they speak a vision of their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord and in Ezek xiii.woe unto the prophets that follow their own spirit, and that see nothing, I have not sent them, saith the Lord, and they say, the Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken to them; I am against you, saith the Lord, because with lies you make the hearts of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, &c. I will deliver my people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord,' &c.

And now consider these were not the succeeders of the true prophets, though they used their tongues, and spake and ran with a divination of their own brains and studies, the Lord was against such, though they might say, thus saith the Lord, and get the words of their neighbour prophets. So though you may say, thus saith Christ, and thus say the apostles, and be such as run and God never sends, nor Christ, and have neither heard God's voice, nor seen his shape, and the Lord nor Christ have not spoken to you, and say, you have not the Holy Ghost as the apostles had, and so follow your own spirits, and see nothing; and do not all, who say they have not the same spirit the apostles had, follow their own spirits, and see nothing, and so are succeeders of these false prophets which God reproved, and not the true prophets nor apostles? and how can you preach, except you be sent?' saith the apostle; for whom Christ sends they be in the Holy Ghost, and none can call him Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

And Christ saith, 'that he may abide with you forever, to wit, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, John xiv. 16. even the spirit of truth, that shall lead you into all truth,' and he should dwell in them, and should be with them; and also Christ saith, he would be with them and in them to the end of the world.

And now, therefore, how can you be faithful witnesses to God and Christ the judge, by using your tongues, and saying, he saith it, or by getting the form of godliness, and denying the power and the Holy Ghost, to wit, the witness; and by your running, and God never sent you; and though you say, he saith it, and hath never spoken to you; yea though you may be ministers of the letter from Genesis to Revelations, and say, he or they say it, and yet never hear his voice, or see his shape at any time; then how at any time can you be true witnesses, except you were in the same power and Holy Ghost the prophets and the apostles were in?

'He that hath the Son of God, hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life;' then how can he be a witness of the life that he hath not seen, heard, nor handled? and if Christ be not in him, he is a reprobate, and then how can reprobates be faithful witnesses of him, though they may talk of him by the letter he is come, as the Jews by the letter talked he was to come?

And therefore, they that have the Son of God they have life, they see it, they hear it, they handle it, they look upon it, that life that was in the beginning, and can say, the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, and we know him that is true, and are in him that is true, and so are faithful witnesses, succeeders of the apostles and the true church, and can declare what their eyes have seen, and their hands have handled, and what they have heard, and what they have looked upon, and bear witness and show to others that eternal life, which was with the Father, and manifest unto us and in us, and can both witness and declare this to others freely, as they have received freely from God, that others may have fellowship with them, and can say truly, 'our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son,' and this we declare and witness to: I say, all that succeed the apostles and the true church, it must be in this hearing, sight, handling, witnessing and declaring of this possession, of this life, Christ that was in the apostles and the true church, else they are no succeeders to them, nor in their possession: for all the false witnesses against the prophets, Christ and the apostles, they might profess the scriptures, and the beast, whore, antichrist, Satan's messengers and false apostles, they might profess Christ in words; but they that have him not, have not life, and so are no true hearers, seers, witnesses nor succeeders, neither can they call Jesus Lord, except they be in the Holy Ghost the apostles were in, neither can they witness as they did without the Holy Ghost, neither can they build up one another, except they be in the same Holy Ghost the apostles and true church were in, praying in the Holy Ghost, building up one another in the most holy faith.

So all true succession is in this building in the Holy Ghost and holy faith that they were in; and if they be not in this, they are pluckers down, and scatterers from the head, lo here, lo there, lo there Christ without them, and not within them, and so no succeeders to the apostles, nor true Church, but to such, against whom the cry is, lo here, lo there, which Christ commands not to follow.

And in 2 Cor. ii. 17. for we are not as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ.' And in 2 Pet. ii. 3. and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you,' &c.

Now consider, such as these did not follow the apostles in their succession nor ordination, nor any that be in feigned words, who through covetousness make merchandise of God's, Christ's, the prophets' and apostles' words, and of people.

And none follow the apostles in their succession and ordination, but such as be of God, and in the sight of God speak the truth in sincerity in Christ Jesus.

So all they that teach for filthy lucre, and serve not the Lord Jesus

Christ, but their own bellies, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple,' Rom. vi. 8. all such follow not the apostles, and true church in their succession, but are reproved by them.

And in Numb. xxviii. you may see how God ordained his law in Mount Sinai, and that his people should walk in it, which law commanded their offerings and the priests to offer and attend upon their service.

But Christ Jesus, who ends the law and the offerings, and the priests, by offering up himself once for all, he ordained his disciples to preach, and commands them, freely as they had received of him, so freely to give. And therefore, they that follow the apostles in their ordination and in their succession, must give freely, as they have received freely.

And Christ commands his disciples not to swear at all, but keep to yea and nay in their communication, and to bless, and curse not.

And the apostle that kept in the ordination of Christ and his command, forbad swearing and cursing, and set up yea and nay, as Christ commanded.

Now all them that swear and curse, do not follow the apostles in their succession, nor ordination, nor qualification.

And Christ forbids his ministers from being called gracious lords, as the Gentiles were, or for being called of men master, as the pharisees

were.

And therefore, they that follow the apostles in Christ's ordination, and the succession of the apostles, must keep his commands; for such ministers that do plead for such titles, and to be called of men masters, and gracious lords, succeed the pharisees and the Gentiles, and not Christ nor the apostles.

And therefore none can succeed the apostles, but in the same power of God and Holy Ghost that they were in, who gave forth the scriptures, and they must receive Christ, and live in him, who is the rock of ages, and so to know him, to be with them and in them to the end of their age, and so to the end of the world, who is the rock and foundation of all the righteous in their ages; and they that do succeed the apostles, must succeed them in their work and foundation.

So in the light, in the life, and in the power of Christ Jesus, and in him, and he in them, who is the first and last; here is all the true succession and succeeders, who walk and live in Christ Jesus, and he in them, who is first and last.

G. F.

Swarthmore, the 10th of the 9th month, 1675.

POSSESSION ABOVE PROFESSION;

Being a Discourse, in which it may be clearly seen that many that make a Profession of Christ in the Flesh, and deny him in his Light, which he enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world withal, (which Light is the Life in the Word,) and speak evil against it, are such as possess him not, but persecute his Light and Life as the Jews, that persecuted him in the days of his Flesh.

And how that many Turks and Heathens will own his Divine Light more than many of them that make a Profession of Christ in the Flesh. And likewise, how that all such as profess Christ Jesus has bought them, are to be governed and ordered by him, their owner; for the worldling's reason will say, that which he hath bought and paid for, is his own to order and govern,' &c.—By G. F.

Now all christians that confess Christ come in the flesh, in words, and yet do not obey him, they have not the comfort of him.

For ye christians that do confess Christ to be come in the flesh, and yet will not own his light, that he doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world with, to be a heavenly, divine, and saving light for every one to believe in, it is but a fleshly profession of Christ come in the flesh, and not a spiritual. (For none can call him Lord, but by the Holy Ghost,') nor is it a knowing of him who is the mystery; for Christ is a mystery; and this mystery is known and seen only by his light; and such know Christ no more by the letter of the apostles, than the Jews knew him by the letter of the prophets, and Moses, or as Saul; for when he was Paul, he knew him by revelation; and Peter knew him by revelation; and so the heavenly spiritual man is known by the 'revelation of his light and spirit,' and the revelation of the faith (that is the gift of God,) which Christ is the author of; and Mary knew him by revelation, and Simeon knew him by revelation, and the shepherds knew Christ by revelation through the angel of the Lord, as in Luke ii. and Joseph knew him by revelation: and so, that which does reveal the Son of God, is the light and spirit of God: to know him to be the Christ, as he was man, and as he was God; I say, to know Christ, the spiritual and heavenly man, and his heavenly flesh and blood, that is meat indeed and drink indeed to the saints, which who eats of, lives for ever, and lives by the Son as he lives by the Father, who was promised and prophesied of to come, who came according to God's promise, and the prophets, 'who suffered, and was crucified and buried, and the third day rose again, and remains in the heavens, till all things be restored; who is ascended far above all principalities, powers, thrones, and dominions, that he might

fill all things, who is the head of his church,' that neither powers, thrones, principalities, nor dominions, can pluck out of his throne, and crucify him again, though they may crucify him to themselves afresh, and persecute him in his members.

So his heavenly flesh is the saints' daily food and bread from heaven; and they that deny the heavenly man, Christ Jesus, that died and suffered without the gates of Jerusalem, above sixteen hundred years since, his sufferings, death and resurrection, deny their own food, and their own heavenly bread, and him that offered up himself for their sin, and had power to lay down his life, and to take it up again.'

For it was Christ that died, and is risen, and is at the right hand of God, the heavenly and spiritual man; and it is Christ Jesus, who makes intercession for the saints.

So there is one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, the heavenly and spiritual man, the heavenly and spiritual bishop, the heavenly and spiritual counsellor, and the heavenly and spiritual shepherd, priest, teacher, and leader.'

And now all you that do profess Christ in words, and have a profession of him in the flesh, and deny him in his light, in his divinity, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world,' hear what Christ saith, ‘believe in the light;' and John, speaking of Christ, saith, in him was life, and this life was the light of men; and the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not ;' and 'that was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and he was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not; he came to his own, and his own received him not; but as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on his name.'

So it is clear the world was made by him, and yet the world knew him not, neither can the world know, but by revelation in the light. And his own, the Jews, that he came to, they received him not; for they stopped their ears and eyes to the light; but as many as received him, 'to them he gave power;' so that here is a distinction betwixt the world, and his own, and them that received him;' for he gave them such power as to become the sons of God, 'them which believed in his name:' and what is his name? the Light, the word Jesus, the Saviour, Christ, the anointed of God, conceived by the Holy Ghost,' &c.

6

And now, all you that do make a profession of Christ in the flesh, and do not believe in him as the heavenly light, that enlighteneth man that cometh into the world; how can you believe in the man Christ Jesus, who is a mystery, except (as I said,) you do believe in the light (as Christ commands,) that doth enlighten, &c. (which light manifests him,) and so