of Noahs Arke so many cubits high and broad as the Scripture speaketh it could not containe all the creatures in the world by couples and sevens and all their meats so long time also it might be thought that God did inspire move all the creatures to come to Noahs Ark to be saved the which I desire you to consider of and the many absurdities that would fall upon it to be understood according to the letter which cannot be agreeable to reason but that there must be some higher mystery in it for the Scripture saith that there was but eight persons in the Ark and that all the world was drowned save these eight and presently after he speaketh of Kings and Kingdomes I pray tell mee from whence these Kings and Kingdomes came from in so short a time for we read how many of the children of Israell went into Egypt and were there foure hundred yeares marke their increase during that space and compare the times and you shall see how many eight persons could bring forth in so short a time for the Egyptian Kingdome and all the rest of the Kingdomes must come from those eight persons which they can never prove to have increased so many in so short a time for we read but of sixty six persons that came of Shem betwixt his comming forth of the Arke and their entring into Egypt and their abode in Egypt was foure hundred and thirty yeares the which in all that time did but increase to six hundred thousand till the time they came out of Egypt again to go into the land of Canaan therefore if you will compare those things and exactly calculate the times you will finde strange contradictions in them wherefore you must not look to the history of the Scripture but to the mystery for the deluge of Gods wrath must needs fall upon some other world then this externall even the world of sinne and iniquity and drowns all their delightfull pleasures and marriages by his heavy judgement and law of sinne that he executeth upon them many and divers wayes but the holy and divine manhood with all the beasts which are the passions and phantasies of his minde and the eight persons which are the five senses with the will reason and understanding which is to rule and governe all these beasts are shut up in the Arke Chest or Divinity of God while this deluge runs over the wicked world and are preserved in the same to bee brought forth as a new and heavenly Jerusalem to a better and more divine world which is the humanity to live in the Godhead or the holy divine life Likewise the history of Joseph his brethren is to be understood spiritually for the twelve sonnes of Jacob with their father and mother is the whole divinity and humanity joyned together and Joseph signifies the highest perfection or divinity which was sold into the hands of the wicked by his brethren which is the humanity with his affections and the wickednesse sold him unto the lust of the flesh which was Potiphars wife so that the lusts of the flesh desired to injoy the perfection to her lust will and desires as the Devill did to Christ which this doth presigurate and he left this garment of flesh which hee seemed to be cloathed with into her hands for a witnesse against him that hee was with her so the wicked lusts of the flesh put this perfection or Joseph in prison because he would not consent to her and helyeth in this dungeon or hell under the fleshly lusts of sinne till our Pharaoh King of ignorance and servitude begin to dream of all the miseries and famines that is to come upon us then Ioseph or our perfection is sent for in haste to provide food for us in this our famished land of servitude and ignorance where wee must sell our selves under this perfection who is as King and Lord in this land for a time otherwise we cannot be saved nor preserved and after a small time this Joseph dyeth in the land of servitude and ignorance after whose death comes a cruell Pharaoh to reigne over thee who doth impose such cruell and hard burdens and taskes on thee which makes thee long and cry out for a Saviour then comes the most powerfull God with his mighty signes and wonders to helpe thee plaguing thy wicked king of wickednesse in thee and when all those wonders and plagues are fulfilled upon thy king of servitude thou must enter into a wildernessed land where is no comfort carrying the dead bones of Joseph or thy dead perfection and in thy going thou must eat the pascall lambe or the supper of our Lord which wildernessed land is the whole passion and death of our Lord Jesus whereby thou must forsake the onions garlike flesh pots and all the pleasant meats which thou catest of in the land of Egypt and in walking through this wildernesse or this death and passion of our Lord Iesus we are brought to the heavenly Ierusalem or City of God wherein we shall rest in all peace and sweet content I doe not deny the history or litterall sense of the Scripture but there is nothing therein profitable for me save only the mystery and spirituall sense As for the sacrifice in the old law where mention is made of killing of bulls rams goats and lambs sure it cannot bee that the killing of these creatures could ever make satisfaction for sinne nor could the speech of a Priest speaking over the head of a goat carry away sinne into the wildernesse as it is said of the seape goat but these are holy mysteries and must be understood otherwise and the chusing of the Priests as that they should have no impediment as a lame leg or one arme or but one eye and that their attire should bee most glorious with the breastplate of Urim and Thummim and the Crown with writing upon it and the pure white linnen which to understand according to the history seemeth strange for the Priests to weare such babling things but that all those are mysteries As for the sacrifices which should be without blemish as the lambs and innocent doves with the sweet odours and perfumes is this to offer up a most holy and upright life without spot or blemish of sinne which is his holy Son Iesus in us a sacrifice most pleasing in his sight for he careth not for the sacrifice of bulls and rams but this most holy body hath he chosen O therefore let us offer up this most holy body and pure life for an acceptable sacrifies most pleasing in his sight this holy life is the odours and sweet perfumes which sweet savor deligh eth his nostrills and ravisheth his minde with most sweet contents and the divine humanity is the Priest that must offer up this most pure sacrifice for he must be a perfect man without the blemish of sinne and must wear the breastplate of judgement with Urim and Thummim which is light and
to our darke eyes to be flesh which is not as the three Angells to Abraham and to Lot for we beleeve appearances to be that which they are not in deed and in truth which we finde by wofull experience the which makes such contention and cutting of throats about Religion the cause of this distraction is that we doe not see things with a righteous eye I desire all friends and readers who doe read this booke and all to whose hands it shall come that you will looke into it rightly and not construe it amisse but as it is really intended for the good of all and where I speak of the death of God and Christ in man I doe not meane that the Almighty and powerfull Godhead can dye or be lost but as he is dead and lost to the man that despises truth and treads it under foot and so I meane that God is dead and lost and the truth lyeth in the streets of his heart which is God who is that truth and the two witnesses lye dead in the street of his heart unregarded which is mercy and righteous judgement and is God which we should have shewed forth to all the world even mercy and righteous judgement but we have hid these witnesses So I desire that the most holy and righteous God may be your guide and director to lead you into all truth The true Articles of the Christian Faith 1. I Beleeve in God the Father Almighty maker of the holy Heaven and earth in the man I confesse and acknowledge that the same is a true holy living God or good and that he is a mighty Spirit and a perfect clear light that discovers to the man the reall truth of things and how all things are in their places and in or to the Man and he is the reall beeing the truth light life and love to the Man and this is his name light life and love for he is all this to the man for the love of God to the man was such that he brought him under the law of discipline and correction instructing him what to doe for his good and convincing his conscience for what hee hath done to himselfe and against God or goodnesse so he raiseth up all our sinnes as judges to condemne us for what we have done and they correct or punish us for God or goodnesse hath put it in them to doe it and God hath opened our eyes with his power to see it which makes us hate and condemne our selves for what we have done his holy power or light hath perswaded our hearts to have true sorrow and reall repentance for our sins with a broken and a contrite heart and sorrowfull spirit and so we begin to hate our selves and our sins and doe really forsake them and doe confesse that we doe deserve to bee for ever lost and damned and be deprived of God and goodnesse for ever because we have chosen hell death and devill and joyned our selves unto it but Gods mercy and goodnesse hath inlightned our hearts with his law and hath really corrected 〈◊〉 for our sin and hath brought us to the beleefe of Jesus Christ by his law or fatherly correction for he receiveth no sonne but whom he correcteth and none comes to Jesus Christ but whom the Father drawea to him and this drawing to Jesus Christ is by the law of discipline and this law is the river Jordan or judgement and Iohn the Baptist or the light of Gods grace that doth dip or dye us in the river Iordan or Iudgement of Gods glacious goodnesse and this his judgement doth cleanse us from all our sinnes that were as red as searled and we come out as white as snow and this is the first Baptisme in the Fathers Name 2. I beleeve in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God or good and that he is the reall substance of God and that he is the goodnesse that proceedeth from God or good And I beleeve that all good things are made in the man by him and through him and that all goodnesse doth consist in him and proceedeth forth of him into the man for his goodnesse in us beareth in us our sinnes by his mighty power of patience and long sufferance with grievous sufferings and agonies which hee hath for our sinnes and there hee lyes or reignes in us till our sinnes bee vanquished or rooted out by this mighty power of patience and long sufferance and when all our evill is overcome by this power of his goodnesse then he delivers us which is the Kingdome of God to his Father that God may be all in all 3. I beleeve the Son of God or Righteousnesse is borne of the holy virgin Mary which virgine is the pure humanity and this pure humanity is overshadowed by the Angell Gabriell or the power of the most highest God and this Son or righteousnesse of God is begotten upon the humanity and is the promised seed to the man which is borne for a blessing to all generations of man as was promised 4. I beleeve that this holy seed of blessing the Sonne of God Jesus Christ the Saviour of us hath suffered death under Pontius Pilate the law of sinne in us and that he dyeth for and to sinne in us and is dead and buried and in hell under our earthly beeing and man of sin and he suffers for our sin in this hell for they be all upon him and he is nailed to the crosse of patience to endure all the reproaches and blasphemies contempts and false defamations or accusations for our sinnes cause on him and for the love of God and to us hath taken us upon him that we should suffer with him all our own reproaches contempts and sinnes to condemne us for doing them and that wee should condemne and forsake them and be dead to them and they to us by the power of Iesus Christ that saveth us in us and this is the baptisme of the Sonne and is the fiery tryalls or the baptisme of fire with which he saveth his owne body or us which is the humane nature that he hath taken on him to suffer for and with and that it might be saved through him and by his power in us and whosoever doth not suffer this death with Christ for their sinnes that is to suffer under the law of sinne death for sinne and to sinne the death of the crosse which is the patience and long sufferance of Christ to the killing of sinne in us he is no Christian let him brag how much he will of his Christianity till he hath tasted the death and life of Christ and that all this is come to passe in him for they must all taste of this cup or passion and be baptised with his baptisme for if we doe not suffer and dye with him we shall never rise and reigne with him 5. I beleeve that the holy God hath raised up his Sonne Jesus from the dead and that he was three dayes
and three nights in hell under the earthly man of sinne and in the heart of his earthly being and the first day he sheweth and discovereth unto man his sins and the night of the day doth terrifie and wound the conscience and doth feare the man which is the law of sin or the wrath of God upon the man that sinneth And the second day is the grace and power of God which giveth the true sorrow and repentance for thy sins and the night of that day is that bloudy fight in which is the sweat and agony of death in thee that crucifies and kills thee for thy sins And the third day is the power of Christ that gives thee victory over death devill hell and sins so that thou art dead unto sin and the night of this day is the patience and long sufferance of Christ in thee till thou hast overcome the evill one for in this day and night is the whole mystery of Christ finished and the Son of God is darkned in thee and thou becommest dead and buried in him and he in thee so the last day is comming on to thee which is the resurrection of Christ in thee and with thee which is the new creature or man of God Jesus Christ which was dead in thee and with thee and when you have suffered together you shall reigne together in perpetuall joyes with him in God for ever and for ever I beleeve that this Jesus or our Saviour is ascended up to his Father and doth carry them up that have suffered with him and hath cleansed them and prepared them a Kingdome for his Father that God may be all in all in us for he Christ after the flesh which is death and mortification must reigne in us till all sin be subdued and then he delivers us up to his Father for he saith except we eat his flesh and drinke his bloud there is no life in us therefore let us eat this flesh and drinke this blood of mortification and killing and crucifying our sins This was the flesh of Christ that St. Paul spake of saying though he knew Christ after the flesh yet now he knew him so no more O that we had all eaten this supper of Christ then were we happy but till then most unhappy for we must drinke this cup or passion and shew the Lords death till he come in his life and glory 7. I beleeve that Iesus shall come from the strength or right hand of God with all his Saints or Angels or the good motions which are thousands of them and they with Christ shall judge the quick and dead in us which quick is himselfe and all his Saints and holy Angells to live reigne and dwell in us and judge the dead sins never to live any more in us but be damned and lost for ever out of us so this is the last day or light or day of righteous judgement that shall last for ever in us O that it were so come to passe in all and that they might see this last and everlasting day or new day which shall last for ever and for ever 8. I beleeve in the Holy Ghost and that he is the ancient of dayes and is the love of the Father and of the Son which is the reciprocall love of singing one to one and this holy love or Holy Ghost hath joyned God and man together and hath pulled downe all partition walls that hindered their comming together and hath baptized or dipt or dyed the man in this his most holy life or holy spirit and hath made him a holy house Church or Temple for God to live and dwell in and Christ is the head stone or foundation of this most holy house O that all men were become this Temple or house of God to dwell in 9. I beleeve that there is one holy Church and this Church are all holy men that are without sinne spot or wrinckle for all holy men are the body of our Lord Iesus Christ that is cleansed by him and made pure for hee is the head of a pure body and there is no sin in his body or Church nor is he head of a sinfull body therefore looke to it you that are sinfull men for you are not the members of Christs body or Church of Christ as you may see in the fifth of the Ephesians where it is evident that he saith that his body or Church is without sin 10. I beleeve that all sinnes are forgiven in this Church for Christ hath forgiven them the sinnes that are past and hath covered them with his holy life so that those evills shall never rise against us more but wee shall live and reigne over devill death and hell with Christ for evermore and sit with him at Gods right hand for ever and for ever 11. I beleeve the resurrection of the flesh of Christ that is joyned to the humanity and this flesh or death of Christ with the humane nature shall arise into immortality and for this mortality of theirs shall put on immortality and all death shall be swallowed in victoriousnesse so happy art thou O man that hast put on the flesh or mortality of Christ for this flesh or mortality shall carry thee into everlasting immortality and into everlasting life and joy of holy minds 12. I beleeve that there is but this one holy and everlasting life and this life is the holy life of God and he hath chosen the man to live in it and to her one with him for ever Take it to heart for this is the reall truth and surely thou shalt finde it so if thou seekest for it thou shalt finde it and it shall bee so unto thee CHAP. II. A description of one spirit acting in all which some affirme is God NOw what a spirit is is to be considered for all things appearing to the man he gave them severall names according to their natures and as they appeared unto him for in Gen. it is said that Adam the man gave every thing and creature his name according as his nature was to the man and it was so and could bee no otherwayes for the genius and wisdome of God in man gave these severall names by his inspirations and lights which hee discovered to the man how the natures and qualities of things were and they are really so for they be named by the Spirit of God in man but there are many cavellers that dispute about it and would destroy all order and bring all into confusion for they say they cannot tell what a spirit is nor what man or beast is nor what fire water earth or aire is yet they themselves see all these severall things and their severall natures and operations in them and to them so that if these things had no name they must of necessity give them some name or else all the world would be dumbe and have no discourse for they could not discourse of these severall things and their natures unlesse they
for at this day if a Serpent went up into a tree and did speake from thence to men and women it would make them afraid in so much that they would not doe what he bid them or dost thou thinke that in Mesopotamia a great way off beyond the seas that there is a materiall garden wherein standeth the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and ill both in one place and an Angell standing with a slickering sword to keep the tree of life from the man and that Adam and Hevah were cast out of this garden for harkening to the Serpent to till the earth and that it should bring forth nothing but thorns and thistles all which in my judgement cannot stand with reason or truth for the Scripture saith that none shall be saved but those who shall eat of the tree that is in the paradise of God why then doe not all soules or men goe to looke for this paradise and garden of Eden to eat of this tree of life whereby they must be saved for none can be saved without it And why doe not all men and women goe to fight with this Angell that holdeth this sword which keepeth them from the tree of life and consequently from salvation I see none nor heard I ever any that went to seek out this garden Angell nor tree of life and so if the Scripture be to be understood according to the litterall sense or this a materiall garden none can be saved because the same hath never been found out by any since the fall of Adam and that earth which is said to bring forth nothing but thornes and thistles cannot be the externall earth for we see it bringeth forth very good herbes fruit and corne fit for the use of the externall manhood and but few thornes and thistles Therefore O man looke not thou on the history of the Scripture but upon the mystery which is hidden since thy wicked world began for these are all holy and sacred mysteries which are hid from all fleshly and sinfull hearts whose foreskin of sin is before them as a partition wall therefore O man let thy partition wall be pulled downe by the mighty power of God in thee and let the foreskin of thy sinfull flesh bee cut off and be thou plunged dipped dyed or baptised in the most holy and divine nature or in the most holy Godhead for if thou goest into this river of Jordan or judgement as red as bloud with thy sinnes thou shalt come forth as white as snow and then thou shalt see all these secret and holy mysteries which are revealed to perfect and just men and to no other for to the wicked and sinfull men it is a closed booke and a dead letter for S. Paul saith in the second chap. of the second to the Corinths that he speaketh the wisdome of God to them that are perfect for none can understand it but such as are perfect and without sinne for to the wise of this world the wisdome is foolishnes and they laugh it to scorne and thinke it meer madnesse as Felix did of Paul saying That too much learning had made him mad O that all soules had this foolishnesse and madnesse it would be more pretious to them then all the wisdomes and riches of this world for the wisdome of this world is earthly sensuall and divillish all which perish with the using and the foolishnesse and madnesse of God as men esteem is to us our right and perfect minde O that all men were baptised into the Father Son and Holy Ghost then should they see things cleerly and never have more trouble in soule then should they know all good things and all teares should be wiped from their eyes and be in everlasting ravishing joyes and sweet content of minde As for the seven Nations that the Scripture maketh mention of which should be destroyed when their sins were full as the Amorites Jebusites Hittites c. it cannot be meant the destruction and killing of men because it is contrary to the nature of God and goodnesse to be the cause of destruction for he is the author and cause of all goodnesse and preservation therefore wee should be like God to pray for them and doe them all the good we can and not destroy and kill them in their sins for we should deale with them by the spirit of meeknesse and not send them to hell headlong for wee know not how soon they may return to God goodnesse wherefore those seven are the seven deadly sinnes which have set themselves forth as Nations in us which when they are at the full in us the Israel of God Jesus Christ must come and destroy them out of us that the whole society of God with Saints and Angells may dwell in us and that our soule may be a land that floweth with milke and hony and till all those good things come to passe in us we are not saved And whereas it is said of Abrahams beeing commanded to kill his sonne Isaac which is contrary to the law of nature and to God and goodnesse to command him to kill his naturall son there is some secret sacred mystery in it for in this is set forth the whole passion of Christ or Isaac or Jesus Christ is the promised seed which is brought forth in the Ancient of dayes or in the end of time and is the sole and only joy of the man and God to trye the man would have this sole joy and life of the man to be brought to the sacrifice but the Divinity or holy life cannot dye but as it may seeme to the man but the ramme or humanity which was caught in the bush of sin he must dye and bee sacrificed for sin for all sacrifices are for sin and the soule that sinneth he must dye wherefore we should not looke on the Scripture as a history but as a holy and secret mystery for in Gal. 4.24 it is said that by Hagar and Sarah is signified the two Testaments and that their children are two seeds the one fleshly and the other spirituall and Jacob and Esau that wrestled in the womb are said to be two Nations the one spirituall the other carnall and the Scripture testifieth them to bee two worlds which is meant the first and second birth in man and not as most imagine that God ordained the one to damnation and the other to salvation and the Scripture witnesseth plainly that those are allegories and to be understood as mysteries or else we shall altogether disorder and confound the Scripture and this is the reason of so many Religions one fighting against the other for the Scripture in the letter seemeth to contradict it selfe so that if we have not the Spirit of God which is above the Scripture wee cannot understand one word or tittle thereof aright and none can have that Spirit but he that hath ceased from sin As for the drowning of the world and building
put thee to paine with the power of his working salves thou shalt never bee well thinke or believe what thou wilt of Christ without thee and of his great works he nor they shall profit thee nothing unlesse thou hast the power of Christ working within thee and that thou sensibly feele the power of his working against sinne in thee which is a grievous hell and torment to thee for the present to indure but thou hadst better indure this hell against thy sin for a moment then be for ever lost and damned and be deprived of God and goodnesse for ever having the sting of conscience stinging thee for what thou hast done and for what thou hast lost and deprived thy selfe off for ever therefore O man looke to it in time whilst time doth last for this world is time the which if thou mispendest there is no time more and in this time is all worlds opened to thee and if thou dost not chuse the divine and most holy world in this time it is for ever shut up against thee and so thou art deprived of God and goodnesse and art in a most miserable condition wherefore O man doe not dally with thy selfe nor deferre the time putting it off from one time to another for time is a thiefe and steales away from thee therefore do not cheat or cosen thy selfe with false beliefes and faiths of Iesus Christ and what he hath done for thee the which he never hath done till thou feele the power of his working in thee with many agonies and bloody sweats and till thou feele the nailes of his crucifying pricke thee to the very heart and that thou feelest the stings of death for sinne in thee therefore O man put no confidence in Christ till thou findest the mighty power and worke of Christ in thee for if thou doest thou deceivest thy selfe and thy beliefe is in vaine and a dead faith without this worke of Christ working mightily in thee pulling downe all thy strong holds of sinne and vaine imaginations and offering thee up a pure soule to his Father that God may be all in all in thee O that it were so come to passe in all soules then were they happy but till then most unhappy And for that man that was said to be borne blinde is Christ after the flesh in thee which became thy selfe who is conceived and borne in iniquity in thee to save thee for thy father which is the devill is become his father and thy mother which is lust is become his mother and Iesus Christ is that true Physitian that maketh himselfe see in thee and Christ saying to his Disciples that the father of this blind man sinned not nor the son is meant that as he is Christ the holy unction or anointing he commeth of God and is the Sonne of God and God is his Father and they be no sinners neither he nor his Son but Christ to shew the glory of God became this blinde man in us and opened his owne eyes in us which see not in man any good thing till sinne is destroyed out of the man so these holy eyes are blinde in us till that time that Christ have destroyed sinne out of us and then he openeth his owne eyes in us which eyes then are ours which sinne had blinded in us before so that we could not see with those righteous eyes but made those eyes to us to bee the eyes of the wicked nature through which we looked not as they were in deed and in truth righteous and holy eyes but as they seemed to us in so much that we have taken the holy God to be that to us which he is not in himselfe for our sinnes hath made us thinke him our enemy when as hee is our dearest friend that till our sinnes are destroyed he doth and will seeme so to us that which he is not in himselfe for his eyes shall be blinde to us and his ears deaf to us so that he will neither see nor heare when we call and cry to him because there is a darke cloud of sinne that separateth him and us and hee will not heare us till this cloud is taken out of the way and that we become a true father and mother to him for we have been wicked parents to him heretofore and have brought him into all wickednesse and misery and have killed him in suffering for us as if he had done all wickednesse when as there was no guile found in his mouth but is that innocent Lambe that was slaine in the beginning of thy world of sin Also thou art that woman that is bound with Sathan eighteen yeares and art become double with his bonds untill thou goest to Christ that he may loose thee from the bonds of Sathan and make thee whole and streight again And thou art shee that hast that bloody issue of sinne for twelve yeares O touch therefore his garment his flesh or mortification and thou shalt be made whole and this garment is the law of sinne which cleanseth thee from sinne And thou art he that is possessed with legions of Devills or sinnes O then let Christ by his mighty power cast him out of thee that thou mayest be in thy right minde againe And thou art the man possessed with a deafe and dumbe Devill so that thou canst not speake to God nor heare him when he speaketh to thee O fast thou the true reall fast which is from all thy sinnes and pray to God continually with a broken and contrite heart and true sorrowfull spirit then mayest thou speake to God and heare him when he speaks to thee And thou art or mayest be in that ship on that stormy sea that is ready to sinck thy ship with its boisterous waves for God and the Devill are at strife for thee when thou hast once joyned thy selfe to God and then beginneth the bloody warrs betwixt these two Kingdomes in thee for when thy wicked world of sinne begins to be at an end then is there Kingdom against Kingdome and nation against nation in thee and stormy rageing seas roaring so that the heart of thy man of sin begins to faile in thee and Christ is asleepe in the cabbin that is in thy inmost selfe and is that still and soft voice therefore seeke for him and awake him that he may save thee and calme these raging stormy seas within thee with his most still and soft voyce and these are the seas that St. Paul did saile through God and the Devill the truth and thely which clasheth one against the other and the humanitie is the ship that saileth betwixt those two seas and tasts of both and is broken and the forepart of that ship that stuck fast and was not hurt nor moved by the clashing waves of those seas is the most holy and divine Godhead Jesus Christ within thee which can indure and is able to make thee indure if thou stay in the ship with him all the stormy seas of