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liberty, and brings to stand fast in the true liberty in Christ the light and life, who makes them free, from all bondages and false liberties; for all liberties out of the spirit of grace, and light, and life of Christ, are bondages; for light cannot have unity with the spirit of darkness, the works of darkness. And the light of Christ gives both understanding and knowledge of all false liberties out of Christ Jesus, and cannot join with them in those liberties which are out of the light and grace of Christ, no more now than the apostles and church in the primitive times could with such in their days.

The Jews who opposed Moses and the prophets in their ages, and spake against them, who were great professors of the scriptures, did not come into the unity and liberty of the holy ghost the prophets were in. The holy prophets of God were subject one to another in the spirit of God; but the professing Jews that erred from the spirit, and rebelled against it, were not subject to the spirit of the prophets, and so were neither in the liberty nor unity in the spirit of God. And when Christ came, who was conceived by the holy ghost, &c. and holy men of God who spake forth scriptures, as moved by the holy ghost; the Jews who professed all these scriptures, that were given forth from the holy ghost, opposed Christ and the holy men, and resisted the holy ghost: these did not come into the liberty of Christ Jesus, and the liberty or communion of the holy ghost. And all those in the apostles' days, that made an outward profession of christianity, which the apostles and the churches were troubled withal, and some of the seven churches were troubled with also, which were as raging waves of the sea, which foamed out their own shame, and casting up their mire and dirt, in of gainsaying, and in the error of Balaam, from the spirit of God; wells without the water of life, trees without holy fruit, twice dead, dead in Adam, and made alive, dead again, and plucked up by the roots; that cannot grow in the life of Christ, and are become synagogues of satan; puffed up with high swelling words of vanity, and have fair words and good speeches, but wandering stars, from the firmament of God's power, not fit for the innocent to steer by to the heavenly Jerusalem, no more than the outward mariners to steer their course by the outward wandering stars to an outward port. And such as the apostle calls fierce despisers of them that are good, incontinent, covenant breakers, having a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof, which were and are to be turned away from.

Cain's way of envy, Corah's way

Though such as these before mentioned, in the apostles' days, and now, may profess liberty for a cloak, to cloak their evil spirit, and its fruits; yet all such actions are not according to Christ, and the grace of God; for the grace of God has no union with fierce despisers of them that are

good, nor with such as are puffed up with high swelling words of vanity. And though they have good words and fair speeches, and an outward form of godliness, yet deny the power thereof, and so deny the free liberty in the power of God, and so the liberty in Christ Jesus, and so the liberty in his grace and light, which is a gracious liberty, that brings people into favour with God. And the apostles of the true churches, did withstand all loose and false spirits, and had no unity nor fellowship with them of Cain's, Corah's, Balaam's; trees without fruit, wandering stars, wells without water, raging waves of the sea, casting up mire and dirt, as they do now against the righteous. Such as bear these fruits their liberty is not in the spirit of grace, nor in the light and life of Christ. And such the church of Christ in the apostles' days, and now have not unity with, neither can they join with them in unity and liberty, that are not in the spirit of grace, light, and life in Christ Jesus, in which all true liberty is, in Christ the truth that makes them free.

And that spirit that leavens people into malice, hatred, envy, evil surmising, false jealousies, and into rage, and the root of bitterness, and into disputings and janglings, and whose words eat like a canker, and they who make a profession in words of the truth, and live not peaceable, and walk not in Christ, but are puffed up with many idle notions and vain conceits; such fruits are not from the spirit of grace, light and life of Christ, nor in true faith, which works by love, in which true unity is, and liberty, and love that bears all things, love that doth not envy, and is not puffed up. For they that profess knowledge and faith, and want this love of God, they were called as tinkling cymbals, and sounding brass, in the apostles' days, and so they are now. And God's people cannot set up a tinkling cymbal and sounding brass for the life of righteousness and truth; though a tinkling cymbal and sounding brass may deceive the simple, and such may devour them. But it is love that unites all the members of Christ together, to him the head; in which love they are built up together a spiritual household. And the wisdom that is pure and peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, this is from above. But the wisdom that is from below is earthly, sensual and devilish; and men that are in this wisdom, and pretend knowledge and faith, without the love of God, and are incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, with their fair words and good speeches, and puffed up with high swelling words of vanity, vain disputers, janglers, in a form of godliness, but out of the power,' with such the church of Christ had never unity. And that liberty and those fruits are not in the spirit of grace, and light and life of Christ; and by their fruits such were and are known to them, whose liberty and unity is in the light and grace which is in Christ Jesus; and in the grace of God that hath ap

peared to all men, and in his spirit which he hath poured on all flesh, the light, which is the life in Christ, which enlightens every man that comes into the world, all men and women are to have their liberty in Christ Jesus, in which they all have unity, and an everlasting liberty and unity, and fellowship in the everlasting son of God, in Christ the head; and in Christ the head they are joined together by his light, life, and spirit of grace. And all that walk contrary to the light, life, and spirit of grace, let them profess what they will, they are not in the true liberty and true freedom, nor in the true fellowship with the Father and the son, and his people; for the true liberty and unity are in the spirit, light, and life of Christ, to which all men and women, from the first have been directed, that in it they may all live and walk in the true freedom, liberty and unity, and fellowship with the Father and the son, and one with another. And the true freedom and liberty are in the gospel, 'in the glorious gospel of life, peace and salvation;' which gospel is the power of God, preached to, and in every creature under heaven.' And every one's conversation must be according to this glorious gospel of life, peace and salvation. For they who order their conversation aright by the gospel, do see and receive this gospel of peace, life, and salvation. And in this gospel, the power of God, is the true, glorious, peaceable freedom and liberty in the life and salvation in Christ Jesus. And all that do profess the gospel of Christ, the power of God, in words, and do not live and walk in the gospel the power of God, they are in bondage under the power of darkness, and are out of the peaceable free liberty of the glorious gospel of life and salvation, like the raging waves of the sea, casting up mire and dirt, as I said before; and in their vain janglings and disputings, and false jealousies, murmurings and complainings, revilings, railings, defamings, unstablished, and to every good work and service of God reprobate. And from such spirits and leaven God Almighty keep and preserve his people in his light, truth, and spirit of grace and holy faith in Christ Jesus, who is the holy and heavenly rock and foundation; in him they have life and peace with God, and are in the holy liberty and freedom. And in him, namely, in Christ Jesus, my desire is, that all his true and faithful followers may stand fast, in their holy and pure liberty, in him who is holy and pure, who was first, and is last, and now is the rest of his people, the Amen. G. F.

London, the 12th of the 8th month, 1685.

How the unchangeable God is, and how all people may know him, and in what he is worshipped and served. By G. F.

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THE Lord hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand.' So the Lord, the incomparable God knoweth the measures of the waters in the seas, brooks, rivers, wells, and ponds, for he hath measured them; so they are measured in the hollow of his infinite hand, and the incomparable God with his infinite hand, hath meeted out heaven with his span,' (mark, he hath meeted it out,) so he knoweth the breadth and the compass of it with his infinite span of his great hand, and the Lord hath comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure.' So the incomparable God knoweth the measure of the dust of the earth, and the Lord hath weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance.' So the Lord who hath weighed them, knoweth the weight both of the hills and mountains. Behold, the nations are but as the drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the earth. Behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. To whom then will ye liken God, or what likeness will ye compare him to,' who is the infinite incomparable God, as in Isa. xl. In the Lord's hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.' Job xii. 10.

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So here you may see and feel the Lord's hand is nigh unto all men and women in the whole world, and in them, if their soul and breath be in his hand. Here you may see the eternal, infinite hand of the incomparable God, in whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind' in the whole world; for God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul.' God, who is immortal, hath the breath of all (and all immortal souls) in his hand, and none can fall out of his eternal hand.

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The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.' Job xxxiii. 4. And Daniel told Belshazer the king how that he lifted up himself against the Lord God of heaven, 'in whose hand is thy breath.' Dan. v. 23.

And the apostle saith, 'God that made the world and all things therein, (he is Lord of heaven and earth,) dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is he worshipped with the works of men's hands, as though he needed any thing; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell upon the face of the earth, and he giveth to all life and breath, and all things, &c. that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being.' Acts xvii. 24 to 28.

Here again you may see how God gives life and breath unto all, who

hath it in his hand, and he would have all to know him and serve him, and that he is nigh unto them all, who hath their breath and soul in his hand; so then he is nigh unto all that they might know that they live, move, and have their being in the Lord, who 'poureth out of his spirit upon all flesh, that all flesh might see his glory, and see the salvation of God.' Isa. xliii. Luke iii. 6. Acts ii. 17. For the Lord poureth out of his spirit upon all flesh, that in his spirit and in truth all might know God, and serve him, and worship him in his spirit and truth, for such spiritual worshippers God, who is an infinite holy spirit, seeks to worship him. Now it is and hath been often said by the priests that are bred up at schools and colleges, that the priest's lips should preserve people's knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth.' I answer, that these were the Jews' priests that were made by the law of a carnal commandment in the old testament and old covenant; but 'Christ was made a priest after the power of an endless life' in the new testament and new covenant, who came of Judah, and is called the lion of the tribe of Judah, and not after the order of Aaron, who offered rams, and lambs, and bullocks, and other creatures, but after the order of Melchisadeck, from Melech a king, Tsedech, just or righteous, so a just and righteous king. Of whom we do not read that he offered up outward creatures as Aaron's priests did, though he offered up praises to God when he met Abraham.

But Christ hath changed the priesthood of Aaron, and the law by which they were made, and disannulled the commandment which gave him tithes; as you may see in Heb. vii.

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Now you that do say the Jews' priests that are made by the law, their lips are to preserve people's knowledge, and they are to receive the law at their mouth,' this law served until Christ the seed came, (Gal. iii. 10.) who is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes.' Rom. x. 4. And in the old testament and covenant God gave the Jews a law in tables of stone, but in the new testament and new covenant, God saith, I will put my law in their minds, and write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, and they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord, for they all shall know me from the least to the greatest, saith the Lord.' Heb. vii. 10, 11.

So you may see here is no need of the Jews' priests lips, &c. to preserve people's knowledge, and to receive the law at their mouths, and to give them tithes for receiving the law, for Christ hath changed the priesthood and the law by which it was made, and disannulled the commandment that gave them their tithes, and saith in his new testament to his ministers, Freely ye have received, freely give.' And in the new covenant and new testament the Lord puts it in their minds, and writes

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