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[b]Trust Not In Man[/b]
FRIENDS, TRUST NOT IN MAN, nor in the arm of flesh, neither put confidence in them, but in the Lord. Judge yourselves, and keep down the boaster, and that which would be high; under judgment keep that down, but the power of God in yourselves, lest the Lord God bring upon you something without you to bring you down, who do not keep that down in yourselves. And therefore keep all that down with the power of the Lord God in yourselves; and then ye will have dominion over it all, in the power of the Lord God. And live all in the power of God, which was before the fall, in which ye will have fellowship over all the fellowships in the fall, and above all outward things that have an end; which fellowship seeth over all that which is in the strife. For in the power of God your fellowship there hath no end, which was before the fall and strife was, in which is peace; which fellowship will remain when all that which is in the fall is gone, and in which is the perfect unity, which keeps over all such spirits which run into outward things; from which arise quarrels, and strife, and imperfections. And therefore keep in the power of the Lord God, that is everlasting, in which is the fellowship that hath no end; in that live and dwell. And feel the seed of God over all that which makes to suffer, and it will remain when that is gone, in that ye will feel life over death, and light over darkness.
[b]Pure and Undefiled Religion[/b]
Dear Friends, you who profess the light, faith, grace, and spirit of Christ, and the pure undefiled religion before God the Father, are to keep yourselves unspotted from the world, and to bridle your tongues from evil words, which corrupt good manners; the light of Christ Jesus letteth you see the spots of the world; and the faith of God will teach you to deny the world; and the Spirit of truth, if you be led by it, teacheth you to mortify and subdue them.
And now friends, here is the pure and undefiled religion which the apostle in the primitive times did own, and which now we do own: this is pure religion, and is undefiled before God the Father, and to keep unspotted from the world. First. This religion is pure. Secondly. It is undefiled before God the Father, and that which is pure and undefiled before God the Father. If you live in it and obey it, it will keep you unspotted from the world, and so from the spots of the world: and that which keeps you from the spots of the world, will keep you from the body of death, and sins of the world; which you are made from , by the circumcision of Christ, by his spirit, and by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, are made free from the law of sin and death.
[b]No Helper But The Lord[/b]
Ah dear Friends everywhere, who have no helper but the Lord, who is your strength and your life, let your cries and prayers be to him, from whom all your help and strength comes; who with his eternal power, hath kept up your heads above all waves and storms. Let none go out of their habitations in the stormy time of the night, whose habitation is in the Lord; let everyone keep his habitation, and stand in his lot, the seed, Christ Jesus, to the end of the day. There is the lot of your inheritance, and in this seed you will see the bright and morning star appear, which will expel the night of darkness that hath been in your hearts; by which morning star you will come to the everlasting day, which was before night was. So everyone feel this bring morning star in your hearts, there to expel the darkness.
[b]Believers In The Heavenly Light[/b]
And all ye believers in the heavenly light, as Christ hath taught, you seek that which is lost and driven away; but the false prophets, false ministers, and teachers, they did not seek that which was lost, and driven away from God; they put no difference between the precious and the vile, but mash all together, like the priests and prophets of our time. Therefore, seek that which was lost and driven away. Some may away by the storms, some may be driven away by the great winds of the wicked, and storms of the ungodly; some may be driven away by tempests and foul weather, and some may be lost in the foul weather, and lost in the sea of the world; for it is this wicked one that raiseth all this foul weather and these storms. And if you should not find that which is lost and driven away, at the first, nor second, nor third time of seeking, if you should not find him that is lost, go again, that you may have your joy, and rejoice others; for Christ in the parable saith, the prodigal son was lost, yea, was dead, and is alive again; when he had been feeding among swine, and upon husks, and could never fill his belly.
When any such come back again, they will tell you how hungry they were, they could never fill their bellies among the husks, while they went astray, and tell you long declarations of the citizen that they were joined to: and therefore when the lost is found, and brought back again to the Fathers house, where there is bread enough, there is joy, and the heavenly instruments of music, and the heavenly feast of the heavenly fat things, and the heavenly robes of righteousness are enjoyed. And so all be diligent, ye believers in the light, as Christ hath taught you; look up and down, in the light you will see where the lost sheep are, and such as have been driven away, you will spy them out, out of the woods, or brambles, or pits, where there is no water, where they are ready to be famished, where they are tied with thorns and briars; and so with the light you will see, and put a difference between the precious and the vile. For whatsoever makes manifest is light; for by that you see, and you will see with it, how the false prophets, and ministers, and teachers drive people away; they drive them away from God, and his way, from Christ, and the covenant of light. How angry they are with them that believe in it! With their clubs, how have they beaten many, and wounded many, and imprisoned many, because they would not be driven by them into the devils pit-fold, or prison! But do you never give over seeking, for the light shines over all, which believe in, and walk in the path of the just, which is as a shining light; for it hath been the work of all the false teachers and ministers to drive away from God, and his truth, and light, and those have been the devils servants, and the wages he gives them is death. This hath been the way of all true minister, to seek that which was lost, and that which was driven away; as you may see Christ and the apostles, and all the true prophets did, and to bring them to feed in the pastures of life, and gently to lead them, whose wages is life; and he gives them their heavenly penny of life eternal.
[b]Silence of the Almighty Dwell[/b]
In the stillness and silence of the power of the Almighty dwell, which never varies, alters, nor changes, but preserveth over and out of, and above all the changeable worships, religions, ministers, churches, teachings, principalities, and powers, with the power of God, which keepeth over all this, to the kingdom of Christ, that is everlasting, in which there is no changing, who is King of kings, and Lord of lords. All power in heaven and earth is given unto him, of whose light, life, power, and wisdom, grace, and riches have ye received, which comes from him, that doth not change. So in that live, that doth not change, the unchangeable life, the unchangeable mind, the unchangeable spirit and wisdom, and the unchangeable worship and church, of which Christ is the unchangeable head, who remains the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; in that ye will feel the blessing and presence of the Lord God of life amongst you, as ye all abide in the unchangeable kingdom, dominion, power, and life, who are heirs of it according to your measures, who have received the light, and received the life and grace, and the power of a kingdom and a word that hath no end. So wait all in it, that ye may be possessors and inheritors of the kingdom, and of the life and power which hath no end, and of the promises, that are yea and amen; and let nothing, that is of the world, alter you, but keep ye in that which keepeth you in the everlasting kingdom of God.
[b]Praying in the Spirit[/b]
Know the praying in the spirit, and with the understanding; then ye will come to know the sighs and groans than cannot be uttered. For such as have not the spirit that gave forth the scriptures to guide them, are as the Pharisees were, in the long prayers, and in the wrath, and in the doubting, and do not lift up holy hands. This makes a difference between praying in the spirit, and the Pharisees long prayers, that devoured widows houses. And none owns the light as it is Jesus, but he that owns the light that Christ lighteth him withal. And none owns the truth, but who owns the light that cometh from Christ, the truth. And none cometh to the Father, but such who owns the light that cometh from Christ, which leads to him. Nor none owns the son, except he owns the light that cometh from him. For all dwelling in the light that comes from Jesus, it leads out of wars, leads out of strife, leads out of the occasion of wars, and leads out of the earth up to God, out of earthly-mindedness to heavenly-mindedness, and bringeth your minds to heaven.
[b]Keep Close to the Light[/b]
O Friends! Keep close to the light in you, and do not look forth at words that proceed from a vain and light mind; but at the power of word. For the words of God, that proceed from him, are powerful and mighty in operation, to the throwing down of all the strong holds of the man of sin. The Lord is coming in power, to gather his chosen ones to himself, and to judge and condemn the wicked ones for evermore. He will plague the beast, and burn the whore, and plague and torment the disobedient, the rebellious, and backsliders very sore. Therefore, ye that know the voice of the Lord, hearken to it, and see how ye stand in his fear, and how ye are brought into the obedience of the truth.
And take heed of looking forth at man; but keep close to that, and guided by that; and being guided by that, it will keep you clear and pure to receive the teaching of the Lord. Have salt in yourselves, and let your words be few and seasoned, that they may be savoury. And watch over one another in love, and walk in wisdom and sobriety, and gravity, and sincerity, in purity, and cleanness. And keep free from deceit, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. And be faithful to the Lord; walk so that the world may be confounded and ashamed, when they speak evil of you, as evil doers; walking in humbleness, lowliness, and uprightness before them, it will take away all just occasion of speaking evil against the truth.
[i]George Fox (1624-1691) - Founder of the Quaker movement in England. He rebelled against the religious system of his day, one of the most powerful reformers in the history of the Church.[/i]
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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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