with the precious blood of Christ in that by the death of his flesh he imparted the Word of the living God which remaineth for ever according to the Worke of God in the resurrection of Jesus 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1.18 to 25. So as now he must give his body which is thus bought from the earth and from earthly men to follow the holy Spirit of Christ whithersoever it shall guide his body till death Ioh. 16.13 with Revel. 14.3.4 The sixth day of the week IN my sleepe by night I was instructed in the righteous judgements of our God by comparing them with the judgements of men thus There are diverse States of governement in the world and these all have their Religion severall under their owne authority If any of these Kingdomes doe send forth their spirituall authority to condemne and execute all within their Dominion which as they terme them are Heretickes Schismatickes and Rebells against the present religion or worship of God constituted by their Authority at the publishing of this judgement all that are guilty in their Consciences doe flee and hide themselves as from men whereas all that are faithfull in that Religion and devour in that will-worship doe not scare but are more bold and confident under the power of that God knowing that every man shall be examined by name whether he be Hereticke if he be so found it is examined whether hee will repent and conforme to their will and not one shall perish without good tryall Such is the estate of the Kingdome of God our Creator in the authority of his Christ those of the world whose hearts condemne them of rebellion against the World and will of Majestistie and doe feare and shift to put off his excention whereas all that repent and are reconciled to him in all things and know the reason of his judgement are safe from feare of the evill which is sent against those which are from their Maker For if men be so just as nor to condemne one that is no rebell or that will repent how shall we thinke that the executioners of the judgement of God in the plague warre or famine are carelesse to destroy any one without great cause The first day of the weeke I Have grieved to consider how men are deceived by the authority or God of this world in that they bring all both God and Christ Spirit and Word subject to their judgement a Thes. 2.4 So that whosoever pray in spirit subject to their spirituall authority they pray but to what they are servants unto which cannot helpe because it is the feare and authority of mortall man to whom such spirituall service is done the onely true God and his Christ is despised the power and wisdome of man is exalted in their hearts therefore if man doe not heare and helpe there is not God to heare except it bee to require vengeance for the abuse of his name and word 2 I have considered that they which use the word of the holy Scriptures translated or preached in worldly glory under morall authority their estate is farre more inexecusable then they which never use that word in way of prayer praise thankesgiving or spirituall worship because these doe not so blaspheme God in Christ as to give that honour unto man the creature which is due to the Creator as the professors doe 3. I have observed how the wise men of this world doe destroy their wisdome by thir authority For in any doctrine of Religion they will propose the holy Scriptures to be then wisdom and ground of truth but if their doctrine be opposed by any then they leave their wisdome and slee to their auâ—hority for helpe which sheweth that their wisdome is but a pretence and that their authority is the pillar and ground of their Church 4. I have noted also the deceit of mans mind that not what he professes or pretendeth in word to be his God and Christ is so to him but what he mindeth in his heart under such a pretence As if a man professâ— the onely true God or preach the Lord Jesus Christ and indeed doe minde another word or authority then of God or doe seeke meat for his belly under the name of Jesus Christ in these cases it is not what hee speaketh but what he imagineth mindeth and seeketh indeed which is his God and for the obtayning of the desire of his minde he denyeth God in deed and all power of godlinesse 5. Whatsoever spirituall service or worship men performe as to God their reading prayers cryings howlings teares and assembling in Idoll Churches are all turned into sinne while they know not God but give that service to the World or Authority of men which is onely due unto God the Creator of all men according to his Word and Will manifested from the beginning in Christ The fifth day of the week THe building and maintaining of the heathen Idol Temples hath been in enmity of the Temple of our God in Israel but now they are in contempt of the Temple of Christ which is his body endued with the holy Spirit Therefore all that partake of I doll-temples doe seeke their life and honour in the flesh under the Persecutor and thereby turns the backe in contempt of the reproach of Christ they all deceive themselves in the flesh they seeke to save themselves by the authority of the Devill to kill whereas to deny their service is to deny ones selfe for they will spoile one of all FJNJS
to bring the price of the sale to the distribution of the whole body and he lye against the holy spirit wherein he promised and detained a part and yet say that there is all this is a sin a great breach of the love and truth of Christ as Act. 4.32.36 37. with 5.2 3.8 9. or if one have much good and yet detaine it from one Member that wanteth this his hardnes doth discover to all the brethren that such a churlâ— hath a dead faith and no love of God and to be such an one as is unprofitable to the body of Christ in any kind and therefore such are known by the word of Christ to deny Jesus and the Communion of his Body and so being divided from the naturall and true love of the Body that suffereth they will be scone of the Brethren to fall away of themselves as leaves from a tree The 5. day of the Week I Consider the estate of the Church of Christ in unity universality and free consent that Jesus Christ is the head thereof and is gone before as a husband goeth before his wife by sufferings the place whither he goeth is the Kingdom of Heaven which cannot be entered into but by the death of the flesh 1 Cor. 15.49 50. the doore whereby we follow him is death and hell whereof Christ hath the keyes Rev. 1.18 the power and authority of these keyes is given to every one by mane through Jesus Christ who in love to his Father having power to lay down his life had in himselfe also power or authority to take it again and this Commandement he received of his Father Iohn 10.17 18. Therefore having in himselfe the keyes of the Kingdom of heaven as being Christ the Sonne of the living God he gave them to Peter to whom the Father of Christ gave to know and acknowledge Jesus to be his sonne as Mat. 16.16 to 19. The authority of these keyes is proper to every one that hath the testimony of Jesus by vertue whereof he openeth a doore through death to follow his Mister Jesus into the Kingdom of his Father this doore every one that is constant to death doth open in the eyes of all that see his constancy according as Stephen the first Martyr doth declare even before his death that others might offer violence to enter into it Act 7.55 56. And seeing these keyes are so effectuall towards God in the love of Jesus Christ Therefore Peter by name and so whose-ever is sealed by the same holy spirit of promise hath by vertue of these keyes in Christ authority also towards men before their sufferings that whatsoever he or any one that is apt and able to hold the confession of Jesus to be Christ by authority of the keyes hath also authority to bind or loose according to the Word so as whatsoever such do bind or loose must needes be confirmed in heaven where Christ that giveth the keyes is with his Father Mat. 16.16.10 19. Iohn 20.21 22 23. 1. Men now boast against the Jew that the Law is not of faith and that faith is now come and therefore say they we are no more under the Law but under grace as Gal. 3.12.23.25 with Rom. 6.13 This boasting against the Jew is not carnall but spirituall against God who gave them the Law and this turneth to the shame of all such as so boast and yet do worse things then they did as appeareth by the word faith for the Law while it is holden under the authority of men in the glory of a present and mortall state is of sight which feareth men and not of faith which only feareth and apprehendeth the authority and power of the invisible God by the spirit of Christ so as all that are holden under the feare and authority of men are of faith no more then the Jewes yea it may be under the Law more worse then they as being without the knowledge of the true God and so of necessity without any faith of God for whosoever hath faith believeth that God is present with him and seeth his thoughts and actions and therefore will not dishonour his presence in which hee liveth by counting sin against him though no man seeth whereas the infidell that walketh by sight under the law hath only respect to the feare authority and judgement of Magistrates and therefore when they can sin in secret or without feare of bodily payne or worldly shame they do sin without and feare of God or Conscience of the judgement to come whereby appeareth that all that live by the Law of faith do feare to offend without the feare of men and that are of faith they will in meeknesse and feare shew to infidells what the life of faith is both by word and example that they also may know God The 6. day of the week 1. IT is a misery to have ones body at liberty by the procurement of men and ones minde and conscience in perpetuall prison by ones own Act 2. There is a twofold justification arising from the Law the one of workes under the Leviticall Priesthood the other of faith under the Priesthood of Christ Jesus The former justification is only if sight and by report of men and it was effectuall to justifie the slosh before the King and the authority of the Kingdom according to this justification was Zachary and his wife righteous before God in this life Luke 1.5.6 but this Law made none perfect and pure in Conscience before the spirit of God Heb. 9 8. to 14. Therefore of necessity upon the defect of this first justification ariseth a perfect justification which is of the Kingdom of God Mat. 6.33 This justification is of faith in spirit and truth according to the spirituall Priesthood of Jesus Christ which is effectuall to justifie the heart and spirit of a man so that in conscience of the worke of the spirit whereby the justifications of the Law is fulfilled in us Rom. 8.3.4 we have boldnesse to come to the Throane of the grace of God in the Heavens Heb. 4.14 15 16. which freedom no unclean person or secret sinner can have but only such as being condemned of men have good Consciences towards God so as they can willingly suffer in the mortall blood that so they may come to be present with the Lord for the justification of their spirit 1 Tim 3.15.16 3. In the power of Christianity there is a twofold knowledge at the gate the one of Christ Rev. 3.20 the other of the Christian Mat. 7.8 The gate standeth as an interstitium or interposition between immortality and mortality and it is called the gates of Hell and of death which are the many tribulations through which the Christians must enter into the Kingdom of God Act. 14.22 with Rev. 7.14 and they are the diverse torments Heb. 11.25 36.37 and whatsoever authority the Divill and his seed in mortall bodis have from the power of death to sever the mind and
al-seeing spirit if we are thus perfect in hiâ— love without feare or doubting of our safety when destructions and distracting distresses aâ—â— in the world though notwithstanding in this life all things come alike to us so as we are taken iâ— the Plague c. yet we shall see that the hand 〈◊〉 our Master is present in it for our good either to try our faith in his presence and to make us moâ—â— perfect in love or else out of his fellow-feeling of our reproach and misery which we endure in this life he is pleased to give us rest from our sufferings and to bring us to himselfe from the bondage of mortality for the blessings and promises of peace or long life is of faith and cannot be fully enjoyed by sight in this world while the woman which is the Church of Christs presence or any member thereof wherein his presence iâ— manifested is persecuted and afflicted in this present evill world 3. Having observed the naturall evill of mans heart infected by the evill and common spirit oâ— the Prince of the authority of the ayre by the operation whereof they are naturally inclined either fulnes of eating drinking in the abundance or in the want of houses Sheepe Cattell gold silver or other pleasures of life to be lifted up in forgetfulnesse of God that made us or to be cast down with worldly sorrow and in these estates to leave the Word Law and presence of God to seeke after our own hearts till destruction do utterly break the evill heart I have seene the only meanes whereby a man may possesse his â—wn heart to rule it and make it subject to his â—pirit namely by hearing obeying and keeping his evill heart of the mortall soul subject to the â—â—bukes and chastisements which our Creatour â—oth inflict that induring the paine in our flesh â—ur spirit may thereby know the feare of his presence in punishment and thereby learn wisâ—om in the obedience of his Sonne Jesus Christ whom he hath proposed to us and made a light â—o immortality the harder the strokes or the â—reater our afflictions are the more earnestly we â—ay cry and the nearer we may draw unto his Majesty Prov. 15.30 to 33. Heb. 12. So as when â—mong all estates of men in the world whether â—ewes or Gentiles we see troubles and amazements fearing death and seeking to save their â—â—fe we shall find that only with the suffering Christians is peace without fear of death beâ—â—use these according to the Law and example of â—hrist do possesse their soules and mortall life in â—â—tience under the death that man is able to kill â—â—em with And therefore when the Kingdom of God cometh to the terrour of the worldlings â—â—ese shall lift up their heads because now their â—edemption is come Luke 21.19 c. to 36. 4. The Lord Jesus foreseeing how hardly men should be drawn to acknowledge him to be the Christ and being acknowledged how easily men would be seduced by false prophets and false Christs to deny him Therefore first he proveth himself to be the Christ that Moses did write of who by miracles did confirme the truth of every jot and tittle of the Law and the Prophets as Mat. 4.23.24 with 5.17.18 19. c. whereas false Prophets under colour of miracles did teach transgression of the Law as Deut. 13.1 c. and 17 2. c. with 18.13 c. And accordingly out Lord reacheth us to try the Preachers which after him should come in his name as under the name of Jesus Christ and Prophets of God thus if they call Lord Lord and in his name prophesie and in his name cast out Devills and in his name do many miracles yet if under pretence hereof any of them do work lawlesnesse that is do transgresse and also teach men to transgresse any the least of all the Commandements in the Law of God these and all such are rejected and accursed of the Lord and judge of the world as false and deceivers of men Mat. 5.19 with 7.15.21 22.23 whereby we see how fearfull a thing it is to forsake the Law and the Prophets for in that estate we are without all meanes to know Jesus to be Christ in truth without any knowledge to try deceivers but remain as men deceived and deceiving others and can by no meanes come to the true knowledge of Christ till we believe the writings of Moses and the Prophets Iohn 5.39 46.47 which who so believe and do the will of our Father which is in Heaven and then call Jesus Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 7.21 5. A man may prophesie of a truth and yet apply spirituall things to a carnall sence As Caraphas fearing the Romans should come and destroy them all for Jesus the King of the Jews said it is expedient rather that one dye them all whereas God intended the spirituall and eternall salvation by his death Iohn 11.47 to 53. Feare enforced the Jews to do what they did 6. From the opposition of the authority of men against the authority of God in Christ we may see the bondage under men by the Law and the liberty of the Law in Christ in things indifferent as it is lawfull to the Nations to remain in the presence or to be circumcised upon occasion in liberty from bondage o the worldly authority Act. 16 3. with Gal. 2 3 4 Rom. 2.25.26 It is lawfull to marry to not to marry 1 Cor. 7. 28.36.38 with 9 5. It is lawfull to eat lawfull meate or it is lawfull to abstain and to fast or such like But this liberty man be occasion of evill in respect of the different authorities It a man fear the authority of men and will be circumcised in bondage to their Priesthood he is fallen from the liberty of Christ and hath denyed the faith in his Priesthood Act. 15.1 c. Gal. 5. 1. c. If on the other side a man fear other worldly authority and make circumcision in the liberty of the Gospel to be sin such do denye the liberty wherein Christ hath made them free to use it for their advantage in the Gospel Act. 16.1.3 So as in this thing of Circumcision if one be compelled to be circumcised he is brought in bondage to men and bound to observe the worldly elements Gal. 5.3 If a man stand fast in the liberty neither to be Circumcised nor to remain uncircumcised in subjection to men he holdeth the truth of the Gospel Gal. 2.3.5 with 5. 1 Act. 16.3 otherwise if the word be not holden in freedom of spirit it will be an occasion of evill under the bondage of men And on the other side it may be occasion of evill under the authority of Christ when it is not hold on as a thing indifferent namely when men justifie themselves or think themselves the better for doing or not doing it for Circumcision is nothing nor perpuce is nothing but the keeping of the
their kinde as 2 Pet. 2.22 Or evill trees cannot but bring forth evill fruit whatsoever they shew at first Whereas good simple and perfect of heart that hath received the good seed will bring forth fruit to perfection When the tree is of a good nature it cannot but bring forth good fruit Math. 7.16 c. The branch that is in Christ is fruitfull to the Father and it is more fruitfull Ioh. 15.1 c. The new man that is once borne againe from above is renewed dayly 2 Cor. 5.17 with 4.16 Men that are imperfect and wavering minded will looke forward and then backward Luk. 9.62 Iam. 1.8 Whereas perfect men forgetting the things behinde doe stretch forward to the things before they presse hard to the marke c. Phil. 3.13.14.15 All that are perfect in love mercy towards the Brethren the grace of God and his love and mercy remaineth firme to them 6. There is great difference betweene the repentance under the Law of works and the repentance under the Law of faith They after the Leviticall Law were borne holy according to the carnall Commandement and were instructed in the Law of God from the breasts and whensoever they sinned they repented and were justified by the works of the Law and because their conscience was never freed from the weaknesse of the flesh they fell commonly into sinne and repented and this was the course of the obedient men such as of David till they came to know the free justification of God by faith whereas the true repentance after the Priesthood of Christ doth clense the Conscience from the guilt of all sinnes past and doth perfect them from that minde of the flesh so as sin doth no looger raigne in their mortall body but in this justification by faith in Christ they present themselves to God as living from the dead and their members weapons of righteousnesse to God Hebr. 9.9 14. Rom. 6.2 12.13 The third day of the VVeeke THe mysteries of the Kingdome are shewed by the Parable of a Sower Luk. 8.10 c. with 5. The Sower is the Sonne of man and the seed is the word of God inlightening to immortality The Deceiver is the Devill both as hee is a spirit and as he hath the authority in men of this world which as vessell or a bed do cover and darken the light of immortality in this world under mortality The men that heare the word are of foure sorts The first sort of hearers are onely hearers and no doers these deceive themselves in the vaine knowledge of the word for the Devill and the World take away the word from the heart that they cannot beleeve the truth of it in such sort as to reforme their lives and to fulfill it in their obedience that so they should be saved but as an hard way hath seed and sheweth it as to allure the fowles of the ayre So aâ— hardâ—â—d heart and worldly minde as Matth. 13.15 May have knowledge by the word but they onely boast of it in a common profession after the mortall life whereby they may be made the better instruments for the Devill to possesse such hearts commonly to serve every lust as turne and to be subject even as for a man to walk in a hard way at his pleasure these are such as know but beleeve not 2 The second sort are such as receive the seed in stony ground These doe both know and beleeve the Word so as with joy to doe it very hastely for as the stony ground doth make the seed to spring forth soonest so these take the Word quickly with joy as Mat. 17.13.5.20 Matt. 4.5 but have no strength of heart to hold the word constantly in the faith hope and love of immortality but when the mortall Authorities come upon them and afflict them with the Sun beames of their torments and chastise them as a Father for that they would forsake them and their mortall glory to embrace a vaine base word as it seemeth to them without any wordly society honour or pleasure And thus wordly men being offended at the Word do rage against these sort of people that with such joy received it whose hearts also being not prepared for these tryals doe faint under the burthen and all their knowledge faith and obedience to the word is by force of the hard persecution disdained to bee any longer beleeved in their heart and as stony ground it is able to bring the fruit of the word to no further perfection therefore they now submit their heart to the power that oppresseth from without them by which all their former light is concluded in darkenesse 3. The third sort are such as receive the seed amongst thornes These also are such as know and believe for a time but they nourish an enemy to the word within them namely worldly cares desire of riches and the pleasures of this mortall life which may seeme to sustain and to give honour and credit to the word but in the end it will quite chocke the faith hope and love to immortality as that such will fall away of themselves wholly to imbrace this present world the reason is because these were never perfect in love nor sound in the faith but having a heart and a heart the deceits of sin which are in the world through lust growing naturally in the hart will soone exalt such men in pride of knowledge to fall into the condemnation of the Devill secretly For thus much doth the parable import to them which know it that the seede which fulleth among thornes doth by helpe of the thornes in some part of the seede spring up to be taller and longer yet at length the thornes take away the naturall being of the corne so as it perisheth as a man whose breath is stopped if the thornes riches and pleasures of life be cut down and fall from him he is seen to fall of himself as a tree that being decayed at the roote is overswayed of the top and the fall thereof is greater by how much the weight of the branches is heavier This is the estate of those which receive the word of Christ with the glory of the world pleasures of sâ—â—s the greater shew it maketh the greater shame it bringeth in the end the greater condemnation in the word and none of these can bring forth fruit to perfection 4. The last sort of men are like good ground These receive the word as the Children of wisdom and the Children of light they know believe the word with reverence they prepare the heart that it be gentle perfect and simple as worthy to receive it being carefull that what they know and believe they may hold both in profession and practice constantly and with increase wherefore this good ground bringeth forth fruit in patience Luke 8.15 The reason is because of the contrariety of the evill one either in worldly authorities or in the lusts of the flesh which hate the word