THE RESURRECTION OF JOHN LILBURNE, NOW A PRISONER IN Dover-Castle, DECLARED And manifested in these following Lines, penned by himself, and now at his earnest desire published in print in these following words. The second Edition, with remarkable Additions by way of Appendex. London Printed for Giles Calvert, at the Black Spread Eagle, near the West-end of Paul's. 1656. THE RESURRECTION OF John Lilburne, etc. HAving many and strong compulsions, from the measure of the light of the Lord now shining clearly within me, and raised up now to a good degree of life and power in my soul, to make a public declaration in print, of my real owning, and now living in, (in my present attained to measure) the life and power of those divine and heavenly principles, professed by those spirituallized people called Quakers; at my owning of which, all my old and familiar friends (in a manner) are so much troubled and offended with me for, and my great adversaries so jealous of the real intentions of my heart within me, at my so doing, and by that measure of the Light of JESUS shining in my soul, I am now directed and guided to entitle it as aforesaid, and here at this place (as an introduction, before I come to the main thing of that which through the strength of God I have now to say) to insert here the copies of the very two first Letters, that ever I writ of note, after the great and glorious power of God had seized upon my soul, to let in the real beginnings of convincement into my soul, of my spiritual blindness, deadness and emptiness, and by which I came to see a clear glimpse of that spiritual fullness that was, and really is, in the divine and heavenly declared principles of the aforesaid precious people: The first Letter being to my wife, take in these following words. Dover-Castle the fourth day of the tenth month, 1655. For my deer and loving wife Elizabeth Lilburn, at her friend George Wades (house) a Cook, at the Sign of the Sun near Guild-Hall, and Laurence Lanes end in London, these with speed deliver. My dear heart, WHat in a great measure my temper of spirit was before thy coming to me, I in its measure communicated unto thee, by the copy of my letter to Luke Howard, which I have here enclosed thee at thy leisure to peruse: And what distemperedness my earthly spirit was in, at, and towards thee, at thy and my last meeting upon Saturday, the tenth of November last, I need not to repeat unto thee, being (I believe) it is fresh enough in thy own memory. And the frame of my heart, after thy reconciliation and mine (so far as God hath given me the spirit of discerning, and searching it) I in no small proportion in reality discovered to thee. And since my departue (upon Wednesday the 21. of November last) se●ting myself seriously to a deep and weighty consideration of that work that my soul longed for a new to be a travelling in; And giving fullness of scope to that divine and heavenly voice of God speaking plainly in my heart, unto which I am truly able to set my seal to, that it is that spirit, or power of the Holy Ghost, or true Comforter, spoken of Joh. 16.7, 8. that convinceth, or reproveth the world, or the carnal, or first, or fallen nature in me, of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement, and is that eternal and everlasting spirit of truth, that (embraced and closed with) leads my soul by its divine and strong power, or attractive drawings, step by step in its measure and degree into truth, and in my heavenly father's good time, I doubt not but it will establish and build me up in truth, joh. 16.13. and mould me into a real conformity in life and power (in real and substantial enjoyment) to the ways of truth, of light, and life, be they never so difficult to the flesh, carnal man, or fallen, or first nature in me, or never so full of the cross, or self-denial, or giving up my own reason, understanding, will, wisdom, and affections, to be crossed and crucified by the Will and Wisdom of JESUS, the anointed above measure of the Father, and to be guided or led on by him the living life, light, or power in all the sons of men, that have the greatest degree, or least of sparks of divine or heavenly light, shining within their dark, (in their small degree or measure) or enlightened, enlivened souls, in their larger degree or measure. I have, since I see thee, read extraordinary much of those two volumes which I shown thee, containing both almost seventeen hundred pages, of the writings of those preciouseft (though most contemptible) people called quakers; the truly beloved objects of my soul. And this at present, (because I rather now hearty desire to live in the possession, power, or life of truth in my soul, then in the bare profession, notion, or talk of it) I shall, and can in sincerity say to thee, that my soul hath been amazed, and even confounded by them; not as Herod by john Baptist preach was, for fear of eternal wrath (or loss of his Tetrarch-ship by, or) for his sins, which to avoid made him reform, and amend many things, Mark 6.20. but of real break, or shame of soul, that so glorious a Talon, as my Lord and Master (by the clear, lively, and powerful break in of his divine and heavenly light into my heart) long, and many years ago bestowed upon me, should by me (or my first, and carnal wisdom) be most ungratefully, and unfaithfully, like a lighted candle put under a bushel, or hid, or buried in the earth in me, in obscurity and darkness: Or, that my soul should by the will and wisdom of the first nature, ambitiously (Adam-like) eat anew upon the tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and thereby covet to be esteemed something amongst the sons of men, (more than the Divine Wisdom would have me) with that measure or degree I had attained to; and therewith be with it (like the unbelieving Jews, the type in the flesh) or the first (or mean in its degree or measure, to what I ought to have thirsted after) out-going of the divine and heavenly teaching, and instructing spirit, or voice of God in, or unto my soul, willing and content to sit down in the wilderness, or journeying way to Canaan; and not with precious joshua and Caleb (the spiritual antitypes in that particular, or in another particular, the outward types, of the spiritual travelling antitypes, the seed of God under the Gospel, into God's spiritual rest in himself) be willing, longing, and desirous, by faith in the strength of God, (resting as the old Israelites after the flesh ought to have done, in his faithful and powerful promise of carrying me on) through all difficulties, self-denyals, crosses, and hardships whatsoever; to travel into the spiritual Kingdom, or heavenly Land of Rest, that God in the naked enjoyment of himself hath prepared for (and at this very day I believe hath experimentally and really bestowed the clear enjoyment of, upon many of) his Ransomed one's, contemptibly and scornfully called quakers. I say unto thee, the real (and close applied home unto my soul by the spirit and power of life from God, that now aloud again speaks within me) consideration of the premises, or that which is foregoing, and that people afar off, (yea, ignorant idiots, fools and profane * As is clearly proved by the printed speeches of several of the prisoners in Northhampton and Eversham Goals. ones) in comparison of my being so nigh at hand so many years ago, to the clear and full possession of the spiritual Land of Canaan, should enter into the glorious Kingdom of God, or that clearness of Rest, Peace and Union in, and with him, that now clearly to my spiritual understanding they iajoy, and there bring forth the ripe fruits of spiritual old age in comparison of me, of Praises, Honour, and Glory to the Lamb: and to the ancient of Days, that clearly sits upon the Throne in their hearts, as having judged down, conquered, and overcome, within them, all their sins or spiritual enemies, and caused them to triumph over them, as in his strength, divine and heavenly power, reigning and ruling as King and Lord over them. O, I say unto thee again, the real sight (in its measure and degree) and spiritual consideration of these things, since I last see thee, for divers hours in several nights, one after another, when my God denied sleep unto my outward eyes, and caused my soul to be awake with himself, and to be really exercised in an interchange of Divine conference, contemplation or parley with him, hath even caused my soul to weep, sigh, and mourn within me before him, and in his strength and almighty power to indent with him, and now in good earnest to engage in my soul, or spiritual man, to be obedient to his heavenly and divine voice, speaking clearly in me, and to follow him (lest I should now by any longer resistance, totally quench his divine drawings) through the denial of my own (or natural reason) will, wit, wisdom, desires and affections, and with a real weanedness from worldly or fleshly honour, applause, glory, riches, or creature-fulness, yea, even to a final denial of father, kindred, friends, my sweet and dearly beloved (by me) babes, or thy own self, who viz. thyself, for many years bypast, I must avow it before the Almighty in sincerity and truth, hath been to me the greatest & dearest of all earthly delights and joys. And now therefore look about thee in good earnest, and see what thou hast got to thyself, as to the flesh, by thy eager desires, and strong endeavours to bring me back again into England; for the day of thy real, strong, and full temptation and trial, never came upon thee till now, if God give thee not by degrees the fullness and compleatness of spiritual and heavenly strength and ability to bear it, and go through it. For my part I am now in reality and truth, in the clearly, lively, or evident seeing of the wisdom, and loving hand of a tender and endeared eternal father, in stripping me naked of all earthly and created excellencies, and taking my outward Estate, and profitable worldly Employment, and all my worldly glory from me, and graciously, and supportingly leading me through the valley of Baca, Psal. 84.6. or tears, outward dangers, and death, for now almost four years together, and separating fromme for a long time, that wont delight that used to be betwixt thee (my old and real I doll) and me; and at my coming to this place, clearly unrobeing me of all and every one of my old friends, and familiar acquaintance, that were any way fit, or able to do any thing for me; and thereby hedging up my way, that I must, whether I will or no, in spite of my teeth, once again give ear to the serious and plain voice, call, or counsel of the most High, speaking in, and unto my soul. And so in much mercy and endeared loving kindness, as he did in my great straits in the Bishop's time, provided and sent to me a poor despised (yet understanding) Priscilla, to instruct me in, or expound unto me the way of God more fully, or perfectly; (whom I am compelled now to tell thee, I shall love respect therefore, the longest day I live upon the earth, let her continue by whomsoever to be judged never so rigid or contemptible) so here at his place he hath also provided for me an Aquilla, (being a contemptible, yet understanding, spiritually knowing, & single hearted Shoemaker) to do the same now to my spiritual, & no small advantage, refreshment, & benefit, by means of all which I am at present become dead to my former bustling acting in the world, and now stand ready with the devour centurion or captain, spoken of Act. 10. to hear and obey all things that the lively voice of God speaking in my soul shall require of me, upon the further manifestation of whose glorious presence, my heart with a watching fear & care desires to wait, and to walk faithfully, and tenderly, and humbly in that measure of Light already received, and out of the strength of indearedness of love, and tenderness of affection, that hath long in times bypast, dwelled in me towards thee and of late in much sincerity is renewed unto thee again; I have with the same eternal, wel-wishing of thy-spiritual happiness, as I do my own, ordered Giles Calvert to send unto thee several of those printed pieces of the quakers, that in the serious reading of which have been most convincingly, instructive unto my soul; amongst which I have judged in the first place james Naylor (that strong, or tall man in Christ) his Something in answer unto (thy and my endeared friend) John Jackson (that tall Cedar in great profession of Religion) his book called, Strength in weakness, (which book the last Post I received from thee) in the reading of which piece of james Naylors, I must set my seal to it, that there goes along in the breathe out of it a great deal of the quickening life & power of the spirit of God, & unto it are annexed several pieces of that precious and divine soul, William Deusbury, the Lords now, or late glorious prisoner, in Northampton common goal, (to whose precious and heavenly spirit, although I never see his face, mine in indearedness of love is glued unto) whose books is called, The discovery of the great enmity of the Serpent against the Seed of the woman, and his discovery of man's return, have been pieces in my reading of them seriously, that by the power of the Almighty hath spoken home to my soul I have ordered to be annexed unto them (as I remember) as many as makes them ten in number; and then twelve more in another volume principally for answering Objections, I have ordered to be sent unto thee, which I hope thou wilt receive (before this come to thee) bound up in that method that I have directed. And now my dear love, for whom my soul travels with God for thy eternal good, with the same sincere heartedness as for my own, hoping that thy late out-fall and mine was but for a set season, that so as divine Paul in another sense speaks, Phil. 15. thy reconciliation and mine again might now remain firm in love for ever. I therefore earnestly entreat thee, not to much cumber thyself in thy many toiling and journeyings for my outward liberty, but sit down a little, and behold the great salvation of the Lord; and if by any means possible thy spirit can be made free to it, retire thyself but for one week, or the like, into thy own chamber (as being sequestered from all thy friends & acquaintance) and with as much seriousness and deliberation read this, and the forementioned precious books, with the letter that thy & my endeared, spiritual, & faithful friend, Luke Howard, yesterday sent unto thee (as the real out go of the measure of the spirit of God in his heart towards thee) as I have often and deliberately read thy last Post-letter to me, Dated at Whits-hall, upon Wedneseday the 28, of November last, and often wept for joy and gladness of heart, at that they honest exhortation to me, at the last and of it in those words, viz. My Dear, Retain a sober patiented spirit within thee, which I am confident thou shalt see shall be of more force to recover thee, than all thy keen m●…tal hath been; I hope God is a doing a work upon thee and me too, as shall make us study ourselves more than we have done. O my dear Love, I am deeply already entered into my part of it: The mighty power of God enable thee to get in too, and also to go through thine, and effectually to go cheerfully & willingly along hand in hand with me, which abundantly would render thee more amiable, lovely, and pleasant in mine eyes, although thou wert then clothed in rags, than thou couldst be to me in thy drawings back, or standing still where thou wast when I last see thee, though therein thou wert clothed all over with rich, and outwardly glistering earthly Diamonds, and in the greatest of earthly prosperities. I am sorry for that hard portion thou tell'st me thou hadst in going from me, in thy dangerous travelling upon the Thames, and I desire to bless God for thy deliverance from so nigh a death. I am also sorry thou art so straightly put to it for money, but to live upon God by faith in the depth of straits, is the lively condition of a Christian: O that thy spirit could attain unto it! According to thy desire in thy Letter, and my own present genius or frame of Spirit (which now can contentedly feed savourily upon bread and cheese, and Small-Beer alone) for saving of money. I have discharged my old Nurse, and borrowed 20. s. to give her to carry her towards her husband, and by her have I sent these lines to deliver to thine own hands. Of which, poor ignorant soul, I must say this to thee in truth, that although the woman, in my clear understanding, be but wholly in the first nature of fallen mankind, yet she hath been in the hand of God, an instrument of much service, (honesty performed) faithfulness, and tender compassion to me, in the day of the greatest and unparalelled extremity of my outward desires in the Isle of Jersey, for which, in her station, I must value her as long as I live, and if ever outward prosperity in any competent degree be my portion, really requite her; therefore I expect from thee, if she have occasion to use thee, that thou be'st tender and respectful to her for my sake. And for my Liberty, about which thou so weariest and spendest thyself and earthly strength, as thy Letter acquaints me with thou dost, I can say no more to thee than what was contained in my Letter, directed to thee, and Dated Nou. 21. last, (which I gave here to thy own hands) but that I am in my present temper of spirit, ready really with Peter at the sight of the glorlous transfiguration of Christ, to say, its good being here (for me) for here in Dover Castle, through the loving kindness of God, I have met with a more clear, plain, and evident knowledge of God and myself, and his gracious out-going to my soul, than ever I had in all my life time, not excepting my glorying and rejoicing condition under the Bishops, and now the pangs and travelling throes of God are powerfully afresh upon my very heart, and therefore now in my own will, I could rather wish thee and my sweet Lambs to be with me here, than I at present with thee and them where thou art, yet submissively and hearty I say, and can say, the Will of my heavenly Father be done in me, by me, and for me; in whose Will I leave thee and thine, with all thy and my friends, and rest, From Dover-Castle, the place of the present enjoyed delightful dispensations of the eternal, everlasting love of God unto my soul, the 4th. day of the 10 th'. month, 1655. Thine in the strength of renewedness of true love, John Lilburn The forementioned second Letter, take in these following words. Dover-Castle, the fifth day of the tenth month, 1655. For my endeared friend William Harding, commonly called Mayor, at Weymouth in Dorcetshire, these deliver. Kind friend, SInce my arrival here, I have often been desirous in my own spirit, at large to have writ to thee, but hitherto by a power above me, I have been hindered, and yet am, as to the particular aforesaid; only now I thought it not only convenient to acquaint thee, but am thereunto compelled to tell thee, that meeting here with one of those precious people called quakers, of which people thee and I at the Isle of jersey had much talk of, and getting into my hands two Volumes of their printed papers, amounting to about seventeen hundred pages, I have with seriousness of discourse, and serious reading therein, been knocked down off, or from my former legs, or standing; and giving scope to my true teacher and guide, the light of God speaking in my soul, I am become at present dead to my fallen, or first nature's reason, wit, wisdom, and desires, and also totally become dead to my old bustling ways in the flesh, and now in a great degree or measure, am struck down dead to the very earth within me, and by that light which gloriously with in my soul hath shined round about my first, or corrupt nature within me, I am like Paul with astonishment and amazement, Act. 9 fallen down flat at the feet of Jesus, and hearing a voice speaking within me, to persuade me for my good and benefit, to become willing to be guided and directed by the heavenly wisdom of Jesus my Anointed; I have thereupon given up myself wholly to be guided by his divine teachings shining within me, before which I now stand ready to give ear to what by it shall be told me, being willing and desirous to have the scales fall further from the blind eyes of my soul, that they may be further opened; and that a power therewith may come in to my soul, from the Holy Ghost, which may enable me in the strength thereof, to redeem my lost, and misspent bypast precious time, and not now to consult with flesh and blood in my daily taking up the Cross of Christ, and following him whithersoever he shall by his call, or heavenly Divine voice within me, lead me. I say, I am compelled from a power within me, at this present time, in brief to tell thee these things, and to require thee from God, to give ear to that true convincing light, that clearly speaks in thy conscience, and by the assistance thereof to strive with the first, or fallen nature yet ruling in thy soul, and lay aside that greatness of wit and earthly wisdom that thou hast attained to, and in that measure of Light that long since thou hast received, withdraw into thy private Closet, and seriously meditate upon these brief lines. And being thou in my late conversing with thee, told me, thou hadst read, or hadst sent me down from London most of the Quakers Books; Let me in love to thy soul, earnestly entreat thee, with seriousness to read over (strong and tall in Christ) james Nayler, his sheet of paper, entitled, Something further in answer to John jackson's book, called, Strength in weakness; (which john jackson is my endeared friend, and old and long acquaintance, and a greater professor of Religion now, then ever thou thyself in all thy zeal once was; therefore in him thou mayest plainly read thy own condition) and that precious prisoner of the Lords in Northampton Goal, William Dewsbury, his two books, the first and excellentest of which is called, The discovery of the great enmity of the serpent against the seed of the woman: & his other book is entitled, The discovery of man's Return: and the Lord by his almighty power set them home to thy soul. I hearty desire to return thee my hearty thanks for all thy kindness and tenderness manifested to me at Jersey, in our passage from thence, and at thy own house: so with my hearty salutations presented to thee, and all thy friends that were with me at thy house at Weymouth. I desire to let thee know, that by my moral, honest, careful, and industrious old Nurse Elizabeth Crome (who by reason of shortness of money with me, I am forced and compelled to part with) I have writ thee a few lines in her behalf, entreating thy countenance and favourable respect to the old (and real serviceable to me in my great distress in Jersey) woman; in case in things that are just and righteous before God, she desire thy favour, and what thee, or thy friend and mine, Edward (commonly called Lieutenant) Tucker, in that particular doth for her, I shall thankfully look upon as actions done to thy souls From Dover-Castle, being a place wherein God hath more clearly than ever before, opened the eyes of my understanding, the 5. day of the to month, 1655. Faithful, hearty, and real wel-wishing friend, john Lilburn. With which main or principal thing that I have now to say, I thus proceed, and go on with it; & here in the especial presence of the Lord declare, that by that present measure of light now born up in my understanding, and moving in my soul at this very time, I am here compelled to let the Reader (whosoever he be) to know, that as I have long understood from my wife the original of my foregoing Letter to her, she conveyed to the hands of Oliver Cromwell himself, and at his Son-in Law's desire, Charles Fleetwood (my old, and sometimes much familiar greatly obliging friend) gave him a copy of it, and notwithstanding the clear declarations of a sincere (changed in measure) heart in the said Letter, at the penning of which, I had then lost all manner of ability to consult with one grain of Machivel, or humane deceitful policy, having then the very dreadful, and awful, immediate, convincing, judging, and burning up power of God upon my soul; yet upon my said writing, and my wife's disposing, as aforesaid, of my said Letter, many and great jealousies arise upon me at , at the strange politic contrivance of my (largely reputed by them) politic heart in my turning quaker, (of which I had several ways exact information) which it seems out of humane fear, took that powerful impression upon my poor weak wife, as that, as I judged by her Letters to me, troubled the poor afflicted Woman at the very heart, and compelled her by writing in a vehement manner, to press me to sign such an engagement as George Fox did, (the Copy of which I have seen and read) and sent it up to Oliver Cromwell to secure him from his pretended fears of my politic endeavouring to craw the temporal sword against him; unto which for many reasons having then no manner of freedom in the earth to do it (George Fox though even then a precious man in my eyes, his particular actions being no rules for me to walk by, unless I lived in the very same life and power of Spiritual enjoyments that he did, and had the very selfsame motions in spirit from God, that led him to a freedom and ability to do such, and the like particular actions) I therefore then ceased it, and did it not; and if I had then done it for my own particular human ends, as to avoid further persecution, and the like, I had in so doing been an outside pharisaical imitator, and the greatest and basest of hypocrites, which sin alone is the height of God's a Mat. 24.51. Rev. 3.15, 16. See Mat. 6.5. & 23.13, 14. Luk. 11, 44.46. etc. abhorrance, for although I must before the Lord now truly avow, that the said Letter was a true and faithful (without fraud or guile) declaration of as real and spiritual a power of God in its measure, seizing upon my soul, for my conviction of my spiritual blindness and sinfulness, as ever seized upon Paul's, declared in the 9 of the Acts, or any man's that ever breathed upon earth, yet betwixt the Winter-storms and fierce tempests of conviction, (or rather the beginning of it) and the pleasant Sunshine, dewey, and springing days of growth into a measure of refreshment, there is a vast difference; and therefore then the true occasion, or real ground of all outward war and humane bustling contest being not taken away, or absolutely crucified or subdued at the very Root in my soul, if then I had signed such an engagement, I had clearly gone beyond my souls then living and real attainments, and thereby ran presumptuously and wickedly beyond my measure, and so had tempted the Lord my then present Leader, and spiritual guide, and abominably sinned against him. But now in my already attained growing up measure, having the experimental witness of God within my b 1 Joh. 5.10. self, that I am already truly and really attained, in substantial, and witnessed within me, real truth, with the young men in Christ, spoken of by the Apostle c 1 Joh. 2.13. John, to a good measure or degree, in overcoming the wicked one within me, so that now I am able to witness in truth and righteousness, that the true grounds or real occasions of all outward wars, and all carnal busting, and all fleshly striving within me, is in a very large measure, or degree, become dead or crucified within me: when true grounds & real occasions, of all the outward iron and steel sword war in the world, and all the wicked and fleshly forerunners of it and dependants upon it, truly riseth from its fountain, the raging power of sin, or lust within, in carnal, and unregenerated, unsanctified, and unjustied (before God) men's hearts, as is plainly & truly witnessed by the apostle d Jam. 4.1, 2, 3, 4. James in these words, From whence comes wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts, that war in your members? ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts. Ye Adulterers and Adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God: whosoever therefore will be a friend to the world (that spiritual Kingdom of Satan in unsanctified men's souls) is the enemy of God. And therefore Christ, the true Lord of the soul, and the true Head-Master, and King of that heavenly spiritual kingdom (as the Devil or Prince of the air, is the Head-Master, King, or God of the Kingdom of this world, in the hearts of the children of unsanctified, and unjustified, disobedient e Eph. 2.2.3.5, & 6.11. & 2 Cor. 4.4. Jam. 1.13, 14, 15. Joh. 12.3. & 16.11. Rom. 6.16.20. & 2 Tim. 2.26. & 2 Pet. 2.19. & 1. Joh. 3.8.10. men) that he hath provided for all redeemed, sanctified, justified and righteous f Rom. 6. ●0, 22, 23. & 8.1, 2, 3, 4. Rom. 14.17. & 15.13, 14. & 1 Cor. 4.20. & 2 Cor. 4 6. Gal. 5.22, 23, 24. Eph. 5 7, 8, 9 Heb. 12.22, 23. & 1 Joh. 1.5, 6, 7. Rev. 6.14, 15, 16, 17 & 21.3, 4.22, 23. & 22.1, 2, 3, 4. Isa. 60.19, 20, 21. souls, declares at his very answer before Pilate for his life, and saith, My Kingdom is not of this world, if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from [g] Joh. 18.36. hence; and therefore it was when Judas betrayed this spiritual King, Christ, into the hands of his murdering enemies, and that his servant Simon h Joh 18.10. Peter stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the High Priests, and smote off his ear; that this spiritual King, Lord and Master, cured the wounded man, although he was his i Luke 22.50 51. enemy, & commanded his servant Peter to put up his sword again in his place, further saying to him, For all they that take the Sword [mark it well] shall perish with the k Mat. 26.51, 52, 53. see Gen. 9.6. Rev. 13.10. Sword: Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve l A constituted full Roman Legion of soldiers, at this time as I remember the Roman Histories, was reputed to be commonly about 7 or 8000. men. Legions of Angels. And therefore all the whole Laws of his inward and spiritual Kingdom, are made in quite opposition against the Laws of the mere glorious outside kingdom of the God and Prince of this world; unto which two Masters, or Kings, or Lawgivers, it is impossible for any man in the world, or upon this globy earth, to be a servant to them both, at one & the same m Mat. ●24. Luke 16.13. time, but he that commits sin is the servant of sin, and so the servant of the n Joh. 8.34.41, 42, 44. Rom. 6.16. & 2 Per. 2.19. & 1 John 3.8.10. devil; and he that is the servant of sin, is free from righteousness, and so from being a servant or subject unto o Rom. 6.17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 1 Joh. 1.6. & cap. 3.3, 4, 5, 6, 9 & 5.1, 2, 3, 4, 18, 19 Joh. 7.17. & 8.31, 32. & 9.31. & 12.26. & 14.15.21, 23, 24. & 15.4.7.10.14. Christ. And therefore the Spirit of Christ, this spiritual inside-King, dwelling in the Apostle Paul, declares, that there is no fellowship betwixt righteousness and unrighteousness, nor no communion betwixt light and darkness, nor no concord betwixt Christ and Belial, nor no harmony betwixt the true believer (that knows p Joh. 17.3. God) and the infidel, (and such are all they that truly knows not q 1 Thess. 4, 5. Se Tit. 1.16. Ex. 5.2. Psal. 79.6. Jer. 10.25. Ro. 1.19.21. Eph. 4.17, 8, 19 God.) And there he further demands: what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols? for ye are (saith he to the true knowers of God in Corinth) the Temple of the living God, as God hath r Levit. 26.12. said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people; wherefore come out from among them, and be ye s Isa. 52.11. separate saith the Lord, and touch not (mark it well) the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto t Jer. 31.1. you, and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord u 2 Cor. 6.14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Almighty. And therefore it is, that the very same Divine Spirit that dwells in this Spiritual King Jesus, speaking in the Apostle john, requires all his Spiritual and true Subjects, not to love the world, neither the things that are in the world, for, if any man love the world, (that Kingdom of Satan the Prince of Darkness, as) the lusts of the Flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world; and the world (and the vanities and empty pleasures of it) passeth away, and the lusts thereof; but he that doth the will of God, abideth for w 1 Joh. 2.15, 16, 17. ever. Yea, the contrariety is so great betwixt the foresaid two Kings and Masters, that whatsoever in the King, or Ruler in the Kingdom of the world, (or fall'n, or unrenewed man) and the Subjects thereof, is esteemed highly, or excellent, is an abomination in the sight of x Luke 16.15. See chap 6.24, 25, 26. Mar. 13.13. Joh. 5.41.44. & 7.17, 18. & 8.50.54. & 11.41, 43. & 15.19. & 16.35. God: And therefore this Spiritual King, having purchased all his Subjects and Servants with a glorious price (as the greatest demonstration of love) of his own blood, by his spiritual Command requires them not to be the servants of y 1 Cor. 7.23. men, but to glorify him both in body and z 1 Cor. 6.20. see chap. 3.16, 17 & 2 Cor. 2.5.15.17. etc. soul; and therefore his grown up servant Paul, declares himself to be no man pleaser, avowing himself, that if he were a man-pleaser, he should, nor could not be the servant of a Gal. 1.10. see 4.3.9, 10.11. & 5. 1 Col. 2.8.30.22. Christ. And therefore the same Apostle, by the infallible spirit of the Lord, requires the Spiritual Subjects of this Spiritual King Jesus, to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which (saith he) is your reasonable service; and be not conformed to this world (the kingdom of the prince of darkness) but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, & acceptable, & perfect will of b Rom. 22.1, 2. God; and therefore when any man becomes a spiritual Subject of this Spiritual King Christ, and dwells in him, he becomes a new creature, & old things in him are passed away, and all things in him are become c 2 Cor. 5.17. new, spiritual, & savoury; yea even his very thoughts, & his words are found few and divine, his behaviour righteous and solid, his deeds upright, and free like God from all respect of d Mat. 3.34.37, 39, 40, 41, 45, 46, 48. & 6.25 31, 32, 33. and 7.12, 13. and 23, 3.5, 6, 7.8, 9.10. Mark 12.14. Luk. 20, 21. Act 10.34, 35. Deu. 10 17. Esth. 3.2 5, 6. Job 32.21, 22. Prov. 10.20. & 28.21. Rom. 2.11. and 1 Cor. 2.16. and 15 33 Gall 2.6. Eph. 4 29. and 5.4. and 6.9. Phil. 2 5. Col. 3.5.8, 15.16. & 4.6. 1 Tim. 1.10. & 6.3, 4, 5, 6. & 2 Tim. 1 7.13. and 4.3. Tit. 1.9.17. and 2.1, 2.8. Jam. 2.1. to 10. and 5.12. and 1 Pet. 1.15, 16, 17. and 4.12. and 2 John 9, 10, 11. persons: and although there be such a perfect and absolute contrariety betwixt all the laws & constitutions of these two Kings or Masters, and a continual and perpetual war betwixt the Subjects thereof, yet the weapons of the warfare of Christ's Spiritual, Heavenly, and glorious Kingdom, handled and used by his Servants and true Subjects, who although they do walk in the flesh, yet do they not war after the flesh, and therefore their weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God; to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringeth into captivity every thought to the obedience of e 2 Cor. 10.3, 4, 5. Christ: The Armour of Proof of these Spiritual warring Subjects and Soldiers of this spiritual glorious King, is to have their loins girt about with truth, & having on them the Breastplate of righteousness, and their feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the Shield of Faith, wherewith they shall be able to quench the fiery-darts of the wicked, and taking the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of f Eph 6.13, 14, 15, 16.17. God; which Spiritual Sword, or Word of God, is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged Sword, piercing, even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart; neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, (who is this Spiritual sharp Sword, or eternal and everlasting Word of God that endures for ever) but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to g Heb. 4.12, 13. do. With which Spiritual Sword this spiritual conquering Lord and King, pricked and wounded to the very heart three thousand of his enemies at once, by the Ministration of his single Spiritual Soldier, the Apostle Peter, which made them bitterly to cry out for a Plaster, and a Physician to heal and cure h Act. 2.37.41. them: which spiritual Sword is the only and alone weapon that this glorious, conquering, spiritual King useth to fight withal against all enemies, the powers of the Prince of Darkness of this world; and with which only and alone he conquereth and i Rev. 1.16. and 2.12.16. and 19.15.21. Hos. 6.7. overcometh carnal Weapons of any kind whatsoever, having no place, nor being of no use at all in his spiritual Kingdom, for his Subjects are to love their enemies, to do good unto their haters, and to resist or requite their evil with k Matt. 5.39, 40, 44, 45, 56. good, and to dwell in love towards all men, as the God of love himself dwells in l Gal. 6.10. and 1 Thes. 3 12● & 5.14, 15. 1 Joh. 4.16, 17. love, and to be holy as God is m 1 Pet. 1.15, 16. holy, and perfect as he is n Matt. 5.48. perfect, and therefore not in the least to draw temporal weapons against their enemies; for among the true and real Saints of the Lord in the mountain of the Lord, where the Lord himself is the inward and soul-teacher and instructor of his people and Subjects in his own ways; there all the temporal swords are to be beat into plowshares, and their earthly spears into pruning-hooks, & no more using of carnal swords, or so much as learning of earthly war, is to be exercised amongst o Isa. 2.2, 3, 4, 5. them, but they are to walk in the pure, holy, & peaceable light of the Lord, which shall & will lead the sanctified, justified and redeemed soul to advance, or set up the innocent, harmless, peaceable lamblike nature, or seed of Christ, to become Lord and King in the heart, of, and over the Lion-like warring; devouring, and destroying-wicked nature of the serpent, the devil, & satan, within man, yea in the Gospel-mount of God, or the spiritual kingdom of Christ (under the Gospel-dispensation) the habitation of the true Saint of God; The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, & the calf, & the young lion, & the fatling together, & a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together. And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking-child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall pui his hand on the Cockatrice Den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy p Esa. 11. 6, 7, 8, 9 & 65.25. mountain, saith God; For the earth shall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea. Yea, they shall be far from q Esa. 54.14. & 66.11, 12. Oppression: Yea, and violence shall no more be heard in the Land; (of the spiritual Kingdom, inhabited by the spiritual subjects, or true Saints of Christ, nor) wasting, nor destruction within their borders; but they shall call their wall salvation; and their Gates Praise. The Sun (or borrowed humane Lights, or rudimental Ordinances) shall be no more thy Light (saith God) by day, neither for brightness shall the Moon give Light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting Light, and thy God thy glory. Thy Sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy Moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting Light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people shall be all Righteous, they shall inherit the Land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, & a small one a strong nation; I the Lord will hasten it in his r Esa. 60.18, 19, 20, 21, 22. See ch. 40.19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26. Rev. 7.14, 15, 16, 17. & 21.1, 2, 3, 4, 5.10.11.22, 23, 24, & 22.1, 2 3, 4, 5. time. In all which consideration, I say, I have now the faithful and true witness in my own soul, that the Lord himself is become within me, the Teacher of my soul, and inabler of me to walk in a measure of his pure ways and paths; yea, and so clear a teacher within me, is he already become unto me, as that I with confidence believe my inward Teacher shall never now more be removed into a corner; but is, and shall be as a continual voice speaking in my ears; This is the way, walk in s Esa. 30.20, 21. see ch. 24.18, 19 & 35.7, 8. & 42.2, 3, 4.7. & 44 3 & 5●. 7. & 54.13. Prov. 6.22, 23. Ps 37.31. Deu. 18.15, 16.18, 19 & 34.6. Jer. 24.7. & 31.31, 32, 33, 34. and 32.14, 15. Eze. 11.19. & 34.22, 23.24, 25, 26.27 & 36.24, 25, 26, 27. and 37.22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28. Joel 2.28, 29. Matt. 11.27. Luk. 10.22. Joh. 1.5 9 12 & 3.21. & 6.41.45. & 7.37, 38, 39 and 9.5.39. & 10.7.9, 16. & 11.9, 10.25.22.12.35, 36, 46.48. and 14.16, 17, 18, 19.23 26. and 15.5.15. and 16, 7, 8.13, 14.26, 27, 28. Act. 1.4. and 2.4. ●6, 17, 18. Rom. 10.7, 8, 9, 10. Gal. 1.15, 16. Heb. 8.7, 8, 9 10, 11. and 10.16.19, 20. and 1 Joh. 2.2.20.27, and 3.24 and 4.13. and 5.10 20 see Act. 17.27, 28.31. and 26.16.18. Rom. 1.19.21. and 2.15. ●6, 27, 28, 39 and 1 Cor. 7.19. and 2 Cor. 2.3. & 4 6. Gal. 3.3. & 5.5, 6. & 6.15. Phil. 3.3. Col. 2.11. & 3.11. & 3.11. & 1 Tim. 4.10. Tit. 2.11, 12. & 1 Joh, 1.5, 6, 7. it: By which divine teaching I am now daily taught to die to sin, and led up by it into living power, to be raised up, and enabled to live in a pure measure of Righteousness; and by which inward spiritual teachings, I am, I say again, led up into power in Christ, by which I particularly can, and do hereby witness, that I am already dead, or crucified, to the very occasions, and real grounds of all outward wars, and carnal sword-fighting & fleshly buslings and contests; and that therefore I confidently now believe, I shall never hereafter be an user of a temporal sword more, nor a joiner with those that so do. And this I do here solemnly declare, not in the least to avoid persecution, or for any politic ends of my own, or in the least, for the satisfaction of the fleshly wills of any of my great adversaries, or for satisfying the carnal will of my poor weak, afflicted wife; but by the special movings and compulsions of God now upon my soul, am I in truth and righteousness compelled thus to declare, that so I may take away from my adversaries all their fig leaf-covers, or pretences of their continuing of my every way unjust bonds; And thereby, if yet I must be an imprisoned sufferer, it may from this day forward, be for the truth, as it is in Jesus: Which truth I witness to be truly professed and practised by the savouriest of people called quakers: And to this my present declaration, which I exceedingly long and earnestly desire to have in print, and for which I know that I can cheerfully and assuredly lay down my life, if I be called to witness the truth of it, I subscribe my outward name From my innocent, and every way causeless captivity in Dover-Castle, the place of my souls delightful and contentful abode, where I have really and substantially found that which my soul many years hath sought diligently after, and with unsatisfied longingness, thirsted to in joy, this present first day of the week, being the 4th of the 3d. month, 1655. JOHN LILBURN, the new, or inward spiritual name, no man knows but he that hath it. AN APPENDIX TO This second Edition of my foregoing Resurrection Declaration. AN Appendix to this second Edition of my foregoing Resurrection Declaration, directed to the serious and single-hearted Reader, whom I desire to let know, that in my reading of my own foregoing lines in the first Impression, I found divers mistakes or errors, committed by the Printer, the greatest of which I judged to be in the very last line of it, in the Date of the Year, which he hath made 1655. but in my Copy it is 1656. which, with all the rest of the mistakes that I can find, I have with my own hand amended in a printed Book, and sent it up again the second time to be impressed. And being it was my former order it should have no Title page at all, but the Title printed close in the very same page that the matter gins in, that so the Reader might have it at as cheap a rate as its possibe by the Bookseller to be afforded him. And being I find in the second Impression there will be two or three pages of white paper, I am therefore extraordinary desirous to fill them up at least with two late Epistles, which I judge very pertinent for my old, affectionate and faithful (though stumbling, and offended at me) friends, to see and read, that so they may more fully see and read, that I have not of late taken up my present principles without grounds and foundations in the Rock of ages, the Lord jesus Christ, that eternal and everlasting word of God, and divine and heavenly light of the world, or fallen and sinful man, in whom was, and is life; and the light was, and is the life of a joh. 1.4. man; which light, or life, is the living, quickening, holy, or tender part of man. Which everlasting word of God, by whom all things were b joh. 1.1, 2, 3. made, I aver, is the divine and true light, that, in measure, inlightneth the soul of every man whatsoever, that cometh into the c joh. 1.9. and 8.12. and 12.36.46. world; and is that reproving, judging; and condemning witness of God, and for God, that resides in the dark hearts of jew and Greek, circumcision and uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond and free; where the light Christ is all, and in all, and died for d joh. 16.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 26. chap. 3.19.36. and 8.24. Col. 3.10, 11. Eph. 1.23. and 4.6.10. Rom. 5. 8.1●. and 1 Cor. 15.22. and 2 Cor. 5.14. Col. 1.20. and 1 Tim. 2.4.6. and 4.10. Tit. 2.11, 12. and 1 joh. 2.2. all, and infallibly leads all into the light of life, that 〈◊〉 the light within them, love it, obey it, and perseveringly abide in it; and condemnation it is to all and every one of those that reject and despise it: And that he hath endowed my soul with an understanding, flowing from a fountain of light, life, and power, able to make out to the least grain of mustardseed (or measure) of spiritual understanding, those things which I have already attained to; the Copy of the first of which two letters, take in these following words. Dover-Castle, the 18th. day of the 3d. Month, 1656. For his beloved Friend, Elizabeth Hunniwood, Wife to Edward Hunniwood, at her House at Eventon, in the Parish of Elmstead in Kent, these deliver. Beloved Friend, Elizabeth Hunniwood, THe late friendly visit of me by thy Husband, in thy Father's Name, and thy own, hath to me demonstrated a continuation of a measure of that former greatness of friendly and endeared familiarity, that hath been betwixt thy Father, john Maynard, thyself, and me; and having the conveniency of this Bearer, Martha Gardner, the Wife of Robert Gardner thy neighbour, and Sister to my Civil-Marshal, or now Goaler, William Spicer, I have freedom in my own spirit by her, to visit thee thus with a few of my lines, and in them to enclose two of my late printed books, (in which there are some few Printers errors) one of which is for thyself, the other for thy Husband, in the serious reading of which, thou wilt meet with the clear declarations of the Lords gracious, and refreshing shinings in, by his divine light, of late into my soul. That ripeness and greatness of wit that is in thee, may, it may be, lead thee out to judge them foolishness; but let me in the wisdom of God (to which all man's excellentest of wisdom is mere a 1 Cor. 1.20, 25, 27. & chap. 2.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, to the end. and 12.3. & 15.50. Rom. 8.7, 8, 9, 10. Gal. 4.3, 6. Jam. 4.4. & 1 Joh. 2.15, 16, 17. foolishness) truly tell thee, there is no other way given under heaven to know the will, d Joh. 1.12. or to have revealed to the soul the mind of the Either, but by hearing, heeding, obeying, loving, and following the light of Christ shining in the soul; which light of Christ in its measure, is that grace, favour, or love of God that bringeth (showeth, or discovereth) salvation, that hath appeared to all b Tit. 2.11, 12. see Rom. 15.18. & 1 Cor. 15.22. & 2 Cor. 15.14, 15. Eph. 1.23. & 4.6, io. Col. 1.20. & 3.11, & 1 Tim. 2.4, 6. & 4.10. & 1 Joh. 2.2. men, teaching them, or us, to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Yea, Christ is that true light, that inlightneth every man (in a measure) that cometh into the world; which divine and heavenly light, shineth in the dark hearts of fallen man, although the darkness is not able to fathom or comprehend c Joh. 1.5.9. & 5.40. it; but to as many as receive it, and perseveringly follow and abide in it, it leads them step by step up into a living power, to become the sons of God; yea, to be freed from darkness, and heart-blindness, to walk in the light of life, where there is no occasion of stumbling, but where the light is as clear as the bright shining of a candle; yea, as the light that is in God himself, in whom is no darkness at e Joh. 8.12. & 11.9. & 12.36, 46. & 2 Cor. 4.6. Eph. 5.8, 12. & 1 Joh. 1.5, 6, 7. Luk. 11.36. see Joh. 14.15, 16, 17, 26. &. 16.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 25. Matt. 11.27. Luk. 10.22. Act. 4.12. & 10.43. & 13.38, 39 all. Whether thou canst receive any thing of this yea or nay, it will not add much to me, nor diminish nothing at all from me; but know thou, my old beloved friend, that all thy present greatness in the world, and all thy excellency and quickness of wit, and mere outside greatness of religious, notional profession, are but all as a blast of empty uncomprehended wind, that certainly and swiftly passeth away, but the light of 〈…〉 endures for ever, and makes infallibly & completely happy that soul that minds and loves it, and patiently and abidingly f Joh. 6.40, 4●, 46, 47, 51, 54, 56, 57, 60, 63, 66. & 7.17. & 8.12, 30, 31. & 12.26, 36. & 13.35. & 14.15, 21, 23, 24. & 15.1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 4, 16 Acts 5.42. Heb. 3.14. & 5.9. & 1 Joh. 2.6, 10, 14, 17, 24, 27, 28. & 3.6, 14, 24. & 2 Joh. 9 follows it. Yea, and on the contrary hand, is the eternal, sure, and certain condemnation of all those that despise, reject and contemn it, according to that faithful and true saying of the Spirit of g Joh. 3.19. God: And this is condemnation, that sight is come into the world, (the hearts of fallen men, infidels, or unbelievers) and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil: and therefore, there h Vers. 36. it is further said, he that believeth on the Son, (the true light, and eternal and everlasting word of i Joh. 1.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 God) hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son, (the true and infallible light of God in the soul of every man) shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him: And further, saith the light himself, (that lighteth every man that cometh into the k Joh. 1.9. world) to the wicked, and hardhearted, unbelieving Jews, ye will not come to me that ye might have l Joh. 5 40. life; although he plainly told them, the true and real way for them to be the children of light and life, was by their believing in the m Joh. 12.36, 46. light; and therefore he requires and commands them to take heed that the light in them be not n Luk. 11.34, 35. see Matt. 6.22, 23. Joh. 9.5. & 11.9, 10. & 12 35.36. see Rom. 2.19. & 2 Cor. 4.4. Eph. 5.8, 11. Col. 1.13. & 1 Thes. 5.4, 5. darkness, which it soon becomes to be, when the light which leads up to purity, holiness and righteousness, is rejected, contemned, and despised, and the voice or motions of the Serpent in the heart, is minded, harkened to, and followed; which voice or motions of the serpent in the heart, leads out into slaying the motions of the just within; yea, even into the spiritual death and rebellion against God, by which the creature in time comes to be heart-blinded, and so by degrees to be given over to a reprobate sense, and to have the conscience, of tender part of it, seared with a hot iron, so that it becomes past feeling, so that the soul thereby comes, yea, even to be void of common understanding, and destitute of natural affections, know nothing, but naturally o Rom. 1.21, 23, 24, 25, 28, 31. & 2 Cor. 4.4, 6. Eph. 2. i, 2, 3. & 4.17, 18, 19, & 1 Thes. 4.5. & 1 Tim. 4.1, 2. Tit. 1.16. as a bruit p Rom. 1.31. Judas 10. beast. My Wife and Babes are lately come down to live at Dover Town, but she being there absent now from me, I can only in my own name salute thee and thy Husband: If thou hast any freedom to write to me, I should be glad to hear from thee: And so in my Light and Life I rest: From my innocent, and every way causeless Captivity in Dover-Castle, this first day of the week, being the 18. day of the 3d. month, 1656. Thine, as thou art one in love and obedience to that true light, that now in much brightness and clearness shines in the hearts of the washed, purged, redeemed, sanctified, and justified sons of God, (reproachfully called quakers) JOHN LILBURNE. The Copy of the forementioned second Letter, take in these following words. Dover-Castle, the 25. of the 3d. month, 1656. For Robert Barrington, one of the members of the mere outside, imitating without life or power, Water-baptists Congregation in Dover in Kent. Robert Barrington, BEsides those many and wrangling Encounters and Assaults, that I have of late had, from several of thy mere outside Form, which they profess without life or power, true Administrator, or right Subject, having also perverted that sometimes Ordinance, or Divine Institution of God (Waterbaptism) from its primitive forerunning end of Christ, the real sum and substance of all Shadows, Figures, Rudiments, outside-Ordinances, and Types; yea, and of all the Prophets (whereof John the Baptist was one) Administrations; to make it now all in all, as though damnation were the absolute portion of him that hath by faith never so much communion in the spirit with the souls true spiritual food, the spiritual Jesus Christ, the true and real light of the world, (or of all fallen mankind) if he be not water-dipt in your mere empty, outside, vain, traditional, humane, invented (as you use it) form, which you falsely and untruly call Baptism: I say I have, besides all aforesaid, from thee of late received by W. S. one of thy own Congregation, a Message to this very effect: That by my turning Quaker, (as we are commonly called) I had denied the faith. And therefore, although my late condition, or that first beginning of growing measure, (to which through riches of mercy I have attained to) hath much required of me a silent, still, quiet, homedwelling, patiented waiting r Esa. 30.7, 15, 18. Act. 1.3, 4, 5, 8. Luk. 24.49 & 2 Pet. 4.10, 11. upon God, (as having the declaration of a promise of blessedness annexed to it, to be upon all those that so do) rather then to spend my then present stock, or attained to portion, in running out in Pen-contests and controversies, though for truth; but notwithstanding now to take away thy reproach from the truth, and thy ordinary and continued blasphemy (as my often information tells me) by thyself cast upon it, I do hereby truly tell thee, I have of late within these very few days, been in spirit much compelled, merely for the truth's sake, (to which, according to my measure, to the very death I am bound, as I am called to bear witness to) to endeavour to vindicate it from the said reproaches: And whilst I was strongly meditating with the Rock of my strength, the Lord Jesus Christ [the pure inlightner of my soul] is handed out unto me, a necessity to revise anew for the Press my foregoing Declaration; unto which, by way of part of an Appendix, I have had much impression upon my spirit, to insert a few substantial lines unto thee in it, in truth's behalf, purely flowing from the dictates of that measure of Light, life and power; now brought forth, and born up in my understanding, by which I am in a measure enabled, truly and really to know s Luk. 24.44.45. comp. with Joh. 20.21, 22. Act. 1.3, 4, 5.8. & 2.4. & 11.34, 35.38.43, 44, 45, 46. But see 1 Cor. 2.10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Eph. 4.10, ●●, ●3, 3. & 1 Joh. 8.10, 27. & 5.20. & 2 John 7.8. the things of God, as they are in Jesus; and by which I am guided at this present time thus further and substantially to express myself to thee, Robert Barrington, viz. That the very, first Principle of all true Religion, is the Light of Christ; without the real knowledge, embracing, and being guided by which, I do here in the strength, presence, and power of the Lord, (my light and life) aver, thou knowest, nor canst not truly know without it, any thing of God at all; no, no more than the devils know a Matt. 8.28, 29. Mark. 1.23, 24, 25. & 3. 11, 12 & 5.2.5, 6, 7. Luk. 4.33, 34, 35.41. & 8.27, 28. & 10.17. Act. 16.16, 17, 18. & 19.13, 14, 15, 16. Ja. 2.19. acknowledge, and confess; or, than the high Priests, the Scribes, and Pharisees, or jews did know, that put Christ to death; who not only had the Scriptures commonly and publicly read amongst them, but also many of them believed the words spoken by the sound of the fl●●hly mouth of Christ, and yet not minding the measure of Christ within them, he tells them plainly; they were of their Father the b Act. 13.26, 27, 28. ch. 3.12, 13, 14, 15. & 4.1, 2.5, 6.11, 12.17, 18. and 5.17, 18.21.28.40. & 6.13, 14, 15. and 7.1.37, 38.51, 52.54.57.59. compared with Joh. 1.32, 33. &. 5.16.18.24, 25.28, 29.32.38, 39, 40.46. & 6.56, 57.60.63.66. & 7.26.28.31.45, 46.49. & 8.26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, to 48. devil. And therefore I further lay down this as a positive Position, which through the strength of God, I shall not only be able, by the Letter, or Witness without me, viz. the Scripture, or Declaration c Luk. 1.1. Acts 1.1. & 10.37. & 13.32. & 15.35. & 17.23. & 20.27. & 1 Cor. 15.1.3. Gal. 1.16. & 1 Joh. 1.3.5. Rev. 19.13. of the word of God, clearly to maintain against the ablest man whatsoever, that speaks with a tongue that can, or shall oppose it; but also to lay down my very life, by virtue of that measure of living power or life, already raised up, or dwelling in me, for the defence of it: That is to say, That the very principle of all true religion is, [without the knowledge of which, no man whatsoever can truly know himself, or his own corrupt heart, (which is above the knowledge of d Jer. 17.9; 10. & 11.20. Gen. 6.5. & 8.21. Deut. 11.16. & 1 Sam. 16.17. and 1 Chron. 28.9. & 29.17. & 2 Chr. 32.31. Psal. 7.9. & 10, 3.6.11. & 14.1. & 44.21. & 64.5, 6, 7. & 139.1. Prov. 16.1, 2. Rom 8.27. & 1 Joh. 2.20.27. & ch. 1.5, 6, 7. & 4.20. Rev. 2.23. & 3.7. Joh. 16.6, 7.11.27. and 1 Cor. 2.11.14, 15, 16. Eph. 5.8.13. Heb. 4 12, 13. man, or all man's excellent est of e Mat. 11.25. & 13.11, 12, 13, 14. & 15.15, 16. Mark 4.11, 12.34. & 7.18. & 9.32. Luk. 8.10: & 13.34 & 18.34. & 19.41, 42. & 22.29. & 24.8.11.15, 16.20.25, 26, 27.31, 32.45. Joh. 7.26.48, 49. Act. 3.17. & 4, 5, 6, 7.13.17. & 13.27, 28. & 14.5. & 1 Cor. 1.20, & 2.5, 6, 7, 8. see Esa. 2.12, 13.17. & 6.9, 10. & 19.11, 12, 13, 14. & 23.9. & 29.9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.19. & 32.18. & 48.18.20.25, 26. & 47.10, 11, 12, 13, 14. & 50.11. & 56.10, 11. & 59.10, 11. Joh. 9.39, 40, 41. & 15.22.24. Jam. 2.5, 6, 7. wisdom) or the f Mat. 11.27. Luk. 10.22. Joh. 1.9.12. & 8.12. & 12. 35, 36.46. & 9.5. & 15.5. & 17.3. & 1 Cor. 2.10, 11, 12, 13, 14. & 12.3. Mat. 16.17. Act. 4.12. and 10.43. and 13.38.39. Lord, or ever offer up any sacrifice to the Lord, acceptable g Joh. 4.23, 24. Rom. 8.7, 8.15.26, 27. and 1 Cor. 12.3. and 15.50. Gal. 4.6. Eph. 3.3. Jam. 4.4. and 1 Pet. 2.5. and 1 Joh. 1.6, 7. and 2.15. and 3.6.8, 9, 10.24. & 4.13. & 5, 6.10.12.18.20. to him, till he comes to known that jesus Christ (in his h Joh. 3.34. & 13.33. Rom. 12.3. & 1. Cor. 3.1, 2, 3. & 2 Cor. ●0. 13, 14, 15. & 12.7 Gal. 4.19. Eph. 4.7.13.16. Heb. 5.12, 13, 14. & 1 Pet. 2.2. & 1 Joh. 2.1.12, 13, 14.18.28. & 3.7.9.18. & 4.4. & 5 18.20, ●1. measure) is that light within every i Joh. 1.9 & 6.33.51. & 8.12. and 9.5. and 12.35.36, 46 Mat. 24.14. Luk. 3.6. Act. 2.37. Rom. 1.19.21, etc. &. 2.14, 15. & 5.8.18. & 1 Cor. 15.22. &. 2 Cor. 5.14, 15. Eph. 1.23. & 4.6.10. Col. 1.20.23. & 3.11. & 1 Tim. 2.4.6. & 4.10. Tit. 2.11, 12. & 2 Pet. 3.9. & 1 joh. 2.2. & 4.14. see Io● 25.3. & 29.3. & 33.28.30. & 37.19. Psal. 36.9. & 119.127, 155. Prov. 6.23. man, or that voice, or witness-bearer of God, though dwelling in the dark, prisonlike, or blind k joh. 1.5. & 9.5. & 15.2. & 1 Pet. 3.19. and 2 Cor. 4.3.4, 6. Eph. 2.1, 2, 3. and 4.17. ●8. and 5.8.12. Act. 26.18. Luk. 1.79. and 4.18. and 11.34, 35, 36. Mat. 6 22, 23. and 13.31, 32 hearts; that showeth, checketh, reproveth, and convinceth man of his l Joh. 16.8, 9, 10, 11. Rom. 1.19. and 2.14, 15. Gen. 4 7.10.13, 14. evil, though never so secretly m 2 Cor. 10.5. Eph. 6.17. Heb. 4.12.13. and 1 Joh. 3.20. Rev. 19.15. Jer. 23.29. Psal. 139.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Hos. 6.5. committed. And Christ being, wherever he is come in the flesh of n 2 Joh. 7. and 1 Joh. 4.23. man, (or raised up in the heart of man, to a living and ruling life and o Joh. 6.54.56. and 15.5 and 13.3.23. Rom 8.2.4.9, 10, 11. and 1 Cot. 6.11.19, 20. and 2 Cor. 3.3, 16.17, 18. and 4.10, 11. Gal 2.20. and 4.5, 6. and 5.5, 16, 1, 8 25. Eph. 2.18, 19, 21, 22. Phil. 3.3. Col. 1.17, 27. and 2.10. and 2 Tim. 4.7. Heb. 10.19, 20. and 12.22, 23, and 1 Pet. 1.3.14, 15, 16, 22, 23. and 2.9. and 3.18. and 4 6 and 1 Joh. 2.20, 27. and 3.9.24. and 4.13.17. and 5.6, 10.18, 20. power) the sum, substance, fulfilling, end, and perfection of the Law and the Prophets, and all p Rom. 10.4. Col. 2.17, 23. Heb. 7.19, 25, 27. and 8.5. and 9.26 28. and 10. 1 Joh. 4.21.23. Act. 7.48, 49 and 21.28. their Administrations; yea even of John the Baptists outward, Elimentary, rudimental waterbaptism, as well as all the q Rom. 6.3, 4. and 1 Cor. 12, 13. Gal. 3.27. Eph. 4, 5, 6. Col. 2.10, 11, 12. and 1 Pet. 3.21. see Joh. 1.32, 33. Matt. 3.11. Mark 1.8. Luk. 3.15, 16. Act. 1.4, 5.8. and 2.4. and 13.24, 25, 49. and 16.4. compared with 1 Cor. 1.14.16, 17. and 7.19. Act. 20.26, 27. and ●8. 30, 31. Rom. 2.28, 29. Gal. 3.28. and 4. ●. 9, 10, 11. & 5.16. Eph. 2.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Phil. ●3. 3. ● Col. 3.10, 11. rest: Which Waterbaptism was administered in Christ and his Apostles time (so long as it lasted) always by those that had their immediate call in spirit, to be Ministers of Christ, and who in their administration of their Office, were wanderers up and down, without a certain dwelling, or outward abiding r Luk 1.4, 5.11.13.15, 16 17.41.44.66. & 3.2 & 20.4, 5, 6. Mat. 31.3.13.15. & 21.25, 26. Mar. 11.30, 31, 32. Act. 1.5.8. and 2.4.38. (and 6.3, compared with ch. 8.5.12, 13.16.26, 27.36, 37, 38, 39) and 9.6.11.17, 18. and 10.44.47, 48. and 13.1, 2, 4. and 16.3.4.6.9, 10.14, 15.31.33. and 19 i, 2, 3, 4. and 1 Cor. 4.9. 1. Gal. 1.1.12.15, 16. Ep. 1.17. and 3.3. place. Which soid Light of Christ, teacheth and directs man, and leads him s Prov. 6.22.23. Esa. 2.3. & 30.7.15.20, 21. & 44.2, 3. & 51.7. & 54.13. Ier: 24.7. & 31.34. Ezek. 27.22. to 28. & 34.21. to 26. & 36.24, 25. joel 2.28, 29. joh. 6.45, 46. & 10.7.9.16. & 14.6.16, 17.26. and 15.5.15. and 16.13.25. Act. 2.16, 17, 18. Rom. 10.7, 8, 9 Heb. 8.8, 9, 10, 11. and 10.16.20. and 1 joh. 2.20.27. and 5.20. Rev. 7.17. and 2●. 6, 22, 23. up (if heed●●, and guided by it, and submissively, patiently, and t joh. 7.17. and 8.12.47. and 11.9, 10. and 15.2.4, 5, 6, 7.10.14. Col. 1.22, 23. Heb. 5.8, 9 and 3.14. Act. 5.3. perseveringly obeyed) into that living life and u joh. 1.12. and 6.33.35.40.51.54, 55, 56, 57, and 7.37.39. and 11.25, 26. power, where purity and holiness, is w joh. 17.17. Rom. 12.1, 2. & 6.18, 19, 20, 21, 22. & 2 Cor. 4.6, 10. & 5.15.17. & 6.17. & 7.1. & 11.2. & 12.4. & 13.5.7, 9.11. Eph. 2.21, 22. & 4.23, 24. Phil. 1.10, 11. & 2.5. & 1 Thes. 3.13. seen, and perfect cleansing, or washing x Rom. 6.6, 7, 17, 18. & 8.1, 2, 3, 4. & 1. Cor. 6.11.15 Gal. 5.24, 25. Eph. 5.26, 27. Col. 1.9. & 2.7.10, 11. Heb. 10.22, 23. Rev. 1.5, 6. & 7.14. from the filth, or act of fin, as well as from its guilt or punishment, as enjoyed, and really possessed; yet, even where the very presence and face a joh. 14.7. & 16.22, 25. & 17.21, 22, 23, 24, 26. & 1 Cor. 2.6. Eph. 3.16, 17, 18, 19 & 4.12, 13, 14. Col. 1.9. & 2.7.10, 11. & 4.22. & 1 Thes. 5.5. & 2 Thes. 2.17. of the Father is seen and really enjoyed, or where Righteousness, perfect peace, and complete joy (without sorrow) in the b joh. 14.7. & 16.23, 23. & 7.14, 15, 16, 17. & 14.16, 17, 20, 26. & 17.17, 21, 22, 23, 24.26. Heb. 4.9, 10. Rom. 14.17. & 15.13, 14. & 1 Cor. 4.20. & 6.9, 10, 11. & 2 Cor. 4.6. Gal. 5, 21. Eph 5.5, 8. & i Thes. i i. & 2 Thes. i i. & i joh. 5.21. Rev. 3.14, 5, 16 17. & 2.3, 4, 11, 22, 23. & 22, i, 2, 3, 4, 5. Holy Ghost, in the heart is clearly possessed. The rejection, despising, and contemning of this Light, (the true, real, and only infallible c Esa. 3●. 20, 21. & 35.8. joh. 1.9. & 6.7, 8, 13, 15, 25. Rom. 8.6, 7, 8. Heb. 8.8, 9, 10, 11. & 16.16, 20. joh. 2.20.27. & 5.20. Rev. 7.17. guide of every true Christian) is condemnation before the Lord, to all and every one of those that so d joh. 3.19, 20, 36. & 5.38, 48. & 7.7. & 8.21, 24, 47, 51. & 9.5. Heb. 10.28, 29. & 12.25. Act. 7.37. ser job. 24.13, 16. contemn, and despiseth this only, alone, and true guide, the light of Christ in the soul. This I send unto thee at the present, thus in print, without sending it in writing to thee at all; because although much disturbance, or outside trouble of late I have had by the blasphemous Scribble▪ sent unto me, by, and of thy brother, jeremiah Elsreath, who after he had sent me in writing his 31. confused and ignorant queries, etc. in his after-daring, and greatly provoking Letter, the 19th. of the first month last bypast, he requires my Answer, etc. in writing to them, boastingly saying, to me, etc. I shall answer you all, and upon desire, procure the approbation of a sufficient number of hands, to make the (his said) Answer a general act: And although he had a particular Reply to his Answer to deceased [in Colchester Goal] james Pa●nels forty three queries to the Water-Baptists of Fenstanton in Cambridge, etc. recorded in that excellent and very much useful Book of his, called the WATCHER, pag. 32, 33, 34. and a particular Answer to his own thirty one queries, and that from an able and savoury soul, commonly called Richard Hubberthorne, which I did write out fair in my own hand, and sent it to your Congregation by my faithful Friend, Luke Howard, where, with much ado (long since I have understood it from him, etc.) he got it publicly read; but yet, for any thing I can hear, thy brother, jeremiah Elsreth, keeps it privately and closely in his pocket, and dare not be a man of his word to answer it, or Reply upon it; but is, as I hear, going to sea, as formerly he hath done, to take the wages of unrighteousness again, for preaching out of his old bottle, the lying frothy inventions of his own corrupt, and mere carnal heart, to a company of Sea men aboard a Man of War: and therefore seeing he is likely to persevere in not performing his said solemn Promise, given under his own hand; and seeing thou thyself to Luke Howard, as he hath often told me, declaredst by thy own mouth to him; thy avowing Jeremiah Elsreths foresaid thirty one queries, in the last of which he calls the Doctrines of declaring God within, and Christ within, and Spirit within, and Baptism within, and Law within, etc. to be monstrous and Satanical Doctrines: And seeing thou perseverest upon all opportunities, with a spirit of gall and wormwood, to reproach, persecute, and blaspheme the truth of God, as it is in Jesus, truly professed by those savoury souls that thou callest quakers: I am therefore by the measure of God dwelling in my soul, at this time thus compelled, and thus enabled to write to thee, requiring thy answer to these my lines to thee, that so as God shall come in with renewedness of strength and ability into my soul, according to his e Esa. 40.28, 29, 30, 31. recorded promise, I may in the face of the Son endeavour before the sons and daughters of God, for to manifest my faith to be founded upon the sure Rock of Ages, the Lord Jesus, by replying upon thee, and so stop thy, and thy said brothers blasphemous mouths against the pure truth of God: And therefore as a witness bearer to this I subscribe my name as known unto thee to be only, From Dover-Castle, this 25. of the third month, 1656. john lilburn's. FINIS.