A paper concerning such as are made ministers by the will of man

A Paper concerning such as are made Ministers by the will of man, and an exhortation to all sober minded people to come out from among them.

What ministery is that which is upheld by a Law given forth in mans will con∣trary to the Law of God, if it be not Antichristian? and whether or no their Ministery was from God that haled out of the Synogoues, or those that were haled? And whether Paul's Ministery was not according to what you now perse∣cute, who went into the Synagogues to reason with them, after the same man∣ner as wee doe novv, vvho received not his Ministery from man, neither had it by man, though he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliell, he counted that which he learned there, as dung and drosse, in comparison of the excellency of Jesus Christ; and now with the Same light, your form of prayer, and form off preaching without the power, it is as drosse and dung to me, and to all that live in the life, who know Christ to be the high Priest over the houshold of God, whose Government is on his shoulders, who will not acquit the wicked, neither shall the evill doer escape his hand; for the hand of the Lord is streched out, and by the bareing of his arme are we Saved from all our trangressions, which by no other means could be done; for when I wallowing in my blood, and no eye pittied me, nor none could cure my disease, when I went through the vale of misery, in the cloudy and dark day, when no light appeared, then was I fol∣lowing men, but darkness was over the whole earth in me, which was my great sorrow but sometimes hope was an anchor, that it should not be alwaies so, but when the flood came I was as one overwhelmed with sorrow, for all my actings, and my prayers returned in vain; while I was acting for life, the living suffer∣ed in me, which groaned for deliverance, and the groans of that was heard, and not my prayers, then the Son of Righteousness appeared to me, with healing under his wings, then he rent the vail, and uncovered all that I had done, and shewed me the book wherein all my actions were set down, that I had acted a∣gainst him ever since I was a childe, and indeed I could read in it, and knew what was written there, then was the acceptable yeer of the Lord God, and the day of vengeance to the ungodly in me, then was the vials of the wrath of God powred forth upon me without mixture, and indeed it was given me to drink deep∣ly but I desired that I might be spared, but it was to let me see that I had Sinned against God, and I should bear his indignation, untill he did plead my cause, for I was condemned, but the Blood of the Son of God ransomed me and brought me into freedom, which by no other meanes could be done; then he shewed me his doctrine, and writ his Law in me, and placed his word in my heart, which is an everlasting witness for himself, and against all the world, that their deeds are evil, who by his power hath shaken, and caused all my bones to trem∣ble, and to stagger like a drunken man, but the remainder of himself could not be Shaken, for he was stricken, and by his stripes were we healed, and by his light we see all hirelings, and persecutors to be out of his doctrine; therefore we de∣ny them; So all people who fear God come out from among them (least you be partakers of their plagues) as I have done.

M. F.

The difference between the worlds relation which stands in strife, malice and wickednesse, and the Saints relation which stands in love, life, peace and joy in the Holy ghost
The Relation which stands in destroying, is by the children of the light denied, all such who live out of light, and out of it walke, who wear the old garment, whose minde is corrupt, and hath a wisdome; and with it know not God, and

hath a knovvledge & with it corrupt themselves, & hath a humility, but feigned, and hath a worship but in the will, and hath a righteousnesse but in the self; and speaks the high words but it is in hipocrisie, and hath a liberty but in the flesh, whore the spirit is in prison, who in Caines way is gone, and hath not a habitation in God, whose affections are below in the earth, and serve the lusts and the plea∣sures, whose conversation is among the wicked, and there is the worlds relation where lodgeth the strife and the debate and deceit, and disdain, and setting up that which God will throw down, now vvhile this is standing which is contrary to the light, they that in the light do vvalke, and be in it, these they deny, and Sees that vvhich leads nature our of its course, and vvhat sets the vvhole course of nature on fire, and there the vvhole vvorld are in confusion, and all the tongues are unbridled, vvhere povver over them is not, vvhile that reignes vvhich leads nature out of course, his religion is vain, and that re∣lation stands out of truth, but all such as to the light are turned, See vvith the light (and that doth manifest vvhat leadeth nature out of course,) the mariage that is honourable, and vvhat sets the vvhole course of nature on fire, and vvhat leads nature into course, vvhere the pure relation and the en∣trance of it is received, vvhere the self and its righteousness is denied, and the righteousness of Christ received, vvhere the vvorship of the vvill is denied, and the vvorship of God in Spirit and Truth received, vvhere self righteousnes is de∣nied, and Christ the righteousness of God received, & the former conversation put of & the conversation in Heaven vvitnessed, the affections belovv changed, & the affections vvhich are above come to; here is the pure Religion knovvn vvith∣out guile, vvhich are out of Cains vvay, vvhere the habitation in God is vvit∣nessed and seen, vvhere the just lives by his faith, and honouring in the Lord knovvn, and the true humility Learned of Christ, vvho is not of the vvorld, though it by him vvas made, vvho lighteth every man that cometh into the vvorld, vvho is mans vvay out of it; vvhich light is mans condemnation if he do not beleeve in it; and the relation vvhich is in the vvorld (vvho hate the light,) is in the lust, where the perversenes is in the love of the world, vvhere the envy is, vvhere the invention is, selfeishness, crossenesse, perverse∣ness, back-biting, maliciousnes, filling with unrighteousness, yet they have a love, yet they have a relation, now the light which comes from the beloved Son of God, where the Love of God is received, the worlds relation is denied, for the relation of the world destroyes and devoures, but the children of the light, which be in the relation out of the World, live in peace, unity, and fel∣lowship, and comfort enjoyed in the holy Ghost, so all you that professe relation in words, and envy lodgeth in your hearts against one another, and yet flat∣ter one another to your faces, and backbite one another, behinde the back, such relations we deny, and have a witness in your consciences against it; And all that profess a relation one to another, and love and friendship with the tongue, and in heart deceive one another, and cozen, and cheat one ano∣ther, and lie, and dissemble one with another, all such relations we deny, and have a witness in your conscience against it: And such as professe religion, or worship, or humility, righteousness, and the Scripture, Christ and the Pro∣phets words, & live out of their life, and live in envy and malice, and yet pro∣fesse you have a relation to Christ, and God, whom ye have not seen, and you love him, and do not love them whom you have seen, such relations we do denie; & all such as cry up your experiences, high notions, manifestations,

as you call them, dispensations as you call them, and live in pride, strife, and envy, debates, derision, scornes, loftiness, highmindedness, you be out of the light and out of the way, in 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and out of the pure relation, we have a witness in your conscience against those things, which lets you see what you pos∣sess, and will let you professe no more if to it you hearken, which turns from the world and the relations therein, for all who beleeve not the light, and are not to it come, have a love, but it is in the world; and a relation, but it is in the world, which is enmity to God, so that relation which is enmity is denied with the light, that love which is enmity, is denied with the light, which leads to the pure relation, which envies not, where the destroyer, and devourer is rebu∣ked.

G. F.

THe faith of such no better then the faith of the Pharisees who onely believe of a Christ, because the Scriptures declare of him, but the faith of them who dwel in the life and power of God and follow the Lamb whethersoever he goes, is that faith which overcomes the world. To believe of a Christ because the Scrip∣tures declare of him, is to believe as the Pharisees did believe, who were the per∣secutors and murderers of the just, but to believe in the light, the life that gave forth the Scriptures is seen, and Christ is believed in, and here he hath the wit∣ness in himself, and comes to be a child of light and born of God, which birth overcomes the world, and now saith Christ they hate the light because their deeds are evil, and will not bring their deeds to it, because the light will re∣prove them, and this is the condemnation the light saith Christ; and now it doth appear them that hate the light, priests, teachers, people, young and old hate the light, and will not bring their deeds to the light, because the light vvill reprove them, neither vvill they suffer others that vvalke in the light, and love the light, and bring their deeds to the Light and shew their deeds with the light, and reprove them with the light, because they hate the light, and them that walk in it, and cast them into Prison, and so are stumbling at the light. All sorts of people, (mark) it is the light that they hate, saith Christ, they hate the light which reproves their evil deeds, and this light is that which the world and the teachers thereof cannot endure to be talked off, but hate it and them that walk in it, & it is the light that is so much stumbled at, so because their deeds are evil, and they walk in darkness, there is a proof, for they that walk in the light stumble not, but come to receive the light of life, here Christs words ••s fulfilled amongst them that hate the light, and will not bring their deeds to the light, because the light will reprove them, for that which doth make manifest is light, so that which makes manifest they cannot endure, but would be in the dark, and keep their deeds in the dark as it is manifest, and saith Christ the Divel shall cast some of you into prison, he is out of the light out of the truth, and a lyar, and a murtherer from the beginning, which now is seen with the light, and trampled upon, and all that owne not the light which cometh from the word, are the wicked seeds men, sowing abroad their tares, their lies, the evil reports, and them that are gone from the light, that comes from the word of truth, are gi∣ven up to believe lies and reports, and may cry up darkness, if you hate the light what have you to cry up else, if you turn from the light, pittyful preach∣ing, which hates the light, which manifesteth all the vvorks of darkness.

G. F.