A shield of the truth, or, The truth of God cleared from scandals and reproaches cast upon it by scandalous and reproachfull tongues which the devil in all ages did make use of, whereby he blasphemed the truth of God, striving to present it odious in the eyes and ears of all people, that so he might uphold his own kingdom, but the day hath made him manifest, & the Lord is come, & is coming to make war with him, and bind him, and cast him into the bottomless pit and all who bears his image, and under his dominion is written by ... Iames Parnel.

We are accused to deny the Sabboth.

The Sabboth of the Saints we own, which is not for a day but everlasting, and who dwels in Christ witnesseth this Sab∣both, which is the substance, and the shadow without is vani∣shed;* 1.1 for saith Paul let no man condemn you in respect of meats and drinks, or of an holy day, or of New Moons, or of the Saboth dayes, which are but shadows of things to come, and so the world hath the shadow, and the Saints the substance,* 1.2 and you who have the shadow, persecute them who have sub∣stance, as the Seribes and Pharisees and high Priests did, who had and upheld the Types and figures of Christ, and persecu∣ted them who was the substance, so they that are after the flesh, persecuted them that are after the spirit, but your Sab∣both is a shadow of nothing, for the Jews Sabboth in the time of the law, was upon the seventh day, which was the last day of the week, but yours is the first day of the week; for which you have no scripture, and they were not to do their own ways, nor▪ their own pleasure, nor speak their own words upon the Sabboth day, and here you transgresse in the* 1.3 figure, and walkin your own wayes, and speak your own words, and do your own pleasures, both of that day, and eve∣ry day.

We are accused that we justifie our selves, and condemn all other.

I Answer, When we were our selves, without the Spirit of God, and had a form and profession of the Saints condition, which we did not possess, we seeked to justifie our selves in our profession, and earthly wisdom, and to exhalt our selves

and be something in the eyes of others; and here we were Pharisees, and yet feigned Publicans, saying we were sinfull, but thought higher of our selves than others, though we were in the same nature, and here our justification was of our selves and not of Christ, and here are all you Pharisees and feigned Publicans, both Priests and Professors, who are in your earth∣ly Wisdome, feeding upon the Letter: but as the Light of Christ arise in us, all our earthly wisdom wherein we were ex∣alted, became foolishnesse, and self was judged and denyed,* 1.4 and all that which was of self, both wisdom and righteousness, wherewith we covered over our filthy, lustful, unclean hearts, and so were as painted Sepulchers, and here are all Professors at this day, who are feeding upon the Tree of Knowledge, and as from under the Cross of Christ, but all would not hide from the Light of God, but as it arose it searched through all, and* 1.5 layd open all, and all our covers became rotten, and fel from us, and so it will be with all Professors: As the Light of Christ doth arise, and the Book of Conscience is layd open, for no flesh must glory in his presence: But now we have nothing* 1.6 but what we have received of the Father through death, and Christ is made over unto us, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sancti∣fication, and Redemption, and though we glory, we glory in the Lord; for we have nothing in our selves to glory of, and the Saints thought it no presumption to call themselves the Sons of God, and said they were of God, and all the whole* 1.7 world lye in wickednesse, and here the same spirit would have accused them: yet they were no Pharisees, and Christ thought it no robbery to be equal with God, yet he was no Pharisee, though of the Pharisees he was judged a Blasphemer, and as he is, so are we, saith the Saints, yet they were no Pharisees,* 1.8 and so who are made the Sons of God, it is no self justificati∣on to witness it forth, neither those who are made free from sin, to witnesse it forth as the Apostles did, and to witness forth the life and power of truth, and deny them that have gotten the form, notion, or profession, and here Christ is the witness and the justification; for the way is but one, and the truth is but one, and they who dwel in the truth witnesse one with another; for the Light of God owns its own, wheresoever

it is; for God cannot deny himself, but they that are not with us, are against us, and out of the truth in the state of condemnation; for all who are out of the truth, are under* 1.9 the curse in the fall, and this truth we witness, by the Spirit of the living God, through death, the same truth as ever was, and there is that in every conscience, shall bear us witness; yea in the Heathen, and condemne them that hate it, 〈…〉〈…〉

Notes

• * 1.1

  Heb. 14. 10
• * 1.2

  Col. 2. 16.
• * 1.3

  Gal. 4. 29. Gen 2. 3. Isa. 58. 13.
• * 1.4

  1 Cor. 1. 20. 1 Cor. 3. 18. 19. 20. 21.
• * 1.5

  Mat▪ 23. 27.
• * 1.6

  1 Cor. 1. 29. 30. 31.
• * 1.7

  1 John 3. 7. & 5. 19.
• * 1.8

  Rom. 8. 16. 11. Phil. 26. John 10. 3▪ 1 John 4. 17. John 14. 6.
• * 1.9

  Mat. 12. 13. 1 John 5. 12.