And also, how man and woman fell from the living God; and how the Serpent became the god of the world And how God was the teacher of man and woman, who made man and woman perfect: And when they forsook God's teaching, and followed the serpent's teaching, they became imperfect. And how Christ comes to destroy the devil, and bring man and woman under God's teaching again, who taught them in the beginning. And how the son of perdition did appear. And what the glory of the world is, that the devil would have given to Christ, if he would have worshipped him. And how the world's god came to have a kingdom, and what it stands in, and must have an end. And what Christ's kingdom stands in, which has no end. And how the gospel is bad news to the world's god; but good news to those who believe. And how the Old Testament was read among the Jews in their mother-tongue; and so ought all the Christians to read the New Testament among the Christians in their mother-tongue.
With some Queries for all to consider of, in the latter end of this book; and other remarkable things.
The Lord God of heaven and earth is the creator and maker of all things therein, who created and made all things good; so he is the great Lord of all, both of things in heaven, and things in the earth, and therefore all things are to be subject to the great Lord, especially man and woman, whom he made in his own likeness and image.
So he is called God Almighty over all his works. The Lord God Almighty oversees all his works, being present everywhere, God the father; who is the nourisher and preserver of all creatures that he has made; who takes care for all, who gives life, being, and breath unto all; who made the earth to be inhabited, and placed man upon it; and who is the God of the spirits of all flesh. So he has given man and woman a spirit and breath to dwell upon the face of the earth, and in which spirit man and woman is to serve and worship him. So that the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. Man and woman are the Lord's, which together he made in his image; he gave all the creatures into the hands of man and woman, which are his, to serve men and women. Men and women are to worship and serve God, and not to serve the creatures, but their Creator; nor to make images, or likenesses, or gods, of any creature that God Almighty had created; but that all the creatures should serve man and woman, and man and woman to serve God the Creator, who is above the creatures.
For God placed man and woman, (whom he had made in his likeness), above all the rest of the creatures that he had made, and in his power gave them dominion.
So when God Almighty had made and created all things, he saw that they were good, yes, very good, and blessed them; and made man and woman in his own image and likeness, and set them in dominion above all that he made, and they were made good and perfect, and he blessed them.
So man and woman were happy, blessed, perfect and good; and all that God had made and created was very good and blessed, and so stood as long as man and woman stood in the counsel of God, and in obedience to his heavenly voice and command. In obedience they were happy, blessed, good and perfect, and were not burdened, nor they groan; neither man nor woman, nor the creation, was under the slavery of corruption.
For there was nothing that made them groan so long as man and woman stood in the righteousness and holiness in which God Almighty had made them, and as long as they obeyed his voice and commands.
Now you may say, ‘Then how did the curse and imperfection come to be, with the slavery and corruption, that makes both the creation, and man and woman thus to groan?’
I say, as long as man and woman stood in God's counsel, and in obedience to his word, and wisdom, and power, by which all things were made and created, they stood in the perfect, good and blessed estate, and in the dominion, in God's righteous holy image and likeness; and this neither corrupted or burdened them or the creation, but stood blessed and perfect in their good estate, in which God, who is the only God, had placed them.
And likewise, all the creation stood in its blessed and good estate, as God Almighty had made it in, who is good, and made all good, perfect and blessed.
And the Lord gave a general liberty to man and woman, and a dominion; and said, ‘Freely you may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,’ and limited them only from eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; saying, ‘In the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die.’
Now the devil, the serpent, that abode not in the truth, who was an enemy to man's prosperity and happiness, knew that tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God Almighty had forbidden man and woman to eat of, telling them ‘In the day that they are from it, they would die; ’ and the serpent took those words of God to beguile and deceive man and woman, with which words God had forbidden man and woman to eat of that tree. Since the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, he said to the woman, by way of question, ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘has God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ So the subtle serpent comes to tempt afar off, at the first speaking in general, as to other trees as well as this tree of knowledge. But the woman answered him wisely at first, and if she had kept wise, she would had kept her simplicity. ‘We may eat, (she said), of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’
And then the serpent said unto the woman, ‘You shall not surely die; for God does know, (said the serpent), in the day that you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’
Now here as Christ said, ‘He was a liar and a murderer from the beginning, who abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him; and when he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.’ So he was the father of this lie, which Eve and Adam believed, and so came under the curse and condemnation, and lost their blessed state; who instead of having their eyes opened, by disobeying God, the god of truth, the world's god out of truth blinded them.
'And when the woman saw it was good for food, and pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband, and he did eat thereof.’
And so the eyes of them both were opened to what was forbidden, but came to be blind to the inward; and then they knew they were outwardly naked; and they sowed fig-leaves together, and made them aprons.
Now their eyes were downward, through their disobedience to the voice and command of God; for their eyes were far above transgression, while they kept in obedience to God's command; they saw then no nakedness, neither were they terrified or troubled at God's appearance, nor had they any shame. But after they had broken the command of God, they heard the voice of the Lord God, walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God, among the trees of the garden; which hiding and fear was the fruits of their disobedience to their Maker.
And when the Lord God called unto Adam, and asked him, ‘Where he was?’ he said, ‘I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’
And the Lord said unto Adam, ‘Who told you, you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree which I commanded you, that you should not eat of?’ And Adam said, ‘The woman, which you gave to be with me, gave it to me, and I ate.’
And the Lord God said unto the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.’
So here was the first blaming others and finding fault, the woman found fault with the serpent, and the man with the woman after transgression. But while they kept in obedience to the voice and command of the Lord, there was no such finding fault [judging something to be evil].
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field, and upon your belly shall you go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.’
And then the Lord said, ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; her seed shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’
And unto the woman the Lord said, ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow, and your conception. In sorrow shall you bring forth children; and your desire shall be unto your husband, and he shall rule over you.’
So, here began the sorrow and anguish; and here the man came to have the rule over the woman, (after transgression;) for they were meet-helps before transgression, and in the image of God.
And unto Adam the Lord said, ‘Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and eaten of the tree which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground for your sake; and in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life.’
Here the serpent tempted the woman to eat, and the woman gave unto the man, and he hearkened unto her voice.
So they both forsook God's voice and commandment; and then that brought them into sorrow, by hearkening to the serpent, who was out of truth, and disobeying the voice and command of the God of truth.
So this brought the curse upon the ground for man's disobedience; and so, in sorrow he was to eat of that which the curse had come upon, by their transgression, all the days of his life, and thorns and thistles the ground shall bring forth to Adam and Eve in the transgression. So instead of the garden and paradise, they had that ground which was cursed, for their sakes, and it was to bring forth thorns and thistles to them; so that they had thorns and thistles, and the cursed ground instead of paradise, for their disobedience. This was a sad change! And the Lord said further unto Adam, ‘In the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread, until you return unto the ground out of which you were taken; for dust you are, and unto dust you shall return again.’
This man and woman brought upon themselves, by hearkening to the serpent's voice, and disobeying the command and voice of the Lord. Therefore the apostle exhorts the Corinthians, that they should not be beguiled of their simplicity, as Eve was.
And also said, ‘That the devil like a roaring lion goes up and down, seeking whom he may devour; so resist him, being steadfast in the faith.’
For how should Adam and Eve be otherwise, when they had fallen from the image and likeness of God, the righteousness and holiness, and the power which God Almighty gave them dominion in, over all that he had made?
So by man and woman's transgression, came the ground to be cursed for their sakes, and to bring forth thorns and thistles, and disobeying God's voice and command, fell from his image, into the earth and dusty part; so in that earthly part, he was with the sweat of his brows to get his bread, until he returned to dust again.
And to Adam, and to his wife, the Lord made coats of skins, and clothed them. So this was the Lord's clothing of Adam and Eve, after the transgression of his command; and their own clothing, that they clothed themselves with, after they had disobeyed the Lord, and transgressed his command, were fig-leaves, which they had stitched together. And are not all the professors, and all people in the world, in the transgression, sewing and stitching together something to cover their nakedness with, like their father Adam and mother Eve, who are not covered with the spirit of God? But all their stitched garments will not keep them from the woe and judgments of God.
Has not all mankind by transgression, come under the covering of beast's skins, and covering themselves with fig-leaves, in their shame, which they had none before transgression? So after they had transgressed, they put fig-leaves upon themselves, which the natural sun will scorch and dry; and therefore the Lord covered man and woman with beast's skins.
And since then, man and woman in transgressions have grown so far in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life, that they cannot tell what to invent to put on, since they lost that covering which God Almighty, who made them, covered them withal.
So the Lord drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, and sent them forth to till the ground, from where they were taken; so that there was no place for those, who had disobeyed the voice and transgressed the command of God, to remain in the garden and paradise of God.
And God placed cherubims and a flaming sword, which turns every way, at the east end of the garden, to guard the way of the tree of life; so that man and woman cannot come in again to the garden of God and tree of life, except by those cherubims and through this flaming sword [of fire].
And now, here all mankind may see what brought the curse, and the misery, and the sorrows upon them, and what made the ground to bring forth the thorns and the thistles, and what was the cause of Adam's misery and toiling, in which man is to eat his bread. All this came through their disobedience to the God of truth's voice and command, their maker and creator; and by hearkening to the subtle serpent, and obeying his voice, who was out of truth, in whom is no truth, who is the destroyer and common enemy of man's happiness.
So the subtle serpent came, saying ‘Yes,’ said he, ‘has God said, you shall not eat of every tree in the garden?’
So he does not directly address the tree which God had forbidden, but queries all trees in the general.
And when the woman told him they might eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but they were not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, in the midst of the garden, nor touch it, lest they die. For God said unto them, ‘In the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die.’
This was God's command and testimony to them, ‘In the day that you do eat, you shall surely die;’ and therefore he said, ‘You shall not eat thereof.’ And this was God Almighty's teaching, who taught man the way, how he might live in the paradise of God, and not die.
And the serpent's false doctrine and teaching was, ‘You shall not surely die if you eat thereof, but your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods.’
So here was the first false doctrine taught by the world's god, who is out of truth, who was a liar from the beginning, and a murderer, who taught that doctrine contrary to the Lord God, which by feeding on it, and obeying his voice, brought man and woman into the death and fall, from the image of God, and to himself, who abode not in the truth.
And Eve saw that the tree was good for food; so her eye went out. Now, can that be good for food, which by eating of it, brought death, as God had forewarned them? But the serpent said, ‘You shall not surely die, but be as gods.
And the woman saw the fruit was pleasant to the eyes, and to be desired, and would make one wise. So here her ear went out to hearken to that lying doctrine. But how could that be pleasant to the eye, or be desirable, or make wise, when by eating of it they should surely die? So thinking to be made wise, they became fools, which brought the rod upon the back of them, which also comes upon all their posterity in the fall.
But here you may see, the ear went from the Lord's voice and command, after the serpent's doctrine; and the eye went out from the Lord, and after that the mouth went also; and then death surely followed, and the woe, misery and curse upon the ground, and the thorns and thistles sprung up. And so, out of the garden and paradise of God, man and woman were turned and driven. They received this punishment by disobeying the command of the God of truth, and hearkening unto, and obeying the voice of the serpent, in whom there is no truth.
And so, after disobedience and transgression of the command and voice of God, then came nakedness to be seen, when they had fallen from holiness and righteousness, and the image and likeness of God, which God had made them in, and clothed them withal. Then came guilt and shame, and a hiding of themselves among the trees, and covering themselves with fig leaves, from the presence of the Lord. But he who is present always and everywhere, sees man and woman's going out into the transgression, and convicts them of their disobedience to his command and word, and of their transgression in eating of that which he had forbidden them. Then he passed sentence on the woman and the man, and turned them out of the garden and paradise, into the earth, as was said before; and passed sentence upon the serpent, and cursed him above all cattle, and all the beasts of the field, and said, ‘Upon his belly he should go, and dust should be his meat all the days of his life.’
So, here is the only promise made unto the serpent, all the days of his life, who taught the false doctrine and was the first false teacher, liar and murderer; was: ‘dust should be his meat, and upon his belly should he go;’ and he was cursed above all cattle, and every beast of the field.
But the promise of God to mankind, was: ‘That the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head.’
So here was the first promise of Christ, which all the faithful hoped for, and believed in, for their resurrection out of that fallen estate.
Now, while Adam and Eve were in the paradise of God, and kept God's commandment, and obeyed his voice, they were help-mates in the image of God, both male and female; and God gave them dominion over all that he had made, and blessed them, and said, ‘Be you fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every living thing that creeps upon the earth, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth;’ and their work was to dress the garden, and to keep it, and to subdue the earth, and keep their dominion in his power and image, as he had made them.
So here you may see the work which God commanded man and woman to do, while they were in his image; they were not to be idle, neither were they to do this in the sweat of their brows, nor to eat their bread in the sweat of their brows, while they kept the command of God, and obeyed his voice; neither did God set the man over the woman, while they kept in the image of God, and obeyed his voice, and kept his command, but were meet-helps. For both had power, male and female, over all the creatures which God had made, as long as they kept in the image of God, and obeyed his voice and command. But after they disobeyed God's voice and command, and hearkened unto the serpent's, and so were subjected under hope of being as gods, and of being wiser than God had made them; and thought that fruit was good for food, and to make wise, which brought them surely to die that day they did eat thereof. So Adam and Eve came to be dead to God; and instead of being wiser, came to be fools, and got the cursed ground, and thorns and thistles, instead of paradise.
But you may say, that Adam and Eve were alive after this, else how could they have children afterwards?
Yes, they were alive outwardly, but they died from the image and likeness of God, and righteousness and holiness, which God Almighty made them in, and from that power, in which the Lord gave them dominion over all the works of his hands. [The died inwardly].
[There is the outward life that we have and know as men of the earthly flesh. There is inward Life of God that we have when we enter into union with Christ, when he brings salvation; the joining with him results in an entirely new creature, that enters into the higher spiritual dimension of the Kingdom of Heaven within and around us. Christ, who is the life and light of men, at union with us ushers us into a more abundant life, being restored to the spiritual image of God, and living in his presence, with his face in view, guiding and directing us as the Lord of our thought, words, and deeds. That is why the call is: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light. Ephesians 5:14. This is to be resurrected back into the life of God, by Christ's resurrection in us.]
So the Lord God said, ‘You shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die.’
But the serpent said, ‘If you eat thereof you shall not surely die.’ And they did eat, and disobeyed the Lord's voice and command, and did surely die; and so death passed upon all men, and all died in Adam.
[Consider this curse to be not only the physical curse, but a spiritual curse of man's heart as well, for the heart is the mirror of the world:
- God cursed the ground - Look at Mark 4:3-15, the Parable of The Sower - the ground is man's heart.
- Man must work hard for his bread - Jesus said: I am the bread from heaven - man must work hard to hear the word of God, which is within his cursed heart - hear and receive the bread from heaven.
- Man must labor in sorrow, not joy for his bread - both his earthly bread and heavenly bread - he is in sorrow laboring for his heavenly bread, for he sees his fallen condition.
- The ground will bring forth thistles and thorns, and you shall eat the herb of the field- man's heart grows briars and thorns, which suppress the word of God within his heart - Out of the treasure of man's heart is evil or good. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
- The kingdom of God which is within you, is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs.
- The other bigger herbs are the seeds and plants of evil in a man's heart - sown by the devil, the evil seedman.
- And until Christ came, the only ones who could receive the grace of God, were those who walked very close to fulfilling the law. But with Christ, simply by faith in his name, we can go to the Light and Word within our hearts, to silently listen, to hear, to obey - and to receive his changing grace to remove even the desire to sin from our hearts.]
This was the fruit of their transgression, and disobedience to God's command; and this was the wisdom they attained unto, and their disobedient sons and daughters, by forsaking God's teaching, and following the serpent's.
Therefore, as Christ said, ‘Go, teach all nations, and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.’ Seeing all were dead in Adam, and so plunged into death, by disobeying the Lord, and hearkening unto the serpent.
So all must be baptized with the baptism of Christ, with fire and the Holy Ghost; and all their disobedience, transgression, sin and corruption, and their chaff must be plunged down and burnt up by the baptism of Christ, before they can come into the paradise of God, and have right to eat of the tree of life.
So the serpent is called the world's god, the world that lies in wickedness; and he has made it like a wilderness with his rough plants, briars and thorns, that he has planted in man and woman's transgressing heart, which as Christ said, ‘Must all be rooted up, every plant that the heavenly father has not planted.’
Now the serpent who said, ‘If they did eat, they should become as gods; but by this he brought them into death, by eating of that by which they died, and he became God.
And so, this god of the world had blinded their eyes, and makes people heathen like, so as they do not know God; so that in process of time they were led so far into transgression, that they made gods of stocks, and stones, and silver, and gold, and other metals.
So that Adam and Eve's sons and daughters were afar off from being god's themselves, when they made gods of stocks and stones, and other creatures, and fell to worshipping of them, and worshipped the host of heaven. This was far off from being gods themselves, who were so far degenerated from the image of the living God, as the lying teacher, the serpent, that was out of truth, had told them, and made them believe they would be as gods; but here they became slaves to him, and to that which the world's god worked in them, in whom there is no truth.
For you may see, the very Jews, who were of the stock of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when they forsook the Lord God and his ordinances, and disobeyed his voice, how that after they felt his arm and power, and saw his great miracles and wonders, they began to make gods of metals, and wood, and stone. They would be wiser, like Adam and Eve, than God, who had made and taught them. So here their ears and eyes also went out from the spirit of God, which he had poured upon the whole house of Israel, by which they might have kept his laws, ordinances and commands, like Adam and Eve. Then their mouths went to swallow down that which the world's god worked in them; and so drank down iniquity, as the ox drinks up water. Then the curse came upon them, and judgment, woe and misery, and they were like thorns and thistles one unto another, which sprung out of the cursed ground of transgression, of which they had enough both inwardly and outwardly; and so lost the blessing both inwardly and outwardly, that the heavens were as brass to them, and the earth as iron, all springs being stopped, both above and below.
And therefore came God's judgment upon the Jews, until they were driven out of the promised land of Canaan, as Adam and Eve were driven out of paradise, for disobeying God's voice and command.
And now you may see what has made man and woman blind, even their forsaking and disobeying the living God of truth, that made them, and by hearkening unto, and following the world's god, in whom there is no truth; it is he that has blinded man and woman, and filled them with his earthly and sensual wisdom, by which man does not know God.
And, therefore, Christ the promised seed, which bruises the head of the serpent, which all the prophets and holy men of God had faith in. It is he that opens the eyes of the blind; so the Lord God of truth he made all good and blessed, and made man and woman to see; but the world's god has blinded them by disobeying the God of truth, and hearkening to the serpent, the world's god, in whom there is no truth, and has brought them into the curse; and by disobeying God, they lost and fell from his image, and came into the dust and death. And by disobeying the good God, who made all good, and obeying the serpent, the world's god, he makes all bad.
For the Lord God that made man and woman perfect and upright in his image, in righteousness and holiness, and so to be like him their Father. And man and woman by disobeying the Lord God of truth, his command and voice, and obeying the serpent, the world's god, that abode not in the truth, and in whom there is no truth that makes them so imperfect, unholy, unrighteous, and ungodly; not like God the father of truth, (the creator of all, who takes care and feeds and nourishes all), but like unto the serpent, to bear his image and do his works. So the devil is their father, as Christ said to the Jews. So they have the very image of their father, who is out of truth, and was a liar and a murderer from the beginning, those that obey him.
{Understand, all men and women have the spirit of the devil in them; and saying the sinner's prayer, getting baptized with water, or eating bread/grape juice, does not expel that spirit to be replaced by Christ's Spirit. That selfish spirit of man must be crucified on the inward cross of self-denial, before it is destroyed by God.}
For while Adam and Eve obeyed the voice and command of the Lord God, they abode in his image, and were in the likeness of God their creator.
But when they disobeyed the voice of the pure, true and living God, and obeyed the serpent, the world's god, then they entered into his image, as the Jews, which forsook the law of God, and the voice and command, and the laws of God.
Christ told them, ‘They were of their father the devil, and his lusts they would do, though they profess Moses and the prophets, and that they were of Abraham.’
And so may many that are called christians now, profess themselves christians, and make a profession of Christ and the apostle's words; but if they were of Christ and the apostles, they would do the works of Christ and the apostles. But let the christians and others examine themselves, if they are not erred from that spirit, which the living God of truth does pour upon all flesh, by which they should hear the voice of God and Christ, and obey his command, and not have hearkened unto the foul, unclean, murdering spirit of the world's god, in whom there is no truth, and lent their ears and eyes after his teaching, and feed upon that which he works in them; and instead of being saviors upon Mount Zion, they are destroyers of one another, and enemies unto one another, instead of loving enemies, or one another. And so, are not the fruits of this spirit manifest to be from this foul, unclean spirit, the world's god, in whom there is no truth, and not from the living God of truth?
So it is clear, it is not the profession of the Jews, which profess the Old Testament, nor the christians that profess the New, with that foul, unclean, murdering spirit; but it is the fruits and the works that are worked by the spirit of Christ and the apostles, the fruits and works of the spirit that God accepts, that make Jews in spirit, and true christians, like Christ.
For all the children of Adam may make a profession of their father and mother being in paradise, while that they are out of it, serving the world's god, that makes them blind, and fills them with sin and unrighteousness, and so are unlike the living God of truth, but are like the world's god, that is out of truth. And this the world's god causes them all to plead for the body of sin and death, and imperfection, which he has worked in them, (and not the living pure God), as long as they live, until they come to the grave.
The living God of truth did not make Adam and Eve with a body of sin and death, and blind, nor unrighteous, ungodly and unholy, not like as the world's god has made them. The living God of truth made man to see and hear him, and in his image and likeness, holy, righteous, and perfect, without sin or a body of death; but they disobeying the living God, and obeying the serpent, the world's god, came to be blind, imperfect, unrighteous, and unholy, like the world's god, and so came to have a body of death and sin. So Adam and Eve fell from life into death, and so worshipped the dragon and the beast, and gods of their own making; for the world's god has several ways to keep his subjects in, and will let them profess what they will, and have what outside shows they will; and this world's god has his ministers, his prophets, his pastors, his teachers, and his apostles - all false, who got among the Jews, and got among the christians before the apostles' decease; and he will let them make as many faiths and creeds as they will, to profess, so long as they do not come into the possession of life.
But the faith that is the gift of God, which Christ is the author of, that is the victory over the world's god, which purifies the heart, and brings them to have access to God; this faith that gives the victory, the world's god and his messengers and ministers cannot endure to hear tell of.
Nor can the world’s god and ministers endure to hear that one should believe in the light, which is the life in him, (the word), by whom all things were made, by which they come to be born of God, and children of light, and by it overcome the world. This the world's god, and his ministers, prophets, and apostles, cannot endure to have spoken of; but call it a natural light, and a made and created light, and insufficient. Although Christ said, ‘believe in the light,’ the world's god and his ministers tell people, it is not saving. But the world's god is not changed from his lying; ‘for when he speaks, he speaks of himself, and there is no truth in him,’ said Christ.
For you may see, he told Eve, ‘they should not die, if they did eat, but should be as gods;’ but the living God of truth told them, ‘in the day that they did eat, they should die.”
So the world's god is the same now, who tells you, the light within, (which is the light of Christ), which you are to believe in, is not saving.
But Christ, who destroys the world's god, the liar, he said, ‘believe in the light:’ and said the Lord, ‘he that believes in the Son has everlasting life:’ and the God of truth said, ‘be you holy, for I am holy; be you perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,’ said Christ; and this was to be while men and women were upon the earth.
For God made man and woman holy and perfect by Christ Jesus, who comes to bruise the serpent's head, that made man and woman unholy and imperfect, and to destroy the devil and his works, and was made sin and a curse, to take away sin and the curse, that through him, they who believe might be made the righteousness of God in him.
But the world's god, and his messengers and ministers say, ‘none shall be holy, nor be perfect on this side the grave; none shall be so baptized, as to have all their chaff and corruptions burnt up in the floor of their hearts, while they are on this side the grave, but they must have sin in them, to humble them.’ But sin lifts up, and does not humble any.
And so here again, the world's god and his messengers and teachers speak a lie; for there is no truth in him, who was a liar from the beginning.
And the apostle said, ‘they were circumcised with the spirit, by which the body of the sins of the flesh was put off.’ But the world's god, and his apostles, and ministers, and messengers say and preach, that all must carry this body of sin and death to the grave. This is the doctrine of the world's god and his teachers, in whom there is no truth, who has brought this body of sin and death upon man, through man's hearkening and obeying of him, and disobeying the voice and command of God.
For without holiness none can see the Lord. Heb 12:14
So the world's god, in him there is no truth, who is a defiler, corrupter, murderer, and a liar, and makes men liars and murderers. He is the ungodly one, and makes those who obey him ungodly. He is the unrighteous and evil one, and so makes those who obey him, unrighteous and evil like himself. He is the unmerciful and wicked one, and so makes all his unmerciful and wicked like himself, who obey him. And so the world's god is an enemy, an adversary, a destroyer, and so makes men enemies and adversaries one unto another, and destroyers one of another, by obeying and listening unto him.
The world's god leads people into adultery, inwardly and outwardly, and into fornication, theft, and all manner of deceit; for he is a lying unclean spirit, in whom there is no truth; and so leads them into the lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and into the pride of life, and into the world's vanities and evil ways; and all this is of the devil, the destroyer, and not of the living God, the God of truth, who created all for his glory, and takes care for all.
For God, the creator of all, is the living, righteous, and eternal everlasting God; but the world's god had a beginning, and must have an end in the lake of fire, and all his followers, if they don’t turn from him, and obey the living God.
[To obey is far more than saying you believe in Jesus to be the Son of God. To obey is to make your first priority in life to repetitively seek him by coming to him, listening to him, and obeying his heard commands.
Does not the tempter still whisper to you: "you can lie, commit adultery, cheat, steal, and hate because hasn't Jesus paid for all your sins?" Does not the serpent still say: "Surely you will not suffer any penalty from God for sin, because you know that Jesus will be your advocate? Do not the devil and his agents continue to deceive you by saying: "you know you are saved, so why worry about disobedience - Jesus eliminated all the penalty for sin, didn't he? Besides, doesn't everyone sin? "]
So the living eternal God is the creator and preserver, a holy, pure, just, and righteous God, everlasting, immortal, and eternal, who lives forever, who is without time, and over time, and has all times and seasons in his hand, a perfect and pure God, holy and glorious, full of riches eternal.
But the world's god, that is out of the truth, in whom there is no truth, is a destroyer, and brings into poverty, death and darkness, and is the prince of darkness, and makes all dark like himself, who obey him, and so come under the power of death.
But the living, eternal, omnipotent God, is the God of truth, who is light, and in him there is no darkness at all, a holy eternal spirit, that fills heaven and earth; and heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool. He is to be worshipped and served in his holy spirit and truth, that he pours out upon all flesh, which truth, the world's god, (the devil), is out of, in whom there is no truth.
So those who worship the holy and everlasting eternal God in God's spirit and in his truth, then they are in that truth which is a top of the head of the world's god, which truth he is out of, and there is no truth in him.
And the apostle said, ‘The prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works and rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience.’ Eph 2:2.
And Christ calls him, ‘The ruler of this world,’ John 12:31,14:30,16:11.
So the prince of this world is judged, and now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; ‘for the ruler of this world comes, and has nothing in me,’ said Christ.
Now here all may see the ruler of this world is judged by Christ, and cast out; he finds no disobedience in Christ, as he did in Adam and Eve.
So all may see how this ruler of the world, that lies in wickedness, how he got into Adam and Eve by their disobedience; and he got into the Jews by disobedience to God's command and spirit which he gave them; for Christ said, ‘They were of their father, the devil;’ and he has gotten into the christians since by their disobedience to the command and voice of God and Christ Jesus, and the spirit which he has poured forth upon all flesh; but Christ judges him, and casts him out; and though he came to Christ to tempt him, yet he finds nothing in him [to yield to his temptations].
Now this ruler of death and darkness, which compasses the old earth of disobedience, and is a ruler and worker in the hearts of the children of disobedience, and brings his obedient people to walk and to have conduct according to the prince of the power of the air, that works in them, and rules in them, to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and the desires of the same, in which nature they are children of wrath; and he works in them, and fills them with all manner of evil and blasphemy against God and Christ, and those who dwell in him, and have their habitation in heaven.
Those who believe in the light of Christ, may see [be shown by God the events] to the beginning of this prince's kingdom, and the height of his authority, which was begun in and by the disobedience of Adam and Eve to God's command and voice; and he still rules in the hearts of all the disobedient to God and Christ, and to his spirit, grace and truth; and through men's disobedience thereunto, this god of the world's kingdom is upheld and enlarged.
To those who disobey the God of truth's good spirit, and rebel against it, and vex and quench it; the god of this world, in whom there is no truth, gets into the hearts of such disobedient ones.
But the spirit of God, (if man obeyed it and listened to it), would be found stronger than that foul spirit that is out of truth, which rules in the disobedient ones.
And likewise those who err from that faith that is the gift of God, and that Christ Jesus is the author and finisher of; and those who hate the light of Christ Jesus, which Christ commands them to believe in; and who walk despitefully against the Spirit of Grace, and despise the word of Grace in their hearts; and who resist the motions of the Holy Ghost, and disobey the gospel, the power of God, not receiving it; in these disobedient ones, the god of the world, and prince of the air and of darkness, is the worker and ruler in their hearts, and their conduct is according to the prince of the power of the air, the god of this world. So they are made conformable to him, and bear his image and likeness in them, and are not conformable to God nor Christ, not bearing their image. So the image they bear shows forth in their words, ways, lives and conducts, which shows what god and prince they plead for, and worship and serve, namely: ‘The god of this world, in whom there is no truth.’ For his sin, evil, ungodliness and unrighteousness, imperfection and body of sin and death to the grave, they plead for, and say they must carry about them. And this god and prince of the world will allow them to profess all the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, so that they will plead for his works, that he, the world's god, that is out of truth, has worked in them.
Now here all are left without excuse, that come under the judgment of God and his son, who judges the world in righteousness; for Adam had something to disobey, and so had the Jews and the Christians, and all mankind. For the light, which Christ does enlighten every one that comes into the world withal, which is the life in him, by whom all things were made and created, which, if they believe in it, they are saved; and if not, they are by it condemned.
So this light is stronger than the prince of darkness, the world's god, that is out of truth, if people will believe in it.
Also, the grace and truth that comes by Jesus Christ, it is sufficient to teach and bring salvation. Paul had the experience of it; and God said, ‘It should be sufficient for him in all his temptations and troubles.’
I say, this grace and truth is too strong for the prince of darkness, the world's god, who abode not in the truth, and there is no truth in him. And it is sufficient to teach people, and bring their salvation. And it is the world's god and his followers who say to the contrary.
For the true and living God and his holy apostle say, ‘It is sufficient to teach them, and bring their salvation.’
Likewise the word of faith, which Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of, is sufficient to save, as Christ often said, ‘Your faith has saved you, and made you whole.’ And this faith is sufficient to give victory over the prince of the air, the world's god; and that which gives victory over him, and does resist and subdue him, that shield is stronger than he and all his followers.
And also, the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, and the unction within, it is sufficient to teach and lead into all truth, which comes from the Holy One, and proceeds from the Father and the Son; I say, this is stronger than the world's god, and prince of death and darkness, in whom there is no truth, who is an unclean spirit. This holy, pure, clean spirit and unction from the Holy One, is too hard and too strong for that unclean spirit, which leads all the disobedient out of truth. But this Holy Spirit leads the obedient into all truth.
And as to the light, spirit and power, people may resist the motions of it in loving the prince of darkness, (the world's god), more than the light, and the eternal, immortal, living god of truth, and Christ the prince of life; but the light and spirit is stronger than they, and the world's god, whom they serve.
The light itself will be their condemnation, and by the pure, Holy Spirit and power they will be judged; for Christ does judge the world, according to the gospel, the power of God; and who believe it and receive it, this everlasting gospel, the power of God, is over the prince of the world, and of death and darkness, the world's god, in whom there is no truth; and is stronger than he, whose dark unclean spirit and power had a beginning, and must have had an end, in the lake of fire; but the power of God, the gospel, is everlasting and without end, though it has a beginning in men, to the saving of them; and therefore it is called ‘The Gospel of Salvation:’ But in itself, the gospel, the power of God, is everlasting; and the light, which is the life in Christ, in itself is everlasting; and those who believe in it, come to have everlasting life.
The word of God [the Spirit of God within your heart], in itself is everlasting, and is a hammer and a sword, and a fire upon the head of the world's god, and those who conform to him and follow him.
The truth and the spirit of God in themselves are everlasting; though men may quench the motions of it in their hearts, that love the world's god, the prince of the air, more than Christ Jesus, the prince of life, and the eternal, immortal, everlasting God of truth.
In this world's god and prince of the air there is no truth, as Christ and the God of truth has declared; and if there is no truth in this world's god, the prince of the air, then what is in him? Nothing but chaff, corruptions, sin, deceit and lies, falsehood, envy, malice, hatred, theft, murder, death, darkness, slavery, ungodliness, unrighteousness and unholiness, from this foul, unclean spirit, by which he burdens and enslaves the creation, and makes it groan, and all that obey him, and disobey God and Christ.
And whosoever obeys that unclean spirit, or touches it, or joins to it, in whom there is no truth, is defiled, and brought into slavery by it, and under a weighty yoke and heavy burden. And therefore Christ said, 'Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden light.’
And this prince of the air and god of the world, who is out of truth; he has his dark principalities and powers, and rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in his high places in the old earth; and he fills them full of air in words, and notions and imaginations, and puffs them up with lies and deceit in his dark power and principalities, and spiritual wickedness in the high places in the earth, where dwells his unrighteousness, with which he maintains and upholds his kingdom of darkness and death.
So with this his dark power and principalities he wrestles with flesh and blood. So this power of death, the world's god, he has congregations of the dead, and he has his dead faith, for the disobedient, (which he rules), to make a profession of.
And he has his vain and destroying religion for them to plead for.
And he has his worship, which is out of God's holy, pure spirit and truth, for his disobedient ones to serve and worship him in, in whom there is no truth: ‘For the prince of the air, the world's god, is an unclean spirit, out of truth, and has no truth in him.’
And he has his dead ways to lead them in that disobey God's grace, truth, light and spirit. And has a faith to his followers, but it is dead, and gives no victory. And a belief, but no overcoming on this side the grave, the world's god, that is out of truth: No, rather their belief is, 'That they have a body of sin and death, which they must carry to the grave;’ which faith and belief, and body of sin, they have from the world's god, and not from the living God of truth; and it is not like the world's god, in whom there is no truth, should work any other faith or belief in them, or any thing else but this body of death and sin, when they disobey the living God of truth, which gives the living faith, that is the victory.
And the world's god, and the prince of the air, will allow his obedient ones, in whom he works and rules, to talk of baptism and circumcision; but they must not believe that their body of death, and sins of the flesh, must be put off, which the god of the world has worked in them since they disobeyed the living God of truth, while they are on this side the grave; but those works which he has worked in them, they must carry to the grave with them; and that the floor of their hearts, minds and souls, shall not be thoroughly purged while they are upon the earth, but that they must be purged in a purgatory, when they are dead; and while that they are upon the earth, they cannot do otherwise than sin, that is, to do the work of the god of the world, that is out of truth, and not the works of the living holy God of truth.
And Christ, who said, ‘Believe in the light,’ and serve him in his living, holy, pure spirit and truth, which the world's god, that unclean spirit, is out of, and there is no truth in him. Yes, this world's god will allow his messengers, ministers and professors, to cry against sin, as much as they will, and preach up sanctification and redemption, but they must not be made free from sin, nor cleansed, nor sanctified, nor redeemed, or to be made clean from this world's god, and the works which he, the prince of the air, has worked in them, while they are upon the earth.
And they must not have any assurance of their salvation and redemption from sin, or election here. This is the prince of the air's doctrine, who is out of truth, that he has taught his ministers, messengers and apostles to preach and teach, in his dark school of disobedience, and that there is no victory over this prince, the world's god, and his works, while they are upon the earth, nor overcoming of him that is out of truth.
And now, as he has gotten Adam and Eve into disobedience by his subtlety, so by his subtlety he would keep in disobedience, and death and darkness, all his children and servants.
And therefore, if any witness victory or overcoming on this side the grave of the world's god, and that which he has worked in them, and to have the same power and spirit the prophets and apostles had, this is called presumption by the world's god, and the disobedient that he rules in, and called by them ‘A justifying of self.’
And to have an assurance of their election, and salvation, and life eternal here, as Christ the truth said, ‘They have that receive him and believe in him.’
[To witness the victory over the temptations of the world, is to witness being freed from lust, anger, pleasures, habits, etc., of the world. And as John said: who is he who believes, but he who has overcome the world - which is done by faith, which purifies the heart - faith enough to seek, silently listen, hear, and obey. When you can witness this being freed from sin, you have assurance of election and salvation (total freedom from sin) to come.]
This shakes the kingdom of the world's god, in whom there is no truth, and makes his followers, that disobey God's spirit and command, to rage against it.
Now the god of the world is called ‘The prince of the air, who works and rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience;’ and all the disobedient ones walk according to the course of this prince of the air, and wickedness, who is out of truth. He works in them by his unclean spirit, and fills them with airy notions and conceits, which he has in store for them; and with wickedness, death, darkness, corruption, vanity, folly, looseness and all unrighteousness, debate and deceit. By this his unclean ravenous spirit, he fills them with airy notions, words and lives, and with drunkenness, whoredoms, and all manner of uncleanness and wickedness, that proceed from this unclean spirit, that is out of truth, and to spend their time out of God's fear, in wantonness, pleasures, sports, plays, vanities, luxury in meats, drinks and apparel, in idleness, and all manner of looseness in conduct, with all covetousness and greediness, devouring and destroying the creatures, and the creation upon their lusts, with all greediness and oppression, injustice, unrighteousness, lack of mercy, unholy, intemperate, impatient, cruel and tyrannical, and with all manner of evil the god of the world works in them, that disobey the living God of truth, and Christ his son. The fruits of this evil spirit are easily seen, and known by those who obey the Lord in his spirit, light, grace and truth.
And he is called the prince of the air, for his kingdom and empire had a beginning in the disobedient; and by disobedience he got into Adam and Eve, in the disobedient he rules and works with his dark power and spirit, and sets up his principalities, who is out of truth, and there is no truth in him.
Now to know the beginning of his empire, its height, length, breadth, and end:
First, he got into Adam and Eve by disobedience, and therefore into his sons and daughters, both Jews and christians, and others. So he rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience; his rule and his work goes no further, for none are conformable to him, except those who are disobedient; and none walk after his unclean spirit, but who disobey God's pure spirit, grace, light and truth.
So, the compass, length and breadth of his empire and kingdom, and his work reaches no further than to and over those who disobey the grace, light, spirit and truth, voice and command of the living God, and his son Christ Jesus.
Now the height of this god of the world, and prince of the air's empire and kingdom, with all his principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in his high places, do not reach so high as the truth, for he is out of it, for there is no truth in him, and truth is over him and his followers. Neither does his kingdom or principality reach so high as righteousness, nor so high as the light and the power of God, nor life. For the prince of the world, the world's god, is death and darkness, unrighteousness and uncleanness, and is an unholy, foul, dark, lying spirit, and is comprehended with the truth, and with the light and life, and his unclean kingdom of death and darkness. I say, he and his kingdom, empire and princedom, with all his dark powers, principalities and rulers of darkness in the disobedient, his beginning is seen, his compass is seen, his height is seen, his end is seen in the lake and fire, together with all the disobedient that follow and serve him.
Now Christ is a prince of life, and a prince of peace, who is called light and life, and the wisdom of God, and righteousness and the Holy One.
He bruises the head of this world's god and prince of the air, that is out of truth, and breaks his power to pieces, and he opens people's eyes and ears, that this world's god has stopped and blinded, and cleanses and sanctifies, purifies and washes such as this world's god has defiled, and redeems such as believe in him, that this world's god has taken captive, and leads him into captivity: ‘And he gave gifts unto men, who ascended up on high,' far above all principalities, powers, thrones, and dominions.
So Christ gave gifts unto men, first unto his twelve, and seventy, before he was crucified and ascended.
And it is also clear, that Christ gives gifts unto men after he ascended, for the work of the ministry, and makes some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers, and some prophets, according to the apostle's doctrine. Eph 4.
So with these gifts which they have from Christ, since he was ascended, and before, they were to bring people to the knowledge of the Son of God, from whom they had received their gifts, and who was the author and finisher of their faith; and then to live by that faith in which they had victory and unity; and so to a perfect man, the state that Adam and Eve was in before they fell; and not only so, but to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, which is to a higher state than Adam was in his first state, which is a state that shall never fall.
And the world's god he has his ministers, prophets, apostles and hirelings, to make a trade with the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, with the natural languages and arts; and this they sell at great rates, where they can get the greatest parsonages or bishopricks, or get most for it; and they preach up to people, ‘that they must have a body of death and sin to the grave; and that it is impossible to obtain victory over sin here,’ which burdens the creation, and causes it to groan, which sin came into man and woman, and brought the curse by their disobedience to the voice and command of God. And if people will not give them earthly things, and put into their mouths, and fill their bellies, which is one of their gods, set up by the world's god, who is out of truth, then they will cast such in prisons. And if the obedient and believers in Christ tell them, ‘that all ministers created by colleges, worldly schools, language arts, and languages are not ministers of Christ; and are ministers only of the letter of the Old and New Testament, with their imaginations of it, and interpretations, to make it suit the dark spirit that is out of truth, and to keep people in sin, and in imperfection, which the God of truth made them not in; and that they never heard God's voice, nor Christ, as the prophets and apostles did;’ for if they did, and had freely received, they would freely give, as the ministers of Christ did. Oh, cry the disobedient, who walk according to the prince of the air, and obey the world's god, that is out of truth, ‘That it is presumption for any to say, they have the same spirit and power the prophets and apostles had, and to hear God's voice as they did; there is no such thing to be looked for these days, or in their days;’ which are the days of darkness, and not of light.
And the disobedient children that fashion themselves according to the God of the world, and not according to Christ, who is not of the world, the world that lies in wickedness, was brought so into this wickedness by the world's god, and by obeying him that is out of truth, and disobeying the living God of truth: And this world hated and hates Christ, and all his followers and disciples to this day, and hated the prophets, and hates the appearance of Christ Jesus in his people now; and it is no marvel, because they testified, and testify against the world, that their works be evil. And how should it be otherwise, when the god thereof is evil, who abode not in the truth, and there is no truth in him?
So, here are two workers spoken of: 1) the prince of the power of the air, the world's god, who works by his unclean spirit in the hearts of the children that disobey God, and 2) his holy pure spirit, Eph 2. And he works all manner of uncleanness, sin, evil, wickedness, unholiness, unrighteousness and ungodliness in the hearts of all such that do disobey the living God of truth, and his son Christ Jesus, in his grace, truth, spirit and gospel, that he gives them. So that the world's god fills them with unrighteousness and uncleanness, with his foul, unclean spirit, that is out of truth; for there is no truth in him, and he can fill them with nothing else.
But the living, eternal, and immortal God of truth, works otherwise; as the apostle said, ‘it is God that works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.’ Phil 2:13.
Now God works in his obedient children, by his pure, holy spirit, power, grace, and truth, both to will and to do that which is good, according to God's good pleasure (namely) that which pleases the just, pure, righteous, holy God.
So he works righteousness, holiness, justice, truth, virtue, purity and godliness in the hearts of men and women that obey his good spirit, by which spirit patience, tenderness, meekness, humility, soberness, temperance, mercy, and kindness, etc., is worked in the hearts of his people, by God's good spirit, which brings ‘to love God above all, and their neighbors as themselves.’
And the God of truth, who works in his obedient people's hearts, to will and to do that which is according to his good pleasure; he works out that which is contrary to his will, and is not according to his good pleasure.
For he works all things after the counsel of his own will, in his people and obedient children. So his people are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained, that his obedient children and people shall walk in them.' Eph 2:10. So not to walk out of those good works, which God has ordained, which are not of man's own ordaining.
And such do serve the living God of truth in the newness of the spirit, and of life.
But such as do disobey the spirit of the living God of truth, they may profess they know God, because they can read the letter of the prophets, Christ and the apostles, which have declared of him, but in their works they deny God, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work are reprobate.
And let all professors, teachers, and others, examine themselves, whether they are not such? and then, who is their God, but the God of the world, the prince of the air, in whom there is no truth, when they are reprobate to every good work, and disobedient, and in their works deny the living God of truth, and yet profess him with their tongues? Such disobedient ones cannot serve the living God; but the God of the world and the prince of the air, who is out of truth, and in whom there is no truth, who must be destroyed, and his kingdom.
For, as I said before, Christ bruises his head, and crushes his power, who through death destroys death, and the devil, the power of it.
And Christ sets up his kingdom, which is everlasting, and shall never have an end, and which stands in righteousness, power and joy in the Holy Ghost. So his kingdom is a holy, righteous kingdom, in his power, righteousness, and Holy Spirit, and is an everlasting kingdom, and is over all kingdoms and dominions, and will never have an end; a kingdom that is established for ever, that cannot be shaken.
For no unclean, imperfect, unholy thing can come into this kingdom, nor any disobedient or defiled has any part in it. So it is an incorruptible kingdom; for no corruptible, unclean thing can come into it; but the saints, the sanctified ones take this kingdom, and have an inheritance in this everlasting kingdom.
And, therefore, why should any disobey God's spirit, light, and grace, which he has given them to profit withal, and to instruct them, and bring their salvation; and not serve the Creator, but the devil, who is a destroyer, and Satan, that is, an adversary, the serpent, an enemy of man's prosperity and happiness, and disobey the living God of truth, and Christ his son, who died for you, and to be servants to the world's god and prince, who is out of truth, and there is no truth in him, whose service is but a slavery and slavery in his unclean ghost, in which there is no true joy, but misery in the end, which is your reward and portion, who are subjects of his unrighteous, ungodly kingdom of death, darkness and corruption, which is an unholy and unjust kingdom, which he upholds with his foul, unclean spirit, who goes on his belly, and dust is his food all the days of his life? And if their god and prince's food is dust, and he goes upon his belly, then how will you disobedient ones, in whom he rules, go? What is your food but dust? For do you think you must fare better, or go better than your god and prince, that is out of truth, and there is no truth in him does? Oh, no; therefore obey truth, which the world's god and prince is out of; and the pure Spirit of God, that foul, unclean spirit is out of; and then you will have heavenly milk and wine, and the honey and honeycomb, and bread of life from heaven, by which you may live by Christ that gives it you, the prince of life, who destroys the prince of death, and his followers, that will not have Christ to rule over them.
For does not the apostle say, ‘that there should be a falling away? And that the man of sin should be revealed, that son of perdition?’ And was he not manifest when Adam and Eve fell away, and the Jews fell away? And is he not manifest now when the christians are fallen away from that power and spirit the apostles were in, according to their own confession?
And does not this man of sin oppose, and exalt himself above all that is called God, namely, in man; and will not let his obedient sons (them that are fallen away, and gone after him, who is out of truth) own the light of Christ, and his grace, spirit, word, faith, and anointing within them, to save and teach them?
But this man of sin, the son of perdition, sits in the temple of God, and shows himself that he is God; but he is the disobedient world's god, that lies in wickedness, and those who be dead in his sins.
{The temple of God is man's heart. What occupies this temple or heart is the selfish spirit of man, the ego, the sown spirit of Satan, the child of the devil - which must die, before Christ can reign in a man's heart. Few so-called Christians have any idea that they are ruled by this abomination of desolation, this antichrist, this Satan, whose head must be crushed under your heel by the God of Peace, the Spirit of Christ.}
For as Christ said to the Jews, ‘God was not the God of the dead, but of the living:’ and therefore he said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,’ who were living. Though Christ through death destroyed death, and the devil, the power of death, who had brought people out of life and truth, into death. Christ by his quickening spirit makes alive, who is risen from death, and is alive, and lives for evermore: and, therefore, he is God, not only of the living, but of the dead, who quickens the dead, who reveals this wicked man of sin, and takes him away, who has permitted, who has exalted himself above all that is called God in the temples of men and women, that fall away from the truth, to him, who is out of truth; but the Lord will consume him with the holy spirit of his mouth, that unclean, foul spirit, in whom there is no truth, and destroy that foul, dark spirit with the brightness of his coming. For this world's god, who is out of truth, Satan, the adversary of mankind, he comes into the disobedient to the truth, with his lying signs and wonders, and with his power of deceivableness and unrighteousness in those who perish, because they receive not the love of the truth, that they may be saved.
So you may all clearly see, if people receive the truth, in the love of it, this man of sin, the son of perdition, the world's god, and prince of the air, who is out of truth, and abode not in the truth, and there is no truth in him, could never deceive them, nor get into their temple, to sit there; if they receive it, and walk in the love of it. For the truth is over him, in which they are saved, which those who go from it, to him that is out of truth, they perish; though they may have the glory of the wicked world from that foul, unclean spirit, that is out of truth, for a season. But that glory and joy will perish, and be consumed and destroyed with its god, by the Holy Spirit that comes out of the mouth of the Lord, and through the brightness of his coming, who has come and is coming. And ride on, O Lord, in your truth, to consume the wicked one, which has sprung as the grass; so that the workers of iniquity have flourished, to the dishonor of your great name, and the grief of your good spirit.
The world's god has worked with this foul, unclean spirit in people's hearts adultery, theft, murder, and all manner of unrighteousness, sin and evil, ungodliness, lack of restraint, luxury, and the pleasures of this world; and such have their false, loose liberty in that foul spirit for a time, but eternal misery will be the end of it. Such are those who kill the just, though he do not resist them, and kick against that which pricks them in themselves, and are disobedient to it, and persecute God's children and servants that are led by it, namely, the good spirit.
This was and is the unclean path of all the disobedient, that follow the old murderer, the world's god, and adversary of man's happiness; and he fills the disobedient ones, and puffs them up, and fills them with air, vessels of God's wrath, that cannot hold the living water; for how should they, when they are disobedient to God, and truth's good spirit?
Then they are thrown down into hell and the flaming fire, where they collected at last; for how can they come into heaven by following him that is out of truth, in whom there is no truth?
For if they come to heaven, they must come to the grace and truth, that comes by Jesus Christ, which will turn them to Jesus Christ, from where it comes, who bruises this serpent, the world's god's head, and destroys him and his works, who is out of truth. And therefore they are not to serve him, whom God and Christ will destroy, but serve the living God, and Jesus Christ, through his grace, truth and spirit, and hear his voice, and follow him, who will give them life eternal.
The world's god, the prince of the air, cannot pluck Christ's sheep out of his fold, in the truth; for he is out of truth, and there is no truth in him. Therefore he is not like to come into truth, or to meddle with Christ's sheep in his fold of truth. And, indeed, that lying, foul, unclean spirit, that is out of truth, cannot prevail upon any, except they first disobey the voice and command of God and Christ, and err from the faith, and quench the spirit, and walk despitefully against the spirit of grace, and hate the light of Christ, and disobey the power of God, the gospel, and not regard the word in the heart and mouth, and the truth in the inward parts; into such he may enter, and exalt himself as God, into their house and temple, and fill it with his unclean goods, and lying foul spirit.
But all those who live in and obey the truth, and walk in the spirit, and do the word, and receive the grace, and believe in the light of Christ Jesus, which is the life in him, by whom all things were made, and so become children of the light, and walk therein, then they walk in that which condemns the prince of the air, the god of the world, and all them in whom he rules. And so walking in the light, life and truth, they walk over the head of him in whom there is no truth, and so in fellowship one with another, and with the Son and the Father, in this heavenly light, which is the life in Christ.
Now when Jesus was led of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights he was afterwards hungry, and this tempter said unto him, ‘If he was the Son of God, command these stones to be made bread.’
But Jesus said unto him, ‘It is written, man lives not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’
Again, the devil takes him up, and sets him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, ‘If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down, for it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot again a stone.’
And Jesus said unto him, ‘It is written, you shall not tempt the Lord your God.’
And again, the devil takes him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said unto Jesus, ‘All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’
Then said Jesus unto him, ‘Get you behind me Satan; for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’
So here you may see, how the serpent, the devil, set upon Christ, to tempt him to the creatures, and to destroy himself, and to worship him.
But Christ, who bruises his head, and destroys him and his works, which he had set up in man and woman, whom he had beguiled by his temptation, and so got into them through their disobedience to the God of truth's command, else he could not.
But here he finds nothing in Christ, nor got nothing from him, but judgment, and bruising his head, and destroying him and his works.
So Christ, who has overcome this tempter, this adversary of man's happiness, and under a pretence, that man and woman should be as gods, they falling from the truth, and departing from it, he getting into their temple, became their god, and there he sits until he be consumed with the breath of the Lord's mouth, and the brightness of his coming.
So we have not such a high priest as cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin, and no guile found in his mouth; who remains a priest for ever, and is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God through him.
So now, it is clear, he who was tempted has a feeling of the infirmities of his people, in all points tempted, tempted like unto them. So he is able to support, and to succor them with his grace, power, spirit, truth and light over the head of the tempter, who said to his believers, ‘I have overcome the world, be of good cheer;’ and therefore it is said, ‘He that believes, overcomes the world and its god,’ in whom there is no truth.
Now the devil would have given Christ the kingdoms and the glory of the world (which were not in his power to give) if he would have fallen down and worshipped him, who is out of the truth, and in him is no truth.
But what glory of the world was this he would have given to Christ, the truth? It is his world of wickedness, that lies in unrighteousness, which he has made like a wilderness; such kingdoms and such glory he would have given him, and then Christ, who was the truth, must have gone out of truth, if he had worshipped him, that was out of truth, which could not be; for the Son of God does not change.
None can fall down and worship the devil, the god of the world, who is out of truth, unless they go from the spirit of God, and from the grace and truth in their own hearts; they must fall from this because the spirit of God would keep up their hearts, minds and eyes to the God of truth, who reveals his glory of another world in his people; yes, they are changed from glory to glory, until they come into his image.
But what is the glory of the world, and its kingdom that lies in wickedness? What glory can that be, that the devil can give, the world's god, that is out of truth, in whom there is no truth? For John said, 'all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, and of the flesh, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but of the world, that passes away; and the lusts thereof, the pomps and vanities of the world, the pleasures, the plays, the shows, the idleness, gluttony, drunkenness, whoredom, and all the ungodliness and deceit, that is unlike God. Who is it like then? Why it is like him, the world's god, who is out of truth, in whom there is no truth, but presumption and blasphemy, a liar, and the father of all liars, who puffs up with airy notions his servants, and fills them with pride and wickedness, the murderer, persecutor, and destroyer; he has no other glory to give, who is out of truth, and there is no truth in him.
For the glory of the creation is the Lord's, who created it; for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, and he gives the increase.
For as Christ said, “that Solomon, the wise man and great king, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of the lilies.’ So Christ set up a lily beyond and above all Solomon's glory; for the lily was arrayed of God, and every herb, and every weed, and every tree are arrayed by God with the glory they have.
The world's god, the devil, the prince of darkness, he cannot array a nettle, a thistle, nor a thorn; for he is no creator, but a destroyer; for the eternal God of truth is the creator; but the world's god is out of truth, and a destroyer and an adversary to those who keep in truth.
So the world's god out of truth, could not give Christ the glory of a thistle nor nettle; for it was none of his to give to Christ nor no man; for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, and he gives it unto the sons of men, and so to live upon the earth, and to serve and worship him in spirit and truth, which the world's god is out of.
Now the world's god, which is out of truth, and there is no truth in him; if you disobey God and Christ's voice and command, and go from his spirit, and err from it and the true faith, and hate his light, and walk despitefully against the spirit of grace, which he has given to teach you, and bring your salvation.
Now, I say, if men fall down from this grace, spirit, and truth, which should keep their minds up to the God of truth and Christ; and when the world's god, Satan, tempts you, and says, 'he will give you the glory of this world, of wickedness, the pomps of the world, the lusts of the flesh, and the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life, fornication, whoredom, drunkenness, theft, murder, defraud, deceit, cozening, cheating, and all unrighteousness, and fill you with so much malice, envy, and pride, that you envy one another about it, and think that each one is finer than yourselves; that no vain fashion can hardly please your lust of the eye and pride of life; and so leads into gluttony and drunkenness, idleness, sports, plays, and shows, and all the vain fashions and customs of the world, honoring one another, so that you do not honor God, and makes you mad, and fight for it, and about it. All this, the world's god will give unto all such as come to worship him; which is not of God, the father of truth, but from the world's god, in whom there is no truth.
Now, you cannot worship the world's god unless you are in his unclean, foul spirit, which is out of truth, and in whom there is no truth.
And you cannot worship the true, living, eternal, everlasting, pure, holy God of truth, the creator and maker of all, unless you are in his holy, pure spirit, and in his holy, pure truth, which the devil, the prince of the air, the world's god, is out of.
And when the world's god has blinded their eyes, he leads them which way he will into blasphemies, heresies and errors, and so from one false way, faith and religion, church and teacher to another, when they go from the truth in the heart, and grace and spirit, from Christ Jesus, from whom it comes, and follow him, in whom there is no truth.
Now, in the eighth chapter of John, Christ describes the devil, what he was, and what he is, when he spoke to the Jews, saying, 'You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do; for he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. So he is not like to abide in truth, when there is no truth in him. And when he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.'
But, now, you may say, the devil, the world's god, could speak true words, and say, Christ was the son of God, and brought scripture to Christ.
And so could the Jews to Christ, and so may the christians these days; but what better are they for that, while they are not in the truth, and in the spirit that they were in that gave forth the scriptures? For Christ will not know such that are not in the truth, but are workers of iniquity; for he knows such that walk in truth, and in the spirit, which they have from Christ; here they come to have fellowship with him, and he feeds them, and they know his voice, and follow him, and he keeps them in the light, spirit, and truth.
So all people's applying scriptures, or promises, or prophecies, while they grieve God's good spirit in their hearts, and hate his light that shines there, and walk despitefully against the spirit of grace, and so disobey the voice and command of God and Christ, such cannot have comfort of God, nor Christ, nor the scriptures, nor the promises nor prophecies of them. But those who walk in the light, and spirit, and grace, and the gospel, they have the comfort of God and Christ, and the prophecies and promises, and of the scriptures, which holy men of God spoke forth as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, which came not by men's wills; and these are for the perfecting of the men of God, not the men of the world, which follow the world's god, who are not likely to have perfection by following of him, that is out of truth, in whom there is no truth for perfection comes by obeying God in his grace, spirit, and truth, and following him, as God and Christ commands.
So it is clear, that God Almighty, who is the creator of all, and made man and woman in his image and likeness, in righteousness and holiness, he was their teacher: but when man and woman forsook God and disobeyed his voice and command, and hearkened unto the serpent's teaching, and followed him, they came to bear his image, and to do his works and lusts, (not God's), that murderer from the beginning, and is to this day a liar, murderer, and persecutor about religion, church, and worship.
But the promise of God was to fallen man, ‘that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head;’ who is the head of all false prophets, false teachers, false apostles, and false religions, ways, worships, and false heads of them. And of destroying him and his works, who through death destroys death, and the devil the power of it.
And Christ said, “Learn of me, I am the way, the truth, and the life; and no man comes to the Father but by me.’ And God said, ‘this is my beloved Son, hear you him [listen to and yield to and obey Him!].’
And so the apostle testifies in Heb 1, who said, ‘God at sundry times, and after divers manners, spoke in times past to our fathers by the prophets; but he has in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom he made the worlds.’
So now, here are three things to be minded in these words.
God was the first speaker to Adam and Eve in paradise; and as long as they kept under his speaking and teaching, they kept the paradise of God, and in that happy and blessed estate, in the image of God, and in his power, dominion and wisdom, over all things which God had made.
But when they forsook God's teaching, and followed the serpent's teaching, the second speaker, who is out of truth, in whom there is no truth, they lost, and fell from truth and the image of God, and the power in which they had dominion, and fell from their perfection, and lost their blessed state in the paradise of God.
Nevertheless, the promise to them and mankind then was, ‘The seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head.’ And all the fathers and the faithful believed in this promise of God, and died in the faith of it.
‘And God spoke by the prophets to these fathers at sundry times, and after divers manners, in the old covenant.’
But the seed being come which bruises the head of the serpent, that false teacher, liar, murderer and deceiver, who is the head of all false teachers, ways, religions, churches and worships; Christ, who is the savior and the life, in these last days, of the new covenant of grace, light and life, God has spoken unto us, the children of the new covenant, by his son, the immortal, eternal and living God of truth, who was the first speaker to Adam and Eve in paradise, who was the speaker by the prophets to the fathers in the old covenant, who is the speaker unto his children of the new covenant by his son, who bruises the head of the prince of the air, and destroys the serpent, the world's god and false speaker.
So, the eternal God of truth, who was the first speaker, he is the speaker again unto his people, by his son now, in these latter days of the new covenant, and so will be to all eternity; who by his son renews his believers again into the image of God, as Adam was in before he fell; and creates them anew in Christ Jesus, unto good works, out of the bad works, that they may come to sit down in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, who never fell, who is the first and last, by whom all things were made and created, who is over all things in this life, light, truth and righteousness, in his kingdom of glory. Amen.
And is not that the beast and whore, which goes from the holy spirit of the God of truth, and receives the dragon's power, in his foul, unclean spirit, whose kingdom is full of darkness, and compels all, both small and great, to worship the beast in the dragon's power, and the whore, that is whored from the clean holy spirit, of the God of truth, which sits upon the beast, which makes all nations to drink her filthy cup of fornication, and compels, and would compel to drink of that foul cup, and worship that dragon, in that foul spirit, in whom there is no truth; and would draw people from the light, and from the grace, truth and spirit, and the word and faith within their hearts, and compasses all the earthly minds, though he cannot the heavenly and spiritual minds, whose names are written in the lamb's book of life, before the world and his god was; those he cannot get under his dark power, in whom there is not truth, though he may draw those who disobey Christ and the God of truth?
And was not the law and the old covenant and testament given forth to the Jews in their mother-tongue, from God and his prophets, and to be read among them in all their synagogues, and in their temple, in their own tongue and language?
And therefore are not the scriptures of the New Testament and new covenant to be translated, and to be read, spoken and interpreted in every man's language and mother-tongue? And those who are against it, and do oppose it, are they not barbarians, that say ‘That all nations must not have the new covenant and New Testament in their own mother-tongue or language, translated, to read it?’* They are barbarians that do not edify. And we do know, that the world's god and his followers, would keep people as ignorant from the scriptures as to have them in their own languages, as he would draw every man and woman from the light which Christ does enlighten them withal, to believe in, and to be a child of light. And this light shining in their hearts, to give them the knowledge of God, in the face of their savior Christ Jesus, from where it comes; and to draw men from the spirit, which God pours upon all flesh, and say, ‘That is not sufficient to instruct them and to lead them into all truth;’ by which they might profit in the things of God. And to draw them from the grace and truth, which comes by Jesus Christ in their hearts, ‘which grace has appeared unto all men, to teach them and bring their salvation:’ But those who follow the world's god, in whom there is no truth, who is a destroyer, deny the grace to be a sufficient teacher, and to save, and bring salvation.
*[This is a reference to the Roman Catholic sect's opposition to any Bible except those in Latin. Supposedly, only their priests were worthy of reading the Bible.]
And those who walk despitefully against the spirit of grace, and turn this grace of God into wantonness, and follow ungodliness, unrighteousness and worldly lusts, they follow the god of the wicked world, in whom there is no truth. These then crucify the just, instead of crucifying their affections and lusts, and put on the old image and the old man, which is after the god of the world, in whom there is no truth, and puts off the new, which is after the God of truth.
And the apostle Paul said, ‘So fight I, not as one that beats the air, but I do deprive my body, and bring it under subjection, so that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should not be rejected.’ This was the practice of the apostle of Christ.
But Satan, the world's god, his ministers and teachers, instead of keeping under their bodies, do let them up in all manner of filthiness, and a beating the air, and their fellow creatures, and those who serve the God of truth in his holy spirit, and spoiling their goods, and haling them into prisons until death, spoiling them. This is the fruits of the spoiler, the world's god, and the power of death, who abode not in the truth, in whom there is no truth, which is unlike Christ, who said, ‘Freely you have received, freely give,’ to Christ's followers, which the world's god and his followers cannot endure to hear of this command.
And is it not only deceit in those who say, ‘The scripture is the rule of their faith, life, manners and doctrine;’ and yet are found serving the world's god, that is out of truth, in whom there is no truth; and cannot endure to hear talk of the grace of God, which appears unto all men, to teach them, and bring their salvation, to be in man; and cannot endure to hear talk, that Christ enlightens every man that comes into the world with a saving light, to believe in; and that this light should be in their hearts, which is saving to the believer in it, and condemns the unbeliever of it. The deceived cannot endure to hear talk that God should pour out of his spirit upon all flesh, to instruct them, and to lead them, that they may profit in the things of God; or that Christ has tasted death for every man, by the grace of God, which has appeared unto all men, that all might have a sense of it; or that the gospel of good news and glad tidings preached unto, and in every creature under heaven; or that he through death destroys death, and the devil, the power of death. This is glad tidings to all people that receive it; but bad news to the world's god and his followers, who disobey the truth, and him, in whom there is no truth; who manifest, that their words corrupt their manners, and they are dead in sins and trespasses, and do not serve Christ in the new and living way. For their fruits declare their faith is dead, and their doctrines not according to scripture. Thee are reproved by the prophets, Christ and the apostles; those who confess they have not the same power and spirit as Christ, and the prophets, and apostles had; but are in their own wills, and in the foul spirit that is out of truth, make a profession of the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, which came not by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke them forth as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
But at the moving of this Holy Ghost, and leadings thereof into the truth of the scriptures, which were given forth by the movings of the Holy Ghost, such as have said, ‘the scriptures are their rule for their faith, life, manners, doctrine and conduct, have made a scoff at the Holy Ghost's moving and leading now,* as it did them which gave them forth; and such their manners, life, conduct and doctrine, is quite contrary to the scriptures, and are reproved by them and by the Holy Ghost, that moved upon those who gave them forth.
*{They, particularly ministers, scoff at the Holy Spirit still giving revelation and prophecies because they themselves are without the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is only given to those who are obedient to God. Acts 5:32. How do you obey? By waiting, silently listening, hearing and then obeying. But anyone who is preaching without having been perfected and restored to the image of God, able to speak words supplied by the Holy Spirit, is preaching from their carnal minds and evil imaginations - these are rebels, Nimrods, running ahead of the Lord, leading others into the ditch - they will never hear until they stop preaching and teaching, find a real job, and then humbly get quiet to listen for the Spirit's guidance.}
Now, unholy men, who plead for sin and a body of death to the grave, and a purgatory for to cleanse them in from their sin, when they are dead, interpret in their wills, and give meanings with their unclean spirit to the scriptures, which holy men of God spoke forth as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and minded nobody's wills. For unholy men, with their wills and unclean spirit, who serve the world's god, who is out of truth, how are they likely to interpret that, and give meanings to it, without wresting or perverting it, who do not have the same Holy Ghost that they had that gave forth the scriptures, which came not by the will of man, but by the Holy Ghost, as was said before, which no man can interpret in his will. Nor are they to be led into the truth of them, which holy men gave forth by the Holy Ghost, unless it is by the same Holy Ghost that gave them forth, which leads into all truth and good manners, and conduct; and the same Holy Ghost gave forth the true doctrine of the scriptures.
And this Holy Ghost, which Christ sends, [to the obedient] leads to Him, the author and finisher of their precious faith, and to God, and to the same faith of Abraham, and Moses, and Enoch, that was before the scriptures were written, which guided them to see God, who is invisible, and to forsake all, and follow him. So does the same faith now, and brings unity with them, and to the comfort of the scriptures with all the faithful, which God and Christ has declared forth, and they see what is fulfilled, and what is to be obeyed.
So Christ is the author of their faith, who increases it in steps, until he perfects it when he brings your salvation:
{Your faith must stand in your experience of the power of God, not in words spoken by men or reading. The power of God is promised to deliver you [separate you] from your sins, which is salvation. You are saved through faith, and by faith your hearts are purified; but obviously in the beginning of faith, you are not purified, neither are you saved. You must contend for the faith, grow in the faith, build up your faith, increase in faith, perfect what is lacking in your faith, fight the good fight of faith, until victory, when your faith is finished by the finisher; faith is a process and a journey of works of repentance and love, the end of which is to see Christ bring your salvation, to bring your eternal life. From the Word of the Lord within: "Faith is a series of revelations."}
Now men being disobedient to the spirit of God, and to the voice of God and Christ, and gone from his light and grace, and obeying him in whom there is no truth, they make prayers for themselves, and for others, and think that the bare saying over their prayers, and their paternosters, (Our Father, their name for the Lord's prayer), and their praying by beads and books, they think that this will pacify the true God, (because something in themselves disquiets them), which God does not accept, the prayers of those who disobey and rebel against his good spirit, and obey the evil spirit. For the only prayers that God accepts, must proceed from his own spirit, which he has poured out upon all flesh.
So God, who is the holy, pure God of truth, must be prayed unto in his own holy, pure spirit; and such prayers and praises he expects, and accepts of; and not the prayers of the disobedient to his voice and good Spirit, who follow the foul, unclean spirit, in whom there is no truth.
And also, men may think to please the God of truth by saying grace, and making of graces (as they call them) for others to say; but they are mistaken who walk despitefully against the spirit of grace; it is not their making or saying of graces that makes them acceptable to God. For the grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared unto all men. Therefore all men must live in that grace, and observe its teaching, and deny all that which it shows them to be unlike God; and unrighteousness, not like the righteous, not like the holy God; and then in this grace the God of all grace will accept them, and their thanks, prayers and praises for all his mercies.
But if they walk despitefully against this spirit of grace, and turn this grace into wantonness, and then fall a making graces, and saying of them when they have made them, and following the unclean, foul spirit, that is out of truth, and abode not in the truth, in whom there is no truth; and doing the works that this unclean, foul spirit works in them, these works and spirit are for condemnation (and all those who act in it) by the light, and are judged by the spirit of the living God of truth?
And the world's god, who is out of truth, will allow such as disobey the truth, and follow his unclean spirit, to cry against blasphemy, when they are themselves the greatest blasphemers; as for instance: the Jews, unto whom Christ said, ‘they were of their father the devil;’ how they blasphemed against him, and called him a blasphemer, who never sinned, nor guile was found in his mouth; and how should they do otherwise but blaspheme, when they disobey the truth, and the spirit of God in their own hearts, and blaspheme both against him that was the truth, and those who walk in the truth, when they follow the world's god, in whom there is no truth?
And is it like, that the world's god and his followers should own revelation, prophecy, and inspiration these days, as the apostles had? Did not he and his followers call them deceivers, then, who with the spiritual weapons wrestled not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers, and rulers of darkness in high places, that were set up by the world's god, and in his dark old earth, in whom there is no truth?
And is it like, that them who follow the world's god, in whom there is no truth, in that false, foul, unclean spirit, should own the Holy Ghost, the spirit of truth, that proceeds from the Father and the Son, that should lead them (or the saints) into all truth.
And is it like, that the world's god, and those who follow him, in whom there is no truth, and disobey the God of truth, that he and they should own the worship of the God of truth, in the holy spirit and in the holy truth, which Christ the truth set up above one thousand six hundred years ago?
And is it likely, that the world's god, which abode not in the truth, in whom there is no truth, and his followers, should own Christ, and his true light, that is, the life in himself, with which he enlightens every man that comes into the world, and his doctrine, who said, ‘Believe in the light, that you may become children of the light: And he that believes is born of God, and overcomes the world;’ and so overcomes the world's god, in whom there is no truth. And so do you think that the world's god and his followers would own and obey Christ's doctrine, to have himself and his works overcome?
And is it likely, that the world's god, who is out of truth, and his followers, would have people to believe and receive, that Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man, which the world's god has brought into death? And that this grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared unto all men, to teach them and bring their salvation from him that does destroy them?
And do you believe that the world's god would have people to believe, that Christ, through death, destroys him (the devil) who is the power of death?
And do you think that the world's god, who is out of truth, and in whom there is no truth, and his followers, would have all people to believe that God pours out of his spirit upon all flesh, so that with his spirit all flesh may see God's glory, and his salvation to mankind, and his sons and daughters might come to prophecy and be seers and followers of the God of truth, and servers of him in his spirit?
And do you think that the world's god, in whom there is no truth, and his followers, would have people to own the revelation of the Son of God these days? Or rather keep them in blindness, in this world's wisdom, by which they do not know God, seeing that Christ said, ‘No man knows the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son reveals him?
So do you think that the world's god, in whom there is no truth, would have people to own revelation these days as it was in the apostle's days? The apostle tells the church of Christ, ‘That faith was revealed, and grace was brought unto them, by the revelation of Jesus; and no man knew the things of God, but as they were revealed by the spirit of God,’ which is pure and holy. And the Son of God is known by revelation, as Paul knew him; and the gospel is known by revelation; and the glory of God is revealed to those who know it. 1 Pet 1:5-7.
So do you think that the world's god, that foul, unclean, dark, murdering spirit, and those who obey him, would have people to own this pure, holy spirit of God, and the grace, light and truth, and the gospel that comes by Jesus Christ, the spotless lamb, and follow him in it? This is contrary to him and his kingdom, whom the spotless lamb destroys, and is the conqueror, and the saints follow and live in him the Amen; blessed and praised be the God of truth forever, through Jesus Christ.
6th month, 1679
George Fox
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