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you hate Christ, for you do not come to the knowledge of God but by the light; he that comes to the knowledge of God, knows his Son; now none comes to the Son, but who owns and comes to the light, which from the Son doth come: and this light brings to one heart, one mind, one people, one God, one mediator, betwixt God and man; and this light unites and brings Jew and Gentile together; and he that believes not in the light, doth not believe in God, who is light, nor know his Son, who enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world. And to you this is the word of the Lord.

A VISITATION

TO ALL YOU THAT HAVE LONG HAD THE SCRIPTURES,

But are found out of the Life of them that gave them forth, that are stumbling about the words, fighting and contending about them, imprisoning and persecuting them that witness the Life, that gave them forth.—By G. F.

To all you who are from the life of the law, and the prophets, which is light, and from the spirit of understanding, which gave forth the scripture, and hearing hear not, and seeing see not, having hearts and underderstand not, whose ears are heavy, whose eyes are shut, and whose hearts are fat; who are in the transgression, out of the law of God, and his covenant first and second, against all such the Lord sent his prophet to declare, and commanded him, go tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed, but perceive not, make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them,* who were from the light, who with that ear could not hear.

Now the prophet was in the life of the law, the people were here gone from the life of the law, therefore the life turned against them that were from that of God in them; and the life of the law, the life turning against them, being one with that of God in them, which they were gone from, so the life blinded them, and their ears became heavy, and their hearts fat, and their eyes shut, and they could not hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts, nor be converted, even such as were gone from the life, with which the spirit of God was one, in which the prophet was.

And the prophet Isaiah told this people, that were gone from the life of the law, what the Lord would do with his vineyard, he would take away the hedge thereof, and it should be eaten up, and break down the wall thereof, and it should be trodden down; and I will lay it waste, and it shall not be pruned, nor digged;† I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it: for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant, he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but be

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hold a cry. These were those that were blind, where the judgment was not, but the oppression, and were from the light, such Christ came to make blind, against whom went the woe that drew iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart-rope, that called good evil, and evil good, such as were from the life of the law, and such as these hearing hear not, and seeing see not, whose hearts are made fat: make them fat, whose eyes are shut lest they should see, whose ears are heavy lest they should hear. Then said I, Lord how long? and he answered, until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without men, and the land be utterly desolate; [mark and take notice of this] until the cities be without inhabitant, and the houses without men, and the land be utterly desolate.* Now such as were here out of the life of the law and the prophets, being in the transgression, the life went against them that were from the life, and blinded them, and stopped that ear, and that heart cannot understand, that against the life is turned, until the city be wasted without inhabitant, and God hides his counsel and secrets from this eye, and from this ear; so he comes to make them blind, that they cannot see, which are in the transgression, but doth not blind the eye that the prophet saw withal.

And again the prophet said to them that were out of the life of the law, in the transgression. Stay yourselves and wonder, for the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets, and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered, the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, read this I pray thee, and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for I am not learned. Wherefore thus saith the Lord, forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men, therefore will I proceed, &c. These people were gone from the life of the law, whose hearts were far removed from God, to these the book was sealed, and the vision of all was become unto them as a sealed book, and they could not read it, neither the learned, nor the unlearned, for to both it was sealed; to this people that could not see nor hear was the book sealed, whose eye was blinded though they were learned or unlearned, such as were gone from the life of the law, which was the light, the life of the law, the light they had not, and such the prophet saw, who was in the light of the Holy Ghost, and their fear towards the Lord was taught by the precepts of men, (as it is now with them that are blind,) these their eyes were closed, upon

• Isa. 6. 11.

† Isa. 29. 9, 10, 11, 12, &c.

whom was poured a spirit of deep sleep, who staggered like a drunken man, but not with wine, who sought deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and worked in the dark, among whom the Lord will do a marvellous work, and a wonder, the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid.

These were them that turned things upside down, who should be esteemed as the potter's clay; for shall the work say to him that made it, he made me not? or, shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding? yea, he sees [take notice] that hath made and framed: mind this, you who call upon God with your lips, but your hearts afar off, who be strangers from the life of his law, who turn things upside down that must be turned upside down, before the life of the law, which is the light, be known, and your eyes opened. Who are in the spirit of slumber, and the spirit of deep sleep, yet have wisdom and a prudent understanding: these were them that the prophet saw erred from the life of the law, and such God made blind; for the promise was when God gave forth the law, the blessing, and they that were in the life saw the end of it; a curse was not to them that did abide in the life of the law, the woe was not to them but the blessing; the curse was to them that Idid not abide in the life of the law, and such came not to see the end of what they professed; and these went from the life of the law to men's precepts, and they were such as called upon God with their lips, but their hearts were afar off; and such owning not the life of the law, they owned not Christ when he came, who was the end of it, but were blind, and so Isaiah's words came to be fulfilled, which were spoken forth from the life, when Christ came, who was the life, they that had the words of the law, and were out of the life, knew him not, but were blinded, and by hearing should not hear, nor understand; and seeing they should see, and not perceive; these which were gone from the life of the law, the light, which Christ was one with.

These could not perceive nor see, though they saw, and though they heard, they could not understand, being in the transgression gone from the life of the law, and such Christ came to make blind; and these eyes must be blinded that they cannot see nor hear; for that which must hear, comes to the life of the law, and to the conversion; and saith Christ to them that were gone from the life of the law, which hearing heard not, neither understood, "These people's hearts were waxed gross, their ears were dull of hearing, (their eyes were closed, lest at any time, [mark] they were so shut up from the light the life of the law) lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should heal them."

Now you may all come to see what sort of people they were whose hearts were waxed gross, and ears dull of hearing, and could not see

with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, lest they should be converted, and Christ should heal them; such as were out of the life of the law, and were from that of God in them, in the unconverted estate, against whom Christ cried woe : for how can they hear with their ears, or see with their eyes, that are from the life of the law? and how otherwise can it be, but that their hearts will wax fat and gross, and be hardened with the deceit, who go from the life of the law, which is the eye which God blinds not, who is light, and teach men's commandments for doctrines; such as hear not the light of the law, are blind, and are such as run into the lust, whose hearts grow fat; and are such as have a wisdom, and a prudent understanding, but as to hearing or seeing the things of God, their eyes are made blind, and ears they have, but hear not, and hearts they have, but understand not; and cannot understand with their hearts, nor see with their eyes, lest any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and I should convert them, and they should be healed.

Now this ear and eye which is gone from the life of the law, heareth not, sees not, and the heart waxeth gross, and that eye must be made blind, before Christ come to heal them, and convert them: "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear."

And to such as were gone from the life of the law and prophets, into the transgression, Christ spoke parables; they that were gone from the life of the law, seeing, they saw not; and hearing, they heard not, nor perceived, nor understood; these having the words, but being out of the life, were they that were blinded, gross, and could not hear nor perceive, nor understand the mystery of the kingdom; unto these Christ spoke in parables. And the disciples said to Christ, "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" and he said unto them, "To you it is given to know the mystery, but to them it is not, who have eyes and see not, ears and hear not; but blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given [mark,] and he shall have more abundance; [mark,] and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away, even that which he hath. He that hath an ear to hear let him hear." So they knew the mystery of the kingdom who were in the light, and those saw not the mystery of the kingdom, which were not in the light, therefore spoke Christ to them in parables, because in seeing, they saw not; and hearing, they heard not, neither did they understand: so in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith," By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and not perceive: for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

Therefore parables were spoken to these which were gone from the

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