weak disciples who hearing their Lord was risen departed from the sepulchre after which it was not long that they heard hee was risen by some that had seen him nor long after that againe that he appeared unto them and raised up their faith which was sinking and ready to dye What dost thou meane poore Saint that with Mary lyest puling and weeping at the sepulchre when as thy Savionr is risen Why dost thou seeke the living among the dead Thou seest how many dispensations God hath passed through besides other intervening lesse remarkable appearances which have been omitted God was in the flesh of Ghrist but that having done its office he layed it aside God is entred upon a dispensation of spirit and cals upon his psouse to follow him but she is so fallen in love with this sute of old cloathes this garment of flesh that she is loath to lay it aside as if she meant to be married in it But tell me wouldst thou tye God alwayes to one dispensation or if thou caust not but that hee will advance higher till hee come to the highest wilt thou tarry behinde him and dwell alwayes in the same place Dost thou not know that the consummation of Gods marriage with thee is the compleating of thine owne happinesse And dost thou not see that God is gone before thee Dost thou not hear him calling thee come up hither If God be gone before why dost linger and laggar behinde Dost thou stand still and please thy selfe with beholding thy present attainments or dost thou look back and admire thy former good worke Remember what Paul saith was his practise forgetting those things that are behinde and reacoing forth to those things that are before I press towards the mark c. Call to mind also Peters admonition Looking for and hastening unto the comming of the day of God c. God forbid that thou shouldest limit the holy one of Israel that thou shouldest tye and binde down God to any form or administration longer then will serve his own designe And God forbid that thou shouldest stop and stay in a dispensation after thou findest he is departed from it God took up dispensations onely to serve a turn to bring about his designe of making his creature happy by its union with himself The finishing laying down of dispensations is the perfecting and finishing of the creatures happinesse and the introducing of that glorious day before hinted which will be by the arising of the Sunne of Righteousnesse not in one Horizon of the world onely but throughout the whol earth and heaven which day of the Lord as it should be to us the most desirable thing in the worle so it should seem to be at hand and to stand knocking at our doores by some glimpses of glory that appear already and particularly by those rayes and beams of light that stream forth in these ensuing letters In some of these Letters thou shalt hear the stammerings and lispings of children rather then a pure language or perfect speaking but let not that offend thee If thou art a Father of children a thousand to one thou art not so morose and austere but thou hast taken delight to hear thy children prattle though they spake but half words and broken sentences and why should it trouble thee to hear thy brethren the children of thine and their heavenly Father expresse themselves in such language as they are able Is is not said Out of the mouth of Babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength or thou hast perfected praise In others of these Letters perhaps thou mayst meet with some things that may be paradoxes and hard sayings to thee which thou canst not beare but sit not in judgement to condemn this neither as if thou wouldest take upon thee to know all things suspend censure till thou hast a clearer light of which surely thou art not out of hope perhaps that day may not be far from thee wherein thou shalt speak and understand harder sayings and higher mysteries then thou shalt meet withall in these Letters Nor yet doe I undertake to justifie all that is written in them 'T is yet but the dawning of the day The clear est principle for ought I know hath a mixture of earth and darknesse in it The light is yet neyther cleare nor dark 't is neyther night nor day but in the evening time it shall be light Zach 14. 6 7. And then 't is possible an higher appearance in the same persons that wrote these Letters may judge some things in them to the fire as hey and stubble To conclude thou shalt find one letter among the rest written by a precious Soule walking in darknesse and having no light wrapt up and mantled in a black night of trouble and dejection of Spirit Let this Letter that may seem not to suit with his fellowes serve as sharpe sawce with sweet meat to give a better relish to the rest Doubtlesse the Lord hath a gracious designe upon this good soule and hath but withdrawn himself for a little moment that witheverlasting mercies he may imbrace it that he may discover himself unto this soule to be nothing but light and love and bring forth himself in this smoaking flack in an higher and brighter flame of light and glory in a more glorious appearance then ever And when God shall bring this to passe if thou please in the mean time to taste of his teares peradventure when he reaps his harvest thou mayest be made partaker of his joy Septemb. 24. 1649. A wel-wisher of thine and of the truth as it is in Jesus S. P. D. Errata PAge 20. line 16. dele of pag. 21. lin 16. for new read more pag. 23. lin 14. read with spiritvall p. 38. l. 10. r. consider l. 13. r. the creature l. 16. r. as with a creator l 17. r. as with a Father p. 40. l. 3. r. billowing l. 22. f. doth r. were p. 41. l. 1. r. a greater then whom p. 41. l. 17. f meanest r. nearest l. 24. r. was higher p. 42. l. 12. r. son p. 5â— l. 3. f. lo r. to p. 54. l. 5. r. the best p. 56. l. 19. and p. 57. l. 2. r. spirits p. 58. l. 26. r. swords p. 60. l. 10. r. overrunne p. 61. l. 22. r. not mov'd l. 24. r. scattering p. 62. l. 7. r. accompâ—niâ—s l. 22. r. having p. 63. l. 9. r. And this a. l. 18. r. who ripe for p. 66. l. 3. f. our r. one l. 14. r. is known p. 67. l. 3. r. raisers of l. 5. r. neare p. 91. l. 9. r. onenes p. 105. l. 18. r. not imagined p. 145. l. 28. r. externall p. 146. l. 19. f. sure r. free p. 149. l. 18. r. the box is in your heart p. 145. l. 6. r. this tabernacle p. 155. l. 24. f. torne r to me News from the New Jerusalem sent by Letters from severall Parts c. 1. Letter Deare Sir I Have received your loving Letter and
streames or of Euphrates the pleasant vallies turned into a parched wildernesse and all in order to a more higher fuller and excellenter glory this is prophesied of in the Scripture The Sunne shall bee turned into darknesse and the Moone into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come that is not onely the Lord Jesus will be darknesse unto the world which I deny not but all that which was the glory and light of a Christian and high-way of communion with God his Sunne Moone and Starres shall be darkned c. before that notable day or that more excellent revelation of God in glory and 1 Pet. 3. 10. The heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the Element shall melt with fervent heat and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt up which is not onely at the last judgement but upon perticular administration which is figured out in the heavens earth and elements or those more or lesse glorious administrations and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is 1 Cor. 3. 13. 15. And as Christ crucified all that glorious administration in the flesh in which he was and it all dyed to a more glorious life so every Christian is to take up his crosse or to bring his highest and cheifest administrations to this crosse and to leave them all crucified to more higher excellenter discoveries and this is the knowledge of Christ crucified now many Christians who are sadded darkned and in much tribulation as to the administration they are under and in looking into the wildernesse seeing nothing but mount Sinai with blacknesse and darknes and tempest they take it for desertions and withdrawings of God when as indeed it is the presence of God darkning withering and consuming such administrations and the bringing in a more fuller and transcendent glory The next ministration will be the appearing of Christ in brightnesse and glory of Spirit destroying Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth and brightnes of his comming this shall be a glory without Sun or Moon or Star or any such low appearance as gift or ordinance but the Lord shall be there everlasting light and God the glory and light shall cover the earth as waters cover the Sea that is it shall not sparkle or be in bright beams as in a Gift or Ordinance but it shall slow out from the Lord swallowing up and overflowing all earthly administrations that expectation of him in externall administrations as Gifts or Ordinances c. is but to expect Christ in a fleshly way or appearance and not as he is in his own height spirit and glory in himselfe in his Saints their fulnesse and hope of glory Col. 1. 27. And therefore this is that which is to be expected an estate of spirit love meeknes self-denyall overcoming evill with good conquering by receiving in the wrath and enmity of the world into which estate God will gather up his people by times and degrees from all worldy and fleshly interests and ingagements wherein they shall be carried up into a more full injoyment of God and conformity to Christ in all his sufferings death and resurrection where God will be to all his sâ— glorified as broad rivers and streams where shall goe no Ship with sailes nor Gally with Ores And then it shall be as much apostacy in the Saints to go back to the first ministery of the Gospel times or first patterne which was the first discovery of that mystery hid from ages as would have been in them in the Apostles dayes to have gone back to the Jewish Tabernacle Temple and Priest-hood c. out of which God had departed as he also hath out of these late administrations Furnell 8. Letter Loving Cozen DEarly and much beloved there is some content in nature that you abide in the flesh with me and are yet an appearance of God upon the Earth for I confesse I have none so neere my heart as you of a fleshly beeing in the world therefore I have been affected with the kindnesse of the Lord that hath spared you that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow my sister being removed yet have I more sweet joy and content in understanding that you are in the fellowship of the Spirit growing forward through al the dark shadows of seeming glory into the substance which is reall glory for in that you say you see God is all and doth all I question not but you understand that all things below him are but shaddows of him yea Christ himself in his fleshly appearance was but a form of God which appeared to answer our distance from God for wee being departed from him by experiencing the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evill of which food I hope we have our fill now God condescending to redeem us from this by the way of Christ who was appointed of God to bring us unto God not to himself as he was Christ beeing but an appearance of God not the Father himself Therefore if we should sit down with Christ being come to him and proceed no further we are not brought by him to the Father And the will of God is that we be co-heires and joint heires together with him till we know that the Father and the Son are in one and we one with the Father as the Son For I believe that God even the Son of God doth dwell in us even the same that dwelt in Christ Jesus and I am waiting when that heavenly Image shall as plainly appear as the Image of the earthly hath appeared for we shal see his face and his name shall be upon our foreheads Deere Cozen since I received your letter I have seen you in a Vision and so was it represented to me that I understand that you have or shall bring forth the man Childe even Christ to open veiw for which you must die and be buried I mean you shall appear to some as one dead to truth and God and alive to errour and so you shall be as one dead and put into a grave of darknes and silence yet fear not for I have proved that the day of death is better then the day of Birth And that by death Christ brought to light life and immortality Remember also Christ was put to death in the flesh and was alive to God his flesh was as pure and honourable as even ours was yet by the eternall Spirit within it was offered a Spirituall Sacrifice to God whilest the dark apprehensions of men conclude that he suffered as a blasphemer therefore arm your self with the same minde always expecting we shall surely rise with him as we suffer together with him for indeed we are but one in life and death And he is the resurrection and the life even Christ in us who is rising in me and either is or will rise in you And when he doth appear we shall appear with him I pray you deare Cozen as often
and others Some search deeper and throw into this composition some graines of spirit and quintessences of a higher extract purified and sublimd into a nobler essence But tell mee is this mixture like to restore life to a dying and languishing Nation to a darke and formall Church Could wee get the rarest drugs the world affords Could we search the earth to its center and discover the occult qualities of all its minerals and wonders Can this reach the some and spirit of one man much lesse a whole kingdome What though some grains of spirit are in one composition is it not loaded with thick clay overcome by the predominancy of contrary qualities The distemper of this Nation springs from our living in another world then our own in a corrupted aire a contagious climate in vassalage and slavery to these bodies of flesh to this lower element of the world to the Prince of darknesse Men created in the Image of God have uncloath'd themselves of that glory and now wander in the shapes of Wolves and Beasts of prey having their soules and spirits sprung from Heaven they transforme themselves into the similitude of the elementary-creatures What are warres confusions and disorders but the actings forth this brutish spirit in tearing and devouring our fellow creatures Fightings and divisions spring from the jarring discordant qualities in the mindes of men who have lost the spirit of sweetness union and peace which breaths forth nothing but love joy and keeps the whole body in an harmonious unity Is this unity to be recovered by divisions T is true by such a division as this it is by seperating truth from errour light from darkness the purer from the grosser parts This is by a spirit of burning and by a power above the strength of man Who must be the reformers of the world who must build the Lord a Temple a glorious Temple both in Church and State Not those who are staind with bloud and act by a spirit of wrath and violence The Lord tels David 1 Chron. 22. 8. Thou hast shed blood aboundantly and hast made great wars thou shalt not build an house to my name because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight Is there no spirit and life in these words Was not David permitted to build the materiall Temple a darke shadow and type of the spirituall Was not he suffered in that age under those darke fleshly administrations which held forth no greater light and put no greater glory upon their spirits to subdue the world but by Sword and Bow by force and violence and is it probable that the sweet mild and gentle spirit of the Gospel should need the force and strength of men These doe well that it is in their hearts to reforme the world but they mistake the way they act in the strength of the wrath of God in the spirit of this world their poor earth will not conquer Hell and Devils their Sword and Gunnes will never change the natures of men No Solomon must build this Temple the Lord Jesus it must bee another spirit another generation another way These with David may fell the Cedars and hew the Stones of this earthly building Those ordain'd for this glorious worke their Swords must bee of another mettall to wound and heale againe to destroy the flesh and transforme it into spirit their spirits shall breath forth nothing but love and sweetnesse their Language shall be glory to God on high on earth peace good-will towards men they call not for fire from Heaven they cast not into Prisons and Dungeons they Plunder not nor destroy they are of other spirits more sweet more amiable forcing the world by a divine power of love to confesse they are overcome and vanquish'd All the Kingdomes of the Earth all the Glory of the Creatures all the Splendour Magnificence and Pompe of the world shall vanish as Smoake and acknowledge it selfe a poore shadow an empty nothing All that act in this spirit of violence and fury are a rod in the hand of God the Executioners of vengeance These are the Hornes of the Beasts that shall hate the Whore and make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burne her with fire in the cup shee hath filled these shall fill to her double these powre out the Vials of wrath upon the seat of the Beasts they are the Fowles of Heaven to eat the flesh of Kings and the flesh of Captaines and Great-ones of the earth they are to rend and teare the outward garment of the worlds glory they are an administration wherein God cloaths himself with fury indignation By this spirit of vengeance and wrath al the worlds tormeÌ„tors have bin acted this hath bin a work of Assirâ—ans and Babylonians Romans Turks and Sarazens they have overcoÌ„e the whole face of the earth with their Armies they have trampled the Nations under their feet and trod their God in the mire of the streets How doe many in this age glory in these triumphs set up their poor trophees their triumphant Pillars as if the strength were their owne and the glory their owne Had they the spirits of Christians they needed not the swords of men they are weake in the Spirit of the Gospell therefore they cloath themselves with the power of flesh and will enter into Canaan in the wrath of the Lord destroying and devouring not converting They glory in fleshly Conquests and Victoâ—ies having not power in the Spirit to conquer in the way of love union and peace with these Weapons the Apostles bid defiance to the whole world to Hell and Devils they advanced their Standards upon the proud wals of Rome it selfe This fleshly strength will prove weaknesse in this worke it will dye and vanish into ayre when it hath done the work the Lord hath appointed God makes one spirit and property of darknesse afflict and torment another the Nations of the world will destroy themselves every one by the Sword of his Brother The flesh of the Saints engag'd in these contests and worldly quarrels shall rend it selfe and helpe to rend the world But how are they Saints Such who have some glimmerings of the bright and morning-Starre who by throwing of the externall vaile of Antichristian darknesse fleshly forms servile dependency on the darke spirits of blind men I say having throwne of these fetters they have some liberty and having removâ—d these mists they see a light the faint reflections of a rising Sunne being let out of their cage of darknesse they fly and flutter and catch at every thing but apprehend little as it is in God but in the light of their own spirits mov'd by the call and drawing of the spirit of God and the concurrence of those beams of light scattered themselves every where these receive but glances and flashes and cover it with much darknesse confusion and ignorance yet being rais'd above their former state they think God speaks in them and
it was unexpected by me onely the Lord would have it so and therfore all your care must serve the Lords designes to bring it to my hand when my husband was not in town doe not therefore look upon me but look to the Lord use me as kindly as Job did his servant reject not my cause for surely it is not mine I leave you to the Lord whom I desire rightly to guide you in this thing and am Your sincere loving Sister and servant from the greatest to the meanest of you T. P. Abington 26. March 1649. 26. Letter Deare Friend ENgagements from a true principle are not easily dislolved and while we hold the head we cannot let goe the members I have considered you in the union of life and truth from whence flow my unfeigned respects to you and wherein consists the true enjoyment of your self Vanity of vanity interposeth between God and us while we are below and vexeth our unquiet spirits seeking contentment in earthly relations we wander too and fro and return empty but when we close with the divine will our distractions are composed the commotions of our distempred hearts are all sweetly silenced Friend when you have in the spirit ascended farre above all heavens when you are above all even that God hath made and for a time also ordained you to use then may you and then will you be able to descend into the lowest parts of the earth and from thence again rise to the highest glory Then will you have a true sweet and comfortable use of the meanest condition in the world out of which you shall mount to the clearest enjoyment of the greatest happinesse and by a continuall intercourse between heaven and earth you will at last come to inherit the utmost large and full extent of the Lords dominions If you were confined to that heaven onely as it hath been received in the generall notion you would be streightned in your borders and be deprived of part of your portion and possession for the earth as well as the heaven is filled with the glory of God from which if you were excluded you must necessarily want that peice of your right whereof you were made an heiresse When the ladder of our eternall union is set between Heaven and Earth between the divine and humane nature then may we both ascend and descend one as freely as the other our heavenly state will not disdain our earthly nor our earthly hinder our heavenly the true Angelicall life hath sweet communion with God in both Trouble afflictions and crosses in the world will administer consolation and be all your servants helpers of your joy God will be all Union unto him cannot be divided the wings of the morning are not swift enough to outflie him the utmost parts of the earth the farthest distance of sense the broad Sea the greatest confusion of minde the wide wildernesse the most solitary sadnesse of heart cannot hide from his presence Nay if you goe downe into the Hell of horrour your Ioule shall not be left there his right hand of power and spirit of holinesse will raise you up againe I have endeavoured to discharge my respects to you in these short and sudden lines being now hindred from enlarging by the courtesie and visites of my friends My respects of love presented I am Your servant in Truth Aug. 20. 1649. Copiâ— haec mut at â—â— mutandis typis mandetur 27. Letter To I. I. DEARE and loving Friend whom I desire to own and to be one with in the fellowship of the Father and the Son in one eternall invisible and ever-ruling Spirit in and with which Spirit we are to walk live abide in after we are made one with it which is and must bee an inward true and invisible walking and according to an inward true and invisible rule and not after an outward and worldly manner as the worldlings doe For my Kingdome is not of this world saith Christ my Kingdome is not of observation and worldly rudiments for it is within you that consists not in any outward rule or practise all the true rules and directions of the Spirit is within it is visible the truth of all things is within the outward is not the truth but an Image of the truth therefore to walke in outward forms or ordinances is but to walke in an Image and not in the truth it selfe but to walke in the truth is to walke in the spirit and if in the spirit then in God for God is a spirit and hee is the truth of the spirit and he that will be one with God must bee one with him in the spirit and in truth as it is essentiall in God or else there can be no perfection and then no true walking with God to be one with God is to be nothing ones selfe and to walk with God is to walke out of ones selfe Enoch walked with God and was not for God tooke him he was not that is hee was not himselfe No man can walke with God while he is himselfe a man as man cannot be said to walke with God he may walke with man but not with God nothing can be said to walke with God but what is one in and with God and therefore must bee as God for none can walke with God but God No man hath seen the Father but the Sonne hee that ascended is the same that descended no man hath nor never shall see the Father but the Sonne Then none can be said to walke with God but Jesus Christ who is God And this walking is invisible that is a communion of spirit in man one man may have communion with another as man but none can have communion with God but God light cannot have communion with darknesse nor darknesse with light but light hath communion with it selfe Therefore that we are in the light let us walk as Children of the light and not as the Children of darknesse But you will say Doe wee not walke with God in Ordinances I answer that ordinances are not light truth nor spirit and therefore wee cannot walke with God in them wee cannot walke with God in any thing but in the light in the truth and in the spirit nor none can walke with God in these things but the divine spirit or inward man which is of God and one with God to walke with and in God is to walke in the truth and ordinances you cannot say are the truth no more then you can say the scripture is the truth but if you will make it truth you must make it God for there is but one truth and that is God One God and Father of all one Lord one Faith and one Baptisme and all but one God and one truth God as he is in the word Christ Jesus is the truth and if we have heard of him and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus then shall wee say that the scripture is not truth but
News from the New-JERUSALEM Sent by Letters from severall Parts relating some Hints and Observations of that Citty All conspiring in a Testimony that renders it exceeding Glorious Revel 21. 5. And hee that sate upon the throne said BEHOLD I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW LONDON Printed by G. D. for Giles Calvert at the signe of the Black-spread Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1649. To the Christian Reader and more especially to the Saints that wait upon God in the use of Formes Reader THou hast here presented to thy view a coppy of certain Letters written to private friends not at all intended for thy use But since it is their fate to fall into publick hands and since there are somethings in them well worth thy notice and observation A well-wisher of thine for thy good hath thought fit to usher them to thy hand by writing one letter unto thee the rather to engage thee by reading that which is thine own to take a survey of the whole parcell that therein thou mayest behold the breaking forth of God and the spirit that now breathes in many Saints which seems to prophesie and promise that God is about to doe some great and notable thing for his people according to their long expectations and as an answer to their prayers But although God be breaking forth upon the world in a greater degree of light and glory then former ages have seen yet thou art to know that we are as yet but in the twi-light we see onely the dawnings of an approaching day we are at the utmost but upon the borders and confines of this glory and therefore Reader in thy examination of doctrines and inquisition after truth two things would be carefully heeded First not to receive every thing for truth that comes abroad under that notion Nor secondly to reject every thing that is new to thee as errour Least thou take darknesse for light and light for darknes As thou wouldest avoid falling into the gulfe of errour on one hand so beware thou dash not against the rock Christ on the other for there may be a dangerous miscarriage on either side This is most certain that whensoever God the father of lights begets and brings forth any fresh discovery of light and truth in the world the Devill the father of lyes will transform himself into an Angel of light and will press upon the most conscientious * It is as least a very probable argument that truth is rising springing out of the earrh when errour and delusion walke abroad under pretence of comming downe from heaven Christians his falsities and delusions under such specious and plausible colours that will deceive if t' were possible the very elect And this he will doe diversly by working upon a different subject First in regard there is but a mixture of light and darknes in the most knowing Saints he will take advantage by the remainder of darknes in them to make them instruments to promote errour as well as truth and the seed of errour falling into the soyle of this dark principle may grow there for some time till the principle of light wholly overcome and expell this darknesse But secondly he doth more usually make use of forward formall professours and these he dare trust though they hold forth the truth for a time because he knows when they fall off and discover themselves they will raise the greatest scandall and bring the greatest odium upon the truth so that it s no safe rule to judge of persons by their doctrines nor of doctrines by the persons that brings them Therefore Reader thou feest what need thou hast to harken to the Apostles counsell Try the spirits whether they be of God least thou feed upon Scorpions and cast away the true bread least thou abide in darknesse and see not the brightnesse and glory of that day that is neer approaching Thou canst not be ignorant that the Scriptures as well the old testament as the new beare witnesse of a glorious day that shall shine forth in the last times when the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sunne as the light of seven dayes which as it shall be a glorious day so it shall be the joyfullest day that ever the Saints beheld for it shall bee their wedding day Then shall that voyce of acclamation be heard Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour unto him for the marriage of the Lambe come and his wife hath made her selfe ready To make the Lambs wife ready hath beene the great work of God in the world How neare we are come to this time I shall not undertake to determine but much may be guessed by Gods preparations for the same for almost six thousand yeares and by his various appearances and graduall approaches unto his people from the beginning to this present time of which take this briefe experimentall Narrative Though the Lord our God be one Lord and hath said of himselfe I am alone and there is none besides me yet in another sense hee hath said That two are better then one and It is not good the man should bee alone therefore this One Onely-wise Being for the setting forth of his owne glory hath greatly delighted to multiply and bring forth himselfe in a world of variety and distinction that hee might againe gather up all things into himselfe in the most perfect and absolute union Or in a larger naration take it thus This one God hath branched and spread forth himselfe in this great Fabrick of heaven and earth furnished and garnished the same with infinite variety of his works and creatures and then made man the topp of this creation And for the speciall favour he bare unto man whom he had made after his own likenesse he bestowed upon him the dominion and Lordship of this lower world or of the whole earth and in the midst or chiefest place thereof planted a paradice or garden of pleasure and placed the man therein where hee conversed with his maker in the highest enjoyment of God in the creatures But God leaving open a posterne doore the man being deceived by the Serpent sinne entred into the world and drew after it at the heeles all sorts of misery confusion death and bondage and brought upon the whole creation ten thousand distempers and distractions fractions and divisions and especially upon man the cause hereof who now became nothing else but a perfect map of misery but God to heale and cure all this immediately threw open the broad gate of glory and sent forth his beloved Sonne that by his death and sufferings he might restore all things into a blessed estate redeeme the world out of bondage reduce all things to a sweete harmony and agreement reconcile all things to himselfe both in heaven and in earth and gather up all things thus scattered abroad into a perfect agreement and the nearest union with himselfe Col. 1. 20. And
c. And when that which is perfect is come that which is in part shall bee done away God hath hitherto as Joseph did by his brethren spoken to us by an interpreter because hee would act at more distance but when grace and love can contain no longer God will as Joseph did command all to goe forth and cry out I am hee and show himselfe in uncovered clearnesse this administration God hath entred upon already in some of his people and they beginne to get a glimpse of the face of God and are acquainted with immediate actings in their owne hearts I thinke the last meanes that God will make use of will be such as the creature will be glad to be free from I meane persecution reproach poverty c and possibly somewhat more terrible and contrary to wise and proud flesh then all this for as for these means of preaching praying gathering wherein the creature can be active and hououred and serve God and it selfe and goe halfe with him as I may say in point of honour the creature will with a great deale of reluctancy bee drawne from them for truly there 's much credit comes into us by such things and usually those who openly hate us doe inwardly honour us for them besides the secret confidence and comfort that our selves and friends have in them But when God shall administer under such meanes as we shall be more passive in and such as will sift us to the very soule and spirit and let us know all that is in our hearts such as will cause â—s to be suspected of our selves sleighted by others forsaken of our freinds and such too as have not onely beene one flesh but one spirit with us when religion shall come to that passe that he that will professe Christ must professe poverty disgrace c. then we shall be glad to be freed from the meanes and to have God be all in all for in this way that Saints are in for present they are so rich and abounding as I doe not wonder they are offended that God will strip the creature naked and bee all himselfe Verily its a terrible thing for one that hath thriven in the things of God and grown rich in reputation to be administred in such a way as Professors themselves will thinke him an Apostate an Atheist and those that are more charitable a deluded or a mad man well God in himself will make amends for God in the severest dispensations And there is that man-child ere long to be brought forth in us in spirit and truth which wee have hitherto been delivered of in flesh and darke appearances and when he comes the wildernesse and solitary place shall be glad for him or as Esay in another place Wee shall returne to Sion with Songs and everlasting joy upon our heads and John carries it further yet 1 John 3. 2. When hee shall appeare wee shall be like him for wee shall know him as hee is Your loving c. 13. Letter Sir I Lately received three Letters from you and some Books for which I thank you As for Mr. Sedgewicks book I am not to tell you at present what I think of it God will doe great things by himself the Army and all that they settle must be destroyed without hands the Spirit will blow upon all flesh and yet they are to settle because drawn out so to do and their setting up is Gods work as well as his throwing down he doth the one by the creature the other by himself I think the intentions of the Army are in their kinde so righteous as man will not be able to dissolve them but because all flesh is grâ—sse it must wither God will be great to the ends of the earth and every thing shall be restored into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God the heavens shall no longer conâ—â—â—â— him The earth shall be fild with knowledge of God the earth shall bee sanctified by the Word by the manifestation of God upon it things shall not be morally but spiritually restored the Serpent shall be shut out of Paradise the Tree of Life shall grow on both sides the River Publicans and Sinners shall rejoyce the wise and prudent shall mourn all the beasts of the field shall rejoyce and feed on the Tree of Life the Serpent shall be glutted with dust judgement shall dwell in the wildernesse the high-way shall be holinesse there shall bee no more sin for there shall bee no more self and no more curse but the fruit of the earth shall be beautifull and comely for death and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire Thou art righteous oh Lord which art which wast and shall bee because thou hast judged thus Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoyce Let the Sea roare and the fulnes thereof for he commeth for he commeth to judge the earth he shall judge the world with righteousnes and the people with truth Yours in the Lord. 14. Letter Sir YOURS came to my hands when your friends were with mee who all of them in much freedome injoy your bondage till he that hath the Keyes of the bottomlesse Pit shall release you It s good being in Hell sometimes for variety and to be in the Sea to see the wonders of God in the deep I have beene lately my selfe in the bottome of it where I found a Pearle that 's richer then the earth and I doubt not but providence will prepare you a table in the wildernesse too It hath been the Lot of all of us to be where you are and I thinke some of us stay behinde on purpose to beare you company The bright day must bee brought in by the darkest night and the voyce at midnight will be the Bridegroome is come Since the flesh must dye it were well it were killed at once yet since the execution is so terrible its mercy we dye by degrees dye daily and if we did not dye too so as to perceive that we dye it would doe us no good however it is best you should be dispensed as you are because God will have it as it is whose will is the rule of goodnesse and not our understanding I conceive the reason why you have not heard from those your friends all this time is because they were not at home they were absent from the Lord sure it will not be alwayes thus but so long as there is any thing of earth in us there will bee Eclipses and absence when wee are caught up into the ayre we shall be ever with the Lord. Yours in the Lord. 15. Letter Loving Sister MY Love remembred to you and to the rest of my Sisters hoping that you are in good health as I am at this present These lines are for to certifie you concerning the present dealings of God with me He hath been pleased to make known much of himself and doth make me claim my ownes with himself saying That all things are of