in a mystery what Eternall life is And because the Scriptures say that weary soules are to come to Christ for ease and Rest therefore every soul who in his own fancy and imaginations doth judge himself to be weary may come to Christ and so by his being weary there is way opened for his coming to him For First It may be the heart may be weary of sin because it brings judgement or condemnation Or Secondly It may be weary because of his long travel to and waiting for Christ Thirdly It may be weary because it can no longer abide in these dispensations of Gods leading Fourthly It may be wearâ— because God comes not in his time and rewards it for its breathing after and working to attaine God or Christ Now the soul being falsly led out by his own heart he instead of coming to Christ onely Rests upon his bare apprehension of this in the letter from his sutability to it in his own spirit and here he feeds and remaines with ease comfort and peace in his own spirit and this he makes his Tabernacle Though it be true that Scriptures were given to be a visible testimony or declaration of God or Christ according to which God workes in man yet they were never given to be an inward Testimony or a Rest unto man but the Truth of the letter must be both revealed known and Judged of by the Spirit and not the Spirit especially in Internalls by the Externall letter neither qualifications in man sutable to the letter in mans apprehension is a ground of faith or rest without an inward Testimony and Manifestation by the Spirit of the Truth of these qualifications The eleventh false Rest. THE Next Rest in order to this upon which men Center their spirits and make their Tabernacles is the use and application of the conceived and imagined extent of Christs death which being so fully declared in the letter without any more they believe it upon this Testimony and here is the ground of their joy peace assurance and rest Now I shall not go about to speake evil of any point of judgement in reference to any particular sactions but to come to lay open my own experience and false Rests which in so doing I may come to lay open a way whereby more that are led by the same deceite may come to see it in themselves and so may from sad experience seale to the Truth of what we are saying for many who have gone through this dispensation and have beleeved this to be a Truth when now alas they see that they were both ignorant of what this Christ was or what was meant by his death wanting the knowledge of it in themselves now the terrors of death have or do seise upon them and instead of being joy and peace unto them it hath produced death and sorrow in them But first of all This soul who is thus resting upon Christs dying for all he sees the Scripture saith He gave himself a ransome for all The conclusion is this of such a spirit if for all then for me and this he beleeves and this saith he is the ground of true faith when he is altogether deceived For the ground of faith is something out of the Creature in God before time revealed and made manifest from God to the soule in time upon which the soule builds his faith rests upon it and is kept unto all time in the glory and splendor of it but the soul wanting this in a particular way of discovery he makes the other the ground of his confidence for refreshment peace safety and happinesse and he concludes First That no true faith can be but this Secondly that none have any gtound to believe but upon this ground When the poor heart is altogether ignorant in his own breast of the manner of Gods coming to reveal truth yea himself in his Son by his Spirit whereas now mans ground of his happinesse lyes not in a misunderstood Scripture without him but in a right discerned revealed and known God within him Thirdly This soul daily encreaseth in the assurance of this his rest by his daily study pains and diligence wherein he fils his head with so much of the Scriptures as indeed he makes it so glorious as it Conquers his spirits and many more into a solacing himself in this very particular when indeed he is missing the chiefest good which is the life of him who puts an end of all controversie to all such disputes when he comes to appear in the Spirit But alas before no marvell though the poore Soule be running from mountaine to hill though he forgets him who is the Resting place of Zion Therefore soul thou that makest thy habitation amongst the briers and thorns and barren mountains Arise these are not thy Rest they are from a corrupted judgement and therefore are corrupted and if thou stay here they shall destroy thee with an utter destruction all are not proper Rests which are dispensations and manners of Gods leadings but the pure promise of rest is neither in any thing before in Death and Resurrection but in the ascendings of the heart and spirit of a Creature into God by the descendings of God into the Creature which did raise him from death and the grave and now have opened the heavens to him by receiving of him into glory for as Christ did not make his rest and abode in any carnall or fleshly dispensation though in the same he did enjoy the Father so no heart is to make that his rest which Christ did not make Every heart so long as it lives below the glory of God so as it is not glorified with God is a heart centring himself in a dispensation which shall be dissolved For both man in he dispensation of Christ in the flesh or in a crucified buried or raised Soule is not to abide but in a glorified ascended Soule into God where the life is the unchangeable glory and splendor of God dwelling in man glorifying of man in which is the life and center of man truly and unchangeably centred The Twelfth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is a closing with and drawing comfort from the promises expressed in the letter of the Scriptures This closing thus with and applying the benefit of promises the whole life center comfort cause of joy peace duties diligence what not to many a soul and from hence when many come to declare their manifestation of God all they have to say is at such a time a promise was made forth unto them or cast into their thoughts by which they apprehended God and closed with it and from thence did draw comfort and peace from it and this is all the experience of God that is manifested to them or that they have This causes abundance of rest and security to many a heart and luls them a sleep which is most commonly Satans way to apply himselfe to such a cuâ—e for to cause a soul
the two consider the effects that follow as namely Security or luke warmnes or fulnesse and self conceitednesse and so false Restings are of as dangerous a consequence as the other Thirdly Humility is by resembling of such property of words and actions in an other as is most lovely in the eyes of himself and others and here lies a sad deceit when men doe only resemble the words or carriages of another which it may be in that party flowes from a principle or power of God in him and by a resembling of him and getting into his form think their condition is the happier and so glory in it more then before so that though his Humility flow from a divine work in him yet the others is but shaped out of what is expressed by or from him and here lies much danger especially if man Rest in the same The forth way whereby humility comes most commonly to be attained And the way indeed is from the enjoyment of God thereby man comes not only to have the effects or branches cut off but the cause or root of the same taken away So as now man hath it not in the form or shape but in power and substance and now man is truly what he seems to be but not before whereby as the Creature is humbled so God is exalted and this is the Creatures joy though not his Rest wholly This humility now is the effect of God enjoyed whereby man is made to partake of Gods natrue and this nature breaks out into these particular effects but now this very effects of humility though it be from the enjoyment of God yet it is not the Rest of a Saint but the cause which is God The next part is the gift of Utterance which is that many have that knows not God and many have not which sweetly enjoy him So that man who is freely carried forth to utter or make known any thing he conceives is truth yet there is neither cause of trusting to it or Resting in it neither is there cause why a Soul should the more glory in the enjoyment of it or be troubled in the want of it The last part or Gift we shall speak of is Memory This part of Memory is that which doth most sweetly adorn man in the visible making of it forth and it makes man much adored for it it is 1. Away to grow very profitable in respect of him that hath it and beneficiall to them for whom he imployes it as namely In that dispensation of hearing after which the party which enjoyes this Part is able to repeat or declare almost verbatim what he hath heard this makes him very profitable in what he hears in respect of gathering knowledge and benificiall to others from the improvement of the same This is the reason why two Ministers so professing of themselves studying their matter the one brings it in a peece of paper and the other in the same method or forme though in his understanding becaus the one excels the otther in this Part of Memory and this makes the one more esteemed then the other and the one to appear more weake then the other But alas though all these were in one man in a higher strain then I have declared yet they all were but a poor Rest or cause of joy or contentment to any heart and truly when God appears so as to manifest himself the Soul shall see the weaknesse and foolly of his spirit to be satisfied in the whole not to be any cause of Rest though they were dispensations of God and were freely given by God For all these may be in a very hipocrite or in a meer naturall man First of all to conclude this Rest 1. It is an abuse of a Gift and an affornt put upon the Giver to make it either cause of Rest or an evidence of a true enjoyment of God 2. That soul most commonly who is not led in the Spirit either to behold God or enjoy him to be the Rests of spirits is most usuall it can hardly be prevented to Rest upon such Rests as we have declared but consider that must be the Rest of any who sees or enjoys not one manifested to him to be above it Man must have some Rest either true or false But that must be the safe Rest the which no hipocrite doth at tain nor can enjoy which is God manifested in the Spirit further why should any man place his Rest upon any thing which will come to nothing or is given to change Or why should we make that the ground of our happinesse which is but a tallent given to be improved which may be taken away at the Owners pleasure being given onely to bee improved and then mans Rest and peace ceaseth and in this particular doth â—he folly of mans heart appear in abusing the end of every dispensation as of this of Parts As. First The abuse of Parts lyes in the boasting and glorying in the gift and not in him that gives it And also in this to make them his Rest 2. For a man so to glory in them as to make again of them improve in them for to get honour and preferment and glory in the World This I fear was partly the end of Simon Magus in desiring the gifts of God Alas all gifts are empty without God be Manifested in them and poore contentment do they afford to him that Rests in them And here men are setting them in Gods place and labouring to dispossesse God who is or ought to be the satisfaction of the heart And this is another abuse of Parts A world of deceit lyes in mans heart about gifts or parts if abused First They will not make forth themselves unlesse it be where they be honoured or else they labour for the same by the improvement of them being the most free where it 's the most applauded and the most straitned and wary of that place where it is not adored and exalted and set up above the proper station of the creature being much cheered when exalted and much cast downe when rejected or at least not so applauded as he requires or expect here is man much abusing Parts and setting them in Gods stead in the which man shall be brought to a losse when God doth â—â—â—ifest himself in that heart The fourth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is Zeal for the truth Zeal in the matters of God is that which the most go through before the manifestations of God yet though it be good in its place and a dispensation to be owned yet it is but a deceitfull Rest We know the cry of him in the Scripture who was Resting and glorying in his Zeal for God when he cryed come see my Zeal for the Lord of hosts So we know many mens Zeal goes before their knowledge of God in the spirit We hear of a zealous Saul who was mad of Zeal in persecuting the Church Act. 22. 3 and
and action he seemes to be and that he do not pretend to live in God above all formes when indeed he neither live in God nor knowes what it â—s to be led by God out of the same into that which is truly sweet if the soul were led into that he pretends to enjoy The tenth false Rest. THe next Rest which in order we shall speake of is a Sutability to the externall letter or some qualified frame wherein this Creature takes his joyfull Rest in the view thereof Indeed when a man is wounded yea deadly unlesse there be speedy helpe in this condition the Creature will be willing to enjoy any Chiruâ—geon for the Cure thereof yea him that but pretends faire and by his skill doth give some ease therein at present and hopes for the future though this party do it but to serve his owne ends not from any principle of good to the party who is the patient yet he being ignorant of his faire pretences he heals up his wounds though falsly and afâ—erward the wound breaks forth again to the greater damage to the party Thus it is with a poor distressed wounded helplesse heart whom it may be God is a preparing for mercy he lying in such a desperate condition would gladly have his wound cuâ—ed by God but there coming a pretended Physitian into the heart speaks like God appearing to the Creature to be God and to heal in the same way God heales Soules yet the soul being ignorant accepts of it and freely entertaines it whereby it comes to have a time of peace and Rest onely because he apprehends his despeâ—ate wound to be cured And thus souls do in a time of straights accept of those proffers when in another condition he would not but at present necessity putting the soul upon it Now soules that live under the sight of the want of God would in the sight thereof be in a way to attaine God seeks and presses to know in this case what to do at last it looks upon the Scriptures in this case to be the only Teacher whereupon he gives himselâ—e to a diligent searching of the same where he meets withall some places how the Saints were formerly qualified and these preparations they â—ad within them whereupon he sets a labouring with his own heart to bring it into such an estate of mourning humiliation or repentance with hungring after God as also loathing sin and having a wearinesse and burthen under it and when he hath thus done he runs to Scriptures and seeing his condition sutable to that he makes Scriptures the ground of his faith and so cures his wounds by it and so drawes peace and comfort from it Now the creature being ignorant of any other work he wrests from this Scripture influence as is pretended and from thence concludes his enjoyment of God and that now from some perswasions of spirit concludes it to be the witnesse of the Spirit when indeed the creatures heart in this case is not upright and he being in darknesse is not able otherwise to judge of himselfe or his condition neither of his heart which doth tell him that this his sutability is upright but the foul wanting the manifestation of light he is not able to passe true sentence upon the same but Rests and man makes his habitation here and though he pretends to make Scripture the ground of his thus beleeving yet it is his qualifications and sutability to Scriptures which is the ground of his thus Rest and beleeving Or Secondly That which in this case the soul is most establisht in is when it may be a Creature is in some sad condition a Scripture is cast in immediately upon the soul un-sought-out or laboured for and this sutable to the soules condition from which there is joy and peace yea sometimes the heart is so ravisht with it and so overcome by it as indeed it 's hardly able to expresse its joy and peace yea sometimes the heart is so overcome as it cannot expresse it or hardly knows for the present where it is But here lies the Angel-like designe sometimes of Satan to come in the same manner and with the same effect to deceive that God comes in with to save and so transformes himself into Gods shape And one of the cheefest waies he hath is to apply himselfe in such a way of working like God as he may the most prevail with the soul and resemble God and so keep the soul much below God Now Scripture-way Satan thinking is most like Gods way of any other especially when he brings in Scriptures sutable to the condition of the party and so that he may cause the soul to beleeve that at such a time God was pleased to manifest himself by casting in such a Scripture so sutable so as now his transformed work is the more surer seeing it hath such a â—oundation as this yet this he doth of purpose to deceive Thirdly Man 's own Memory or fancy being upon some serious meditation may in the same manner and way bring and represent before the soul such a Scripture and here lies most of the deceit of the fancy and imagination thus to work this way there coming in a Scripture into the thoughts of such a soules fancy and imagination to drive on his own Designe makes it as it were a nose of wax to apply it to what use or way he please yet he will make it the ground of his imagination and fancy and so man this way comes to Rest upon a deceit and fiction and not upon any ground in the glorious manifestation of God Now Scriptures it is true do display in a Mystery most Precious things which if a soul did enjoy them their thus enjoying of the Truth there displayed would be a Rest unto them but so long as a man reads Truth in the letter without him untill he can read it in the Spirit within him there is little cause of rest to such a heart Aâ— Instance for a man to be overwhelmed in grosse darknesse and in this darknesse the soul not able to behold the glory of God Now from his reading in Scriptures he sees God there expressed to be a Light and to be full of Glory yet notwithstanding from the sight of this in Scripture though he want this light within him and his darknesse to be expelled out of him yet he rests with the sight of this in the Scriptures satisfied as though God were become light and glory in him and had expelled all darknes out of him and he carried up to behold it truly and live in it so that that I drive at is to unbottom any Soule of making a nose of wax upon the letter and because Christ saith in an upbraiding way Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to have Eternal life so many now think to have this Eternal life in the Scriptures or in searching of them when indeed they are but a Testimony or a Record to set forth
thus with the Creature that the cause of its Rest hath been the appearance of God in such an administration or dispensation yet if now he see clearly that God is departed from it he Rests no longer being the ground why he Rested was and is taken away or removed for as God promised to be in and appear to his People in the Temple and in the Administrations under the Law yet not for everlasting continuance but that afterwards he did intend to withdraw his presence from them and so to disanull the use thereof so in any dispensation of God below his spirituall appearance in the soul he intends to appeare at such a time as himselfe hath appointed in the use of the same but afterwards to withdraw himself from it for some end best known to himselfe Now this is that I say Gods departing and ceasing to appear in a Dispensation or an Administration Is that which both discovers the Resting therein to be false and is a further meanes to un-bottome the spirit of a man for making of it his Rest any longer for that Soul that is led into any Administration by God in the which God appeares when God withdraws from it and ceaseth to appear any more in it the Soule doth the like also And in this he follows the Lambe where ever he goes Rev. 14. 4. So that I say It is the departure of God from any condition which if the creature hath been made sensible of it doth represent the making a habitation in it and the resting upon it is both below God and contrary to him so as in the same he is made willing to part with and to see when God is known to be deâ—arâ—ed from the vanity of making any thing his rest though given of God untill God do everlastingly appear within man carrying up the soule and spirit of man into himself Fourthly The next way God discovers these to be false rests and makes the creature willing to part with the same Is by appearing in a more glorious Administration to the Creature and this is the reason why Christ comforteh his Disciples when the forme of the flesh was to be taken away by telling of them He must go away or else the Comforter would not come Joh. 167. As if he should say unlesse I depart in the forme of flesh or in this outward Dispensation you cannot enjoy me in a more glorious Dispensation of the Spirit within you which should for ever abide with you It is the Substance of what God intends to make manifest in your spirits I am but in this fleshly dispensation a figure and therefore I must depart that I may more gloriously appeare within you and lead you into all Truth more glorious then yet you see or understand It was so with John and Christ in the flesh as John did decrease so Christ did encrease Ioh. 3. 30. It was indeed the encreasing of Christ in the fleshly Administration that made John in his Administration decrease for the dispensation of God in the flesh of Christ was more glorious then the dispensation of John so that in spiriuals there is a giving way to a superiour or more glorious Administration by an inferiour or lesse glorious dispensation for the more of God appeares in any forme the more glorious is that forme now God did more appeare in Christs forme then in Johns which made John decrease and give way unto the dispensation of Christ from whence I observe That no man is to forsake any dispensation so long as God appeares in it and makes it a living dispensation for the Apostles were not to cease walking with or to depart from Christ in the flesh untill God was departed from it and ceased according to it or by it but all the Apostles were to continue in that dispensation so long as it was a living dispensation So it was with the dispensations under the Law they were to continue in them so long as God appeared in them and continued with them So shall soules follow as God leads As the Children of Israel were to abide in any place so long as God abode in it So we And as they did move when God moved from it so are we until we are in our perfect Rest Num. 9. 17 18. Heb 4. 9. For it is the presence of God in a particular thing which is both to be a soules Leader Exo. 34. 14 15 and his cause of stay in the use of any dispensation So it was with Moses Unlesse thy presence go along with us carry us not hence It hath been and still ought to be That Saints removing out of one condition into another or from one Administration or Dispensation into another hath been by the presence of God either going or removed from such a Dispensation So that there may be a folly in this particular for any man to cease acting in formes or in such an Administration as God hath brought him into and truly appeared in untill there be a clear departure of GOD in the same leading it into a more glorious Administration Secondly God seldome doth depart from one Administration until he appears in a more glorious manner in another As God did not depart from the Administration of the Law untill he appeared more glorious in the administration of the Gospel So it is now That there can be no expelling clouds but by light so there can be no other way to take off a soule truly from the use of any forme until God appeare in a more higher dispensation For as the appearance of Christ in the flesh was the summe and substance of the formes of the Law and was not to be disanulled before the substance came Heb. 8. 1. Col. 2. 17. so iâ— is now The summe and substance of all Formes and administrations is Christ in the Spirit and untill the Substance of them be come perfectly into every heart there can be no true cessation of that heart in Formes or Administrations which are Gospel-Formes or Administrations So that God departing sometimes from an Administration and appearing more glorious in another either within or without is that which both unbottoms the soul of Resting in it and that which makes the creature willing to part with it For the want of this the Jewes not beholding Christ the summe and substance of the Law Come in a more glorious Administration they were unwilling to cease acting in their former Administrations the Veile being not taken away 2 Cor. 3. 14. whereby they had been made to see the Substance of those Formes establish'd compleatly in a Christ Col. 2. 10. But lastly the chiefest and onlyest way why the creature comes to be willing to be most free to part with and to have a discovery of all dispensations below the appearance of God in the Spirit to be no Rest Is by the glorious manifestation of God in the Soule whereby First of all He appears as a glorious Light within man And this Light 1.
Expells all the Clouds from off or out of the Creature which kept the creature from beholding a reall difference betwixt a true Rest and a false So long as man is without this no marvel then though he be not able to discern whether his Rests be true or false But now when God speaks in a Soul Arise soul shine for thy light is come and the glory of the LORD is Risen upon thee Isa 60. 1 2. Then this true light shining into the soule it makes manifest all things whereas the Soule before had a veile upon him and a Cloud over him but now the glory of God is Risen in such a creatures heart whereby he is made able to judge by the light of God dwelling in him Secondly As it doth discover what is fallacy so it reveals what is truth it advanceth truth in the soule though the soul before was ignorant what difference there was betwixt the appearance of God in formes without him and the appearance of God in the Spirit within him of the difference betwixt a transform'd rest resembled and a true Rest in the Spirit manifested of the end of all forms and administrations with God appearing in them without the creature before the substance of the same be come in the glory of the Spirit within Now this true light makes all manifest John 3. 21. and is a clear evidencing light within man discovering Him who only must be the center and Rest of the soule which before it heard of but now comes to see and experience the same This light removes all obstructions out of the Creature and makes his judgement act according to this light within him so that it is a light not onely expelling clouds but clearly demonstrates a reall difference betwixt truth and falshood so as now he is made to see the place God hath set every administration or dispensation in with the time place and end Thirdly This light makes not onely manifest things is they are John 3. 21. and so takes the soul off from them But it doth dissolve all those administrations the Creature hath had without him by the glory of God in the Spirit within him so as the breakings of the day do dissolve the dispensation of the night so doth the dawning of the day in the heart of a Saint dissolve not destroy any of those administrations or dispensations of God in which God did in some measure appear to the Creature for as the night is of God as well as the day yet the day doth dissolve the dispensation of the night So though many mens dispensations were of God yet notwithstanding when God appears they are dissolved and do not now appear because a more gloriouser manifestation of God within man hath appeared Fourthly Yea this manifestation of God in the Spirit doth swallow up all other dispensations so as now they are gathered up into the substance thereof who before did send them forth as the light of the Starres and the light of the Moone are borrowed lights or lights inferiour to and sent out from the Sunne and when the glory of the Sunne appears they all appear bodily and substantially in the Sunne and as it is that the light dwels in the fulnesse of it in the Sunne and all lights are borrowed from or occasioned by it and that light is that which swallowes up all other when it comes to appear So it is with God appearing in the Spirit he appears as the fulnesse and the substance or body of all other lights Col. 2. 17. which are true though sent by God in their dispensation to accomplish his own designe yet when God breakes into any soule in the glory of the Spirit this shining of God into the soule 2 Cor. 3. 8. 4 6. 3. 10. doth swallow up all his former appearances in any dispensation below this and gives way and submits and so gathers up and meets compleatly in the body and substance of them Col. 2. 10. 17. Tit. 2. 13. 1 Pet. 4. 14. which is God truly appearing in the spirit of fulnesse and glory this makes the heart free to part with any thing though never so dear to it which is obstructive to and keeps the soule from any enjoyment of this glorious dispensation yea this is that dispensation which doth destroy all administrations or formes or dispensations that are not of God what is of God before shall be swallowed up in it what is of man selfe or Satan shall be destroyed by it 2 Thess 2. 8 This is that which truly discovers to the â—oul all his false Rests though never so seemingly glorious yea though they be of Satans transformings or of self-resemblings yet it laies them all in the dust and unvailes them to the Creature so as they appear in their colours and place which sometimes workes a mighty indignation in the heart against the waies of his own heart 1 Cor. 7. 11. when his lewdnesse is discovered unto him so as he is not onely made free to part with the same but he is brought out of love with himself for Resting upon the same so much below God or Christ Again in the manifestation of God there is satisfaction peace and Rest possesseth the creature in stead of the other this peace dispossesseth the other peace this satisfaction maketh nothing the other whatsoever objection or dis-satisfaction was before or doth arise since now they are all fully answered and the soule compleatly satisfied so as now he is brought out of a dunghill into a pallace from a mean condition into a glorious to wit even to live by the breathings of Divine Truth in him so as now he lives because God lives and is satisfied with the flowings in of God and eates of that which God eates of viz. Love Glory and happinesse Nay further there is fulnesse in this satisfaction he fils the soul with himselfe and how can then this soule doe any other but be free and willing to part with any other seeming fulnesse or good when now he is filled with him that fills all in all in all things Eph. 1. 23. So as the waters cover the Sea Isa 11. 9. so is the soul truly pro tempors filled with God untill he asswage it or seem to be departed from it or else enlarge the capacity of the Creature with more of himself now seeing that God comes in with such a fulnesse into the heart in this dispensation it must needs discover the emptinesse and vanity of his other Rests and cause a sweet willingnesse to part with the one and embrace the other And lastly it comes in power which day of Gods power Ps 110. 3. makes the Creature willing to part with any darling though never so dear and neer to him both freely cordially and with much simplicity of spirit whatsoever the day of God in it is light and glory doth discover to the soule not to be of himselfe this the day of his Power doth accomplish the same
to the full in the soule yea though it be the life of a soul yea though it were its God and happinesse in it yet they all are nothing when God and it stands in competition in the soule whether of them should be advanced 3. Christ made manifest in a heart and his spirituall coming into the same is like unto a fire which burns up consumes all things that are in the soul of his own which keep the Creature below God therfore saith the Scripture Who may abide the day of his coming or stand when he appeareth And he shews the reason thereof for he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope to refiners fire he is compared the appearance of Christ in the love of the spirit is like refiners fire to refine purifie yea to burn up and consume in soules what is not of the Spirit and so to bring the creature to losse though in the same salvation shall be made manifest as according to the 1 Cor. 3 13 14 where saith he if any mans worke abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward but if it burn â—he creature shall lose thereby yet hâ— must be saved yet it must be by this fire which did consume and burn up his hay and stubble now as mans work shall be revealed by fire so if it be not of God it shall be destroyed by the same which fire is love which is God thus when he brings a soul by his appearing into the greatest losse then is he bringing a soul into the greatest gain so that that which proves destruction of his false Rests is that which brings him to the true Rest and so though it be a losing for the present yet his greatest losse becomes his greatest gain Now I know there are many Rests that are destroyed or dissolved before this day of his coming and as there is one taken away the soule findes and seeks after another and runs from mountain to hill to get ease of a tormenting spirit so as man passeth through many Rests most commonly before this day but now it may be the Creature hath such glorious resembled Rests that it cannot be found out before the day of God thus appearing then these seeming Rests are they which are discovered upon the apearance of himselfe in the soule But some soules passe through more then we have spoken of some through fewer according as God keeps the soule and alone becomes the leader of him yet many soules that are come thus high have found them by sad experience and others have found some of them and others more yet it is sometimes Gods way to permit the Creature to run out after the waies of his own heart and at last to hedge up his waies Hos 2. 6. where many soules lie at this day in the wildernesse not knowing what to doe being non-plust in their own spirits not knowing what God is a doing nor what he will doe what they must do sit still they cannot act they cannot but in their old Road. Having shewed the many Rests Soules passe thorow and the difficulty of parting with them together with the waies and means God makes the heart willing that now he may enjoy that true and unchangeable Rest of soules which shall be the next we shall speak of and that is What this true Rest is in which the spirit of a spirituall man must be centred The first description of true Rest AND first of all that Rest of Saints or the description thereof It is something lying naturally out of the Creature or above it not of it selfe attained by it But revealed and made manifest in it who is the Rest whicb alone is God or Christ First Christ it is clear he lives out of the Creature for he lay in the heart of God John 1. 18. before we had a being and is discovered and revealed by God within us when we have a being which was purposed by God to be revealed from God and therein to be a center and Rest to that heart who doth enjoy it Secondly It cannot be attained by the Creature his abilities falling short of the doing of any such worke but he was the purpose of Love freely intended by God before time and as freely without the Creature comes to be made manifest by God in the Creature in time For it is nothing which the Creature of himself can attain which as a sure Rest in the Creature will remaine but it will faile the soule and prove a broken Reed The second description of true Rest Secondly It is an unchangeable and unalterable Being seen by the soule after it is revealed to him which cannot be shaken after the Creature is centred in it wherein the Creature is carried out of himselfe a-above himself to Rest securely above all feares First Christ the eternall Being of Spirits God in God only God he it is that is an unchangeable Being Isa 9. 6. Heb. 13. 8. Mal. 3. 6. which alters not neither is given to change for he was yesterday that is before time he is to day that is in time the same he is for ever that is unto all time Heb. 13. 8. Now if we looke upon Christ as Saints Rest wee must not consider him as he was in any forme or shape for so he altered and changed into divers formes and shapes But we are to consider him as he is God Eternal Blessed yea as he is the power of all powers and so he is the foundation and Rest of Saints For as he was in the flesh he was not to be a Rest but as he was in the Spirit so he is Rest both unchangeable and unalterable In whom there is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning James 1. 17. So that now Saints knowledge of him and their Rest in him is sure and abides And this is that which heightens their assurance to see and know that the Rest of their souls is an unalterable Rest that though dispensations change and he in those disspensations yet the Center of his soul abides for ever and he kept unshaken in it because he Rests and lives in and upon an unshaken unchangeable Center Now shall the disquieted and molested soul live in peace safety and quietnesse and none now can make it in this case afraid but it lives above all feares and torments being kept safe in this Divine Spirit and power where there is neither cause of jealousie or fear but being they are removed and the creature firmly establish'd so that all storms do not molest him and all temptations do not un-rest him but he lives Triumphant above them Triumphing upon them by that power in which he is centred The Third description of true Rest. THirdly It is an unexpressible glorious Center or Being wholly taking up the Creature with it and giving the soul full contentment in it First It is an unexpressible glorious center the Lord promising in Isaiah that he would accomplish a glorious
without us and workings within us is transforming himselfe now if ever And truly he within soules workes like God and there is no known distinction betwixt his transformings and Christs workings untill there be a true transfiguring of Christ in the glory of the spirit and this doth find out all the deceite both of heart and Satan for indeed there is no forme though never so glorious but he will transform himselfe in it there is no working of the spirit within man but he will resemble it so that none shall be able to know whether it be true or false within him or without him untill this Christ shall appear in light and glory and shall make the same manifest so as oftentimes his thus appearing is compared to the rising of the Sun and the dawning of the day which are degrees of distinguishing light which doth dissolve the imperfect light of the Moone and Starres and is a clear light of it self to rule and order to unfold and discover the truth of every thing which under the other dispensations could not be discerned and that is the reason that the Apostle tells them that they have a sure word of prophesie whereunto they doe well if they take heed And he tels them how long it was untill the day dawn and the day-starre arise in their hearts This saying untill prescribes and sets out the limitation of time and the accomplishing of the same as if he should say there is a most glorious day to be enjoyed in Saints which day shall appear but for your direction untill that day you have a sure word of prophesie unto which if God give you care thereof may be as a rule unto you It being a light shining in a dark place and though for the present you walke by the same yet Rest not there but waite for the spirituall coming of Christ within you which in this word of prophesie is held forth to you and then when he comes he shall be a perfect light within which light shall speake truth and leade the soul thereunto but in the interim Looke to that sure word of prophesie which declares and makes manifest the truth thereof This word of Prophesie was the Scriptures this day dawning and day-starre arising was the appearance of Christ in the fulnesse of the spirit within them So as he often in Scripture is called the bright Morning-Star and as concerning his spiritual coming he is sometimes termed under the notion of the day dawning or breaking as in Cant. 2. 17. and in many others onely to shew unto us that the breaking in of Christ into a heart is like the breaking of the light in the earth when the day begins to appeare and the night is expired as also the rising of the Sun to that purpose he is often called the Sun of Righteousnesse which shall arise and be seen in the hearts of men so that we see this coming of Christ yea himself is a true and glorious light of God in the spirits of Saints so as he makes all things manifest to such a heart whether true or false and this light shall cloath every Saints spirit and all inferiour and transformed lights shall be under such a soules feet triumphing over them seeing the fallacy of them Then First it is this light Christ within the creature who appeares as light which doth expell or dispell all those Clouds which are with creatures in whom he hath not appeared for as the Sun doth expell the clouds in the appearance thereof so Christ in his glorious shinings forth and breaking in into every believing spirit so as the creature before could not apprehend God by reason of these clouds that lye upon the soule now he apprehends him clearly the cause being by Christ taken away Secondly By this light Christ doth discover all the false Waies and Rests of the creature either in opposition to or being below the true and substantiall way of Rest so that this light Christ in his divine Appearances within the creature doth bring a day of losse upon many spirits when it discovers unto them the vanity of their spirits in running after the waies of their own hearts and here they come to see the emptynesse of formes or former flashes and now it may be all the soules knowledge and practise must lye in the dust and be unlearned so as this light brings the creature out of love with his own Wayes so that now he is free to be led according to the teaching of this light Thirdly This light Christ in its spirituall appearing in the creature doth reveale and discover the Father in this light Christ so as the heart clearly sees and knows the Father and the Spirit the son and the spirit One and the spirit to be both so as this light which in reference to name is called and tearmed Christ yet it is God in this light so that God is said to be light in him is no darknesse The Father is the fountain of light the son is the manifestation of light or the light made manifest now here the soul in whom this true light doth appeare doth know God and him thus sent into the heart by Jesus Christ so that Christ as he is the Rest of Saints is a divine revelation of light in which light and glory the creatures spirit solaces it selfe and rests with much delight in the same and out of this form after enjoyed will not Christ appeare but will be unto such a spirit an everlasting light that now as God lives in light so the creature lives in light also which no creature in the flesh can attain to who cannot be seen felt or heard in the flesh in this dispensation but he is above it consuming of it and continually advancing this light more more in the creature so as this light comes to be advanced and appears in greater fulnesse so shall the spirits who are centred in it be advanced by it and the greater this light doth appear in fulnesse the more perfect doth the souls Rest appear and the more shall the spirits be filled with it Fourthly in the fourth place this spirituall Christ or what he is in the Spirit when he comes to be the Rest of Saints He is spirituall and Divine Life without which no soul hath spirituall or eternal life enjoyed by him for as a man without the soul is dead so are all men without Jesus Christ within them made manifest so that Iohn very fully laies open this truth 1 Ioh 1. 1 2. for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witnesse and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us So that we see what the life of Saints is for that life which they here speak of was Christ Secondly we see the place where it centers before it is made manifest and that is laid open to be in the Father Thirdly the way whereby they knew it and also
creature in due time When a man kindles a fire and Warmes himself in the sparkes thereof God upbraids the creature thus by telling him his end should be to lye downe in sorrow That is When God comes to appeare upon any soul in love he burns up all these false Rests the creature hath been making for it self That is What the creature drawes comfort from to himself if it be from the glory of any action that is for a man to kindle a fire and warme himself in the sparkes or fire he himself hath kindled Isai 50. 10 11. Now God at last brings the creature to see the vanity of all his own actions and upon this there is nothing but death to what he hath been living upon and sorrow annexed for his thus living upon it and Resting in it Therefore consider No acting forth of the creature to God before the creature receive a divine power from God is acceptable with God for God accepts of no obedience but either that which he did by Christ for us or by Christ in us Now a man may doe great things by a power of Nature Which I call a power of God in its dispensation Which power or from which power a man acts in a way to God that is seemingly to God and for God but in conclusion proves not so now God approving of no action by us unlesse it be from the fountaine of himselfe in us And seeing our actings to God are changable and may seem to perish though never so rare It is no sure Rest for any soul onely he who is unchangable in us must be revealed to us before any true Rest can be received by us Now the condition of a Soul in these low dispensations is like unto a man affrighted by an enemy and being so he labours to preserve himselfe from death by him he runs to secure himself at last he findes to his apprehension a place of Rest and safety he being almost weary afterwards it appears not so to be but his adversary pursues him so that he is not safe and so from place to place he runs to get shelter he finding none he is forced to yield himself up to the mercy of his adversary So it is with a Soul seeing God to be his enemy he flyes as Adam did thinking to secure himselfe and cover himself but God pursues the Soul and findes him out where the Soule not finding any safe Rest yields himself freely with trembling and feare up unto God to be at the mercy of God God as I may say pursues a Soule and when it would be Resting upon any thing below himselfe he drives it from its station and so man runs from Rest to Rest and every Rest he makes is more glorious then another But God speaks unto the Soule as he did to the Apostles Arise let us go hence John 14. 31. as if he should say You would be Resting in this condition but it is nor a condition of Rest and safety I will bring you higher and that shall be when I will discover my self in the Spirit that you shall not Rest upon my flesh as I am in a shape but upon me as I will be transfigured before you or rather in you in the Spirit So as now Arise and go up that is higher So also is God most commonly saying to such Soules Arise this is not Yours Rest Mic 2. 10. if thou stay here it shall destroy thee with an utter destruction Therefore to conclude This man runs from mountain to hill and forgets his Resting place untill God hedgeth up his waies and makes the soul at length Rest in himself The third false Rest THe next Rest of a Soul below the true Rest is The excellency of Gifts which do so mightily adorne the Creature as thereby the Creature is led into high conceits of the glory and excellency of its condition The first part or Gift we shall speak of is Knowledge Multiplicity of Knowledge is such a rare Part as makes a man seem much like a Saint not carnall in the matters of the world but spirituall conceived in the matters of God and this doth mightily puffe up the Creature And indeed much knowledge attained in the notion unlesse it be experimentall there is an impossibility to keep the soul from Resting in it or being puft up with it And. First of all I shall discover how most commonly the Soul attains this The first is from a quick apprehension in the understanding of things which is a common gift in nature which is a ready way to attaine much knowledge together with an enlaged capacity that he can receive and keep what he apprehends so as he comes to gather in knowledge a pace into the notion so as the Soule glorieth the most in the improvement of that gift or part in which he doth the most excel This Creature he is very fluent in discoursing of the best things and will be alwaies delighting most in arguing of those things that he hath the most knowledge in and he being very gallant in discourse gathers knowledge in every thing he undertakes and here he glories to overcome any with argument Or. Secondly To be adored or had in high estimation for this his knowledge And this applauding of him makes his estimation of the glory of his own condition to be heightened here he looks upon himselfe to be a Saint in glory he having these parts of knowledge makes him as often argue against truth as for it that others may see the wit and knowledge he hath by strength of wit be able to speak of higher things then those who sweetly enjoy God Yea for parts of knowledge goes beyond by all is preferred before them Now having thus attained knowledge in the head though he doe not experience the same he Rests satisfied in his condition Secondly Knowledge which man Rests upon is a knowledge got by paines diligence of things without him That which is got by much paines the Creature is more apt to Rest upon so as for the notionary knowledge of the Scripture he exceeds He is mightily fluent in the letter and is able to speak much from the same and this doth furnish him so as now he makes it his glory to speak of and know much of the letter though it is without him and not experienced in him But alas what is it for any man to know much in this nature and there Rest This is but the shell of Truth the Substance is Truth in us experienced by us To reade Truth in the letter without me and to know it there is a dispensation but to know it by the Spirit within me must be a higher dispensation and the Dispensation of Rest For what is it for any man to get all the Scriptures into memory to furnish him with knowledge able to dispute or preach yet unlesse he know the same within himself it 's but a poor Rest yet thus it is men by
in the attaining matter doth much abuse the same but the meanes most commonly wherein it doth attaine it is first by often freequenting private and publike meetings where it steales away the expressions of others and when it sees one man enlarged it is made to admire that part in them and cry out O if I could pray as such a one can then I should be at rest and enjoy much peace It presses forwards and by pains and diligence it attains that enlargement as that now it excels others and is now admired by them who before was admired by it so as now the poor Creature can speake three or four hours in prayer and can hardly comprehend himselfe within the space of one houre and here lys the deceipt of the heart that here the Soul makes his rest and this to be a sure evidence of his interest in God But alas how blinde and unsound this present evidence is let Scripture and experience testify for alas a hypocrite or one who at all knows not God may excell in the seeming glory of this part yea excell those that live in the highest enjoyments of God and here many souls maks this dispensation a meer Idol they draw all their peace and comfort from it for if in this part the Creature excell he will be the ofner using of it living most upon it draw most comfort from it and glory the most in it for if ever the creature be straitned in this particular he begins to droop and be sad and full of trouble but if either in publique or private he be enlarged much again he is mightilly refreshed and lifted up And secondly If at any time he cannot have those coÌ„mon opportunities or set times then all his peace is gone and it is because his peace is grounded upon his often praying and his great enlargement in so doing and indeed the souls blindnesse lies here for the Creature takes his inlargement to be a manifestation or evidence of the presence of God Now a man may pray long and often and excell all in externall form and yet have none of the presence of God manifested at all in the same neither is a straightning of the Creature in expression to be any cause of sorrow or trouble if God be manisest neither is it an evidence of his not being manifested within So here party 〈◊〉 the ground of a souls thus Resting or taking satisfaction of peace to his spirit in this dispensation Now I would not be mistaken that I am speaking against this form or dispensation when a man is not commanded by the form but he is commanded from a power within so as he commands it and useth the same according to the end for which it was appointed For I look upon the same as to be a dispensation of God But I looke upon the resting in it or having peace by it to be a corruption of a mans own heart and a deceit thereof First Therefore I commend these things following to be considered of all That though a man should be never so glorious or admirable in this particular dispensation so as in the same he may be able to speake a whole day together yet his heart in this may deceive him and if it doe not yet it is no safe Rest or cause of peace or satisfaction for there is no safety in the excellents Part that can be received but they take their wings and flie away and there is not that in them which men conceive Secondly Man may have these parts in the glory of them and yet have no fellowship or communion with God in them and so they may be rather snares then sâ—re rests Nay if it were so as many souls doth enjoy God in them or rather communion with God in the same yet it is neither the duty or enlargement which is or ought to be the rest but God made manifest in the same The third part of Gift is Humility And this sometimes comes some of these waies following 1. Either from an instinct or property in nature Or 2. From a self-reasoning Or 3. From resembling the truth of Humility that is in another Or 4. From or as an effect of the enjoyment of God First it is in many who in the least have no divine workings of God in them any way made manifest yet they are excellent in this very particular which makes them very lovely in the eyes of all men so that a little of God will be seen in such a creature but meerly without the manifestation of grace such a Soule doth appear to be gracious such a spirit as this is can hardly be given to passion but full of meeknesse and love and moderation and yet this parties gifts are common or naturall to him He cannot be almost otherwise this disposition is so naturall But others by nature are of a turbulent spirit and full of pride and choller which makes him to become odious to all and hereupon when he becomes odious to himselfe he fals in the second place to reason thus O how lovely doe others appear to me how humble and lowly are they What a proud spirit am I of How am I hated and become almost odious to all I will go see if I can help this carriage of mine Now this Soul onely looks to take away the effects though the cause abide and here he labours to frame his speeches and his jesture and actions and so by much pains gets a form of humility and now carries himself very sweetly towards all so that now there is a strong change wrought in this person so that he is admired by all and chiefly by himself who was of such a high carriage and of a proud and turbulent spirit and now he is of a calm and quiet spirit this appears to be a great change and so judging of it he is highly exalted in his opinion of himself and conceives he hath enjoyed abundance of grace from God that hath thus humbled him when indeed he hath it but in the forme of it not in the power having the branches and effects taken a way for the present in the outward expression of it but transformed into another shape and that is more inwarde making of him more spiritually proud and so have high conceits of the happinesse of his condition and so Rests Secondly It reasons thus God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble 1 Pet. 5. 5. Now in his highnesse of carriage or turbulency of spirit he looks upon his condition as to be resisted of God whereupon he prayes and useth what meanes he can to restraine himself saith he It may be I may come to geta better temper of spirit whereby I many not become both odious to God and man Now I say at last he attaines a form or shape of what he doth desire and Rests satisfied in the receiving of it Though I say he is outwardly but transformed into another likenesse the cause yet remaining which of
one with another witnesse their crosnesse of spirit what a smell of false principles this of Rests appears withall and truly argues much deceit and unpossessed like with God If one either hath attained higher or live in the use of Ordinances waiting for the reall enjoyment of God being lower why should that heart who hath either enjoyed more or lesse of God have such an unlikenesse of any thing of God in him seeing God is love and he that dwels in the lowest enjoyment of God dwels in Love but truly the being bound to formes or bound up in formes and the using of them before we be led unto them by God occasions all this Resting in and condemning of all that do not in all things walk up into and in the use of these formes and Church-relations which the letter of the Scriptures owns to be a dispensation of God But Secondly As this is the cause of and doth much savour to be occasioned either by our being bound up in them or falsly led out to them so also it is occasioned by the want of a divine principle within whereby that principle of God might command our formes and Church-relations and not formes and Church-relations command the soul so as the Soule onely seeing something in the letter wanting a divine light within to discover unto him either the time place manner or end by this it comes to passe why he is darke in and Rests upon and is commanded by and so bound up in the form required in the letter being ignorant of truth in the Spirit but to come more fully to the thing in hand This in my judgement was the Rest of the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3. 17. in her concluded riches yea in her insensible poverty and thus it prevailes with many a heart First when especially the Soul hath been much under the Law and hampred by the Law and so kept in a cloud from the view of Gospel-truthes and now come to see a clear truth in that which he so much opposed he is so taken up with it as he hath no peace untill he fals in obeying of it so gathers peace comfort and Rest in the same thinking he is now got into a very high estate and the very name of a member of a Church together with the greatnesse of the love of God in bringing this Creature to beleeve and obey who was darke opposite yea a despiser of the same this doth help forward his Rest in this particular Secondly It considers and reasons with it selfe now I am got into the communion of Saints and enjoy now their society which before it wanted fellowship with and also from consideration of the purity of the Ordinances it now enjoyes It before was alive in the use of corrupted Ordinances now it enjoyes them in the purity of them before in and amongst a mixed people he had fellowship with divels 1 Cor. 10. 20. now with Saints but truly though this be a Laodicean condition yet it is a false Rest for there is no true Rest either in the purest Ordinances or visible relations for these a man may enjoy and be ignorant of the enjoyment of God in them as the wofull experience of many will seal unto and testifle the truth of what we are speaking of Thirdly Another cause of Rest in these relations flowes from his continuall growth in Gospel light and his encrease and growth of knowledge and most commonly the whole bent of such a spirit is taken up with labouring after the knowledge of points of judgement and with matters nice and curious things which most commonly please the fancy and understanding and to know such things it is his continually study and end of all his labour when still he wants the life and power of Christ in his heart neither doth he know him but either by his profession or by hear saies not in any true way of experience Fourthly Another cause flowes from his conceived peace and comfort he enjoyes in the same and thus he reasons before I had no peace either in conscience within me or from Oâ—dinances practised by me but now I enjoy much peace in my condition when indeed he may have stopt the mouth of conscience his peace come in from a false ground not spoken from God but drawn forth or smagined in his particular practise Many a soul feeds upon an imaginary peace when it is ignorant of peace truly manifested in the heart and in this most commonly doe the affections blinde and bribe the judgement and so peace remaines onely in the imagination and not enjoyed by any powerfull manifestation But if mens hearts in Church-relations may so utterly be deceived then it stands in need of these ensuing cautions 1. Beware of making thy being a member of any Church to be either evidence to thee or ground of peace in thee neither let any conceive better of their conditions because they are in visible fellowships and neither let their joy or peace be the more unlesse they do uprightly enjoy more of the discoveries of God to them then they did before 2. Beware that thou thinke not thy outward uniting in a visible manner with Saints is an uniting thy spirit more unto God or God uniting himselfe more to thee or that for or in thy present practise thou art got higher to God lest thou Rest more secure in thy present condition then before for carnall security doth most commonly follow the most of men in those dispensations 3. Beware thou go noâ— before God leade thee for most commonly when God leads man into formes when he forsakes them he leades them out of them into that dispensation God will appear in therefore beware that thou be not led by thy own imaginations then thou shalt not be left in and bound up in formes but shalt continue in them so long as God continues in the same But many who live and make a God of their formes they neither know when God leads or not leads when God is present or not present it s all one if they can enjoy the desire of their hearts and that which speaks peace to them namely Their formes and Churchre-lations It is to them yea its life and happinesse in them But in the next place observe Though God do own all or the most formes and administrations yet it is but for a time untill a higher dispensation appear or the substance of that forme be enjoyed and then God departs from it and seldome or never appears in that forme any more especially if the soul be caught up into God for as the old Testament-formes which were of Gods own appointment and God was in them for the time they were to be used so also they were to cease 1. When the substance thereof was come Heb. 7. 18. 2. When a more glorious administration was and did appear then did God both depart from them and dis-own them an I they nowhere to be practised after these two did
appear So it is with new Testament formes they have and had their time and yet have when God will and doth appear in them yet it is but untill God appear in a higher dispensation and bring the soul into a higher administration then do all shadowes and whatsoever is Gospel-administration cease to that particular soul in the use of them what they were before I would not be mistaken I doe not say they cease to all and every person whatsoever but to such a soul as is in this dispensation namely he who is caught up with God and carried by God out of the forme God ceasing to appear to that particular soule in that forme the Lamb leading the soul gently out of one dispensation into another untill he be wholly swallowed up with God Secondly Such a soule as can truly say the substance of such a forme is come in the Spirit and enjoyes the same within him for there are some formes and administrations which hold forth Christ in the Spirit to come now such cease to be in the use of them at his coming as those old Testament formes did hold forth as we say Christs coming in the flesh which was both the substance of those formes and a more glorious administration of God so it was in the decrease of John and the encrease of this more higher and glorious administration so it shall be in Christ his coming in the Spirit into every soules heart then these formes that Christ appeared in in the flesh shall cease in his coming in the Spirit Now some Gospel-formes doe cease to none but to such as have enjoyed the enjoyment of Christ in the Spirit For as Christ led the Apostles from the Tabernacle-condition in his transfiguration so he will when he appears transfiguring himself in every heart as the Apostles so every heart shall cease to make any forme yea the New Testament-formes Tabernacles to dwell in for ever as many makes them now in our daies also there are administrations which hold out Christ already come Which 1. Is not to be practised before 2. It is to be practised after his coming As I shall name one especially It is the administration of Praise which is alone the work of those that are Redeem'd have the Seals of the vision of God opened and are caught up with God into Heaven to sing songs to Zions God in Zions language by Zions spirit in that holiest of holies which is the place of Zion and those brought into the God-head to sing Praise but now God in this condition is departed from them to this heart not to every own being seen and enjoyed in these formes which do hold forth his thus coming into the heart now none but those who do enjoy God in a more glorious dispensation are to cease acting in those dispensations or formes he yet continues his presence to them in for as God did cease and did not appeare in the forms of the old Testament and they were no more to be used after the substance thereof was come God appeared in a more glorious administration so will God depart and cease to be seen in new Testament-formes or administrations when both the substance of them is come and a higher dispensation doth appear leading the heart out of them to a more glorious and immediate enjoyment of himself This is to follow the Lambe whithersoever he goeth This is to hear a voice behinde man saying This is the way walk in it Isaiah 30. 21. And to be led by a pillar of fire Num. 9. 16 17 18. and sometimes by a Cloud to mans spirituall Rest and not to stand in and under one administration all ones daies and to be in one place for ever But to finde God leading dayly from one forme into another until he bring the soul into the perfect enjoyment of him who is the glory and substance of all formes this for the want whereof makes many to make them their Tabernacles and Rest yea their home yea their God peace and happinesse which if they be taken away their God is gone and their peace hath taken its wings and flown away this is the reason why many in Church relations have a name they live and yet are dead that is they have a name of Saints and Christians but they want the nature of them they have a profession but want a possession This is the reason why many come to have a burning up in their spirits and are brought to a daily losse they run faster into formes and Church relations then God did lead them therefore in them God leaves them for this reason the expectations of many are frustrated which causeth nothing but death and sorrow when they have longed and press'd out after formes and being members of Congregations and the enjoyment of pure Ordinances thinking to find so much in them and to conceive so much from them and when they come there behold nothing but dâ—iâ—es and emptinesse and the want of God and so have suffered losse This is partly the reason of all the rents and breaches in all Churches Congregated and why they cannot stand is because they were not lead by God into these forms neither did they see God clearly go before them but some by affection some by mis-information and some out of zeale so that now very little of God appears either in their coming in continuing with or parting from thus being bound up in forms and living in them and doting too much upon them and rejoycing too much in them and judging all that speake not for them or joyne not with them yea this is the reason why we are devouring one another because we all doe not look for and expect that the glorious appearance of God will lead each man out of his dispensation and form though never so low to drink into one Spirit Let him that is so much either bent for formes or wholly against them beware that he do not so dote upon them as to neglect the Summum bonum the chiefest good and let every heart that is against forms beware of these ensuing things 1. That his living above formes be not a preâ—ence of his own and no true and reall thing for many are mightily deceived in this very particular thing they live so high as they live above all formes and Ordinances in the Spirit when alas they are yet living in a form of knowledge scraped up either from their own industry or else got from hearing others report their experiences or apprehensions and he presently conceiving it to be a truth conceives it to be his truth and so fals off crying out and judging all those that live yet out of conscience in the use of formes not enjoying higher makings forth of God and yet he hath but got a notion of this into his understanding and yet is ignorant of living or injoying God in the Spirit 2. Let them beware of as great an evill on the right hand as on the
when this is come Eph. 1. 19. Mat. 24. 30. Sixtly Whether is it the Manifesting of God to thee that gives thee a right to the Promise and from this thou closest with God Or is it that sutablenesse in thee to the words of the promise that gives thee a being whereby thou closest with it If it be the latter it is not right For all Promises are in Christ Yea and Amen And He is the ALL in them and if he be revealed he gives a being to them yea to the creature to live in that being as He is the ALL in them So that the substance of every promise must come into the soule and be revealed in it before the form of words can truly pronounce comfort peace life happinesse or rest to it So as his Rest is not upon the form of words as in Letter expressed but upon the being of it which is God manifest Now many a heart doth feed upon huâ—ks out-sides and externall formes of words and fals short of being caught up into his glory and so resting in the being of all Truth Here it comes to passe that the Creature makes every thing a God and will shape and form out God according to its imaginations and so labours to dispossesse God and to set up its own shape in Gods stead Now promises whether they be sought or cast in they are to be no rest unto any heart for the words of the promise are like unto a figure or type it testifies something to be given to the Sons of men but when a soule is in the possession of those things then it doth not rejoyce upon the words holding out the thing but upon the substance of the thing possessed in the heart but many on the contrary hand for the want of this run after conpitionall promises and when it seeth not the condition of the promises performed in it he labours after a sutablenesse to them before not daring to apply them but when he hath got his heart into such a frame as he imagineth to be sutable to the condition thereof he Resteth there applying life and comfort from it concluding he hath a right unto it from this particular But if at any time he breâ—â—â— the condition his peace is gone because the cause of his peace was his exact performance of the condition of the promise Secondly But some are higher then this and they see a vanity in this and they lock upon Christ as the performer of the condition and if he can but beleeve Christ hath done it and then he hath a right unto the same whereupon he useth meanes to get his judgement convinced of this that Christ died for him and in Conclusion he gets himself convinced of the same and here rests concluding the promises are his because Christ is his when indeed both the ground of his conclusion and confidence is false and so he comes to be deceived Thirdly Another that Rests upon promises before Christs spirituall Coming is when a man hath laine in sad darknesse and bondage and hath a long time waited for a discovery of God and at last some apprehensions of Christ come into his understanding whereupon he stands convinced in his own judgement that Christ is his Whereupon he for the greater increase of his Rest Comfort and peace runnes to promises and applyes them as having a right to them in his own apprehensions by Jesus Christ Here is that which begets the strongest confidence that Christ is come in the Spirit which works that joy and peace the soule thinks shall never be taken from him whereas after a while man is not so quick-sighted nor so clear enlightned but it suddainly lyes in the grave as that which must vanish in the spirituall appearance of Christ in the heart Now this is the great design of Satan to keep the poor creature on the out-sides the husks and would have the Creature wholly to live below the glory of Truth which is the coming of Christ in the Spirit of glory But hearts truly principled before Gods appearance â—e made to waite for him from a great power of himself not in any of these things to rest before they in the glory of the spirit come to enjoy him Mat. 25 10. The thirteenth false Rest. THe next Rest in order to this is great strange and excellent flashes of God so I tearm them and a they the most appear yet they may be true or false resembled or reall First We shall speak of flashes of light in the understanding And neither touch them as they are true or false 1. If they be but flashes they are no reall manifestations of Christ in the Spirit and therefore in the first place They are not of a witnessing nature they bring no reall Testimony of God along with them but leave the creature dark and empty in and of this particular but Christs coming in the Spirit is not without a Witnesse which is both unresistible and satisfactory but flashes whether they are of God distinct or opposite they have no Testimony of the Spirit to witnesse the truth of God to man by the Spirit within man as man is below under the dispensation of a flash whether true or false So secondly They are not of a powerfull Nature they are very weake in comparison of the power of Christ coming in the Spirit For first They do not dispossesse Satan of his habitation whereas the coming of Christ in the spirit doth Mat. 12. 28 29. Secondly They do not dispossesse the Creature of living in himself or they do not carry up the Creature into the glory of God in the Spirit they being of too low a nature no more then flashes in a dark night can bring the Creature into the beholdings of and living in the glory of the Sun so that they are not compleat Revelations of glory neither powerful in effecting the same worke which is accomplished in the coming of Christ in glory 3. They do not satisfie the heart of any they may seemingly give contentment for the present yet the spirit not altogether satisfied whereas the coming of Christ in the glory of the Spirit doth fill and satisfie the heart of any in whom he appears Mal. 3. 10. Mat. 5. 6 yea his coming causeth a running over of the souls Cup yea it is uncontainable mans capacity not being able to receive or comprehend the same for the want of this satisfaction power or witnesse of the Truth of Christs coming he being but under a flash he runnes to Ministers and men of experience to hear their judgement being not satisfied in himself and according to their approbation and judgement he most commonly receives the more or lesse satisfaction and so â—ests whereas if it be Christs coming in the spirit a soul need not run to any Creature in the World to be satisfied in the Truth of what is discovered for HE comes with a Satisfactory witnesse which doth answer all objections and satisfy all doubts
in the heart which may arise yea if men instead of approving do deny it to be truth yet the souls Testimony within it selfe doth bear up his spirit that he is able to say all men belye the truth Rom 8. 16. he not in the least being daunted in his assurance thereof though it be opposed by man or devil neither can such a heart be shaken if all the men of the world should arise against the same coming to disprove it Prov. 10. 25. 30. Also he that runs to any visible externall witnesse pretending Christ is come in the spirit is a creature altogether ignorant of his said coming and lives much below such a coming for to me this is an infallible Truth that if any man pretend Christ is come into him in the Spirit and yet wants an inward Testimony or witnesse for it and so is forced to make use of visible Testators he is a man plainly wanting the enjoyment of the same for God in such a case never leaves himself without a sure satisfactory unresistible and undeniable Testimony which indeed â—he Creature who wants the same may well make use of others But flashes if they be deceiveable pretend to come in with a witnesse and therefore many call this a witneâ—se they being perswaded of the truth of what it enjoyes But this is as much below the witnesse of the spirituall coming of Christ as the light of the stars is below the light of the Sun How many under a state oâ— flashes which I may say is almost the last Carde Satan can play in a soule to deceive him in his transformings do live in most great joy light notions or pretended liberty thinking from a meer perswasion they have within them they live in very high enjoyments and doe beleeve they have a witnesse of the Spirit within them for the truth of what they beleeve when indeed it is but a formed imagination and a Carde plaid gallantly by Satan to keep the creature below the enjoyment of God in â—he Spirit and to live in freedome and rest when not in truth and in the Lord Further this is the reason partly of many ups and downs in the heart whereby the creature is one day a believing and another day doubting because it is not living in the enjoyment of Christ in the spirit but may be is under some flashes and so it comes to pass that it is unsetled and unfixed in God Fourthly Flashes are of no long continuance they are not of an enduring nature for they presently appear are presently gone and so though the Creature had a great deale of light and joy yet when the flash comes to be taken away away gos all the Creatures joy and light and he is left in the cloudes of darknesse and sorrow again Whereas when Christ comes in the Spirit it is not so then all sorrow and mourning shall flie away Isa 60. 19 20. and the darknesse of the Creature shall be expelled and God shall become unto the soul an everlasting light Rev. 21. 3. 24. so that God and the Lamb shall live in his heart and be light and glory to him so as his Sun shall never go down but he shall live in the light of God and the Lamb for ever and ever For his coming in the Spirit is after the Resurrection of a soul out of the grave whereby he is carried up in the light and glory of God from the descendings of that light and glory from God so as there is a living in the light God lives in and a swallowing up in the same glory God is swallowed up withall but a flash leaves in its withdrawing the Creature in the same it found him in if not worse for a flash of light or joy is like a flash of light in the Skye upon the darkest night it appears to be the greater the greater the darknesse is So upon a darke soul when it s possessed with much darknesse the lest flash that can appear in that is very great and admirable so that the heart being no otherwise able to judge lookes upon it as a manifestation of God yea may be a very glorious one yet it is not so and at last is taken away and the creatures hopes and expectations are frustrated Whereas to such a soul as lives in the day naturall or spirituall hardly can discerne or take notice of such a flash or light because it is so much inferiour to the light and glory of the Sun and day which now is appeared and shines either within him or without him These flashes in the first place if they be of Satan the very end thereof is to lull the creature asleep in the bed of security and there is no resting of the same by any poor creature For First It workes and comes in sutable to the Creatures necessities pretending redresse for the same Secondly It comes with a glorious resembled form or shape God workes in and so it becomes a transformed Satan and not a transfigured Christ Thirdly It is not able to discern the same by reason of the absence of the true light which makes all things manifest Ephes 5. 13 yea the very transforming of Satan Fourthly Flashes in this nature do come with furniture to back the truth of what it doth declare or speak if there be any jealousies arise in the heart as sometimes there is yet it doth furnish him with strength to mannage the entertainment of it and his joy and peace from it and here Satan plaies his part for if the heart be of an opinion that it is possible for a soul to doubt after he hath enjoyed a manifestation of God then he will put a creature upon doubting to make good that false un-sound and un-experienced principle of men that the truest faith is accompanied with the greatest doubtings and here the heart is stil deluded and kept in strong perswasions of the truth of his flash 2. If the heart be of that judgement that it is impossible that a soul can doubt again after he hath enjoyed a manifestation of God Then Satan will transform himself into a capacity of confirming the creature in labouring in all transformed actions to confirme the creature in his assurance of the truth of what he enjoyes and so upon all occasions addes to what he hath done and so the poor creature Rests satisfied in and upon what the Creature calls his manifestations of God now flashes that usually attend a creature that is truly enlightned by God though not fully possessed with God yet he being waiting for the coming of Christ in the spirit is sometimes attended with flashes or light of joy but they if from God most commonly have these ensuing effects 1. They do underprop and support a weary fainting spirit in his spirituall travell to his land of Rest so as he is made to wait with free submission to God untill it enjoy an appearance of God in the Spirit 2. Instead of causing a man
to rest they declare against it and do discover the vanity to it of many other Rests it hath been resting upon below the enjoyment of God in the spirit so that it is so farre from it as it is an Angell appearing unto whom man would gladly fall down and worship Rev. 19. 10. 22. 8. yet it saith to the Creature as the Angel said to John Worship me not so saith the flash rest not upon me I am but as a messenger from God I am not the dispensation of God appearing in the Spirit I am in the form of an Angell I am not the God upon whom thou must rest and worship 3. Flashes from God beget a higher breathing in the soul and a greater dis-satisfaction in the soul untill it come to enjoy an appearance of God in the Spirit of glory it is so farre from causing a soule to rest as indeed it workes a contrary frame of spirit which is a restlesnesse in the heart untill it come to enjoy that which in the flash is represented to it also if so be that there have been any with-drawings back of the heart from seeking after God this Flash doth mightily stir up the heart of that Creature from that principle of the contrary nature namely a breathing after and a restlesse satisfaction untill it come to possesse God in the Spirit of glory The fourteenth false Rest. THe next Rest in order to this which partly the creature passeth through is the appearance of God in formes and administrations under which the Creature is mightily elevated in his Spirit as Jonah was with his Gourd which God gave him which workes a great displeasure in the heart when God would have the Creature brought into a higher dispensation of God Administrations I must confesse are appointed by God and in the same he usually appeareth in a low manner so as he sometimes doth give the Creature much refreshment in the use thereof but not to be the Soules Rest as though this were a full manifestation of God in the Spirit but to set the heart in a frame to see by this the great glory that shall be revealed unto him in the Coming of Christ in the Spirit for thus it workes If God be so glorious in a glimpse of himself in a forme how much greater will be the appearance of himself in the spirit which instead of rest thus working it is made to have a higher breathing in its spirits after the Rest which he sees afterwards to be enjoyed from God So that the heart is led by God through those many dispensations of God to see beyond them Rest to be enjoyed from God which cannot be enjoyed in these low Administrations under which he breaths and lives but others they instead of this rest highly satisfied in their spirits making iâ— their glory and Rest of spirit to be an enjoyer of those Administrations and appearances of flashes in the same making it the ground of all their Rest yea making it their God of Rest As though the Children of Israel should have said Here will we Rest as beleeving we are in the Land of Canaan when God led them under and through those many Administrations by appearing in the form of a Cloud of Fire for I look upon this to be the very symptome of this manner of Rest we are a speaking of I do not condemn the Children of Israel for their following the leadings of God in those Administrations neither do I condemne any man who is in the use of formes seeing God led them in and unto the same and that it is that which supports their spirits namely their seeing and apprehending God in such a forme as the soule is employed in with these provisoes Namely First The not resting here Secondly The not conceiving this to be the enjoyment of a Saints rest but his way to go or to be led in his travelling towards the Land Thirdly His expecting of and waiting for the Coming of Christ in the Spirit which shall swallow up and go beyond his present sight of God in formes whereby he shall come to possesse the fame in that manner as is more glorious then his sight which shall never be more taken away or changed into another forme But when a Saint who pretends to see the appearance of GOD doth rest here concluding this is the true Rest and the appearance of God in the Spirâ—t and so doth not only cease waiting for another Coming but opposeth and speakes against it This is a false Rest and not to be owned as of God for the many dispensations Christ went through before and after his death yet his Rest was not in the same but as a waiting after be was to have passed through these Administrations and Dispensations of God to enjoy a higher then all these which was his Ascending into the glory of God in the Spirit and to make this his habitation and Rest and to be as a stranger and pilgrim in all the other Administrations in the flesh in which he did enjoy many appearances of God yet he passed through them all and at last was made to enjoy his Rest which was the glorious enjoyment of God after his ascension into God farre beyond all formes and Administrations yea beyond the Manifestations of God in the measure thereof And so Rest in the same glory which is to be every believers Rest for the Rest of Christ is the same Rest of every Beleever and the same glory he Rests and breathes in is to be the Rest and breathing-place of every Beleever And as Christ cannot nor shall never be changed into any other form then now He lives Rests and breaths in so shall it be with every heart who shall be truly centred upon God He shall never be changed into any other forme Rest or glory then he is in when he comes to be truly stated in his living everlasting Rest below which he is not to be looked upon either by himselfe or others to be in any true substantiall Rest yea though this do worke much peace and joy in the heart of such a party to see the appearance of God in formes and administrations yet though a soule may delight here under some considerations yet to make this his Rest and habitation is to live in and upon Jonahs Gouâ—d or as if the Children of Israel should have rested in the wildernesse when God did refresh them with Manna and so in the same have made their habitation short of the Land of Canaan for God appearing in the forme of a Cloude or Pillar of fire was not for this end that they might make their habitation there No more is the appearance of God in any Gospel-forme but to be as that spirituall leading into a place where God shall appear in more fuller glory and shall no more change his forme but shall appear alwaies in the same glory in and to the spirit of such a Creature So that what changeable forme God is
confirmed by outward signes after Christ appeared in the form of flesh shall in the mystery thereof be confirmed to and in us by the internall workings miracles which shall attend Christs spiritual coming in the Soul and that in the Spirit Now I say that neither do mens waitings appear to be that which men conceive them to be nor if they did enjoy that at the last which they waite for it would not prove that to them nor give that content peace joy and cause of Rest in them nor assurance to them which they expect from it and think to attain when they come to attain it I wish that men would turne the wheele into the waiting for the inward coming of these things in a more spiritual manner For my own part I thinke they would enjoy more quietnesse in their spirits for the present and more settlement and rest peace and safety in them for the future when it comes to be experienced But I think I may say thus much to such spirits that I think when they enjoy that they waite for viz. the powrings out of the spirit from which to enjoy power to worke outward miracles it will be in the enjoyment thereof But I should be sorry to live without the enjoyment of God to that day and I am confident all such souls shall be weary before they see the same enjoyed by them But secondâ—y To all such as have the same in pretence I do not see how they can make them any safe Rests seeing that Saul and many others did goe as far in the gifts of prophesie or any other gift of the Spirit as any almost who did sweetly enjoy God and that was the cause why these words were spoken They shall say in that day have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out devils c. Mat. 7. 22 23. Yet see the reply of Christ he did not own them in the same though they did make it their Rest before and their plea then yet it was nothing but that which proved both un sound and un-safe for them Secondly The workings of Antichrist and the mystery of iniquity doth worke with all deceivablenesse doing great wonders in the eyes of the world yet alas it is both for the deceiving of the party who hath it and for the deceiving of the parties who beleeve it witness the worke of the Magicians who when they acted the same things Moses did yet the parties who acted the parties who beleeved the same were both deceived so though there were any in our daies who could doe the â—ame work that they or Judas did yea greater then they did yet the parties might â—e reprobates and cast-awaies and however they may be â—uddainly taken away and herefore un-safe for any soul to Rest thereon It must be the power of God within and thâ—se inward miracles which God works as the effect of his coming viz The casting out of he devils within and bringing down mountaines of pride and selfe and exalting of his Christ in the soul so as the soul is un bottomed of all his false â—rops and carried wholly out of himselfe above himselfe into the power and majesty of that Christ exalted to live by and in that same power and glory by which God lives in the heart So that I say to look for outward powers in this case as I and many more have done or if they were enjoyed to make them their Rests both are to me un-sound and every party as well as my selfe shall finde the evill and un-soundnesse thereof Now having discovered as many false Rests as at present I am free to discover I shall in the next place shew how difficult it is and how hard it goes with the creature to part with these his false Rests which are false but in reference to his Resting and abusing the end for which such a dispensation was given The Soul being in the first place as I may say establisht upon them making them his God be they formes or what they will when it seemes to be taken away he being brought to a non-plus in his spirit He cries They have taken a way my God What must I do So that there ariseth as it were a storme within this creature which begets a spirit of discontent in the creature Witnesse the same in Ionahs Gourd which God had given him yet being abused in the end for which it was given in the taking of it away there was a spirit of murmuring and discontent And thus it is alwaies when creatures would be Resting upon any thing below God when God seems to take it away from the creature The more the soul was glued to it and Rested upon it and made a God of it the more difficult and hard it goes with the creature to part with the same yea the more discontent doth arise in that heart First then It ariseth from the abuse of our being glued to any Administration so as not to use it to that end for which it was appointed Secondly The cause partly of this ariseth sometimes from the greatnesse of the losse it works in the creature in being to part with the same as many soules it may be have spent the glory of their age and strength to patch up a Religion of their owne and have taken much paines to accomplish the same It may be hath been twenty years a professor and hath all this time been labouring to patch up a Rest and having got one in one moment God raises the foundation thereof this works such a losse in the soule as indeed to have many a glorious gift burned up yea many a glorious day of joy twenty yeares profession in one moment laid in the dust and now to deny it self in all his paines and parts of wisdome and knowledge This must needs go hard and be very difficult with a poor heart to part with all And the Creature will have many shifts and puttings off before he will be made freely to part with all and to deny himself in all The condition of such a soul is like a man that all his daies hath been taking pains night and day to comprehend some estate and when he hath got such an estate he fals a building and makes great buildings and when he hath furnished the same takes delight in it and sets his heart upon it and behold when he is solacing himself in what he hath got and done In a moment there is a fire consumes the same to the dust which being beheld by the party he is amazed and much perplexed in his spirit upon which occasion in some it begets death in others discontentednesse and murmurings yea repinings of spirit so as it is not only a day of sorrow but it continnues so And this parties losse being exceeding great and his expectation frustrated he is now at a non-plus not knowing what to do So it is with a heart after God either hath given gifts or
something below himself or for the which the Creature hath been labouring all his dayes and at last having attained so much as now he Rests with the Church of Laodicea in a conceited happinesse When God comes to butn down this house the soule hath been all his dayes building though upon it may be a false foundation he layes the Creature and his worke in the dust so as now the soul is stripr naked of all his conceited holinesse or righteousnesse and happinesse upon which sight the creature is wrought into an amazment and astonishment of spirit wondring what God is a doing with him in this sad condition which works death and sorrow and the grave and nothing but discontentednesse before and a labouring to stand and not to part with the same untill he be forced to it by an unresistible power the soule before is crying What must I be stript naked of all What is all my praying fasting mourning and the like all taken from me so as now I have nothing to Rest upon Must I part with all Oh especially this creatures riches is hard to part with as it was with the young man who wanted all things in the want of one thing who notwithstanding had enough of the World and I feare too much of this wee are speaking of for he was nigh the Kingdome of heaven yet to part with all for a Christ Oh how loth he was Oh this parting with all goes hard makes many sorrowfull either in respect of outward or inward riches It is most commonly this inward riches which is the life of most professors in our dayes untill God unbottome them of their professions and forms and self-doings and fulnesse and the most that are destroyed in our Land I feare are in this particular when poor creatures are so glued to themselves or formes or their own righteousnesse and self-riches that indeed they live upon the same and make a life out of it and a God upon it and so dwell as though they were in heaven when indeed they are neither in the way to it nor possessed with it But if ever God appear either to them or in them God will unveile them so as indeed though they have bin professors never so long and in the same are become rich in their own eyes and in the eyes of others yet I beleeve God will burne it up and bring them to a losse and make their high and lofty spirits lye in the dust as he hath done with many in their condition I look that the greatest losers in our dayes shall be the longest and tallest professors though their losing it may for the future tend to their greatest gaine yea Englands professors shall ere long cry out of their inward losses more then their outward losses and they shall be stript more naked in matter of spirituals then ever they were of temporals though in the losse of both it may be accompained with little freedome but rather unwillingnes at present and repinings of spirit though at the last they may be delivered from their straits and be cloathed with the Sun and then shall trample the Moon under their feet I doe not speak of professors in reference to any particular faction but I speak of all under what denomination or title soever that are professing God before they be possessed with him who are storing up inward riches but not of the Spirit and Rest upon it as though it were of God which when God makes it manifest by the day according to that Scripture 1 Cor. 3. 3. c. it burns and is consumed either because it was not of God or else because it was Rested upon below God So that now to be brought out of the Creature and all its own fulnesse or self actings are so contrary to it and so for the annihilating of it so that indeed man in and of himselfe will oppose God stand out against this work of annihilation to have a Creature who before was rich in and of himselfe or from some administration of God below the enjoyment of God in the same and according to which and for the want of which the Creature makes his habitation below Heaven though he lives as an Angell yet as miserable as any devil in reference to his want of God in a way of enjoyment it being thus with a poor heart that to part with his false Rest is so hard and difficult How then comes the soul to see them to be false in reference to his Resting upon them though they may be true as they are an administration of God I say how comes the soule to see them to be false and so either willing to have them either dissolved if they be administrations of God or burned and consumed if they be of the Creature In answer to this we will say both waies in Scripture and experience And First God makes them known to the Creature and him willing at last to part with them by discovering unto him the emptinesse of these dispensations wherin he is made to see the non-satisfaction and un-safenesse thereof if continued in by the Creature as thus either by discovering unto a soule the want of his presence in it wherein it appears to be truly empty or else by frustrating the Creatures expectation in the not enjoying that from these things but in conceit which it did expect to finde in them and receive from them and herein God hedges up the souls waies with thornes so that now it cannot find that comfort and refreshment in those things which formerly it rested upon and drew comfort from now God making them empty and vain to the heart it is forced to cry out as Solomon of the vanity thereof and to say with them in the 24. of Isa 16. verse Our leannesse our leannesse so as now he is made willing to submit to the burnings up of his expectation by seeing the vanity of his conceptions in them Secondly By representing to the understanding a more excellent Rest and center for his spirit both sure and safe this begets a breathing after the enjoyment of that Rest which it is made to see without it not as yet enjoyed by it Isa 11. 10. 13. 16. 28. 8. this same makes the soule willing to forgoe the one that he may enjoy the other For as Canaan was discovered to the Children of Israel to be more excellent and glorious then that place of Aegypt was wherein they were in bondage which made them at their departure from it to be willing to part with the Garlick and flesh-pots so it is with a soule in this case the more the glorious Rest of Christ is represented to any soule the more it doth discover false Rests and the more it doth unbottome every Creature thereof Thirdly They are discovered too and unbottomed off these Rests by the departure of God from any administration so as the soule desires not to Rest where God is departed for if it hath been
worke in filling the hearts of his People with the knowledge of himselfe he Centers all in this To him shall the Gentiles seek and his Rest shall be glorious Isa 11. 10. Yea the Rest of Saints is the very Substance of his glory which glory is Christ when he comes to be manifested in his Saints and to be admired by them 2 Thes 1. 9 10. Secondly It wholly takes up the Creature who is Centred in it so as now the soule or spirit is wholly swallowed up of God and unexpressibly overcome is such a soul The glory of God which is Christ is that which swallows up mens spirits and the more it appeares in them the more it overcomes them so as now they are taken up in their spirits being gathered up into it with nothing else but it So as now the souls delight joy solace is now alone in nothing but in him who is become a glorious Center to him Thirdly The Rest of Saints gives Saints full contentment the full satisfaction of Saints lyes in living and Resting compleatly in this glory which truly is Christ so as man sometimes is lost in the greatnesse of it The least manifestation of this glory doth fill the creatures capacity so that untill the capacity be enlarged with more of God it can desire no farther enjoyment or discovery of it so as now his spirit is filled with glory And that which makes it the more satisfactory is the Centering of the spirit up in it Now Christ in the Spirit becoming a Saints Rest all other seeming glories which before the soul was sheltred under and lived upon are now vanished and decayed and the greatnesse of this glory which is the Vision of God yea the manifestation of his glory in man takes up man into it to live wholly in it and so to remaine in compleat satisfaction and contentment of spirit for a great part of a soules Rest consists in this very particular to wit the gloriousnesse thereof together with the swallowing up of the creature with it and the givving the spirit a compleat contentment in it for it would be in time a place of wearinesse unlesse it were a place giving the creature full contentment Secondly It would be no place for Saints to delight and solace themselves in unlesse they could be wholly taken up and swallowed up with that which of necessity must be enjoyed from it and unlesse it did exceed all glory that could be imagined it could be no rest for the spirit of a spirituall man So that it must be an unexpressible glory swallowing up of men spirits with it and giving that spirit compleat satisfaction and contentment in it The fourth description of true Rest IN the fourth place This Rest is a carrying forth of the Creature out of the creature into the place where he had his first being to live for every in him who is now become his manifested being First before we speak of the Rest it self we will observe That there is no true Rest for the creature in himself for if man either rest in his pure naturals or upon any refined property in himself he rests out of his proper Element I mean as he is a spirituall man yea it is both unsafe and unsound so to doe neither can man with any solid delight or true contentment rest in or upon any either pure naturals or refined properties or parts within himself though man could attain to his first principles and purity yet if he rested upon them he would live below the true Center of Spirits for indeed the rest and proper being of all spirits especially those that are renewed is the Eternal Word of God which Word is Christ who made all things in the World of nothing into which nothing they are to return But the spirits of men or especially that renewed spirit of Saints that came downe from the Father of spirits who begot this spirit in them not by flesh but by himself in his spirituall breathings and actings in the Creature which spirit of man cannot live in any true element neither can it live satisfied untill it come into its proper and originall being from whence it came for every thing is in its right place when it is returned into its originall and place from whence it was derived so that the spirit returnes to God that gave it Eccl. 12. 7 and the flesh of the man into the dust from whence it was derived so that man as he is carnall and flesh it cannot be possible that the spirit of any should take much delight in the same so as to make it the satisfying Center But yet after it is renewed it may be compared to Noahs Dove it sees the Deluge and looks abroad in the flesh to the Mountain of former self-actings and pure naturals yet it cannot rest in the same neither can it take any delight therein but is made to return to the Arke Jesus Christ who though he is in the soul yet above it as the Arke above the water so Christ above the Creature though within it as the deluge in the world so that the Creature as man is no fit place for a renewed spirit to be centred up in but he must by divine power be brought out of himselfe into that eternall being of spirits who is said to be above man though in man Eph. 4. 6. as the Arke above the deluge though in the world Now man cannot Rest truly in himself But Secondly The place into which the Soule is carried is and was the first being of his spirit and now manifested so to be to the creature which being was Christ this Christ was Gods eternall thoughts of Love in which man had a being and now comes in time as a Being to be manifested in the Saints so the one was the unknown Being of Saints before time where they lay in the Love and heart of God which nothing could remove them out of it the other Rest is the known Rest and Being of Saints made manifest unto them in time which knowledge begets a returning of spirit who with much wearinesse of spirit have been waiting for such a day of redemption Luke 21. 28. that it might return into its first originall and being and to be fully secured in its God which before it neither knew nor did experience So that after the heart hath a discovery of this Being it is like a Load-stone touching the Needle the Needle can stand no way but towards the North and South so with the Spirit of man after it is touched with his Being and center manifested it is not able to Rest in all the glories or excellencies that can possibly be imagined until it be returned into its being he is like a wicked man or man of this world who cannot act but in his element and like a Fish whose element is in the water so with the spirit of man he cannot act in his right sphere untill he come into his first originall
Christ who in name is called the Manifestation of Love is unchangeable in reference to the being and cause of this manifested Love which is Christ for if we consider him as the bosome love of God He is not so Christ to us or in us but as this comes to be manifest to us which manifestation or the thing manifest is onely Christ for I look thus that not onely Christ as he was in the flesh was Christ only in that form and no more but what ever was manifest either by or in that form was in Name the Christ and in Nature Christ in God now Saints Rest is not in Christ as manifested only in distinction but Christ is the Rest of Saints as God hath designed him for that purpose and so comes by God in Saints to be made manifest carrying up Saints to live in the full glory power and splendor of that God who did make manifest himself in this manifestation which is Christ And no other way come soules truly to know the Father either in love or mercy but as the Father doth manifest himself in this very particular Christ revealed in mens hearts in which men may see God clearly and for the want of which Philip was ignorant when he said to Christ Joh. 14. 8. Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth us They were ignorant what the Father and Christ were in the spirit though Christ were with them in the flesh and the reason was because Christ within them was not by God made manifest to them therefore would they have been making Tabernacles in such a low fleshly knowledge where in truth they knew nothing of him in relation to the spirit nor of that conjunction betwixt him and the Father that whensoever Christ spiritually was made manifest there the Father was manifest also because there was one undevideable nature and being in such cases betwixt the Father and the Son so that the Saints Rest is in this clearly manifested God within us who in tearm and Truth is called Christ so that now as Christs center was in the Father and now is to dwell in the fulnesse of his Glory so Saints being in him are carried by him to live with him in the same glory and love and to conclude this when we can say from experience that which Paul said in the Gal. 1. 16. That when it pleased the Father to reveal his Christ in him â—hen shall we know that the manifestation of God to us is the Revelation of Christ in us 3. Christ spiritually discovered in men and so knowne by them and so becoming Rest to them is a clear light of God in the Creature which light and glory is onely Christ and thus he is often described in Scripture not onely as he was a light in the flesh without us prescribing rules of light to us but chiefly as he shall become the light and glory of God within us for as he was in the forme oâ— flesh he was a mystery unknowne yea he was not such a light so as God intended him because he was then but in the figure holding forth what he would worke and what he should be when he was to come in the glory of the spirit within men for his being in the flesh was a very dark dispensation For even the Apostles who were the most conversant with him did know little and were very ignorant of the truth So as indeed they thought he was come to set up a Kingdome in the flesh and that he would advance them in some great place as appeares So that it was Gods great design which was held forth in that forme of flesh which is the sum of that Scipture where he is declared to be the light of the Gentiles and to be the glory of the people Israel Luk. 2. 32. Now to prove it by Scripture that this Christ is in the spirituall coming and advancing in the soule a glorious and Divine light We see it very clear from that Scripture in the 60. of Isa 1. 2. Where the Lord declares the manner of Christs spirituall appearing in the soule Arise shine for thy Light is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee This same Scripture though men do labour to deny it to be meant of Christs appearance in any particular soule yet he that hath found the appearance of Christ within him hath found him fully making good these sayings The matter however that here is promised at the raising up of distressed spirits is Light and Glory which light is God appearing in a dispensation of light and glory the which dispensation is Christ in us for he is both the light and glory of God and all things that are either spirituall light or glory discovered is Christ for according to that Scripture Rev. 21. 23. The glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof As if he should say when the Lord comes to dwell spiritually in the manifestation of glory within the spirit of man and so set up a Temple in the creature according to the 22. verse Then shall all those lights which before the soul hath been guided by whether they were flashes or resembled light now there shall be no need of the same but the glory of God now shall there be to enlighten the same yea Christ shall be the light thereof so that he shall be filled with true light whoever hath the glorious appearance of Christ within him he stall become a compleat light unto that soul So as he shall not stand in need of any inferiour light but they shall be dissolved when the glory of the Sun appeareth so that in such a soule to whom Christ is become in this manner a light unto he shall have no night there according to that in the 22. of Rev. 5. verse But the Lord shall fill such a soule with light yea he shall give to such spirits Him in whom there is no darknesse as in a spirituall dispensation and as he is termed in Iohn 1. 9. verse He is here called The true Light which lighteneth everyman that cometh into the world He is here called true in opposition to fallacy as if he should lay open many false lights in the world and within men yet he was come as a true light to distinguish betwixt true and false and so he is a distinguishing light in every spirit who hath received him for though Satan hath transformed himselfe into an Angel of light in deceiving a creature yet notwithstanding when his true light appears in any heart it doth both discover it and destroy it according to that in the 2 Thes 2. 7 8 9 10. That though the mystery of iniquity and anti-Christ be never so deceiveable and glorious in their workings and transformings both within and without the creature yet Christ shall reveale and destroy it with the spirit of his mouth and the brightnesse of his coming And true it is that Satan both in matter of formes