The Signature of All Things — trans. John Ellistone (1651)

31. A true Christian is himself the great and anxious Work which continually desires to Work in God's Will, and forces against the self-ful Lusts of Selfhood, and wills continually so to do, and yet is many Times hindered by Self-hood: He breaks Self-hood, as a vessel, wherein he lies captive, and buds forth continually in God's Will-Spirit, with his Desire resigned in God (as a fair Blossom springs out of the Earth), and Works in and with God, what God pleases.

32. Therefore let the true Christendom know, and deeply lay to Heart, what is now told and spoken to her, viz. that she depart from the false Conjecture [or Opinion] of comforting, without conversion of the Will; it is only an outward [expressed] Form of the new-Birth; a Christian must be one Spirit with Christ, and have Christ's Will and Life in him; the Form does not renew him, neither comforting, or giving good Words does at all help or avail, but a mortifying of the evil inbred Will, which is God's Child, and born out of Christ's Death, no other Will attains Christ's inheritance; my much knowing doth not also do it; the herdsman in the Field is as near to it as the Doctor; no Wit or subtle Art in Disputation about the Way of God does help or avail anything thereto, it is only a Let and Hindrance; the true Will enters into the Love of God and his Children; it seeks no Form, but falls down before its Creator, and desires the Death of its false Self-hood; it seeks the Work of Love towards all Men; it will not flourish in the World's Scorn, but in its God; its whole Life is a mere Repentance, and a continual Sorrow for the Evil which cleaves to it: It seeks no Glory or Applause to shew itself, but lives in Humility: It acknowledges itself always as unworthy and simple; its true Christianity is always hidden in its Self-hood. He says, I am in my Self-hood an unprofitable Servant, and have not as yet begun to do or work repentance right. He is always in the Beginning to Work Repentance, and would always fain reach the Gates of the sweet Grace; he labours for that Purpose as a Woman in Travail labours to bring forth, and knows not how it fares with him; the Lord hides his Face from him, that his Working may be great towards him: He sows in Anguish and Tears, and knows not his Fruit, for it is hidden in God; as a painful Traveller goes a long Way, aiming at his wished-for Journey's End, so also he runs after the far Mark of his Rest, and finds it not; unless his Pearl does appear to him in its Beauty, and embraces him in its Love: If it again departs from his Self-hood, then arises sighing and sorrowing again with continual Desire; and one Day calls another, the Day the Night, and the Night the morning; and yet there is no Place of rest in the earthly Self-hood, but only in the fair Solar Lustre of his precious Pearl; when the Sun arises to him in the Darkness, then the Night departs, and all Sorrow and Anguish fly away.

33. Therefore, dear Brethren, learn to take heed and beware of Contention, where Men contend about the literal Form: A true Christian has Nothing to contend for, for he dies to his Reason's Desire; he desires only God's Knowledge in his Love and Grace, and lets all go which contends and strives about the Form, for Christ's Spirit must make the Form in himself; the outward Form is only a Guide: God must become Man, or else Man becomes not God.

34. Therefore a Christian is the most simple [or plainest] Man upon the Earth, as Isaiah says, Who is so simple as my servant? All Heathens Desire Self-hood, and tear and devour one another for the Authority and Honours: But a true Christian desires to die to them; he seeks not his own, but Christ's Honour. All whatever contends about Self-hood, viz. about the self-ful Honour and Pleasure of this Life, the same is Heathenish, and far worse than Heathenish; yea like the Devil, who departed from God into Self-fulness: Let it cover itself with Christ's Mantle as much as ever it will, yet the Man of false Self-hood is lodged under it; if he will be a Christian, then he must quite die to Self-hood, that the same may only hang to him from without as a Garment of this World, wherein he is a Stranger and Pilgrim, and always consider and think that he is but a Servant in his high Office, and serves God therein as a Servant, and not be his own Lord and Master.