Ill News from New England, To the reader
To the true Chriſtian Reader.
THou maiſt herein (Christian Reader) ſee, and peruſe thy deſtiny in this preſent evill world (which ſeems in a great meaſure to be ſubjected unto devils) through which thou art to paſs unto that purchaſed poſſeſſion, and promiſed inheritance of the Saints in light, which is in that better world, which is not ſubjected unto Angels, but unto the Sonne of God himſelf; thou maiſt herein alſo obſerve, and take notice of the hand by whom from thy heavenly father thou art to receive that bitter cup, which he drunk off when he was here below; for thy ſake chiefly was this treatiſe brought forth into the publick view; I hope not to diſcourage thee, but to strengthen thine heart, that thou mightest not fear any of thoſe things, which thou ſhalt ſuffer, either from men or devils for thy teſtimony, that Jeſus is the Christ (it being that which will ſhortly appear the only prevailing, and victorious truth in all the world): for herein ſhalt thou alſo ſee that worthy ſaying lively accompliſhed; If ye ſuffer for the name of Chriſt bleſſed are ye, for the ſpirit of the Lord, and of glory resteth upon you; thou haſt a worthy name called on thee. My hearts deſire, and prayer to God on thy behalf, therefore is that thou maist enjoy ſuch a plentifull pouring forth of that holy ſpirit into thine heart, that thereby thou maiſt be inabled to walk worthy of it, and having ſo bright a beam of the Fathers glory in thy ſoul, it may ſo ſhine forth before the ſons of men, that they ſeeing thy good works may have cauſe administred to glorify our father, which is in heaven; It is not words now Chriſtian, (although they were ſpoken with tongues of men and Angels) when that worthy name is every where well ſpoken of, but faith that works by love, and love by works that will diſtinguiſh a heady from a hearty Chriſtian. Say not in thine heart that Christs Comands are low, and his appointments carnall, legal injunctions, and at the beſt, but neat for babes; least hereby thine heart be declared to be vainly puft …p in thy carnall or fleſhly mind, and to have too low, and carnall conceits of Christ himſelf, who is the injoyner, appointer, and commander thereof, and ſhall ere long appear as Judge, yea leaſt hereby thou be declared ignorant, or at the best forgetful of this one thing, that it is the great deſign of God in Chriſt as to glorifie himſelf to admiration in poor ſinful fleſh, ſo whileſt he doth it to hide pride from man, and therefore as he hath choſen not many wiſe, mighty, nor noble of this world, but the fooliſh, weak, baſe, deſpiſed nothings thereof, ſo hath he ſuited his commands, and appointments thereunto, and intends through theſe fooliſh things ſo to cauſe his wiſdome to ſhine forth as thereby to confound the wiſe; through theſe weak things ſo to cauſe his power to appear, as thereby to confound the things that are mighty; and through theſe baſe diſpiſed things that are not, to bring to nought thoſe noble, glorious, and excellent things of the world that are; Thou mayst herein ſee (gentle Reader) that I have rather choſen to bear witneſs to the faith, and order of our Lord, and to ſhew unto the world, but eſpecially unto thee, what is the mind of Christ in this time of his abſence as to faith, and obedience, to ſhew I ſay rather what is truth, which is but one, than to bear witneſs against the ly, which is ſo various, knowing that the truth once eſtabliſhed ſhall diſcover the falſhood, and light breaking forth ſhall ſcatter the darkneſs. And whileſt I lead thee forth to ſeek him whom thy ſoul loveth, and longeth after, who is alſo thy joy, and thy Crown; while I lead thee I ſay by the footsteps of thoſe flocks that first truſted in Christ, and were fed by ſuch pastors according to his own heart, as he gave them, God forbid that thou ſhouldst be as one that wilt turn aſide by the flocks of his companions, and ſhouldſt be found remaining either on the left ſide in a viſible way of worſhip in deed, but ſuch as was neither appointed by Chriſt, nor yet practiſed by them who firſt truſted in him, or on the right in no viſible way of worſhip, or order at all either pretending that the outward court is given to the Gentiles, and the holy City is by them to be troden under foot; that the Church of Chriſt is now in the wilderneſs, and the time of its recovery is not yet, or elſe pretending that God is a ſpirit, and ſo will in ſpirit be worſhipped, and not in this place or that, in this way or that. Well if thou beeſt in theſe waies miſled I can no longer forbear in tenderneſs of ſpirit, and compaſſionate bowels of love to ſtretch forth a helping hand thereby to try whether it be the good pleaſure of God at this time to drop down a word of light, and life, and power into thine heart, that thou mayeſt be there by awakned, and quickned to be ſtill ſaying within thy ſoul; Lord what wilt thou have me to do? ſo ſhalt thou hear ſuch a ſaying as this, Come out from among them (Oh my people) and be ye ſeparate from them, and touch no unſanctifyed thing, and I will receive you, and be a father unto you, and ye ſhall be my ſons, and daughters, ſaith the Lord▪ God Almighty, and alſo ſuch a ſaying as this, Bleſſed are they that do his commands for they have right to the tree of life, and ſhall enter in through thoſe gates of pearl into that glorious City; Rev. 22. 14. and know that theſe are the commandments of Jeſus ſci. As ye have received Chriſt Jeſus the Lord, ſo walk ye in him; and behold I come quickly, hold that faſt which thou haſt, yea hold faſt till I come; And ſuch as may be under the later diſceptions let me intreat thee to ponder theſe words in thine heart ſci. That prophecies although marvelous plain, and eaſy to be understood, cannot warrant a pure conſcience to neglect, much leſs to caſt off the commandments and oppointments of Jeſus, neither can the spirit of Christ direct or incourage the heart of a Chriſtian to cast off his lordſhip; no, no, the spirit of Chriſt is hereby distinguiſhed from that of Antichriſt, in that he ſhall unfainedly confeſs that Jeſus is the Christ, and that this Christ Jeſus is come in the fleſh, and when he is come according to promiſe into the heart of a Chriſtian, he ſhall not speak of himſelf, but as a meſſenger his office is to gloryfie Chriſt by taking of him, and his, and ſhewing it unto, yea writing it in the heart of a Chriſtian, ſo that I dare boldly ſay, there is none for the exaltation of Christ Jeſus the lord according to his last will and testament, and for the nouriſhing a lively hope in the heart of a Chriſtian concerning his glorious return, I ſay there is none to that holy ſpirit of promiſe, who being alſo the spirit of truth, ſhall guide the ſouls of the Saints to worſhip the father, as in spirit, ſo likewiſe in truth; and therfore that spirit that speaks of himſelf, and is ſo far from▪ taking of Chriſts to exalt, and gloryfie him according as he hath foretold and his father intended, that he takes from Christ, laies him low, and diminiſheth his glory, that ſpirit cannot be the spirit of Chriſt, or that holy spirit of promiſe; and for aſmuch as the ſpirit ſpeaketh expreſly that in theſe later daies there ſhall be ſeducing ſpirits that ſhall deceive if it were poſſible the very elect of God, whoſe incounter will not be ſo much with fleſh and blood, but with wicked ſpirits in high places, let me therfore exhort thee in the words of that beloved diſciple of Chriſt; beleive not every ſpirit, but try the ſpirits; and that by this rule, whether they be of God or no, bring them to the wholſome words of the holy Apostles, Prophets, and ſon of God; ye erre (ſaith Chriſt) not knowing the ſcriptures, and the power of God; let it be thy care (Christian) therfore to ſearch the Scriptures, and therein to wait for the power and glory of the spirit of God. And look to thy ſpirit for as immediately before Christs appearing in fleſh, Satan in a large meaſure poſſeſſed the bodies of men, that by his caſting them out, his power in fleſh might appear; So before his coming again in glory I have grounds to expect that the minds & ſpirits of men ſhall be ſtrongly poſſeſſed; and that as this fundamentall concluſion, Thou art Jeſus the ſon of the living God, ſhall be improved to the utmoſt by the holy Spirit of Chriſt in the hearts and lives of the ſons and daughters of God, ſo ſhall the ſame concluſion be improved to the utmost by way of a bewitching deception in the hearts and lives of the ſons of men by the ſpirit of Antichrist, which myſtery being brought to the height, then ſhall Chriſt Jeſus conſume him with the ſpirit of his mouth, and ſhall destroy him with the brightneſs of his coming. Therfore (Chriſtian) ſtand thou upon thy watch, and know, that if Chriſt be formed in thee, thou canst not but be transformed by him, and the beſt form that thou canſt be found in when thy Lord ſhall appear, will be in that form, and ſo doing, as he hath appointed, walking wiſely and in peace toward all men. Conſider what hath been spoken to thee, and the God of truth and peace give thee to understand and do his will; which is the constant and earneſt ſupplication and prayer of
thine in Chriſt Jeſus JOHN CLARK