in his own light and spiritual leading in every mans conscience there to arise and his enemies be scattered as he transformeth and reneweth the mind according to his blessed will of heavenly love and the contrary thereto is onely unreasonable unrighteous intolerable and abominable to God as that which enforceth men of corrupt and unstable minds to formalities and hypocrisie whereof ensueth condemnation in themselves to their souls besides the many other mischiefs and miseries to mankinde for what is out of faith is sin both in the commander and actor and if the heart condema God is greater and knoweth all and who shall justifie where he condemns and as it is written Blessed and happy is he that condemns not himself in the thing that he alloweth and contrarily which ought to be well heeded and warily observed by all men and is by those that are willing to know and perform the great trust reposed in them concerning their own souls as knowing that they must give an account of themselves to God and ought not to trust their souls with others that have other ends then for the Lords service and learned Arts whereby to call good evil and evil good put darkness for light and light for darkness as blind men or with their eyes shut and unwilling to know the light of life and leading of the holy Spirit of truth as if as the fool said in his heart there were no God or not desiring the knowledge of his way and yet concerning the things of this world cry Give give more more when they have not rightly learned how to use that they have V. You that are strict and zealous Professors in your ways should study to be quiet in your selves and with others you have a zeal as for God but not according to knowledge of him as a fire of love in you kindled by the holy Ghost and therefore you are such and so diversly opinionated without unity or order amongst your selves but one fort contending for the Monster Uniformity another for their new-made Faith a third for their dead dumb and empty ordinances and each impleading others and employing your selves like Nadab and Abibu or Core and his company in kindling and offering strange fires before the Lord and resisting the truth taught in the light of Christ by his blessed Spirit which leads into all truth as Jannes and Jambres sometime withstood Moses but your deeds are so manifest and you stopt and reproved in your inward and outward parts so as not like much farther to prevail are again in love as heretofore warned to turn in your minds to him that there smiteth for amendment that a remnant of you forsaking the sparks of their own kindling may be purged purished and brought forth as gold tryed and saved by that consuming fire which burns and wasts all sin our of obedient souls with the fleshly loves and lovers thereof so as there may be no more mis-judging by private and perverse spirits of ignorance weakness or thick darkness that cannot comprehend the deep things of God but do turn the minds out of the true light of Jesus Christ wherein his servants see light to walk that pure path of holiness in him to glory in words emptiness and vanity of your wills bodily wits and works as did the former persecuters of Christ Jesus not wisely heeding the Lords hand whereby he is restoring all things into the glorious liberty of his sons and daughters and how he therefore now shakes the earth and heavens also which should abate the edge of mens earthly appetites accompanied with such strange and hideous effects and would if they knew any thing of the Lords pure and powerful workings or of the times and seasons or were but near ripe for truth and apt to the kingdom of God and would take such off from expecting greater signes and wonders or acting another thing by another spirit of private interpretation different from the Lords purpose so many ways manifested and therefore it is evident that such men are sick weak or fallen asleep so that they cannot discern the Lords body his truth and true worshippers nor other things that differ And though you may not be competent Judges in spiritual matters yet consider is it righteous or reasonable that those who are either meerly carnal or have not yet received so much as the bare presence of the holy Spirit in grace should judge others that are sealed with the Spirit of promise baptised and made to drink into that one Spirit which judgeth all things and so are partakers of the divine nature of the immortal and invisible God Have you never read how the Lords praise is perfected in the mouths of his babes and sucklings and that whosoever doth not receive the kingdom of God as a little Childe shall in no wise enter therein or how the mysteries of that kingdom are hid from the wise and prudent and revealed to such babes or how the halt lame and blind whom you despise do enter while you your selves and others art shut out and the rich sent empty away Remember that Exhortation of Christ Jesus to men of your sort saying Wash the inside that the out may be clean also It is high time for you to be willing to put away the evil of your doings and yeild to his light and leading of his Spirit that your souls may be prepared and fitted to feel and know him as God equal with the Father spiritually to clense you from all unrighteousness and then you will not suppose that any good thing of him can make you happy but what is so revealed and wrought in you or be ignorant of the danger of resisting or neglecting such divine stirrings in your souls by any your exquisite Arts natural Reasons or bodily Wits as some do who are so much thereby deceived that they think they are not deceived You may read likewise of some that had travelled pretty far in outward Ordinances been baptised with water c. and yet not heard that there is an holy Ghost and such in those days are not a few that have their cars stopped with dumb and deadly sounds of words or thereby become so dull of hearing that they hearken not to the voice of the Charmer though he charm never so wisely nor are gotten one step farther then those that had not heard of an holy Ghost though they can talk much of him by what they have read or others told them and how then should they believe on him of whom they have not heard specially while they are so willingly led by such ignorant talking that so dulls them and hinders their heeding of the true light and hearing what the holy Spirit saith and how he revealeth the deep things of God to all watchful and willing souls so that such have their loves to and their faith and lives in mans wisdom and seldom or never come to the love of God indeed and in truth but remain vain and unruly
free to wait on Jesus Christ as he ought for so long as love to any creature or lustful desire carries the mind out from Jesus Christ his true light within he cannot die to the world nor come into this darkness of knowing himself be crucified to the world as not desiring it nor accepting it And for this forsaking said Jesus Christ he shall have a hundred fold even the profit of this darkness be hid through grace from worldly goods that he seek them not earnestly is not letted by them loveth them not looketh not after them and therefore hath an hundred fold more then any King or rich man of the earth that takes care to keep that he hath and yet covets more for he that coveteth Jesus Christ and him onely he hath more rest of heart and conscience true love and delight in his soul in one hour then he that loveth the things of this world hath or can have in all his life-time and this darkness is but as mid-day when the Sun shineth out of the darkness and Jesus Christ giveth rest to his beloved that standeth firm in his counsâ—l and doubteth not nor is afraid for any evil tydings because his heart is sined and is well assured that the light of knowledge and feeling of spiritual love is in Christ Jesus of him and for him and that the darkiness in forsaking of worldly love is by his forming and reformming the soul onely to and for himself and that he reformeth us in us and not without us for grace is inwardly given at first and so wrought by degrees as man applyeth his heart thereto As first Jesus Christ by his light and Spirit calleth from worldly vanities and that then brings great sweerness and joy with it but if left and not seconded it stayeth there but for a little season though the remembrance thereof abideth and after that the time of reforming and setting the soul at rights is with much labour and watching for when the mind is set against all sin within and without and the desire wholly on the love of Jesus Christ wherein there will be felt many lets from within in his own will and without from his enemies by temptations and his great torment that he hath lived so long in the false love of the world and this will stick close to him until he pass through spiritual tribulation and be purified through fears doubts and perplexities that he will be near unto despair and wholly left unto the enemy save onely that the Lord Jesus privately loveth him and such a soul hath also private trust in his mercy and go he never so far he shall not fall because he is born up from despair though with great inward pain so that he sometimes knoweth not whence it cometh and yet then that soul would not for all the world be blinded with the false love as before it was for that were hell to such a soul and this the Lord Jesus doth in pure love and for great profit to that soul to drive out sensuality that it might receive spiritual light And when the soul is reformed in feeling and freely accepteth the gift of perfect cleansing to enter into the rest and cease from his own works as God did from his then is Jesus Christ more sweetly familiar with the soul that is so brought through the fire of afflictions into true peace and in this working some souls have great devotion in prayer and main touchings of spiritual light in understanding and others of comfortable heat and great sweetness and never come fully to this restful darkness with a present fervent desire of lasting love and longing after God but these inward feelings where they stand in compunction and sorrow for sin or of devotion or outward imagination are not the feelings that the soul shall have and feel in the gracious habitation with God spiritually while in this life or body of flesh though they may be gracious gifts of God and not to be abused or neglected although the soul that feels them is not yet reformed in feeling for it hath not yet received the gift of perfect and spiritual burning love to Jesus Christ as they may come to if they be faithful in it and yet they may feel more of the love of God then others that have that gift in the way towards perfect feeling in as much as the feeling sheweth more outwardly by their fervour in bodily tokens as in weeping praying speaking and other bodily stirrings and strivings that some others would think them ravished with love c. Yet still consider that these stirrings and strivings are of God to stay them from the worldly love and lusts of the flesh that have so long been rooted in their hearts from which worldly love they may not be drawn out by such feeble stirrings of great fervour and outward strength which is no true token of much love but of weakness and little love in their souls that cannot bear a little touching of God for it is yet fleshly and fastened thereto and not mortified there from by the work of the Spirit of God For the touch seems so quick and also delectable over all things felt before in fleshly love of earthly things that it is over-taken with it for that it is so new sudden and strange that the body cannot well bear it but breaketh out into weepings bodily stirrings and other actions as Christ said the old bottles would break and not hold the new wine but that God keepeth it whole in mercy letteth it break out into tears and words through weakness and feebleness of soul and not because of much love as some may suppose but afterwards when through love the uncleanness is melted out of the soul by such fervour then is the love clear and standeth still and then perfect love casteth out fear then is the soul in peace and much more in love then before though it shew less outward for it is now all whole at rest within and little appearing outwardly For in the first state such feelings come to the soul suddainly before it be well aware and as it comes before the soul knows it so it oft returneth or departeth without its knowledge neither can the soul tell how to come to that state again no know where to find it for the thought are not yet kept within in the light with a firm longing desire to Jesus Christ nor the eye of the soul kept open and neer to the spiritual beholding of heavenly things and so the heart is not sixed and then what weakness and unsuitableness is in all without stedfasness firm faith and full intent to God to know his secrets and obey his will And it is always to be diligently minded that there are two manner of feelings the one inward according to mans bodily wit and skill and the other more inward or within that being of spiritual light wisdom and skill which the holy Ghost teacheth and planteth in
rightly known to it to live and grow up in it as it is in all meek souls that in a still and quiet staidness suffer him and yeild to him for the increase and finishing of his own work therein The Soul of Man which the LORD GOD formed as hath been said by breathing of his breath of life into him is a worthy likeness image or similitude of God not the bodily shape but the inner powers thereof but since falling from the light and heavenly presence of sweet love and sure joy into the painful darkness and lusts of this wretched life is by his own act cast out of the heritage of heaven So that man now in no wise can know Jesus Christ the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world by running out with his thoughts into the most excellent way that mans wit can imagine but by a turning the Soul in to that of God within it self in the light thereof and there waiting for his still voice wherein the Lord Jesus Christ moveth which the wise and prudent men of this world imagine to be a low mean natural and contemptible thing but therein is the living and true God discovered to the soul and exalted above all created things whereby the soul seeth it self and also above it self into the heavenly place while it is so kept in the most inner and precious clean part of it self and taketh pure pleasure therein and that not onely for the light sake but for the blessed love which is in that light and the knowledge it giveth how to seek God within and forget all bodily things without and also forget thinking of it self and wayting to finde therein onely the uncreated God that made him and gave him reason will and affections and quickeneth him in Christ Jesus by his blessed light and so as Christ Jesus moves in him by his grace so moveth the soul to find and feel him more in himself as the true light which is not a natural or bodily thing but truth and faithfulness in spiritual light for as bodily light serveth to the body or outward man so this true light and faithful spiritual being which is God in Christ sheweth to the reason of the soul first it self and then in and by it self all other spiritual things that are needful to the knowledge and salvation of the Soul So said David By or In thy light we see light And thus is God a consuming fire that burneth and consumeth sin out of the soul and purifieth it even as fire parifieth Metals and these are as favory words as also is the work to those that so receive them and when the inner eye of the Soul is opened through grace to have such a beholding of Jesus Christ thereby shall the soul be raught to turn the outward powers into spiritual use and not to reft in a bare believing but grow in farther sight and knowledge of him untill the reasonable soul receive the kingdome of God as Christ said and that full blessed and endless life in him And in order thereto ever to feel and know how Jesus Christ opens the inner eye of the soul of his goodness and meer mercy when and as he pleaseth by lighting the reason with his true inner light in the conscience to see him and know him by little and little as the soul may suffer him whereby he gently sheweth the soul that he is an unchangeable being of saving strength faithfulness goodness and blessedness of endless life which the obedient soul learneth to see as much more then can be well express'd as Jesus pleaseth to reveal to him by his holy Spirit and that not blindly nakedly or unsavourily as in mans own reason by his outward learning or other bodily abilities but with an understanding enlightned comforted and strengthened by the gift of the holy Ghost with a wonderfull inexpressible love reverence godly fear spirituall savour and heavenly delight so as that the affections become ravished therewith and keeps from the minding of earthly things And thus is Go pleased to beget his owne likeness in man which beg tring is his Son in flesh even that goodness sight and sure knowledge of God in Christ and love unfained in him which is a reforming of the soul in faith and feeling and yet may not be grown so fully perfect in love as some have felt and written of but the more clean clear and simple the soul is made in parting from fleshly love the more quick sight and greater love to God it hath and it may be so as though there were no other man that believed in or loved Jesus Christ but that he were alone as Elijah once thought yet he would love him trust in him and follow him and not part with him for all other things and then a man valueth all earthly created things at one rate as nothing worth in his esteem knowing that both the love and the things themselves that worldly men esteem and delight in shall perish together coveting nothing but close communion with Jesus Christ spiritually not fleshly for he knows not after the flesh but loves and owns Jesus Christ in all men without respect to outward persons and things and flies from the vain sights of worldly delights that others take pleasure in his delight being onely in Jesus Christ lest other things should let the freedome of his heart from him neither doth he value or heed the speakings of other men unless in the same light love meekness of Jesus Christ and would rather be still in peace having nothing outwardly unless it be spoken feelingly and stirringly as of the love of Jesus to farther him therein And as for speaking or hearing of worldly speech it hath no savour in him much less stories tidings or vain janglings can have no place in his thoughts and therefore not in his affections for as the inner eye of the soul is opened through faith working by love into the beholding of Jesus Christ by inspiration of speciall grace it is thereby made clean subtill and able to move to and work in the Lords vineyard in such manner of working by the holy Ghost as the greatest learned men on earth cannot imagine with all their wit and skill much less shew it with their tongues because it is not gotten by study nor through any mans labour but by pure and speciall gift of the holy Ghost and is not different in quality from the heavenly gift in conversion of the chosen souls but is the same though it be otherwise felt and shadowed out to the soul For as the soul groweth in grace so grace groweth in the soul and increaseth more and more unto the perfect day and heavenly kingdom of especiall seeing into the secrets of the Lord Jesus so that when the heart awaketh to God and is knit to him then it sleepeth and is lost from the world And thus the Apostles slept to the worldly love while in true inspiration of
him and his motions and the more is the soul alive and active to him accounting it a shame to be fed with swines meat of fleshly things and savours wherein he feels no spiritual refreshment or true joy of love and delight And therefore he ever sets his heart and mind spiritually upon good meditates on him to know what he willeth and to please him see him know him have love and enjoy him by his grace and by degrees more and better and as the soul ever keeps to these desires it will be shewed plainly in the light what is evil and what good what is pleasing to God and what is contrary to him and teach him all needful things for salvation gain them for him and bestow them on him and therefore as there is a standing fast in this watchful desire victory will be given so that the soul wait and meditate meekly and patiently until Jesus Christ accept thereof give spiritual savour and accomplish his own work therein with victory as to other saints in his own time and so as it may become that souls chiefest joy to know and do that heavenly will because of the true spiritual delight therein But if man should comply and strive with his bodily wits and worldly wisdom that will but drive him farther off and a wretched thing it is for any man to leave the inward watch and keeping of his heart and shape to himself any outward form figure likeness or habit of vertue and holiness in meditation prayer or other performance to live in such a form of outward exercise beholding joyning with or imitating others and supposing himself right and righteous in so doing for thereby he departeth from the light guidance and government of Gods blessed Spirit and deceiveth himself by thinking he hath acceptance with God in his own doings which so done are directly against God though they might be right and acceptable in those that were led thereto by the Spirit of God In this general calling of souls employment nothing is rightly done but in watching and prayer nor any true watch kept or prayer presented but in the light and with a spiritual understanding wherein vertue wisdom and strength comes to be received and rightly employed but this consists not in learning to say words or know how many parts prayer hath or how to word it wisely for the drawing of others affections and so to make long prayers for pretence or as to be heard for much speaking in the way that mans wisdom teacheth of bodily exercise as did the Pharisees whereof Christ warned his Disciples and lifting up themselves in their own strength for the applause of men that they may be reputed able Christians of excellent parts full of knowledge better then others c. By which means many are themselves deceived by thinking they have the grace of Christ and spiritual knowledge and thereupon do so worship and please themselves in their hearts as if they were the onely men to pray praise and give thanks to God for with and above others while all is but with their lips vain words and bodily wits wherewith they onely dishonour God and defile themselves and others that so joyn with them in words before their hearts and souls are therein agreed by stealing the thanks praise and worship from God to themselves like the Pharisees that would presently be thanking God in words and judging others without the fear of God faith in him or any true love in feeling or affections or desires to know their own hearts and the iniquities thereof much less that God or others should know them or they their duties to him But these forward minds are far from any sure savour of delight or being in God and therefore their prayers or praises find no place with him neither are they fair or seemly in the mouths of such men where self is loved and their minds employed to provide for the outward man and their pride is the greater that so move while they keep no true watch and guard over their thoughts have no hold of their hearts or stay of their minds but multiply words in a powerless way of mans wisdom by imagining evils finding faults accusing themselves and others and asking sometimes what they do not in truth desire and oft what they do not want but to spend upon their lusts wherein the most are misled as their consciences witness being ignorant of the A ostles doctrine fellowship and prayers as they are of the knowledge of God and the Godhead in the manhood of Christ But that no man may mistake my understanding in the commands of Christ Jesus my Lord how to pray or my practise in obedience thereto let every one turn in their minds to his light and there wait to know how he said Enter into thy closet and shut thy door forget not that and pray to thy Father in secret So Christ himself prayed in the mountain in the garden in the desart alone from his Disciples and required thâ—m to watch and pray And also appointed joynt praying and said Where two of you shall agree upon any thing to ask it shall be granted of my Father which is in heaven but said he Use no vain repetitions as the heathen do And again Hitherto have you asked nothing in my Name ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full And his Disciples did afterwards so ask in his Name in faith and feeling and that without wavering as it is written and prayed much without ceasing with all manner of prayers and supplications in the Spirit and with the Spirit and understanding not knowing what to ask but as the Spirit helped and made requests with sighs and groans not to be uttered and so asking they received whether privately alone as Paul when he felt the grace sufficient for him or as agreed in particular cases as was that in chusing one in the room of Judas their praying together with one accord their sitting so together waiting for the gift of the holy Ghost while they had received but the first fruits of the Spirit So likewise the Church prayed for Peter and for others on other occasions but still more and more in the pure power and fervent love as they received the more spiritual gifts of the holy Ghost By all which it is most evident that the fire of that blessed Spirit of holiness at all times kindled the sacrifice and the praise was not of men but of God And thus they prayed in Christs Name as they were made partakers of his divine Nature But what outward naming of Christ was there in all this which is a work that the rude and unâ—â—ly soul the wild and worldly mind knows nothing of Or what of set times places or personal respects was used therein though now men have learned frequently to take the Name of God and Jesus Christ in vain into their mouths while they hate to be reformed and neither know his Nature nor his Name
Devil and man made might perish and be no more for the everlasting love of God in Jesus Christ is the true light and blessed day love and light being of and in him in whose light the children of the day see light and greatly rejoyce But they that truely seek him must be content to abide a while in the darkness for the darkness was before the light and the evening and morning were the first day and man may not suddenly come from the dark day which is the love of himself and this world into the perfect love of God in and to his soul and to see and feel spiritual things gaining victory in his thoughts to bring all into obedience because it is first night or darkness with him wherein the love of this world is shut out and the day springs from on high and visiteth and as the soul becomes quiet and still the light breaks forth more and more unto the perfect day as he becomes wholly acquitted of his sin and the favour of it But as there is a passing to this light through the evil day or night of darkness wherein is no pleasure but sorrow and sighing doubts and deadness of soul there is a blind longing after and thinking on Jesus Christ how good and blessed he is with desires to feel his love and be lighted with his presence as David sought God in the night to be hid though in pain from beholding the world and its false likenesses which so well please those that are blind in spiritual things and dwell quietly in this darkness wherein Satan cometh with his likenesses and light under colour of true light until the light of love by little and little break forth to him so dwelling in the shadow of death and shine through the darkness and death c. for there are many that would seem to forsake the love of the world and also would come to the love of God and his light to understand him but through this darkness they will not come to know themselves what they have been and are in their sinfulness against God to enter into themselves and view all things there with all wicked stirrings and risings in their hearts of pride envy anger and other evils and to wait desiring in the still silence and spiritual watchfulness to Jesus Christ as his Saints ever did but so soon as in their own wills they seem to have forsaken the world outwardly they presently think themselves holy and full fit for spiritual understanding and heavenly mysteries and that they love God perfectly and have received grace through the special gift of the holy Ghost for they are stirred and seem to feel knowledge as it were then given to them without great study before-hand and a hear of desire therewith to preach forth truth and righteousness and will run into words thereof as with great forwardness and zeal c. And this they hold for the grace of God and visitation of his blessed light before their souls pass through this darkness though this light of knowledge and heat of desire they feel cometh not of the true love of Jesus Christ but from the Devil and his transformings as being onely a fained light and likeness of the true light and Son of God whereby cunningly he leadeth blind souls into a presuming of being themselves righteous and abusing others as the Pharisâ—es did and so have no light of grace to them given by the holy Ghost for though the knowledge they have were in it self outwardly true yet by the Devil and mans own wit it makes onely a fained light of true things but not the light of the true Son nor approved of by his pure light in their Consciences and such men are so blind by these fained lyes and puffed up with spiritual pride that they see it not nor are willing to consider it but highten their hearts against the true light surposing the feeling in their own wills is perfect freedom of spirit and so like clouds without rain tossed to and fro bring forth one device eâ—rour and heresie after another which are known by their wild minds exercised in covetousnesaid this wiss s much vanity talking disputing contending about words rayling and reviling others and perfecuting them and yet will not be ashamed to say They do all this in charity and zeal for righteousness But as James said this wisdom is not from above but is earthly sensual and devilish and therefore this cunning that brings forth such Saints is not of the God of peace and Father of lights with whom is no variableness or evil speaking but such as Jesus Christ used not nor allowed in his Disciples but to do all in his spiritual light and faith in him which is a mystery held in a pure Conscience in the love and meekness of Christ Jesus for it is the fire of love that goeth before him to consume the enmity and evil works c. whereof such are ignorant as have not been smitten down from their height and haughtiness into the lowest degree of meekness and there purged from all spiritual filthiness without which they cannot endure the bright shining of spiritual light the precious liquor of the love of Jesus Christ because not purified in the heavenly furnace to receive the gracious light of heavenly knowledge and perfect love which is the true Son of rightcousaess with healing under his wings and he that thereby reforms in feeling through the dear light that springeth forth and ariseth after this darkness which is not well known but to the soul that travelleth in darkness and cryeth after light to shew it the right way and comfort it in travel therethrough for after true darkness where one firmly sets himself to forsake the love of this world and through grace come to a feeling and knowing of himself and keeps meekness therein he may not be destroyed by errours or fancies for the feeling of grace in that meek darkness teacheth the soul to be faithful and watchful against the enemies motions and subtil slights And it may so be and oft is that some have these workings and firm desires in them and yet remain doubtful thereof what the issue may be but such as they know it begets love and meekness are to keep it tenderly and pursue it fervently that no creature hinder it for this grace will ever be free from sin and worldly business that hinders it which cannot be until he be throughly dead to the world poor inward and outward and have fully forsaken the love of it without any worldly cunning covering or device whereby to be esteemed above others but rather despised of the world and all worldly men sets not his heart upon his own deeds or vertues nor loves nor allows any heart-risings against others for any matter or cause whatsoever so that he doth not disease nor anger any man willingly in word or deed nor pats any trust in worldly goods or friends for otherwise he cannot be