saith It s sown a naturall but raised a spirituall body and men not knowing what to make of this spirituall body conceive it to be so many distinct personall appearances as have deceased since the world first began but the Lord in his time will shew them what this spirituall body is and then they will better judge of it but I am sure we without them or they without us are not perfect for though I have seen all these things accomplished upon me in this particular body yet I see that it is but as in a figure which hath reference to the whole therefore am I weak with them that are weak and stong with those that are strong and my glory lyes still in the body Never do I look for perfection more in one particular appearance but to be perfect in the whole I am no more my own but every ones and every one is mine Dear Soul the Lord of all our mercy supply and keep you safe under all those storms which are now breaking in upon us I humbly and heartily thank you for your sweet counsell in looking for tryall it is that which my heavenly father hath warned me to look for I leave you to his bowels and bosome in whom I rest I am Your endeared friend to serve God in you 4. Letter Dear Soule MY heart salutes thee and every budding forth of God in the divine mystery Oh my spirit sits inthron'd and glories in the top of every being and though all the buildings in the world shake I shal not come down to save any of the furniture of this darke Fabrick All images are with me my dearest though set in a frame of weaknesse c. The eye of eternity hath enclos'd them all and though its twinklings fold them up in night and though the back-parts of God obscures this earth and is a veile between it and the high-noone of the God-head yet this is but a shadow wherein Divinity hides it selfe which shall fly away and disappeare with the outward dresse of this Creation When all deformed Shapes Vizards and Pictures shall suffer losse then the present blacknesse which is the habitation of Dogs and Devils shall bee chas'd into outward darknesse but the comlinesse which all this while hath lyen disguised under that beggerly appearance and loathsome outwardnesse shall spring forth in a glorious ray of that bright morning Starre which shall visit us from on high bringing glad tydings upon its Angel-wing of life and immortal lity That the sweet Emmanuel born in the village of our own natures I am commanded to speake thus much unto thee my Dear breathing though my spirit rejoyceth to finde-thee already reeling with new wine bathing in that brimfull unction which yet cannot runne over its boundlesse circle and shall overflow all the world besides They shall all know God and all be cloathed with the divine person of Christ The water of life shall spring up in you all and every Creature heald of its disease when righteousnesse shall spring forth of the earth and the heavens shall hear the voyce of the earth and drop down fatnesse upon them The Tree of Life shall have its root within us sprouting forth through its quiet Sap into its glorious figure and life a Branch a Leafe thereof reducing every parcell of Corruption and cloathing that upon with spirit and immortallity which before was muffled up in sinne and wrath in paine and darknesse My dearest I am taken off in haste and have onely leysure to blesse thee for thy last which administred so much glory to my spirit live still happily my dear selfe in the ripe Navell of Divinity and let me see thee every moment in the divine Principle of glory whither the Lord Jesus is risen before and hath call'd up himselfe out of the flesh of F. M. Salvation-Bulwarks in the eternall Sabbath with out the number of a man 5. Letter Mine in the Lord THE present disposings of God towards me are very sweet and precious my soule being subdued daily to the Lords will in all things I see daily that the Fathers designes is to sweeten all conditions to me by the beames of his owne presence Truly in the Lord their 's nothing comes amisse to me but I am able to welcome every dispose of providence death sorrow and misery in the Lord are so familiar to me that I know not how to bee without them my soule longs after affliction because now the sting of misery is gone and it is my delight to play with it I thinke I should starve with hunger but that my own wants daily supply me sweet soule God is teaching me to see light in darknesse good in evill to eat upon the eater and receive sweetnesse from the strong to behold a happy harmony in all contrarieties I shall shortly bee with you now I am not from you but rest in thy bosome The Lord that spirit in the flesh 6. Letter Sweet and pure Spirit IN divine progresse I continually meet thee with a heart drawn out I alwayes salute thee I can be no where doe nothing but thou art still with mee In thy life I live in thy light I see by thy power I stand I am nothing but in thee and thou the same without mee my fulnesse is thy treasure and thy treasure is my fulnesse all that I have I receive from thee and yet what thou givest me is nothing but my own and so was from eternity I was with thee from the beginning and thy beginning was in my eternity I was with thee when thou didst inhabite darknesse thy darknesse was my secret place my secret place was thy darknes when the curs enmity of the old creation lay upon me thy power upheld me this power was mine own for it was no robbery for me to be equall with thee my form vailed thy glory yet it was my glory and thy form Thus thou for me and I in thee have borne the sinne and curse of of the old world born it I say into a land of forgetfulnesse which have forgotten and forgiven all transgression and thus in a reconciled and sweet union thou remainest my fulnesse and I rest thy happinesse Though in the flesh I subscribe my selfe distant by the name of From the Head-quarters of Divine Majesty this last Lords-day in the year of Jubile 7. Letter Dear Friend SOme glimmerings presented to the children of love clothed with darknesse bewildernessed in their spirits passing through the fiery tryall or crucifyings of flesh or things of the first Creation unto the the Canaan of rest or to a more higher fuller and excellent glory First considering the severall dispensations of the eternall God how hee hath severall wayes and in divers manners made out himselfe to a creature as Genesis Chap. I. and 2. the law or righteousnesse of the first creation in which God had communion with man and man with God yet rather with a Creator then with a Father and
weak disciples who hearing their Lord was risen departed from the sepulchre after which it was not long that they heard hee was risen by some that had seen him nor long after that againe that he appeared unto them and raised up their faith which was sinking and ready to dye What dost thou meane poore Saint that with Mary lyest puling and weeping at the sepulchre when as thy Savionr is risen Why dost thou seeke the living among the dead Thou seest how many dispensations God hath passed through besides other intervening lesse remarkable appearances which have been omitted God was in the flesh of Ghrist but that having done its office he layed it aside God is entred upon a dispensation of spirit and cals upon his psouse to follow him but she is so fallen in love with this sute of old cloathes this garment of flesh that she is loath to lay it aside as if she meant to be married in it But tell me wouldst thou tye God alwayes to one dispensation or if thou caust not but that hee will advance higher till hee come to the highest wilt thou tarry behinde him and dwell alwayes in the same place Dost thou not know that the consummation of Gods marriage with thee is the compleating of thine owne happinesse And dost thou not see that God is gone before thee Dost thou not hear him calling thee come up hither If God be gone before why dost linger and laggar behinde Dost thou stand still and please thy selfe with beholding thy present attainments or dost thou look back and admire thy former good worke Remember what Paul saith was his practise forgetting those things that are behinde and reacoing forth to those things that are before I press towards the mark c. Call to mind also Peters admonition Looking for and hastening unto the comming of the day of God c. God forbid that thou shouldest limit the holy one of Israel that thou shouldest tye and binde down God to any form or administration longer then will serve his own designe And God forbid that thou shouldest stop and stay in a dispensation after thou findest he is departed from it God took up dispensations onely to serve a turn to bring about his designe of making his creature happy by its union with himself The finishing laying down of dispensations is the perfecting and finishing of the creatures happinesse and the introducing of that glorious day before hinted which will be by the arising of the Sunne of Righteousnesse not in one Horizon of the world onely but throughout the whol earth and heaven which day of the Lord as it should be to us the most desirable thing in the worle so it should seem to be at hand and to stand knocking at our doores by some glimpses of glory that appear already and particularly by those rayes and beams of light that stream forth in these ensuing letters In some of these Letters thou shalt hear the stammerings and lispings of children rather then a pure language or perfect speaking but let not that offend thee If thou art a Father of children a thousand to one thou art not so morose and austere but thou hast taken delight to hear thy children prattle though they spake but half words and broken sentences and why should it trouble thee to hear thy brethren the children of thine and their heavenly Father expresse themselves in such language as they are able Is is not said Out of the mouth of Babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength or thou hast perfected praise In others of these Letters perhaps thou mayst meet with some things that may be paradoxes and hard sayings to thee which thou canst not beare but sit not in judgement to condemn this neither as if thou wouldest take upon thee to know all things suspend censure till thou hast a clearer light of which surely thou art not out of hope perhaps that day may not be far from thee wherein thou shalt speak and understand harder sayings and higher mysteries then thou shalt meet withall in these Letters Nor yet doe I undertake to justifie all that is written in them 'T is yet but the dawning of the day The clear est principle for ought I know hath a mixture of earth and darknesse in it The light is yet neyther cleare nor dark 't is neyther night nor day but in the evening time it shall be light Zach 14. 6 7. And then 't is possible an higher appearance in the same persons that wrote these Letters may judge some things in them to the fire as hey and stubble To conclude thou shalt find one letter among the rest written by a precious Soule walking in darknesse and having no light wrapt up and mantled in a black night of trouble and dejection of Spirit Let this Letter that may seem not to suit with his fellowes serve as sharpe sawce with sweet meat to give a better relish to the rest Doubtlesse the Lord hath a gracious designe upon this good soule and hath but withdrawn himself for a little moment that witheverlasting mercies he may imbrace it that he may discover himself unto this soule to be nothing but light and love and bring forth himself in this smoaking flack in an higher and brighter flame of light and glory in a more glorious appearance then ever And when God shall bring this to passe if thou please in the mean time to taste of his teares peradventure when he reaps his harvest thou mayest be made partaker of his joy Septemb. 24. 1649. A wel-wisher of thine and of the truth as it is in Jesus S. P. D. Errata PAge 20. line 16. dele of pag. 21. lin 16. for new read more pag. 23. lin 14. read with spiritvall p. 38. l. 10. r. consider l. 13. r. the creature l. 16. r. as with a creator l 17. r. as with a Father p. 40. l. 3. r. billowing l. 22. f. doth r. were p. 41. l. 1. r. a greater then whom p. 41. l. 17. f meanest r. nearest l. 24. r. was higher p. 42. l. 12. r. son p. 5â— l. 3. f. lo r. to p. 54. l. 5. r. the best p. 56. l. 19. and p. 57. l. 2. r. spirits p. 58. l. 26. r. swords p. 60. l. 10. r. overrunne p. 61. l. 22. r. not mov'd l. 24. r. scattering p. 62. l. 7. r. accompâ—niâ—s l. 22. r. having p. 63. l. 9. r. And this a. l. 18. r. who ripe for p. 66. l. 3. f. our r. one l. 14. r. is known p. 67. l. 3. r. raisers of l. 5. r. neare p. 91. l. 9. r. onenes p. 105. l. 18. r. not imagined p. 145. l. 28. r. externall p. 146. l. 19. f. sure r. free p. 149. l. 18. r. the box is in your heart p. 145. l. 6. r. this tabernacle p. 155. l. 24. f. torne r to me News from the New Jerusalem sent by Letters from severall Parts c. 1. Letter Deare Sir I Have received your loving Letter and
and that not onely repeating the letter but in truth that those things which I have received have not beene from man nor woman nor any other thing but by the meere revelation of Jesus Christ in mee God manifesting himselfe in my owne flesh and therefore they much wrong both her and me that affirme it but especially they wrong or speake a lye of that God that did it for me and because I heare it so reported amongst you I thought good to write one word to cleare it that so whether you will heare or whether you will forbeare the word of truth might judge you give not eare therefore to all you heare though from brethren least you be brought into a snare for since the defection of the Churches men yea good men have been such lovers of themselves and their own opinions that they will speake largely upon little ground to keepe up their owne glory God having not yet undone them for were they once undone men they would willingly be what God would have them however the world accounts of them There is another thing which came to my care that it should be given into the Counsell by your two witnesses that the said Mrs P. should say that you cast her out for difference in judgement and when Collonell Rich and Collonell Harison asked to whom shee spake it they said to some of Abington Now indeed my husband said to you that he thought such a thing but when hee came home and saw so little ground for his thoughts I thinke he had but little comfort in telling you so and then brethren if you upon such slender grounds should act in this strange manner against her affirming this thing so publikely I thinke you have cause to bee humbled for it and justly to repent of your evill I desire you to beare a little with mee for truly it appeares to mee rather to bee your rage of spirit then your true love either to her or truth for mee thinkes it would savour more of a true Christian spirit if you had first spoken with her and have seene what change the Lord hath wrought in her as knowing that Mary out of whom seuen Divels had beene formerly cast was made the first messenger of Christs Resurrection yea and she must bring it to the Apostles and not the Apostles to her You say in your letter that you left her to the judgement of the great day and I beseech you brethren doe you not againe take her into your owne daie for truly I beleeve that daie in a measure hath come upon her and the Lord himselfe is at worke with her therefore doe not feare but the worke will be well done onely we as well as shee must have patience in it and surely this is the confidence that I have concerning her that she hath seen evill in that estate she walked in with you and certainly God is good to her in this shewing her what an abominable spirit of wickednesse may bee hid under the greatest practises and professions of externals not that these are the cause of it no the gold and the silver is mine saith the Lord but wee bestowing it upon our lovers and making our selves great with his ornaments he is fain in love to us to take us from them or they from us and so finde out a more sprirituall administration to perfect us in Oh the infinite riches of our God! where doth his bounty â—nd sure his waies of love are unsearchable eâ—d his paths of mercy in which he followes anore fallen man and poor backsliding soules are past finding out how narrow are our capacities we judge as men We may think as some did of David that there is no help for such things in God but all things in truth will be found possible with him even where they are altogether past our thoughts and conceptions and become to us impossible I beseech you therefore be perswaded to bow down to him I know you are conscious that all judgement is not committed unto you and therefore it is possible you may not judge right in this thing for truly brethren we may conceive many things even by the letter it self yet not living in that spirit that writ the letter we may erre I pray do not mistake me as if I would any way speak slightly of the letter farther than it speaks of it self no I blesse the Father for it and by sweet experience can say that I was never so confirmed in it now the Lord hath drawn me to him out of it even in that spirit that wrote it I am for the conscionable use of it but I would not abuse it I am sure those men that would set it above the spirit can hardly free themselves from that thing I hope therefore you will not count it your excellency to walk in the letter but rather desire the Lord to perfect you in that spirit that writes the letter for then and never till then shall we be able to walk by it aright and speak of the letter truly I have not yet acquainted my husband with your letter I shall wait upon God what answer to receive from you for truly dear brethren upon serious deliberation I know not how to approve my self faithfull in the eyes of God to my brethren here if I should deliver it for God having put it into my hand I must also see clearnes from him before I part with it for though blessed be the father we have a sweet hopefull people amongst us that wait upon God and have fellowship one with another yet whether they may digest such things as you write of I really question therefore it would be unfaithfulnes in me if I apprehending an evill to them or any other should not as much as in me lies prevent it and this I shall doe by detaining the Letter till further manifestation from God what to do with it Doe not judge me in this thing I beseech you I have one Judge even the Lord and he that put it into my hand will aâ— length clear my integrity in it I have nothing to doe for my self in it the Lord knows only to find out if it may be how I may approve my self â—aithfull to men in the Lord and for the Lords â—ake Your desire I exceedingly like that we may be kept from errours and the Lord keep us all from errours but who must shew us what errour is but the God of truth himself we have lived in errour and have suckt them in from our cradles and yet who will speak so much against error as we stating our selves still in the truth My sweet friends the day of truth is but now dawning upon us and how is it opposed even by those that are children of truth in their measure yet wee have all looked for it and prayed together for it a long time but truly now we will not own our prayers but turn away our face from our Saviour because he comes