And as to what I have written to the observers of the Seventh Day Sabbath, these may certify thee that after it pleased God, through his rich grace in Christ Jesus, to take away the guilt of my sins from my conscience and to send the spirit of his Son into my heart, whereby he did reveal unto me his love and his acceptance of me in Jesus Christ, this unspeakable mercy did greatly engage my heart to love God and diligently to search the Scriptures, that thereby I might know how to serve God acceptably, for then I soon became a seeker how to worship God, though more zealous of the tradition of my fathers till I saw them to be traditions and no scripture precepts. I thus, upon diligent search of the Scriptures, found that the First-day Sabbath was nowhere commanded by any law of God, and the Scriptures telling me where no law is there can be no transgression, and that it is but vain to worship God by men’s traditions, Mat. 15, 9, and also finding by Scripture that there was a commandment for the keeping of the seventh day, I then openly labored on the first day of the week, in faithfulness to God and my fellow creatures, and strictly kept the fourth commandment, which commanded labor on the first day of the week, and required rest on the seventh. But I continuing a diligent searcher of the holy Scriptures, and begging at the Throne of Grace for direction in the way of truth, it pleased God to open my understanding to understand the Scriptures and to see that the seventh day sabbath was but a sign (under the law) of a gospel rest that Christ gives the soul, and that the shadowing part of the law was nailed to the cross of Christ; I could then no longer observe the seventh day without defiling my conscience; for saith Christ, Mat. 10, 27: “What I tell you in darkness that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.” I then wrote to those of my brethren that kept the seventh day sabbath, showing them how it was but a sign or shadow of a better thing that was to come by Jesus Christ, and since have writ this following Epistle to them, wherein is opened the covenant of the law and the covenant of grace, the first covenant being a figure of the second; which covenant, with all the rites and ceremonies of it, continued until the establishment of the new testament by the blood of Jesus Christ; which testament contains the substance of those things shadowed out in the first covenant; and though the shadowing part of the law was nailed to the cross of Christ, and so ceased, as they were signs and shadows, yet it is as easy for heaven and earth to pass as it is for one tittle (of what was shadowed out by the law) to escape of being fulfilled by Christ in the substance of it; for what God had before determined should be fulfilled by Christ was prophesied of by the law, as well as by the prophets, as is to be seen, Mat. 2, 13. But John the Baptist came so near to him that he pointed at him saying, Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.
I have thought it my duty to put these things to public view, being sensible of the wiles of Satan, who is wont to work in the darkness of men, to mislead them to make idols of such things which God commanded to be observed as signs of instructions to his church as is to be seen, Numb. 21, 9, compared with II Kings 18, 4, and what it was a sign of is to be seen, John 3, 14, 15.
Then follows the Epistle to the Quakers and that to the Seventh Day Baptists.
EXTRACTS FROM “TWO MINISTRATIONS.”
John Rogers, Sr.
... But before he came into the world, those that were under the second ministration were led and taught by a shadowing law, and were under typical judges, kings and priests, who were types of Christ’s kingly, prophetical and priestly offices; but since his coming in the flesh, they have ceased, and He himself is their alone King, Priest and Prophet, to rule and teach them, in a more evangelical or gospel way; and this was prophesied of before his coming into the world, Deut. 18, 15, Isa. 7, 6, Psal. 110, 4. Thus was He prophesied of before his coming in the flesh, to wit in his prophetical, kingly and priestly offices; but He being now already come, we are to hear Him in all things, and to follow Him in all exemplary things, and He alone is to rule in his church, being their King, Priest and Prophet.
... And although we are of another kingdom, and therefore are not to be concerned in the kingdom we do not belong to, either to sit in judgment with them, or to fight and kill under their kingdom, yet, as being in their country and limits, rather than to offend them we have liberty from our King to pay them tribute for the carrying on the affairs of their kingdom and government, both by his doctrine and example, Rom. 13, 6, 7 etc., Mat. 17, 24 etc.... But although the children of God are free, being of another kingdom, yet they are not to use their liberty for a cloak of maliciousness against them, but as they are the servants of God, and proper subjects of his kingdom, they are to honour all men, and to fear God and to honour the king, and to make conscience, as Christ did, not to offend them, but rather to give them their demand for carrying on their affairs in their own kingdom, ...
Can it stand with Christianity, according to Christ’s doctrine and example since He came into the world, for his church and people to join in with the powers of this world to resist evil, by judging and condemning sinners, and to destroy men’s lives, by fighting against flesh and blood with carnal weapons; or to lord it over others by exercising authority over them, as the kings and judges of this world do?
No: for both his doctrine and example forbid his church all such things, as appeareth by these following Scriptures, ... And thus are we to be followers of Him, and not to take the place of a judge upon us, from the hands of the children of this world, and to follow them in their kingdom, to sit with them in judgment, to judge and condemn sinners, whom Christ did not come to judge, or to condemn, but to save. And also seeing He who was without sin hath not executed justice upon us who were sinners, but hath extended his grace and mercy to us, in acquitting and forgiving us, so ought we to be followers of Him, and not now become judges and condemners of sinners, seeing he hath not judged nor condemned us for our sins. And seeing he who was without sin did not cast a stone at the woman taken in adultery, who was a sinner, so likewise let us, who were once sinners, learn of him to be merciful unto sinners, as he hath been merciful unto us, who came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them....