A collection of the several writings and faithful testimonies of that suffering servant of God, and patient follower of the Lamb, Humphry Smith who dyed a prisoner for the testimony of Jesus, in Winchester common-goal the 4th day of the 3d moneth in the year 1663.

IDOLATRY Declared Against.

THe Great and Mighty God, who made the Heavens, and the Earth, and the Sea, and made all men of one Blood upon the face of the whole Earth, and breathed into man that which is of his own Life, that by it man might seek after him, and find him who is Infinite, Incomprehensible, Eternal and Glorious, even he dwelleth not in Temples made with Hands, Acts 17. 24. neither is he worshipped in one high place or ano∣ther by any of the Professing Jews, who deny his Son, of whom he gave Testimony, That in him he is well pleased: Neither is there any Worship or Service accepted with him, but that which cometh from them who are led and guided by the Spirit of Truth, and in it Worship the Father, who is a Spirit, and de∣lighteth not in those Oblations that are Vain, proceeding from

the vain Minds of such who take his Name in Vain, of whom he saith, In vain do they Worship me: And of all such, I say, their Faith is Vain, who are yet in their Sins, and found among the Gentiles, who sacrifice unto Devils, and not unto God, being Children of Wrath, and Strangers to the Covenant of Promise, whose Prayers the Lord abhors, whose vain Bablings cast an ill Savour in the Nostrils of the most High; and their coming together is not for the better, but for the worse, even to feed and nourish the young Serpents, and to encrease in that Knowledge which puffeth up, and encreaseth sorrow, the which knowledge the (Hireling) Priests Lips preserve, which the Devil once taught, saying, Ye shall be as Gods, knowing Good and Evil; and all they who encrease in this Knowledge, encrease in that in which the Knowledge of God doth not stand, neither can be received; and so the Wo from the Lord God will come unto all them that continue their seeking the Living among the Dead, crying for their place of holy Worship (which is to be laid Desolate) and living in Unrighteousness, and in all Ungodly Practices, without the fear of God, and talking of him with that Mouth which is full of Cursing and Bitterness, the Heart being not turned to God, nor the Mind unto the Light of his Son, who are themselves in the Jaws of Satan, and are some∣times made sensible of the Power of the Devil working in them, stirring them up to Wrath, and moving them up to Envy, Pride and Unrighteousness, and the Lusts of the Creatures, and the Vanity of the Mind, but feel not at all the Power of God to work in them the newness of Life, and his pure Image, who made man Holy and Upright; neither are they willing to receive that Power in them by which they might come to overcome their Sins, and be led up to him who is the God of the Spirits of all Flesh, whom all the World, (not knowing) is ignorant by Worshipping, and denying his Son (who maketh an end of sin) and Contemning the Just One, who is a man of Sorrows, and denying him who is led as a Lamb dumb, and slighting him who is the Light, and refusing him who is the living Minister, not made by a carnal Commandment, but by the Power of an endless Life, who teacheth all to profit (who learn of him) and none teacheth like him, who saith, Learn of Me; then not of

another, not of a Hireling, not of one that pleadeth for Sin, but of him that maketh an End of Sin, whom God the Fa∣ther hath given a Light to the Gentiles, a Covenant to the People, that all men through him might be saved, who hath spoiled Princi∣palities and Powers, and all Authorities; and now all Domi∣nions and Authorities are to be subject to Him, who said, The true Worshippers shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: And Truth is that which maketh Free; but the Worshipping the Un∣known God in a Synagogue, Idol Temple or Steeple-house, doth not make Free, neither makes an end of Sin, but all them that are there, are in their Sins, and have not received Power to Over∣come their Sins; but are following such Teachers, which Peter said, should come in the latter dayes, who cannot themselves cease from Sin; And these Teachers, Peter said (and so say I) that they are cursed Children, beguiling such unstable Souls, who are carried about with airy windy Doctrines, after the cunning Crastiness of men, who still lie in wait to deceive, against whom we bear Testimony, from the Spirit of Truth, which guideth us, not to handle the Word of God deceitfully, nor to make Merchandize of the People; neither come we with Flattering Titles, but in the Power of the Lord, and in the Demonstration of his Spirit of Truth, do we declare against all Unrighteousness of Men, whether Priests, Ru∣lers or People, without Respect of Persons; and we declare his Name in the World, who is the Light of the World, and publish him among the Sons of men, who is Gods Power, that saveth his People from their Sins, who is the true Prophet, whom all are to hear, that all might come to learn of him, and be guided by him in the Way of Everlasting Peace, that so such as are Strangers to the Covenant of Grace (being yet in their Sins, and are the Outcasts of Israel) might now come to be taught of the Lord, and hear the powerful Voice of his Son, and not fol∣low Strangers any longer, nor the dumb Idol Shepherds, who are become Bruitish, Jer. 10. 21. and cannot understand, Isa. 56. 11. that from them all, such who fear the Lord might be ga∣thered, Ezek. 34. and may come to know the one Lord, whose Name is one, and the one Truth, and the one Way, and the Worship of the one true God, and not follow them any longer, who are Strangers to the Life of God, nor such as cannot cease from Sin, who are all in the Curse, being not reconciled unto

him, who was made a Curse, and so they come not to receive that by which the Curse is taken away, and such are without God in the World; and of such the Lord hath said, You have we aried me with your Sacrifices; And so say I to you now, you have wea∣ried the Lord with your Words; and yet many are saying, Wherein have we we aried him? I say, in this have you wearied the Lord, in that you say, such as do Evil are Good in the sight of God, Mal. 2. 17.

Therefore thus I declare unto you, who are yet in your Sins, meeting together in the Idol Temples, Your Service is not the Service of the true God, neither is your Worship that which the Lord accepteth, for he accepteth none but the Worship in Spirit and in Truth, not in one high Place or other, but your Worship is in some High-Place, Idol-Temple or Steeple-House, where all manner of Viperous Beasts are round, and unsanctified Persons meet together, who commit all Abominations, and live in all manner of Filthiness, and yet lean upon the Lord, and say; Is not the Lord among us? no Evil shall come unto us: Whereas they are an evil and an adulterous Generation, adulterated from the Spirit of Truth, in which the true Worship stands, and are ignorantly worshipping in a Temple made with Hands, in which God dwellcth not, neither is his Power there received to overcome the Sin; and so the People are wearying themselves for very Vanity, and tra∣velling to bring forth Death, and labouring for that which pro∣fits not; neither do they come to meet the Lord in the way of his Judgments, nor find the Path of Life, where the Unclean can never come; neither yet do they know the Bread of Life, nor drink his Blood, that cleanseth from all Sin, nor come to be translated in∣to the Kingdom of the Son of God, but remain in that Ground which was eursed by reason of man's Rebellion, Gen. 3. 17. Heb. 6. 8. which Ground being not removed with the mighty Power of God, the Blessing cannot be received, nor the Understanding opened to know and receive, that which the Natural Man per∣ceiveth not, the Eyes of their Minds being darkened, through the Ignorance that is in them, the Vail being over the Heart, when that is read every day of their Worship, which discovers Sin, but makes nothing Perfect; which Worshippers did and do, Cru∣cifie him that comes to take away the Sin.

But now he is come, who hath forever perfected those that are sanctified; and he that sanctisieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one; But they that are not sanctified are not of the one, but are in the many Opinions, in the Lusts of Ignorance and Wayes of Unrighteousness, being not come to the one Faith, which puri∣fieth the Heart, nor to know the one Baptism, one Church, one Way, one Truth, one God, the Father of him who is the one Light, which lightneth every man that cometh into the W••rld; of the which Light, which is but one, there is given a measure to every one of you, which Light shineth in Darkness, though not by it comprehended; which Light will let you see that you your selves are out of God's Covenant in the World's Worship, not reconciled to God, up∣holding Idol Temples and Heathenish Customs, with Bells, and such things which the People of God never used, but did and do deny forever, and exhort you and all others to leave worship∣ping the Beast, or upholding that which is not the true Worship of the true God, practised by men of Sin in Steeple-Houses every First-Day.

Wherefore all People every where, leave your Idolatry, which you have learned and received by Tradition from the former Papists and Heathen, who worship the Work of their own Hands, and bow down to their own Inventions, as you long have done, and for this many Hundred Years have been learning, and yet are not come to the Truth, neither to believe in it, but remain in Unbelief and Ignorance, and your long time of Ignorance God winked at, Acts 17. 30. But now Light is come, in which God is calling to you, and all men every where to Repent and forsake your Idolatrous Worship, which by you, a sinful Generation, is practised in a Steeple-house one day in seven and Catn's Nature remaining in the inward parts, from the which Idolatry, all that sear the Lord God of Abraham are now to come from the Uncleanness of that Worship which is upheld by the Heathen; for verily the Hand of the Lord God Almighty is stretched sorth against it and them.

Wherefore, all People turn your Minds to the Lord God of Life, who dwelleth in his People (and not in Temples made with Hands) and hath given to every one of you a measure of the true Light of his Son, which Light, in you, will let you see your secret Sins, and will teach you and shew you plainly of the Fa∣ther,

if you love it, and come to be led by it, to do God's will so may you come to worship the Lord God of Life, in Spirit and in Truth, with the Children of the Light and of the Day, which hath dawned upon many, who need not any man teach them, but are all taught of the Lord, Glory and Honour, and Ever∣lasting Praises to his blessed Name forever and ever, Amen.

Given forth as a Testimony against all Idolatry and Heathenish-Worship, from the true Love of God the Father, in pity to the Souls of them who have Eyes and see not, and Ears and hear not, that they may come forth of Darkness, to follow Christ Jesus the Light of the World, who is bringing the Blind by a Way that they know not, Isa. 42. 16.

Therefore is this to go abroad among all People, and read in Steeple-Houses, Streets, Market-places, private Meetings and Families, that all may consider what they have been doing in the dark, Ezek. 8. 12.

By a Servant of the Living God, a Sufferer for the Testimony of his Name in the Common Goal and House of Correction at Winchester. Humphery Smith.

The 4th Moneth, 1658.