tempted the man and the temptation entered into a ground which was blessed before and good in the motion of the life of the Power but she having transgressed contrary to the command the man received it contrary to the command without the motion of the Power or the life which all was to move in he also going out of the power received it in and seed upon knowledge without the life without the power out of the truth he became one with the woman one with the Serpent who went out of truth and abode not in it and they all were disjoynted and cut off from the Life and the power and hear was the beginning of the father of lies and of him who spoke of himself out of the power out of the truth and his beginning is without foundation now he that is wise in heart read his generation or who made him now appeared the Angel of the bottomless pit and not before and made war against the power against the Lamb and so the heart of man was turned away from obeying and feeding upon the power to obey and feed upon knowledge without the Life or power and here was the first transgression out of the power and the motion of the light which made all things good and so as this knowledge was fed upon and grew man died unto the Life unto the power and wisdom and dominion that he had over all that God had made he lost and so died unto the power and lived upon knowledge without the power and now became afraid of the power because he was in the transgression of it And thus the Serpent who was most subtle went out of the truth and acted in sin and led into transgression and so there became fear where was none and shame where there was none and nakedness where there was no nakedness before the power was died unto which was their clothing in righteousness and there was a hiding place sought by him who before iniquity needed no hiding place and this is the foundation and beginning of that seed in the transgression which shall call to the mountains to cover them and to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. Oh how is man degenerated now and grown quite out of the pure quality and kind and nature in which he was made now afraid of the power that made him which before he had union with was his Life and gave him dominion and this fulfilled upon man he was planted a noble vine a holy right seed now become a degenerate plant of a strange vine now when the Lord appeared and examined him and man knew his fault that he had acted against the power yet that which acted in transgression would excuse here is the fruit of the Devils work transgresse and then hide and excuse it and so the woman put it off to the Serpent he was the beginner of it but if she had stood in the power he would have had no place nor his counsel but they all went out of the light and Life into the knowledge without the Power and Life and so the curse came upon all Now the man cursed and the ground for his sake and the woman cursed in sorrow to bring forth and the Serpent cursed the beginner of iniquity cursed above all the beasts of the field to go upon his belly and dust to be his meat for ever and an enmity put between the seed of the woman and his seed for ever and an eternal decree passed against him for ever and he made war against the seed of the woman which the Lord promised to bruise his head now came the miserable estate in that which led him into transgression grew and he in it and to be at unity with it then came hard ness of heart and then came the world to be founded in his heart and he grew in the devouring beastly nature to follow the earthly imaginations of his heart and became earthly and fed upon that which the beasts of the field fed upon And now the Lamb came to be slain since the foundation of the world now was man driven out from the tree of Life and out of the garden and could no way come there again he had no right to it the Lamb being slain and he was cut off to wit man from him which before gave him peace and from the Power in which he was made he was driven out from and the sword set that go what way he could he could not come into the Life again the image of God lost then the joyful day was lost and rejoycing in the Lord at an end then the day of peace was finished and perpetual misery and wo come in then unity with the Lord of glory gone and now shame and contempt came and woful misery Now Hell was formed and the botomlesse Pit sprang up and the Angel thereof ruled and advanced and the Lamb slain and now the Lake was prepared and Tophet ordained now came the day of angnish of pain of wo sorrow and misery blackness and darkness terror horror fear on every side and the day of great perplexity Dominion lost power lost Authority lost peace lost joy lost health lost unity lost with God and unity lost with every creature and endless misery brought in Alas alas what is become of him who was the Son of God now become as the beasts that perish now a vessel of wrath a dishonourable vessel Oh unspeakable losse forfeited all Life and all gone into plunged into the deep pit of endlesse misery driven from the presence of the Lord from blessednesse happinesse into cursednesse and misery never to come to Life again but through the losse of Life man in honour in dominion partaker of eternal riches and the durable riches now turned out of all and become vile in the sight of the Lord and hath forfeited Life and all eternal life and he who was in perfect freedome become a bondman a slave to the Devil and to noysome lusts he who was Lord over all now become a servant to all and every creature he who was in dominion in the power of God now become base and vile He who was the Image of God now become the image of the Devil he who was heir of life and felicity now become inheritor of death and endlesse misery he was partakers of the unchangeable love now partaker of wrath he that was in the covenant of life in which he had union with God and all the Angles and all the holy host of God now hath union with unclean spirits which are cursed from the presence of the Lord for ever he that had union with all Gods creatures hath lost the union with all being gone out of the power in which all was created and moreover now in enmity to it and joyned to him who hath the power of death which is the Devil and now drawes iniquity as with a Cart-rope and vanity as with a cord and he who was joyned
quenched but as there is a submission unto its pure operation it burnes up and destroyes that which hinders the growth of the seed it purgeth the heart of them that have confidence in it from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit and worketh up the creature into its own frame and nature and fashions and makes and moulds all that are in the Faith into the Image of the Father and so the Fathers love comes to be shed abroad in the heart and as the wrath was revealed through the spirit and condemnation so now the peace of God comes to be enjoyed and his consolation shed abroad largly in which there is pure rejoicing for ever Vnto whom the Spirit of the Father bears witness and seals assurance of the Fathers love and of justification with God declared NOne hath the witness of Gods Spirit bearing witness to them nor in them who have not believed in the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world by whom alone life is begotten by the powerful operation of Christ in them that believe in him who is eternal light it self whose word is spirit and life by which the new Creature is framed formed in them that believe unto whom he maketh manifest his power for unto him who is the life of men is all power committed both in heaven and earth for nothing was made or created but by him neither is any turned from sin but by him and by his mighty power without him is death in him is life and the life is the light of men So that none but they that are born of the light and are begotten by him who is light can have the spirit of Christ who is light to bear witness unto them neither the assurance of the Fathers love for onely they that are born of the spirit and walk after the spirit are justified by the spirit of the Lord for the assurance of his love is not made manifest to his enemies but unto them that are born brought forth in his own image in his own likeness and nature which is pure and incorruptible without stain or defilement the holy seed which is heir of the promise who knows the living hope which purifies the heart and bringeth the answer of a good conscience unto them that feel and witness the washing of regeneration and have known in themselves the clean water poured forth upon them which hath taken away the stains and spots and blemishes and the defilements for where these are no washed out the heart cleansed from them that believed in wherein Gods all-sufficiency is felt and his power made manifest there cannot be assurance of the Fathers love in the heart nor in the soul neither doth the spirit of the Father bear witness unto such nor assure their justification but on the contrary where sin remains unsubdued and taken away the spirit of the Father condemneth the sin and the creature now is joyned to it and is become one with it for no sin is brought forth but there is a consent and an assenting to the instigation of the Devil although when a temptation ariseth either within or without there may be a resisting and a striving against it for a little but the heart not being kept close to the spirit the enemy often enters and so captivates the understanding then there is an agreement and a joyning to the adversary and so the spirit pronounceth the sentence of condemnation upon him who is joyned to the harlot and becomes one flesh and joyned unto strange flesh which is not the flesh of Christ the seed and that which hath joyned and consented to drink of the cup of fornication must drink of the cup of indignation and terrour and bear the stroke of Divine Justice and lie in patience under it till that be cut down which hath joyned to deceit before there can be the remission of the transgression or the Creature justified in the fight of God For sin is not blotted out of the book of Gods remembrance till it be turned from and repented of neither doth the creature stand clear in the sight of God when God judges in righteous judgement which the light in every ones conscience shall answer Now he that is born of God sins not for the seed of God remains in him which is life And as the creature joyns to that seed which is heir of the Kingdom and of the Crown immortal he comes to be made partaker of its vertue and operation which seed is Christ and by his power by which he limiteth the seed of the Serpent and weakens his strength in the creature as man cometh to believe in his strength unto whom all power is committed the covenant with Death is broken and that agreement that the creature hath made with death comes to be disannulled by the arm and power of the Lord and so the creature comes to be delivered from the bondage of corruption and the new man comes to live or the new creature which is born of God which sins not comes to be framed and fashioned in the image of the Father and the Fathers love is manifest unto him and in him and he hath the assurance in himself The Babe that is born from above of the Spirit which is from above of which he is born and brought forth of the just by the just he is justified by the just God and the just witness of the spirit sealeth this in him And he hath the record of his justification For there is three that bear record in the earth the water the blood and the spirit and he that is born of that which is pure in it self hath the witness of all these three in himself for they agree in one That which one beareth wit-witness to and for the other doth the same and the record and testimony and witness of all these three hath he that is born from above Moreover there are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the spirit and these three are one So he that is born of the Father and begotten of the Father in Christ the seed through the Spirit he and he alone comes to feel the Fathers love made manifest in him and is justified in the sight of the Father and hath the record of all these witnesses before mentioned in himself so that he hath his assurance and evidence near him and in him the seal of the Father the seal of the Spirit And so when the adversary comes to tempt and to assault and would raise up doubts in the mind the evidence is near which puts him out of all doubt that he is in the love of God blessed for ever and happy are all they who have waited for these things have felt these things and are witnesses of these things for flesh and blood hath not revealed these things Now let every man who reads this prove himself and try himself whether he be in the faith or
to strive with them having so long rebelled against and gain-sayd the pure drawings of it that so the Lord is grieved and wearied with their impenitency that he gives them up to their vile affections and to follow the imaginations of their own hearts who receiveth not the truth in the love of it but in the enmyty still remaines obstinate doing despite unto the spirit of grace his long-suffering comes to an end his fierce wrath comes to be kindled against such and that which would have led them out of the world in true pure and everlasting peace now becomes their tormentor and they banished from his presence and shut up in eternal misery where the fire is kindled by the breath of the the Lord that burns for ever the sentence of condemnation being past upon them because they had pleasure in unrighteousnesse and have sold themselves to do wickedly and crucifying the appearance of God in themselves which appearance though it live in the fountain of Life yet crucified by thee who art out of the Life yet lives still for ever in it self to be thy condemnation eternally How the spirit of the Father worketh in them who are turned to it and have taken heed unto its manifestation and are in some measure partakers of its power THere are differences of administrations But the same Lord and there are diversity of gifts but the same spirit and there are diversities of operations but the same God which worketh all in all Now the spirit of truth which is Life in it selfe putteth forth its own pure act not onely to convince and detect him that transgresseth its appearance and to manifest evil which hath been committed by man but also being turned unto and waited in it shews man when motions and temptations unto sin ariseth and as the creature is still and waiteth in that which manifesteth and singly keeps in his mind to it It sheds abroad its power and vanquisheth and subdueth those lusts which do arise and condemns the ground from whence they do arise and it purely draweth the mind after it and secretly worketh breatheth forth its pure life in him that waiteth in patience and in stilnesse not heeding the vayn thoughts and imaginations that riseth in his heart but rather heeds the manifestation of the spirit at whose bright appearance all the vain desires comes to be extinguished there comes to be a hunger begot within to be made partakers of its purity and of its nature For God through the operation of the eternal Spirit lets forth his power which turneth and changeth the heart and cuts a sunder and divides betwixt a man and those lovers that he hath joyned unto and makes a separation within and carries a man further from those things which the measure of the spirit reproves and this leads nearer to God And so they that do believe in the measure of Gods spirit comes to feel what repentance from dead works is and the works and the worker is seen and who it is that hath wrought is manifest in the Light and as there is a diligent waiting upon it there is nothing that passeth through the mind but it discerns and gives a discerning to every particular heart who singly and quietly waytes upon it But yet after the spirit of truth in some measure be felt and its living testymony in some thing yet it may be a long time before there be a clear distingushment in the understanding so that one cannot clearly discerne its moving from all other false motions and high Imaginations which are above And hence it is that the hasty and froward mindes followes their own motions which leads them into deceit and then the Questioner gets up and then they question all that ever the spirit hath made manifest unto them before a vail then is drawn over and the enemy lodges in the vail and in the darknesse which is entred then as soon as any hearkens within to that which is the uppermost and doth abound the enemy that lodgeth in that presents motions as to obey this and that and all is deceit So therefore all is to keep back that they may sensibly feel between the pure motions and the drawing of the spirit and the vaine thoughts that arise out of the earthly heart and when any thing doth arise which the Light doth not bear witnesse to it 's not to be followed nor heeded but a quiet still waiting that things may be cleared to the understanding and for want of this many have run out and have brought forth Satans work and acted things forwardly in their wils and so have clean lost the true sense of that which would guide their minds and have followed the spirit of error and have caused the pure spirit of the Lord to be evil spoken of But as there is a keeping back and a quiet waiting out of willing or running and haste it arises purely and stilly in the heart and shineth forth in brightnesse in the heart so that it giveth perfect evidence and full Testimony of it selfe that there will be no doubting nor questioning of its motion for it will apparently shew forth it selfe in its own transparent brightnesse with full assurance of its own will and then after it be clearly seen and its motion then keep under all reasoning and keep out all questioning and give not way to temptation and that which moves of the Lord of life will carry thee through in its own operation and power to accomplish the will of God and so thou wilt have peace being obedient and thy strength will be renewed for as any are brought to submit unto the will of God when it is known and comes to obey by vertue of its own power that which is contrary unto Gods spirit in thee comes to loose its strength and to decay and be weakned but as any disobeyes the pure motions of Gods holy Spirit after it be known the enemy is strengthened and that which is of the flesh nourished and the spirit comes to be quenched that which would give thee power if thou submitedst unto it But yet know this the spirit in it self never loses its purity neither can be quenched in its selfe but will bear its pure witnesse against thee and none shall be able to stop its reproof Thus the diversity of its operation comes to be known as it s hearkned unto obeyed loved and believed in it puts forth its pure power and gives strength and seals peace to the obedient but disobeyed and resisted it condemns judges reproves and seales condemnation to the disobedient and yet there is no variation in it selfe for it is alwayes one and the same But as it operateth upon different natures or objects unto which it joyns to or stands at adistance from that is to say the good ground it causeth to bring forth fruit unto God and the cursed ground out of which bryers Thornes do arise it kindles a fire in that shall not
hath transgressed the life and hath disobeyed the light in your consciences is head in you and above the pure that will not recommend you unto God neither can you have any access or acceptation with God in that state till you come out of the waters upon which the Whore sits which is unstable and boisterous and reels too and fro and unsetled which is all to be dried up and all the springs cut off that nourishes and you must come to the Rock before you know any thing that will endure to build upon which rock is Christ who abides for ever but you are all gone from that which should give the knowledge of him in your selves and doth not retain him in your knowledg neither that which gives the knowledge of him the light of his Spirit which shines in your hearts making manifest in your hearts the intention of your hearts when motions unto evil do arise This must you all come to before Gods salvation or redemption you come to know in your selves or have the witness of Gods holy Spirit without which there is neither seal nor evidence nor assurance enjoyed or felt of the love of God The time of restoring is come and many are restored again into Gods Covenant and are delivered out of the jaws of death and feels him who is the healer of the Nations and the restorer of the desolate places to dwell in but first you must come to see those places made desolate wherein the wilde nature lodges before you come to have a share in the restoration Come off these barren mountains where you are feeding to Christ the life of men who hath lightned you and wait in it that you may feel his mind in your selves and the signification of the Spirit of truth from your own spirits or else you will still erre for lack of knowledge and perish for want of understanding and so lay down your heads in sorrow The Kingdom of God and of his Christ declared in some measure as it is revealed what it is and where it is to to be waited for and how it cometh to be revealed to them and in them that believe that all who are waiting for it may know wherein it consists and so receive the end of their hope and the end of their expectation and know the Dominion which hath no end THe Lord hath prepared his throne in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth over all his dominion is an everlasting dominion and without end God is a Spirit his Kingdom is spiritual his habitation is suitable to his own nature he is immortal his Kingdom is so he is light his dwelling place is so a pure scituation in which there is no uncleanness nor ever shall be It 's eternal dignity it is an immutable being that remaineth always in it's purity and pleasantness Eternally glorious it consists in power in righteousness in purity in joy in hope in peace in life in vertue eternal in quietness it s a quiet habitation it is incomprehensible unsearchable and indeclareable words are too short they are but as sounds as vails It is unexpressible in it is the treasure-house of wisdom out of which all that believe in him who is the King of eternal and immortal glory comes to receive of his wisdom of his life of his power vertue righteousness and comes to enjoy him who is the fulness that filleth all things whether visible or invisible whether terrestrial or coelestial his power is over all his dominion is over all who is eternally blessedness it self and felicity it self who makes all that believe in him to partake of his kingdom of his grace of his power of his dignity of his dominion and of his glory coelestial but these things are hid from the world who are not redeemed from the earth neither never looks to be while they are in the body Unto such I say Gods kingdom you shall never see nor enjoy while you are in that faith which is reprobate but may be truly called unbelief although you imagine a glory and a kingdom in your earthly minds and dream of a thing to come suitable unto that wherein your glory now standeth but that will all fail and those imaginations will be confounded and dissolved into nothing because they are centred in that which is out of the truth Christ and so are without ground or bottom and are out of that which should give you the sight and knowledge of God in your selves and his kingdom Christ when he taught them that followed him exhorted them that first of all they might seek the kingdome of God even while they were in the body Mat. 6. 36. The Pharisees were gazing abroad in their earthly knowledge although they had the Scripture that declared of Gods kingdome yet they knew it not and this generation is the same who are in the same nature and in the same wisdome which is earthly and litteral and they are imagining as the Jewes were and are loe here and loe there in this observation and the other and look to see it there Nay Christ said The Kingdome of God is within you to the Pharisees He bad them and others seek it first what strange doctrine was this might the Pharisees say he saith the kingdome of God is within us and yet bids us seek it Need we seek that which is in us may professors say Yea it 's like a pearl hid in the field it s like a grain of mustard-seed among many great seeds which is not easily found it 's like a piece of silver lost in the house among much rubbish till that be swept away thou wilt not find it thou must dig deep sweep clean search narrowly before thou find it although he did say to the Pharisees The kingdom of God is within you he did not say they were possessors of it or that it was theirs but to the Disciples whom he taught to pray in faith thy kingdome come and they came to find it that which they prayed for that pearl that groat that grain of mustard-seed which it was like and having found it and believed in it he saith unto them Mat. 5. 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God And in Luke 6. 20. And he lift up his eyes on his disciples and said blessed be ye poor for yours is the kingdom of God They had seen it and were possessors of it it was theirs And Christ said unto his disciples There are some of you standing here that shal not taste of death till ye see the kingdom of God come in power And his words were fulfilled they declared what they had felt and seen and some of them said The Kingdome of God is not in word but in power And Paul to the Romans writes Rom. 4. 17. who was also made partakers of the same power and the same kingdome he spoke his knowledge of it and sayd It 's not meat nor drink but righteousnesse and peace and joy