Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the Father doth send in Christ's name, which did teach the apostles and the saints all things, and brought to their remembrance whatsoever Christ had declared unto them, which Holy Ghost did come according to Christ's promise, as in Acts ii.

And Christ said to his disciples, when they should be called before magistrates for his name's sake, he bade them, 'take no thought what to answer, for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.'

So here the Holy Ghost was their teacher. Luke xx.

But you may see often the prophets and Christ speaks to the Jews, 'how they stopped their ears, and closed their eyes, and would not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, lest they should be converted, and he should heal them; and such rebelled against the good spirit, that God gave them to instruct them, and resisted the Holy Ghost:' and it is well if too many of you, called christians, do not so now: but some there are that say, they have not the same Holy Ghost and power, as the apostles had; then they cannot pray in the same Holy Ghost, nor have the same comfort and fellowship in the Holy Ghost, as they had, nor be led into all truth.

And it is said in Isa. xxvi. 9. ' with my soul have I desired thee in the night, to wit, the Lord; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.'

So my desire is, that all christians were of this spirit and mind; and if all flesh will not obey this good spirit which strives with them all, when his judgments are come into the earth, that will make them to learn righteousness.

For, lo, he that formed the mountains, and created the winds, and declareth unto man what is his thoughts, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, the Lord of hosts is his name.' Amos iv. 30.

Surely this might convince all men, that God is a God at hand, that sheweth unto them their thoughts by his good spirit.

And God strove with the old world, his spirit, and they grieved him, but at last he overthrew them: and God strove with the Jews by his spirit, which he had given them to instruct them, but they rebelled against it, so as at last he overthrew them also.

And now God hath sent his Son to die for all,' and his gospel is preached to all nations, and every creature under heaven; and Christ hath enlightened all with the light, which is the life in the word, which was in the beginning, and God hath poured out his spirit upon all flesh: ' and the grace of God which brings salvation, hath appeared unto all men, to teach them,' and bring their salvation.

And now, if christians and others do hate the divine light of Christ, and quench his spirit, and turn his grace into wantonness, and walk despitefully against it, and resist the Holy Ghost, which reproves them of their sin, righteousness, and judgment, which is the leader of Christ's disciples into all truth, and teacher, and comforter.

I say, let all Christendom take heed lest God Almighty overthrow them, as he did Sodom and the old world, and the Jews, and mingle them amongst the heathens, as he did them; for such as have the form of godliness, and deny the power thereof, are to be turned away from, by all God's people.

And also it is said in Mich. vi. 'he, to wit, the Lord, hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requireth of thee, to do justly, and love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.'

Now let all Christendom consider this, high and low, what God Almighty hath shewed unto you, and what he requires of you. First, he hath shewed you what is good, that ye might shun the evil: here God is your teacher and shewer of what is good. Secondly, what God doth require of you, after he hath shewn you the good, to wit, to do justly, to love mercy and walk humbly with God.

Here God shewed man his duty, both to God and man, and how to walk before God and man; here God is your teacher by his spirit, if ye will hear his voice, and hearken unto him who shews you this.

Now the Jews made a great profession of the scriptures in the Old Testament, and said God was their Father, but Christ told them, if God was their Father, they would love him, for he proceeded from the Father.

And further, Christ said unto them, 'he that is of God heareth God's words; ye therefore, are not of God, because ye hear them not.'

And therefore, says Christ to the Jews, 'ye are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do ; [mark, ye will do,] for the devil was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there was no truth in him;' when he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own; for he is a liar and the father of it.

Now these Jews that were erred from the spirit, and rebelled against it, which God had poured upon them, could profess the scriptures, and that God was their Father; but Christ said, 'ye are of your Father the devil, who was a murderer, and his lusts ye will do;' and they did it, for they murdered Christ. John viii. 42, to 48.

And therefore, let all Christendom take heed, lest they err from this spirit which God hath poured upon all flesh; then they go from the spirit of truth, and do the devil's lusts, like the Jews, that crucified Christ without the gates, and they come to crucify to themselves Christ afresh, and then persecute and murder his saints, where he is manifest.

And the apostle saith, in Acts iii. that Moses truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me, him shall ye hear in all things; whatsoever he shall say unto you; and it shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from amongst the people.'

And further, the apostle saith, that all the prophets from Samuel, and those that followed after, as many as have spoken of him, likewise foretold of these days, to wit, the days of Christ.' Acts iii.

And so Moses as a servant, was faithful in his house ;' but Christ, as a Son, is over his house, whose house we are, says the apostle to the church in the primitive times.

Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, 'to-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.' Heb. iii.

But you may see whose voice we must hear, the voice of Christ, the voice of this prophet, whom God hath raised up, and not man; Christ the Son of God, who is over his household, and they that do not hear his voice, hardens their hearts, and therefore, the Holy Ghost saith unto you, whilst it is called to-day hear his voice,' and therefore, ye must not put it off till to-morrow, for ye may be dead before to-morrow.

'And they that despised Moses's law, died without mercy, under two or three witnesses; how much sorer punishment suppose ye, shall they be thought worthy of, who have trodden under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and have dealt despitefully unto the spirit of grace,' as in Heb. x.

Oh! therefore, all ye called christians, take heed, do not despite unto the spirit of grace, but let it be your teacher to season your words, and establish your hearts, and it will bring your salvation.

For the true church, in the primitive times, entered into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way; and Christ was their high priest over the household of God, which all true christians were then, and are now, that were the true church.

And the apostle told them, that they were come to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, and to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, and to the general assembly, the church of the first born, written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling,' &c.

'So if they did not escape, that refused him that spoke on earth, much less shall we escape says he, if we refuse him, to wit, Christ that speaks from heaven.'

So you may see here what the true church was to come to in the

primitive times, and whom they were to hear, the prophet whom God had raised up; and this was after Christ was risen.

And now let Christendom examine themselves, and see if they be come to Mount Zion, and to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the innumerable company of angels,' and to the general assembly and church of the first born written in heaven, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator, and to the blood of sprinkling;' and that they do not turn away from hearing Christ that speaks from heaven. Heb. xii. For he stands at the door and knocks.' Rev. iii.

And the apostle saith, such an high priest became us (to wit, Christ,) who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and is made higher than the heavens.' Heb. vii.

Now this is the priest and prophet which is over God's house, and becomes it; and all the true christians that hear Christ's voice, are his house; so the true christian's high priest is holy, harmless; he will do none hurt, but good; he is undefiled, for he leads out of defilement; he is separate from sinners, for no guile nor sin is found in his mouth; he is made higher than the heavens, and higher than Aaron's priesthood, and higher than all the priesthoods made at schools; and he remains in the heavens, until all things be restored,' and he is restoring by his light, spirit and power, up unto himself: and they that are restored 'sits in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.' Ephes. ii. 6.

So God was the teacher of Adam and Eve in paradise, and as long as they kept under his teaching they were happy.

The serpent was the false and second teacher, and Adam and Eve hearkening unto him, and forsaking God's teaching, they lost paradise, and became unhappy.

And God said, the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head, who is the head of all false teachers.

And so as the apostle said, 'God at sundry times, and in divers manners spoke unto our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he hath spoken unto us by his Son.'

So God spake to the prophets before the flood, and after the flood, and in the time of the law; but now in these last days (the christian days,) 'he hath spoken unto us by his Son :' us, the church, the true christians; so he is the speaker now to all the true christians.

And so Christ, by whom all things were made, he was the first, and he is the last;' and he is the Quakers' first speaker, and the last; for God hath spoken unto us by his Son, that God, who was the speaker unto, and teacher of Adam and Eve in paradise before they fell: and the serpent that was the false teacher and speaker, Christ bruises the head of him, and through death destroyed him the power of death, to wit, the devil.

And I say again, God hath spoken unto us by his Son, who renews us up in the image and likeness of God, in righteousness, and holiness, as Adam and Eve were in, before they fell.

So the same God that was the speaker unto Adam and Eve in paradise, has spoken unto us by his Son, who was the speaker to the church in the primitive times; glory to God forever.

And all must hear him, and believe in him, and follow him, in the life. And therefore, hearken to his voice, and take heed ye be not found in the spirit of deep slumber, as the Jews were in; and have eyes, and see not, and ears, and hear not; and that your outward things and inventions be not a snare and a trap to you, like unto the Jews' table, whose table was made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompence unto them though they talked of God and Christ, yet they did not receive him when he came. And you, called christians, talk much of Christ, and that he is come, but if ye have him not, ye have not life; and if he be not in you, ye are reprobates.

6

And therefore, quench not the spirit of God, nor hate his light, but believe in it,' as Christ commands, and mind what the righteousness of faith speaks; the word is nigh thee, even in thy heart, and in thy mouth, to obey it, and do it; and that is the word of faith which we preach,' saith the apostle.

Now if all Christendom had continued in this word of faith in their hearts and mouths, the apostle preached and obeyed it, and done it, they had been all reconciled to God, and to the scriptures, and one to another. And the holy men of God gave forth scriptures, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost;' and Christ saith, 'it is the Holy Ghost that leads into all truth.'

6

So none can be led into all truth but by the same Holy Ghost that spake forth scriptures, and such come to sit under God and Christ's teaching.

And Christ has ended the worldly sanctuary, and the tabernacle made with hands, as you may see in the Hebrews.

And Stephen told the Jews that much adored the outward temple: Solomon says, he built an house, 'howbeit, the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands,' as saith the prophet. Isa. lxvi. 'Thus saith the Lord, heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool; where is the house that ye built unto me? where is the place of my rest? for all those things hath my hand made, and all those things have been,' saith the Lord; but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word.'

And Solomon, that built the temple, said, 'behold, the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, much less this house that I have built.' 2 Chron. vi. and Acts vii.