Page images
PDF
EPUB

the world's god, that is out of truth, how are they like to interpret that, and give meanings to it, without wresting or perverting it, that have not the same Holy Ghost that they had which gave forth the scriptures, which came not by the will of man, but by the Holy Ghost, as was said before, which no man can interpret in his will; nor are they to be led into the truth of them, which holy men gave forth by the Holy Ghost, but by the same Holy Ghost that gave them forth, which leads into all truth and good manners, and conversation; and the same Holy Ghost gave forth the true doctrine of the scriptures.

And this Holy Ghost, which Christ sends, lead to him, the author and finisher of their precious faith, and to God, and to the same faith of Abraham, and Moses, and Enoch, that was before the scriptures were written, which guided them to see God, who is invisible, and to forsake all, and follow him: and so doth the same faith now, and brings unity with them, and to the comfort of the scriptures with all the faithful, which God and Christ hath declared forth, and they see what is fulfilled, and what is to be obeyed.

So Christ is the author of their faith, that doth increase it.

Now men being disobedient to the spirit of God, and to the voice of God and Christ, and gone from his light and grace, and obeying him in whom there is no truth, they make prayers for themselves, and for others, and think that the bare saying over their prayers, and their paternosters, and their praying by beads and books, they think that this will pacify the true God, (because something in themselves disquiets them) which God doth not accept, the prayers of such that disobey and rebel against his good spirit, and obey the evil spirit. For all the prayers that God accepts, they must proceed from his own spirit, which he hath poured out upon all flesh.

So God, that is the holy, pure God of truth, must be prayed unto in his own holy, pure spirit; and such prayers and praises he expects, and accepts of; and not the prayers of the disobedient to his voice and good Spirit, who follow the foul, unclean spirit, in whom there is no truth.

And also, men may think to please the God of truth by saying of grace, and making of graces (as they call them) for others to say; but they are mistaken who walk despitefully against the spirit of grace; it is not their making or saying of graces that makes them acceptable to God. For the grace of God, which brings salvation, hath appeared unto all men: therefore all men must live in that grace, and observe its teaching, and deny all that which it shows them to be unlike God; and unrighteousness, not like the righteous, not like the holy God; and then in this grace the God of all grace will accept them, and their thanks, prayers and praises for all his mercies.

But if they walk despitefully against this spirit of grace, and turn

this grace into wantonness, and then fall a making graces, and saying of them when they have made them, and following the unclean, foul spirit, that is out of truth, and abode not in the truth, in whom there is no truth; and doing the works that this unclean, foul spirit works in them, these works and spirit are for condemnation (and all them that act in it) by the light, and are judged by the spirit of the living God of truth?

And the world's god, who is out of truth, will allow such as disobey the truth, and follow his unclean spirit, to cry against blasphemy, when they are themselves the greatest blasphemers; as for instance: the Jews, unto whom Christ said, they were of their father the devil;' how they blasphemed against him, and called him a blasphemer, who never sinned, nor guile was found in his mouth: and how should they do otherwise but blaspheme, when they disobey the truth, and the spirit of God in their own hearts, and blaspheme both against him that was the truth, and them that walk in the truth, when they follow the world's god, in whom there is no truth?

And is it like, that the world's god and his followers should own revelation, prophecy, and inspiration now-a-days, as the apostles had? Did not he and his followers call them deceivers, then, who with the spiritual weapons wrestled not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers, and rulers of darkness in high places, that were set up by the world's god, and in his dark old earth, in whom there is no truth?

And is it like, that them who follow the world's god, in whom there is no truth, in that false, foul, unclean spirit, should own the Holy Ghost, the spirit of truth, that proceeds from the Father and the Son, that should lead them (or the saints) into all truth.

And is it like, that the world's god, and them that follow him, in whom there is no truth, and disobey the God of truth, that he and they should own the worship of the God of truth, in the holy spirit and in the holy truth, which Christ the truth set up above one thousand six hundred years ago?

[ocr errors]

And is it like, that the world's god, which abode not in the truth, in whom there is no truth, and his followers, should own Christ, and his true light, that is, the life in himself, with which he lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and his doctrine, who saith, Believe in the light, that ye may become children of the light: And he that believeth is born of God, and overcometh the world;' and so overcometh the world's god, in whom there is no truth: And so do you think that the world's god and his followers should own and obey his doctrine, to have himself and his works overcome?

And is it like, that the world's god, which is out of truth, and his followers, would have people to believe and receive, that Christ, by the

grace of God, tasted death for every man, which the world's god hath brought into death? And that this grace of God, which brings salvation, hath appeared unto all men, to teach them and bring their salvation from him that doth destroy them?

And do you believe that the world's god would have people to believe, that Christ, through death, destroyeth him (the devil) who is the ` power of death?

And do you think that the world's god, who is out of truth, and in whom there is no truth, and his followers, would have all people to believe that God pours out of his spirit upon all flesh, so that with his spirit all flesh may see God's glory, and his salvation to mankind, and his sons and daughters might come to prophecy and be seers and followers of the God of truth, and servers of him in his spirit?

And do you think that the world's god, in whom there is no truth, and his followers, would have people to own the revelation of the Son of God now-a-days? Or rather keep them in blindness, in this world's wisdom, by which they do not know God, seeing that Christ saith, No man knoweth the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him?

[ocr errors]

So do you think that the world's god, in whom there is no truth, would have people to own revelation now-a-days as it was in the apostle's days? The apostle tells the church of Christ, 'That faith was revealed, and grace was brought unto them, by the revelation of Jesus; and no man knew the things of God, but as they were revealed by the spirit of God,' that is pure and holy. And the Son of God is known by revelation, as Paul knew him; and the gospel is known by revelation; and the glory of God is revealed to them that know it. 1 Pet. v.

So do you think that the world's god, that foul, unclean, dark, murdering spirit, and them that obey him, would have people to own this pure, holy spirit of God, and the grace, light and truth, and the gospel that comes by Jesus Christ, the spotless lamb, and follow him in it? This is contrary to him and his kingdom, whom the spotless lamb destroys, and is the conqueror, and the saints follow and live in him the Amen; blessed and praised be the God of truth forever, through Jesus Christ.

6th month, 1679.

G. F.

A clear Distinction between the Old Covenant, or Old Testament, and the New Covenant, or New Testament; and how that Christ hath abolished and taken away the First Covenant and Testament, and established the Second. By G. F.

FOR in Jer. xxxi. 31. it is said, 'Behold the day cometh, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.' Mark, this was a prophecy which they were to behold and take notice of; these days were to come, and these are the days of Christ, who came above sixteen hundred years since.

For the Lord saith, I will give thee for a covenant with the people, and for a light to the Gentiles, to open their blind eyes,' &c. So this new covenant is to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews. Isa. xlii.

And again, the Lord saith, 'I will give thee for a covenant to the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritage, that thou mayest say to the prisoners, go forth; to them that are in darkness, show yourselves; and they shall feed in their ways, and in their pastures.' Isa. xlix.

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people, and unto it the Gentiles shall seek, and his rest shall be glorious. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel.' Isaiah xi.

And further, he saith, 'The Gentiles shall come to his light, and kings to the brightness of his rising.' &c. Isa. lx.

Now it is clear, according to these promises and prophecies, that the new covenant is not only to the Jews, but to the Jews, Gentiles and nations, according to Isa. xlii. Behold, or take notice, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare, before this spring forth, I tell you of them.' This did Isaiah speak by prophecy concerning the days of Christ; who saith in the same chapter, That he shall set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law, and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.'

[ocr errors]

Now the law from Sinai the Jews had before; but this is the law of life, in the new covenant, which law of life goes from heavenly Sion, and the word from heavenly Jerusalem, in the new covenant.

So these are new things, which were declared before they came to pass; for the old things of the old covenant they had already, when he declared these new things.

6

And therefore the Lord saith by Jeremiah, Behold, the day shall come, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: But this is the covenant that I will

make with the house of Israel: after these days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws in their inward parts, and write them in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: And they shall not need to teach every man his brother, and every man his neighbour, saying, know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.'

So this is the new covenant, in which all shall know the Lord, that was promised and prophesied of before it came to pass, which is not according to the old. Jer. xxxi.

And in Heb. viii. the apostle showeth the fulfilling of Isaiah's and Jeremiah's, and Ezekiel's prophecy; and how the new covenant was come, and he preached up the new covenant, and preached down the old; and how that all should be taught of God in the new covenant: So in that he saith, the new covenant, he hath made the first old covenant as a thing decayed, and ready to vanish away.

- And in Heb. ix. he saith, how the first covenant had ordinances of divine services, and a worldly sanctuary and tabernacle, and candlestick, and table, and show-bread, and censors, and pot of manna, and Aaron's rod, and many other outward things.

But in the new covenant Christ hath abolished all these outward things, who will rule all nations with his rod of iron, which is beyond Aaron's rod,

And so it is clear, that the new covenant is not according to the old: For in the old covenant, the priest's lips were to preserve the people's knowledge. And Ezra had a pulpit of wood to read the law to the people upon: And the law was written in tables of stone. But in the new covenant and testament Christ ends this priesthood, whose lips were to preserve the people's knowledge; and they are to look unto Christ Jesus, who is the treasure of wisdom and knowledge in the new covenant.

And God writes his laws in their hearts, and puts them in their minds in the new covenant, by which all may know him, from the greatest to the least of them.

And in the old covenant they had sanctuaries, and tabernacles, and temple, and the high priest was to light the candle and lamps in them. But in the new covenant, Christ who ends the first priesthood, and the old covenant, and abolishes the sanctuary, tabernacle, and outward temple and lamps, enlightens every man's spirit that cometh into the world, in his tabernacle or temple, with his heavenly light, which is the life in himself, Christ Jesus, the high priest, made higher than the heavens. So he was made by the oath of God, and fulfils it; so were not the priests in the law and old covenant.

« PreviousContinue »