Judgment by the Spirit of the Lord and consume them like stubble here and within me Thus desiring the Lord to give thee understanding to take the good and refuse the evil in this and all things else For his good and thy glory I Rest Thy Friend T. Butler THE TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAP. I. CHrist the Sum of all Things Page 1. The true Ministery 2. Christ the true Temple-Sanctuary 3. Christ the true Tabernacle Ibid Christ is the heavenly Thing in Christians Ibid. Christ is the new Covenant in the new Creature 4. What is that Covenant he will write in us first what it is not then what it is 5. How this Covenant differs from all others it being in Spirit 6. Christ is in us Gods Dwelling and his Writing 8. What this new Covenant is further to us 10. The high excellency and vertue of it in us what it doth for us and is to us 11. The Lord setting forth a book to the world 13. What be the things God makes use of in writing this Book Man Ibid. Gods making mans heart plain and faire for it as paper 14. What God minds and loves it is to live with us and in us 15. What is shall be of the Lords Will and Law and nothing else 17. His own Laws he keeps and them he wil have us keep one Law for both 18. All Gods Laws a whole volumn within us Ibid. Mans blessing or curse is within himself 20. What God writes in us is such writing as nothing can blot it out 21. Where God begins to write he perfects it in us 22. The writing of God in us is by degrees 23. Gods magnifying himselfe in Man 24. The state of the two Adams 26. The Lord is all the Book and Scripture his people have him they preach heare read practise 27. CHAP. II. The first Book that God writes in Man is called Genesis 29. The six daies works in Man brought forth first 30. The second work in Gods day in Man Ibid. The third work of God in his day 31. The fourth worke in the day of the Lord. Ibid. The fifth work in the Lords day 32. The sixth work in the Lords day 33. The end of the work of God 34. The Paradise of God in Man Ibid. The Adam and Eve there in Paradise 35. The Tempter the Fall the Serpent 37. How all things are made new in the beginning of this book 38. CHAP. III. The second Book that God writes in Man is called Exodus 40. God calling his Son out of Egypt Ibid. God leading his Son through the Wilderness 43. What this Wildernesse is Ibid. What God doth for his Son in the Wilderness three or foure things especially The first thing is the severall forms of Rest 44. The second thing that God doth for his Son in the Wilderness is His giving the living Law with the Tables by the Spirit of Christ from Mount Zion 47 The third thing in the Wilderness is The Tabernacle of God with his Son 49. The total Circumcision of Flesh and finall destruction of the fiery Serpent 50. CHAP. IV. The third Book that Gods writes in Man is called Leviticus 52. The Levites garments that minister to the Lord. 54. The spiritual Service in the house of the Lord. 55. CHAP. V. The fourth Book that God writes in Man is called Numbers 65 How every thing is numbred by the Lord in them 58. The true Serpent healing us 59. The Arke of Gods presence 61. CHAP. VI. The fifth Book that God writes in man is called Joshua 62. The true Joshua saving us in fighting to deliver us 63. The seven blessings he delivers to us 64. CHAP VII The sixth Book that God writes in Man is called Judges 66. The Spirit of the Lord the best and just Judge 67. The Sampson and Gideon that is in us 68. CHAP. VIII The seventh Book that God writes in man is the two first books of Kings 70. The Kingly Scepter ruling in us 71. The outside of the Book opened 73. The inside and the Spirit in it opened and revealed there 74. The Raign of the Spirit of the Lord the true David 76 CHAP. IX The eighth Book that God writes in Man is the third Book of Kings 78 A Kingdom divided cannot stand Christ is not divided 80. CHAP. X. The ninth Book that God writes in Man is the fourth Book of Kings 82. The opening of the Temple and the repairing it 84. CHAP. XI The tenth Book that God writes in Men is the two Books of Chronicles 85. How we are made Gods Chronicles 87. CHAP. XII The eleventh Book that God writes in Man is the books of Ezra and Nehemiah The restauration of all things 89. CHAP. XIII The twelfth Book that God writes in Man is called Esther 92. CHAP. XIV The thirteenth Book that God writes in Man is called Job 94. What is the Mystery of this History of Job in Man 95. The latter end of a Saint better then the first the longer he lives the better 96. CHAP. XV. The foureteenth Book that God writes in Man is called Psalmes 98. Psalms and Hymns and spirituall Songs in us all 100. The new Song in the new Jerusalem 101. The chiefest sinner shall rejoice most Ibid. All Gods workings in us come to a Song at last 102 And what this Song is in the Saints 103. The Lord alone is the Psalm and the Hymn and Song in us 104. There is no singing in the strange Land till we come to the Lord himselfe 106. To sing with the Spirit and with Vnderstanding 108 A Psalm 109 A Hymn Ibid. A spirituall Song Ibid. CHAP. XVI The fifteenth Book that God writes in Man is called Proverbs 110. The Spirit that interprets secrets and proverbs where it is and dwells Ibid. The sum of the history of Proverbs spiritually in us in five particulars The Father God the Mother Wisdom the Son the Saint 111. CHAP. XVII The sixteenth Book that God writes in Man is called Ecclesiastes 114. The vanity of all things in the outward man or world Ibid. The earthly man is the vanity of vanities and the vexation of spirit 116. CHAP. XVIII The seventeenth Book that God writes in Man is called the Song of Solomon 117. Christ Kisses and his Mouth what they be Ibid. The ointment poured out 118. What the Kings Chamber is to be brought there 119. What the blackness and the comeliness is 120. What the brothers are angry at and what is the keeping of other Vineyards and not the true Vineyard 121 It is God that justifieth that is our comeliness 123. The true Vineyard 124. Three things thirsted after by him that is as the Spouse here hath tasted any thing of the Life of God 125. The bread that satisfies not and where our rest fulness and fatness lies 126 We shall never be taught well till the Lord teach us 127. The teachings of God more excellent in three things then mens teachings 129. This teaching will make us perfect 131.
it was so Awake thou that sleepest and I will give thee life And how is this He is the resurrection and the life thus he that receives power to beleeve in him though he were dead yet shall he live SECT XII §. 12 This teaching will make us perfect THe best have need of his telling none knows so much but he can tell them more and when they think they know something are puffed up they know nothing yet as they ought to know for I may say in very many things we are yet ignorant but we shall not always know in part we shall know as we are known and when that which is perfect is come that which is imperfect is done away and indeed it is God alone can tell us best When none is nigh us he hath a sweet still secret way a voyce behind us telling This is the way this is right and truth That is not Hear him what the Spirit saith SECT XIII Nothing can quench kill or separate §. 13 this love O Thou whom my soul loveth This is a heavenly voyce breathed out by the Spirit a divine flame of love by which it appears how the Spouse was sick of love and nothing but death without his presence And also that all Gods teachings and workings towards his people are all in lone His very Rod and Staff is in love He loveth every Childe whom he correcteth And so the Soul that loves the Lord truly though the Lord kill him yet will he put his trust in the name of the Lord. Such a thing is love that though it wander a while in the wilderness and lose it self yet it will finde out the way nothing can quench it no waters nothing can kill it no death nothing can separate it no torment no defence nothing can diminish it or any way choke it but the thing it lives upon and where it loves there it lives What other argument could the Spouse bring to move God As his love constrains us so will our love to him constrain him draw him and he will run after us fall about our necks and kiss us I remember in the history of Lazarus that Mary and Martha sent to Christ this message Lord he whom thou lovest is sick They thought that was enough he knew well whom they meant and they knew well how much that would prevail upon him to which Christ returns This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God and so it was His love to Christ made him sick and Christs love to him made him well Therefore saith Mary Lord hadst thou been here my brother had not dyed Christs absence was his death and his presence brings him life SECT XIV §. 14 Christ loves where it is is in the heart and spirit with all our souls strength and might THe love we have to Christ must be with all the soul or else it is not love he will have the whole child or none of the child he is the right mother that bare us he cannot endure to have us divided between God and Mammon he will say to uâ— as he said to Peter Lovest thou me more then these that is more then gold silver lands livings wife children lusts sins gifts or graces men or mâ—ans then it s well if we can return the answer better I mean upon better grounds then he did not from a Confidence in the Flesh but in the Spirit saying Lord thou knowest that I love thee better then all things David could many times say so O how do I love thee Lord above my rest or appointed food O how do I thirst after thee and when shall I appear before the living God And again One thing have I desired of God and that is that I might always live in the house of the Lord. Such a love as is between man and wife they have but one life one love one soul so here is one spirit when it is so rooted in love and stablished in God that nothing can move or shake it it can do all things and endure all things deny it self take up its cross and follow him through fire and water life and death and rejoyce in him in the midst of all fearing nothing as long as he loves them and his love is with them SECT XV. §. 15 The five things that are excellent in this love of the Spouse called the soul love NOw there are five things that shews forth the excellency of this love of the Spouse to Christ that it will deserve the name of a soul love and a sound love The 1. is Where this love is it is a love above all loves whatsoever no other love comparable to it it endures to the end it will bear all things believe all things hope all things and endure all things though other loves fail but this doth not it is of a more excellent Nature from an excellent Principle from a divine Spirit there is no love in the world like it it being transcendent and supernatural Secondly It is a love before all other loves this the best the love that commands all the rest For where the soul is all else is there is mind will and affections it sits at uppermost room hath the highest place in our hearts all the rest bow down to this sheafe to this love here they all cover their faces and pull down their top sails Thirdly This soul love is a love beyond all loves whatsoever beyond the love of husband and wife parents or children beyond the love of other men women brethren or friends nay Angels themselves for all these loves may exceed their bounds and then prove hurtful but let them keep their bounds and then they fall very short of this infinite and exceeding weight of love For though the Lord hath set bounds to Seas and other Creatures nay to men women and children thus far you must love and no further but here are no bounds nor limits to this soul love Love him with all thy soul thy heart thy strength It is a love beyond all love whatsoever it is larger higher deeper longer broader then any love else that made the Apostle cry out and this will if rightly understood make us cry out O the heighth depth bredth length of the love of Saints to the Lord O thou whom my soul loveth Fourthly It is a love without all a naked free pure love not for ends gain or ought else not for any reward or wages as Satan would have accused Job to God to have done saying Doth Job serve God for nought No no Job knows what he doth and knows what he gets by it or else he would never be so serviceable as he is whereas indeed Job served God without all but simply and truly for the Lords sake alone and not his own sake at all this is called a love without all out of love and not of fear to him The fifth and last is To love the Lord in all which is indeed
Nothing can quencle kill or separate this love 132. Christ loves where it is is in the heart and spirit with all our souls strength and might 134. The five things that are excellent in this love of the Spouse called the soul love 135. The strong grounds of the souls love to God when as Gods love is such to us and much more abundant also 139 The Soul that loves Christ desires to live with him 141. The Soul that loves Christ desires to live upon him feed on him 142. The Soul that loves Christ will as he lives 143. They love if they live 144. If we love Christ we shall love the flock of Christ. Ibid. Christ and his flocke are together 145. The flock of Christ hath a place to lie down in 146. Satan hath his flock also Ibid. Though we we know not many things yet we are fair 147 Who is like to thee O Israel for fairness and beauty 148. Thy cheeks neck and feet comely all over 149. The exceeding great beauty and delight that is in the Saints through the Lord their God 150. The Rose and the Lilly and the Apple tree 151. The soul brought from the shadow to the banquetting house the substance 152. And having once tasted of the Lords love she counts flaggons of wine was one love and apples also and not leaves now can comfort a soul 153. The left and right hand of the Lord about us 154. The Lord living by degrees from weakness unto strength in us 155. He will stand no more behind the wall door or the window 156. The Lord calling his love to come away 157. The Lord loves to bring his people out of the clefts of the Rock to see his face 158. The Foxes that spoile the Vines 159. My beloved is mine and I am his 160. The day breaks and the shadows flee away 161. The Soul loving seeking finding holding and never parting 162. The Lords high commendations of his Church and Spouse here in part described 163. There is no spot in her she is all fair yea altogether lovely 165. The sending forth of his Spirit into our hearts to make us to abide in the Lord. 166. The sum of the fifth Chapter of Solomons Song 168. The Lord comes to the breaking of bread and drinking of wine to a feasting in us to eat his supper there 169. The Lord comes to awake us out of sleep 170. The Lord overcomming her heart with love 171. The great wickedness of the Spouse to Christ 172. The transcendent beauty and glory of the Lord Christ the Souls beloved 174. The Queens and Concubines and Virgins without number that praise the Spouse which is but one 176. The beautifull feet of the Kings daughter 177. The Lord sets us as a seale upon his heart the strength of the Lords love to us and ours to him 178. CHAP. XIX The eighteenth Book that God writes in Man is the book of the Prophet Isaiah 180. The two sons and seeds one of Flesh and another of Spirit that is in us Ibid. How the fleshly is eaten up of the spiritual 182. The great Vision which the Prophet saw what it is and what it means 183 The Spirit interpreting the Vision to be in us 185. The stay and the staff of the Creature broken but the stay and the staff of the Lord himself remains for ever 186. The beautifull Branch of the Spirit of the Lord and all the fruits thereof holy 188. The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts and the men of Judah 190. The second Vision of the Throne and of the Temple and him that sits there 191. The Lord ruling in the midst of his people judging all within and without in righteousnesse 193. Rezin and Remaliah's sons confederacy their tails and evil counsel like fire-brands 195. The waters of Shiloah or the soft and still voice condemned by most and Rezin followed the Law and Testimony where to be found 197. The joy of the Lord and the people that sate in darkenesse and see light and are governed by the Lord himself 198. The proud Assyrian is brought low and Israel to be exalted 200. The peaceable and righteous Kingdom of the Branch and the great encrease therof from the foure corners of the earth 202. The day of the Branch brings joy and thankefulness 204. The destruction of Babylon in us the glory of the earth 205. Israel ruling over her oppressors 206. Moabs destruction also 207. Fat things made lean and high things low Ibid. Egypt Assyria and Israel shall be made one by the Lords blessing 208. The whole Earth dissolving and burning 210. The feast of fat things Ibid. The strong City whose Wall and Bulwarks are Salvation 211 The Leviathan slain 212. Against pride and drunkenness 213. The wise and the fool both alike in the sealed book till the Lord open it 214 The counsel that is not of God perishes 215. Nothing below God any thing 216. Righteousness and Judgment King and Prince 217. Who shall abide the everlasting burning and not be consumed therein Ibid. The wrath of the Lord revealed against earth and heaven 219. What strange things the Lord doth amongst us by his Spirit 220. Sennacheribs and Rabshakehs blasphemies against the servants of the Lord in whom they are comforted 221. How the Spirit of the Lord given to his doth overcome all the evil and blasphemies of the devil and is stronger then he or his 224 How the Lord makes sick and well kills and saves and he is glorified in all he doth 226. Babylons letters and presents to betray us and our treasures into his own Land 227. The Comfort that the Lord comforts his people withal as the fruits of his coming 229. The Worm Jacob made strong 231. What the Lord doth for his Servants Ibid. The sweetness and love of the Spirit of Christ in his 233. The smoaking flax and the bruised reed in us the little measure of the Spirit 234. Flesh is deaf and blinde the Lord seeing all things 235. The blinde and the deaf shall be Gods Witnesses Ibid. I the Lord do all things 236. God not like the golden idols 237. The shame and the nakedness of Babylon 238 I have shewed thee what thy Idols could not 239 The Lord from the womb forms us to be his Servants Ib. Look to our Rock whence we are hewen 241 Thy beautiful Garments 242. Shake thy self from the dust Ibid. The Lord rules over us and speaks in us 243. How beautiful the feet of them that do bring the glad tydings of peace are 244 Thy God reigneth in the Zion of Saints 245 How thy God doth set thee apart and how though thy outward man be vile yet the inward glorious 246. The Arm of the Lord. 247. The plant growing up out of a dry ground with sorrow to the flesh and the world but with joy to the Lord and his Spirit in Saints 248. The Lamb that opens not his mouth but by suffering overcomes 249. Christ makes his grave
the region and shadow of death light might spring up this is the healing of the water and the making the Ax to swim to take away the heart of stone and to give them a heart of flesh as also to grow in grace and multiply and increase in knowledg and love as the oyl did and the meal the more she gave the more she had so it s truly in the Saints a little grace goes far doth many cures answers all things as it was with the few barly loaves and the little fishes how many thousand were fed and the twelve baskets full of fragments that was left this was wounderful so it is in us here a little grace overcomes a world of sin like a spark of fire to a deal of gun-powder and as a little leaven that leaveneth the whole lump and as a graine of mustard seed that grows to a tree suddenly so is the Righteousnesse of God revealed SECT II. §. 2 The opening of the Temple and the repairing it JOsias and Hezekias good raigne how they opened the Temple restored many things found the Law hid and caused it to be read and sanctified the people and to make the table of the Lord holy this is the Lords doing to finde the Law that hath been lost to restore it in us and all things else that we may see how we are purged from dead works to serve the living God and thus he is the good Hezekiah that opens that Temple of the Lord preparing a way for him making the everlasting doors to fly open at his voyce and knock that the King of Glory may enter in who is the Lord of Hosts CHAP. XI The tenth Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is the two Books of CHRONICLES THe Book of Chronicles this also God writes in us he doth these two things according to this two-fold Book for there is two Books especially to be taken notice of wherein God writes his Will The first is called or may be the substance of the first Book of Chronicles and the other of the second Book of Chronicles answerable to these Books in Letter we find two Books in Spirit The first is called Gods Book of Life and that is when the Lord God writes his Name in our hearts his new Man and his new Nature and Life there then we are his Book of Life The second is called our Book of Life that is the Book wherein God writes our Names according as it is written Rejoyce not so much in any writing as in this that your names are written in Heaven Now this Heaven and in the Book of Life is all one that is when we are beloved of God or when the Lord seals us a seal upon his Heart or as a signet upon his Arm to be written in the everlasting Love of the Lord which is his Heart and Bowels and there to live by the Life of Love this is the writing in the Book of Life indeed and though we have our names written upon our towers walls houses histories and generations of the whole world yet it fals at last but this only endures the memorial of the other shall rot when the memory of these shall be blessed these be the two books of Chronicles indeed and yet both agree in one and are indeed one for where the one is there will be the other If we be written in Gods Book or Heart then be sure God will have his name written in our hearts and spirits SECT II. §. 2 How we are made Gods Chronicles THus the whole book of Chronicles We are the sum of them all Chronicles of his Love Chronicles of his Mercy the Chronicles of his Grace the Chronicles of his Power Goodness and Greatness and the Chronicles of his Wisdom We are his generation of off spring all our lives as well as lines descended from him He was and is the Father of us all He knows every Soul and Family apart Tribe by Tribe He knows our names and our fathers house he Chronicles and sets down the time of our birth and baptism who was our father and mother and in what Country whether a free-born or a stranger all our travels even our whole pilgrimage written our lives deaths resurrections and mansions Are not we his Chronicles then indeed CHAP. XII The eleventh Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is the books of EZRA NEHEMIAH THe books of Ezra and Nehemiah opened in Man The returning out of captivity the leading captivity captive and receiving gifts from above according as it is written when the Lord turned back the captivity of Zion we were like men in a dream till we were throughly awakened and then we sang the songs of Zion when we were in our own Land just like Peter when the Angel smote him and made way for him open the iron gates and did deliver he was in a trance he thought he had seen a vision at first till afterwards So is this deliverance from the whore of Babylon that hath bewitched us all with sorceries more or less Oh what a joyful thing it is And then can they tell what God hath done for their souls and magnifie the Lord saying By the rivers of Babylon we have sate This Sodom hath been a Paradise to us But now if I prefer not Jerusalem above all having seen it and now come tolive in it before we had nothing but sadness a laughter that was but madness there we howled but here we have our harps and songs full of joy SECT II. §. 2 The Restauration of all things THe number that are delivered the journey God was with them on their way the laying the foundation of the Temple the building it the Spirit of the Lord strengthening them in it the enemies that oppose the building of the Wall Sanballats rage against it the sword the trowel finish it The strange wives put away the Law read the Reformation made All which is most true if applied in the truth of it to the workings of God amongst us whom the world and flesh hath made a wilderness a desolation a place for Dragons there God intends to lay his foundation which is Christ Jesus in us the hope of Glory other foundations can no man lay else then the building is the Temple of the Lord which is his Spirit in us and the Walls are the arms of the Almighty stretched out these everlasting arms of love that are about thee O Israel the one arm under thy head the other upon thy heart these be thy walls thou needst not now fear any Sanballat Tobiah any Ashdonians whatsoever that like Foxes would spoil thy vines or else climbe thy walls to pull down thy glory but they shal not All that hate thee shall be ashamed And whereas ye say it is not time to build my house saith the Lord and ye to live in your seiled houses and to let my house lie waste ye shall not prosper For if any man hideth his sin he
hearts and mourn but in the strange Land are we more strangers While we are present in the body we are absent from the Lord But when we shall absent from the body and be present with the Lord and not live by faith only but by sight when we shall not read of him nor hear of him only but when we shall see him face to face then shall our joy be full then we shall sing the song of Zion When we are entred into the joy of our Lord and Master when the day of the Lord is come the voyce of the Bride and of the Bridegroom is heard and the marriage of the Lamb is come then shall the Song be sung it is prepared for that day then shall the voyce of the Turtle be heard amongst us and the voyce of the Lord himself rejoycing over us And we rejoycing and singing in the Lord and in nothing else we shall sing O Lord our God how excellent is thy Name in all the world Let the Heavens praise thee O Lord yea let all the world give thanks unto thee yea let all things arise O Lord and call thee blessed SECT IX To sing with the Spirit and with §. 9 Vnderstanding THis made the Apostle say I will pray with the Spirit and with Understanding also I will sing with the Spirit and sing with Understanding also He then that hath not this spirit cannot sing with understanding he is as he that speaks in an unknown tongue a Barbarian except the Spirit interpret it 's but howling and no singing but where it s filled and enlarged with love where the Spirit of the Lord is heaped up and running over it must break forth and overflow it will not be hid it is like a fire in the bones like the sea at full tide like a full winde at sea filling the sails such is the powerful presence of God overshadowing us A Psalm THe Lord the Lord th' eternal God who lives and reigns to make us glad Our Psalms our Hymns our spirits songs our melodies in him alone We are his Organs and his Harps he tunes and plays upon our hearts He sings and makes most pleasant noise filling us full of mirth and joys A Hymn O Glory glory to the Lord his Name be blessed all abroad Our life mirth love and joys lives and lies in his glories A spiritual Song O Holy holy God on high Eternally Our melody Above the sky Never to dye But thus to cry Glory Glory To God on high Eternally Happy happy CHAP. XVI The fifteenth Book that God writes in Man is called PROVERBS SECT I. The Spirit that interprets secrets and §. 1 proverbs where it is and dwells ALL dark sayings mysteries secrets wonderful things deep and high sealed and concealed old and new there is a Spirit even the Spirit of the holy God which dwells in them that are gods which can reveal secrets expound parables finde out the pearl hid in the field and interpret dreams and hard sayings He that plows with this heifer shall finde out all these riddles and parables made plain in us And for the most part all these Proverbs without came from Wisdom and Understanding which dwelt in Solomon and spake these things from within SECT II. §. 2 The sum of this history of Proverbs spiritually in us in five particulars The Father God the Mother Wisdom the Son the Saint HEre is five things spoken of First The Father and that is the Lord God himself Secondly The Mother and that is Wisdom so she is called Wisdom is justified of her children which is Christ God the Father of Judgment Christ the Mother of Wisdom here is Judgment and Wisdom together Thirdly The Son that is here spoken of in the history of the Proverbs and that is the Childe of God the Christian or Saint that begotten Son that came from the bowels of Wisdom travelling with it and from the spirit of Judgment this is the Son that is so much admonished and taught of God every way it must needs be a wise Son that hath such Parents and it cannot stand in need of any thing that hath such a Father it must needs be brought up in the nurture and fear of the Lord filled with all wisdom and understanding A wise son saith Solomon is a joy to his mother but a foolish one is the sorrow of her heart So here Wisdoms children are a joy to her She can say Lord here am I and the children thou hast given me I had from thee thine they were and thou gavest them to me and I give them to thee again and my self with them Fourthly The strange woman and her sons the woman that flattereth with her lips and speaketh lies what is this woman but the world and the children of this woman but the children of the world This flesh that dwells in us is the strange woman and the woman that flattereth with her lips and betrays us tempting us to come in unto her and see what she hath prepared This is the Antichrist that lives in flesh and would feign her self a Prophetess and would have all turn in to her and drink of her fornications and eat of her idolatrous sacrifices which she hath prepared And all her sons are the brats of Babel the concupiscence or lust of the flesh 2. The lust of the eye and heart 3. The pride of life These three be her darlings and Delilahs that are nourished and brought up by her dayly the strange woman and her children Fifthly The enemies of Wisdom and these be called fools and scorners sinners and strangers these hate knowledg and reject the fear of the Lord She hath called and they would not answer yea cryed but they would not hear She hath prepared her table and her banquets and cryed in the high ways and concourse of people to come in to be her guests but they have all turned aside yea they hate her dainties and despise her counsels preferring with Esau a mess of pottage before either blessing or birth-right CHAP. XVII The sixteenth Book that God writes in Man is called ECCLESIASTES SECT I. The vanity of all things in the outward §. 1 man or world THe book of Ecclesiastes opened in Man Wherein you have the vanity of all earthly things discovered how this world and the fashion thereof perisheth all the fulness thereof exhausted her treasures corrupted her glory stained her riches moth-eaten her dwellings rotten her friends consuming her life dying and all her attire fading This is the state of this life this old world this outward man of ours the tabernacle that is groaning and burthened ready to be dissolved yea heaven and earth and all the creatures are the Apostle saith expresly groaning for the redemption and the manifestation of the sons of God The whole generation of the first Adam his whole kingdom and dominion the world wherein he ruled is all melting with fervent heat yea his more excellent things are vain his righteousness
wisdom knowledg learning arts sciences laughter and joy yea his whole study and practise yea all his sobriety chastity charity fortitude temperance patience there is vanity in it all Besides the things that are outward as his buildings stately possessions pleasant gardens and orchards all his precious substance his royal attendants his faring deliciously every day there is a deeper vanity upon these SECT II. §. 2 The earthly man is the vanity of vanities and the vexation of spirit ANd all this comes from man which is a bundle of vanity yea less then nothing vanity and vexation of spirit The vainest thing that is saith the Prophet is man that is the natural man the earthly man the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are evil and that continually from his evil heart proceeds all evil for unto the defiled and unclean there is nothing pure or clean hut all he touches tastes or handles is defiled till he be cleansed within being like the lepers that infected all about them houses and walls So here O vain man the worst of all things in whom dwells no goodness nay he makes all other things vain but it is not so in the Kingdom of God nor in the World to come by Christ therein every soul that tasted and received of the Father sees nothing but excellency and everlasting comfort there is no vanity nor vexation of spitit there is nothing but holiness to the Lord there is durable riches and eternal mansions and no alteration or shadow of changing for all things are there of God c. CHAP. XVIII The seventeenth Book that God writes in Man is called The Song of SOLOMON SECT I. Christs Kisses and his Mouth what §. 1 they be CHrists Song and the Spouses Song The kisses are the Testimonies of the Spirit the manifestations of his presence His mouth are the divine oracles that breath into her the giving her the holy Spirit opening his mouth and breathing into her that spirit that may quicken her and teach her all things And kisses the more the better the running over of his spirit presence For thy loves His kisses are his love tokens Are better then wine The light of his countenance the least presence of him a kisse a look a touch a taste far beyond all the world SECT II. The oyntment poured out §. 2 THe savor of the good ointments poured forth This is Christs Fulnesse Grace Glory and Truth full of Grace and truth full of Spirit and Life this is then good ointment poured forth freely he hath received and freely he gives For of his fulness we all receive grace for grace Therefore do the Virgins love thee This is a pure undefiled love therefore called Virgins when it is begotten only by the pure ointments of Christ pouring forth and nothing else this is the fire that kindles it and the oyl that maintains it burns the purest flames admits of no mixture whatsoever but keeps it Virginity and chaste pure love for the Lord Christ and no other SECT III. What the Kings Chamber is to be brought §. there 3 DRaw me and we will run after thee They must needs run whom God draws and love will not only draw but constrain and it is the love shed abroad in us this anointing poured forth will ravish us and it s nothing but the inward anointing that draws the outward teaching is nothing without it The King hath brought me into his Chamber This is the place of Rest no where else no society else but the presence Chamber nay the bed Chamber of the King himself none of his Attendants will serve no other room but to live alone in him and in the same Chamber and glory with him and no other this anointing draws us thither We will be glad and rejoyce in thee This is the fulnesse of joy now she is in Heaven full of joy now and never till now can we be glad and rejoyce We will remember thy love more then wine the upright love thee We shall never part more I am brought to his Chamber but nothing can draw me hence again Come let us take our fill of love and forget all sorrow and enmity remember nothing but love alone and no love but thine that is the love that makes us forget all things else and love thee above all things to live with thee SECT IV. What the blackness and the comeliness is §. 4 4 I Am black but comely O ye daughters of Jerusalem It is not the outside the form the image or shadaw you are to look at that is black indeed but all my comelinesse is in Christ it is in the Lord he is my Beauty and Splendor my Wisdom Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption but I am black my flesh and nothing but blackness and darkness from it this I was but the other I am now this I have put off the other is put on Nay I am black you may think and call it so it may be so to you black heresie blasphemy and yet it may be comely to me it may be judged black by men and yet be approved of God for that which they call heresie so worship I the God of my fathers SECT V. §. 5 What the brothers are angry at and what is the keeping of other Vineyards and not the true Vineyard 5 LOok not upon me because I am black because the Sun hath looked upon me That is you are my friends and have accounted me your brother you now look scornfully upon me casting me out of your Synagogue because the Sun hath looked upon me and the Lord hath anointed me and enlightened me above my fellows envy me not for that neither look at that which is outward but at that which is inward for all my glory and excellency is not in me but in the Lord God that lives with me My mothers children were angry with me We that were one and agreed in one when we lived both in the flesh are now angry at me since I have lived in the Spirit You my own mothers children that have one Mother Nature and Country go about to kill and crucifie me they would sell me away do any thing with me betray me into the hands of all my enemies they are set spitefully against me as they did Joseph and Christ and Abel at the beginning and all because their works are evil and mine good they see the Lord is with me and blesses me They made me the keeper of the Vineyards but my own Vineyard have I not kept That is while I ruled others was set over us and had a glory and preheminence in the flesh above others teaching them and governing them I my self in the mean time became a cast-away and I received honor that came from men but not from God and I was sent of them and called by them and ruled as a man but I was not called by God I condemned that in others which I found in my self I lived according to
the flesh in the Letter but not according to God in Spirit I saw others moats but not my own beams such a hypocrite I was thus I followed a false Christ and not the true and so was a false branch and not a true SECT VI. It is God that justifieth that is our §. 6 comeliness 6 TEll me O thou whom my soul loveth It is God that justifieth who is it that condemneth It is God that sanctifieth who is he that defileth It is God that is with us who is he that is against us It is God that makes us comely what shall make us black Tell me therefore and say unto me Thou art all fair my love there is no spot in thee and then though my mothers children be never so angry with me or do condemn me yet there shall be no condemation to them that are thus in Christ Jesus and do not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit he hath justified and that shall be justified If this be vile I will be more vile I value not their anger then for I have thy love SECT VII The true Vineyard §. 7 AGain I have followed false christs and worshiped strange gods and those have been my blackness In that I have lived in the Vine Christ as a Branch therein I have lived in the Vineyards of men and means they have planted Vineyards and made Sermons and Worships and these I have kept before I recived thy anointing and had almost forsaken the living Fountain the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts SECT VIII §. 8 Three things thirsted after by him that is as the Spouse here hath tasted any thing of the Life of God TEll me There be three things that every soul that hath tasted any thing of the heavenly Life thirsteth after The first is To have the everlasting Love of the Lord to be revealed to him which is better to him then life it self better then all things Secondly To see a love from the Lord a fire from Heaven falling in our hearts and kindling an everlasting flame of heavenly love in us to him again that from a coal from his Altar we may be all a fire of love with him that the zeal and love we have to the Lord may eat us up Thirdly That the love wherewith God loves us and the love wherewith we love God we may also be taught to love one another all these three loves may thus agree in one we should not then be angry at our mothers children without a cause and hate them but love and pitty them SECT IX §. 9 The bread that satisfies not and where our rest fulness and fatness lies TEll me I shall insist something more largely upon this having had my enlargement and commission from God to speak more from hence upon sundry occasions And first That when we are wearied out in following and keeping many Vineyards many mens works and labours when we are weary of all and loaded after all and as far to seek then at last as at first then here is our Rest after all this is the Vineyard Come unto me and I will give you rest I am the Way the Truth and the Life In me shall ye have peace and perfect freedom When you have emptied all the Cisterns I am full when their Lamps are grown dim and almost spent I will be thy sun shield and great reward Why do we spend our labor then for that which is not bread and our mony for that which profiteth not and our strength for that which satisfieth not Hearken unto me and your souls shall live ye shall eat that which is good and delight your selves in fatness SECT X. We shall never be taught well till the §. 10 Lord teach us TEll me When men can teach us no longer then God can and will and may I not say as the Apostle said Whereas for our time we might have been teachers of others we have need that one teach us again what be the principles of the doctrine of Christ And what is the reason of this because we have been taught of man and by man and so shall never come to the knowledg of the truth that way unless the Spirit teach us all over again then we shall profit indeed We shall never be well taught till then For flesh and blood can never reveal such things unto us as in the 16. of Matthew saith Christ What do men say that I the Son of man am that is what do the Scribes and Pharisees Rulers and Sadduces the wise Doctors and Rabbies those as well as others what do they teach to the people and say or speak of me Peter answered Some say thou art Elias others say thou art Jeremias others Iohn Baptist is risen again and others one of the Prophets Thus these great wise learned men were at variance and said nothing to the purpose For God had hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes Therefore said Christ again But what sayst thou that I am thou that art taught of God thou that hast none of these outward glories after the flesh thou that art a fool to them what sayst thou Peter answered Thou art the Son of the living God this was a lively voyce that spake thus in him Well saith Christ I would have you know That flesh and blood could never tell thee this but my Father which is in heaven he hath told thee it SECT XI The teachings of God more excellent in three §. 11 things then mens teachings A Gain the teachings of God are more excellent then any other whatsoever in these three things First His teachings are plain Secondly Pure Thirdly Powerful First Plain as the Apostle said Now thou speakest plainly and not in parables And again Shew us plainly of the Father that we may see the Father and it sufficeth us And again Thou hast the words of eternal life whither should we go And again When Christ comes he well tell us all things in Heaven and in Earth in Scriptures and Prophesies he will open all to us and we shall have all things naked and open Death and Life Hell and Heaven Flesh and Spirit There shall then be neither proverb nor parable nor dark saying no sealed books nor sealed fountain no secrets nor mysteries but all things shall be manifest for the Day shall declare them Secondly Purely now he is the pure Being and Fountain of all things in whom is light or he is light and in him is no darkness at all There is no mixture at all with God the throne of the Lord and the Lamb from thence come the chrystal waters of life pure and clear Thirdly Powerfully he speaks with Authority and not as the Scribes he speaks and brings forth his word and it is done All things are at his command he calls and all obey Lazarus come forth and it is so Be it according to thy faith and it was so I will be thou clean and
like a shepherd not on Commons but by the rivers of waters He watches over them day and night so that not one of them is lost If one of the ninety nine stray he gathers it in again and with his rod and his staff he comforts them SECT XXIII §. 23 The flock of Christ hath a place to lie down in THere remains yet a Rest for the people of God a place to lie down in safety When none shall make them afraid when there shall be no Fox nor Wolf nor Lion nor Bear nor any thing to do hurt in all his holy mountain saith the Lord this is the time of refreshing that we look for from the presence of the Lord for it is he alone that maketh us to lie down in safety and rise again he susteins us it is he that maketh us to feed and to lie down and to rest at noon SECT XXIV Satan hath his flock also §. 24 FOr why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions As Christ hath his Way his Truth his Life his Love his Light his Spirit and Kingdom so hath the Devil his flock his ways his rest his spirit and kingdom but one contrary to the other But the Lords Spirit shall lead us into all Truth Thus the Devil can turn himself into an Angel of light and make himself God and be worshipped as God sitting in the room of God this is the great mystery of iniquity Indeed many think they be Angels of light when once they be but outwardly transformed whereas indeed they are devils still onely transformed a devil in the spirit speaking lyes c. SECT XXV §. 25 Though we know not many things yet we are fair IF thou know not O thou fairest among women If any soul want wisdom let him ask it of me that give to all liberally and uphraid none We may know many things and be ignorant of many other there is more unknown of God then well known The Lord knows us far better then we know him If we be out of the way he is so ready to put us in If we fall too willing to help us up if weak to strengthen us and if backwards to draw us in all things the Lord is prepared for our good and it is no shame for poor souls to confess their ignorance that the Lord may instruct them then to be puffed up and think our selves wise enough when we know nothing SECT XXVI §. 26 Who is like to thee O Israel for fairness and beauty O Thou fairest amongst women Here is Christs soul-soul-love after her We may see the glory and beauty of the Church the Lords people above any other whatsoever Rev. 12. having crowns of Stars clothed with the Sun gut about with a golden Girdle the Moon under her feet so comely and fair we are in his eyes even without spot or wrinkle or any such thing I have compared thee for fairness to the stately Horses in Pharaohs Charets I am this Pharaoh Heaven is the Charet you are the Horses that carry and bear my Kingdome and Glory about with you I ride upon you and conquer in you and by you SECT XXVII §. 27 Thy cheeks neck and feet comely all over YOur cheeks how fair are they and comely with rows of jewels and thy neck with chains of gold This is all glory in the Spirit and the beauty of the Lord dwelling with us his face shining on us nay we will have saith the Lord nay make thee also borders of gold all thy garments shall be glorious nay thy borders shall be gold with studs of silver What is this but glorious from the crown of the head even to the lowest border and sole of the foot SECT XXVIII §. 28 The exceeding great beauty and delight that is in the Saints through the Lord their God THy spikenard and sweet spices when the Lord thy King sitteth at his table within thy heart and spirit coming to sup with thee for joy thereof sendeth such sweet smells delighteth the Lord who will not only feed at his table but rest all the night and be like a bundle of myrrhe between thy brests and thus thou shalt be satisfied with his abundance of love and also a cluster of Camphire in the vineyards of Engedi Behold thus thou art fair and haâ—â— doves eyes so chaste pure and lovely and exceeding pleasant to look upon the King delighteth in thee Thy bed is also green still flourishing and ripe a continual spring is upon thy cheeks Thy house and dwellings behold they are eternal in the Heavens Thy beams are Cedars and thy rafters Fir thy windows chrystals thy gates pearls thy pavement gold thy walls precious stones thy coverings salvation thy bed peace thy fire the Lords love thy garden the Lords presence thy walks the Lords unsearchable wisdom and art thou not then fair even the fairest amongst women this then is most true we are the building of God SECT XXIX The Rose and the Lilly and the Apple tree §. 29 WE are the roses of Sharon and the lillies of the valleys the pleasant flowers of the Lord for sweetness fairness and pleasantness And as the lillies amongst thorns so are we the Lords loves and lillies amongst the daughters excelling them and the lillies shall grow notwithstanding the thorns and among the thorns appear the more comely a lilly among the daughters and an apple tree amongst the sons Christ is the apple tree and the Christian the lilly Christ the son and the Lilly the daughter and both from one father and thus they be sister and brother husband and wife The Lilly sits down under his shadow with great delight and his fruits are pleâ—sant to her taste this is nothing else but the time of the weâ—kness of the Spouse living under shadows forms and signs and the Lord even makes them fruitful to her and she sits down there with great delight till the Lord raise her up higher SECT XXX §. 30 The soul brought from the shadow to the banquetting house the substance ANd from thence the soul is brought higher as first it was a Rose then a Lilly then in the Valley then amongst thorns then sitting undâ—r the apple tree under the shadow of that fruit or creature and that with delight in all and bearing fruit in all but now is brought to the Lords banquetting house and after that under his banner for his banner over me was love Now she is exalted indeed passing from fear to love from Sinai to Sion This is a banquetting house indeed from sitting under the shadow of an applâ— tree to the ministration of the Spirit is to be brought from the shadow to the substance from darkness to light a banquetting house the nearer we are brought to the Lord God SECT XXXI §. 31 And having once tasted of the Lords love she counts flagons of wine was one love and apples also and not leaves now can comfort a soul STay me with
conditions the soul is cast into here in this fifth Chapter we have not as in the former the Spouse at first seeking the Lord and the Lord commending her but we have the Lord seeking us and calling and knocking upon us and all to awaken us out of sleep and being awakened leaves us his footsteps to follow him with our cross and the soul enquiring after him setting forth his beauty and excellency from top to bottom all over SECT XLV §. 45 The Lord comes to the breaking of bread and drinking of wine to a feasting in us to eat his supper there FIrst I am come into my garden my Sister my Spouse This is Christs dwelling in us by his Spirit inviting him thither I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice I have eaten my hony comb with my hony I have drunk my wine with my milk eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved Thus the Lord comes and sups with us and he accepts the widows mite as the wedg of gold and eats the hony comb as well as the hony and drinks the milk as well as the wine so that the weak and strong are accepted of him thus eating and drinking in our presence breaking bread in us and eating and drinking in us and going from house to house in us rejoycing and eating with singleness of heart and magnifying himself so that the soul may say as David did He had anointed my head filled full my cup spred my table and hath also sate at my table prepared by him and we have eaten together and made merry yea feasted abundantly SECT XLVI §. 46 The Lord comes to awake us out of sleep AGain I sleep but my heart waketh it is the voyce of my well beloved that knocketh saying open to me my sister my love my dove my undefiled for my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night Thus the Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak the Spirit can watch and pray and overcome to temptation but the Flesh can do neither but falls into temptation yet my heart wakes within and there I hear a voyce and I know the voyce it is not a strangers voyce but my beloveds voyce he calls and knocks and complains I hear him it is he yet so sleepy she rises not she dreams of him and is not so throughly awake nay she hears not only a voyce but a knock her heart beats and akes the Lord is knocking there yet flesh and sleep prevails nay she hears him complain at last O my love dove why art thou so sleepy with what sweet voyces and blessed motions doth he work upon her overcoming her evil with good he saith My head is full of dew and my locks with the drops of the night so that the Lord hath not only suffered in Flesh for us when he swet drops of blood in that dark night but he suffers in his Spirit also for us weeping and mourning for us being afflicted and despised often by us and his locks with the drops of the night the grieving his Spirit and crucifying it by our flesh SECT XLVII §. 47 The Lord overcoming her heart with love I Have put off my coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them O foolish woman who hath bewitched thee that thou shouldst not obey the truth having a form of godliness here and yet denying the power thereof nay a lover of pleasures more then of God yea what a shew and appearance this hath yet in hypocrisie she draws nigh with her lips and cries Lord Lord yet doth not the will of her Lord as if Sacrifice were better then Obedience thus it is to love our selves and to consult with flesh and blood it can never inherit the Kingdom of God it saith now as Peter said once to Christ Master have a care of thy self so here Satan would fain have her careful of her self and her life and her ease whereas indeed the devil should have been resisted Get thee behind me Satan what a put off this is like the men invited to the marriage I have bought a yoke of oxen c. and I pray have me excused Nay had an enemy done the Lord this wrong but his Spouse and his familiar friend to say I have washed my feet and how can I defile them SECT XLVIII The great wickedness of the Spouse §. 48 to Christ HE cries my love my dove my undefiled my head my locks the dew drops night all torment me open sweet love to me my sister and I cried I am asleep and in bed I cannot rise I have put off my coat O ye of little faith and of little love indeed O Jerusalem Jerusalem that stonest them that are sent to thee how oft would I have gathered thee under my wings as a hen gathereth her chickens and she would not Farewel Jerusalem thy land shall be left desolate for the things are hid from thy eyes that do belong to thy peace And further she is loath to foul her feet she hath washed them how shall she defile them these waters of Marah must be made sweet for her she calls clean foul and foul clean sweet bitter and bitter sweet SECT XLIX §. 49 The transcendent beauty and glory of the Lord Christ the Souls beloved MY Beloved did more for me he would not leave me so but put his hand into my heart opened the door almost but made a great wound and hole in my heart and then my bowels were moved within me for him and then I felt his power upon me that set me upon my feet and raised me up and my heart loosed and I was opened and enlarged the precious smells and blessed myrrhe he had left behinde him upon the lock made my hands and fingers to drop with sweetness I opened but my love was gone and my spirit fainted in me I went after but I could not finde him I called but none answered O whither shall I go to finde him The watchmen wound me the keepers of the wall take my vail from me thus I am afflicted I charge you all if you see my love before me tell him I am sick of love and shall dye in love for him He hath stollen away my heart in the night through the hole of the door and he is onely worthy of it he is altogether lovely white and ruddy pure and perfect the fairest amongst ten thousand His head like gold his power glorious and pure his locks bushy and black as a raven His counsels unchangeable and stedfast His cheeks as a bed of spices so sweet and lovely as sweet flowers His lips like lillies dropping sweet smelling myrrhe the grace that he administers and the wisdom to all hearers His hands as gold set with Beril working all things together for our good His belly is as bright Ivory overlayd with Saphirs full of bowels and tender mercies His legs like pillars of marble being the
ground-work and pillars of truth His countenance is as Lebanon excellent as the Cedars His mouth is most sweet yea he is altogether lovely This is my beloved and this is my friend O ye daughters of Jerusalem This is my boast and glory the Lord. SECT L. §. 50 The Queens and Concubines and Virgins without number that praise the Spouse which is but one IT is good to seek the Lord though alone and in it we may provoke others also to seek him with us God bearing witness to us as they do here What is thy Beloved above our beloveds Nay then if he be so as you speak of and so much goodness in him come we will seek him with thee Come then let 's go to the gardens to the beds of spices he feeds there and gathers lillies we finde him in himself in the midst amongst us there he meets us and we meet him My Beloved is mine and I am his and upon this exchange we are beautiful as Tirzah strong and terrible as an army with banners and yet sweet and comely as Jerusalem Our eyes overcome him Queens Concubines and Virgins without number wait upon thee we are but one in the Lord not many the onely one of our mother and the choyce one of her that bare us The daughters see us and they bless us yea the Queens and the Concubines and they praise us when we look as the morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun terrible as an army with banners I went down to the garden of nuts in the valleys and before I was aware my Soul was like the Charets of Aminadab SECT LI. §. 51 The beautiful feet of the Kings daughter THe Lord makes our feet beautiful shod with peace and glad tidings like Princes Daughters lively to run the Lords ways made with thighs like jewels by the hands of a cunning workman the Spirit of the Lord yea how fair and how pleasant art thou O love for delights Thy stature in grace and spiritual strength like to a palm tree and thy brests to clusters of grapes give nourishment and abounding with fruits full of the blessings of the Lord and all manner of pleasant fruits new and old layd up for thee in my heart O my beloved SECT LII §. 52 The Lord sets us as a seal upon his heart the strength of the Lords love to us and ours to him THe Lord Christ that was our brother and sucked the brests of the Spirit our mother if I should meet thee I would kiss thee without and not be ashamed my love is so strong to thee I will lead thee into my mothers house and there thou shouldst instruct me and I would drink of the spiced wine prepared for thee of the juice of the pomegranate and whither soever I went I would hear thee my beloved Set me as a seal upon thy heart for love is strong as death jealousie is cruel as the grave the coals thereof are coals of fire which have a most vehement flame Many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it if a man would give all the substance of his house for this love of the Lord it would utterly be contemned We have many little sisters virgins that love the Lord what shall we do for her in the day that she shall be spoken for to be married to the Lamb if she be a wall the Lord will build upon her a palace of silver and if a door she shall be enclosed with boards of Cedars whatsoever she wants shall be compleated Lord we are thy vineyards and the vineyard that is thine is before thee Thou Lord must have a thousand and those that keep the fruit of the vineyard two hundred Thou that dwellest in the vineyards all therein hearken to thy voyce cause me to hear it Make haste my beloved and take me to the mountains of spices and to the hills of frankincense CHAP. XIX The eighteenth Book that God writes in Man is the book of the Prophet ISAIAH SECT I. The two sons and seeds one of Flesh and the §. 1 other of Spirit that is in us THe book of the Prophet Isaiah opened in Man both his Visions and Prophesies from the Lord and first you have the carnal and spiritual seed of the Lord the bastard and the son the child of the Flesh and of the Spirit the son of man and the Son of God held forth The first of these the fleshly seed that serve God after the flesh and call themselves by the name of Israel and the children of the Lord thus saith the Lord ye are not sons but rebels you know me not neither will I know you nor consider you you are a sinful people laden with iniquity I have smitten you and you go worse and worse you are all over corrupt within full of wounds bruises and sores whatsoever you pretend without your head and heart and all is out of order the strangers live in you and devour you and the fire of lusts burn in you and eat you up you are children of Sodom more like then of God And as for your Worship and Sacrifice in multitudes your appearing outwardly and treading in my Courts your new Moons Sabbaths calling and sitting of assemblies and solemn meetings your appointed Feasts and Fasts your spreading forth your hands and making long prayers I abhor it all it 's detestable my soul hates all these and I never required them of you your hearts and hands being full of blood and all kinde of iniquity your silver dross your wine water your Ptinces rebellious and theeves SECT II. §. 2 How the fleshly is eaten up of the spiritual I Will therefore stand up in judgment against you all and consume your dross tin blood and filth ignorance and baseness I will mollifie you and binde you all up together and if sons of the Flesh I will make you sons of God in Spirit you shall not have the image of Sodom but Jerusalem no Hypocrisie but Power I will wash you thorrowly and purge you by my Spirit of judgment and burning that all your iniquity shall pass from before me and no evil pass through any more you shall not be bloody but white as snow I will receive you to favor you shall not rebel any more but altogether willing and obedient if I say do this ye shall do it or that it shall be fulfilled and the sword shall be broken in pieces and there shall be no dross amongst your silver nor water with your wine but all things shall be of God Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness and the destruction of transgression and iniquity shall be together and whatsoever forsakes God consumed be it an oak or a garden that hath no water they shall be burnt together and none shall quench them SECT III. The great Vision which the Prophet saw §. 3 what it is and what it means THus much for the Prophesie now for the Vision which the
the blinde eyes opened the deaf ears unstopped the hard heart mollified the lame to walk and leap the dumb to sing the parched land a pool and the thirsty land springs of water Here among these shall the Lord prepare a way it shall be called The way of holiness no Lion shall be there nor any such beast but the Lambs of the Lord shall walk therein SECT XXXIII Sennacheribs and Rabshakehs blasphemies §. 33 against the servants of the Lord in whom they are comforted SEnnacherib comes with an Army against Jerusalem to besiege and take it Rabshakeh sent to summon it with fair promises to enjoy every one his own and to be brought to as good a land as their own and not to trust in Hezekiah nor his confidence or vain words nor in Egypt a broken reed nor in the Lord for there is no God that can deliver you or your land out of our hands or our King the great King of Assyria for neither Samaria nor her gods nor any other god was able to deliver them out of his hand and if they did refuse and rebel they should eat their own dung and drink their own piss and be afterwards destroyed with the sword for thus saith the great King Now all this is true in the application of it to our selves The world and the flesh or the evil spirit in both Rabshakeh like reviles and speaks evil against the Lord tempting and summoning us bringing an army of evil and strong delusions to ensnare us promising if we will yeeld up all soul and body and all that God hath given us to him falling down and worshipping him we shall have all glory and be like gods and withal telling us many lies that God does not nor can deliver us he sees not neither cares for us saying God hath not said it and as for Hezekiah beleeve him not nor stay your selves in the Lord for I am the God of this world and give honor and glory and riches to them I will be I am exalted on high in these Kingdoms All bow down to me and serve me and they that serve me the god of this world I preserve them and if not I persecute hate destroy kill murther and torment Woe unto them if I am set against them This is the railing Râ—â—shakeh contending for the poor creature and rending it but the servant of the Lord is silent and mourns waiting patiently on the Lord in all things and commits it self wholy to him against all temptations and blasphemies SECT XXXIV How the Spirit of the Lord given to his §. 34 doth overcome all the evil and blasphemies of the devil and is stronger then he or his YEt further when the evil spirit that dwells in us or sent to us from the powers of darkness shall grieve the Spirit of the Lord in his Hezekiahs or servants by high imaginations or abominable blasphemies against the holy Spirit of the Lord in his lifting up it self against the Lord then a greater power of the Spirit of the Lord comes upon us and his Word strengthens us saying Grieve not nor be troubled at the blasphemies of Sennacharib and Rabshakeh those spirits of Satan for I will be with thee and I will let all the Nations of the earth see that I am the Lord God and there is none besides me and that you are my people preserved by my power I will put a bridle in his mouth and my hook in his nose and overcome him and fall backwards and perish in his own land and the Angel of my presence shall fall upon his hoste with the breath of my mouth and slay them all you shall finde in the morning nothing but carcasses this shall they have that rage against the Lord and his Spirit above a hundred thousand nay almost two hundred thousand slain in the field but a remnant of the Lord shall take root downwards now and bear fruit upwards manifold and rejoyce in the Lord of the whole earth And again we see that though an evil spirit of wickedness or blasphemy like the beast in the Revelation may for a while triumph over all and speak great words and do mighty things yet the Spirit of Truth and Glory consumes it all at last SECT XXXV §. 35 How the Lord makes sick and well kills and saves and he is glorified in all he doth THis shews how those whom the Lord loves fall sick through boyls and distempers of flesh the corrupt nature is sickly and perishes and how it all turns to the glorifying of God and the good of the soul as in the 11. of John saith Christ of Lazarus this sickness is not for his death but for the death of sin in the flesh and for his life for the Son of God in him shall be glorified by it and it was so And even so here Hezekiahs life is renewed he dyes after the flesh to this life and state and lives to God after the Spirit dyes to himself to live to God as he saith now shall I live to praise thee Thus the Lord makes us sick and well dead and alive wounds and heals takes and gives after his good pleasure sets all in order the fire the faggot the sacrifice the knife and all the whole sacrifice the whole man with his whole house and it is not to kill the Lamb but the Ram not the Sinner but the Sin and the Lord healed him and defended his City all his with him house and all prolonging their lives giving them a long life even for ever and ever and a signe The Sun returning or going backwards ten degrees which shewed the return and fall of his enemies or the forgiveness of sins and the restauration of souls SECT XXXVI Babylons letters and presents to betray us §. 36 and our treasures into his own Land LEtters and Presents from Babylon and her King Baladan upon Hezekiahs recovering hearing of it pretends joy for it Thus the Flesh lies in wait for the Spirit Antichrist for Christ and the Christian if we recover from falling on the left hand we are presently tempted to fall and err on the right hand Here the Devil is transforming himself into an Angel of light and deceives and betrays us basely pretending to be outwardly for us giving us his letters and presents and is inwardly against us so creeps in unawares and like a serpent subtilly gains upon us undermines us findes and feels our strength and eats and drinks with us and is received into our heart and treasure we being all opened to him nothing in us but made known and yet really know not whence he comes a stranger from a far Country to see us and rejoyce with us but not out of love but envy like them in Pauls days that preached Christ out of envy But the Lord remembers us and findes out all our enemies for us and smites us when we do amiss so that as Hezekiah received these messengers and presents and withal shewed his treasures
THE LITTLE Bible of the Man OR THE Book of God opened in Man BY THE Power of the LAMB Wherein God is the Spirit or inside of the Book and Man the Letter or out-side of it In whom as in a Glass you may both behold the Spirit and Letter of the holy Scriptures in the new Man fulfilled and Explained from Genesis to Jeremiah This is the first Volume of Gods Book in Man Written by a weak Instrument of the Lords Capt. T. BUTLER LONDON Printed in the first year of Englands Liberty 1649 For Giles Calvert at the black spread Eagle at the west end of Pauls TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE Lord of Pembroke AND To the Right Honorable the Lord of Mulgrave all Peace and Happiness My Lords IT is the Design of Heaven to pull down the pride of all flesh and to have the Lord alone Exalted that no flesh might glory before him but all that glory may do it in the Lord God they being the Lords For the day of the Lord is come upon all flesh to destroy it like grasse but the Word of the Lord abides for ever and he that is built upon that Rock the gates of hell can never prevail against him though the Lord cometh to shake terribly the Earth and the Heavens also yea though the mountains and hils remove out of their places though the stars fall from heaven and the Sun be turned into darkness and the Moon into blood by this terrible Earthquake yet the foundation of God stands sure their Sun never sets nor their Moon changes For the Lord himself is their everlasting Light and thy God their glory And though the fashion of this world perisheth waxing old as doth a garment and as a vesture shalt thou change them yet thy Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome O God and thy Dominion throughout all ages thou changest not but art the same to day yesterday and forever thou shalt raign till thou hast made this world become the Kingdomes of our Lord Jesus Christ and of his Saints and great shall be the day of the Lord. My Lords I could doe no less then recommend this new born babe unto You which hath been brought forth in sorrow and much weakness of flesh though in the willingness of spirit the Lord gives it his grace and blessing that it may be growing up in you in strength and power which shall be the joy and desire of Your Servant T. Butler From my Quarters in Black-Fryers Mr Delaines February 8. 1648. To his Worthy Friend Mr Tho. Appletree Worthy Friend LEt him that stands saith the Apostle take heed least he fall and be not high minded but fear for God gives grace to the humble and exalts the meek but the proud he beholds afar off it is good therefore for every man to look to his feet and consider how he stands by sense or by Faith by Flesh or Spirit by Grace or by Works and where he stands on holy or unholy ground or the Sand or the Rock upon the Sea or the dry Land on Earth or in Heaven in himself or in God whether the Moon be under his feet and he clothed with the Sun whether he serve God or Mammon for if we stand in the Lord we are safe but if we stand any where else we sink and fall the Lords Angels pitch their tents about his to preserve them in all his ways they shall walk and not be weary run and not faint they walk as wise men and not as fools redeeming the time because the days are evil And while God gives You opportunity do good to all but especially to the houshold of Faith and be not weary of well doing for in due time you shall reap if you faint not faithful is he that hath promised who also will do it Your labor of love is well known to many Saints in Dedington and thereabout in Oxfordshire whose bowels You have refreshed the Lord make You more and more to abound in Faith and Love that You may never see Christ naked hungry or in prison but You may minister to him and relieve the oppressed judg the fatherless and widow and let the cause of the poor be maintained still keeping Faith and a good Conscience in all things that Your good example and counsel may win upon many and if J or my poor endeavors herein may advantage You any way in this kind it will be the travel of my Soul and the joy of my Spirit Sir Your Friend and Servant THO. BUTLER TO The Vertuous LADIES Mrs Elizabeth Mrs Anne Mrs Margaret Mrs Katherine and Mrs Lettice Babingtons my dear and precious Sisters together with the rest of that noble Family My deer Sisters AMongst the Catalogue of Gods great mercies to me I account it not the least to be of the number of that sweet and precious society and Family and to see how the Lord hath multiplied his mercies towards us as not onely to make us one Body but also one Spirit giving us the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace whereby we have fellowshp with the Lord and one with another in the Spirit praying rejoycing conversing walking and living together continually this never dyes neither can it be parted it s such a threefold cord that nothing can break it such a fellowship nothing can divide it and such a joy and life none can take from us I have through the love and goodness of the Lord to me drawn some spiritual Discoveries upon a part of the Scriptures as God gave me opportunity Onely my dear Sisters let me desire this from you What you finde herein of God glorifie him for it and what is not of God as you apprehend judg it not after the flesh but judg righteous judgment and withal remember the weakness of him that was but a poor instrument in it And if it may by the blessing of God give any light to you God speaking the same things in a vail to it in your spirits how will it rejoyce mine Thus leaving all to the good guide of the Spirit of Truth in all things I take leave and remain Your loving Brother T. BUTLER TO THE READER JVdg not saith the Apostle that ye be not judged for with what measure you meet it shall be measured to you again and what you would that men should do unto you even so do ye unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets but Christ and the Apostles go further and would have us do far better to others then they do to us give them good for evil knowing this now J cannot but perswade my loving Reader to lay aside all malice wrath envy guil and hypocrisie and in love meekness patience and much goodness read and consider trying the spirits whether they be of God or not And thus J shall say with thee if there be any thing as questionless there is of flesh darkness or the spirit of this world that all of it may come into
the world what God hath done in the secret printing-house of the heart and whatsoever comes out to the world that is not of his printing and licensing shall be suppressed by the Spirit as not having the hand-writing that makes free and none shall buy or sell but those that have his mark SECT XIII §. 13 What be the things God makes use of in writing this Book Man ANd when the Lord God doth thus he will make our hearts his table-books washing them clean and pure fit and prepared to receive any impression his letters shall be all Spirit and his words life his Precepts and Commandments perfect Liberty as for the Lords Pen it shall be the Finger of the Spirit of God the Inditer God himself the Ink it shall be the pure Christal waters of Life and Grace that proceeds from the Throne of God and of the Lamb the everlasting Fountains of Love the Writings and Printings shall never perish it shall be for a perpetual Memorial to all generations the Lords Hand and Seal shall be set to the Book he will not be ashamed of his workmanship nor his writing therein it shall be also dedicated to all the world Angels and men for all to read his Name shall be to it and the Title shall be this The Book of Life Printed in the year of our Lord the fulness of time SECT XIV Gods making mans heart plain and fair for it §. 14 as paper I Will put my Laws in their minds this is the mind of God to have them of one minde with himself minding the same things His mind in their minds God would fain put his new wine into the new vessels of their minds knowing full well how much vanity for the most part lodges there like the Inn that was full of guests that there was no room for Christ to lay his head so it is in most minds enough of every thing but little enough of this love of the Spirit of Life What said the Lord Now I will come into the temple of mans mind and cast out the buyers and sellers overthrow the tables of the money-changers drive out the beasts and birds and the house that was full of murderers aden of theeves I will make a house of prayer before I leave them SECT XV. §. 15 What God minds and loves it is to live with us and in us BY this we may see the mind of God what he minds most amongst men what he loves best where he desires to live it is the minds of men Again we see all those Sacrifices under the Law that were commanded to be offered to God must be of the best the male in the flock not the sick blind lean or lame all which was abominable to God so here this is the male in the flock God will have offered to him his Laws put into our minds and if this be not all is nothing Thus it was with David surely when he said Oh how do I love thy Law it is my meditation day and night and again Psal 1. 2. Blessed is the man whose delight is in the Laws of the Lord surely it was because God had put his Laws in his mind As it was in the Temple of God which was a shaddow of good things to come there was we read in the most holy place the Ark of the Covenant surely this Ark was a kind of figure of what God would do in these last dayes in our Temples in the most holy place of our hearts even in the Ark of our minds he would place his Covenants and put his Laws in that Arke SECT XVI §. 16 What is shall be of the Lords Will and Law and nothing else ANd in that it is said my Laws it shall be a living Law a holy heavenly wise gracious good Law God himself shall be our Law and our Example in all things follow him the Governments shall be upon his shoulders he will Rule in us and over us and be our King Priest and Prophet Happy art thou O Israel a people governed by the Lord He is your Law-giver and it is given to the spirits and hearts of men where he rules and sits brings al things into subjection to himself I will break every other Law of man all your Laws either in Church or in State either in the inward man that convinces or in the outward that restrains that are not mine shall be rooted up those yokes and burdens you shall no longer bear but take my yoke it 's easie my burden and Laws are light and in them you shall find rest SECT XVII §. 17 His own Laws he keeps and them he will have us keep one Law for both ANd in that he saith my Laws see how good and gracious God is he will lay no other burden then what he bears himself live by one Law one Mind one Life one Spirit one Truth one Peace one Righteousness one Kingdom the Law God walks by lives in the way he goes that which is his own very heart and nature the same he would give us that we may be as God is holy as he is holy just as he is just that we may be the children of our Father which is in Heaven SECT XVIII §. 18 All Gods Laws a whole volum within us ANd it is observable he doth not say my Law though all his Laws agree in one and are as one but shews us further that how the Word of the Lord shall dwell in us richly and not sparingly we shall not abound in some grace but in every grace nor in some knowledg but in all wisdom knowledg not doing some of the Will of God but instructed in the whole Counsel of the Lord we shall have Laws in us of all sorts the Law of Faith the Law of Love the Law of Truth the Law of Life the Law of Righteousness the Law of Meekness the Law of Contentedness nay there is not a Law in Heaven nor a Law in the Heart of God but he will put it in our hearts for we shall be men after his own heart And this we must know God is the searcher of heart and mind it must be such an eye and such an arm as must be stretched out to reach the bottom and depth of our minds all that is in the world is too short we may speak to them present the forms and patterns of things given to us in the Mount to the eyes ears and outward view and hearing of men in the world and there we must leave it then comes God and gives the increase he puts it farther he doth the work powerfully We can but John the Baptist like say I indeed baptize with water but he that comes after me it is he that must do all without him all is nothing so here unless Christ come after as here he hath promised and put his Laws in our minds we shall heare pray and do all in vain SECT XIX §. 19 WHerefore my dearly beloved
what is Paul or what is Apollo or â—ephas It is the Lord alone that wil be exalted he will put his Law there where all the devils in hell all the powers of flesh and spirit cannot prevail against it if he put it there what shall be able to separate remove or pull it out of his hands or out of our hearts SECT XX. §. 20 Mans blessing or curse is within himself ANd I will write it in their hearts It is the heart of man that God ayms at and therein are the issues of death or life there is every mans Heaven or Hell his blessing or his cursing for if our own hearts condemn us shall not God much more If this Tree be good then all the fruits are good but if it be bad then all is corrupt look to your hearts then for from thence is discovered your weal or woe SECT XXI §. 21 What God writes in us is such writing as nothing can blot it out ANd here see how the phrase is changed to enlarge the sense what before he called his putting into our minds he enlarges it to the writing or rather explains the manner how he will put his Laws in our hearts and that is by writing them in our hearts or else what he will do after he hath put his Laws in our minds how he will preserve and keep it there that it may never be forgotten but abide in us for ever by an eternal written character that shall never be blotted out Sin may but Grace cannot and when it is thus printed in us no theeves can steal it nor rust corrupt it nor fowls gather it but it 's safe under Hand and Seal and we never have sure comfort till then we may then say I know that my Redeemer liveth and I see him and I know whom I have trusted I am perswaded fully that nothing is able to separate me from his love nor blot me out of his Book I was in much doubt of his word and promise before I had this Hand writing but now I thank God I have obtained the victory by the Lord. SECT XXII §. 22 Where God begins to write he perfects it in us NOw be assured of this all you that know any thing of God that when the Lord puts his hand to the pen and the pen to the paper which are the tables of our minds it will not be in vain he stays not there it is for this very end to write something therein either a protection to keep thee I wil be with thee or else a warrant to do something in his name and he will deliver thee or a Commission to go and teach all Nations to go forth to conquer and overcome fearing nothing SECT XXIII §. 23 The writing of God in us is by degrees ANd when the Lord begins his writing it may be in weakness in a letter first because of the smoaking flax and bruised reeds and from a letter to a Word a Word of Life and from a Word to a Promise and from a Promise to a Precept thus going on with line upon line and precept after precept here a little and there a little till he hath finished it his whole Will in us that in the volum of our hearts we may see it written Lo I am prepared to do thy Will O God When we shall see all his Words Promises Precepts Prophesies Exhortations Consolations Doctrines Reproofs Uses Means Motives and all compleated in Man It may be in the beginning like a grain of mustard seed but comes to a tree it is begun in free-grace but it ends in full Glory it is at first God manifested in the Flesh and thence justified in Spirit at last received up into Glory this is the writing called the Lords SECT XXIV §. 24 Gods magnifying himself in Man ANd all this is done for his own name sake to make his Glory Name known that he is the Lord the only God and there is no Beloved like to this Beloved this made David in his eight Psalm magnifie God so when he looked upon the three-fold writing of God 1. That in Nature saying O Jehovah God how excellent is thy Name in all the world thou hast set thy Glory above the Heavens this he read in Natures Book The second Book or Writing is in Letter Word or Promise and in this he is magnified in the same Psalm Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength stilling the enemy and avenger The third Book is in Spirit in Man and that is the highest of all Gods Writings there he is read plainest and best first in the first Man Adam secondly in the new Man Christ thirdly in the new Man the Christian this made him say more When I consider the the Heavens the works of thy hands Sun Moon and Stars which thou hast ordained Lord think I then what is poor man that thou art so mindfull of him or the son of man that is the second man that thou hast so much visited him as to dwell in him and be God with him making him a litle lower then the Angels in his flesh and crowning him with so much glory and honor in Spirit in us as to think Heaven Earth Angels Men Creatures Scriptures Means Sabbaths Ordinances Graces Promises Ministers Magistrates things Temporal things Spiritual Christ God the Spirit all is ours therefore I must say once again O Lord our God how excellent is thy Name in all the world SECT XXV §. 25 The state of the two Adams THe Lord is pleased to make man an epitome of all things as he is a little world created of God Heaven and Earth being in him and he made up of both so the fulness thereof is in him a compound of all at first as he was in the first Adam But now in the second Adam in the generation of Jesus Christ as he is brought forth a new to God dying to the World and living to God in spirit in a new world whereof this first is but the image so is he the sum of all that spiritual state For as Christ in the flesh was the sum of all the legal Rites Ordinances Sacrifices Worship and All so is Christ Jesus in spirit in the new Creature the sum of Gospel Ordinances Prayers Hearings Writings Preachings Church-fellowship Breaking of Bread and Excommunications SECT XXVI §. 26 The Lord is all the Book and Scripture his people have him they preach hear read practise NAy the Lord will be to us Heaven and Earth Lands and Livings Father and Mother Sister and Brother Children and Friends Master and Servant Gifts and Graces Knowledge and Wisdom Temple and Sacrifice Sabbath and Sermon Creature and Scripture yea Doctrine and Psalm Revelation and Consolation New Testament and Old Law and Gospel Letter and Spirit Promise and Precept Writing and Printing our Bible and Book all things past present and to come Therefore he saith when he comes to do this I will write What a
my self abundantly in love This true Paradise which God planted in man Christ formed in us and the Spirit of God living like a fountain of water with us SECT X. The Adam and Eve there in Paradise §. 10 ANd further as from the Paradise and River of Life the whole world is refreshed for from hence come the streames of life and divide themselves into all parts of the world teaching in his Name wonderfull things so the Man and the Woman that lives in this Paradise with God the Adam and the Eve is Christ and the Christian Christ the Man and the Christian the Woman both living in one Paradise brought together by God marryed and given in marriage by the Spirit of God making Christ and the Christian one this is the Mystery of God manifested in the flesh or God dwelling in us becoming a second Adam to us feeding us with the tree of Life in us and refreshing us as with living water which he gives us and the tree shall not dye but live need no clothing or any Tabernacle or Shrine or Fig-leaves but the nakedness of God appearing in the Righteousness of Christ not having our garments which are hairy but the smooth and naked clothes of Christ and we shall not be ashamed SECT XII §. 12 The Tempter the Fall the Serpent NAy further the Tempter here in the New Creature thus written by God is the good Tempter the Spirit of the Lord tempting us and leading us into all Truth and Lord lead us into this temptation for ever and this Spirit is not like the beast of the field but like the Doves of Heaven it is as wise as Serpents but as innocent and harmless as a Dove Now the great Fall of this New Man is a total and final fall from sin Satan or a Being taken up in Clouds from the earth a receiving out of their sight to live with the Lord as also the curse there is nothing but blessing there is neither pain nor sorrow conceiving nor travelling there is neither Lord nor servant but all are made one in Christ Jesus SECT XII §. 12 How all things are made new in the beginning of this book LAstly to conclude the writing of God in short for the book of the beginning of the new Creation or Book of life in Man Here is no carnal generation no living after the Flesh no knowing one another after the Flesh but in Spirit and Truth a spiritual encrease and multiplying Here is no death at all but a long life even for ever and ever Here is no marrying nor giving in marriage but they are like the Angels of God no violence but all meekness and love Here is no wrath nor destruction but eternal love and consolation Here is no repenting the Lord he made Man but it rejoyces him at the heart to see him Here is no Deluge but the pouring out of the Spirit no Ark but the Lords presence in our Ark we are the house of God no perishing but Flesh no Sacrifice but the Spirit no Covenant but the new one in Man no Rain but that of the Word of Truth no Flesh but Spirit to feed upon no Milk nor Herbs but Grace no Vinyard but that of the Lords love no Altar but God no Call but that inward Call to forsake thy Fathers house No House nor Father nor Mother nor Land nor Portion but the Lord none to serve nor follow but him no Circumcision but in Spirit no bond woman nor her children but the free woman the spirit of liberty from sin and death no Well but the deep Rivers of Salvation no Vision but of God no Famine but of Flesh no Corn nor Wine nor Oyl but the Light of Gods countenance lifted up upon us CHAP. III. The second Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is called EXODVS THe second book is the book of Exodus for where the Lord hath once begun a writing or a work a word or a line he will build up finish and make an end in his due time but now he is but beginning and going on from one strength to another appearing in us now he comes with an out-stretched arm to deliver before he came to pull down and to build up to lay the foundation now he comes to deliver from the enemies of our salvation SECT II. §. 2 God calling his Son out of Egypt THerefore saith he I have called my Son out of Egypt that is Christ is called out of the grave death darkness this is the Son called out of Egypt the Flesh to live in Spirit in his members and body Now in this Egypt of our flesh and filthiness dwells nothing but Thunder and Lightening Darkness Plagues and Crosses for all these lay upon the Son while he is and was in our Egypt or fleshly Nature but he must rise the third day the Son shall not always lie thus in the grave the Spirit shall not always strive with Flesh and be buffeted and betrayed by it as Israel after a certain time was called forth the Lord hears the groans of his Son on the Cross and Israel in Egypt and the groans of the Spirit in these Tabernacles of Flesh willing to be delivered waiting for the day of Redemption not out of a part of Egypt to live in the suburbs or as neer as may be but far off to get into another land and kingdom even the kingdom called the Lords And though Flesh and Blood Principalities and Powers spiritual wickedness in high places Pharoah and all his Taskmasters the Magicians and all the hoste of Egyptians rise up against this Call and power of God to withstand it as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses and as the Scribes and Pharises placing the watch and ward laying the stone upon the grave of Christ sealing it withstood God and as Antichrist withstands the two witnesses but all in vain till the power of God entred into them all bringing them forth with a mighty hand saying Come up hither and fire came out of their mouths and the sea to consume and devour them They I mean all their carnal and spiritual enemies may come after them as far as the red sea but then no farther As soon as his Son the Lord Christ or the Christian hath passed through the red Sea of the sufferings of Christ Flesh and Blood dare follow them no further nay here dyes and perisheth all this carnal power and enmity SECT III. §. 3 God leading his Son through the Wilderness BUt though Gods Son Christ Jesus be called out of Egypt and is led from thence and Egypt destroyed in the Red Sea there the Flesh suffers yet there is another Call God leaves not his Son in the Wilderness whom he hath once called but then he calls them on and allures them there speaking comfortably to them This Son of God called out of Egypt thus and now all his children in the Wilderness is brought to straits and knows not whither to look
in bondage from serving the Lord in freedom of heart and this is his Call Let my people go that they may serve me To this purpose speaks Zacharias Oh that he would grant unto us that we being delivered from the hands of our enemies may serve the Lord without fear in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life I know saith the Lord that Pharaoh that proud flesh wil not let my people go to serve me But they saith Christ shall go in spite of all to serve the Lord I will make all their enemies their footstool saith the Lord. CHAP. IV. The third Book that God writes in Man is §. 1 called LEVITICVS NOw the third Book is called Leviticus This also is made good in the Saints in the truth of it the spirit of that Letter dwells in them and the substance of what is written in that Book concerns them chiefly as this All the Sacrifices looked at them they are to offer up the Sacrifice of Righteousness of which all the legal were but Types Secondly the Sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart and then their souls and bodies to be offered up as living Sacrifices to the Lord holy and acceptable And what were all the Calves Lambs Doves but meerly figurative not only looking at Christ but Christians also they must be the Lambs of God Doves Turtles and Christ presents them thus to God therefore the Apostle saith We shall be presented harmless and blameless at his coming And again I beseech you present your selves a living Sacrifice to God And again Ye are a holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifice to God so that the Apostle makes them and all that they do to be Sacrifices to God and the Lord smells a sweet savor in them nay he tells them they are the Lords Levites and Priests to make prayers and supplications to God yea to offer the Sacrifice of thanksgiving and to call upon the Name of the Lord these are they that are to stand before the Lord of the whole earth the anointing of the Lord is upon them to minister before the Lord God not only oyl but the oyl of Life and Grace the Spirit of the Lord falls on them and hath anointed them to preach the glad tydings Thy God cometh O Zion SECT II. §. 2 The Levites garments that minister to the Lord. NAy yet more all the fine linnen the Priests did wear what meant it but the white garments the walking with God in white the pure white linnen the Righteousness of Saints what was the Ephod and their Brest-plate their Urim and their Thummim their Bells and Pomegranates the names of the twelve Tribes on their Brestplates their Incense their ministring before the Lord their entring in with blood to the Temple all these are fulfilled spiritually in Saints the mind of God is with them that fear him they have a Brestplate of Righteousnes the Name of the Lord written in their hearts and they have the Names of the Tribes all the people of God are fellow Members and fellow Feelers one of another SECT III. §. 3 The spiritual Service in the House of the LORD THeir Incense they have is The sweet perfume of the Spirit of Grace in them that runs all along their garments their Bells and Pomegranates is the everlasting Gospel of God made known by them in truth and evidence of the Spirit every way these are they that minister before the Lord day and night they kindle the fire upon the Altar and do not offer up strange fire keep the Lamps in the House of the Lord that they go not out all these things and many more are proper to the Saints they have the Lamps of the Lord burning in them never decaying having the Olive trees always feeding them so that whensoever the Lord comes these wise Virgins are with their Lamps prepared and they receive this fire from Heaven to consume every Sacrifice and not false fire the fire of the Lords Love and Zeal the Zeal of his House eat them up they look to the doors of the Lords House see that no lame blind sick Sacrifice be offered but the best in the flock not the female but the male they think it not a weariness to serve the Lord neither do they make his table contemptible they have the Tythes of all all things in Heaven and Earth they have the first fruits all do homage and yeeld obedience to them all the sheaves bow to them the whole world shall bring their glory into them and they shall be the store-house of the Lord. CHAP. V. The fourth Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is called NVMBERS THe fourth Book is the Book of Numbers where you have the Lords people to be the Sum of all that is therein contained it is fulfilled in them and compleated spiritually by them they are Gods Numbers they are all numbered in his Books are all their names written nay their thoughts and actions numbered a Book of Remembrance writing down what they say of the Lord Mal. 3. Their very bones nay the very hairs of their heads numbered much less will he have any one of his number lost though the shepheard had ninety nine he would leave all to seek after the one because of all that is his he will lose none he keeps a perfect account of them and of every sort of them so many Tribes so many of every Tribe of all tongues languages kindred and people he hath his Numbers besides he hath the number how many lambs how many babes how many strong men how many fathers how many hired servants how many sick how many well how many strong how many weak how many fat and lean poor and rich male and female bond and free in all such things the Lord is instructed taking care of all and providing for all SECT II. How every thing is numbred by the Lord in them AGain numbering their gifts and graces their growth and age till they come to that perfect number and stature in Christ having their days and age filled being full of days and of the holy Ghost Besides this the Armies of the Saints their Banners Christ their Camp Righteousness their General the Lord of hosts their Pillar of Fire and Cloud by day and night the presence of the Lord even the Angel of his presence their matches from strength to strength going on to perfection forgetting the things behinde Their Trumpets sounding is the Voyce of the Lord heard amongst them calling and gathering them together their Sacrifices Praises their Meat Manna their Flesh Quails their Drink out of the everlasting Rock the Lord a Well of living water their spies viewing the holy Land and bringing the first fruits is the earnest of the Spirit giving us a view of Heaven and a taste of the Milk and the Wine therein with the clusters of Grapes brought from thence to refresh us withal SECT III. The true Serpent healing us §. 3. THe brazen
good though it be not so high excellent as the other for to love God without all as Job did when the Lord stript him as I may say stark naked left him hardly a rag nay almost took his life away besides yet in the midst of this it is said he sinned not but blessed God who giveth and taketh blessed be the Name of the Lord. And again Though thou kill me yet will I put my trust in thee This is a greater degree of love nay a stronger love to love the Lord without all as the Disciples said Lord we have left all and folowed thee There is more of God in this then to love God in all when we have what heart can desire the Lord filling ful our cup every one that hath the smoaking flax can be praising God when they are wel prosper enjoying richly every thing but few in death sickness wars misery want nakedness in the Cross can say Blessed be the Lord. SECT XVI §. 16 The strong grounds of the souls love to God when as Gods love is such to us and much more abundant also ANd is there not much ground for this love with all our souls to God if well and rightly consider First Is it not he first that loves us above all things Heaven Earth Creatures Angels putting all things in subjection to us to make us to have dominion over all The Apostle can tell us He took not upon him the nature of Angels but mans Secondly And is not the Lords love to us with all his soul when he again loves us before all before either Hills or Mountains were brought forth or any world was even from everlasting to everlasting hath he and doth he love us We were the first in mention though the last in execution Thirdly The Lords soul love is beyond all O the heighth depth bredth length of this Love John 3. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And again Who loved us and washed us from our sins in his Love And again When we were sinners and enemies Christ dyed for the ungodly And again God first loved us and behold what manner of loveit was that we should be called the sons of God Fourthly The Lords Love it is without all without money or money worth Ho ho every one that thirsteth come to the waters and drink come buy wine and milk without money and without price And again When he saw us in our blood he said unto us live then was the time of love Fifthly And his love is within all for all things are beloved and preserved for our sakes and good he blesses all we take in hand goings in and comings out abroad and at home in soul and body being his trees planted by his living waters and always bringing forth his fruits and whatsoever we do he prospers it This is the Lords love to his people and how can they chuse but love him thus then and make him the Beloved of their souls for he alone is worthy for he is sweet gracious holy heavenly wise blessed the fairest amongst ten thousand he is all fair indeed there is no spot in him SECT XVII The Soul that loves Christ desires to live §. 17 with him WHere thou feedest The Soul that loves Christ desires to live no where and no longer then she may live with Christ for her life is hid with God in Christ Jesus She saith as Ruth said As the Lord liveth where thou goest there will I go thy Country shall be my Country thy Friends my Friends thy God my God and nothing but death shall part thee and me And is it not so here with the Spouse and her Beloved as Man and Wife they will live together and not asunder the Woman forsakes Father and Mother and all to be joyned to her Husband So here the Soul is restless till she be with him SECT XVIII §. 18 The Soul that loves Christ desires to live upon him feed on him AGain the Soul that loves Christ desires not only to live with him but to live upon him to feed as he feeds to sit at one table with him in his Kingdom to lie in one bed with him and to fare as he fares to feed upon his dainties his hony and hony-comb his corn wine and oyl to feed upon his love mercy and truth his grace and righteousness to hang upon his lips and Christ Jesus to be his dayly Bread that Manna that comes down from heaven that he that eats thereof shall never hunger more So that his presence and pleasures are its appointed food And again To know and do his will shall be her meat and drink SECT XIX §. 19 The Soul that loves Christ will live as he lives NAy yet further the Soul that loves Christ desires not only to live with him to feed upon him only and nothing else but it farther desires to live as he lives in the same life the same way to live as the Lord lives be it in shame or in honor in mourning or in joy in peace or trouble in want or in abundance in having nothing or in having all things all is one yet herein is their desires perfected in being made like unto him in all things not only in the Cross Death but in his Rising Ascending in the Throne with him in this they rejoyce and are exceeding glad SECT XX. They love if they live §. 20 AGain they that love Christ thus they live no longer then he lives and loves them When he doth but hide his face they are troubled when his love ceases their life ceaseth for they live in him and by him and through him SECT XXI §. 21 If we love Christ we shall love the flock of Christ ANd where thou makest thy flocks to lie down at noon If we love Christ we shall also love the flock of Christ If we love him that begat we shall love him that is begotten He that saith then that he loveth God and hateth his brother is a lyar and the truth is not in him For he that loveth God loveth his brother also He must needs love that which God loves and hate that which God hates and so be like unto God For this is his Commandment That we love one another as we have him for an example And if we say we are in the light and do not love our brethren we are altogether in darkness and know not the light SECT XXII §. 22 Christ and his flock are together CHrist and his flock are always together there Christ is and there they are He their Shepherd and they the sheep of his pasture They shall not want for any thing that is good either for pasture of still waters of comfort or garments of righteousness or guiding the Lord leads them or for oyl or their cup filling or their table spreading they have all things Thus he feeds them
flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick with love His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me This banquetting house makes her so sick of love she is so ravished there with more Glory from the Lord that she cries out More Glory Lord more Grace more Wine more Love whole flagons to quench my thirst I am so tormented with love after me Oh â—tay me with flagons of wine and comfort me with apptes No more shadows now but fruits it is not the sitting under the shadow of the tree but eating the apple this is the pleasant fruit indeed this is Christ and his Spirit For it is not the knowledg of Christ in the flesh can profit us any thing we may sit there long enough but Christ in the Spirit is the fruit that must comfort us O comfort me with this this healing and balm to my sick soul and nothing else SECT XXXII §. 32 The left and right hand of the Lord about us I Charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem by the Roes and by the Hindes of the field that ye stir not up nor awake my love till he please Here she is at rest in a sweet calm not wounded but comforted not sick but well the Lord is embracing her with both hands Heaven and earth about her Christ and his Spirit with hâ—r Grace and Glory on her these be the two hands left and right embracing her Form and Power And now I am layd at rest and the Lord is at his rest awake him not till he please he is my love stir him not disturb not my peace grieve not my spirit awake not my soul SECT XXXIII §. 33 The Lord living by degrees from weakness unto strength in us THe voyce of my beloved behold he is coming over hils and mountains leaping and skipping The Lord is risen and ascended and comes again he hath absented himself but is now drawing nigh to me he hath hid his face for a moment but with everlasting love will he return unto me he is coming Yet a little while he that should come will come and will not tarry His first coming was in Flesh but his second will be in Power and Spirit His first was low in the Valley dark and obscure his second shall be in brightness every eye shall see him he shall come leaping over the mountains and hills that before concealed him they shall now be all under his feet all this in us SECT XXXIV § 34 He will stand no more behind the wall door or the window THe voyce of my beloved He speaks as he comes the voyce prepares for him My beloved is like a Roe or a young Hart he stands behind the wall looking forth at the window shews himself through the lattess This is the Child Jesus coming and it shews the degrees of his coming growing up still dayly First his voyce comes then he stands at the door and knocks and then he breaks the wall of partition and all the windows glass that he makes use of and the walls also that he stands behind and the windows or ministrations that are more clear he appears in them a while but at last appears nakedly in himself stript of all these robes and sweet attire in the brightnesse of his Spirit which is far best of all and this is our beloved and thus we look for him he is now at the windows SECT XXXV The Lord calling his love to come away §. 35 ARise my love my fair one come away This is through the window also the Lord calling his love out of the window and draws her nigh to himself and not to stand at that distance Arise my love stay not there arise go on come to me my love my fair one come away how do I long for thy possession and to enjoy thee wholy for my self I will prepare the way also for thee The Winter is gone the rain and the cold is over the heart of stone removed the flowers appear in the earth I have put my desire in thee the time of the singing of birds is come and the voyce of the Turtle is heard in our Land My Spirit is singing to thee chanting of thee and my Turtle it mourns for want of thee and I cannot be at rest without thee Arise my love my fair one therefore and come away SECT XXXVI §. 36 The Lord loves to bring his people out of the clefts of the Rock to see his face O My Dove that art in the clefts of the Rock in the secret place of the stairs let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voyce for sweet is thy voyce and thy countenance comely Now the Lord is exalting and raising up his people indeed they that are in the clefts of the Rock in the secret places of the stairs that is such as are yet weak and tender ashamed to come before the Lords presence and see him as he is but as Moses run to the Rock and the clefts of the Rock and there behold him only his back parts but the Lord would have them appear with an open face before him and see face to face the Lord longs to see our countenance and to hear our voyce for its sweet and comely to behold us living in God how doth the Lord delight in the prosperity of his servants SECT XXXVII §. 37 The Foxes that spoil the Vines TAke us the foxes the little foxes that spoil the vines for our vines have tender grapes These foxes are such as Christ speaks of The foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests but the Son of man no where to lay his head These birds and foxes are nothing else but the unclean fowls and the birds of prey and the unclean beasts that lodg in us even in our flesh there they live till the Lord takes them and destroys them not only the great foxes but the little ones also not the least vanity shall be suffered to remain in us for the flesh persecutes the spirit and spoils the vines nay the tender vines the fruits of the Lords Spirit in us for the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh SECT XXXVIII §. 38 My beloved is mine and I am his MY beloved is mine and I am his he feedeth amongst the lillies Now the foxes are gone here is nothing but love and joy My beloved is mine and I am his though the foxes prevailed much yet I thank God through the Lord Jesus Christ by whom I have obtained the victory Here is a community of all things what I have he hath and what he hath I have all things common He was made sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him This is the ministry of Reconciliation given to us who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ So that as the Apostle saith to the wife her body is not hers but the mans and to the man
the Flesh be so beautiful what is his Head then which is Christ justified in Spirit If the Feet of his Humanity be such what think you must the Head and Heart of his Divinity be SECT LIV. Thy God reigneth in the Zion of Saints §. 54 THe only glad tydings is this to all Zion Thy God reigneth This is their greatest joy and without which all other joys are soon quenched This is the Day of Salvation Redemption Remission Justification Sanctification and all blessedness the acceptable year and Jubile of the Lord and his Zion then when their God reigns and where must he reign not only in heaven and in earth but in men in the midst amongst us then is his Kingdom come and Will done on earth as it is in heaven when thy God reigneth O Zion SECT LV. §. 55 How thy God doth set thee apart and how though thy outward man be vile yet the inward glorious DEpart ye depart ye shall the Lord then say get ye out from hence and touch no unclean thing I have received you go out of the midst of her and be altogether in my holiness and live in me for I will lead you and go before you and be your rereward and come behind you so that nothing shall come nigh you but my self I will compass you so about and deal so prudently with you that I shall only be exalted and extolled amongst you and though his outward form and visage in whom I dwell be so base and marred by reproaches more then any other in the world yet I will stop the mouths of Kings for their sakes and my glory shall break forth in the midst of them and that which had not been told them by flesh and blood shall they see by the Spirit of my Father and that which they had not heard neither could they believe shall they now know and be fully satisfied in and all this shall be in the day that thy God raigneth in Zion SECT LVI The Arm of the Lord. §. 56 THe Arm and Strength of the Lord are we in the Lord and it is revealed to us in Christ who is this Arm of the Lord indeed and we cannot but report so the Lord is with us and his Arm upon us when it is so indeed when the Arm of the Lord goes along with the report and indeed how can we that have been saved and healed by the Lord and his Arm but go about testifying what great things the Lord hath done for us and magnifie his name and declare his goodness whether they will believe it or not I am constrained to report it to prepare his way SECT LVII §. 57 The plant growing up out of a dry ground with sorrow to the flesh and the world but with joy to the Lord his Spirit in Saints ANd this Arm of the Lord as it is revealed and comes that way before it can be reported by us flesh and blood reveals it not but our Father which is in Heaven so it grows up as a tender plant of the Lords own planting Christ planted in us grows up like a plant and takes root from the Father and brings forth his branches and fruits in the dry ground of our nature in our sinful state poor barren flesh and when this tender plant Christ Jesus grows up it shall be at first in weakness without form or comeliness after the flesh nay without beauty that you should desire him after the flesh for he comes to crucifie flesh and blood in us and therefore the natural man will despise him hide his face and not esteem him for the plant of the Lord will be a man of sorrow and grief to his flesh as the Lord Jesus was to the Jews in his day And further this Arm of the Lord will bear all our griefs and sorrows all our smitings strikings and afflictings of God and men besides the principalities and powers of Satan which dwel with us it will bear them all yea the wounds of our transgressions and the bruises of our iniquities wounding and bruising him he heals them all and overcomes them reconcileing us to God slaying the enmity taking away the wall of partition becomes a Mediator between God and us uniting us in one SECT LVIII §. 58 The Lamb that opens not his mouth but by suffering overcomes THis arm of the Lord findes us lost and going astray like sheep out of his way and turns us into the way and leads in the way of righteousness bearing all our iniquity both in the way and out of the way that lies upon us it s the Lords pleasure to remove them that they lie not in our way nor keep us from the way nor turn us out of the way and as a Lamb so opens he not his mouth though oppressed afflicted smitten and slaughtered but by patient suffering overcomes all and is glorified over all and is taken out of prison and from judgment and who shall declare his generation for when he was oppressed and smitten he was in prison in flesh but when the Lord rises in us and leads us captive after him then he is out of prison and destroys flesh he is not here in prison he is risen SECT LIX §. 59 Christ makes his grave with the wicked and the rich in his death BUt this Lamb though he lies in the prison of flesh and is in the wicked as in a grave buried and imprisoned yet there he will rise and as his grave is with the rich that have righteousness but not from the Lord he rises amongst them so that the Lord makes his grave in his death with the wicked and the rich and makes them both one in his death and buried with him into his death and lie with him in his grave and rise with him in the Spirit by making wicked and rich both happy in himself alone SECT LX. What it is to have the pleasure of the Lord §. 60 for to prosper in his or in our hand IT pleased the Lord to bruise his Son and so his Saints often to put them to grief in the flesh that they might rejoyce in the Spirit and to sow that seed in them that might prolong their days and to let them see the seed of his soul and love and the seed of their soul joy and praises and so to have the pleasure of the Lord to prosper in their hands as it did in Christs and to have the Lords pleasure to prosper in the hands of Christ and no other hands for it cannot if taken out of his hands all decays and withers every branch or work but in him is all fruit and prosperity found the pleasure of the Lord is he and the pleasure of the Lord is his work and way and it is to save sinners to dye for sinners call sinners justifie sinners and to make them Saints and sons the soul of the living God blameless harmless glorious beautiful all over this is the pleasure of the Lord nay
to have him bruised smitten to have his grace love mercy patience goodness bowels wisdom power all employed for our good this is the pleasure of the Lord and it did and doth prosper in the hands of Christ and that is the next thing when it makes us like Christ and like God when the will of the Lord is done in us when God dwells in us of a truth when we are made one with the Lord when we reign with him when the Lord is all when we are his pleasure and will SECT LXI §. 61 The Lord shall see us as the travel of his Soul ANd the Lord Jesus shall beget us and conceive us in the womb of his tender mercies and travel in birth with us and in the Day of the Lord we shall though with sorrow be the travel of his Soul and we shall see it and the Lord shall look upon us and notwithstanding all former sorrow it shall not be remembred for joy that we are brought forth holy to the Lord and the Lords Will and Pleasure Wisdom and Power Love and Mercy shall be satisfied in us SECT LXII §. 62 We are the Lords spoil and portion ANd the Knowledg of the Lord shall be known and his Wisdom understood and the righteous God shall be justified and we justified by him and in him for his Righteousness shall be in us and upon us we shall be his spoil and portion the Lord shall take us for his lot and the Lord shall be our portion and great inheritance SECT LXIII The Lord makes the barren to sing and to §. 63 bring forth gloriously FEar not neither be ashamed of thy reproach poor heart that art left like a widow and childless barren and fruitless thou that hast not travelled though thou wast married but not to the Lord Thou hast had many lovers and husbands but not thy maker thine husband therefore thou art confounded and in bondage weeping and lamenting as being left desolate Hear now what the Lord God whose name is the Lord of hostes thy Redeemer the holy One of Israel the God of the whole earth what he saith Sing O barren and break forth into singing for the Lord thy God will overshadow thee and thou shalt conceive in righteousness travel in truth and bring forth faithfulness the Lord will marry thee to himself and thou shalt bear many sons and daughters to the Lord for Righteousness shall be the fruits of thy womb and Peace thy daughters and Truth thy off-spring SECT LXIV §. 64 The seed of the living God out of a barren womb wonderful THe Lord thy Husband will enlarge thee all over none shall surpass thee thou shalt have more children then the married ones or the concubines thou shalt excel them all in singing bearing and bringing forth a multitude of Glory to the Lord thy womb shall be opened thy heart enlarged thy spirit strengthened thy seed multiplied thy bed stretched out thy tents widened and the curtains of thy habitation thy cords and stakes lengthened for the Lord will make the fruits of thy soul like the stars of Heaven or the sands on earth for number all the Plants of the Lord all his own begotten Sons and Daughters and born by the Spirit in whom he is well pleased thou shalt break forth on the right hand on the left every way beautiful and thy seed and children shall inherit and inhabit the desolate places and where it was said Ye are not my people there shall it be said Ye are the sons of the living God SECT LXV §. 65 The Lord thy husband that comforts thee THus the Lord hath delt with thee when thou wast as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit nay refused and rejected by all I found thee desolate and I married thee and received thee to my self and lay thee in my arms and bosom made thee to bear children thus with great mercies have I gathered thee though for a small moment thou wast forsaken and in a little wrath I hid my face from thee but I am returned to thee now with everlasting kindness and I will have mercy on thee without end for I am thy Husband and thy Redeemer SECT LXVI §. 66 I will be thy God and Husband from everlasting unto everlasting NAy now I will do more for thee then ever I wil never depart more from thee I will swear to thee as I did to Noah and give thee a better signe then I did to him the Rainbow in the Heaven that I would no more drown the Earth so will I do to thee the waters of my wrath shall never be upon thee my light and countenance lifted on thee but never taken off thee and this shall be thy token I will give thee my self in marriage and be thy Husband and thou shalt be without rebuke nay though mountains and hills be removed all thy comforts and comforters depart from thee yet shall never my kindness nor the Covenant of my peace be removed but I will keep thee in perfect peace for in the world flesh and darkness there is nothing but trouble vanity anguish torment and vexation but in me my Love Heart Spirit Light Life Truth and Kingdom thou shalt have peace be therefore of good comfort for I have overcome all to thee SECT LXVII §. 67 The foundation windows and gates of the Saints the Lords house and building of what precious stones it is SEe further how fruitful the Lord will make her and how beautiful all over though tossed and afflicted discomforted and perplexed behold the Lord will be thy foundation the living Stone shall be thy corner stone the Rock thy root and bottom wherefore saith the Lord I will lay thy stones with fair colours and foundation with Saphirs thy windows of Agates thy gates of Carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant stoâ—es And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children Thus will the Lord glorifie thee for in righteousness shalt thou be established that shall be thy fair colours and Saphirs and without either oppression oppressor fear or terror and all that gather against thee shall fall by thee for I am with thee and as whatsoever is in thine hand hath this blessing it shall prosper so this shall be a curse to thine enemies that no weapon formed against thee my Holiness shall prosper and every tongue that riseth up against thee by preaching praying counselling or threatening shall be condemned This is the heritage blessing promise and portion of the servants of the Lord and all their worth and righteousness is from thee thou art the Lord their God thou sanctifiest them SECT LXVIII §. 68 The Lord is that water that wine and that milk to them that thirst after him and that hunger in him THe Lord Jesus Christ is all true and saving comfort and all kind of food is in him He is water to the thirsty wine to the heavy hearted milk to the
glorious presence of the Lord when he comes with so much brightness and glory then shall our Sun and Moon that is all our heavenly gifts graces ministries and administrations cease and go out give up their light and life as being darkened by this everlasting Light and Glory And the Moon turned to blood that is all our natural excellencies gifts parts relations portions possessions qualifications conditions whatsoever all our reason knowledg wisdom and understanding here below shall then appear as blood loathsom and filthy to us yea all shall appear vain and empty and instead of this Sun and Moon that is all earthly and heavenly things thou shalt inherit the Lord God himself most gloriously to be thy Sun that shall never set and thy Moon that shall never change for then thy God shall be thy glory and thou shalt be righteous and all thy people and shall inherit the land for ever the land of the living the living Lord to be planted as his branch there living in him as their vine even the work of his own hand that he hath glorified and a little one shall become a thousand and a small one a great Nation for the Lord will multiply and encrease them yea the Spirit of the Lord shall grow upon them and in them they shall put on strength dayly from strength to strength SECT LXXXV The Spirit of the anointing of the Lord §. 85 what works it doth binding and loosing doing all good THe Lords anointing of us with the oyl of his Spirit makes our hearts to overflow and speak of the loving kindness of the Lord to the humble and meek spirit it s a spirit of binding and loosing binding up the wounds and loosing the wicked bands a spirit of liberty to righteousness and opening and enlargement to the prisoners a spirit that doth and proclaims the acceptable works of the Lord a spirit of vengeance against sin and yet a comforter to the mourners it is the Spirit of the Lord that doth this it overcomes the spirit of sorrow and heaviness death and darkness it gives beauty for ashes joy for mourning praise for heaviness it makes them trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord to glorifie him it s a Spirit that is building up it doth nothing for destruction but all for edification and what unclean spirits have wasted and spoiled and wounded and consumed this Spirit of the Lord comes to us as a repairer of the waste places and the desolations made and to restore what is lost it makes us this anointing of the Spirit the Lords Priests yea the Ministers of God it shall fall upon the Gentile as well as the Jew and they shall eat the riches of his grace together I will give them everlasting joy and bring them into my everlasting Covenant and their seed shall be the seed the Lord hath blessed thou and thine shall be like the bride and the bridegroom deck'd with ornaments and jewels salvation and righteousness for their garments And thou shalt be like a fruitful garden righteousness and praise shall spring forth from thee and be the fruits in thee SECT LXXXVI §. 86 Our righteousness brightness and our salvation a burning lamp THe Lords zeal for Zion and his love to Jerusalem will not give him rest nor peace till he hath made our brightness righteousness and our salvation like the burning lamps for ever flaming and yet never ending being fed with eternity and all see the glory of thee and the Lords new name shall be in thy forehead which he shall give thee and write on thee We shall be the pure crown of gold which is a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and as a royal diadem with our God We shall be no more accounted forsaken or desolate as we were once but be termed Hephz-ibah the Lord delighteth in thee and thy land called Beulah thy land married for thy God shall marry and rejoyce over thee for ever SECT LXXXVII §. 87 The Lord thy Watchman day and night THe Watchman upon thy walls O Soul that never slumbereth nor sleepeth careth for thee and keeps not silence but remembers thee day and night neither will the Spirit of the Lord rest till thou art established and made a praise to the Lord in the earth Thou shalt not be spoiled any more by strangers nor thy corn wine and oyl devoured by them any more the enemy sin and Satan shall wrong thee no more nor the flesh plunder thee for thy salvation is come the Lord God is his name his reward with him and his work before him and the Lord shall call thee his People and his Redeemed sought out and not forsaken the habitation of the Lord through the Spirit SECT LXXXVIII §. 88 The Lords dyed garments coming from the great slaughter of his enemies sin and Satan THe coming of the Lord is with dyed garments glorious apparel travelling in the greatness of strength and righteousness to save us with might all over red with the winepress treading it alone trampling upon all thine enemies and mine in wrath and fury till the blood comes for I will take vengeance on all my adversaries now my Redemption is come to thee and I will help thee though there be none left else besides me I am alone and I will bring down all strength glory haughtiness and pride to the earth there it shall lie in the dust then shalt thou remember my loving kindness alone and praise me for all that I have done for thee When I was afflicted for thee and the chastisements of thy peace lay on me my presence saved thee and my love and pity redeemed thee and carried thee along in safety leading thee by the hand through the terrible wilderness and made my name glorious you are the habitation of my holiness I cannot forget you yea Abraham may though your own father or mother may cast you out of their Synagogue yet I will have thee to rule over them SECT LXXXIX §. 89 The Lords coming down with power to destroy flesh LOrd bow the Heavens and come down let the mountains melt at thy presence come amongst us like a melting fire to burn away all dross and iniquity that thine adversaries may tremble and perish in us and amongst us and do terrible things that we looked not for let sudden destruction come upon all flesh while it cries peace peace for eyes have not seen nor ears heard neither can the Natural perceive the things that are prepared of God for them that wait on him and that are to be fulfilled in him but thou art our God we know and we thy clay and thy work thy people and souls thou hast made le ts not be destroyed but make us a beautiful house to praise thee build us up and let not thy pleasant things lie waste but bring thy treasure to thy house and land SECT XC The Lord God is found of them that sought §. 90 not after him I The Lord