A TESTIMONY FOR THE TRUTH, And against DECEIT and DECEIVERS, WITH A Reproof unto those who are not Faithful to the Truth which they are convinced of.  
By Stephen Smith.  Isaiah 26.11. 
Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their Envy at the People.  Verse 12. 
Lord, thou wilt ordain Peace for us; for thou hast wrought all our works in us.  
Printed in the Year, 1668.   

A Testimony for the TRUTH, and against Deceit and Deceivers, with a Reproof unto those who are not faithful to the Truth which they are Convinced of.  
FOr as much as it hath pleased the Lord in his great love and tender mercy to visit many who have been long covered with Darkness, and drawn by the Subtlety of the Serpent, working in a Mystery within, and without in his Instruments, from enjoying that Love and great Riches which is declared of in the Scriptures of Truth, which should be revealed in the latter days, in his Everlasting and Unchangeable Covenant; which Promise of the Lord many who had true breathing after him, and could not be satisfied with feeding with Swine upon Husks, but truly breathed after Living Refreshment, and after that Bread which nourisheth that Birth which is Eternal, and have delighted in the righteous Judgements of the Lord, over the Enemy and Oppressor of Man's Soul, through which Judgements the Love of God hath greatly been manifest, having thereby brought to the knowledge of his Everlasting and Unchangeable Truth, to the exceeding great refreshment and satisfaction of the Souls of many thousands, who have earnestly desired the same before the World and all its glory; and having received the same in the Love of it, and known Freedom by it, in the Enjoyment of the same do meet together, as the manner and practice was of those who lived in the Fear and Dread of the Lord in the Primitive times; so now in the pure Fear and Obedience to the just and equal requirings of their Creator (whose Ways are Equal, Right and Just) meets together to wait on him, to the end they may be refreshed and fed with the same Bread of Life, that so the Plant which the Lord hath planted may grow, that so they may be changed from glory to glory, till at length they may come to bear the Image of the Heavenly, whereas formerly they have born the Image of the Earthly; and those who so meet in the Spirit of Truth, can truly say they never waited on the Lord in vain, but do witness true refreshment from the God of Love, whether a word be spoken in their Meetings or no; so that they can truly sing in their Spirits of Mercy and of Judgements, forasmuch as the Lord hath mixed Mercy with Judgements, and hath not executed Judgement without Mercy, in which hath greatly appeared his wonderful Love to lost Mankind, of which great and unspeakable Love, there are this day (to the Glory and Praise of his great Name, even from his own Works) thousands of Living Witnesses, and hundreds have laid down their Lives in Nasty Holes, and Stinking Prisons, and many have been Banished, and many have suffered cruel Mockings, & many thousands the Spoiling of their Goods, whose Righteous Testimony through the Eternal Spirit of Love and Truth they have gladly born in this Day of God's Power, to the exceeding Comfort and Refreshment of all that are faithful Followers of the Lamb, but is, and shall be to the astonishment of all who persist in their Disobedience against the Spirit of Truth, and continue in their Rebellion against it, and this righteous Testimony, through all who are true Worshippers in the Spirit and Truth, who are led and guided in all their ways by the Spirit of truth, being Sons and Daughters of the Living God, so greatly beloved by him; so that those that touch them in a wrongful manner do touch the Apple of his Eye, who created all things for his Glory; and though his Mercy is great in not executing Judgement speedily, but gives space and time of Repentance, yet if they mind it not, but let the Day of God's Love pass over their heads, that Terrible Voice they shall hear; My Spirit shall strive no more, let Flesh know that it's but Grass, & when the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it, it shall fade as a Flower, and that in a moment, when his Anger is kindled, which may be when the Worker of Iniquity is in the height of his vain glory, and greatest boasting: so as that righteous Testimony (through all who are in the true Innocent Seed, unto which all the Blessings and the Promises of the Lord are) doth stand as a true Witness of the Lords great Love in this day wherein he is making known his great Power against all Workers of Iniquity, and unrighteous Actions, and deceitful Workers, who can feign and flatter with all sorts of debauched Persons, and all dissembling Hypocrites, Persons of unstable minds, joining with the cunning, twisting, twining Serpent, in all its appearances, in their earthly, sensual, and devilish wisdom, being in the Adulterous whorish spirit, degenerated from the Spirit of Truth, holding a Profession of the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of Persons, receiving honour, and giving honour, according to the Customs and vain Traditions of the World, by which means they have no knowledge of that Honour which is from Above: yet notwithstanding these great Abominations which they commit in the sight of the Lord, and all them which lives in their faithful Testimony against them, yet they lean upon the Lord, and thinks there shall come no evil upon them; but except such do speedily repent, and turn from their Abominations, and bow to the righteous Testimony of God in them, which shows them the deceitfulness of their hairs, to the end they may above, and before all, desire a clean heart, and a right Spirit, that so they may be single hearted toward their Creator, and all men; which except that be known, the Lord will send a day upon them, wherein shall be weeping, and howling, and bitter Lamentation; and their Torment shall be so great, that in the Morning they shall wish it were Night, and at Night they shall wish for Morning, and many shall desire Death rather than Life: So I greatly desire that all People would mind, in coolness, how it stands between them and their Creator, and deal impartially with themselves, for, of a certain, God will not be mocked, but such as they sow, such they must reap: So all mind the Fear of the Lord, which is to departed from Evil, that so the Curse of the Lord may be done away, and his Blessing known and received.  
And those that comes amongst the Possessors of Truth, who have heard the sound of it, and so a belief is raised in their hearts, that God is found by them that diligently seek him in the Way of Truth; many there be that are thus persuaded, and so frequent Meetings (together with them that are in the work of Truth) in a bare Profession of Truth, never throughly given up to the end that Truth may be their Guide in all their ways, but comes and sits down with some reserve in their hearts, which they covet to keep, as Achan did the goodly Babylonish Garment, which was appointed for the Fire; but for so doing the Curse of the Lord followed him, though his covetousness was a trouble to the Children of Israel for a time, yet at length God made it manifest; and so will the Lord do those who comes amongst Friends with a reserve in their hearts; that which is appointed for the Fire, they that covet to keep, notwithstanding the many Precious Meetings they come to, and hear their conditions plainly laid open to them, yet still consulting with Flesh and Blood, which will never yield that true obedience should be given to the Lord, so cannot amend, but continue in the same course of life, for not taking heed to the Council of the Lord, nor giving wholly up to be guided by the Spirit of Truth; such are not in the Way of Truth, but sit down as dead Branches by those of the Vine; but their Fruit doth manifest them: for those that deals so deceitfully with their own Hearts, how can it be expected they should be true to others? so such becomes an ill savour to Truth, as long as they continue so, and a burden and a trouble to them that are in the way of growing in the Truth; but let them know who harden their hearts against Reproof, and though they do come amongst them that lives in the Fear and Dread of the Lord, and so meet together that they may receive a continual supply of the Bread of Life, and enjoy the Presence of the Lord; yet their so coming with a reserve in their heart, they cannot profit by it: So at length, seeing they cannot bring the Way of the Lord to their way, they begin to grow cold in meeting, and so by degrees the Enemy draws out the mind, and then gets room for his consultations, and so persuades them to wait no longer, but that all Places are alike: and so at length some gets into the Mass-House, with other silly People laden with sins, ever learning, and never able to come to the Truth; and gins to persuade themselves, (or the Enemy of their Souls persuades them) that there is little difference in the Declaration of the Ministers of Christ and Antichrist; their words, say they, are all good, and so gins to build Babel again, having rejected that Love which did appear for their Everlasting good, having chosen to please themselves in some small thing, which they could not part with, though no better than a Mess of Pottage, for which many have sold an Eternal inheritance; so with Cain they are in the Curse, wandering up and down in that which is cursed of the Lord, and not beloved of good men; so the Lord hath dealt justly in making them manifest, They went out from us, because they were not of us, but their reward will follow them. And many others there be that comes to Meetings, and hears Truth declared often, and confesseth its the Truth, but when they see, if they come to obey, they must take up a Cross to Flesh, either in denying to fear man, or else hazard of losing Goods, and some their Companions and Acquaintance, (though it may be in iniquity) and such like Baits the Enemy of man's Soul hath ready, for that mind which is willing to catch at them, to save that alive which is in the Curse; so sometimes they come, and sometimes stay away, and then come again, and the Enemy of their Souls gets a wound now and then; but for want of giving up, at length the Enemy gins to be whole again, and so the Spirit of the Lord is grieved and quenched by degrees, and the Enemy grows stronger and stronger; and at length he gets these Reasons in the Creature, because the Enemy knows many will not be satisfied without some plausible Reason; so he tells many, why thou art but a poor Creature, or you are but poor Creatures, and what can you do without power? so here the willing mind readily catches at this bait: and then when they are asked, why they give not up, O say they, we want power, O that I had but power to do so and so, how joyful should I be; and such like stuff the Enemy furnisheth them withal, who are willing to receive it, and in the mean time slights the appearance of Christ, (the Light, in whom Power is received) by grieving and quenching his Holy Spirit of Truth, in which is the greatest manifestation of Love that God could bestow on lost Mankind, in making manifest his Son in their hearts, for the redeeming them up unto himself, out of their lost condition, in the nature of Adam in the fall, up into the Nature of the Second Adam, which never fell: but how is this Love of God slighted by those who thus wilfully yields to the Enemy of their Souls, and rejecting the Lord, who searcheth the Heart, and tryeth the Reins, and then say they want power; and its true, when people have given themselves up to the power of the Enemy, whose nature is to do all the hurt he can, they may well say then they want power to do good, that being disesteemed and accounted of as a thing of nought, having cast behind them the great Love of God in his Son, and embraced something which the Enemy hath set before them, as some glory in the World, and the like; but as he was always a Liar, (the Devil) so will he be found in this; for instead of giving them the glory of the World, he is fitting them for God's Wrath and Indignation, that so when he is cast out of those of more upright hearts, and more thankful, that he may possess those Swinish natures, and so throw them headlong into a Sea of Destruction, with others of the like bad natures, of whom I shall say something.  
Those are they which have heard and seen something of Truth, by reading Books, or speaking with some in the Truth, whose words being accompanied with power, proceeding from the Spirit of Truth, they not having been able to resist, but standing over them, questionings and reasoning hath been raised in them concerning their buildings, whether or no they be upon the right Foundation; but that being catched too, which shows them their conditions so plain, that they have no assurance of their well-being, but in doubtings, and reasonings, and fears, through which secretly torment doth arise; but their minds being from him that shows them their conditions, which, though it be the greatest Love that God could bestow on lost Mankind, yet in that it brings a Cross to flesh, seeing plainly that if they harken to it, they must forsake all their vain customs & traditions of the world, with all its Lusts & Vanities; these things not agreeing with Flesh & Blood, with which they are consulting, the mind being drawn from the Witness for God in their hearts, by their wilful yielding to the Enemy of their Souls, who is always ready with his Baits to betray them who desires ease in the Flesh, and whose minds are out in studying Arguments to keep them in the same, the subtle Serpent being here at work, to the end that the Creature may partake of his Table, for he knows that then they cannot partake of God's Table, as the Scriptures of Truth declares; so at his Table he hands out curious words, in Prayers, and hanging down the head like a Bulrush, and with feigning and flattering words to all sorts of Deceitful Workers, and doth help to turn and wind with all sorts of Worship, which the Beastly Nature sets up, and so tells them there is Flesh as well as Spirit to be satisfied, and that they must live in sin, as long as they have a being here; and to others, whose natures be inclined to Lust, he provides plentiful Dishes for them; and others, who are disposed to Drunkenness, he directs them to Companions, and opportunity; and at his Table are variety of Dishes for the Covetous man, or Proud, High, Heady, Boaster, Curser, Ranter, for all sorts that will come to his Table, he hath curious Dishes in a plenteous manner, and in all these he promises content and satisfaction; but as he ever was, so he is, and ever will be a Liar; for let those speak who hath fed most plentiful at his Table, if ever they were satisfied, but that the more they fed the more hungry they were; let all all these forementioned, and Gamesters speak for themselves, and Thiefs, and Murderers, and the like. But in some he works more in a Mystery, and furnisheth his Table with curious words, and so feeds them, and decks them; but always at his Table he hath this Dish for all sorts of Professors and Profane, that they must live in Sin, in this Life; this is, as it were, a Chain, by which he holds all, that will believe so, fast to his Table; and then let them be as rich as they will, in comprehending, and getting into the Brain-knowledge the Scriptures, and outward Learning, so though the work grows so high in the Mystery of Iniquity, that the Enemy of the Soul hath exalted himself above all that is called God, and so makes a show in fine Words, and in long Prayers, and in curious Arts; yet whilst he can keep them in his Chain to his Table, if they cannot have ease in professing in one Sect, he will give them leave to profess in another Sect; and if that will not serve he will give them leave to go into the profession of Truth itself; and further, to meet together with them in the Truth, any thing but hearing the Voice of the Son of God, and obeying, which brings to the Table of God, and so overthrows his Table; to any thing but this his Chain will reach: Now, as to what is before, those that have seen something of Truth, and some trouble hath by reason thereof risen in them, but for love of a little ease to the flesh, such their minds being out, willingly goes into the Devil's Chain, and so feeds at his Table, where they are furnished with Arguments against the Spirit of Truth manifested to lead and to guide into all truth, and so out of Sin, which is the Devil's Chain; but being thus furnished according to their hearts lusts, being in the Adulterous Spirit, takes all occasion to speak evil of the Truth, and them that are in it, who are true worshippers of the Lord, according to his Will, in Spirit and Truth; so the god of the World having blinded their minds, an evil eye gets out, and this watches for the halting of them who are in Truth; and when the just hand of God is gone out, in making manifest some who have been in the profession of Truth, who have hardened their hearts against reproof, till at length their hypocrisy and guile is made manifest; on which, they hereby take occasion to speak evil of the Way of the Lord, and them that are in it, the Enemy of their Souls giving them thereby some ease for the present; but it lasts not long, but the Fame of Truth is sounded in their ears again, by the Witness for God within, or else from those in whom in dwells without them then the Lamb riseth, and giveth torment again, & their Cover be too narrow, & will not serve them, neither shall they; Woe to the Rebellious Children saith the Lord, that take Counsel, but not of me, and that cover with a covering, but not with my Spirit: So all unrighteous Cover which people of unstable minds are under, the Woe of the Lord is against, so what will become of them that are under them? O that men would in coolness consider, whose day of God's Visitation in Love is not past, lest by their often provocations, he visits in his great Displeasure, and says My Spirit is weary with striving, it shall strive no more: now for the sakes of many who have yet true Breathe after Living Refreshment, and are willing to take up Christ's Yoke and Burden, and to follow him that is meek and lowly in heart, that so they may find rest for their Souls; for their sakes I shall give a brief Relation of the Ministers of Christ, and of the Ministers of Antichrist: First, The Ministers of Christ must know Christ, and see him, and believe on him, John 6.40. But some will say, Who is there that knows not Christ? Doth not all that can read see what is writ of him in the Scriptures of Truth? And is not that the Ghrist which you mean, who suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem, and the like? Yes, we do own the same Christ, and that which the Scriptures do declare of him is true, and we do expect no other; but to know him no further than the report of him, (though that be true) this is but a poor knowledge, which the Workers of Iniquity have, of all sorts, that lives visibly in gross and manifest Sins; and notwithstanding that knowledge, yet live and abound in the same; so that knowledge only (though that, as I have said, be true) is not sufficient to fit a man to be a Minister of Christ: But saith the diligent Enquirer. What knowledge then is necessary for a Minister of Christ? To know him as he is the Mystery hid from Ages and Generations, but now is made manifest to his Saints: to know what is the Riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the Hope of Glory, Collos. 1.26, 27. To know him as he is a Covenant given to the People, and a Light to enlighten them, manifested within them, to give the knowledge of God; and to know that he is the Light of the World, and how he hath enlightened every man that comes into the World: to know him to be the Word in the Heart and in the Mouth: to know him to be the Reconciler unto God: to know him to be the Anointing, which is true, and teacheth all things: to know him to be the Spirit of Truth, which is manifest to lead and to guide into all Truth: to know Christ's Flesh, and what it is to each: to know Christ's Blood, and what it is to drink it: but some will say, all this may be read in the Scriptures: But by the way, thought the words may be read in the Scriptures of Truth, yet the knowledge of the Mystery which is declared of in those words, is not attainable by reading them: But because some are willingly ignorant, and so desires to be, rather than to have true wisdom in God's Way. and so stumbles at all, I shall say a little concerning seeing the Son, which is necessary for a Minister of Christ; First, To see him to be the great Love of God manifested to convince of Sin: to see him to be the wonderful Power of God, and how that he died, to the end, that whether we sleep or wake we should live together with him: to see him as he was manifest to destroy the Works of the Devil: to see him to be the great Mystery of Godliness, God manifest in the Flesh; and much more might be said of the knowledge and sight which a true Minister of Christ hath, but what hath been said is enough to satisfy the truly hungering and thirsting Soul; but the full loathes the Honey comb: But is this all may the upright-hearted say? Nay, they that thus have obtained mercy to have the knowledge of what is above declared, must receive it in the love of it, and this Love of God thus manifested in them they must give up to obey, being his Everlasting and Unchangeable Covenant, which is the Key of Knowledge, manifested to rend the Veil, and to break the Chain of Darkness, and to open the Mysteries of the Scriptures of Truth, and to give the knowledge of God, whom to know is Eternal Life; so Iniquity being taken away, and Sin being purged through the knowledge of Christ, who is the Power of God, and God known to walk, and to dwell in them through the Son of his Love, who is God's Righteousness, as God hath said, I will dwell in you, and walk in you: The Eye of the Understanding being thus opened, and the Revelation of Christ being daily witnessed to fit and to furnish them with Wisdom from above, to speak a word in season unto all conditions; being thus filled with the Love of God, and his Glorious Appearance, a constraint lying upon them, through the Power of God that dwells in them, and from the great Love of God in the same, such cannot be silent, nor eat their Morsel; alone but the Love of God doth constrain them who have Wives, and Children, and Estates, and several others that have no Wives and Children, to leave their Callings, and several Employments, and go abroad as Sheep among Wolves, to declare this great and unspeakable Love, to the end, That People may be turned from Darkness to Light, and from Satan's power, to the Power of God, that others may partake of the same Love of God in his Son Christ Jesus with them: But for this their love, how Barbarously and Cruelly they have been used, many having finished their Testimony in Nasly Holes, and Prisons, and other great Cruelties, which would be too long to relate; so these thus furnished with the Love and Power of God, and being obedient to the same, being Learned men in the Book of Life; these are not to take with them Scrip nor Purse, so as to be careful of Earthly things, (but as they have received freely, do minister freely) but into what house they come, where this great Love is answered in the same Love of God in measure, what things such set before them, for necessity they eat and drink, and the like, seeing it comes from their Father's Love: but when they come into a place and cannot see, in the Counsel of the Lord, that that Love is answered in which they come, there they cannot receive, though in never so much necessity. True, say some, these are fit Qualifications for a Minister of Jesus Christ; but be there any such now adays? How dost thou know them? Yes, I do testify, as thousands beside myself are ready to give the same testimony, that such Ministers, qualified, as before mentioned, there be many in this Day of God's Power: But how do you know, may some say? I answer, By turning us to the great and unspeakable Love of God manifested in our hearts, which shows us our conditions, how it stood between us and our Creator, as it had done long before, but we knew not that this was the appearance of the Son of his Love, till those who had tasted, handled, seen and felt the powerful working thereof told us; but told us also, the first step must be through Judgement; so a belief thereof being raised, and a clean and a perfect obedience yielded to it, we in time found its power in us, opening the Eye of our Understandings, and revealed the m●n of Sin; and so came the knowledge of the Spirit of Truth to be revealed in us, and by it we had a sight of the unfruitful Works of Darkness without in his Instruments, and the sight of the Spirit of Truth, and those that were Ministers of it: But notwithstanding this Testimony, if some should be hard to believe, let such deal so ingeniously with their own Souls, as to go and hear, and try, with a single heart, and hold fast that which is good; and this is desired, to the end that others may be partakers of the same Love of God, and of their assurance of their being reconciled unto him through his Son, to whom be glory for ever. Now there being a necessity that the Ministers of Christ should be qualified, as is before mentioned, the Ministers of Antichrist may be easily known; but for the sakes of such aforementioned, I shall lay down some marks of them: First, They are such who never knew the Son of God in the Everlasting and Unchangeable Covenant manifested in them, so not learned men in the Book of Life, but are alienated from the Life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, not knowing him manifested in them, who is infallible, but in their fallible wisdom, by the Art of Tongues, gets the Prophets, Christ, and the Apostles words, and something out of Heathen Authors, and so in their vain imaginations patches up an hours Discourse; and so for the love they have for their god, which is their Belly, they sell their Art at as dear a price as they can, for several hundreds by the year, some for more, and some for less, but all as dear as possible; as I heard a Priest say once, if it were not for Tithes who as would should preach for him: but this being so well known to all, that its alone for their god, which is their Belly, that their Mouths is opened, there is little need to speak of that, these being Sayers, but not Doers, so not accepted of God; these are they which run and are not sent, which speaks a divination of their own Brain, so not like to profit the people, you may read of them at large Ezekiel the thirteenth, read the Chapter; from such Priests and Prophets as these is Profaneness gone forth in all the Land, read Jeremiah the twenty third; so they are sufficiently marked out in the Scriptures of Truth. But some say, we know all the Priests now adays are bad enough, and the smoothest of them preaches for filthy lucre sake, but they speak good words; so we may do as they say, and not as they do: O foolish People, is it not because you love such easy Prophets, who speaks peace to you in your Sins, that you thus speak? have you not heard what the Scriptures of Truth says? Do men gather Grapes of therns, or Figs of Thistles? By their Fruits you may know them: Should we not count him a very Fool that should go look for Figs on Thistles, or sweet water out of a bitter Fountain? What if they should say the Lord lives, that is a true saying to them which knows it in themselves; but it's a Lie to them who say it, and knows the contrary in them; but these Priests which Peach for Hire, cry Peace to men whilst they put into their Mouths, to the end their god may be supplied, which causes and constrains their Mouths to be open; but in case you deny to put into their Mouths, then, Demetrius like, prepares War; crying out, we have a Law, and if you want pay, we will make you pay: But by the way, what compulsive Law of man doth Christ's Ministers use, or were they to use? prove any such thing in the Scriptures of Truth, that they were to compel any man to give to them: now, if God hath appointed no such Maintenance by his Righteous Covenant and Law; Is it not stealth in his sight, to compel and take that by man's Law, which God hath not appointed in his Law? Look about you Priests, for the Righteous Judge will sit in Judgement, and to the Lambs Bar to give an account you must come, and then the twisting Serpent will stand you in no stead, but all things will be laid bare before you, what esteem you have had of your god, which is your Belly, for the serving of which, how have you yielded unto the lying Spirit, and so like Ahabs' Prophets persuaded & instigated many to go on in Persecution, though to their destruction. Have you not told the Magistrates that the Quakers are Ringleaders of Faction, though you never come to their Meetings, nor never examined the cause why they dissented from you; nor never heard that they went about to disturb or molest any, of their outward enjoyments, but barely because they bore a faithful Testimony against the twisting twining Serpent, the great Enemy of man's Soul; which Spirit of Error your god cannot be served without: so a great stir and ado you make, in being Instruments of casting into Prison, haling and tearing away the Goods, and the like, from those who lives in the Fear and Dread of the Lord God Almighty, and in peace with men, though in enmity with the Serpent, the Enemy of man's Soul: so the innocent blood which hath been shed in Nasty Holes, and Stinking Prisons, cries aloud unto the Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth, who is Lord of all, who created all at his pleasure, and can destroy all in the same; those that be innocent, out of the revengeful spirit, have committed themselves, and so cannot use any compulsive way, with Weapons that are Carnal, but in plain Demonstration and Power of the Spirit of Truth, and their innocent Cause to the Judge of all they have committed, to be cleared in his will and time, who will assuredly do it. But further to clear that you are the Ministers of Antichrist, if, notwithstanding what is declared, any yet be in doubt: Harken what Christ saith to the Wicked, I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or thirsty, or a stranger, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me; and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, Matth. 25. In the same Chapter he shows the Righteous man's love, and his reward; and how did they express their love to Christ? Did they do it in speaking great words of his Name? No, as you may read, they visited his Brethren in their necessities: so mark by the way, there were Righteous men, and now are, though the Ministers of Antichrist for their god's sake, would have all err and stray again from the Lords way; but the Pearl for which they have sold all and bought, is of more value than so; but since Christ hath Brethren, are not they them which are led by the Spirit of Truth? and if people be given up to obey it, will it not lead them out of the Spirit of Error? If so, then must they not departed from your ways, who are in the Revengeful Spirit? Well then, since those that are led by the Spirit are Sons of God, as the Scriptures of Truth declare, Rom. 8. and Heirs with Christ; for he that sanctifieth, and them that are sanctified are all of one, wherefore he is not ashamed to call them Brethrens: now since there is such a unity between Christ and his Followers, Shall it avail them any thing, who call upon Christ, yet persecute so near Relations, as his Brethren? And since those that visited them not in their necessities, received such condemnation, what will become of you? And you, Generation of wicked Doers, who have been the cause of the Imprisoning so many of Christ's Relations, where several hundreds have laid down their lives for their faithful Testimony against you, because of your Adultery from the Lord, and his Worship, which is to be performed in Spirit and Truth, and have set up worships according to your own hearts Lust: and because of the Lords Patience, and Long-suffering, and great Mercy, how do you harden your hearts against Reproofs, and for good return evil, and so go on scoffing and mocking: well, though the Lord hath exercised a great deal of patience, it's my belief, it will not last long; but he will execute Righteous Judgement, and plead the Cause of the Innocent, who hath committed all to him, with Praises and Glory from his own Works for ever.  
The 21th day of the 11th Month, 1667. Stephen Smith.  
THE END.