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mind earthly things, whose God is your belly, who glory in your shame, enemies of the cross of Christ, your destruction is coming, that ye shall not make a prey upon the people any longer: the Lord hath spoken it.

Oh ye great men, and rich men of the earth! weep and howl for your misery is coming, who heap up treasure for the last day; your gold and silver shall eat you up as the rust and the canker; the fire is kindled, the day of the Lord is appearing, a day of howling will be amongst your fat bulls of Bashan, that all the tall cedars and strong oaks must be hewn down, and all the loftiness of men must be laid low: then shall the Lord alone be exalted.

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The free grace of God is the saints' teacher, which teacheth them to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, to live righteously and godly (like God) in this evil present world, denying all the world's lusts, and world's ways, and world's teachers, and works of darkness, which grace is turned into wantonness, by those who follow the course of the world, and the works of darkness, drunkenness, and uncleanness; and such are they who cannot abide sound doctrine; which heap up teachers, having itching And all who turn from this grace of God, into wantonness, deny it to teach them, and they live in their worldly lusts and ungodliness. Oh how doth the land mourn because of oaths! oaths are heard in the streets openly belched forth. Oh how doth the pride and haughtiness of men and women abound, that scarce know how to walk in the streets! oh how doth oppression and tyranny rule, that the cries of the poor are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabbaths! oh how doth drunkenness and drunkards walk abroad in the streets, which devour the creatures! the Lord is rising, and surely he will be avenged of all his adversaries. He is come to sweep the land of evil-doers, that the earth shall yield her increase, and the land enjoy her sabbaths: and he will sit judge, and righteousness shall run down our streets, and God alone be magnified and glorified, to whom it alone belongs for ever. Oh how doth all the creation groan under this bondage of corruption! the Lord is pouring out his spirit upon all flesh, that his sons and daughters may prophesy up and down this great city, and none shall make them afraid, crying for justice, crying for righteousness, crying for equity: for the cry of the great whore is come up before the Lord, who is adulterated from the truth; they who hate this light, hate Christ which is the husband, and go from him; they who love the light, have the husband which is Christ, but the judgment of the great whore is come, who made all nations to drink of the cup of her fornication, who must drink of the cup of the indignation of the wrath of God poured out without mixture, who must have it filled double. Rejoice, rejoice all ye prophets and holy men of God, triumph in glory: sing aloud praise to the Lord God Almighty, and Omnipotent, who is come to reign: rejoice over the world, over the false

prophets, over the beast, over the whore, which is adulterated from the light, and tells all her lovers that the light is natural, and so denies the husband Christ Jesus, and lives in fornication: but all who love the light, and walk in the light, witness Jesus Christ to be the husband, and this light is spiritual: now she is convinced of her adultery, of her witchcraft, of sorcery, and that which doth convince her is the light which Christ hath enlightened her with, and this is her condemnation. And now the judgment of the great whore is come, God will be avenged on her, who has drunk the blood of his saints, who dwelt in the light, and loved the light.

All who hate this light, they set up to be their light such as are called of men masters, have the chief places in the assemblies, stand making long prayers, lay heavy burthens upon the people, which devour widows' houses (the widow has not a husband) all are as widows who are devoured of such; but who loves the light which Christ hath enlightened them with, it joins them to Christ, and then they witness him to be their husband, and such as are not devoured of them. And who hate this light, hold up them who bear rule by their means; which Jeremy, who dwelt in the light, was sent to cry out against. And they that hate this light, hold up them that cry for their gain from their quarters, and never have enough, which Isaiah, who dwelt in the light, was sent to cry out against. And they that hate the light go after the error of Balaam, and hold up such who love the wages of unrighteousness; and all who hate this light have the spirit of error, and they that dwell in the light, know the spirit of error, and what the spirit of error follows: and all who hate this light, hold up the hirelings that Micah cried against, and such as call for the fleece, and clothe themselves with the wool, that Ezekiel cried against, who was in the light, and full of the spirit. Now where the same light is made manifest, as was in the prophets which saw Christ the light, and in the apostles the same light which gave forth the scripture, all the scripture is witnessed; and here we are grounded upon the prophets, upon the apostles, and Christ the corner-stone, in the eternal light, by which we see the priests bear rule by their means now, and seek for their gain from their quarters now, and are greedy dumb dogs now, nay worse than Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,* but durst not take it; but these sue men at the law for it; worse than Simon Magus, who would have bought the gift of the spirit, but these sell the letter: this corrupt practice hath long reigned, but now is made manifest: and in this light we see the hirelings that preach peace, but he that puts not in their mouths, they prepare war against him; and by this light, we see teachers who profess they are sent of

• Numbers, 22. 18.

Christ, to be in the seat of the Scribes and Pharisees, and are called of men masters, and have the chief places, going in their long robes, love salutations in the markets, have the uppermost seats at feasts, and under pretence making long prayers, devouring widows' houses, which Christ cried woe against.

And such we cannot own as sent of Christ, nor hold up; for if we should, we should deny the scriptures, and hold up that which Christ forbids: and if we should hold up them who rule by their means, we should deny Jeremiah to be a true prophet, who cried against such: and if we should hold up such as cry for gain from their quarters, we should deny Isaiah, who was sent to cry against such: and if we should hold up such as go for gifts and rewards, who love the wages of unrighteousness, we should deny the apostle, who cried against such; for the same light is manifest, (praised be the Lord God,) by which they are seen and cannot be owned, but must be denied, as they were by the prophets, by Christ, by the apostles: and if we should hold up such that say, revelations are ceased, we should deny the son as they do, for none knows the father but the son, and he to whom the son reveals him, and so we deny those to know Christ, or to be sent of Christ, which deny the son, and deny revelations; for the apostle (which was a minister of God) he was not a minister of Christ, until the son was revealed in him, and then he preached him, and preached the kingdom of God; so all who deny revelations, deny the son and the father both, and live in their imaginations of the letter: and the apostle exhorts the saints to have the loins of their minds girded up, and hope to the end for the grace that was to be brought to them at the revelation of Jesus Christ: now he was a minister, and did exhort to wait for the revelation of Jesus Christ: but now thou that deniest revelations, dost declare thyself openly, to be no minister, and eraseth thyself out from among the ministers of Christ; and thou that goest in the ways of Cain, thou art raised out from Abel, for in thy heart lodgeth persecution, and thy mouth utters it, and thy hands act it.

And you that speak a divination of your own hearts, are raised out from them who speak from the mouth of the Lord; for the prophets of the Lord cried out ever against such, and so they do now: and ye that seek for gain from your quarter, are they that are shut out from the true prophets of God; they cried out against you, and the same light cries out against you now, otherwise the prophets should be made of no effect, for they spoke forth freely, and so they do now that speak forth from the game light; the light is free, which hath enlightened every one that comes into the world; thou that hatest it hast learned thy condemnation; it lets thee see all the evil deeds of thy heart: and the gospel is free to every creature, not to be bought and sold for money.

past, and the plagues of God are poured upon you, who hate to be reformed by that light in your conscience; when God calls you continually to repentance, ye hear not his voice, but trust in your own fancies and dreams, and lieing divinations, and so hate the light, for if you love it, it would bring you to repentance, and the fear of the Lord; and the fear of the Lord is to depart from all sin and wickedness, and all evil, and all respecting of persons, for thou that dost, respects not God's law, which forbids it; for he that doth respect persons transgresses the law, and is convinced as a transgressor, and commits sin; thou that dost not own this light, which is according to the law of God, which respects no man's person, that in thy conscience, if thou lovest it and hearkenest to it, it will exalt God alone; ye proud ones at this may stumble, but to that in your consciences, which should exercise it, I appeal.

And this light will bring you to walk in the commands of Christ; Christ Jesus saith, in all your communications let your yea be yea, and your nay be nay, for whatsoever is more, is evil; and swear not at all, for that was in the old time, the swearing: now thou that dost not abide in the doctrine of Christ art of the devil; swear not by the head, nor by Jerusalem, nor by the earth, nor by Heaven: these are great noted things: I say, swear not by the bible, which is a great noted thing, which you swear by now; if the Lord's oath be performed, which he swear by himself, then all oaths are put an end to; if the high-priest Jesus Christ be owned, then all the priests are put an end to, which were true types and figures of him; for he that holds up priests which receive tythes according to the law, doth deny Jesus Christ come in the flesh: but who loves the light that he hath given them, witness Jesus Christ come in the flesh, but those are they which deny all the priests that receive tythes; for the receiving tythes was in old time, though Abraham paid tythes to Melchizedeck, who was a figure; when Jesus Christ the everlasting priest was come, he put an end to all figures; and you that hold up the figures, deny Christ come in the flesh. There was a temple which God commanded; when Christ was come and risen, all outward temples were denied; and we witness one priest, which is over the household of God, ten thousand witness one priest, which is entered into the holiest; and all the priests and his hirelings are denied; and all such as go after covetousness, to make gain of the people, are denied, and all such as bear rule by their means, and seek for their gain from their quarters, are denied ; and all such as are called of men masters, and have the chiefest places in the assemblies, are denied by such who have one master Jesus Christ, to whom all power is given in heaven and earth, who masters over all, and hath conquered all, subdued all, reigns over all heaven and earth, judge over all heaven and earth. And the mighty day of the Lord is coming; God that made the world, dwells not in temples made with VOL. IV-5

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hands, neither is he worshipped with the works of men's hands, seeing he is Lord of all, hath given to all breath and life, made of all nations man of one mould, to dwell upon the face of the earth, and is coming to fill his with the knowledge of himself. To all you that are unlearned outwardly, of the letter, that cannot read the scripture outwardly, to you I have a word from the Lord to speak; which is, Christ saith, I have given to every one a measure, according to their ability; this is the measure, the light which is pure, which doth convince thee, and if thou dost take heed to this light, that is scripture within thee; as a man should give, or a king should give to his subjects, or to them that are under him, every one a measure of the outward; so Jesus Christ the king, gives every one a measure of the inward, according to their ability; as the king doth outwardly according to their ability, and so that is a figure to thee, and if thou waitest in this measure, and improve thy measure, and be faithful in thy measure to God who hath given it thee, then thou comest to be a servant to the king Jesus Christ; as the servant outwardly doth improve his outward measure, and serve the king outwardly, so thou comest to improve thy inward, that is a figure to thee; so figures are spoken to the carnal part in man.

And as the light opens and exerciseth thy conscience, it will open to thee parables and figures, and it will let thee see invisible things, which are clearly seen by that which is invisible in thee, which are clearly seen since the creation of the world, that doth declare the eternal power and Godhead; that which is invisible is the light within thee, which he who is invisible hath given thee a measure of, that will let thee see thy heart to be stony; and as stones without thee of the like nature, and the highway ground without thee, so thy heart is high-way ground; and as thorny ground without thee, so thy heart is as thorny ground; and as thou walkest up and down, it will let thee see the rough way without thee, and rough way within thee; and as thou walkest in the way full of briars and thorns without thee, so crooked ways within thee it will let see; as there are briars without thee, so there are briars within thee; and as serpents without thee, so the nature of serpents within thee; as vipers without thee, so the nature of vipers within thee; and all this lodgeth upon the earth; the earth without thee, so the earth within thee; as lions without thee, so the nature of lions within thee; trees without thee, so thou art the nature of a tree which riseth out of the earth; as trees grow out of the earth without thee, trees within thee; as forests without thee, so the wilderness in thy heart; these things doth the scripture speak of; who had the light spoke forth these parables, to that nature in men and women: this light lets thee see, who hatest the light: as fat bulls without thee, feeding the flesh, thou art as a fat bull, who only feedest the flesh; as here are dogs and swine without thee, thou art a dog that

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