in the fame Spirit, in the fame life, in the fame love with him that keeps a day; and he who keeps a day, may unite in heart and foul with the fame Spirit and life in him who keeps not a day; but he that judgeth the other because of either of thefe, errs from the Spirit, from the love, from the life, and fo breaks the bond of unity. And he that draws another to any practice, before the life in his own particular lead him; doth, as much as in him lies, destroy the foul of that perfon, ver. 15. This was the apostle's rule, for every one to perform fingly to the Lord what he did, and not for one to meddle with the light or confcience of another (undervaluing his brother, or judging him because his light and practices differed from his, chap. xiv. 10.) but every one to keep close to their own measure of light, even to that proportion of faith and knowledge, which God of his mercy hath bestowed on them. And here is the true unity in the Spirit, in the inward life, and not in an outward uniformity. That was not neceffary in the apoftles days, nor is it neceffary now; and that eye which fo dotes upon it, overlooks the one thing which is neceffary. Men keeping close to God, the Lord will lead them on faft enough, and give them light faft enough; for he taketh care of fuch, and knoweth what light, and what practices are moft proper for them); but for men to walk on fafter than the Lord holds forth his light to them, this overturns them, raifing up a wrong thing in them, and the true birth hereby comes to fuffer, to fhrink, and be driven back. And oh! how fweet and pleasant is it to the truly fpiritual eye, to fee several forts of believers, feveral forms of Chriftians in the school of Chrift, every one learning their own leffon, performing their own peculiar fervice, and knowing, owning, and loving one another in their feveral places, and different performances to their Master, to whom they are to give an account, and not to quarrel with one another about their different practices! Rom. xiv. 4. For this is the true ground of love and unity, not that fuch a man walks and does juft as I do, but because I feel the fame Spirit and life in him, and in that he walks in his rank, in his own order, in his proper way and place of subjection to that. And this is far more pleafing to me, than if he walked juft in that track wherein I walk : nay, fo far as I am fpiritual I cannot fo much as defire that he fhould do fo, until he be particularly led thereto, by the fame Spirit which led me. And he that knows what it is to receive any truths from the Spirit, and to be led into practices by the Spirit, and how prone the fleshly part is to make hafte, and how dangerous that hafte is, will not be forward to prefs his knowledge or practices upon others, but rather wait patiently till the Lord fit them for the receiving thereof, for fear left they should receive and prac tise too foon, even in that part which cannot ferve the Lord. And this I can truly fay concerning myfelf, I never found my fpirit forward to draw any, either to any thing I believed to be true, or to any practice or way of worship I obferved or walked in; but defired that the power and leadings of life might go before them, and was afraid left men fhould receive things VOL. I. Sf from

from my hand, and not from the Lord's. Yea, and this I very well remem ber, that when I walked in the way of Independency (as it hath been commonly called) I had more unity with, and more love towards, fuch as were fingle-hearted in other ways and practices of worship (whose spirits I had fome feeling of in the true fimplicity, and in the life) than with divers of fuch who were very knowing and zealous in that way of Independency, in whom a wrong thing in the mean time had got up, which had caufed them to fwerve from the life, and from the fimplicity.

So that the true church-government being in the Spirit, and over the confcience as in the fight of God, the great care must be to keep it within its bounds, that nothing elfe govern but the Spirit, and that the government be extended only unto that which is to be governed.

First, Care must be had that nothing govern in the church of Chrift, but the Spirit of Chrift: that nothing elfe teach; nothing elfe exhort; nothing else admonish and reprove; nothing elfe cut off and caft out. Every minister in the church is to watch over his own fpirit, that it intrude not into the work of God, that it take not upon it to be the teacher, the exhorter, the reprover, &c. And every member is to wait in the measure of the Spirit which he hath received, to feel the goings forth of the Spirit in him who teacheth and governeth; and fo to fubject not to man, but to the Lord; to receive from the Lord, to obey the Lord. Not to know any minifter according to the flesh; but to receive, and fubmit to what comes from the Spirit, in the Spirit. Not to know Paul, or Apollos, or Cæphas, but the Spirit miniftering in them. Paul may err, Apollos may err, Peter may err (and did err, when he compelled the Gentiles to live as the Jews, Gal. ii. 14. for which Paul withstood him to the face, ver. 11.) and Barnabas also did err, ver. 13. But the Spirit cannot err; and he that keeps to the measure of the Spirit in himself, cannot let in any of their errors, if they fhould err; but is preferved. For the leaft measure of the Spirit is true, and gives true judgment; but he that receiveth ever fo great a measure of the Spirit, yet if he keep not low therein, but lifteth up himself becaufe thereof above his brethren, may easily err himself, and draw afide others into his error.

Secondly, Care must be had that the confcience be kept tender, that nothing be received but according to the light in the confcience. The confcience is the feat of faith; and if it be not kept clofe to the light which God lighteth there, faith is foon made shipwreck of. Chriftianity is begun in the Spirit, which keepeth out the flefhly part, with all its flefhly wisdom and reasonings about fpiritual things; and as the beginning is in the anointing, fo must the progrefs be. As the Spirit begins in the confcience, by convincing that, by perfuading that, by fetting up his light there, and leading the foul by that light; fo that light muft ftill be eyed, and according to its growth and manifeftation in the confcience, fo muft the foul ftand itill, or go on.

The

The great error of the ages of the apoftafy hath been, to fet up an outward order and uniformity, and to make mens confciences bend thereto, either by arguments of wisdom, or by force, but the property of the true church-government is, to leave the confcience to its full liberty in the Lord, to preserve it fingle and entire for the Lord to exercise, and to feek unity in the light and in the Spirit, walking sweetly and harmoniously together in the midit of different practices. Yea, and he that hath faith, and can fee beyond another, yet can have it to himself, and not disturb his brother with it, but can defcend and walk with him according to his measure; and if his brother have any heavy burthen upon him, he can lend him his fhoulder, and bear part of his burthen with him. Oh! how fweet and lovely is it to fee brethren dwell together in unity, to fee the true image of God raised in perfons, and they knowing and loving one another in that image, and bearing with one another through love, and helping one another under their temptations and diftreffes of fpirit, which every one muft expect to meet with.

If thou art a Christian in deed and in truth, preserve thy confcience pure and tender towards God; do not defile it with fuch religious practices, duties, ordinances, &c. as thou doft not feel the Spirit leading thee into; for all fuch are idols, and exceedingly pollute thee. And be tender alfo of thy brother's confcience, and be not an inftrument to draw him into any thing which the Lord leads him not into; but rejoice if thou find him in fimplicity of heart ftartling at any thing; for if he abide here faithful, his guide will in due season appear to him, and clear up his way before him; but if he be too hafty, he may follow a wrong guide, and that guide will never lead him aright towards the kingdom, but intangle him further and further from it.

Oh! how many have run a whoring from the Lord! How many have first loft the guidance of his Spirit, and then drowned their life in religious performances! How many have drunk of the cup of fornication from the life, at the hands of the fleshly wisdom! How many have filled their fpirit with New-Teftament idols and images! How many have even hardened their hearts and confciences, by following the doctrines of men, their imaginary meanings of fcriptures, and the imaginations and dreams of their own hearts! Is it not time for men at length to turn back towards the Lord, to wait for the vifitation and light of his Spirit; from whom they have gone a whoring, and whom in all things they have grieved? And if ever any feel and enjoy the guidance of God's Spirit, their confcience muft be kept tender to it, and ready to hear and follow his voice, who speaks in Spirit to that which is born of him, which infallibly knows his voice, and (being kept clear) cannot doubt concerning it. My sheep hear my voice, faith Chrift: they know it, and the voice of the ftrange spirit they know not fo as to follow it, but turn from it, both in themfelves and others. But that which is not the fheep, but hath only got the fheep's cloathing, cries out; how fhall we know the voice of the Spirit? We may be deceived. Sf 2

Nay:

Nay that which is born of God, that which is the elect of God, cannot be deceived. Wait therefore for the birth of the Spirit, to which the Spirit is given for a guide, who infallibly guides it out of deceit. All deceivers are out of this birth, out of this Spirit; perhaps in fome birth or other framed from the letter, and living in the imitation of fome practices and ordinances from the letter (under which cover they lie in wait to deceive), but strangers to the life and power, and to that wisdom which begets and bears to God. Thus the Jews erred, and deceived their profelytes before the coming of Chrift: thus the Chriftians (in name) have generally erred all along the apoftafy; and indeed, for the generality, have not been true Chriftians, but only a perfecuted remnant amongst them; whofe life hath been nourished and preserved, not by doctrines and obfervations which they have been taught by the precepts of men, nor by the knowledge which they themselves have gathered, but by a little bread daily handed to them from the Father of mercies out of the wilderness; that was the thing which nourished their fouls up to God, though many of them knew not distinctly what it was that nourished them, nor how they came by it.

Object. But is not uniformity lovely; and doth not the apostle exhort Chriftians to be of one mind; and were it not a sweet thing if we were all of one beart and one way?

Anfw. Yea, uniformity is very lovely; and to be desired and waited for, as the Spirit of the Lord, which is one, leads and draws into one. But for the fleshly part (the wife reafoning part in man) by fleshly ways and means to strive to bring about fleshly uniformity, which enfnares and overbears the tender confcience; this is not lovely, nor fpiritual, nor Chriftian. And the apostle who exhorts Chriftians to one mind, yet doth not bid them force one another into one mind, but walk together fweetly fo far as they had attained; and wherein they were otherwife minded, God in his due time would reveal more to them, Philip. ii. 15, 16. He that hath, to him fhall be given. And the intent and work of the ministry (with the several miniftrations of it) is to bring into the unity, Ephef. iv. 13. as perfons are able to follow: and not to force all men into one practice or way; that is the way to deftroy the faith, and the true unity, and at best can introduce but a fleshly appearance of unity, in fuch a form of worship and godlinefs as eats out the power. And for being of one heart and one way, bleffed be the Lord, this is in measure known and witneffed. The way is one; Chrift the truth of God; and he that is in the faith, and in the obedience to that light which fhines from his Spirit into the heart of every believer, hath a taste of the one heart, and of the one way; and knoweth that no variety of practices, which is of God, can make a breach in the true unity. This is the one way, for every one to be subject to that light of Chrift's Spirit which he hath received from Christ; and every one keeping here, there is alfo one heart kept in the midst of

all

all the variety, and diversity of practices. And the unity being thus kept, all will come into one outwardly alfo at length, as the light grows in every one, and as every one grows into the light; but this must be patiently waited for from the hand of God (who hath the right way of effecting it, and who alone can do it); and not harfhly and cruelly attempted by the rough hand of man.

Some CONSIDERATIONS

Concerning the State of Things, relating to what hath been, now is, and fhortly is to come to pafs; warning all People to look about them, and to wait on the LORD for the unerring Light of his Spirit, that they may know the Times and Seafons, and the Work which GOD is now about in the World, which is Great and Wonderful; and fo may not be found Fighters against GOD, his Truths, and the Witneffes, of this Age and Generation; more particularly Lamenting over and Exhorting ENGLAND. With a faithful Testimony concerning the QUAKERS.

I.

TH

HAT the fpoufe of Chrift, the true church which God built in the apostles days by his Spirit, the church against which the gates of hell could not prevail; the church which was the temple of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth; the woman which was cloathed with the fun, who had the moon under her feet, and was crowned with a crown of twelve ftars, &c. this church, at the clofe of the fight between Michael with his angels, and the dragon with his angels, fled into the wilderness, into the place prepared of God for her, Rev. xii. 6. having two wings of a great eagle given her, that fhe might fly thither to her place; where the was to abide, and be hid from the face of the ferpent, and to be fed with the living nourishment from the hand of the Father all the time of antichrift's reign, which is faid to be a time, times, and half a time, ver. 14. or one thousand two hundred and fixty days, as ver. 6. or forty-two months, as chap. xi. 2. And she was accordingly gone out of fight, infomuch as the serpent could find her no more, but went to make war with the remnant

of