst them by the Power of the Almighty to declare unto them the Eternal Truth of God, whereby the Serpent's Head came to be bruised in many, and the Seed of God to be raised up, even in three thousand, whose Souls were then converted; and the Seed of the Woman still prevailed more and more, and the Apostles went on in the Dread and in the Authority of the Lord, declaring unto the Nations what tho Lord had made manifest in them, even by the Operation of his Powerful Spirit; & they turned People from Darkness to Light, and from the Power of the Serpent, even Satan, to the Power of God, which was Christ in them the Hope of Glory; and they told People, that Christ was in them except they were Reprobates; yet they met with strong Oppositions, even within them and without them, which arose from the Seed of the Serpent, but yet they witnessed the Cross of Christ to be the Power of God to Salvation. Now do but behold how suddenly the Seed of the Serpent came to be destroyed in Paul, even by the Seed of the Woman, who bruised his Head, who being a violent Persecuter came suddenly to be convinced, even by the Voice of Christ Jesus the Light of the World, which Light shined round about him, and he became Blind to what he had formerly seen, and that Eye which formerly was blinded, came to be opened and that Eye which formerly had been opened came to be shut, and the Scales fell from off them, and that Tongue that had formerly been drunk came to sound forth the Praises of the Lord in the Declaration of his glorious Gospel; and not only Paul, but whole Nations, came to be converted unto God, & to be turned from Darkness unto the Light of the glorious Gospel, and the Sound of God's mighty Day went through all the Earth; this was a good Day, wherein Christ warned his Disciples, that they should work; but yet this Day was to be darkened; for Christ told them, That the Night should come wherein no man could work; for he saw, that the Seed of the Serpent yet lodged in many of them, who then professed him, therefore he gave his Disciples Warning of them, and told them by what Signs they should know them, which were, That they should come in Sheep's Clothing, a fair outward Show, but inwardly ravened from the Nature of the Sheep, and the Wolfish Nature should lodge in them, which would make a Prey of the Sheep, and continually seek to devour them; and this Nature did arise from the Seed of the Serpent which lodged in the Hearts of many, and came afterwards to work in a Mystery, even in the Mystery of Iniquity, and this was the man of Sin, which sat in the Temple of God, as God, and exercised himself above all that is called God, which was then vailed and not known, except unto a few, to whom the Man of Sin came to be revealed, and the Everlasting Day of the Lord came to be known, and they came to give forth their Testimony from the Seed of God which was raised up in them, that the Ends of the World were come upon them, and that the latter times were come, whereof Christ had forewarned them wherein Antichrist should come, and that he was then in their Days come; and that there were many Antichrists then gone forth into the world, which Antichrists made up the one great Antichrist in Process of time, and they declared, that the Mystery of Iniquity did then in their Days begin to work; and that the Form of Godliness should come to be followed, and the Power of Godliness to be denied: And the Apostle exhorted the Thessalonians, Not to be troubled, neither by Word, nor by Spirit, nor by Letter, as from us, that the Day of Christ is at Hand: So he declared, that there should be a Night; for else he had not spoken of a Day to be at hand, which Night was then drawing on, therefore he advised the aforesaid Thessalonians, Not to let any man deceive them by any Means, as concerning the Day of the Lord; for that Day should not come except there came a Night, or a Falling away first, that the Man of Sin might be revealed, the Son of Perdition, which Man was conceived from the Seed of the Serpent, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God, sitteth in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God, even the God of the world, who blindeth the eye of the mind of many. And the Apostle declared unto the  People, that the Mystery of Iniquity did already work, only he who now letteth would let until he were taken out of the Way, & then should that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord would consume with the Spirit of his Mouth, and destroy with the Brightness of his Coming. And the Apostles declared, That Perilous times were at hand, and should come, wherein men should be Lovers of themselves, more than Lovers of God, and that they should be Proud, Heady, High▪ minded men, and should have a Form of Godliness, but should deny the Power; they should be such, who seek after filthy Lucre, and through Covetousness should make Merchandise of Souls for dishonest Gain, and they should be Fierce, Despisers of them that are good, and should speak Evil of Things they know not, but what they know, is naturally, as Bruit Beasts, and in those Things they corrupt themselves; these are Murmurers and Complainers, walking after their own Lusts, and their Mouths speaking great swelling Words, having men's Persons in Admiration, because of Advantage; these are as raging Waves of the Sea foaming out their own Shame, Wandering Stars, to whom is reserved the Blackness of Darkness forever, therefore the Woe is unto them; for they have gone in the Way of Cain, and run greedily after the Error of Balaam, even for Gifts and Rewards: And Enoch the Seventh from Adam prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh in Ten Thousand of his Saints to execute Judgements upon all, and to convince all that are Ungodly amongst them, of all their Ungodly Deeds, which they have ungodlily committed; and of all their Hard Speeches, which Ungodly Sinners have spoke against him. Now these were the Ministers of Darkness, therefore they have wrought in the dark, & their Deeds have been the Deeds of Darkness; and these are they that have kept People in Blindness and Ignorance some Thirty, some Forty and some an Hundred Years, even all their Life▪ time, ever learning, but they never came to the Knowledge of the Truth by them, and these are they which have taught for Doctrine the Precepts of Men, and their Precepts are contrary to the Scriptures, and are as followeth.  
First, They tell People, That the Scriptures are the Word of God, when there is no such thing mentioned in the Scriptures; but they declare, that Christ was the Word, which was in the beginning with God, and was God.  
2dly, They tell People of a Sacrament, and some of them of several Sacraments, and of Three Persons in the Trinity; when the Scripture declares no such thing; yet the Father, Son and holy Ghost we own, which is but one.  
3dly, They Sprinkle Infants with Water, and tell the People, They are adopted into Christ, and are thereby become Members of his Body, when there is neither Command nor Example in all the Scriptures for any such thing.  
4thly, They tell People, That the First Day of the Week is the Sabbath Day, and aught to be kept more holy than any other Day; when there was no such thing commanded by Christ nor any of the Apostles.  
5thly, They have told the People, That the House made of Lime and Stone is the Church, and the Temple of God, wherein the Lord dwells; when the Scripture declares no such thing, but the Contrary, that is, that God dwelleth not in Temples made with Hands.  
6thly, They taught the People to observe Days and Set Times, as Christ▪ mass▪ day, and Children▪ mas-day, and Lamm●s-d●y, and Candle-mas-day, and Michael's-mas-day, with Easter, and their Good Friday, and their Whitsuntide, and Shrovetide, and many other Saints Days, which are tedious (here) to mention, whereof the Scripture makes no mention.  
And they have told the People, That Tithes and Offerings are due to them, and Easter-reckoning, and Midsummer-Dues, and Smoke-Pennys, and Reek-Pennys, and Money for Eggs and Gardens, with their great fair House and Glebe-Lands, whereby they, their Wives and Families, may live even in the Sins of Sodom, which were Pride, abundance of Idleness and Fullness of Bread.  
Now this, which they call their Deuce, is the very Pillar and Ground upon which their Gospel and Ministry stands; for let this be but taken away, and down fall they, with their Gospel and Ministry, which some of them have not been ashamed to declare in public.  
Now the Scripture declares not any such thing, neither is there any mention made of such Maintenance to be Compelled from the People to maintain them that are the True Ministers, who are Called and Chosen, and sent abroad from Country to Country, and from City to City, to declare the Glorious Gospel, that the Sound thereof might reach even to the Ends of the Earth; and as they received freely, so they were to give freely; and into what City soever they came, they were to inquire who was worthy, and there to remain eating such things as were set before them; for, the Labourer is worthy of his Meat.  
Now, thou that readest, consider in thy own Heart; thinkest thou that the Lord God of Life hath entrusted his Glorious Gospel in the Hands of such Hirelings, as , who would not declare it to the Poor and Needy, whereunto it is the Glad-Tidings of Salvation, because they have not wherewithal to satisfy them for it? Nay, verily nay; the Lord never intended any such thing; but he sent his Prophets to cry out to every one that thirsts, that they might come unto the Waters, and take Wine and Milk without Money and without Price. And John witnesses that the Spirit saith Come, and the Bride saith Come, and whosoever is athirst may come, and take of the Water of Life freely: And Paul affirms, That he did not eat any Man's Bread for nought, but wrought with Labour and Travail, Night and Day, that he might not be Chargeable to any; but he commanded, that if any would not Work, neither should he eat. Therefore their Maintenance was not so large, neither did they sit down in one Place to preach the Gospel, some Ten, some Twenty and more years, and so sit at Ease in Pride and Idleness, compelling their Maintenance from the People, and making Friends to the Rulers & Magistrates, having their Persons in Admiration that they may have the Advantage of the Law against the People, that they may have their Goods by Violence, and cast their Bodies into Prison, if they Refuse to put into their Mouths, to satisfy their Lusts, as those which have ruled in this long Night of Apostasy have done. But the True Apostles, who laboured with their own Hands, and travailed up and down in Hunger and in Cold, who were counted as Vagabonds, and not worthy to live upon the Earth, by them in whom the seed of the Serpent ruled; they foretell the People, that such Ravening Wolves should come, who should make a Prey upon the Sheep; and as there had been False Prophets in all ages before them, even so there should arise False Teachers amongst them, who privily should bring in Damnable Heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bringing upon themselves swift Destruction, and many should follow their pernicious Ways, by reason of whom the Way of Truth should be evil-spoken of; & through covetousness they should with Feigned Words make Merchandise of the People: And they likewise declared, That in the Latter Times there should come Scoffers, walking after their own Lusts, & saying, Where is the Promise of the Lord's Coming? for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation: And these were they who had forsaken the right way, and gone astray following the Way of Balaam the Son of Boser, who loved the Wages of Unrighteousness; these are Wells without Water, even broken Cisterns that can hold no Water, Clouds that are carried with a Tempest, to whom the Mist of Darkness is reserved forever; for, while they promise Liberty to others they themselves are Servants to Corruption.  
Now, many Years were not to be expired before these should come, who were the Antichrists and the False Christ's; for the Apostle John declared, that the Latter Times were then, even in his days, in these words, saying, Little Children, it is the Last Time, and as ye have heard, that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many Antichrists, whereby we know that it is the Last Time; they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would (no doubt) have continued with us; but these went out that they might be made manifest that they were not of us.  
Now, these Antichrists were they who had been amongst the Apostles, and in Fellowship with them, as to Outward Appearance, so that thereby they came to get the Form of Godliness, but had not the Life nor the Power.  
Now, do but behold how subtly the seed of the Serpent came to work in them against the Seed of the Woman, even secretly, as in a Mystery, whereby it could not so easily be discovered as it had formerly been; for now it had as it were a Covering to hid itself under, even the Form of Godliness, and a Likeness of Truth: for those False Apostles went forth from the True Apostles into the World, and the World received them, and went after them; so that in process of time the Form of Godliness came to be followed, and to be cried up in all the Earth, and the Life and Power thereof to be lost and forgotten.  
Now, the Seed of the Serpent lodged under the Form or Likeness of Truth, but could not lodge in the Truth itself; for therein lodgeth the Seed of the Woman, which is to bruise his Head; so that under the Form and Likeness of Truth he has made War with the Truth itself; and wherever the Seed of God hath appeared in any, they have been destroyed by them in whom the seed of the Serpent ruled; John in his Revelations saw it all in a Vision, he saw that which had whored from God to make War against the True Spouse, and to drink the Blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Christ, and to cause all (to worship her) both great and small, rich and Poor, high and low, bond and free, and to receive her Mark, and those that refused it came to be slain amongst them, where Satan's Seat is; and now the Glorious Sun was set, and the Night was come whereof Christ had forewarned his Disciples, and Truth was as it were banished from the Earth, so that in length of Time that seed that had whored from the Life and Power of Godliness came likewise to departed from the very Form of Godliness also; for the seed of the Serpent hath not any Love to the Form of Godliness, but only because it could not so well come (as it were) to eat out the Life and the Power any other ways; but now it even departed from the Form likewise, and came to set up Invented Traditions, which is, to worship Saints, and Images, and the like, which is not any part of the Form of Godliness, but of the old Heathenish Worship under which the seed of the Serpent formerly lodged, which was to worship the Sun, Moon and Stars; and such like vain things.  
And now, when at any time the Lord raised up his Seed in any to bear their Testimony against the Heathenish Ways and Customs of Men, and to make manifest the Way of Truth, according as the Lord hath revealed it unto them; then the Seed of the Serpent ariseth in them in whom it rules, and causes them even to Murder, Destroy or Banish them, according as the Lord permits; and thus hath the Prince of Darkness ruled in all this long Night of Apostasy, since the Days of the Apostles, and caused Millions of Thousands to be Murdered for satisfying of Lusts. Now, this was a Murderer from the Beginning, therefore all that cross his Kingdom will he Murder and Destroy; for, by him the Lamb of God was slain, who was Dead and is alive, and liveth forever.  
Now, thou that readest, do but look into these latter Times, even within these few Years, and thou shalt see how the seed of the Serpent hath made a Prey of those in whom the Seed of God hath been raised; see in Queen Mary's days, what Burning, what Imprisoning, what Torturing was there exercised upon them who had the seed of God raised up in them, & could not Worship the Beast, in which the seed of the Serpent lodged, nor receive his Mark, they rather choosed to bear all that could be inflicted upon them; so that by their Means the seed of the Serpent came again to be discovered, so that he was feign in some measure to creep under the Form of Godliness again, whereby to Shelter himself, and to save his Head from bruising.  
Now behold the Weapons of these two Seeds; for as their Nature's are Contrary one to the other, so likewise are their Weapons; for the seed of the Serpent's Weapons are Carnal, and therefore he hath exercised his Tyranny upon the outward, fleshly or carnal Bodies of them in whom the Seed of God hath been raised: And the Saints, in whom the Seed of the Promise hath been raised, their Weapons are Spiritual, and Mighty through God, to the throwing down of the strong Holds of Sin; and they War not with Flesh and Blood, neither do they any harm to men's Persons, but they war with Principalities and Powers, and spiritual Wickedness in high Places; so that when the seed of the Serpent has exercised his Cruelty at any time upon their carnal or fleshly Bodies, they have not at any time resisted in the least, but have born and suffered all in Patience, knowing that therein they were to possess their Souls; so that by their Patience the Serpent's head hath (many times) been bruised, whereby they have (as it were) obtained victory over their Enemies. Now look but back since the Beginning of Charles late King of England his reign, and there thou mayest see how the seed of the Serpent hath been (by the seed of God) chased out of one Form into another, and how he hath shifted to and fro to save his Head from bruising: See in Charles' time how the seed of the Serpent lodged in the Bishops and Prelates, and how it was drawing out of the Form of Godliness again into the heathenish Way of Worship; but see how the Lord hath (then) raised up a People, in whom his seed was manifest, who bore their Testimony against those Bishops and Prelates, in whom the contrary seed lodged, who came to be hated, and in scorn and derision called Puritants, and were rendered by them (as Separates▪ Deceivers & Deluders) in whom the seed of the Serpent ruled; for therein lies the subtlety of the Serpent, to charge the Truth with that, which he himself is guilty of; so that at all times the seed of God and his eternal Truth hath been persecuted (by the Serpent and his seed) under the Name of Error Heresy and Blasphemy. So those People came to be imprisoned, fined, and many of them banished; but yet see how the Judgements of the Lord came both upon King, Bishops, Prelates and Priests, and how the Serpent came to have his Head bruised in them, who raised up a War in the Nation, whereby they came to be cut off from the Face of the Earth, and all stood in a tottering Condition, so that the seed of the Serpent was fain to endeavour to shelter himself under a more smother Form of Godliness than he had done in many years before, even under the Presbyterian Form: but then the Lord raised up his seed in a People, who could not be satisfied under that Form; for the Light, even Christ, shined in them, and let them see many gross Errors in it, and caused them to withdraw from having Fellowship with them; and these in scorn came to be called (by the rude Multitude) Independants; but they also came soon after into a Form, so that there was a ground in them wherein the seed of the Serpent might lodge, therefore it soon entered into that Form, and likewise corrupted it: but then the Lord raised up his seed again in some of them, and caused them to departed from them, out of that Form, and to give their Testimony against the Errors thereof, which arose from the seed of the Serpent; and these came by the rude Multitude to be called Anabaptists; but these soon departed from the pure Life, that arose in them from the seed of God in them, and came into Imitation of what the Saints of God had done in former Ages, and so came into a Form of Godliness▪ and the Life and Simplicity, which first moved in them, came to be lost, and there came a ground wherein the seed of the Serpent could lodge, therefore he soon entered into that Form▪ and likewise corrupted it, yet the Lord still followed him with his Light, which shined in these dark Forms, and caused many of them to see that there is nothing but Emptiness and Barrenness in that Form, and that their Souls (therein) could not be satisfied; and then they came into a more purer Way, and Likeliness of the Truth, than any of the former, and they bore their Testimony against all the Forms through which they had come; for they saw (by the Light of Christ) the Deceit that lodged in them, and so they came to a Way of seeking, and waiting on the Lord; but yet they likewise came (again) into a Form, and there was a kind of a ground amongst them, wherein the seed of the Serpent could remain; for the Serpent can turn himself into the likeness of any thing, even into the very likeness of the Way, the Life, & the Truth; but though he can transform himself into the Form of an Angel of Light, and into the Likeness of Truth, yet he cannot come into the Way, nor into the Life itself, nor into the Truth, therefore now is the Lord raising up a People after all this who shall worship him in Spirit & in Truth, out of all Forms & Likenesses, so that in them the Lord will destroy and judge out all that ground, wherein the seed of the Serpent can lodge, so that the Serpent's Head is come to be bruised in many Thousands in their particulars, and as it is begun in the particulars, so likewise it shall at length be bruised in the general, & the seed that hath long groaned unto God shall be delivered from under the Burden of Oppression; for now after all this long dark night of Apostasy, which hath been for this 1600. & odd years, wherein the Lord has been as it were a stranger unto the Sons & Daughters of Men, and they have lived (as it were) without God in the World, taking pleasure and delight in the vanities thereof, & their foolish Hearts have caused them to err; but now is the Day sprung from on high even the mighty Day of the Lord, therefore the night must vanish away; for the Darkness cannot stand before the Brightness of his Coming, nor before the Gloriousness of his Appearance, therefore it is time for the Prince of Darkness to arise & to gather together the uttermost of his Strength; for now is his Kingdom invaded on every Side, even by the Lamb and his Followers, who is risen to make War in Righteousness, and by patiented suffering shall overcome his Kingdom, and bruise the Serpent's Head. Now thou that readest, hast thou not heard of a People, who dare not swear, nor dare not tell a Lie, who cannot stoop nor bow their Knees, nor put off their Hats in Honour to any man's Person in the World, and which cannot give any vain flattering Titles to man, neither can have any Fellowship with workers of Iniquity, neither can they enter into any excess of Riot with them, neither dare they speak any other Language then that which the Saints in former Ages spoke, and stand as Witnesses against all vain Talks and foolish Jesting, and cannot respect the Person of any man because therein they should commit Sin; who dare not to do unto any man, but as they would be done unto in the like Condition; who bears their Testimony against all the vain Worships of the World, and all deceitful Professors, who profess God in Words▪ but deny him in their Lives and Conversations? and hast thou not at sometimes heard their very Enemies say, that they believed that many of them were honest People, and that their dealing towards them hath been honest and just? and hast thou not heard, that some of them have wished, that they could live as those People do? and hast thou not heard the People of the World report, of what undaunted Spirits those People are, who fear not the Frowns, nor the lofty looks of the greatest Potent upon the Face of the Earth? and on the other side, hast thou not heard the rude People of the World, (even Drunkards, Swearers, Liars and Covetous Persons, and such as live in all manner of Excess of Riot) cry out, that these are Deceivers, Deluders and Blasphemers, and that they are not worthy to live upon the face of the Earth; and hast thou not heard what petitioning to the Powers of the Earth there hath been against them, and what stocking, stoning, knocking down in their public Assemblies, haling before Magistrates, whipping and sending to the Bridewells, and what long Imprisonments have been suffered by many, and by some (even to the Death) who have thereunto been committed by the power of the Earth? and hast thou not heard of what those People have suffered in New-England, by the great red Dragon, who is risen in those People, who once fled out of Old-England, even for Fear of that which they now exercise in a far greater measure upon those whom the Lord hath sent amongst them, to declare (the Appearance of his mighty Day) unto them, who in their time in Old-England should have born their Testimony against the Bishops, Prelates, and Priests, and have stood in the Cross to that (in their own Walls) which caused them to flee from the Sufferings, and so from the Cross which should have crucified that Nature, which they carried with them out of Old-England, even that which is now risen in them, which causes them to exercise such grievous Tortures upon the Bodies of those whom the Lord hath sent amongst them, even imprisoning and whipping, casting into Dungeons and nasty Holes, beating with Ropes, until their Flesh became as Jelly, whereby they are given to such a hardness of Heart, that they have exceeded all Nations under the Sun in Tyranny, the very Turks themselves have stood more in the Fear and Dread of the Lord than they; for they continually thirst after Blood, who after they have cut off the Ears of the Lord's People, which no Nation under the Heavens (except themselves) did dare to do, yet they not thinking that sufficient, have since drunk two more larger Draughts then (than ever yet was drunk by any in this our Age) of innocent Blood, whose Righteous Lives will stand as a Brand of Infamy upon them and their Generation to all Eternity, and when the Lord makes Inquisition for Blood that will not be forgotten. Now hast thou heard that at any time, these People ever plotted or contrived any way or means whereby to defend themselves by the Arm of flesh, or that they have risen, or were defended by the Powers of the Earth at any time? but at all times the Powers of the Earth stood against them and opposed them▪ and yet dost thou not see▪ that these People have daily increased, and how many are daily gathered unto them, and how they daily learn to bear the Reproaches of Moab, and the Revile of the Children of Ammon. and are contented to bear and suffer all with Patience, so that in their suffering they may glorify God, and therein become more than Conquerors by the Power of Christ, who is risen in them, and is become the Captain of their Salvation? Now, whoever thou art that readest consider seriously in thy own Heart; for here thou seest the Division that is made between them that fear the Lord, & them that fear him not, if thou canst with a single Eye behold it; but if thou stand'st in doubt, as yet, concerning this thing, come but into a true Examination in thy own Heart and Conscience; for assuredly there is something in the Matter, therefore what thinkest thou? dost thou think that it is for nought, that these People forsake their Goods and Lands, their Wives and Children, and become, as it were strangers, even unto their Country and to their Father's House; and to travail from Country to Country, through Persecutions and Sufferings, through Mockings and Reproaches, through Hunger and Cold, and so come to be counted as Vagabonds and Wanderers, having no Habitation in the Earth, that they might have a Habitation in God? for Cain he was a Vagabond, although he builded a City, and called it by his Son's Name, yet he had no Habitation in God, therefore was he a Vagabond; but these who have a Habitation in God, they are no Vagabonds, but have sought, & have found the City whose Builder is God, and they are willing and contented to part with all, so that they may have a Habitation in that City.  
But now herein stands the clear Truth of the Difference, the appointed time is now come, and drawing near, even at the very Door wherein the Lord God is risen and arising to fulfil his Promise, which he promised unto Adam in the Garden of Eden after his Fall, that is, That the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's Head, and he should bruise his Heel: And now is he come and coming, who will cut Rahab, and wound the Dragon, and bruise to powder the very Head of the Deceit and the Iniquity, which have long lodged in the Hearts of the Sons and Daughters of Men. And now is the Stone, even the Stone which is elect and precious, which is to be laid in Zion, which is the chief Cornerstone, that the Builders have long refused, which Stone hath long lain buried in the Mountain of Sin and Transgression; but now is the Stone cutting itself out of the Mountain, which shall smite at the Feet of the Image, even at the very Ground and Foundation of Iniquity; and this Stone will become a Mountain, which shall cover the whole Earth, which the Mountain of the House of the Lord, which is to be established atop of all Mountains and above the Hills, and the Nations shall flow unt● it. Therefore seeing the Treader upon the Serpent's Head is come, and hath made himself manifest in many, therefore hath Pangs taken hold on many of them in whom the seed of the Serpent bears rule, so that that Seed strives and struggles in them, even as a Dying Man, on whom the Pangs of Death had taken hold; and this is the Cause that them in whom the seed of the Serpent still rules in power, are so bitter and invitered against the Seed of the Woman, in whom it's raised: but yet, though they raise up the uttermost of their Forces, and gather together Gog and Magog, and come up even the whole breadth of the Earth to encompass the Camp of the Saints about, yet they shall not prosper; for this John saw in his Revelation, and he likewise saw a Fire come out of Heaven, and devoured them; therefore do I in tender Love to thee advise thee to consider of these things, and lay them to Heart; for this is the Day of thy Visitation, therefore trifle it not away for mere Vanity & things of nought; for it passes away from thee faster than thou art ware of; for this is the Time which the Lord hath given thee to make thy Calling and Election sure: Therefore be not like foolish Esau, sell not thy Birthright for a Mess of Pottage, for if thou dost, thou wilt hereafter come to seek it (perhaps) with Tears, when thou mayest not attain it; therefore while the Lord is yet so tender towards thee, who standeth with his Arm of Mercy spread open, ready to receive thee, therefore tarry not, but arise and come away; for the Winter is near spent, and the Summer draweth on, the Figtree hath put forth her Bud, and the Vine her tender Grape, & the singing of Birds and the Voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land; and now after all this Dark Night of Apostasy is the Glorious Day dawned and dawning unto many, which many precious Souls have longed and breathed after, desiring that they might have seen it, but they could not attain thereunto, but by Faith; therefore consider what Age and Generation thou art fallen in, even in a Day that is neither dark nor light, but as the Evening-tide, wherein the Son of Man is come and coming, therefore trim up thy Lamp, and provide Oil in thy Vessels; for verily, the Bridegroom is coming, and the Voice of them who rejoice and sing hallelujah thereat is heard, therefore prepare and come away, left thou be shut out of the Bride-Chamber, and so remain in Eternal Darkness, even with the Prince thereof, & his Legions, who is bound up in Everlasting Chains of Darkness, never more to come into the Light; therefore this is the Word of the Lord God unto thee, whoever thou art, Rich or Poor, High or Low, If thou slight this the Day of thy Visitation, which the Lord (out of his tender Mercy) hath freely given to thee, the time will come that thou wilt see these things to be an Everlasting Truth, than thou wilt see how thou hast spent thy precious Time in Vanity. Therefore come unto the Light; come unto that which makes manifest Iniquity in thy own Heart, for that is the Light, and obey it, that thou mayest find Eternal Peace and Rest to thy Soul.  
R. M.   

A Word of Love unto the Sons and Daughters of Zion, and a Hand held forth unto them who are yet in Egypt's Captivity, and to them who are yet in the Desert Wilderness.  
My dear Friends, you whom the Lord hath gathered and is gathering into the Chosen Generation, and into the Royal Priesthood; and you whose Garments are washed in the Blood of the Lamb, which hath been slain from the Foundation of the World, which Lamb of God you can behold and witness, that he is come, and hath taken and is taking away the Sins of many, who have formerly lived in the World, but now they are come to be chosen out of the World, and are many of them become a peculiar People unto the Lord; therefore you dear Sons and Daughters of Zion, arise let your Light shine forth into the dark World, that you may be faithful Witnesses, that Zion's Redeemer is come, and is redeeming Zion through Judgements, & her Converts through Righteousness, that so they who turn Judgements into Wormwood, and Righteousness into Hemlock, may come to see the Gloriousness of Zion's Light to shine forth through you, that 〈◊〉 Shame may come to cover their Faces, and the Dread and Astonishment of the Lord may take hold of them; for assuredly Friends, this I know, that as you stand in the pure Light, and in Obedience to the Measure of God made manifest in you, your Words and Actions being all spoken and acted therein, will reach to the Witness of God in all Hearts, and in all Consciences; and so, as you stand faithful to the Lord, he will make you a Dread & a Terror to your Enemies, let them be ever so many; and you will triumph over them all in the Lord; yea, the Devils shall bend and bow before you: Neither shall the Gates of Hell or Death prevail against you; for you are of the Seed of Abraham, which are numberless, to whom the Lord hath sent a Deliverer to redeem you out of your Captivity, even out of spiritual Egypt, and the House of Bondage; therefore dear Friends be wise, and walk circumspectly, and let the Tenderness of your Love flow forth freely one to another; for the Lord your Redeemer is Love, and those that follow him are begotten into Love, therefore Christ Jesus the Captain of our Salvation, gave a remarkable Sign whereby all men might know that you are his Disciples, which was, Your Love one towards another; therefore let your Moderation and Love appear to all men, that so they may be convinced in their own Consciences, that the Lord is at hand; for verily Friends, there is yet a mighty Seed which is under the Hand of hard hearted Pharach, who will not let Israel go free to worship the Lord his God; but the Lord is raising up his Prophet like unto Moses, who shall bring Plagues and Vengeance upon spiritual Pharaoh, even that corrupt Nature, which lodgeth in the Hearts of the Sons and Daughters of Men, which oppresseth the Seed of God, which Seed groans under the burden of Oppression, unto whose sighs and groans the Ears of the Lord God of Hosts are opened, & he will redeem it all in his own appointed time, therefore Dear Friends, as the Lord hath spared us in our Transgressions, and in our Iniquities, even for his own Seed Sake, that his Mercies might be made known by us unto the World; let us now wait with Patience until the Lord hath finished his own work, who will redeem his own Seed in his time, that so we may all sit down in his everlasting Land of Rest when Pharaoh and all his Egyptian host shall be destroyed, even in the red Sea of his Wrath, therefore thou s●ed of Zion arise, and show thyself forth in thy Beauty, that so Fear and Amazement may take hold on all thine Adversaries: And you Sons and Daughters of Zion, come forth and appear in your Might; for before your Faces all Flesh is as Grass, and all the Glory of man is but as the Flower of the Field; for the Appearance of your Beauty is admirable; for it stains the Beauty of all Flesh, and mars the Glory of all the Sons and Daughters of Men; therefore arise and thresh the Mountains, even to Dust, and let the Hills be laid low before you, and raise up the Valleys, that so a plain Way may be made for the Lord and for his ransomed ones to pass over: Go on my dear Friends, go on in the Dread and in the Authority of the Lord, cut down, and spare not, neither let your Eye pity, that the Nations may know, that the Sword of the Lord God is drawn forth and furbished to cut down, and to destroy that Nature in all the Sons and Daughters of Men, which have rebelled against him, whereby his pure Seed hath been kept in Bondage: And you my dear Friends, who are yet but passing out of Egypt, and you, who are got into the Wilderness, beware that you look not back into Egypt, and that you hanker not after the fleshpots thereof, even the Glory of this vain World; but go on boldly, and with Cheerfulness, & let your Eye be always, & at all times fixed on him, who first brought you out of Egypt, even from out of your former gross Lives and Conversation; and follow him in Truth and in Faithfulness, & he will bring you through the desert Wilderness, even by a mighty hand, and by his Arm of Strength, which he now has stretched forth unto you; which Arm he is making bare, even in the Sight of the Nations, therefore go on and be valiant for Truth, and lift up the weak Hands, and strengthen the feeble Knees; for now is he making himself known, who will assemble her that halted, and gather her that was scattered, and bring back again that which was driven away; even he that binds up the  is come and coming, who will satisfy the Thirsty Soul, and speak comfortably unto all them that truly breath after the Eternal Peace and Welfare of Zion, and the Redemption of the oppressed Seed, which hath long breathed after Liberty; therefore wait in the Patience in the Stillness and in the Coolness of your Spirits, that you may come to feel that to arise daily in you, which will dash down all Encumbrances, who rebukes the Winds, and stills the raging Seas at his Command, who is the only begotten of the Father, who begets all his Children into Love; for God is Love, and that which is begot of him in all Hearts, is Love and Tenderness unto all men, but especially one towards another: Therefore dear Friends beware of that Spirit, which would arise in you to cause evil Surmising one of another, or that would open an evil Eye to look forth at one another's Weakness, and of that Spirit that would cause any secret Rejoicing thereat, though it be never so hidden; but beware, and bring it to the Bar of Judgement, before it gets any Head or Strength in you, that so it may be condemned before it go any further: And beware of that Spirit that shall arise to cause a Deadness or a Barrenness in you, as to the things of God, & would carry you back to feed upon that which you have formerly enjoyed, and that would cause you to give way to a secret Envy, which will be Ready to arise in you, against them who in honest Simplicity walk in the true Obedience to the Measure of God made manifest in them, because, when they feed in the Banqueting House of their Father, you may, perhaps, find Barrenness and Emptiness for the present; I say, beware of that Spirit; for it is he that causeth the Barrenness, and the want; therefore wait in that which discovers him, and makes him known; and come unto true Obedience thereunto, and you shall see him, and all that would arise to oppose itself against the pure seed of God in you, cast into utter darkness, from whence it arises; for the Prince of Darkness with all his Legions, is not able to stand in the Presence of God▪ & of his Christ, who is the Light of the World, and hath enlightened you with a measure of himself, which if you faithfully obey and follow, you will feel a living Zeal to arise in your Hearts for the Lord, and for his Truth, and likewise, an utter Enmity against all the Deeds of Darkness, both in yourselves, and likewise in all others; and you will feel that to arise in you, which truly breathes after the Good and Welfare of all the Sons & Daughters of men; and you will come to suffer with the Seed of God, which is oppressed, both in yourselves, and a●l the Sons and Daughters of Adam; and blessed are all they that come to witness this in Truth and in Reality, and that are faithful to that little thing, that makes this known unto them; for verily they shall be made Rulers over much: Therefore dear Friends, you that are newly begotten into the eternal Truth of God for your Sakes is this declared, by him, who hath by the good Hand of God been carried through these things, and hath seen much of the Strength and Subtlety of the Enemy, who like a roaring Lion goes about, seeking whom he may devour, therefore stand in the Light, and in the Cross, even that which crosseth the carnal Mind, and in that there is Power against all his Assaults, and wait in Stillness at all times, that so you may come to hear the Voice of the Lord, and to obey and follow it; for Obedience is better than Sacrifice, and that is it, which the Lord requires of you, and without that you shall not eat of the good of the land, even the promised land of Rest and Peace, which the Lord is now bringing his People into, where they shall feed in fat Pastures, even by the Springs of living Water, under the Shadow of the Tree of Life, whose Fruit is pleasant to the Taste, and whose Leaves are for the Healing of the Nations; in which Land is Peace and Pleasantness, and Joy and Gladness of Heart, where the redeemed of the Lord walk, and lie down in Rest and perfect Peace; where no vultrous Eye can come, and where the Devourer cannot enter; where the Abominations, which make desolate, cannot stand: The Gates of which land have long been the gates of the Enemy; but now is the time appointed come, & the true spiritual Seed of Abraham is risen in many, and doth possess the Gates of their Enemies; and many are they that are entered in through the Gates to this Land of Rest and Redemption, Praises to the Lord God forever, and for evermore: A●d m●ny are they, that are yet entering, and to enter; therefore be courageous and faint not; for the Promise is unto all, in whom though Seed is in any measure made manifest, which Seed shall possess the gates of his Enemies; and though the Enemy hath long stood in the Gate, and stopped the passage, and though it may yet stop, in many, the passage through which the Seed should come forth out of Bondage, & Oppression, yet mind not the Enemy, but mind him who has promised & will perform, even that the Seed of Abraham shall possess the Gates of its Enemies, which Seed is Christ in the Male, and in the Female. I say, mind not that which brings in the Encumbrances, but mind that which lets you see them, and stills and quiets all again: For Friends, the Battle which is to be fought in every one of you, is hard, and the Enemy is strong and mighty, therefore come forth, even forth of the Pollutions, to the Help of the Lord against the mighty; for Cursed is he, that comes not forth to the Help of the Lord against the mighty; therefore stand forth with your loins girded about with Truth, and put on the Breast plate of Faith and the Helmet of Salvation; for a mighty work hath the Lord God to do in the Earth, Instruments, in whose Hand, many of you may be, if you are willing and obedient, and can with content take up the Cross daily, which crosseth the carnal, and despise the Shame, then shall you be partakers of the Joy which is set before you, which Joy dashes all the Glory of the World, and makes it appear as a thing of nought, for the Sake of which Joy many dear hearts have despised the Shame and Contempt of the World, and have willingly undergone many grievous Afflictions, and have undauntedly triumphed over Death and Hell, even, to the Amazement of all their Enemies; therefore blessed and happy are all you, that are called forth to suffer for the Name of the Lord, and of his Truth, in which Truth is Freedom, and the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower, to which you may fly in time of Distress, and you are safe from the Enemy, and from all his Strength & Oppositions; and though he may exercise his Tyranny upon your outward man, yet that is a thing of small value; for that must to its Dust again, from whence it came, yet that it cannot touch, without the Permision of him who is the Keeper of Israel, who never slumbers nor sleeps: But you have a Life which is hid with God in Christ, which will remain, when all mortal things shall turn to the Dust its Mother; which Life cannot be touched nor injured by no invitred Heart nor cruel Hand; therefore fear not man, nor the Sons of men; nay, I know you that are come into the true Fear of the Lord, you cannot fear man; for Fearfulness that shall surprise the Hypocrite, and Astonishment the double-hearted, when they that fear the Lord shall be as bold as Lions: Therefore if Sufferings present unto thee my dear Friend, whoever thou art that readest, they will be as precious Jewels unto thee, and thou wilt come to be as Gold, which is purified in the Fire; and as thy Sufferings do abound upon thy outward Body, so likewise shall Peace, and Tranquillity flow in upon thee, as Rivers of Living Water, whereby thy Soul will come to be refreshed abundantly; yea, thou knowest, that Pen cannot express, nor Tongue declare the Endless Joy and Felicity which at all times accompanies those ●hat are faithful. Words are too short ●o declare it, yet nevertheless for the Sake of them that languish, and hunger after the living Bread, wherewith all that are faithful are satisfied and fed abundantly; I say, for the Sake of him that is hungry & not yet ●ully satisfied is this written, that he may go on and not faint in his Travail; for blessed art thou that hunger's ●nd thirsts after Righteousness; for ●f thou wilt wait and abide in the Pa●ience, thou shalt be satisfied; for in our Father's House is Bread enough, where all his Children are fed at his Table, in the Banqueting-House of Peace, therefore wait and be still, and commune with thy Heart, and go not forth to look that abroad, which cannot be found any where, but at home in thy own Heart; and though at present thou mayst see a Day of Distress, and a Night of Sorrow, wherein Judgement may come to be laid to the Line, and Righteousness to the Plummet, yet stand still, & wait on the Lord and in the Way of his Judgements, so shalt thou witness Zion, even the Seed of God within thee, to come to be redeemed through it, and Ba●ylon with all her Brats come to be thrown down, and dashed in pieces by it; for now he that dasheth in Pieces is come upon our Walls, and entered into our Borders, even the Lord, who is now risen to enter into Judgement with all Flesh, and to purify and to cleanse the Sons and Daughters of Men from all their Pollutions, and to let them see the Filth of the Fornication of Babylon's Whore, which hath long reigned in the Hearts of the Children of Men, and hath caused all the Creation to groan under her Oppression; now is the Lord risen to rend her Covering, and to lay open her shame and Nakedness, that all that are not wilfully blind may see the Filth of her Pollutions, and come out from her, lest they be Partakers of her Plagues, which shall suddenly come upon her, that so the Lord may cleanse them, and purify them, and make them fit Temples for himself to dwell in; for that is the Work which the Lord is going to perform, and his mighty Arm shall bring it to pass; for he will work, and who shall hinder it? and he will dash all the Pot-sherds to pieces that oppose themselves against him; for, who art thou that settest Briars and Thorns in Battle against me? saith the Lord; Shall not I pass through and burn them up? Yea verily, Friend, this have our Eyes seen, and our Ears have heard, how the Lord hath torn the Powers of the Earth in pieces, and hath brought all their Contrivances to nought, who have sought after their own Glory, and not the Glory of Him▪ who have sat at rest and ease, and have not partaken of the Day of Jacob's Trouble, but have sought their own Interest, and not the Interest of the Lord, nor the Liberty of his People, but have suffered the Innocent to lie under the Hands of grievous Oppressors, even the greedy Hirelings and the dumb Idol Shepherds, who have long made & Prey upon the Lord's Heritage, and have scattered the Lord's Flock in the dark and cloudy Day, and caused them to wander upon the Barren Mountains▪ who have long fed themselves with the Fat, and clothed themselves with the Wool, and have sat at Rest and Ease, and have cried peace whilst men could put into their Mouths; but now, them that cannot feed them any longer, they even prepare War against them, whereby they become a Prey unto them; so that the whole Land groans under that Oppression more than any other, and the Righteous suffer, and no man layeth it to Heart; and for this Cause hath the Lord rebuked strong Nations, and he will still rebuke all them that shall set themselves against him and against his People.  
Therefore, dear Friends, wait still on the Lord, who is the Strength of Zion, and the Redeemer of the Seed of Jacob, who hath already for your sakes, even for his Seed's sake, which he hath raised in you, overthrown all that have exalted themselves against him, and against his Anointed, even Kings, Princes, Protectors and Parliaments: I say, the Lord hath overthrown and dashed them in pieces as Potter's Vessels, because they relieved not the Oppressed, nor pleaded the Cause of the Innocent, therefore hath swift Destruction overtaken them as an Armed Man, and there was none to deliver. And for your sakes, O ye Sons and Daughters of Zion, hath the Lord brought these things to pass, that the Nations may know that his Dread and Presence is with you, and at all times is amongst you; for by you will he make himself known unto this crooked and perverse Generation; and they shall confess, that God of a truth is in you and amongst you: And though his Appearance unto Proud Flesh is without Form or Comeliness, yet you know him to be as a Lily among Thorns, who is the Beloved of your Souls, and the fairest among Ten Thousand, who is declaring his strange Acts & his wonderful Works in you, that which hath been hidden from Ages and Generations past, he is now making known even in and through you, whom he hath ordained to sound forth his Mighty Day in the Ears of all Flesh, that so all may awake out of the Dust, and come to Judgement; for now is he risen and arising in all Hearts, who sits upon the Throne, from before whose Face both the Heavens and the Earth shall flee away, and their place shall be no more found: And this is he that has long been waited for by many a tender Heart and longing Soul, but now is he come and coming, and behold his Reward is with him; therefore blessed are they that patiently wait for the Day of his Appearance, who will wipe away tears from all Faces, and Sorrow and Sighing shall be no more; then shall all Tyranny and Oppression be destroyed, and then shall Peace be established in the Earth, and Love and Unity among Men; even thus shall it be when Sion's King shall come to Reign in Glory; for then the Beast and the False Prophet, which have long ruled the Nations, and deceived those that have dwelled in the Earth, and compelled people to worship and bow down to their Abominations, and to receive the Mark of the Beast in their Right Hands or in th●ir Foreheads, even the Mark of Sin and Transgression, that Monstrous Beast, whose Mark hath long been upon the Nations, without which Mark no man hath bought or sold for these many Generations, and they that would not receive that Mark came to be slain: But now, Praises be unto the Lord, he hath brought forth many who cannot worship Man's Proud Will, that Monstrous Beast, neither can they receive his Mark any longer; for their Father's Name is written in their Foreheads, and they are come forth of great Tribulation, and their Garments are washed white in the Blood of the Lamb; and these follow the Lamb of God (who is now come to take away the Sins of the World) whither soever he goeth, even Christ Jesus, who is the Light of the World, who hath enlightened every one that is come into the World with a measure of his true Light.  
Therefore, dear Friends, you that are obedient to the Light, and own it to be your Rule and Guide, you are they whom the Lord hath chosen to place his Name in, for whose sakes the Lord is now risen to plead with Egypt's King, and all his Host; and though they now harden their Hearts as an Adamant, and bend their Brows as Brass, & stiffen their Necks as an Iron Sinnew, yet will the Lord God bring them low, even unto the Dust in this his great Day, wherein his Jealousy is broken forth against all Flesh, because they have corrupted their Ways, and have not turned at his Reproof; but have cast his Judgements behind their Backs, and turned his Grace (that hath appeared unto th●m) into Wantonness, and trampled the Blood of the Covenant under their Feet; but as it was in the days of old, so will it be now in this latter Generation, when Iniquity was at the height, and Oppression did most abound in Egypt upon the Hebrews, who was the Fleshly Seed of Abraham, then did the Lord arise (to plead their Cause) who brought Judgements and Plagues upon the Land of Egypt, and destroyed Pharaoh, Egypt's King, with all the Firstborn, and all his Mighty Host; so likewise Sodom, when Iniquities were at the very height, and their Sins did greatly abound, than did the Lord's Wrath suddenly break forth upon them, as soon as Just Lot was put forth from amongst them, even in Flames of Fire from Heaven, and devoured them; so likewise, dear Friends, you that sigh and cry for the Abominations that are done in the midst of the Earth, let not your Hearts faint; for behold, he that is clothed in Linen fine and white, which is the Righteousness of him that sanctifieth, and of them that are sanctified; for he that sanctifieth, and them that are sanctified, are all one; He is gone forth to seal and to set a Mark on all your Foreheads, that sigh and that cry at the Abominations which are committed by him that makes desolate, that sitteth where he ought not, and after he hath sealed you all even unto Redemption, then shall them that have the charge over the Earth draw near, every one with his Slaughter Weapon in his Hand, and shall follow after him that has sealed you, & shall smite and shall not spare, neither shall their Eye take pity, but they shall utterly slay Old & Young, both Maid & little Children, and Women; but you, upon whom the Mark is, they shall not come near: him that readeth, let him understand; for the Lord is risen, and he will smite the Earth with a great Slaughter, and all Flesh shall know that he is the Lord, and that he ruleth over the Kingdoms of men, and he will utterly destroy that Nature that hath oppressed his pure Seed in you, and in all the Sons and Daughters of Men, and his own Seed shall come forth to serve him in Righteousness and true Holiness; and though the Whore, the Beast and the False Prophet have long born rule over the Heritage of the Lord, yet now is the time drawing near, when they shall be taken and bound, and cast into the Lake which is prepared for them, even for that Nature which would not have the Lord nor his Christ to reign over them; under that may all the Enemies of the Lord be justly included; and that is it which ruleth in the rebellious Sons and Daughters of Men, which carrieth them forth into Pride, Envy and High-mindedness one towards another, and into Disobedience to the Lord and his pure Commands; and this is it which the Lord is risen to destroy, and not the Creatures; for Christ came not to destroy Men's Lives, but to save them; therefore wherever thou readest any thing of Destruction, it is not meant the Destruction of the Creature, or of his Natural Life, but the Destruction of that Life in the Creature which rebelleth against the Lord, which Life may truly be called Death; for if that be followed by the Creature, it will be the Death of the Immortal Soul; and this is him which the Lord is risen to destroy, and not the Creatures; therefore saith Christ Jesus, O Death, I will be thy Death; O Grave, I will be thy Destruction. So Friends, this is the Enemy, that you are to wait with Patience to see it destroyed in your own Particulars first, and then aftewards that you may see it destroyed in others in the general; and blessed & happy are all you who have witnessed the Dead raised, which hath long lain in the Grave, under the Chains of Death, and can now truly witness your Part in the first Resurrection, and that you are truly risen with Christ, the Seed; for, over you the second Death shall have no Power.  
And you, Friends, that are as yet brought but in part to the Knowledge of these things, be still and quiet in your Minds, and beware of feeding upon Knowledge which is out of the Life; for Knowledge will puff up, but it is Grace that edifies; therefore wait in the pure Patience, that you may feel the Life to stir in you; for that is the True Bread that comes down from Heaven, which Bread is the Soul's Food; for the Soul cannot be satisfied with Knowledge; for, to Know the Truth and the Things of God, and not to live in them, therein standeth the Condemnation.  
Therefore, dear Friends, to whose Hands this may come, wait that you may feel the Life, which will bring forth the Travails of your Souls, and then Knowledge will be increased, and Truth will abound, and Eternal Peace and Happiness will attend you wheresoever you go, and the Dread and Authority of the Lord will be with you at all Times & Seasons, & as it has been a Dread and a Terror to that Nature in you which rebelled against the Lord whilst you were in the Pollutions, so likewise if you are faithful the Lord will make you a Dread and a Terror to all Evil-doers wheresoever you come, & they will be afraid of your Faces and afraid to trasngress against the Lord in your hearing; and these things I know that many Thousands can witness to be Truth, and all that are faithful shall witness the same, and see it accomplished in the Lord's due time; unto whom be Eternal Praises and Dominion given by all that fear him, for that he has brought this his wonderful Work to pass, and hath revealed his Secrets even to Babes, and to such as fear his Name.  
Given forth by one which hath long mourned in Zion, and is a Sufferer with the Seed, who waiteth for the Redemption of all Creatures from under the Band of Corruption, that they may all be brought unto the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God, known to many by the Name of Richard Moor.   
THE END.