To all the Faithful in
CHRIST,
Who have stood in his Council the Light, to be led in the foot-steps of the Flock of the Companions, and to all that professe the Light of Christ to be their Guide:
To you I write these following Lines, to be seriously weighed, in the weighty and ponderous Spirit, wherein you may discern a Discovery of a false birth, in some, that came forth with us, as to own the Light, in their Judgements, and gone forth from us, in rejecting the stroake of the pure judgements of God, through the working of the mystery of iniquity, and so become as the untimely Birth, that doth not see the Sun in his glory, nor the beauty of Sion (who hath passed through death unto life) in her comely unity in the Spirit and bond of peace: He that can receive it, let him, now in the coole of the day when Council may be hearkened unto, and rightly understood in the truth, as it is in Jesus.
Printed in the year, 1664
{Page 2] Dear friends, Called and chosen of God, in the eternal light and power of the most high, who have been, and are his living witnesses, from the beginning of the dawning of his powerful and glorious day of his dreadful appearance, which hath caused the earth to shake, and the Keepers of the house do tremble in this day of your visitation from on high. And all you that in true watchfulness wait on the Lord, in the measure of his life, you are sensible of what he did, hath done, and doth, in the ordering of his dear and tender children, as in the subjection both of the inward and outward man, in every exercise of the Spirit, as in exhortation, prayer or praises, which the most high God hath and doth accompany with his blessed presence, in which he hath made all (that hath kept their habitations in the powerfully life of the first Love) to stand as Saviours upon Mount Sion to gather the scattered of Israel, and to bring again the dispersed of Jacob: And this is the work of all that are truly sent of the Lord to labour in his Vineyard, who seeks not their own things, neither sets up, nor serves themselves with what the Lord hath given unto them, but alone seeks the Glory of God, and serveth him with uprightnesse of heart, in the exercise of all the gifts and riches of his grace, with which he hath cloathed them, to the perfecting of his praise and glory, and the comfort of his heritage for ever: therefore do they shine as the Stars in the firmament of heaven, in turning many souls to righteousnesse, in which they enter into the heavenly habitation of the most high God; where it is known, the Lord to be one, and his name one, & there alone stands the union of all the flock of the Companions, who have been truly baptized and buried with Christ in his death, where we could not cover our naked souls with a Fig-leaf garment of our own words, or with any self-created gesture, or posture of the outward man, but in true obedience to the light, waiting in the sense of our misery, crying out of the great Deep to the God of mercy, who in his appointed time, in his tender compasssions he casts the skirts of his garment over us, and said unto us, live: In which life we in eternal unity bear our testimony to all the world in the the light of his Covenant, sitting and feeding together at his Table, cloathed with the wedding Garment, where there never was, nor ever shall be any rent, but eternal harmonious joyful unity, in the everlasting felicity, where every Child of this inheritance (as moved of the Lord) casts in their Mite, in the returns of his spirit, offering up the sacrifice of high praises to the most high God over all, blessed for ever.
Dear and tender friends; This ariseth in my heart to exhort all that {Page 3} are convinced of the truth, that every one with diligent watchfulness search your own hearts with the light, and in it know your own estates, and seriously know your own conditions, and that you may certainly understand what spirits you are on, and to have the seal of the spirit of God demonstrating to you in full assurance, that you walk with him, in true self-deniall, according to your measures in uprightnesse of heart with all the flock of the Companions, as before written, then will the Lord give you a sound and perfect judgement, to weigh and try all spirits, and tast the breath from whence the words proceed, and not to lay your hands hastily upon any, what ever they pretend, but in that which tries and weighs your own spirit, in coolnesses and singlenesse of heart, try and tast what spirits they are on that comes amongst you in this day, wherein many comes forth with us as to the owning of the truth in their judgements, and regulates the outward man in some outward gestures like to the children of the truth; and some have felt the stroak of the judgement of the Lord, which hath caused them to forsake some things which formerly they delighted in, and in some measure of zeale have born a testimony to the light, enduring both stripes and imprisonment, both in this Nation, and some beyond the Seas, while they stood in the fear of the Lord, who for his names sake hath delivered them from the winter stormes that they suffered under; but they for want of watchfulness, the Mystery of Iniquity hath wrought and drawn them from the light into the pride of their hearts, to deck themselves with the jewels and gifts of the spirit God gave unto them, when they were humble before him; but they departing from the redeeming judgement of God, the Beast gets the deadly wound healed again, and instead of giving glory to God for their deliverance, they in this time of some measure of rest, take their flight on the Sabbath day, upon the Mountains of their high imaginations, and sacrafices upon the high places, and doth not regard to make their peace with Christ in them, their Elder Brother, and so to bring their gift to the Alter, in the humble meek spirit which gathers into unity, and answereth to the witnesse in every Conscience; but though they pretend zeale and obedience to God, in what they doe; they being gone from the light, they neither regard the glory of God, nor the good of his people; for all that they now doe, is wrought in a self-serving spirit, where they enter into, the mysterious working of the deceit of their hearts, to set up, and cover themselves with a voluntary humility, and feigned love, gathering all the eloquent and inticing words of mans wisedome, with which they make a flourish in a discoursative spirit, speaking high words of that {Page 4} they never did know, to get entrance upon the affections of the tender harted ones, that are afraid to judge any but themselves, which others that look more at high words, then to feel from whence they come, or to know the end for what they are spoken; and these they seek to overcome with their subtle enticing words, to draw them into singularity, and self-separation; that they may set them up with admiration, and to carry on their own Interest, they make use of those they overcome, to seek all occasions with themselves to speak evil, some both by writing & printing, against those that God hath raised up to keep their habitation, and to stand unmovable upon the foundation Christ the light, to discern and judge their subtle, crafty, wicked proceedings, and to lay them open, that they be such as intrude into a Ministry, and runs when God never sent them, therefore they doe not profit the people at all, for they go not in at the Door, which is the light to be led in conformity to Christ in his suffering and Death, so come they to be ignorant of the saving gathering word of eternal life, because they in self-strivings climb up over the true judgement of God, and in pride and fleshly wisdome pretends to enjoyments of high things, In a self-boasting spirit, some saying in their hearts, as it is written, I see, and know, and am rich, and want nothing, when they are blind, and miserable, and naked, and wants all things, and must come again to the light, to buy eye-salve of Christ that they may see, and rayment to cover them, or else their nakednesse will for ever appear. For this birth which is generated in the Mystery of Iniquity (as before written) it cannot live but in singularity and self-separation, setting up self sometimes in visible formes, gestures and postures, to be seen distinct from others, as Clouds tossed to and fro, to whom is reserved the blacknesse for ever, except they repent: for God will make the womb of this births conception, to be the grave whence again it shall return, and there to be buried to its eternal consumation, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, through his servant that hath and doth labour day and night, according to the ability of the grace I have received of the Lord, for the restoration of all those that have been in danger of destruction, through the snares and working of the enemy (as before written.) And amongst many, some hearkened to counsell, and have been again restored in obedience to the light; but who rejected the counsell of God through his Servants, and desperately goes on in a self-serving spirit, (though often reproved) they harden their necks, destruction hath, doth, and will come upon them, and that without remedy.
Oh! How did my bowels yern for the preservation of J.P. in what I could {Page 5} to have drawn & separated him from that spirit which gave forth the paper that propagated the keeping on the Hat in prayer, and reflected judgement upon those that called upon the name of the Lord with their heads uncovered: but after much counselling of him in tender love, to have stopt that paper from going abroad; but he would not be separated from that spirit that gave it forth. Then I cleared my conscience in the word of the Lord, which now (in my freedom in God) I declare to the children of Sion, what the eternal judgement was, that did arise in my heart, in words to this purpose, John, if thou propagate what thou hast written in this paper, thou wilt wound more hearts, and cause more trouble of spirit amongst the tender hearted people of the Lord, then when temptation entred dear J.N. who deeply suffered, but the Lord restored him again by true repentance: And as to my particular, it is not my nature to be found striving with thee, or any upon the earth; but having declared the truth to thee, I will return to my rest in the Lord, and let every birth live the length of its day, and time manifest what is born of God; for that spirit that stands up in self-striving, will weary it self, and die, and end in the earth. And this will certainly come to passe upon all that doth not diligently wait in the light, to judge the out-going’s of their minds, and to be led in true self-denial, which is the footsteps, where the flocks of the Companions delights to walk, every one serving one another in love, seeking to restore one another with the spirit of love and meeknesse, forth of what any have done, through the violence of temptation or weaknesse.
Oh! dear friends, feel the yearning bowels of the Lord through me to you all, in which I beseech you, that what hath come to passe in this day of great trial, and hour of temptation, you may all (in dear love to the Lord of life) return to his light, to feel his power restoring into a true understanding with him to walk, in true self denial, where you will feel his presence, filling your hearts, and binding you up in eternal unity of the Spirit and bond of peace; every one forgetting all things that is behind, and not any one stand up in self striving, but in the tender brotherly love informing the Judgements of one another in the light and power of the endlesse life, and in it submit to the low estate of one another, serving one another in love, which is the washing one anothers feet, and here is Christ and his Disciples in eternal unity, and powerful Dominion, against whom, every tongue lifted up shall fall in Judgement, and every weapon formed shall not prosper, but come to naught, for the Mountain of the Lords house shall be more and more set upon the top of the Mountain, and established over (Page 6} all the Hills, and all the faithful shall more and more (in eternal unity) praise and magnifie his name, in the beauty of holinesse, who sits upon the throne, and liveth and reigneth for ever and ever.
And dear chosen vessels, who hath known; and doth abide and keep your state with God in the perfecting power manifest in your inward man, which truly buries selfe in the death, and hath raised you up, and sent you forth in the resurrection and power of the endlesse life, which seeketh not any thing, but to glorifie the Lord in all your travails, and undertakings, where ever the Lord calls you.
Oh! You blessed amongst the people; what can be said of the goodnesse of the Lord, that hath been and will be more and more manifest to you, whose care and burdens, labour and travels is known to the Lord and your reward is with him for ever; Dear Brethren, though great be the wrath that withstands the work of our God, which wrath worketh openly and mysteriously to lay burdens upon the innocent, and to adde affliction unto the afflicted. In the word of the Lord that ariseth in my heart, I declare they shall but weary themselves, and all their hopes shall fail them, and their expectations shall come to nought, who wait for evil concerning you who love the Lord better then your lives, and delights to wait to feel his power at all times, leading and ordering in the limits and bonds of the spirit of the Lord, &c. I know there is of you my brethren, that need not be written unto in lines of this nature, but to all who hath, or may have their mouthes opened in the true motion of the Spirit of God, and hath not yet overcome and escaped the danger, where many have received losse as before written, with a godly Jealousie over you in tender bowels I beseech you watch and pray, that in the light and power of God you always be kept; And when any motion of the Spirit of God ariseth in you, to exercise the gift of God given you; first search your hearts, and see that you be at peace with Christ in you, your elder brother, that in the sense of your peaceable union with him, your hearts be truly broken, & your Spirits truly humbled and abased before the throne of his glory, in which power bring your gifts to his Alter, and keep within the bonds of the Spirit, then shall your Sacrifices (whether it be Exhortation, Prayer, or Praises answer the witnesse of God in all his people, and God will accept of your faithfulnesse in the returns of his own Spirit to his glory for ever: And whatever the Lord doe in you or with you, rejoice not over much in Spirits being made Subject, but rather rejoice in the power that keeps self in the Death; that your names you alwaies behold written in the Lambs book {Page 7} Life; then will you be full of vertue, as branches in the Vine of Gods righteousnesse, whose leaf shall never wither; but you shall be alwaies faithful, and your leafe shall be for the healing of the Nations; and an Eternal Judgement shall rest and abide in you, in the pure discerning of all the unstable wandering Spirits, that are as before written, which is the Stars that the great Dragon drawes after him from the heavenly light, and throws them down again to the earth, because (through pride) they kept not their estate in the meek humble Spirit of the Lord of glory.
Oh! My dear Brethren in the unity and bonds of the meek humble Spirit of our God, my soul blesseth the name of the Lord for you and your faithfulnesse is a marrow to the bones of the feeble, and as sinews to the loynes of the weak; therefore let us in the true motion of the meek peaceable Spirit of the almighty God, goe on in his service, and let us wrestle with the most high, in the prevailing power of his own Spirit, for the bringing again the captivity of Sion, that they that have mourned before our God with us in yeares past, may be restored and brought from the mountains (where they are scattered) into the light and fold of rest, with us to lie down in the Shepheards tent, where we find safety in the heat of the day, and in the hollow of his hand, he will keep us, untill the indignation be over past.
Therefore you valiant amongst the people, who in the meek humble Spirit shines as the Angels of glory; every one be faithful in the power of the most high God in whom you shall stand as Saviours upon Mount Sion, in your living Testimony which causeth the dead to hear the living voice, the lame to walk, the blind to see, the dumb to speak forth the high praises of the mighty God, which shall cause the ears of them that know not God to tingle, and the hearts of the righteous to rejoice, and for ever glorifie the name of the Lord, that hath kept you humble, little and low as to self, but mighty, powerful, prevailing, in the pure, peaceable, eternal Dominion of which there is no end.
Where my soul rests, who hath now given forth what hath for some time lain upon me, to clear my Conscience to all that ever hath tasted in any Measure of the good word of God, and the power of the world to come, that they may certainly know whether they abide in the Vine of Gods righteousnesse, yea, or nay: Therefore, Let them that hath an eye to see, let them see; or an ear to hear, let them hear; or an heart to understand, let them understand, what the Spirit saith to the Churches, in the eternal word of truth, through
Your Brother and fellow labourer in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Farewell,
William Deusbury.
Send this with care abroad to be read in the fear of God in the assemblies of the Church of the first born.
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