A Real Demonstration Of the TRUE ORDER IN The Spirit of God, And of the GROUND OF ALL Formality & Idolatry WITH A few words unto such as are concerned in it.  
LONDON: Printed in the Year 1663.   

A Real Demonstration of the true Order in the Spirit of God, and of the Ground of all Formality and Idolatry.  
THe inspiration of the Almighty giveth knowledge, and thereby man comes to understand the things that are of God, and to be acquainted with the movings of the Life which doth produce the order of God, and so comes to know the times and seasons, which the Father hath in his own hand, and to observe them according to the good pleasure of his will, and to his honour praise, & glory; and such times and seasons so observed, as by the move of the Life, they stand in the liberty of the Life, and are not formal in practice; for as the Author of them is God, so the observation is in obedience to his Will, in which he order his children according to his pleasure therein: So that formality and Idolatry doth not stand in this ground, though as to times, seasons, and practice there be a diligent observation in the same manner, for to meet together in the fear of God, according to the will & wisdom of God, it is neither formal nor idolatrous, though a day, time, and place be observed; neither is it like the traditional observations, which only stands in the vain customs, for the Author is God, and the movings of his Life disposes in it, and the children of light are ordered in his will and time, and not in their own, and they are not limited to a day, time, place, or person, but as they are ordered in the Father's will, even so they are disposed, as their practice doth clearly manifest. So that neither formality nor idolatry can stand in this principle which is of God, nor in this practice which stands in the order of God, but he alone is served, worshipped and honoured by the birth of his own Life, which in his strength delights to do his will, and seeks his Glory alone; and though there may be some who are not so fully acquainted with the leadings and drawings of the Life, as to be wholly ordered and disposed by it in what they practice, and so may give too much to the observation, and settle themselves in what is practised out of the feeling of the Life and Power, yet this doth not at all make the order in the Life to be either formal or idolatrous, neither is any to withdraw from it, because that some in weakness may fall short in understanding, and esteem the thing done above that which leads to do it; for it is to be considered, that if a thing lawful in itself be abused, yet such abuse doth not make void the right use of it, neither is it to be laid waste as a thing which in itself is evil, but the abuse is to be removed by a clear information to the understanding of such as do abuse it, and the thing to be kept unto (as good in its place) by such as know how to use it aright. So that the assembling together in the fear of God, the declaration of truth in the move of God, putting off the Hat in prayer, when performed by the Spirit of God, giving the Hand in the Unity of the love of God, they are not to be denied as they stand in the order of God, for in so doing it is to lay waist and destroy such things as are ordained of God, and altogether void of formality and idolatry, being observed as unto God, in the order of his own Life, and nothing aimed at thereby, but simply his Glory alone; and it is most certain, that being so observed, they that observe them are justified and not condemned of God; and that they are so observed by all the children of light, the witness of God doth clear their innocency, and seals unto them everlasting peace therein.  
Now seeing that neither formality nor idolatry can be found in the holy order of the Life of God, nor amongst the children and heirs of his Kingdom, than it is to be considered from what ground all formality and idolatry doth arise, that so none may err from the Life, and the holy order in it, under pretence of Forms and Idols. This therefore is to be understood, that every Form and Idol hath a beginning, and so hath its rise and production from the ground of its conception, and that ground is the wisdom below (mark) below the Life, below the Power, below the wisdom from above, & the mind being taken with that spirit, it ravens from the Spirit of God, and thereby the Imaginations are let at liberty, and by a continual motion contracteth the airy property, and so formeth a likeness as the wisdom below inventeth, and then produces it in various manners and several appearances, and always in its likeness it hath some show of godliness, and offers with it a higher attainment of more perfect liberty: And this is the very ground of deceivableness, which stands in darkness, out of the Light and Power of God; and hence arises all the various appearances in practice; one hath its form in one manner, and another differs; some glory only in their appearance, others will have no appearance at all; and all these things are closed with, as more excellent and of higher concernment than what is practised in the power of God. And here lies the deep deceit of the transforming spirit, because it offers its likeness in a show of godliness, and a higher attainment of liberty and innocency, when indeed the birth which is form by it, is the greatest burden and bondage to the birth of God; and where this spirit is in motion, there cannot be any thing either form inwardly, and there only set up, or produced outwardly, and there set up, but a bare likeness, altogether void of the nature and substance of the true Seed, in which alone the express Image of the Father is made manifest, and the brightness of his Glory revealed. And as this spirit prevails over any, and persuades their minds that the order in God's Spirit is formal & idolatrous, and that they are attained, or waiting to attain a higher state of liberty, either by laying all things inward, or producing something more excellent in the outward, it doth certainly turn their backs upon the Truth, and vainly puffs them up under a show of humility: And this is the very spirit of all formality and idolatry, of what nature soever, whether it be an Idol within, or an Idol without, it always worketh and formeth its likeness in a show of godliness, and that is the Mystery, for if it was not so, it could not bring any thing to pass, for none that pretends to godliness would close with any thing that hath not a show of it; and so this spirit will cry against the order in God's Spirit, as a Form, and as an Idol, and offer some other thing as more free or unlimited, whilst in its very motion it hath an Idol in conception, and cries against that which is true to make way for its production; for whatsoever is generated by Imagination in the airy contraction, it is nothing but a dead Idol, and can neither help itself, nor those that trust in it; and it is most certain, that where the minds of any are carried about by the motion of this spirit and sets up the thing which is generated and form by it, either inward or outward, they set up an Idol, and come into captivity under the power of formality, though in that very state they may pretend the highest liberty. Oh that all who are concerned in this matter would lay it to heart, and ponder it seriously; for certainly this information is tenderly manifested to you, and happy will it be for such as take warning in time, & come to a due trial & examination in the true spirit of Judgement, & look not over things slightly, but sink to the witness of God, which will distinguish the birth born of God from all Forms and Idols.  
Friends, A necessity is laid upon me to speak plainly to you in the counsel of the Lord; for the plain simple birth cannot heal any thing but that which is of its own nature; it can neither feignedly nor slatteringly please the false birth, nor insinuate into the affections of any by an uncertain message of peace; it is the alone healer of the bruised indeed, but cannot strengthen that spirit by which the Seed is oppressed; that which can do so is the man-pleaser, and creeps into the affection through a seeming condescension to the poor and weak, by which the false birth is more encouraged, and the bruised more heavily oppressed, and so the self-denial man is strengthened in his selfish conceit, under a show of self-denial: This spirit hath not the line of true Judgement, it cannot fathom the depths where the poor lies afflicted, and the bruised distressed, and the weak helpless, nor hath no true oil to pour into the wound of Israel, but only helps the Beast to heal his wound, which is to be wounded unto death. Friends, The end of my labour is to restore the lost Sheep of the House of Israel, who are led astray by the fair shows of feigned spirits; and whether you will hear or forbear, I shall have a witness in you, for nothing is in my heart but goodwill to your souls; and if so you can receive it, and come to profit by it, let God have the glory over all, and the man's name be buried in silence. Therefore let your ear be open to that of God in you, and consider, is it not sad and grievous, when the love of God is so much professed, and that which is of it denied and dis-owned, and that which is contrary to it, received and nourished? I shall leave the particulars to be distinguished unto you by the witness of God in you; but this is a certain truth concerning you, that you are gone from the sure Foundation, and are become as waves of the Sea, which have their course and motion which way the wind bloweth. What a sad captivity are you fallen into, who are fallen from serving the living God in his own way, to serve a painted Idol of your own making? and gives the honour and renown unto it, as if it was the only son, when indeed it is nothing but an Idol born of the flesh, and painted over with the choicest colours of that nature, and being of that nature in the ground it is an Idol, though it will not be limited to any outward observation. But the birth of the Royal Seed, is the Glory of the only begotten of the Father, and in its order is without limitation, though in practice it daily and hourly observes the same thing.  
Well Friends, I have great heaviness and sorrow in my heart concerning many of you, who in the day of your visitation did begin well, but how you are turned aside, I believe you do not understand; and therefore my compassion is much more towards you, who in your simplicity are ensnared, for the zeal of your affections ran you out of the stayedness, and so you became enamoured with a fair show, and eagerly closed in with it as some higher manifestation; and here your eye became darkened with the enamoured part, and then the net you could not see, and so was simply taken in the heat of your affections; and it being so, you must submit to the power of God in the silence of all flesh, and if so you do, the power will deliver you, and again restore you into the fellowship of the Gospel.  
So Friends, this is the counsel of the Lord God unto you, Make nothing to yourselves, but wait in stillness and quietness, not out of words only, but out of thoughts and imaginations also, for there all flesh comes into silence; and in so waiting upon the Lord God, he will abolish your Idols with all their glory, and root out the ground of their conception; and if you so stand submitted to his power, he will surely heal you, and freely love you: And be not so wise in your own eyes, for you are below, and your intelligence and motions are from that nature, and the birth of life sits sorrowing as a Babe without comfort; let it give answer, and speak for itself, and then shall these sayings be found true and faithful.  
And Friends, What would you do by the things that you hold forth? would you shadow the Sun from shining? or keep the showers from falling, and the Seed from blossoming, and the Vine from yielding increase? would you so limit the life, as the streams of it should not run, or so enclose the love of God, as that it should not break forth? if you say, nay, these are the things that we would have to be; then what means your crying out against the glorious dispensation of God, and the order in it? and what means all your reflections upon Gods chosen Heritage, as if death had swallowed them all up, and as if they had lost the compassion and tenderness and virtue, which once they had, and apprehends that you only have retained it? Nay Friends, that which was once in the Life of God, is still the same amongst his children, and in the resurrection of it they have a sweet increase, and to that of God in all it is the same as ever, and they are not seeking themselves and their own glory, but are seeking the good of all, and the Glory of God in all; but you have lost your strength who are gone from the power of God, and so you savour not the things that are of God, that when compassion is manifested towards you, yet you cannot receive it, except it close in with you, and so you turn away your ear from the counsel of the Lord, as if no compassion or tenderness did remain, in his children; and thus you are drawn off from them, and entertains hard thoughts of them, when their love and goodwill is the same to your souls as ever: And this I am sure, that you have increased the travel of many, though some of you do little regard it.  
And Friends, the Seed is known in the inward, & the fruit of it is manifest in the outward, and thereby the Father is glorified, and they that have taken foot downwards, & are truly changed into the nature of the Seed, through the dislolution and death of the first body, they again spring upwards in the resurrection & life, & as the first born of life they show forth living praise in perfect innocency. And Friends, I am not ignorant of that spirit which hath ensnared you, but certainly knows from whence it comes, & whither it goes, & the end of it, & I know that it is not of God, nor never must have any part in his Kingdom; & therefore I travel in the true Spirit of love, which is the Spirit ofGod, that such of you as are turned aside may not so turn your backs upon the Lord, as to cause him utterly to cast you off, but that you may speedily return unto him, who in his long-suffering and patience waits that he may be gracious.  
Therefore let your diligence be improved in watchfulness, and wait that you may be of understanding hearts, & publish no more than you perfectly understand in the will of God, for that will neither profit your selus nor others. You have given so much life to the falls birth by some of your writings, as that the beasts of the field rise up to trample upon the precious truth of God; consider of this, for it will fall heavy in the latter end; for it is an easy matter to get words, & to make a flourish in them, as though some more excellent thing was attained, and it is as easy a matter to cry down words, as a dispensation below the Life; but to declare words in the Life, or come to silence in the life, & perfectly understand that it is so ordered by the Life in both, this is such a secret as from the fleshly birth is hid, but the true babes can sit & read it in the Father's bosom.  
Oh it is a grief to the good Spirit of God, to behold how words fly abroad, as if people would prevail with their tongues, and host with words some are crying down words, & endeavouring to lay aside that dispensation, as being come to its period, not considering that the love & life of God hath its passage through the Vessel where he pleaseth, and that the words are from the Word which is not to be limited. I only justify the innocent herein, who in the Father's will and time are ordered; but such of you as can allow your own liberty in words, and through the same hold forth an attainment above them, you have your time in your own hand, & whilst you speak of all the precious virtues of the innocent life, which are many, yet with the same breath some of you are not afraid to speak rashly (if not evil) of such as are born of it, and are clothed with it, who as noble Plants and Trees of righteousness, which the Father hath planted, do bear ripe fruit to his endless Glory, unto whom you must come again, who are gone from them, if ever you come to enjoy ●ue peace, for there is no whither else to go, where true peace rest & happiness can be found or attained. And herein I have cleared my Conscience in the Father's will, in whose will I speak, and in whose will I am silent, both lying down & rising up in his pleasure, desiring that what is here manifested in his will, may not be rejected in your wills, but that it may reach the meek & lowly in you, & so be accepted by you as the loving kindness of the Lord, & be entertained in that love from which it doth proceed, which is the love that beareth all things, & thinketh not ill in any thing.  
WILLIAM SMITH.   

IN the movings of pure love, I most earnestly beseech & entreat you all, that in time you be warned, and take heed of that spirit which in time passed betrayed the innocent with a kiss, and in these days doth take to itself a term of general love to all, and also pretends a liberty in an inward ground, which is not to be limited to any outward thing; which spirit from a good understanding I do declare to be in the ground thereof the general & very enmity unto the begotten of God in all, under which many tender hearts in their simplicity may lie captivated, & as yet understand it not, even as once it was with me, until I was so far benighted, that as that spirit transformed into light, I in the darkness wandered after it, but finding that it led to no true rest, the innocent cried unto its God, & his ear was open unto it, & by his grace I now am that I am; & that I now am is the same which in measure I was in the beginning, when the begotten of God in me simply breathed after him, and I have now true unity in the Faith with the chosen of God, and with them do partake of his virtuous life, in the sense of which, I desire that you may speedily return unto your first love, in which is true joy 〈◊〉 everlasting peace, which no transformed spirit hath to give, nor power to take away. I could have spoken more fully in particulars, but a clear information is manifested unto you, who have an ear to hear, and I am at present eased, & rests in the will of God.  
ELISABETH NEWTON.   

IN the unity of the love and life of God, we do give in our testimony for God, having ourselves been sometimes in bondage unto that spirit which leads into a liberty out of the order of God; and in that state we looked upon ourselves to be in an inward ground, and looked upon such as with the true Light was guided, to be more formal and legal in what they practised, & to be no higher than Moses administration; and here we had laid an inward g●●●d in a wrong spirit, and our belief was placed in it, wherein we could allow to ourselves the liberty of using or not using such things as stood in outward practice, & looked upon them all to be far below our liberty; but under our liberty the innocent sat in sorrow, and such was the love of God unto us, as in due time his own Arm reached to the oppressed, & his right hand hath done valiantly for us, and mighty things he hath brought to pass, and in his Light we are gathered amongst the Babes of his Kingdom, where we have a part & portion in his peace and blessing: And therefore in faithfulness unto God, and in love to your souls, we warn you all, who, with this spirit is taken, to submit to the power and spirit of life, and fly from this spirit as from your deadly enemy, that so you may obtain favour with the Lord whilst his love is to you, which we tenderly desire, that so it may be with you.  
Nottingham, the 11. mon. 1663. 

John Reckless  
Martha Plaits.  
Sarah Watsone.  
Hannah Reckless.  
Prudence Harding.     

GOd in his everlasting love to man in the Fall, hath sent his Son Christ Jesus (and hath made him manifest in man) to be the Light of man, and to lead man out of the Fall, up to God, and this Son of God is the second Adam, the Lord from Heaven, who is the quickening Spirit, by which eternal Spirit the souls of his people are quickened & made alive unto God; & it is by the same Spirit that they are fed and nourished, & kept alive unto him, in his own righteousness; & this holy Spirit is their guide & leader into all truth, & whatsoever this Spirit leadeth into, therein they are justified of God, & not in any other thing; & when this Spirit leadeth the birth of its own begetting to appoint a meeting, it is for God, & in what place soever it doth appoint a meeting, it is lawful for the people of God, who live in this Spirit, to go thereunto, or for any others, if it be day after day, or time after time; it being apppointed by the Spirit of the Lord, it is justified by the Lord, & the Power & holy Life which is in Jesus doth accompany such meetings, for they meet in the Name & Truth of the Lord. These are those who are born of the Royal Seed, and God is feeding them with the holy Bread of life; and if any find but so much as a hunger or desire in their souls after the living Bread, they are to go to that blessed assembly where the living Bread is broken, & where the Lords people is met together; for that Life which is manifested in them cries come, to all the thirsty; & all that come, in-no-wise will he turn them away unsatisfied: So all that come, although they be but weak, the Lord will strengthen them; or hungry, yet he will feed them; or thirsty, he hath water to give unto them, for unto such his cry is. And when the Lord doth satisfy the soul in the assembly of his people, and meeting, than thy soul will be zealous for that meeting, because thou hast met with the Lord to satisfy thee: And it is not the outward place, or time, or days, that thou wilt cry up, but thou wilt cry up that which hath answered the desire of thy soul, and that meeting in which God is so much manifested, for thy meeting is in the Spirit & Truth, which was before days, or time, or place was; yet thou cannot be against the time, or days (or place where the people of God meet) because they are in the Father's hand; and the people of God, who are led by the Spirit of God, they know the place and day, which God hath apppointed for them to live, & walk, & assemble in; and this is the heavenly place in Christ Jesus, and they who live in this, they have the refreshing presence of God with them, at all times, and in all outward places, wheresoever their gathering is; and this is that standing meeting, which none (who knows it) are to withdraw from.  
And now Friends, you that know the travel of your souls, & have a sense & feeling that Christ is form in you, dwell and abide in him who is form, and in this form the Life and Power of God dwells and abides for ever; for as every one doth know God's righteousness to be put on, so as that they feel themselves to stand in it, and it to cover them, here they are in the thing form, and so take the form upon them, which is godliness, and the power of God is with them, and doth uphold them, & the Spi it of God is in them, and justifieth them in this form; and in this you will know what Christ took upon him, while he was in the flesh, and thou must not be greater than thy Master, but thou art in all things to obey him, and to do his will: So wilt thou feel the mind of Christ in thee to lead thee into that form and path he walked in; for he went to one place several times to preach and teach; and this was not a dead form, but that form in which the power of God was manifested. And therefore, dost thou not know, that these backsliders, who now cry against our meetings as formal (though the power of God is with us) would, if they had been in Christ's days, have cried against him, when he took upon him the form of a servant? And is not this the spirit of the Pharisees, who condemned Christ, and now his Disciples, being they are turned against him, & would be set up themselves? and this spirit is one with that spirit in the world against our meetings, the one with reviling words, and the other with wicked actions, & they are both one in the ground, and sees no comeliness in Christ the Truth, because they are out of the Light, in which he dwells; but to all who dwell and walk in the Light, he is very comely and beautiful, and very glorious, beyond what they can speak of him. Therefore dear Friends, whose being is in Christ with God, unto you my love and soul is much obliged, and my desire it, that you all may be preserved in the precious truth, even to the end, and that it may ever be unto you beautiful and delectable to your sight, and that you may faithfully meet in his Name, and feel the God of all consolation & comforts amongst you, daily to strengthen & refresh you with his living mercies, & that you in his grace may grow as plants of his renown, to bring forth fruit to the glory of God for ever; and beware of that spirit which would draw you from meetings, for it is an enemy to the Church of the firstborn whose being is in God, and in whom my habitation is, who am  
Your Dear Brother, JOHN MOON.   
THE END.