{Third Part 89}The Testimony of the said Isaac Penington, the Younger now followeth.
The Apostles and Ministers of Christ came from Christ with a Message of Life and Salvation, with a Testimony concerning the Good Will of God, and his Love to Mankind, pointing out the Way from Death to Life, from Bondage to Liberty, from Wrath and Destruction to Peace and Salvation. What they have seen, what they have felt, what they have tasted, what they had handled, what they have found redeem and deliver them, that they declare abroad to others, as they are moved, as they are sent, as they are guided and assisted.
Now that which they preach to, is Mens Conscience in the Sight of God. They open the Truth which they know, they give their Testimony in the Moving, Leading, and Power of the Spirit; and they leave it to the same Spirit, to demonstrate it to Mens Consciences, as it pleaseth. They are nothing; they can do nothing; they cannot convert any Man to God; but the Power that speakers by them, the same Power worketh in other Mens Consciences at its Pleasure: And here is the beginning of the Government of Christ in the Heart, when his Truth carries Conviction with it to the Conscience, and the Conscience is drawn to yield it self up to him, then he lays his Yoak upon it, and takes upon him the guiding of it: he cherisheth it, he cleanseth it, he comforteth it, he ordereth it at his Pleasure; and he alone preserve it pure, chast, gentle, Meek, and pliable to the Impressions of his Spirit; and as the Conscience is kept single and tender to Christ, so his Government encreases therein: but as it becomes hard, or subject to Mens Wills, so another Spirit get Dominion over it.
{[Third Part 90} Therefore the great work of the Minister of Christ, is to keep the Conscience open to Christ, and to preserve Men from receiving any Truths of Christ as from them, further than the Spirit opens, or to imitate any of their Practices, further than the Spirit leads, guides, and persuades them. For Persons are exceeding prone to receive things as Truths, from those whom they have an high Opinion of, and to Imitate their Practices; and so hurt their own growth, and endanger their Souls. For if I receive a Truth, before the Lord by his Spirit make it manifest to me, I lose my Guide, and follow but the Counsel of the Flesh; which is exceeding greedy of receiving Truths, and running into Religious Practices without the Spirit. Therefore the main thing in Religion, is to keep the Conscience pure to the Lord, to know the Guide, to follow the Guide, to receive from him that Light whereby I am to walk, and not to take things for Truths, because others see them to be Truths; but wait till the Spirit make them manifest to me; nor to run into Worships, Duties, Performances, or Practices, because others are led thither; but to wait till the Spirit leads me thither. He that makes haste to be rich (even in Religion, running into Knowledge, and into Worships, and Performances, before he feel a true and clear Guidance) shall not be Innocent: nor the Lord will not hold him guiltless, when he comes to visit for Spiritual Adultery, and Idolatry. The Apostles were exceeding tender in this point; for though they certainly and infallibly knew what was to be believed, yet they were not Lords over Mens Faith; but waited till he, who is Lord of the Faith, would open the way into Mens Consciences. They did not take upon them to be able to turn the Key, to let in Truth and Conviction into Mens Spirits (as men in these Days have been too apt to undertake) but directed them to him who had the Key, there to wait for the Conviction and Illumination of their Minds, and so to receive in, as they found him give forth to them.
{Third Part 91} Let every man (saith the Apostle) be fully perswaded in his own Mind: take heed of receiving things too soon, take heed of running into Practices too soon, & doing what ye see others do; but wait for your own particular Guidance, and a Full Perswasion from God, what is his Will concerning you. Tho I know this to be a Truth, yet do not ye receive it, till God make it manifest to you; receive Truth from his Hand, stay till He gives it You. Indeed that main Matter in Religion, is to keep out the wrong part, the forward part, the bastardly birth, from running into Duties, catching of Openings, and Laying hold of Promises; and to feel the Heir born of the Immortal Seed, to whom all belongs; and the other Birth never afterwards get up above him, but be subdued and brought into Subjection.
Again sayeth the Apostle, Take heed of doing any thing doubtingly; be not forward; be not hasty; wait for the leading; wait for the Manifestation of the Spirit. Be sure thou receive what thou receives in the Faith, and Practice what thou practisest in the Faith: For whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin, being an Errour from the Principle of Life, which is to guide: and thereby thou loses ground, and dishonoureth Christ, and comets under Condemnation.
And so the Apostle Warns Believers, To take heed of drawing one another on too fast, or of Judging one another in such things as some of them might have Light in, others not. He that eateth, not to Judge him that did not eat; and he that did not eat, not to Judge him that did eat; yea in Matters of Worship, he that observed a Day, and kept a Sabbath, not to Judge him that observed not a Day, or kept not a Sabbath: For the Jews, which were truly converted, yet were hard to be drawn off from the Observation of their Sabbath, and could hardly bear with the Believing Gentiles, who were never taught to keep their Sabbath with them, but were taught to esteem every day, and sanctifie it to the Lord Rom. 14. 5. And to those who esteemed every day, and dedicated it to the Lord (ceasing from Sin, and resting to him; {Third Part 92} for under the Gospel we are not to set up a new Type, but to enter by Faith into the true Rest, which is the Substance of what the other signified) could hardly bear with them who observed a Day. Even in the Apostles Days, Christians were too apt to strive after a wrong Unity, and Uniformity in Outward Practices and Observations, and to Judge one another Unrighteously in those things. And mark, it is not the different Practice from one another, that breaks the Peace and Unity; but the Judging of one another because of different Practices; he that keeps not a Day, may unite in the same Spirit, in the same Life, in the same Love with him that keeps a Day; and he who keeps a Day, may unite in Heart and Soul, with the same Spirit and Life in him who keeps not a Day; but he that Judgeth the other because of either of these, Errs from the Spirit, from the Love, from the Life, and so breaks the Bond of Unity. And he that draws another to any Practice, before the Life in his own Particular lead him, does as much as in him lies to destroy the Soul of that Person, Vers. 15. This was the Apostles Rule, for every one to perform singly to the Lord what he did, and not for one to meddle with the Light or Conscience of another (undervaluing his Brother, or Judging him, because his Light and Practices differed from his, Vers. 10. of that 14th Chap.) but every one to keep close to their own Measure of Light, even to that proportion of Faith and Knowledge which God of his Mercy hath bestowed on them; and here is the true Unity in the Spirit, in the Inward Life, and not in an Outward Uniformity, that was not necessary. Men keeping close to God, the Lord will lead them on fast enough, and give them Light fast enough (for he takes care of such, and knoweth what Light, and what Practices are most proper for them) but for Men to walk on faster then the Lord holds forth Light to them, this overturns {Third Part 93} them; raising up a wrong thing in them, and the true Birth hereby comes to suffer, to shrink, and be driven back. And Oh! how sweet and pleasant is it to the truly Spiritual Eye, to see several sorts of Believers, several Forms of Christians in the School of Christ, every one learning their own Lesson, performing their own peculiar Service and knowing, owning, and loving one another in their several Places, and different Performances to their Master, to whom they are to give an Account, and not to quarrel with one another about their different Practices, Rom. 14. 4. For this is the true ground of Love and Unity; not that such a man walks and does just as I do; but because I feel the same Spirit of Life in him, and in that he walks in his Rank, in his own order, in his proper way and Place of Subjection to that; and this is far more pleasing to me, than if he walked just in that track wherein I walk: nay (so far as I am Spiritual) I cannot so much as desire that he should do so, until he be particularly led thereto by the same Spirit which led me. And he that knows what it is to receive and Truths from the Spirit, and to be led in Practices by the Spirit, and how prone the Fleshly Man is to make haste, and how dangerous that haste is, will not be forward to press Knowledge or Practices upon others; but rather wait patiently till the Lord fit them for the receiving thereof, and fear lest they should receive and practice too soon, even in that part which cannot serve the Lord. And this I can truly say concerning my self, I never found my Spirit forward to draw any, either to any thing I believed to be true, or to any Practice or Way of Worship I observed or walked in, but desired that the Power and leadings of Life might go before them; and was afraid, lest men should receive things from my hand, and not from the Lords. Yea, and this I very well remember, that when I walked in the way of Independency (as it hath been commonly called) I had more Unity with {Third Part 94} more Love towards such as were single-Hearted in other Ways and Practices of Worship (whose Spirits I had some feeling of in the True Simplicity and in the Life) than with divers of such who were very Knowing and Zealous in that way of Independency, in whom a wrong thing in the mean time had got upon which had chased them to swerve from the Life, and from the Simplicity.
So that the true Church Government being in the Spirit, and over the Conscience, as in the Sight of God, the great Care must be to keep it within its Bounds, that nothing else govern but the Spirit, and that the Government be extended only unto that which is to be Governed.
First, Care must be had, that nothing Govern in the Church of Christ, but the Spirit of Christ: Every Minister in the Church is to watch over his own Spirit, that it intrude not into the work of God, that it take not upon it to be the Teacher the Exhorter, the Reprover, &c. And every Member is to wait in that Measure of the Spirit which he hath recieved, to feel the Goings forth of the Spirit in him that teacheth and governeth; and so to subject not to Man, but to the Lord, to recieve from the Lord, to Obey the Lord. Not to know any Minister according to the Flesh, but to receive and submit to what comes from the Spirit, in the Spirit. Not to know Paul or Apollo, or Cephas, but the Spirit ministering in them. Paul may Err, Peter may Err and did Err, when he Compelled the Gentiles to live as the Jews Gal 2. 14. for which Paul withstood him to the Face, Vers. 11 and Barnabas also did Err, Vers 13. but the Spirit cannot Err: and he that keeps to the Measure of the Spirit in himself, cannot let in any of their Errors, if they should Err, but is preserved; for the least Measure of the Spirt is true, and gives true Judgment: but he that recieveth never so great a Measure of the Spirit, yet if he keep not {Third Part 95} Low therein, but Lift up himself because thereof above his Brethren, may easily Err himself, and draw aside others into this Errour.
Secondly, Care must be had that the Conscience be kept tender, that nothing be recieved but according to the Light in the Conscience; the Conscience is the seat of Faith; and if it be not kept close to the Light, which God Lighteth there, Faith is soon made shipwrack of. Christianity is begun in the Spirit, which keepeth out the Fleshly Part, with all its fleshly Wisdom, and Reasonings about Spiritual Things: and as the beginning is in the anointing so must the Progress be. As the Spirit begins in the Conscience, by convincing that, by perswading that, by setting up his Light there, and leading the soul by the Light: so that Light must still be eyed, and according to its growth and manifestation in the Conscience, so must the Soul stand still, or go on.
The great error of the Ages of Apostasy hath been, to set up an Outward Order, and Uniformity, and to make Mens Consciences bend thereto, either by Arguments of Wisdom, or by Force: but the Property of the true Church Government is, to leave the Conscience to its full liberty in the Lord, to preserve it single and entire for the Lord to exercise, and to seek Unity in the Light and in the Spirit, walking Sweetly and harmoniously together in the midst of Different Practices; yea, and he that hath Faith, and can see beyond another, yet can have it to him-self, and not disturb his Brother with it, but can descend and walk with him according to his measure . And if his Brother have any heavy Burthen upon him, he can lend him his Shoulder, and bear part of his burthen with him. Oh how sweet and lovely is it to see Brethren dwell together in Unity! to see the true Image of God raised in Persons, and they knowing and Loving one another in that Image, and bearing with one another through Love, and helping one another under their {Third Part 96} Temptations and Distresses of Spirit, which every one must expect to meet with.
If thou art a Christian in Deed and in Truth, preserve thy Conscience pure and tender towards God; do not defile it with such Religious Practices, Duties, Ordinances, &c. as thou dost not feel the Spirit leading thee into: for all such are Idols, and exceedingly polute thee. And be tender also of the Brothers Conscience, and be not an instrument to draw him into any thing which the Lord leads him not into; but rejoyce if thou find him in Simplicity of Heart startling at any thing: for if he abide here faithful, his Guide will in due season appear to him, and clear up his way before him; but if he be too hasty, he may follow a Wrong Guide, and that Guide will never lead him aright towards the Kingdom, but entangle him further and further from it.
Oh how many have run a Whoring from the Lord! how many have first lost the Guidance of his Spirit, and then drowned their Life in Religious Performances! How many have Drunk the Cup of Fornication from the Life, at the Hands of the Fleshly Wisdom! How many have filled their Spirit with New-Testament Idols and Images! How many have even hardened their Hearts and Consciences, by following the Doctrines of Men, their imaginary Meanings of Scriptures, and the imaginations and Dreams of their own Hearts! Is it not time for men at length to turn back towards the Lord to wait for the Visitation and Light of his Spirit, from whom they have gone a Whoring, and whom, in all these things they have grieved? And if ever any feel and enjoy the Guidance of God’s Spirit, their Conscience must be kept tender to it and ready to hear and follow his voice, who speaks in Spirit to that which is born of him, which infallibly knows his Voice, and (being kept clear) cannot doubt Concerning it. My Sheep hear my voyce (saith Christ) they know it, and the voice of the strange Spirit they knew not, so as to follow it, but turn {Third Part 97} from it both in themselves and others. But, that which is not the Sheep, but hath only got the Sheeps Cloathing, cries out, How shall we know the Voice of the Spirit? we may be decieved; Nay, that which is born of God, that which is the Elect of God, cannot be deceived. Wait therefore for the Birth of the Spirit, to which the Spirit is given for a Guide, who infallibly guides it out of Deceit. All Deceivers are out of this Birth, out of this Spirit; perhaps in some Birth or other framed from the Letter, and living in the Imitation of same Practices and Ordinances from the Letter (under which Cover they lie in wait to deceive) but Strangers to the Life and Power, and to that Wisdom which begets and bears to God. Thus the Jews Erred, and all along the Apostasy, and indeed (for the Generality) have not been true Christians, but only a persecuted Remnant amongst them: whose Life hath been nourished and preserved, not by Doctrines and Observations, which they have been taught by the Precepts of Men, nor by the Knowledge which they themselves have gathered, but by a little Bread, daily handed to them from the Father of Mercies, out of the Wilderness: that was the thing which nourished their Souls up to God, though many of them knew not distinctly what it was that nourished them, nor how they came by it.
Object. But is not Uniformity lovely? and doth not the Apostle exhort Christians to be of one Mind? and were it not a sweet thing if we were all of one Heart and one Way?
Answer. Yea; Uniformity is very lovely, and to be desired and waited for, as the Spirit of the Lord (which is one) leads and draws into one. But for the Fleshly Part (the {Third Part 98} Wise Reasoning Part of Man) by fleshly Ways and Means to strive to bring about a Fleshly Uniformity, which insnares and overbears the tender Conscience, this is not Lovely, nor Spiritual, nor Christian. And the Apostle, who Exhorts Christians to one Mind, yet doth not bid them, force one another to one Mind, but walk together sweetly, so far as they had attained; and wherein they were otherwise minded, God in his due time would reveal more to them, Phil. 3. 15, 16. He that hath, to him shall be given; and the Intent and Work of the Ministry (with the several Ministrations of it) is to bring into the Unity (Ephes, 4. 13.) as Persons are able to follow, and not to force all Men into one Practice or Way; that’s the way to destroy the Faith, and the true Unity, and at best can introduce a Fleshly Appearance of Unity into such a Form of Worship and Godliness, as eats out the Power. And for being of one Heart and one Way; Blessed be the Lord, this is in measure known and witnessed: The Way is one, Christ the Truth of God; and he that is in the Faith, and in the Obedience to the Light, which shines from his Spirit into the Heart of every Believer, hath a tast of the one Heart and of the one Way; and knoweth that no Variety of Practices (which is of God) can make a Breach in the true Unity. This is the one Way, for every one to be subject to the Light of Christs Spirit, which he hath received from Christ; and every one keeping here, there is also one Heart kept in the midst of all the Variety, and diversity of Practices.
‘Tis needful to be observed, that in the City of London a Free Meeting was held between R. Barclay and me, in the presence of G.F. and many others, wherein we treated on many things contained in R.B’s Book of Government, which I then did, and ever since have accounted Erroneous: and on the whole matter, one part of the Meeting, viz. Charles Marshall with thirty six Persons more, advised R. B. (as anon by their {Third Part 99} Paper cited will appear) on this wise, “It is the desire of this Meeting, that the said R.B. (as he feels in himself the Openings of Life thereunto) will in Christian Condescension to the Capacities of the Weak, write an Explanatory Postscript to the said Book, for the Sakes of all such as may be supposed to have misapprehended any Expression therein”, Now for as much as the said R.B. hath by way of Epistle to Friends written an Explanatory Postscript (though not Printed the same) I thought meet to cite it together with my Observations thereon, as followeth.
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