Hat Honour.
So I asked him (if) he were the Governor and wherefore he cast the friend into prison, and he said for standing with his hat upon his head when the minister and the people sung. And I told him had not the priest two caps upon his head, and if the friend should cut off the brim of his hat then he would have but one; for the brim was to save the rain off his neck and shoulders, and he cried, Away with these frivolous things and then I asked him why he imprisoned the friend for frivolous things.
(Short Journal, pp. 78, 79.)
VII.
The Scriptures.
The Word.
In the beginning was the word and none knows this word but who are come to the beginning. Now, all people and priests, who can witness this? Who are come hither? Who are come hither into the beginning? What our hands have handled and what our eyes have seen what was from the beginning. The word of life this declare we unto you. Who know this word are pure are made clean through the word, are washed by the word, are sanctified by the word, are cut to pieces by the word and are divided asunder by the word; and this word is a hammer beating down everything, that the seed of God may rise up and come to the beginning; and all who know this word are come into the beginning. It is as a fire burning up all corruptions and this is the word that is nigh thee in thy heart; and this is the word which all the prophets spoke from; and this is the word that became flesh and dwelt among us (saith the Saints); and this is the word of life which the apostles preached, the substance of all figures, types and shadows and this is the word which makes all the Saints one, that reconciles their hearts together to the Lord; this is the word by which all things stand and remain, and are upheld by his word and power and this is the word which doth endure forever; all who are born again of the immortal seed witness this word with me. And now the word is made manifest the same as ever was, which gathers together the hearts of people, which divides asunder the precious and the vile and of twain hath made one, and this is the word that lets see that all flesh is grass and this is the word which was before any letter was written, and all who have not this word put the letter for the word and are in Cain’s nature, envying and murdering running on swiftly to evil; and Cain’s sacrifice God doth not accept, and all the preaching and all the praying and all your reading and all your singing and all your expounding and all your churches and all your worships and all your teachers and all your baptisms, which are invented from the letter, the carnal mind invents them. All this is for the fire. Your profession must be gathered together in bundles and cast into the fire, for they are the works of the flesh proceeding from the first nature. And all you who live in the first nature not knowing the word of God but only the letter, ye crucify the just and yet get up into the just’s place, quenching the light within you. Now I witness it by the same word as ever was. They draw people unto the letter and tell them it is the word and to hearken to them who speak their vain imaginations of it. So they bear rule by their means over the poor people, which the Lord was ever against. For God is free and will have his people so and his gospel is a free gospel and his mercies are free and his grace is free. His gospel is free to every creature and his grace is free to every creature. His grace is not the letter, his gospel is not the letter, his glad tidings is not the letter, for many poor troubled souls may be under death and condemnation and have the letter and these teachers of the letter, and there lie wounded but no peace.
So all people consider and see if you can witness your souls raised out of death and you brought into the everlasting covenant. So who can witness their souls brought out of death are come into the beginning, but thou that hast nothing but the letter and art spending thy money and thy labour and not satisfied, thou art following the greedy dumb dog which can never have enough.
(C. J., I., pp. 72-75, condensed.)
Jangling about the Scriptures.
None upon the earth comes to witness the spirit of wisdom and of understanding and a sound mind, but who first comes down to the witness of God in him, the spirit of God which gave forth the scriptures, with which he comes to have unity with God and scriptures and one another with which spirit they worship him and all evil doers and transgressors upon the earth go from the spirit of God in them and the light.