be saved, but by the name of Jesus, which signifies a saviour. And according to the prophet, A virgin shall be with child conceived by the holy ghost, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which by interpretation is God with us;' so by his son Jesus Christ, God is with us, that God who was speaker unto, and teacher of Adam and Eve in paradise: and as long as they kept under his teaching, they were happy; but when they forsook God's teaching and speaking, and hearkened unto the serpent's speaking and teaching, and followed it, they came into misery, and his posterity. But according to the promise of God to Adam, the seed of the woman is come, to bruise the serpent's head,' the destroyer; and he, namely, Christ the son of God, is the saviour; and now in these last days, God teaches us, and speaks to us by his son Christ Jesus, whom God hath appointed to be heir of all things, by whom he made the world, the heavens, and the earth, and the seas, and all things therein; and so all the children of the Lord are taught of the Lord, and in righteousness are they established.

And there are three which bear witness or record in heaven, the Father, the word, and the holy ghost; and these are one: and there are three which bear record in earth, the spirit, the water, and the blood, (viz.) the blood of Christ which cleanseth from all sin, and the water which washeth from all filthiness, and the spirit to lead into all truth, and baptizes and plunges down sin and evil, and to circumcise, to put off the body of death, and sins of the flesh, which are come into man and woman by transgression. And you must feel this spirit in your hearts, which is a witness for God who gives it you, which will be a witness for you, or a witness against you. And you must feel the blood of Christ sprinkle your consciences from your dead works, that you may serve the living God; which blood will be a witness for you, or a witness against you. And you must feel the water of the word to wash you and cleanse you, which will be a witness for you, or a witness against you. So the spirit of God, the blood of Jesus, the water of the word, are three that agree in one, that bear witness or record in the earth; and there are three which bear witness or record in heaven, the Father, the word, and the holy ghost, and these three are one. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.

By the offence of one, (to wit, Adam,) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, (to wit, Christ Jesus,) the free gift of God came upon all men unto justification of life.'

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son Jesus Christ, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And they that do believe in him have everlasting life. John iii. 16. Rom. v. 18. Now concerning God's son, Jesus Christ our

Lord, he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Rom. i. 3, 4.

G. F.

Concerning daily Sacrifices and Offerings. By G. F.

THE priests under the law daily offered sacrifices; but Christ our high priest need not daily, as those priests, offer sacrifice for his own sin, and then for the people's. (Heb. vii. 16. 28.) For Christ did once offer up himself, who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life; who is sat down at the right hand of God, and so cannot be offered as an offering and sacrifice any more; who abolished the changeable priesthood, with all its offerings and sacrifices, by the sacrifice and offering of himself once for all.

And so it is said, 'I am come to do the will of God;' to take away the first, namely, priesthood and covenant offerings, and establish the second, by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus. Mark, Christ's body is offered up once for all. Hebrews ix. 10.

And so Christ is entered into heaven itself, not that he should offer himself often, as the high priests did, for then must Christ often have suffered; but he hath put away sin by the sacrifice of himself once for all. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him, shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation;' as in Heb. ix. 25, 26. 28.

So here you may see Christ is not often offered up as a sacrifice, or an offering for the sins of the whole world, then had he often suffered. But after Christ had offered up one sacrifice for sins for ever, he sat down at the right hand of God. And by this one offering Christ hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.' So here you may see, it is one offering, and one sacrifice once for all, not offering Christ many times, nor often.

And in Hebrews xii. 12. 14. The priests under the law, they offered offerings; but Christ offered up himself, who had power to lay down his life, and take it again; so it was not priests that offered Christ up: for after Christ had offered up one sacrifice, and one offering for sins, by which offering and sacrifice he perfected for ever them that are sanctified,' and sat down at the right hand of God, who ever lives to make intercession for his people.

And Christ saith, Offerings and sacrifices thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me to do thy will; by the which will we are sanctified through the offering up of the body of Jesus Christ once for all,' as before. And so he did not often offer up his body as a sacrifice for all, for then must he often have suffered, as before; but now once, mark, once, hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and not by offering or sacrificing of himself often; for as it is said, Christ 'having somewhat to offer,' that is, he offered up himself, his body, once for all sins, and the daily sacrifice, and made an end of the daily sacrifices; as in Dan. ix. Wherein you may see he caused the daily sacrifices and oblations to cease, when he was cut off, not for himself, but for the people, who by one offering and sacrifice of himself, ended the daily offerings and sacrifices. And therefore all are to look unto him the one offering and sacrifice once for all.

David saith, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, and a broken and contrite heart,' and these are the sacrifices 'that God will not despise,' as in Psalm li. 17. And David said, 'Let my prayer be set before thee as incense,' (mark, as incense,) and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice,' (mark, as the evening sacrifice.) Now here you may see, David saw beyond the outward offerings and sacrifices; for he desires that his prayer might be as incense, and his lifting up hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm cxli. 2. And Solomon saith, 'that the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord; but the prayers of the upright hearted are his delight.' Prov. xv. 8.

Here you may see, you that are wicked, your prayers and sacrifices are not accepted. And to do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than outward sacrifices.' Prov. xxi. 3. So here you may see, it is not offering sacrifices only with a company of words, nor outward things, but a practising judgment and justice.

And Christ saith to the outward Jews, that were in their outward offerings and sacrifices, and their long prayers; Christ said unto them, • I will have mercy and not sacrifice,' and bid them go learn what that meaneth. For the Lord said, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.' Matt. ix. 13. Hos. vi. 6. So here you may see, mercy and the knowledge of God is beyond outward offerings and sacrifices.

For as the apostle saith, 'Christ hath loved us, and hath given himself an offering and sacrifice for us to God, for a sweet smelling savour.' Ephes. v. 2. So you may see Christ hath given himself an offering and sacrifice for us to God; and the saints now do not offer up Christ, who hath already offered up himself, (mark, himself,) but they are to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is

their reasonable service. This the apostle writ to the church of Christ, the Romans, which same is the duty of all christians.

And the apostle saith to the church of Christ, the Hebrews, By him, (namely, Christ,) let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks unto his name; and do good and communicate, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us;' as in 1 Cor. v. 7.

And Peter, in his General Epistle, told the church of Christ, that they were built up a spiritual household, a holy royal priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ,' (mark, by Jesus Christ to God.)

Now all the true christians are a royal priesthood, and a spiritual household, and with the spirit they are to offer up spiritual sacrifices: these are they that are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ in the new testament, and new covenant. So the apostle did not say they should offer up Jesus Christ, but offer sacrifice to God by Jesus Christ;' for Christ had offered up himself once for all.

And you may see how the Jews, when they forsook the Lord, they joined themselves to Baal-Peor, and did eat the sacrifice of the dead, which was forbidden of the Lord, and provoked him to anger, that his plague broke out upon them; as in Psalm cvi. 28, 29.

G. F.

Concerning the antiquity of the people of God called Quakers; their worship; their mother, new and heavenly Jerusalem; their faith, and who is the author and finisher of it; their belief, their way, their original; their hope, distinct from the hope of the hypocrite that perishes; their gospel, the true ministers, their leader and teacher, and that which gives them knowledge; their mediator, their overseer, the church of Christ's prayer, and in what is their cross, and their baptism. By G. F.

I. Concerning the antiquity of our worship.

It is that which Christ set up above sixteen hundred years ago, which, when he put down the Jews' worship at the temple at Jerusa lem; and the Samaritans worship at the mountain of Jacob's well; saying, 'The hour cometh and now is, they that worship the Father, must worship him in the spirit and in the truth.' And this worship in the spirit and in the truth,' is above all will worshippers, and dragon worshippers, and the worshippers of the beast; for God hath poured out of his spirit upon all flesh, and grace and truth is come by Jesus; and this spirit and truth is in the hearts and inward parts of people,

that with this spirit of truth they may know the God of truth; and in the spirit of truth, serve and worship the God of truth; which pure truth and holy spirit, the devil, the foul spirit, and all his worshippers are out of, and cannot come into, for there is no truth in him. And this is our pure and perfect standing worship, which Christ the son of God set up above sixteen hundred years ago.

II. Concerning the antiquity of our religion.

Which was set up by Christ in his apostles, above sixteen hundred years ago, who saith, that pure religion and undefiled before God is this: to visit the widows and the fatherless; and to keep themselves unspotted from the world.' And this pure undefiled religion, which brings to visit the widows and the fatherless, is above all the impure, vain, defiled religions, that do not bridle people's tongues, nor keep them from the spots of the world; and their widows and their fatherless go a begging about the streets, and not taken in, fed, nor clothed, nor visited. And this is below the pure undefiled christian religion, that was set up among the primitive christians, in the apostles' days, which is our pure undefiled religion.

III. Concerning the antiquity of our mother, new and heavenly Jerusalem.

She is the same as she was confessed to by the apostles, in the primitive times, above sixteen hundred years ago, who said, 'Jerusalem, that is below is in bondage with her children, but Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all;' which is the mother of all the true believers in the light, the life in Christ, who walk in the light of heavenly Jerusalem their mother. And they that receive Christ, to them he gives power to become the sons of God. And so are the children of heavenly Jerusalem, the bride, the lamb's wife,' which is free, as in Gal. iv. 25. And the apostle saith to the church of Christ, the Hebrews, Ye are come to heavenly Jerusalem; and to the innumerable company of angels; and to the assembly and congregation of the first born, which are written in heaven; and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.' Heb. xii. 22, 23.

Now here you may see, that the saints were come in the apostles' days to heavenly Jerusalem their mother; and to an innumerable company of angels, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to the congregation of the first born, written in heaven, while they were upon the earth. And this heavenly Jerusalem that is free, is the true mother of all the true christians now; for as all by nature are born natural, so all the true believers in Christ are born again; for he that believes, is born of God, so born spiritually, and such are heavenly Jerusalem's children.

An again, John in the Revelations saw this holy and heavenly JeruVOL. VI.

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