Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	know_v	see_v	soul_n	6,285	5	4.9453	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67808	Crooked pathes made straight: or, The wayes of God made knowne to lost sinners, or bewildered saints Wherein is represented the severall conditions of a Christian in the spirit, as hee growes up out of weaknesse into strength, through death into life eternall. By Anne Yemans.	Yemans, Anne.	1648 (1648)	Wing Y30A; ESTC R222187	125,255	256

to God that all the Lords people were Prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them Num. 11. Here is the spirit taken off of Moses which was a type of Christ and then ●hey prophesied ceased not Truly friends when the Lord doth put that Spirit of Christ upon us then we shall speak forth the things of God for we cannot but speake the things that we have seen and ●eard and enjoyed and let none be found to des●ise the things of God I have here set forth to you the way of God as plain as I am able shewing you the subtilty of the Devil in all his ways and how like the ways of God many of his ways are but the Spirit of God in us doeh discern the difference and ●e will reveal himself in us by degrees that as wee are Saints we shall see know enjoy him whom our soul loveth and waite with patience while he● doth manifest himself to you And I beseech you read this over with patience and the Lord give you understanding I have shown you the bondage that we have been led in in the first place and then in the next place what Christ hath done for all how he is offered to all And in the third place what hee hath done for his Children and what they are in him to him and ye may see what difference there is between being led on in a legall way and being led by the Spirit of God I have beginn in the lowest way as I could shewing you by degrees the mysteries of God for your better understanding And if there be any thing in it that seemes to you not to be truth yet despise it not before you know whether it be or no Neither would I have you embrace for a truth while it is made cleare to you to be a truth but waite upon God for him to reveale his mind to you and if the Lord be pleased to crowne my labour by his Spirit working with it upon any of you it will be my joy for God to be glorified and for you to be benefited The which I shall heartil● pray for and remaine Yours in the Lord. Anne Yemans Crooked paths made STRAIGHT OR The wayes of God made knowne to the weakest SAINTS CHAP. I. The poore soule lying under the burthen of sin is wishing to be eased WHen the Lord comes and manifests himself to us that he hath sowed the seeds of himselfe in us which is the good seed spoken of in Mat. 13.3 Then immediately the Tares appeare which is sin and wickednesse then there is a crying out Men and Brethren what shall we doe Acts 3.38 and 19. 16. Master what good thing shall I doe th●● I may have eternall life but while we are thinking of doing something for eternall life the● comes Sathans enditements against us an● layes our sins before us and tels us what Rebels we have been against the King of Heaven and hee brings the condemning power of th● Law before them Cursed is every one that dot● not all things that is written in the Booke An● also in Deut. 28.12 And it shall come to pass●● if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voyce 〈◊〉 the Lord thy God to observe and doe all his Commandements which I command thee this day tha● the Lord thy God will set thee on high above a 〈◊〉 Nations on the Earth And all these blessing shall come on thee and overtake thee if tho● shalt hearken unto the voyce of the Lord th● God Blessed shalt thou be in the City and blessed in the field c. But thou finding that tho● hast not done it then the the 15. and 1● verses of this Chapter and so along But 〈◊〉 shall come to passe if thou wilt not hearken unt● the voyce of the Lord thy God to observe to doe a● his Commandements that all these curses com● upon thee and overtake thee Cursed shalt th● be in the City and cursed shalt thou be in t●● field And so going along threatning curs● for thy disobedience and all places of Scripture that is sutable to this is laid before thee and then thou being sore perplext to thinke how thou hast walked contrary to the minde of God and that he is angry with thee for thy sinnes and all the curses of God belong unto thee and hell and damnation gapes for thee then thou bethinkst thy selfe of the gracious call of Christ Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Then thou bethinkest thy selfe to goe to the Lord by repentance that so thou maist have rest then these places of Scripture sets thee on repentance Ezek. 18.21 But if the wicked will returne from all his sinnes that hee hath committed and keepe all my statutes and do that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live he shall not dye And vers 30. Repent and turne your selves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine and vers 31. to the end of the chapter Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby you have transgressed mee and make you a new heart and a new spirit For why will you dye O house of Israel for I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord God wherefore turne your selves and live ye And Jer. ● 12 Returne thou backe-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon ●ou for I am mercifull saith the Lord and I will not keepe anger for ever And Jer. 4.1 If ●hou wilt returne O Israel saith the Lord return unto me and if thou wilt put away thy abhominations out of my sight then shalt thou not remove And vers 14. O Jerusalem wash thy heart fro● wickednesse that thou maist be saved how long shall thy vaine thoughts lodge within thee Hos 14.10 O Israel returne unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity And the● he saith vers 4. I will heale their back-sliding I will love them truly for my anger is turned aw●● from them Prov. 1.23 Turne you at my reproof Behold I will poure out my Spirit unto you I wil● make knowne my words unto you Isa 1.16.13 Wash you make you cleane put away the evill 〈◊〉 your doings from before my eyes Cease to doe evill learne to doe well seeke judgement relieve th● oppressed judge the fatherlesse plead for the widdom So here you see there is a repentance calle● for not only a repenting for the sins that i● past but a returning from thy evill wayes and doing that is pleasing in his sight An● v●rs 18. Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord when thou hast done this a●●gh● then there is free passage for thee to goe to th● Lord and hee will reason with thee Thouh● you● sinnes bee as scarlet they shall be as white 〈◊〉 snow though they be red like crimson they shall 〈◊〉 as wool If

Crooked PATHES Made STRAIGHT OR The wayes of God made knowne to lost Sinners or bewildered SAINTS Wherein is represented the severall conditions of a Christian in the Spirit as hee growes up out of weaknesse into strength through death into life eternall By ANNE YEMANS Isa 40.3 The voyce of him that cryeth in the wildernesse prepare ye the way of the Lord make straight in the desart a high way for our God LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the black-spread Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1648. To the READER Gentle Reader I Have done mine endeavour to set forth unto you in some measure the bondage that we have been in by sin the Devill and false Teachers what wounds wee have received by them and all hath been because we have not been able to discerne the difference between the wayes of God and Anti-christ And the more wee strive struggle in our own strength the more we are wounded while Jesus Christ doth appeare to us to reveal some light of himselfe to us and hee is that Son of righteousnesse that will appeare to us with healing in his wings Mal. 4.2 He will reveal his love to us and heale up all our wounds and lead us in the way that we should walke taking us by the hand and leading us gently as we are able to goe and drawing us with the cords of love Most of the children of God have been in this spiritual bondage and those that have been in it and are brought out of it doth know in some measure how to comfort them that are in it and the Lord doth make us many times instrumentall under himselfe for th comfort and edifying one of another but it is Gol that doth make known all things to us whether it be by meanes or without and we ought to give him all the honour it is very dangerous to idolize the meanes neither ought we to slight it thougo it be by never so mean a person For out of the mouth of babes will hee be praised And let not us undervalue any thing that is of God whosoever it be spoken by for God is no respecter of persons I beseech you beloved let not this my labour seeme odious to you nor caus● you to slight i● because it is written by a weak woman nor for you to harbour any strange thoughts of me for the writing of it for I have my self gon● through much spirituall bondage in severall wayes and finding many severall turnes and windings of Satan how cunning hee is in all his wayes an● transforming himselfe to an Angel of light labours our destruction in all things And the Lord having brought mee out of that bondage into tha● spirituall freedome which is in Christ for all th● Saints and I seeing many that are yet in spirit●● all bondage and knows not what freedome there 〈◊〉 in Christ for them it doth cause my bowels of affection to yern to them Yet I should not presume 〈◊〉 set forth this in writing but that I have beene exceedingly moved by the Spirit of God to doe i● that I could not be quiet till I had begun it I ha●● done what I could before I did begin to doe it to p●● those thoughts out of my mind bringing as many objections against it as I could but still the Spirit of God moved me more and more with motives to stirre mee up to doe it and many promises for the enabling of me to doe it knocking all the objections in pieces that came against it and this was one thing that was laid before me When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren And if thou lovest me feed my Lambs Ioh. 21.15 And another was I am no respecter of persons And also if we are the children of God we must be led by the Spirit of God to doe what hee would have us but after I saw it was of God I durst not refuse to doe it for obedience is better than sacrifice 1 Sam. 15.22 For I plainly see how dearly God loveth all man-kind but especially his children and those that are babes in Christ how great his love to them is yea even those that Christ is but newly conceived in If there be but a desiring really after God though there be yet no enjoyment of God hee will not quench smoaking fl●xe and his love is as great to those that are the lowest and weakest Saints as to those that are the highest and strongest onely hee makes his love knowne more to them than to those that are yet weake and his making his love known to us causeth us to grow strong in him We all were weake at the first but be strengthens us by degrees as he revealeth himselfe to us more and more and so be will doe to you and when hee doth reveale any thing to any it is not only for them bit that they should declare i● unto others that t●ey may know what love Go● hath toward them that our weake brethren ma● he strengthned and the lambs of God whic● are the young children of God may be fed 〈◊〉 and the doing of this aright is exceeding pleasin● to God Here is one signe of our love to God an● after wee have found our Beloved all our desire should be that we should be led wholly by the Spirit of God to glorifie him and setting forth hi● praise and not to fear the scandals reproaches o● the world which are like thornes springing u● by the Devill labouring to choake the pur● truth of Christ but I passe not what scandals o● reproaches I meete with all by this booke settin● forth for truth doth always finde some great enemies and the more because it is written by a woman for there are some always that doe respect th● persons of people having mens persons in admiration Jude 16. My brethren have not th● faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of gl●ry with respect of persons Ja. 2.1 And 〈◊〉 shall come to pass in the last days saith God● I will pour of my spirit upon all fish you sons your daughters shal prophesie you young men shall see visiions and your old me shall dream dreams and on my servant an on my hand-maidens I will pour out in tho● days of my spirit they shall prophesie Joel 2.28 Act. 2.17 18. When the children of Israel murmured for flesh to eate and Moses was not able to bear it the Lord bid him gather seventy men of the Elders of the people and the Lord toook off ●he spirit that was upon Moses and put upon them and when the spirit rested upon them then they prophesied and did not cease and there was two ●f that seventy that went not out of the Host and they also prophesied Then there ran a young man and told Moses and said Eldad and Medad doe prophesie in the host And there was one answered and said My Lord Moses forbid them but Moses said unto him Enviest thou for my sake Yea would

idolize it but the excellence of man is but flesh even the best of it as all outward gifts without the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3. Though I speake with the tongues of men and Angels and have not charity I am become as sounding brasse or a tinckling cymbal And though I had the gift of prophesie and knew all secrets and all knowledge yea and if I had all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not love I were nothing And though I feed the poore with all my goods and though I give my bodye that I be burned and ho●● not love it profiteth me nothing All this without love which is the Spirit For God and th● Spirit is one 1 John 5.7 God is love 1 Joh ● 8 All these excellent things without the Spiri● profieth me nothing Why because our happinesse consists alone in God and not in excellent cutward gifts without him Paul ha● a great many before his conversion yet h● looked upon them as the workes of the flesh for he had not then the Spirit of God Fo● we are the Circumcision which worship Go● in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus an● have no confidence in the flesh Though I al● might have confidence in the flesh If any ma● thinketh that hee hath whereof he might t●● in the flesh much more I Circumcised th● eighth day of the kindred of Israel of the tr●● of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews by th● Law a Pharisee Concerning zeal I perse●ted the Church touching the righteousn●●● which is in the Law I was unrebukeable B● things that were vantage to me the sam● counted losse for Christs sake Yea doubtle● I think all but losse for the excellent knowled● sake of Christ Jesus my Lord. For wh●● I have counted all things losse and dee 〈◊〉 them to be dung that I might winne Christ and might be found in him that is not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through faith Phil. 3.3 to the 9. All flesh is as grasse and all the glory of man is as the flowr of grasse The grasse withereth and the flowre falleth away but the word of the Lord endureth for ever 1 Pet 1.24 25. This glory of the flesh which is compared to the flower of the grasse is the righteousnesse of man the most excellent of man without the Spirit of God as Paul had Yet this must all fall away it cannot stand before the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ but the word of God endureth for ever This word is Christ and he and his righteousnesse endureth for ever and when he and his righteousness appeareth in us and to us It will appeare so glorious and shine with such a burning heat that it will wither the flowre of our righteousnesse and cause it to fall away and be brought to nothing It will appeare so odious and filthy in our fight that we shall be ashamed of it as Paul was and count it as dung and drosse the filchiest things as is and so we shall be desirous to have this righteousnesse of ours destroyed by the glorious comming of Jesus Christ by g DESC = missing EXTENT = 1 span Spirit into us So none of the best of the excellencies of man can bring us to know any thi● of God in the mystery it is alone the work 〈◊〉 the Spirit of God without any thing of us T●● things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit 〈◊〉 God 1 Cor. 2.11 And this Spirit searcheth 〈◊〉 things yea the deepe things of God vers 10. 1. It is the Spirit alone that sees the thing of God 2. It is the Spirit that heares the things 〈◊〉 God 3. It is the Spirit alone that understand● the things of God 4. It is the Spirit alone that can doe th● works of God 5. It is the Spirit alone that makes us accepted with God For the first It is the Spirit of God alo●● that seeth the things of God Mat. 6.22 Th● light of the body is the eye If therefore thine eye 〈◊〉 single thy whole body shal be ful of light Lu. 11 3●● This single eye is the Spirit of God and it se●● the things of God for it cannot be the eye 〈◊〉 man Matth. 6.23 But if thy eye be evill th● whole body shall be full of darknesse If therefo●● the light that is in thee be darkenesse how great 〈◊〉 that darknesse The eye is that whereby we see the eye 〈◊〉 man cannot see any thing but that which i●● man and all the things of man even the best of them are but evill and the eye of man that seeth the things of man is one and the same with man And therefore it must needs follow that the eye of man is evill for it sees nothing done but that which is evill And if thy eye be evill thy whole bodie shall be full of darkenesse What is darkenesse but want of light and the light is Jesus Christ This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkenesse rather than light John 3.19 And the light shined in darkenesse and the darkenesse comprehended it not John 1.5 And that was the true light which lighteth every man that commeth into the world Hee was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not John 1.9 10. So as wee are men wee cannot know God nor any thing of God For if that light that is in us be darkenesse how great is that darknesse If those most excellent performances of man as man without the Spirit of God as Paul did performe before his conversion which is most likest light be darknesse how great is that darkenesse that man is in Man as man cannot comprehend the light of Jesus Christ none can doe it but that which is one and the same with him which is the Spirit of God and he ●s that single eye that sees all the things of God and Christ for they are one and Christ 〈◊〉 promised to send his Spirit unto us But Comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the they will send in my Name he shall teach y●● things and bring all things to your remember whatsoever I have said unto you John 14. ● When the Comforter is come whom I will send 〈◊〉 you from the father even the spirit of truth o● proceedeth from the Father he shall testifie o● Joh 15.26 The spirit of truth whom the world 〈◊〉 not receive because is seeth him not neither kno●● him but ye know him for he dwelleth with and shall be in you and he shall abide with for ever John 14.16 17. These words Christ spake to his Disci●● when he was present with them in the sha● man when he was to depart from the● that bodily shape they were unwilling 〈◊〉 he should goe away but he tels them that expedient that he should goe away For if 〈◊〉

hath heard as the Eunuch ●●d he read in the Prophet Isaiah and Philip ●●ent to him and heard him read and he said ●●to him Vnderstandest thou what thou readest 〈◊〉 he said how can I except some man guide me 〈◊〉 8.30 31. The heart of man is darkned that 〈◊〉 cannot understand the things of God Rom. 1. ●1 And that which is darknesse cannot com●●hend light therefore the Eunuch said how 〈◊〉 I understand Can flesh understand the spi●●t for they are contrary one to the other For we have need of one to teach us and it is o●● the Spirit of God that doth know and the●●●fore it is hee alone that can teach us for 〈◊〉 doth know all things of God for hee is 〈◊〉 with him and is the very God therefore 〈◊〉 knows all things For he searcheth all things 〈◊〉 the deepe things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 As m● hath an eye to see and an eare to heare and heart to understand and other members su●●ble for man to see and heare and understan● and perceive the things of man So for 〈◊〉 weake capacity God is set forth to us in 〈◊〉 Scripture by those things as an eye to see b●●cause hee sees all things Neither is there 〈◊〉 creature that is not manifest in his sight 〈◊〉 all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of 〈◊〉 with whom we have to doe Heb. 4.13 And he is said to have an eye to see all our actio● and hee also seeth all the things of God in 〈◊〉 truth of them as the truth is in Jesus A● therefore he is said to have an eye because 〈◊〉 the eye we see and so an eare to heare W●● you are in trouble call upon me and I will he●● The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous ● eares are open to their crye Psal 30.15 He h●●reth all things both the things of God wh●● are spiritual and all things else so he is sai● have an eare because by the eare we heare for our weake capacity God is said to hav● eare because he heareth all things And so he is said to have a heart for with the heart wee come to understand thinke know and believe the things of man I know the thought that I have to you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and love and good will Isa 55.8 My thoughts are not as your thoughts Psal 139.17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto mee O God how great is the summe of them So the Lord hath thoughts towards us but we as wee are men know them not and he understands all the wayes of man and knows them for he is the maker of man therefore he must needs know all the wayes of man and he also knows all the things of himselfe and none can know the things of God but that which is one with God and that is alone the Spirit of God and he doth understand and ●hinke and know and believe the things of God For the first he doth understand the things of God Hee it is that doth understand the ●ruth of those things that he doth see heare There is a secret mysterie in all the things of God and it is all hidden from man as man ●e doth not nor cannot know any of them ●or understand any thing of them but the Spirit of God doth understand them all even ●he most secret things of all and all those excellent things that the Spirit of God doth se● and heare and understand what the truth of it is they are all purchased by Christ for th● children of God and is all kept in store is Christ for us to be revealed by this Spirit i● us and to us at the time appointed of the Father So the Spirit of God being given to 〈◊〉 makes us Saints so as we are men we understand not any thing of God yet as wee an● Saints and have the Spirit of God this spiri● in us understands all the things of God an● so by degrees reveales it in us and to us th●● as we are Saints wee understand the minde 〈◊〉 God and those things that are laid up in sto●● for us and this Spirit of God doth thinke the thoughts of God it thinkes all the excelle● thoughts that God thinkes for it knowes alone the thoughts of God what he hath to hi● children in the purity of them So though 〈◊〉 we are men wee cannot thinke the thought of God nor any thing aright of God ye● this spirit of God in us knows al the thought of God to us and it thinkes those thoughts o● God that God would have It thinks and s● by degrees reveales in us as we are Saints wha● the thoughts of God to us are this Spirit 〈◊〉 God knows all the things of God he doth n●only understand what the meaning of th●●● things are that hee sees and heares but h●● knowes them to be very truth because hee is one and the same in it therefore man cannot know any thing of God For as he is man he is not one with God and to know is to be certaine that it is so and how can man be certaine that that is truth that hee can neither see nor hear nor understand it to be so But the Spirit of God is one with God therefore hee knowes it to be truth for hee searcheth all things and knows them all yea the deepe and most secret things of God all is for the Saints So the spirit in us knows all the things of God though man as man is quite ignorant and knowes not any thing of the ways of God so this Spirit brings us as we are Saints to know the things of God in his time Prov. 2.5 6 7. Then shalt thou understand the feare of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God For the Lord giveth wisedome out of his mouth commeth knowledge and understanding Hee layeth up sound wisdome for the righteous This Spirit doth bring us to know God for wee must first know God before wee can know the things of God so the Spirit leadeth us in that way that brings us to know God and that way is Christ Jesus for through him wee know God and hee brings us to the knowledge of Jesus Christ which to know him is to know the fulnesse of our happinesse for out of him God is an enemie to us but in him God is as well pleased with us as he is with Christ for through him wee have free passage to goe to God and Paul prizes the knowledge of Christ above all things in the world Phil. 3.8 Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and do count them but dung that I might winne Christ and be found in him For to know Iesus Christ is to know al things for we cannot know him as he is but we shal know what we are in him Ephes 1.17 18. That the God

of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him The eye of your understanding being enlightned that wee may know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints The spirit in us knowes all things and he● believes all the things of God and none can doe it but he because none knowes the things of God but he and those things that he doth see and heare and understand what they are and knowes them to be truth therefore the Spirit believes them and this faith is a perfect faith he believes fully all things of God in every tittle there is no imperfection in it hee believes all things that Christ hath done for us and what he hath obtained for us Thus the Spirit of God in us believes all the things of God for us and without this faith we cannot be saved for by this faith we are justified This faith is that eye that sees all the things of God for it sees all things that Christ hath done for us and we as we are men we cannot believe the things of God because they are spirituall and we are carnall and cannot know spirituall things therefore we cannot believe them for it is impossible to believe that which they doe not know but though we as we are men and women doe not nor cannot believe yet the Spirit of God in us doth believe perfectly all the things of God for us So as we are Saints we believe the things of God through the Spirit of God God would have man to be saved and that hee should come to the knowledg of his truth and believe what Christ hath done for him and lay hold on Christ by faith that hee might be saved but man cannot doe it therefore God sent his Spirit to us that he should doe it for us in us so by this faith wee are justified for this is perfect and wee may have this spirit in us that doth believe God in Christ and wee a●we are men know it not yet the spirit of God is always the same with God and in his time he will make knowne in us and to us a● we are Saints that we have this saving justifying faith in u●●and make known in us by degrees what our pledges are in him 4thly It is the Spirit of God alone that can doe the works of God man cannot doe any thing that can please God for all the worke● of man as man are evill continually Even the best performances that he can performe a●● those performances that Paul performed befor● his Conversion For all that is not faith i● sinne and man as man hath not faith therefore all his works are evill and that which 〈◊〉 evill cannot please God and the way of God is past mans finding out John 6.28 29. Wh●● shall wee doe that we might worke the workes 〈◊〉 God Jesus answered and said unto them This 〈◊〉 the worke of God that ye believe in him whom 〈◊〉 hath sent This is the worke of God and it is only the Spirit of God that can doe it in man so man We doe just as the Apostles did whe●● they went a fishing when Christ was abse● from them they toyled and laboured all th● night to get fishes and could get none B●● when Christ came to them hee bid them 〈◊〉 downe the net on the right side of the shipp●● and e● shall finde and they were not now able 〈◊〉 draw the net for the multitude of fishes John 2● 6. So wee labour and toyle our selves in the night that is before the light of Jesus Christ appeares to us that wee may see him present with us by his Spirit wee labour in our owne way and strength to doe those things that should please God but wee labour on the wrong side of the shippe all our labour is in vaine there is nothing to be gotten but Christ comming to us by his Spirit to tell us the net must be cast in on the right side that is in a spirituall way for we have laboured in a carnall way and could find nothing And what is this net but that which catcheth something so the Spirit of God hee cast in the net that way that God would have him for us hee doth the whole worke of God in beleeving Jesus Christ and performing all obedience to him for us in us and hee makes knowne to us by degrees what the minde of God is and so wee finde in us that hee doth those things in us that hee doth reveale to us that we should doe it and as wee are men we cannot doe it so hee doth it in us making use of the members of man as instruments to performe the workes of God and hee makes us willing to yield to him for he over-powers us and so God accepts of it so the spirit casting in the net of right performances to God in us hee brings forth to us from God through Jesus Christ such a multitude of severall manifestations of the love of God to us in Christ Jesus and shewing us what we are in him that wee are not able to draw them forth wee cannot comprehend them as we are men so for us to labour on the wrong side of the ship is in vain Isa 49.4 Then said I I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength for nought and in vain yet surely my judgement is with the Lord and my worke with my God Deut. 32.4 He is the rocke his worke is perfect for all his wayes are judgement a God of truth and without iniquity just and righteous is he Thus the Spirit of God doth the works of God for us in us and we have the comfort of it and it is he alone that doth make us accepted with God Wheresoever there is a manifest appearance of the Spirit of God in any one there hee purges and sanctifies that man or woman in their conversation by his acting in them and this Spirit of God seasons those actions that he acts in us making use of our members and our members being carnall and fleshly the acting of the spirit through us cannot appeare so pure and excellent as it is in it selfe for it is clouded with the vaile of our infirmities but the Spirit seasons the acting that hee acts through our flesh and so hee makes them accepted with God This is the Altar that sanctifieth the offering Christ is ●oth a King a Priest and a Prophet and hee ●ath made us so with him as we are Saints He ●as a Priest to offer sacrifice for all and this ●acrifice that hee did offer was his body and ●he Altar that he did offer it on was his divini●y and this Altar sanctifies the sacrifice Mat. ●3 19 So this Spirit of Christ which is one ●ith God in us sanctifieth all those perfor●ances that he acts through us they are offe●ed all of them upon

but in Christ which is the fountaine and these streames ebbe and flow according to the wisdome of God And so long as thou dost live upon these streames thy comforts ebbe and flow with the streames but the Lord did not send these streames of his love to thee that thou shouldst live upon them and build thy comforts upon them but he lets these streames of his love sometimes flow forth in thee to keepe thee from despairing and at other times with-draws the sense and feeling of it that thou shouldst not Idolize them but looke up higher and see Chris● who is thy full happinesse and he unchange●ble I am God I change not therefore ye Sonn● of Jacob are not consumed We have thought God to be changeable li●● our selves when we performed duties he w●● well pleased with us and when we fell into f●● hee was angry with us and when wee ha●● thought God angry with us wee have kep● from him and durst not goe to him Isa 5● 7 8 9. Let The wicked forsake his way and 〈◊〉 unrighteous man his thoughts and let him r●turne unto the Lord and he will have mercy up●● him and to our God for he will abundantly pa●don For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord. F●● as the heavens are higher than the earth so are ●●wayes higher than your wayes and my though● than your thoughts You must forsake your owne thoughts 〈◊〉 God you have thought him to be changeab●● like your selfe and his wayes like yours b●● you must doe so no more For his though● are thoughts of peace and love and good wi●● Jer. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasti● love His love is unchangeable love for wh● he loves he loves to the end Is God unchange●ble this is exceeding comfortable to the ch●●dren of God this will encourage them not 〈◊〉 be troubled though they cannot performe duties alwayes alike sometimes wee cannot pray we want words to speak to God But the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought But the Spirit it selse maketh intercessian for us with groanes which cannot be uttered And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth the minde of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Rom. 8.26 27. What little cause haft thou to be troubled though thou carest not pray when the Spirit of God prays for thee to the Father and Christ hee hath prayed for thee John 17. And he makes intercession for thee 1 John 2.1 And it is impossible but that the prayers of Christ and the Spirit will be granted for the Father will not denie Christ anything And in Christ thou art very neare and deare to him and he is very tender and carefull over thee and will do any thing for thee which is for thy good Hee will not keep backe anything from thee which he sees is for his glory thy good in his time but thou must waite his time and a waiting condition is a happy condition And it is hee that makes thee to waite Isa 40.29 30 31. Hee giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall But they that waite upon th● Lord shall renew their strength they shall moun● up with wings as Eagles they shall runne and no● be weary and they shall walke and not faint Thus I have shewed you what it is to stan●● still CHAP. IV. How Christ makes a way through the Red Sea o● his owne blood which he hath shed for thy sinnes for thee to passe out of the spirituall Land of Aegypt into the spirituall Land of Canaan GOd made man in his owne Image Gen. 1 27. He being without sin and in a glorious condition and he knew God and there was nothing to hinder his communion with God He saw God as he was and he had a clear enjoyment of him for he saw God with a spirituall eye and he was what God would have him to be and willing to be at the disposing of God then was no complaints made o● him and God planted a garden Gen. 2.8 9. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for foode the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evill The Lord placed Adam there in the glorious place that was upon the earth suitable to his condition there was all things that his heart could wish or desire Vers 16 17. And the Lord God commanded the man saying Of every tree of the Garden thou maist freely eate but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eate of it for in the day thou eatest of it thou shalt surely die The man and the woman were in a glorious condition so long as they continued thus both in spirituall and temporall things So their happinesse was upon condition for so long as they forbore eating of the tree of knowledg of good and evill they continued in this happinesse but if they eate of it thou should surely dye And the Devill envied mans happy condition and he enters into the Serpent and came to the woman and said Yea hath God said ye shall not eate of every tree of the Garden And the Woman said unto the Serpent we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said ye shall not eate of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye die And the Serpent said unto the woman ye shall not surely die For God doth know that in the day ye eate thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evill And when the woman saw that the tree was good for foode and that it was ple●sant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to ma●● one wise shee tooke of the fruit thereof and di● eate and gave also to her husband with her an● he did eate Gen. 3.1 2 3 4 5 6. Here the Devill came and accused God t● the Woman hath God said ye shall not eate of every tree of the Garden For God doth know● that in the day that yee eate thereof then your eye shall be opened and you shall be as Gods knowin● good and evill As if he should say if God di● love you he would not have barr'd you fro● eating of the fruis of that tree whereby yo●● should become as Gods to know good and evill He had better have barr'd thee from all the othe● things in the garden then from this therefore his barring of thee from this thing whic● is so good for thee may make thee questio● his love to thee in all other things An● though he said ye shall dye it ye

eate this bread be shall live for ever and the bread th● I will give is my flesh which I will give for t●● life of the world vers 50 51. And this brea● hee giveth to all freely And this is that tha● will feede and nourish your soules therefor● feede upon this and doe not spend your labour in vaine thinking to get a righteousne●● of your owne which is not the righteousnes● of Jesus Christ that thou mightst feede upon that and be satisfied with it but that cannot satisfie thee if thou goest to feede upon it 〈◊〉 will choak thee but hearken diligently to me and eate that which is good and let your soule delight it selfe in his fatnesse What he hath don● for thee and what he hath obtained for thee and come unto me heare and your soul shal live So heare that yee really believe what Christ hath done for you and your soule shall live And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you ●ven the sure mercies of David For this is the Covenant that I will make with them After those dayes saith the Lord I will put my lawes into their hearts and I will be to them a God and ●hey shall be to mee a people And they shall not ●each every man his brother saying know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest For I will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more Heb. 8.10 11 12. And it is a sure Covenant for it was established upon better promises than the old Covenant was and God is unchangeable I am God I change not therefore ye sonnes of Jacob are not consumed And the Spirit and the Bride sayes ●ome and let him that heareth say come and set him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 Wisedome hath builded her house she hath killed ●er beasts shee hath mingled her wine shee hath also furnished her table She hath sent forth her Maidens shee cryeth upon the highest places of the City Whose is simple let him turne in hither as for him that wanteth understanding she saith to him Come eate of my bread and drinke of the wine that I have mingled Prov. 9.1 2 3 4 5. This wisdome is Christ and it was he th● was killed for the sinnes of the world This the fatted Calfe that was killed Luke 15 2● And the Lamb slain from the beginning of t●● world Matth. 22. Behold I have prepared 〈◊〉 dinner my oxen and fatlings are killed and 〈◊〉 things are ready come unto the marriage It is Christ alone that hath prepared 〈◊〉 things for this spirituall marriage betwi●● himselfe and his people There is nothing 〈◊〉 be done but all things are already prepar● for this spirituall feast there is nothing f●● us to doe but to come and eate and drink freely of those things that are prepared for us And hee sends forth his servants for to crye 〈◊〉 the highest places of the Citie and to crye 〈◊〉 loud Spare not lift up their voyce like a Tru●● pet Isa 58.1 That all may hear and come that those that are simple may learne true wi●dome of him CHAP. VI. How wee should come to Christ and have th● things that he hath prepared for all THere is no other way to come to Chri●●● but by believing what hee hath done fo● them in particular and to apply it to themselves These things are written that ye might be●ieve that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and ●hat in believing ye might have life through his ●ame John 20.31 He that believeth in the Son ●f God hath the witnesse in himselfe he that belie●eth not God hath made him a lyar because hee ●elieved not the record that God witnessed of his ●on And this is the record that God hath given ●nto us eternall life and this life is in his Sonne He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath ●ot the Sonne hath not life These things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternall life and that ye may believe in the name of the Son ●f God 1 John 5.10 11 12 13. For God so lo●ed the world that he gave his only begotten Son ●hat whosoever believeth in him should not perish ●ut have everlasting life John 3.16 And this is ●ife eternall that they know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John ●7 3 Let not your hearts be troubled ye believe ●n God believe also in me John 14.1 For I am ●ome a light into the world whosoever believeth in ●●e shall not abide in darkenesse Joh. 12.40 And ●his is the worke of God that yee believe in him whom he hath sent John 6.29 Hee that belie●eth in me as saith the Scripture out of his belly shall flow rivers of water of life John 7.38 He that believeth in me hath everlasting life Joh● 6.47 And Jesus said unto them I am the bre● of life he that commeth to me shall not hunger 〈◊〉 hee that believeth in me shall never thirst A●● this is the will of him that sent me that every 〈◊〉 which seeth the Son and believeth in him sho●● have everlasting life and I will raise him up the last day John 6.35.40 He that doth believe Christ doth kno● Christ and doth know the Father also 〈◊〉 Christ and his Father are one and hee do●● know that Christ hath pardoned his sins having made full satisfaction for them to his Father and that God is as well pleased with hi● in his Sonne as he is with his Son and do● not only believe this because it is in the Scripture but because the Spirit of God witnesse● it to them by the enjoyment of it though sometimes they have not the comfort of 〈◊〉 Believing and faith is all one and we are just●fied by faith and not by workes and therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the workes of the Law Rom. 3 2● By the works of ehe law shall no flesh be justified 〈◊〉 his fight For by the Law cometh the knowledge of sin 〈◊〉 now is the righteousnesse of God made manife●● without the Law bearing witnesse of the Law an● the Prophets to wit the righteousnesse of God 〈◊〉 the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that beleeve for there is no difference for all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood to declate his righteousnesse by the forgivenesse of the sins that are passed through the patience of God Rom. 3.20 21 22 23 24 25. If Abraham were justified by works he hath wherein to rejoyce but not with God but what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeved God and it was counted

and we come to beleeve this 〈◊〉 the faith of Christ this faith is the eye to 〈◊〉 what Christ hath done for us so through th● faith we are justified by Christ and this is th● free gift of God and is not any thing of o●● selves our faith is imperfect and therefore 〈◊〉 cannot justifie us I beleeve Lord help my un●●liefe So that our faith cannot justifie us b●cause there is unbeliefe in it Lord help my 〈◊〉 beliefe but the faith of Christ is perfect a● that alone doth justifie every one that hath● and without this faith it is impossible to ple●● God Heb. 11.6 and every thing which is 〈◊〉 of this faith is sinne and Christ is the autho●● and finisher of this faith Heb. 12.2 And all long the 11. chapter of the Hebrewes the speakes what great things were done by t●● faith and the Lord calls and invites all men come to him and eat freely of this spirito● feast that he hath prepared for them he 〈◊〉 vites them by the outward preaching of 〈◊〉 word and inward movings of his Spirit P●● 1.20 21 22 23. Wisdome crieth without uttereth her voyce in the streets she crieth the chiefe place of concourse in the openi● of the gates in the citie she uttereth her words saying How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and fooles hate knowledge turne you at my reproofe behold I will poure our my Spirit unto you I will make known my words unto you Here is the outward call and in Genesis 6.3 there is the inward And the Lord said My Spirit shall not always strive with man So it doth appeare that his Spirit doth strive with man to bring him to himself Iohn 12.32 And I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me Hosea 11.4 I drew them with cords of a man with bands of love and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jawes and I laid meat unto them Thus ●hrist drawes all both inward and outward with the bonds of love that he might take off that heavy yoke off their sinnes off them and see them laid upon Christ and see this spirituall meat which is laid before them and they to feed on it and doe appeale to every ones conscience whether they doe not find at one time or other an inward moving by the Spirit of God for to goe unto God and the Lord will receive them and they have some glimpse of the love of God to them to invite them to goe and there is nothing can move us to go to God but the Spirit of God therefore it is the Spirit of God that doth draw all CHAP. VII None can truly repent till they goe unto God an● when they do goe he will give them a true repentance THere is not any that can truly repent 〈◊〉 their sinnes till they doe see in some measure the love of God to them they may repent because their sinnes provoke Gods ange● against them and for feare of hell and the judgements of God and because they keep them out of heaven but this is not a true repentance a true repentance is such a repentance that they need not repent them of bu● there requireth a repentance to repent of this repentance but it is the love of God made known to them that makes them to be humbled for their sinnes because they offend so loving a God and they were the cause that Christ was crucified and therefore they hate their sinnes because they are an enemy to God and keeps them from the communion of God O the love of God to thee constrains thee to love him againe and thou art ashamed of thy sinnes and hatest them because God hates them so it is the love of God to them that causeth true repentance When Christ looked upon Peter then he went out and wept bitterly Luk. 22.61 62. Ephraim shall say What have I to do any more w th Idols Hos 14.9 Ephraim was a great sinner he worshipped Idols yet when he saw the love of God to him it so overcame him that he cries out Whot have I to doe any more with Idols though I have had to doe with them yet now I hate them because God hates them Ierem. 31.18 19. I have heard Ephraim lamenting thus Thou hast corrected me and I was chastised as an untamed Colt convert thou me and I shall be converted for thou art the Lord my God Surely after that I converted I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Ezek. 16.62 63. And I will establish my covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayst remember and be ashamed and never open thy mouth any mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God Thus the love of God drawes all to repentance and it prevailes more with them to bring them to repentance than to heare of the wrath of God and judgements and this repentance is a true ●●pentance to hate sinne and to be hu●bled for it because it offends so loving a Go● and therefore to forsake them though ne●● so neer and deare to us and be affraid of co●mitting sinne for feare of offending God 〈◊〉 Joseph said How can I doe this and sinne agai●● God Gen. 39.9 Object If it be so that God doth draw 〈◊〉 men thus to himselfe what is the reason th● all doe not come unto him for wee see th● most keep from him and live in sin and wi●●ednesse Answ The fault is in man O man thy●●struction is of thy selfe For what co●● I have done to my Vineyard that I have 〈◊〉 done it Isa 5.4 And though they goe a●● from Christ yet hee will not leave thems●●● hee followes them 1 Cor. 10.4 They did 〈◊〉 drinke the same spirituall drinke for th● dranke of that spirituall rocke that follow●● them and that roche was Christ Hee followes them with his mercie and ●●ving kindnesse to draw them to him but th● would not Ye would not come unto me th●● might have life And if ye believe not that I● he ye shall dye in your sinnes John 8.24 There is nothing that condemnes the wo●● but the rejecting and undervaluing of Je●● Christ and continue so doing and live and dye so He that believeth not is condemned already because hee hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Sonne of God And this is condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darknesse rather than light John 3.18 19. Christ is the light to lighten every one that comes into the world and hee invites all to come unto him and he will give them of his light that they might see to walke in his way and he would direct them what to doe and lead them in the

●●bideth for ever 1 Pet. 1.23 Except a man borne of water and of the spirit hee cannot e●● into the kingdome of God John 3.5 Before we be thus called we differ nothin● from those that are but servants but when 〈◊〉 are called by this new worke wrought in●● which is the time appointed of the Father then he will make known to us what hee ha●● prepared for us before the world began 〈◊〉 were heirs to it when we were dead in sins a● trespasses but did not then make it known 〈◊〉 us and to all these hee will give eternall li●● I give unto them eternall life and they shall ne●● perish neither shall any man plucke them out of my hand My Father which gave them me is greater then all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand John 10.28 29. Feare not little flocke it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdome Thou hast given him power over them that he should give eternall life to as many as thou hast given him And this is life eternall that they might know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.23 And it is hee alone that doth bring us to the knowledge of himselfe Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man commeth to the Father but by me John 14.6 I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee the way that thou shouldst goe Isa 48.17 And thine eare shall heare a word behind thee saying This is the way walk in it Isa 30.21 And these that are his children he will overpower them with his Spirit and make them come unto him Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power Psal 110.3 Wee are unwilling by nature to come to God but when hee commeth with his power he will make us willing to doe what he would have us Mat. 22. Goe yee therefore out into the high wayes and as many as ye find compell them to come to the marriage This was a spirituall compulsion for no● hath the power to make them willing but t●● Spirit The Magistrate doth compell to a●● outward conformitie but that cannot ma●● them willing it is only the worke of the spirit and hee will compell all his children 〈◊〉 come to this marriage and make them willi●● to come CHAP. IX It is the Spirit alone in us that doth 〈◊〉 in all PAul saith I desire not to know any thing ●mong you save Jesus Christ and him cra●●●ed 1 Cor. 1.2 For by him he being crucifi●● for us he hath obtained al things for us a●● we cannot know that Christ was crucified 〈◊〉 us nor any thing what he hath done for 〈◊〉 but by the Spirit of God we may believe ma●● things to be truth because it is writ in th● Scripture and because many say it is tru●● but this is but the hearing of the eare no● knows it to be truth by the hearing of the ea●● as the truth is in Jesus but by the Spirit● God alone For what man knoweth the things a man save the spirit of man which is in him Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.11 This spirit of man must be one with man or else it cannot understand the things of man as the thoughts and mind and will and desires of man which is one and the same with man so the Spirit of God is one and the same with God or else it could not know the things of God But this spirit knows all things of God For the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deepe things of God 1 Cor. 1.10 And this Spirit God hath given unto us Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God And vers 12. of this Chap. God hath revealed ●hem to us by his Spirit And vers 10. So Christ hath done all things for us and hath obtained all things for us and wee cannot know ●his without his Spirit and therefore he hath and will give us his Spirit that we may know ●t and have the enjoyment of it Man as man ●s not able to understand the things of God because man is carnall and the things of God ●re spiritual and a carnall apprehension cannot apprehend spirituall things The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 As wee are naturall we cannot know the things of the Spirit wee are not able to discerne them The eye of man hath not seen nor th● eare of man heard neither hath it entered into th● heart of man the things which God hath prepar●● for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 All the excellencies of man cannot bring us to know an● thing of the mysterie of God for every man i● beast by his owne knowledge Jer. 10.14 Jer. 51 17. I understood as a beast saith David How 〈◊〉 that according to a carnall apprehension an● a carnall imagination for the highest mo●● excellent thoughts that wee as we are men 〈◊〉 have of God is but according to our carnal imagination All the wisdome of man is b●● foolishnesse with God 1 Cor. 2.20 Therefo●● his wisedome cannot bring him to know th● things of God nor humane learning cann●● doe it for then the Scribes and Pharisees an● the high Priests and Elders would have know● Christ but they said Which of us hath be●●ved him at any time And Paul had a great d●● of humane learning yet that did not bri●● him to know God for hee was a persecuter 〈◊〉 the Church of God Gal. 1.13 Yet none 〈◊〉 the Apostles had so much humane learning 〈◊〉 he yet he did not come to know the minde 〈◊〉 God the things of God by the teachings of man Now I certifie you brethren that the Gospel which was preached of me was not after man For neither received I it of man neither was I taught it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ Gal. 1.11 12. So it was by the Spirit of God revealed in him that brought him to know the things of God For ye see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weake things of the world to confound the mighty things And vile things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to nought things that are That no flesh should glory in his presence 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28 29. God strips us of all the excellence of the flesh lest wee should thinke by any thing that is of us brings us to the knowledge of God and so wee

not away the Comforter will not come but depart I will send him unto you John 16. ● So when hee departed from them in the ●●dy hee did send his Spirit to them and only to them but to all his children to and of the world He shall abide with you ●●ver I will not leave you comfortlesse I will to you John 14.18 So he departed from them in flesh and 〈◊〉 ●nto them in Spirit and remaineth with his Church for ever and is a greater Comforter ●o his Church in Spirit than hee was to his Disciples in his flesh when he was with them ●o Christ hath given us his spirit freely that we ●ay see the things that are freely given to us ●f God So in thy light saith David we see light Though wee as wee are men cannot see the ●hings of God but as we are Saints and have ●he Spirit of God so we come to see the things of God for the Spirit of God in us seeth the ●hings of God and so far as hee revealeth the ●hings of God to us so far wee see them with his s pirituall eye of himselfe The Lord is my ●ight Psalm 27.1 So in this light we see God who is light For ye were sometime darkenesse ●ut now are yee light in the Lord Ephes 5.8 For thou art my lamp O Lord and the Lord will ●ighten my darknesse 2 Sam. 22.29 So farre as God hath revealed himselfe to ●n so farre we have seen him with the light of himselfe And so farre as we have not seene him with the light of himselfe so farre we are ●n darknesse still and so farre as hee hath revealed himselfe to us hee teacheth us all things and brings all things to our remembrance For therefore hee was sent unto us to teach us to know what Christ hath done for us and to know the things that are freely given to us of God and to be our Comforter There is 〈◊〉 Comforter like this for he is alwayes in 〈◊〉 and knows our trouble there is not any thi● hid from him for we have not an high Pr●●● which cannot be touched with the failing 〈◊〉 our infirmities but was in all points temp●● like as we and yet without sin Heb. 4 1● For in that he himselfe hath suffered being templ● he is able to succour them that are tempted H●● 2.18 Christ hath suffered in all manner of afflic●●●ons both spirituall and temporall therefor● his Spirit is a sufficient Comforter to comfo●● us in all our troubles with the love of himsel● and in upholding us in it and to bring us 〈◊〉 of them when he sees it is for his glory and 〈◊〉 good Thus the Spirit seeth the things 〈◊〉 God For the 2d. It is the Spirit alone that hear● the things of God He that hath an eare to hea● let him beare Mat. 13.9 M●r. 4.9 He that ha●● an ear let him beare what the Spirit saith unto t●● Churches Rev. 2.7 It must be such an eare as can heare what th● Spirit faith It is only the Spirit that can he●● the Spirit speak that knows the language● the Spirit and none else man may or can h●● what man speaketh and of the minde of Go● as it is writ in Scripture and to heare it in th● letter as it is in the letter but to hear it so as to understand know what it is in the truth of it as the truth is in Jesus none knowes it but the Spirit of God for it is spirituall The word that I spake unto you is Spirit and life and this word is Christ And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory 〈◊〉 of the only begotten of the Father ful of grace truth Joh. 1.14 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God John 1.1 So this word is spirituall for God is a Spirit John 4.24 And none can hear this word but that which is one and the same with it and therefore it is onely the Spirit of God which is one and the same with God which hath that hearing eare to hear what the Spirit saith and this Spirit of God heares all the mind of God yea all the secrets of God He doth heare what things they are that God hath prepared for them that love him and those things the eare of man as man cannot heare what they be for they are spirituall and heavenly glorious things and man is carnall and cannot heare them so as to understand it It is a strange language to him hee doth not know the meaning of it therefore he hath declared all things to his Spirit and hath given us his Spirit and so this Spirit of God in us doth heare the Spirit speake it speakes nothing but peace and love and mercy and go●● will to us and what he hath done for us 〈◊〉 what he is in us and to us and what we are 〈◊〉 him and to him as we are Saints and 〈◊〉 Spirit will declare it to us by degrees that 〈◊〉 we are Saints wee shall know them for the●●fore the Spirit was sent to us that thro●● him we may hear what God hath done for 〈◊〉 Thus have I shewed you in some meas●● that it is alone the Spirit of God that hear●● the things of God for us For the 3d. It is the Spirit of God alo●● that understands the things of God for m●●● as man cannot understand the things of Go● because they are spiritually discerned 1 G●● 2.24 And man is altogether earnall Mat. 1● 13 They seeing see not and hearing bear n●● neither doe they understand Isa 6.9 Mark 4 1● John 12.40 Acts 28.26 How can they u●●derstand that which they can neither see n●● heare When Christ told his Apostles that he m●● goe to Jerusalem and all things that are writ● by the Prophets concerning the Sonne of M●n f●● be accomplished For he shall be delivered unto 〈◊〉 Gentiles and shall be mocked and spightfully 〈◊〉 treated and spit on And they shall scourge 〈◊〉 and put him to death and the third day hee sh●● rise againe And they understood none of thing and this saying was hid from them neither ●new they these things that were spoken Luke 18. ●1 32 33 34. They were the Apostles of Jesus Christ and ●●e chose them among his Disciples to goe and ●●reach the Gospel to all the world yet they 〈◊〉 they were men they understood not those ●●ings in the mysterie what should be brought 〈◊〉 passe by those things They could not chuse 〈◊〉 know what those things meant outward●y when he told them so plainly what things ●e must suffer for they could do no other but ●now those things outwardly but those say●●gs spirituall were kept from them that they ●●derstood them not For man as man can●ot understand any thing but that which is of ●●n For the things of God knowes no man Hee ●ay hear much with the eare and speak much 〈◊〉 that which hee

that thou hast an● be as well contented with that thou hast received of God as if thou hadst more still waiting patiently for a further manifestation 〈◊〉 himselfe to thee for he will doe it by degree by his Spirit in his time in us and ye shall s● in some measure that hee prepares the way 〈◊〉 the Lord for us for the way of the Lord is to●● hard for man to finde out but he findeth o● the way for us Ier. 10.23 I know that the w● of man is not in himselfe it is not in man th● walketh to direct his steps It is only the Spi●● of God that can doe it for there are ma●● stumbling blockes to be taken out of the way which is only the worke of the Spirit to doe ●hen there will be a pleasant way to walke in CHAP. XI ●f the two seedes Of the seede of the woman and the seede of the Serpent THe two seedes are a great stumbling-block in our way to hinder us while we come 〈◊〉 some measure to discerne the difference a●ight betwixt them which is the work of the ●pirit to doe it Our God revealing himself to 〈◊〉 is Children and shewing them the mystery ●f his wayes in the truth of it in some measure ●e makes them instrumentall many times by ●is Spirit to bring others to know the things ●f God and therefore he reveales himselfe to ●ome in a greater measure and in a more high●● and glorious manner and enables them to ●peake to us those things that God hath made ●nowne to them that others might know the ●●ings of God it is not because God loves ●●em better than hee doth them that hee hath ●ot revealed himself too for he is no respecter 〈◊〉 persons for he loves all his children alike ●ith the same love that he loves Christ withal but he makes them instrumentall for the go●● of others When Christ was to suffer he prayed to 〈◊〉 Father Iohn 12.28 29 30. Father glorifie th● Name Then came there a voyce from heaven saying I have both glorified it and will glorifie 〈◊〉 againe Then the people that stood by and hea●● it said that was a thunder others said an A●gel spake to him Iesus answared and said T●●● voyce came not because of mee but for your sak●● So the manifestations of the love of G●● and the things of God made knowne to an● it is not only for their sake● but also fo●●ther● so if the Spirit of God work● by th●●●strument in them that heares they have 〈◊〉 benefi● of it But if the Spirit doth not wi●●● is us those things that are spoken to us th● those things are truth and belongs to us th● instrument cannot worke upon us so let 〈◊〉 heare the instruments speake but it is the Spirit alone that can witnesse I shall in so●● measure shew you the difference of the t●● seedes and leave the successe to God Gen. ● 15 I will also put enmity betweene thee and t●● woman and betweene thy seede and her seede 〈◊〉 shall breake thy head and thou shalt bruise 〈◊〉 heele The seed of the woman was Christ Gal ● 16. and the seede of the Serpent was th●●●vill And seede is to be sowne and the nature of seed is to bring forth that which is one and the same with it There is the seede of God which is one and the same with God which is Christ not as hee was man but as hee is God This is the good seed that is sown in all and this seede which is spirituall being sowne in us which is the Spirit of God in us is the seede of God and it is one with God Now as a seed is but a small matter to the whole bulke so the seede of God in us is but in a small measure to that fulnesse which is in God yet it is one with him Mat. 13.30 31. The Kingdome of heaven is like a graine of mustards●●de which a man taketh and soweth in his field Which indeed is the least of all feeds but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and it 〈◊〉 a tree so that the birds of heaven come and build in the branches thereof This parable Christ spake concerning th● seed of God sown in his children that though they have this seede in a small measure and that which they have may lye hidde a great while in them that they cannot perceiv it nor doe not know whether they have it or no ●et then God is making a way for a cleare manifestation to us that it doth begin to spring ●●rth in us and he waters it daily with the ●●reames of his owne selfe which is only that which doth make it grow and the Sonne of righteousnesse shining upon it makes it spring forth and grow by degrees and flourish in 〈◊〉 that it will appeare very glorious for it is the seed of God and it is like God and it is God And this seede being sowne in the children 〈◊〉 God hee makes it fruitfull there will b● fruits sutable in some measure to the seed in 〈◊〉 and more and more as this seed grows up in 〈◊〉 it will appeare more glorious and will bring forth fruits sutable to God and over-pow●● us and bring our wills into subjection 〈◊〉 himselfe that wee shall be willing for him 〈◊〉 reigne over us and so farre as he reveale● himselfe to us with his power to over-power 〈◊〉 wee are willing to be what hee would have 〈◊〉 and doe what hee would have us doe so God accepts of it and will reward us for it so also there is the seede of the Serpent that 〈◊〉 sown in all man-kind by his overcomming Adam and so getting an interest in him and for him in all man-kinde And the seed of the Serpent which is the Devill for it was hee i● the Serpent that overcame Adam is one an● the same with the Devill and he is also a Spirit and this seed of the Devill is sown by h●● in all Mat. 13.24 25. The kingdome of God 〈◊〉 like a man which sowed good seed in his field B● while men slept there came his enemie and so●● tares among the Wheat and went his way God did sowe nothing in Adam but that good seede of himselfe there was no evill in him hee was made after the Image of God for spirituall things but the Devill being the enemie of God he envied mans happy condition hee came and sowed that evill seed of himselfe in Adam and in all man-kinde and his seede in us is the same as he is though it be small in it selfe yet it being sowne in us it quickly takes roote in us and appeares for this comes naturally and there is nothing to let and hinder it from growing in us except the Lord doth blast it by a new work wrought in us which comes not by nature and the Devill doth water this seede of himselfe in us with the streames of his temptations and causeth it to flourish and grow

the grosse seed of the Devill and the kernell of the flesh but the Devill hath a mor● seeming purer seed which he doth sow in mankinde also that is like the seede of God and man as hee is man doth not know it from the seede of God for the Devill it a spirit and knows the things of God and the wayes of God how they are make knowne to us and hee knowes how to deceive us in those things The Devill goeth about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devoure 1 Pet. 5.8 If he can b●● devoure us he cares not how he doth it If he sees that he cannot doe it by the grosse seed in us if we hate that by some glimps of the lo●● of the Lord made known to us or by the ha●● that we see in it or for some by respects that we will not follow those grosse wayes of wickednesse he will not displease us hee hath all manner of wayes to dissert us and he will use that way as shall give us most content whatsoever it be so he can but rob God and deceive 〈◊〉 he cares If a grosse way of wickednesse wil not content us nor a sinfull mortall life not nothing but to be religious he will deceive 〈◊〉 in that For Satan himselfe is transformed into an Angel of light 2 Cor. 11.14 Into the likenesse of it Hee will appeare in a glorious righteousnesse to us like the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ but is not and this seed of the Devill is called the righteousnesse of man which grows up in man to a high degree at the last but there is 7. degrees to come to perfection in this and some attaine to one degree and some to another Here is a high degree of the Devils policie hee tempted man that so he might fall finally by it but Christ redeemed us and so he cannot have his will in that for Christ hath done all things for us hath obtained a perfect righteousnesse for us and 〈◊〉 saith Looke unto mee and be ye saved all the ●●ds of the earth for I am God and there is none ●●se Isa 44.22 Now seeing it is set forth so plainely to us 〈◊〉 without the righteousnesse of Christ wee shall not be saved hee comes and immita●● the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ to us and 〈◊〉 patches up a righteousnesse in us and bring●● forth to us and tels us it is the righteousne●●● of Jesus Christ and without it we shall not 〈◊〉 saved and he saith looke unto this and 〈◊〉 ye saved And it is manifest that he doth so●● this in all man-kinde and it doth appeare i● some measure or other in all for those th● are very wicked persons can say if I say prayers and the Creed and goe to Church hea●● the mysteries and receive the Sacrament a●● reade and the like I shall be saved so th●● looke to be saved by their owne performance But this is the first degree of the growth of th● seed in us and it comes by degrees to a gre●● growth as it did in the Scribes and Pharisee● and in Paul before his conversion they 〈◊〉 this righteousnesse and howsoever God do●● make known his righteousnesse to us the righteousnesse of the flesh will immitate it We 〈◊〉 as those did that went to build a City To●er whose top may reach to heaven Gen 11. 〈◊〉 For wee labour to get a righteousnesse of 〈◊〉 owne performances that should reach to h●●ven should carry us to heaven looking 〈◊〉 be saved by it and without it wee thinke 〈◊〉 shall not be saved When we heare that if we goe on in our 〈◊〉 we cannot be saved and if wee will be saved we must leave them off and do thus and thus ●hen we goe about to do it in our own strength and search our selves and to repent of our sins And if we can be exceedingly humbled for our sins and shed many teares then we are at quiet then we thinke our sins are pardoned and God is well pleased with us because wee are thus humbled for them and our sins are done away by Christ But if wee cannot shed many feares for our sinnes and be much cast down for them then we are much troubled because we cannot be no more troubled for our sins say If I could be throughly humbled for my sins then there were hopes of mercy for me but now there is none so long as my heart is thus hardned And thus we thinke to be saved by our owne righteousnesse and no longer than we are performing duties that we can have any peace of conscience and when wee are very strict in performing duties then wee have peace and joy and this sets us eagerly on performances and we look upon this and see that we have as we thinke performed these duties aright in some measure as prayer and repenting and hearing or reading and the like O then we rejoyce in it and think God accepts of it and if our sins at any time over-master us then we labour exceedingly in our owne strength to beate them downe and she● many teares to wash them away according a the sinne is in greatnesse And when wee ha●● got power over it then we think God is we●● pleased with us for striving against our sinne● and labour to performe the whole Law and often examining our selves whether wee keep it or no and wherein wee break it and for those things wherein we feele in keeping it w● shed many teares for it and we thinke that pacifieth God and now all our sins are done away by our repentance and then that place o● Scripture comes in our mind Behold thou art made whole goe away and sinne no more lest 〈◊〉 worse thing befall thee And this makes us more strict in performing the Law and thinke to be justified by the strict performing of it Thus thou goest from out degree of the righteousnesse of the flesh to another and the higher degrees thou attainest unto the more thou buildest thy comforts on it For if thou neglectest prayer or other duties at those times as thou usest to performe them thou art much troubled for it and hast not the comfort that thou hast when thou doest observe and performe them at the time as thou usest to doe What is this but to build thy comfort upon thy performances And this righteousnesse the Scribes and Pharises had in 〈◊〉 very high degree but Christ told his Disciples That except their righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees they should not enter into the kingdome of heaven And this Paul had before his conversion And the more the Lord makes known himself in a glorious manner in his owne righteousnesse the Divell will transforme himselfe like unto it that as we are men and women we cannot discern betwixt them and this seed of the Devill which is our righteousnesse is in all the children of God even as the seed of God is in us And this righteousnesse of ours

is called flesh and it is an enemie against God The seed of God 〈◊〉 us is called Spirit and the seed of the Devil 〈◊〉 us both the grosse seed and that seeming glorious seed is called flesh and there is a stri●ng and strugling in us betwixt them for the ●eed of God works mildly and by degrees in 〈◊〉 and receives the power from God and re●●nes all the praise to God it would not have ●ny thing ascribed to us in the least degree It makes no hast but is willing to stay the Lords ●easure Isa 28.16 Hee that believeth shall not ●●ke hast And it is the Spirit in us that doth ●elieve and he doth not make hast that is wil●ing to waite upon God and stay his leasure while hee doth manifest himselfe in us in that ●ay that the Spirit doth desire it for us Cant. 2.7 I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem th●● yee stirre not up nor waken my beloved untill h●● please He mak● us wait patiently upon God us●● the means as prayer hearing and reading● but not at all depend upon them but to loo●● higher and see God above it yet hee is ma●● times pleased to manifest himselfe to us 〈◊〉 his Spirit in the meanes and our comfor● consists only in him who is the fulnesse of o●● happinesse and not in the strength of our pe●formances but the righteousnesse of man is 〈◊〉 enemie to this it will not stay the Lords le● sure but doth strive and struggle with G●● for that which it would have and cannot be 〈◊〉 quiet while hee hath it and will not let Go● have the honour but keepe it to their selve● though God shall have it in words but not deeds for if we think to be saved by it an● without it we shall not be saved doe we no● ascribe the honour to our selves because w● performe that righteousnesse that we looke be saved by And this is a great policie of th● Devill to destroy all man-kinde for hee sa● that his first policy was brought to nough● Then he seekes to destroy us by our own ri●●●teousnesse making us believe that it is the ri●●●teousnesse of Christ because without his ri●●●teousnesse we shall not be saved and so ma●● ●s to depend upon it and take the honour from God and ascribe it to our performanas and keeps us from desiring after the righ●ousnesse of Christ And when as God saith ●ooke unto me and be ye saved from all the ends ●f the Earth The Devill saith Looke unto this ●●ghteousnesse of the flesh and see that yee have ●●at and ye shall be saved for without it ye shall ●●t be saved And this he doth to rob God of is honour and to keepe all man-kinde out of ●eaven and he works it so craftily in us that ●●r as we are men and women cannot perceive 〈◊〉 we cannot be brought to believe it while God doth shew us it by his Spirit it is a very ●angerous thing and the higher wee grow in 〈◊〉 the more dangerous it is for there is no●hing under the Devill that is so great an ene●ie to God as our rightteousnesse It is Anti●rist in the mystery it opposeth Christ in all ●s ways and persecutes him in all his wayes ●nd exalteth it self in all his ways above Christ ●●d will not have Christ to reign over us in his ●●y nor he to save us but that he would reign ●●r us in the Devils way and that should ●●e us And so long as we live to this righte●●nesse of our owne we live to our selves and 〈◊〉 to Christ and this seede is in all the chil●●en of God and the seed of Christ is hidden it in us like gold that is mixt among a great deale of drosse that it cannot appeare so pa●● to us as it is in it selfe yet that which is gold is without drosse and is excellent even so th●● seede of God in us is mixt with the seed of the Devill yet that which is of God is perfect pure there is no drosse in it but it cannot appeare so to to us by reason of that drosse of o●● righteousnesse mixt with it and so farre as there is any thing in us and to us that is of Jesus Christ made knowne to us though it be but in a small measure it is reall truth but s● farre as it is not reall pure truth as the truth 〈◊〉 in Jesus though it appeare never so gloriou● that which hath not the truth in it is of An●●christ the seede of the Devill in us but th●● which is reall truth so farre as it is truth 〈◊〉 is of God although it be mixed with fashood but this seede of the Devill which hee sowed 〈◊〉 us through envie to rob God of his honour and to destroy all man-kinde shall never d●●stroy the children of God for Christ ha●● broken the head of the Devils policie but th● seed of the Devill shall not wholly be destroyed in us but God will get himselfe honour u●on it by the discovering of it by the pure ligh● and cleare manifestation of the truth of Ch●● made known to us by the Spirit revealing 〈◊〉 us what he is in us and what wee are in hi● By degrees he will make known his love to● and as he doth reveale himselfe to us in his owne righteousnesse the wayes of Antichrist will be discovered and his glory will out-shine the glory of Anti-christ and it shall appeare grosse darknesse to it and we shall be ashamed of it and as the light of Jesus Christ appears by his Spirit in us that seeming excellent glorious righteousnesse of our flesh which is Anti-christ in the mystery in us which opposeth light and is nothing but that which is contrary to it shall bee destroyed by the comming of Christ spiritually in us These two seeds are typif●●d out to us by Isaac and Ishmael Gal. 4.22 23. For it is written that Abraham had two sonnes the one by a bond-maid the other by a free woman But bee that was born by the bond-maid was after the flesh but he of the free woman was by promise The son of the bond-woman which was Ishmad did cypifie Anti-christ in us this comes by nature and Isaac which was borne of the free woman was a type of the seede of God in us the Spirit of Christ which is borne in the new birth by promise and not by nature But as then hee that was borne after the flesh pe●f●cuted him that was borne after the Spirit even so it is now neverthelesse what faith the Scripture C●st ou● the bond-woman and her son for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heire with the son of the free-woman The righteousnesse of man must not be purged but c●st out it persecutes Christ it shall not be heire with Christ and all the promise● of God is to this seed of God in us and it is this that God loves so dearly Gal. 3.16 N●w to Abraham and his seede were the promises made He

saith not to the seedes as speaking of many 〈◊〉 but unto thy seede as of one which is Christ Abraham was a type of God and Isaa● 〈◊〉 type of Christ and the promises are promised to this seed Gen 17.7 8. I will establish my Covenant betweene me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting Covenant to be God unto thee and to thy seed after thee And I will give thee and thy seede af●●● thee the Land wherein thou art a stranger ev●● all the Land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I will be their God And vers 21. of this Chapter he saith My Covenant will I est●blish with Isaac And vers 19. And I will establish my Covenant with him an everlasting Covenant ●and with his seed after him All the promises are to Christ and his se●● which is sowne in the Saints for that i● 〈◊〉 with Christ and all the land of Canaan 〈◊〉 promised to him and his seed The land of C●naan wa● a type of heaven so heaven i● p●●mised to the seed of Christ with Christ Christ obtained it of his Father for us by his suffering Heb 5.9 And being made perfect he became the author of eternall salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 8.14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified All that Christ did doe or suffer was for man he was made perfect for them and the children of God hath the whole benefit of it so they are made perfect in Christ Hee is the author of eternall salvation unto all them for they are the seede of Christ not as they are men but as they are Saints CHAP. XII How the seede of Christ is the Church of Christ or the Spouse of Christ CHrist hath purchased of his Father a chosen people to himselfe in his Father he is a common salvation to all but a speciall salvation to them and them he will make known hi● love and mind unto by degrees This seed of himselfe in them is the Church of Christ and the Church of Christ is the body of Christ Ephes 1.23 Not as he was man but 〈◊〉 he is God he i● a Spirit and the Church which is his body must be spirituall too and sutable to Christ for hee is the head of the Church Ephes 5.23 So the seede of himselfe being sown in all the Saints is the body Eph. 5.23 Christ is the head of the Church and the Saviour of the bodie vers 25 26 27. Christ loved the Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that bee might present is to himselfe a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and wiihout blemish That seede of Christ in us is perfect and Christ came not to purge sanctifie and wash it but to wash us as we are men and women to purge away our sinnes by his blood and to sanct●fie and wash us in our conversation by his Spirit in us We have a neare relation to Christ as he was man for we are members of his bodie of his fl●sh and of his bones Ephes 5.30 He tooke our nature upon him that he might obtaine all things for us as wee are men and he is the Saviour of our bodies Ephes 5.23 For our bodie is the temple of the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6.19 Know yee not that yee are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you If 〈◊〉 man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy For the Temple of God is holy which t●●ple ye are 1 Cor. 3.16 17. For ye are not yo● owne ye are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 He hath redeemed us to himselfe that we should serve him in all love hee hath done all things for the glory of himselfe and that we should have the benefit of it and he doth purge his Temple for himselfe to dwell in but as we are men there is no good in us nor no inclination to good we are but poor earthen vessels yet hee himselfe is pleased to dwell in us by his Spirit For God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us 2 Cor. 4.6 7. So it is not our bodies that is the Church for our bodies are not one with God for it is but an earthen vessell for the Spirit of God to dwell in But this Spirit being in all the children of God makes one body Now yee are the bodie of Christ and members in particular 1 Cor. 12.27 For as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one bodie being many are one body so also is Christ For by one Spirit are wee all baptized into one body whether wee be Jewes or Gentiles whether wee be bound or free and have been all made to drinke in●● one Spirit For the body is not one member but many If the foote shall say because I am not the hand I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body And if the eare shall say because I 〈◊〉 not the eye I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body If the whole body were an eye where were the hearing If the whole were he●ring where were the smelling But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body as it hath pleased him And if they were all one members where were the body But now are they many members yet but one body And the eye ca●●● say to the hand I have no need of thee nor agai● the head to the feet I have no need of you N●● much more those members of the body which see● to be more feeble are necessary But all th●●● worketh by one and the selfe same Spirit d●viding to every man severally as he will 1 C●● 12.11 to the 22. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift 〈◊〉 Christ Wherefore he saith When hee ascended 〈◊〉 on high he led captivity captive and gave gif● unto men He ascended up far above all heav●● that he might fill all things And he gave some ●postles and some Evangelists and some Pastors 〈◊〉 Teachers For the perfecting of the Saints for 〈◊〉 work of the Ministery for the edifying of the bo●● of Christ An● growing up into him in all thi●● which is the head even Christ From whom 〈◊〉 whole bodie is fitly joyned together and com●●cted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectuall working in the measure of every part maketh encrease of the bodie unto the edifying of it selfe in love Ephes 4.7 8.10 11 12.15 16. Christ is the head and

the holy Ghost is our Comforter and the Angels are our guard to attend us And what can we desire more but 〈◊〉 have the Seale broke open to see what we ha●● in him and Christ is comming to doe it 〈◊〉 yet a very little while and he that shall come wi●● come and will not tarry Heb. 10.37 Behold I come quickly Revel 3 11. And doe thou wa●● patiently for his comming CHAP. XIII Christ is the Teacher and Governour of his Church CHrist is a King a Priest and a Prophet A King to reigne over his Church spiritually and a Priest to offer spirituall sacrifice to his Father for his Church and a Prophet to teach them He saith My kingdome is not of this world John 18.36 But he is an immortall and an everlasting King 1 Tim. 1.17 He 〈◊〉 a spirituall King and it is a spirituall Kingdome that hee reignes over and the children ●f God are the heirs of this Kingdome Feare ●t little flocke for it is your Fathers will to give 〈◊〉 the Kingdome Luke 12.32 And the kingdome of God is eternall life Joh. 10.28 And 〈◊〉 give unto them eternall life and they shall never ●●ish neither shall any pluck them out of my band And this is a hidden glorious and mysticall ●●ing But to you it is given to know the secrets of the kingdome of heaven Mat. 13.11 And the ●ingdom of God comes not with observations Nei●●er shall 〈◊〉 say loe here on loe there for behold ●he kingdome of God is with in you Lu. 17.20 21. ●ry not in thine heart Who shall ascend into hea●●n That is to bring Christ from above Or who ●●all descend into the deepe That is to bring up Christ againe from the dead But what saith the Scripture The word is neere thee even in thy ●●uth and in thy heart this is the word of faith ●hich wee preach Rom. 10.6 7 8. And this ●ord is Christ John 1.14 What is heaven but the fulnesse of all happinesse and that is God in Christ and Christ ●●ing in us by his Spirit then is the Kingdom ●f God in us and so far as he reveales himself to us as he is we see him as he is and have the enjoyment of him and so farre we live in ●im and have out conversation in heaven that is in God For the kingdome of God is not 〈◊〉 word but in power 1 Cor. 4.20 It conf●●● not in speaking of words but so far as he ●●veales himselfe in us he comes with power enabling us to do that which is pleasing to hi● and he reveales heaven to us here in some measure by degrees in his time as shall be to h●● glory and our comfort and in a great a●● high measure in some but wee cannot have 〈◊〉 in such a measure as we shall have it hereaf●●● when our bodies are dissolved then wee sh●●● be wholy in it there shall be nothing to hi●der us now here our bodies are weake an● cannot containe him and there is a vaile b●fore us that wee cannot see him clearely an● Christ is the Governour of the Church Isa ● 6 7. For unto us a Childe is borne and unto 〈◊〉 a Sonne is given and the government is upon 〈◊〉 shoulder and he shall call his name Wonderfull● Counseller the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace The encrease of his government and peace shall have no end hee shall s●● upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdo● to order it and to stablish it with judgement 〈◊〉 with justice from hence-forth even for ever th● zeale of the Lord of hosts will performe this H●● is our husband and he reignes over us in lo● and so he governs us and all his lawes that 〈◊〉 doth set forth for us to observe is to love him ●●d so farre as hee doth reveale himselfe to us ●e can doe no other and he defends us against 〈◊〉 our spirituall enemies that rise up against 〈◊〉 and would devoure us And he hath made 〈◊〉 Kings with him 1 Pet. 2.9 Revel 5.10 〈◊〉 reigne with him for ever And hee is our ●●iest to offer up spirituall sacrifice to his Fa●●er for us upon that golden Altar of himselfe 〈◊〉 8.3 And he makes intercession continu●●ly to his Father for us 1 John 1.12 My ●●es these things write I unto you that ye sinne 〈◊〉 and if any man sinne wee have an Advocate ●●th the Father Jesus Christ the just and hee is 〈◊〉 reconciliation for our sins and not for ours on●● but also for the sins of the whole world And ●●e hath made u● Priests with him as wee are ●ints for his Spirit in us offers up continuall ●●rifice to God by Christ of praises and ●●anks-giving And he is our Prophet to teach 〈◊〉 We shall be all taught of God he will teach 〈◊〉 so plainly by his Spirit his owne minde in ●●●h a plain way that a wayfaring man though ●oole cannot erre therein The Lord said Write the vision and make it ●●●ne upon Tables that he may run that readeth 〈◊〉 Hab. 2.2 After those dayes saith the Lord 〈◊〉 will put my law in their inward parts and write 〈◊〉 their hearts and I will be their God and ●●ey shall be my people And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man 〈◊〉 brother saying know the Lord for they shal● know me from the least of them to the greatest● them Jer. 31.33 34. The Lord will teach his children by his Sp●rit in a more clearer manner than he ha● done and so farre as he teacheth them th● shall all know him and hee shall teach us 〈◊〉 profit 1 Cor. 2.4 5. My speech and my preach●● was not with enticing words of mans wisdome 〈◊〉 in demonstration of the Spirit and of power T●● your faith should not stand in the wisdome of 〈◊〉 but in the power of God When the Lord d●●● teach us by his Spirit that comes with powe● and over-powers us and makes us willing 〈◊〉 doe and be what hee would have us so 〈◊〉 power is made knowne in us That whi●● Christ teacheth us to know is himselfe Eph● 4.21 If so be that ye have heard him and 〈◊〉 been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus th●● we may know what he is in the Saints and 〈◊〉 the Saints Psal 65.8 I will heare what God 〈◊〉 Lord will speake for he will speak peace to his p●●ple and to his Saints All that Christ doth teach us is to kno● himselfe and Paul desired to know nothing 〈◊〉 but Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 An● he speakes nothing but what is in him for 〈◊〉 that all that is in him hee hath purchased 〈◊〉 us and hee hath purchased us unto himselfes and we are his Wife and he will always dwell with us and be in us and alwayes uphold us and never leave us nor forsake us CHAP. XIIII God is very tender and careful over those that are but babes in him and leades them as they

hast given mee bee with mee where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst mee before the foundation of the world His love is so great to us that he must have us with him wheresoever he is so he carrieth us in his bosome upon his heart and he is gone into heaven and we are there with him though we see it not and we are glorified with him And the glory which thou hast given mee I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as tho● hast loved me John 17.22 23. There is not any thing that Christ thinke too deare or too good for us hee bestows al●● his excellent things upon us hee loves us 〈◊〉 dearly he cannot keep them from us His lov● to us passeth the love of women to their chil●dren yea the greatest love that they can be●● to them Isa 49.15 16. Can a woman forg●●●ber sucking childe that she should not have 〈◊〉 passion on the sonne of her womb yea they 〈◊〉 forget yet will I not forget thee Behold I ha●● graven thee upon the palms of my hands and thy wayes are continually before me He would have us to take notice of his love Behold I have graven thee upon the palmes of my hands he hath done it and wee must behold it and take good notice of it it is done already it is not to be done by us but God saith I have done it And there is not any thing in us that can hinder his love to us I have loved you with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawne thee These are expressions of God to us that we are set upon his heart and arme and hand is to shew us how neare we are to him and hee would have us to know it therefore he comes himself and declares it to us by his Spirit Fear not for I am with thee be not affraid for I am thy God Isa 41.10 Man naturally is affraid of God and it is because of our sins and ever since Adam fell wee have beene affraid of him some affraid of his anger and some affraid of punishment Gen. 3.9 10. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him where art thou And be said I heard thy voyce in the garden and I was affraid because I was naked and I hid my selfe The righteousnesse of God which Adam had before his fall did cloath him he saw no nakednesse he was not ashamed of the nakednesse of his bodie that was nothing he could see nothing but what was of God and he was cloathed with him and there was a sweete communion betweene God and him hee was not affraid of God and there was no cause of fearing any thing else for all things below God were under Adam they had no power to doe him any harm But after Adam fell his falling stripped him of the righteousnesse of God and so he became naked and then hee was affraid of God And thus by nature wee are naked and are affraid of God and it is our nakednesse that causeth our feare and makes us affraid of every thing below God as well as of God and there is not any covering that can cover our nakednesse and so take away the cause of our fear for Adam did what he could to hide his nakednesse Gen. 3 7. And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons They saw but some part of their nakednesse and so far as they saw it they made a covering to hide it and it was of the leaves of a fig-tree faire great leaves and that tree grew in the Garden of Eden where Adam was put and that was the best covering they could get yet they were affraid and hid themselves from God for all that covering This Garden of Eden was a type of the ●hurch of God which is the Spouse of Christ ●●●t 4.12 15. and chap. 5.1 6.2 And this Garden in the midst of it is the tree ●life which is Christ Rev. 2.7 To him that ●●reommeth will I give to eate of the tree of life ●●ich is in the midst of the Paradise of God Joel 〈◊〉 27. And ye shall know that I am in the midst Israel and that I am the Lord your God and ●e else and my people shall never be ashamed ●●d he is that water of life that runneth in the ●idst of the garden Revel 22.1 Whosoever ●●nketh of the water that I shall give him shall ●●er thirst But the water that I shall give him ●●ll be in him a well of water springing up into e●lasting life John 4.14 Jesus stood and cry●● saying If any man thirst let him come unto 〈◊〉 and drinke He that believeth on me as the ●●ipture saith out of his belly shall flow rivers of ●●ing water John 7.37 38. And this is that ●●e of life that whosoever eates thereof they ●all live for ever And this the Saints feed up●● but Adam did not eate of this And out of 〈◊〉 ground made the Lord God to grow every tree 〈◊〉 is pleasant to the sight and good for food ●●en 2.9 So in the garden the Church of God out 〈◊〉 the ground of the love of God for he is the ●ound of all our happinesse hee causeth to grow every tree that is pleasant to the e●● and good for food which is a comforta●● enjoyment of all temporall things and goo●nesse hath a promise of all things in this 〈◊〉 for temporall things so far as it is for Go● glory and for our good and for things come which is spirituall but the trees of 〈◊〉 ward mercies doe grow by the high way● 〈◊〉 all sorts of people to eate of as well as the ch●●dren of God But this is but by the way 〈◊〉 shew you that wee have the enjoyment of o●● ward things by the enjoyment of spiritual 〈◊〉 in the garden of God so farre as Christ 〈◊〉 peareth in it it brings forth good fruits s●●ble to him for hee is a Spirit and the fr●● that grow in this garden are spirituall and have not this fruit by nature for except 〈◊〉 are in the Vine we cannot bring forth fr●● sutable to God and we by nature are nake● and we seeing our selves naked and know● there is no appearing before God so we ta●● of the broadest and fairest leaves of the shew godlinesse that we can get and sew them handsomely together as wee can and co●● that part that we see naked but there is a g●● deale of our nakednesse that we doe not 〈◊〉 and that wee cannot cover yet God sees our nakednesse both that as we cover 〈◊〉 as we doe not cover When God doth app●●● 〈◊〉 we are affraid of his seeing us

and you in me and I in you John 14.20 For Christ is the head and is one with the Father and the whole Church of God is the body which is the Spirit of God in all the Saints and he is always in us and with us Christ in us the hope of glory we by faith see Christ in us and know that he is the glory and wait patiently upon him while he is pleased to manifest his glory in us So by faith we believe and hope for that which wee have not yet the enjoyment ●f Though wee have Christ who is the ful●●sse of all happinesse yet wee doe not see him 〈◊〉 us till hee is pleased to manifest himselfe to 〈◊〉 and shew us his glory And this faith of ●elieving what we shall enjoy is a very glori●us condition and we have abundance of joy ●●d comfort in it for the promise to us of the ●●joyment of himselfe is sealed to us we are ●re of it there is not any thing that can hin●●r him from manifesting himselfe to us Eph. ● 13 14. After that yee heard the word of truth ●●e Gospel of your salvation in whom also after ●hat ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit 〈◊〉 promise Which is the earnest of our inheritance ●●till the redemption of the purchased possession ●●to the praise of his glory So the Lord revealing to us by his Spirit ●●at there is an inheritance purchased by ●hrist for us which is himselfe that is the ●●eatest inheritance that can be and this Spi●●● doth seale it to us till the time is come that ●●mselfe will give us possession of that inheri●●nce that hee hath redeemed and purchased ●●r us for the praise of his glory So while we ●ave but an earnest given us of this inheritance ●eing we know it is sure wee are exceedingly ●omforted and carried above all slavish fears ●nd troubles and above all things that wee see below Christ and many the Lord leades a great while by faith before he gives them a full possession of himselfe CHAP. XVI Not for any to despise nor undervalue nor persecute one another IT is a very dangerous thing to embrace and close with that we heare before wee know whether it be truth or no for it is not sufficient for us to believe a thing to be truth because another saith it is truth For us to build upon this is a sandy-foundation we cannot build sure upon it though the things that we heare be truth yet except we know them to be truth by the Spirits teaching us or witnessing to us by sufficient grounds set forth in the Scripture that those things are truth that we heare it is very dangerous to build upon it and it is impossible but this building will fall for this foundation will not nor cannot hold it up and if it come to the tryall it will fall to the great dishonour of God and the scandalling of Religion and it is as dangerous to despise hate or persecute any thing that wee heare though it doth not seem to us to be truth for saith Paul After that way that ye call heresie so ●orship I the God of my Fathers Though it ap●eareth to you to be heresie yet it may be re●●ll truth therefore doe not hate it nor perse●ute it for Paul thought before his conversion ●hat it was heresie and persecuted it Acts 9. ●2 And Saul yet breathing out threatnings and ●aughter against the Disciples of the Lord went ●●to the high Priest and desired of him letters to ●amascus to the Synagogue that if he found any 〈◊〉 this way whether they were men or women he ●ight bring them bound unto Jerusalem And ●he journeyed he came neare to Damascus and ●●ddenly there shined round about him a light from ●●aven and he fell to the earth and heard a voyce ●●ying unto him Saul Saul why persecutest thou 〈◊〉 And he said who art thou Lord And the ●ord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest it is ●●●d for thee to kicke against the pricks vers 3 4 ● Paul was then one that was very strict in all 〈◊〉 ways and walked very blamelesse as con●●rning the performing of the Law and hee ●ought that all that was not as he was were ●●retickes and hee persecuted them to the ●ath but the Lord said unto him Why perse●●test thou me I am Jesus whom thou persecutest 〈◊〉 He persecuted Christ in his members Inas●●eth as you have done it unto one of the least of ●●se my brethren ye have done it to me Mat. 25.40 Take heed how you persecute any though you thinke they are heretickes and therefore persecute them as Paul did and indeed there was never any persecution but it went under the name of punishing Hereticks and doe i● by a shew of godlinesse as Paul did but it i● hard for you to kicke against prickes for it i● God that ye kicke against and he is stronger than you and will overcome you at the last and he is like pricks it will pierce your selves for not any weapon that is forged against hi● Saints shall prosper but shall returne backe● and destroy their enemies like as those me● were that tooke up Shadrach Mesbech and Abednego and cast them into the fiery fornan at the Kings command because they woul● not worship their false gods They made th● fornace exceeding hot because it should destroy the three men that were cast into it b●● the flame of the fire slew those men that ca● them in and Shadrach Mesbech and Abedego walked in the midst of the fire and neith●● they nor their cloaths were burned nor 〈◊〉 much as smell of fire Dan. 3. Therefore whosoever thou art that pers●cutest any take heed what thou dost for the last God will destroy thee whosoever th● art except thou commest to be converted and they whom thou dost persecute shall be 〈◊〉 livered out of thy hands if it be to the glory 〈◊〉 God and their good but if God hath gi●●n you so much power as to put them to ●●ath the greatest harm that you can do them 〈◊〉 but to bring them to their full happinesse ●●d that harm that you thinke to doe against ●●●m you doe against your selves for while 〈◊〉 persecute them they are at peace and qui●● and have abundance of the enjoyment of ●●od and enabled to bear exceedingly what●●ever is laid upon them for whatsoever is ●●nting outwardly the Lord supplieth in●●rdly by his Spirit and he conveyeth him●●●fe to them in that way that all the enemies 〈◊〉 the world nor all the Devils in hell are 〈◊〉 able to hinder them from the enjoyment him but while you persecute them you ●●●not be quiet in your mind but are troubled ●●●d cannot have peace like Saul that perse●●●●d David The Spirit of the Lord departed 〈◊〉 Saul and an evill Spirit from the Lord trou●●●d him 1 Sam. 16.14 And this Spirit cau●● him to persecute David and wheresoever 〈◊〉 Spirit is it causeth persecutions for it

Independents nor the Independents despise the Presbytery and those that are neither of them let them not despise either of them for those that are the children of God what form soever they are in there is the seed of God in them though it be covered with a great deal of drosse that the seed of God doth little appear yet that which is of God is pure wheresoever it is though Anti-christ appeareth more in ●hem than Christ and seduceth them and ●hey cannot see it while Christ doth break o●en his seales to us and as hee breakes open a ●●al to us then we come to see more light then ●e see what grosse ways of Anti-christ we have ●een in then we come out of that forme into ●nother that more seeming glorious forme ●han the other that we were in before but An●i-christ will reign in us in this form as well as in the other that we were in appearing more glorious to us then hee did before and when the Lord comes and breaks open another seale to us and brings us up higher to himselfe and ●hews us more light than we saw before then wee see what a darke way wee were in before then wee come out of that forme into another forme more glorious than the other even the most purest and glorious form that we can find in all the Scripture Thus the Lord brings us from one thing to another from Papacie to Presbytery from Presbytery to Independency and the Lord is in every one of these formes to his people while hee brings them out of it and Sathan also doth transforme himselfe to an Angel of light and will be in that form to you for now you are out of an Anti-christian way and thinke your selves safe but you may hug and embrace Anti-christ in the mystery when you hate him speak against him in the history and the more glorious form you are in the more secure you thinke your selves and are ready to say let us here build Tabernacles And beloved wee make goodly Images to our selves the more glorious our forme is the more glorious images we make and the more liker God the more dangerous for that which is not purely of God so far as it is not of God it is of Anti-christ and we make an image of it and that which is like Christ for Anti-christ doth appeare in us like Christ we doe not know him from Christ therefore let not any of us despise each other or undervalue one another for Anti-christ doth tyrannize over us all some in one way and some in another and hee it is that causeth us to despise and undervalue one another for that which is of God is loving and kind to all and meeke and milde and causeth us to forgive one another and forbeare one another and overcome one another with love When Christ comes and breaks open another seal to you then you will see that yet you are in the darke for that light which now you have is a great light to that which you saw before but it is but darknesse to that light which shall appeare to you and then hee will shew you that a great deale of that in you which you thought was spirit will appeare to be but flesh which is of Anti-christ CHAP. XVII How God brings his Church into the wildernesse THere is a spirituall wildernesse that Christ brings his Saints into before hee giveth them a full possession of Canaan that is that glorious inheritance which is Christ A wildernesse is a barren place he will strippe us of all our excellent things so far as it is not purely of himselfe hee will come with the North-winde and nip and deaden and blast all our most excellent performances that wee shall have nothing to trust to but see our selves in a barren condition like a wilderness The church of God hath been in the wildernesse ever since Anti-christ began to reigne and Anti-christ is that which is like Christ yet opposeth Christ and it began in the Apostles dayes for no sooner is there any thing of Christ made known but the Devill will transforme himselfe as like it as may be and labour to set up his way in us and opposeth the way of Jesus Christ For every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of Anti-christ whereof you have heard that it should come and even now already it is in the world 1 John 4.3 Little children it is the last time and as ye have heard that Anti-christ shall come even now there are many Anti-christs whereby wee know that it is the last times 1 John 2.18 That which doth deny Christ any other ways in the history or in the mysterie in what manner soever it be so farre as wee hold any thing that is not the pure truth of Christ so farre as it is not truth it is of Anti-christ though it appeare never so glorious and it is said that there are many Anti-christs because hee appeareth in many wayes to us but he did not reigne in the Apostles time so as he hath done since for the Gospel was then purely preached but Christ told his Disciples what things should come to passe Mat. 24.15 When yee therefore shall see the abhomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holy place whoso readeth let him understand When the Lord openeth our eyes that wee see it before us and in us then wee come to read and understand that the abhomination of Anti-christ being set up makes the truth of Jesus Christ desolate for that light that shined in the Apostles dayes hath beene quite put out and the Church hath been led in a very darke way for the minde of God hath beene sealed up with seven seales and all the time that the booke is sealed up the Church is in the wildernesse and there shee hath a place prepared of God and there she should be fed a thousand two hundred and threescore days Rev. 1.26 And this was the time of the two Witnesses prophesying And I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes cloathed in sack-cloath Rev. 11.3 God hath some alwayes to speake forth his pure truth in some measure and they that speake forth the things of Christ are the witnesses of Christ and they prophesie in sacke-cloath which signe of sorrow and mourning when there is but little manifestation of Jesus Christ then we are kept under by Anti-christ both outward and inward and then is the time of mourning Can the children of the bride-chamber fast while the Bride-groom is with them but when the Bride-groom is taken from them in those dayes shall they fast And when they fasted they used to be cloathed in sack-cloath which doth appeare that the time of the Church being in the wildernesse having then but small appearance of the Bride-groom to them then is

the time of fasting and mourning yet God doth feed and preserve her from all those devouring beasts that are in the wildernesse and there are seven degrees of comming out of this wildernesse and the Lord doth first shew us that we are in the wildernesse before hee doth make it known to us that hee hath brought us out of it hee will shew us our barrennesse by stripping us quite naked of all our goodly things that we shall have nothing to trust too then will he reveale himselfe in us and appear to be all in all in us and then he will appeare very glorious Hosea 2.14 I will bring her into the wildernesse and speake comfortably unto her There is first a dying to the flesh before there is appearing to live in the Spirit for while our first husband the law or flesh is alive we live unto him but if he be dead by the life of Christ appearing in us then we are free to marry to another which is to Christ Rom. 7.4 Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 We are dead to the flesh by the power of the death of Christ for Christ dyed for the destruction I doe not meane our bodies but that which is of Anti-christ in us and our life is hid with Christ in God for our life is in the life of Christ I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I now live in the flesh which is in the body I live by the faith of the Sonne of God Gal. 2.20 But in the beginning of this verse he saith I am crucified with Christ Gal. 6.14 God forbid that I should glory in any thing save in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto mee and I unto the world So we are crucified to all things that is below Christ 2 Cor. 5.16 17. Wherefore hence-forth know we no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet ●ow hence-forth know we him so no more Therefore if any man bee in Christ hee is a new creature ●lde things are passed away behold all things are become new We must not know Christ any longer after our fleshly apprehension for all our old imaginations of Christ must passe away by the new manifestations of Christ in us Rom. 8.10 11. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sinne but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you hee that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you Here is a dying to the flesh and then living to thee Spirit It is aPpointed for man once to dye And after death comes the judgement as all things is and shall be fulfilled outwardly in the history so all things shall be fulfilled spiritually in us in the mistery Christ is risen in us and is come to spirituall judgment and doth raise up his Spirit in us that hath lyen as it were dead in us and the flesh which is Antichrist shall stand before God and be judged and condemned by him Col. 3.4 When Christ who is our life shall appeare then shall yee also appeare with him in glory and we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 1 John 3.2 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power Revel 20.6 This is the first resurrection and the Lord is set in his judgement-seate to destroy Antichrist And then shall that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightnesse of his comming Even him whose comming is after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders 2 Thes 2.8 9. Satan is said to sit in heavenly places because he transformeth himselfe to the likenesse of God and so deceiveth us making us believe he is God and so we worship him thinking hee is God How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer Son of the Morning how art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the Nations For thou hast said in thy heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my Throne above the Stars of God I will sit also upon the mount of the Congregation in the sides of the North. I will ascend above the height of the clouds I will be like the most High Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell so the sides of the pit They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee saying Is this the man that made the earth to tremble that did shake Kingdomes That made the world as a wildernesse and destroyed the Cities thereof that opened not the ●house of his prisoners Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy comming thy pomp is brought downe to the grave and the noise of thy viols The wormes are spread under thee and the worms cover thee Isa 14.9 to the 17. And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials and talked with me saying unto me Come hither I will shew thee the judgment of the great Whore that sit●eth upon many waters With whom the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication and the Inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication So hee carried mee away in the Spirit into the Wildernesse and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and tenne bornes And the woman was arraied in purple ●earlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls having a golden cup in her handfull of abhominations and filthinesse of her fornication And I saw the woman drunke with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus Revel 17. All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication Rev. 18.3 Here is a discovering of Anti-christ before she is judged condemned and destroyed and when the time is come for the discovering of her to us then hee shewes us her by a high and glorious revelation of himself for there is not any thing that can discover Anti-christ to us but the Spirit of God When the Lord doth come to shew us any thing of himselfe in the mystery he saith come up hither and I will shew you the things that must be hereafter and immediately I was in the Spirit Rev. 4.1 Rev. 1.10 Rev. 17.1 Rev. 21.9 There is no seeing of any thing of God in the truth of it but by the revelation of the Spirit of God and hee carrieth us as wee are Saints up into himselfe and the higher hee carrieth us the more he shews us of the mysterie of himselfe for as hee openeth the seales in making known any thing of himselfe to us hee saith Come up

hither Rev. 4.12 After this I looked and behold a doore was open in heaven and the first voyce which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things that must be hereafter And immediately I was in the Spirit and behold a Throne was set in heaven and one sate on the Throne And being in the Spirit he comes to see it then after hee hath showne himselfe to us he shows us Anti-christ which is called the great Whore because we all commit spirituall fornication with her and here is a carrying us up higher in the Spirit to see her And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials and talked with me and saying unto me Come hither I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carryeth her I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great Whore Rev. 17.17 And then after he hath shewed us the mysterie of the Whore and her destruction then he shews us the marriage of the Church to Christ in the mysterie in his glory And there came unto me one of the seven Angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues and talked with me saying Come hither I will shew thee the Bride the Lambs wise And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountaine and shewed me that great Citie the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God having the glory of God Rev. 21.9 10 11. So we are carried up higher and hiher into God by the Spirit of God revealing the things of God in us and when the Spirit of God doth shew us God sitting upon his Throne in his glory in such a measure as we are enabled to see him then he shewes us Anti-christ in his glory or the Whore in her glory for it is one and the same as Christ and his Church is Christ being the head and his Church the body so Anti-christ which is the Devill transformed to an Angel of light is the head 2 Cor 11.14 and his seede in us all is the body which is called the Whore and she doth appeare very glorious And the woman was arraied in purple and scarlet-colour and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls Rev. 17.4 like the church of God the Lambs wife and without the Spirit of God doth shew us the difference betwixt her and the Church of God we do not know her from the Church of God for she is in the wildernesse where the Church of God is Rev. 17.3 So he carried me in the Spirit into the wildernesse and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast full of names of blasphemie having seven heads and ten horns By seeing the beast that she sitteth upon which doth beare her up and this beast doth ascend out of the bottomlesse pit Revel 11.7 Wee come to know her from the Church of God And there appeared a great wouder in heaven a woman cloathed with the Sun and the Moone under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve Stars And she being with child crying travelling in birth and pained to be delived This woman is the Church of God and is said lo be in heaven that is in Christ for hee is the perfect heaven and she is cloathed with Christ which is the Sonne of righteousnesse and all things that are below him is under her feete And she hath a crowne of twelve stars the glory of Christ that did appeare by that Doctrine that was taught by the twelve Apostles of Christ for the Preachers of the Gospel are called stars Rev. 1.20 Shee hath the glory of Christ and is cloached with him and he is with her and in her yet she saw it not hee had not manifested himselfe to her She was as it were with childe with him and in great paine desiring to have him brought forth to her that shee mighe see him as hee is and have the enjoyment of him and no sooner did this woman appear but there appeared another wonder in heaven And behold a great red Dragon having seven heads and tenne bornes and seven crowns upon his head and hee stood before the Woman which was ready to be delivered for to devoure her childe as soone as it was delivered Thus Anti-christ labours to devoure Christ as soon as he is brought forth in us appearing to us like unto Christ And there was warre in heaven Michael and his Angels sought against the Dragon and the Dragon sought and his Angels and prevailed not neither was their places found any more in heaven And the great dragon was cast out that old Serpent called the Devill and Satan which deceives the whole world hee was cast out into the earth and his Angels were cast out with him Here is the Devill made known to us how he is in heavenly places fighting against Christ but Christ hath overcome him and cast him out of his heavenly shape that hee shall not be able to overcome us He is called a red Dragon and a scarlet-coloured beast because hee persecutes and destroyes the Church of God and this Beast is spoken of in many places of the Revelations and the woman that sits upon it is the glory and seeming excellency of Antichrist and she also is cloathed with scarlet-colour which is persecution Though shee be cloathed in the most glorious manner as can be with gold and precious stones and pearls like the glory of Christ yet this is but to deceive us And she hath in her hand a golden cup full of abhominations and filthinesse of her fornication Being shee appeares so glorious to us like unto Christ and the cup that shee giveth us to drinke of appeareth so pure and glorious which maketh us not to question it but thinke that it is the cup of salvation So we drinke of her abhominationr and commit spiritual fornication with her and she sitteth upon all people multitudes and tongues and nations Rev. 17. Shee domineereth over us all and she is carried on swiftly in her abominations upon the backe of the Beast which was full of names of blasphemie which blasphemeth the name of God and ways of God And he hath seven heads perfection of wisdome he knows all the wayes of God and hee transformeth himselfe to the likentsse of them all And hee hath tenne hornes to persecute withall and he makes use of them so farre as God suffereth him and he hath all wayes to decive us in appearing like a Lamb to us having two hornes like a Lamb but speaking like a Dragon Rev. 13.11 and also appearing like Prophets in us Revel 16.13 14. And I saw three uncleane spirits like frogs comming out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet For they are the spirit of Devills working miracles And the Lord doth make the wayes of Anti-christ appeare

it for by the manifestation of the appearance of Jesus Christ revealing himselfe in his glory by his Spirit doth destroy Anti-christ for by the preaching of the Gospel this City Babylon doth fall When the Spirit of God doth teach us to know what the Gospel of Christ is to us and in us this doth come with power and doth overthrow Anti-christ in us and the outward preaching of the Word alone will not doe it but the spirit working with it doth doe it and the Lord is well pleased to make use of the outward preaching of the word to work upon us by his Spirit commonly but he is not bound to one way hee workes upon us by his Spirit with meanes or without means or against meanes yet it is one spirit that doth worke upon us sutable to the Word hee would not have us under value the outward preaching of the Gospel nor yet idolize it Revel 8.1 2. And after these things I saw another Angel come downe from heaven having great power the earth was lightned with his glory And he cryed mightily with a strong voyce saying Babylon the great is fallen is become the habitation of Devils and the hold of every foule spirit and a cage of every uncleane and hatefull bird All manner of unclean things hath lodged in her but we did not see it but now the Lord will shew us it Reward her even as she hath rewarded you double unto her double according to her workes In the cup which shee hath filled fill to her double How much she hath glorified her selfe and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her For shee saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine And shee shall he utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God that judgeth her Revel 18.6 7 8. He doth double the cup of his wrath and indignation against her and doth destroy her and burne her up with the fire of himselfe we cannot doe it but he is strong and able to do● it and doth doe it for us and the fruits that thy soule lusted after are departed from thee and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee and thou shalt find● them no more at all Rev. 18.14 And a mighty Angel tooke up a stone like a great mil-stone and cast it into the Sea saying thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be throwne downe and shall be found no more at all And the voyce o● harpers and musicians of pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee and n● Crafts-man of whatsoever Craft shall be found no more in thee and the found of a mil-stone shall be heard no more at all in thee And the light of 〈◊〉 candle shall shine no more at all in thee and th● voyce of the Bride-groome and of the Bride shall be heard no more at all in thee for thy Merchants were the great men of the Earth for by thy forceries were all Nations deceived And in her to 〈◊〉 found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slaine upon the earth Rev. 18.21 22 23 24. Here is an utter destruction of her and this is that vaile that keepeth us from seeing the glory of Christ for he that keepeth from him is a vaile or if wee see him but darkely it is because the vail is not quite done away There was a vail before the Tabernacle which is called the holyest of all In which Tabernacle were all the glorious and excellent things Heb. 〈◊〉 .3 4. And thou shalt make a vaile of blue ●urple and scarlet and fine twined linnen of tun●ing worke with Cherubims shall it be made And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of Shi●tim ●ood overlaid with gold their bookes shall be of ●old upon the sockets of silver And thou shalt ●ong up the vaile under the tackes that thou maist ●ring in thither within the vaile the Arke of the Testimonie And the vail shall divide unto you betweene the holy places and the most holy Exod. ●6 31 32 33 34. There was three places in this Tabernacle first the Priests went alwayes into the first Ta●ernacle accomplishing the service of God ●ut into the second went the High Priest alone ●nce every yeare not without blood which ●e offered for himselfe and for the errours of ●he people The holy Ghost thus signifying ●hat the holyest of all was not yet made mani●●st Heb. 9.6 7 8. For that glorious vaile ●oth hide it quite from us Luke 23.45 The Sun was darkened and the vaile of the Temple was ●●nt in the midst Mat. 27.51 And behold the vaile of the Temple was rent in taine from the top to ●he bottome and the earth did quake and the ●ockes rent Christ by his death did rend the vail that doth keepe us from the seeing of him Moses after he had seen and talked with God he appeared so glorious that the people could not looke upon him and then he put a vail over his face Moses was a type of Christ and hee had a vaile over him that they could not see him which were types and shadowes and through that vaile they saw Christ darkely 2 Cor. 3.11 12 13 14. Seeing we have such hope we use great plainesse of speech And not as Moses which put a vaile over his face that the children of Israel could not stedfastly looke to the end of that which is abolished But their minds were blinded for untill this day remaineth the same vaile untaken away in the reading of the old Testament which vaile is done away in Christ But even unto this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their hearts Neverthelesse when it shall turne to the Lord the vaile shall be taken away Now the Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty When the Lord doth open the seales to us and comes with power in us by his Spirit then hee turnes us to himselfe and shewes us by degrees that this vaile that hinders us from seeing him is taken away by him and so by degrees we shall see him as he is and then we shall seee what bondage we were in to sin and Satan and our owne selves and how wee are set at liberty by Christ John 8.36 If the Sonne therefore shall make you free yee shall bee free indeed Isa 25.7.8 And destroy in this mountaine in the face of the covering cast over all people and the vaile that is spread over all Nations He will swallow death in victory 1 Cor. 15.54 This death and this vaile is one and the same for both of them keeps us from seeing life which is Christ For while we live to our selves and to our righteteousnesse so far we are dead to Christ Now as he manifests himselfe in us he swallows up this death and

wee shall see our selves live in his life and dead to that life that wee did live to our selves Thus the Lord will strip us of all our excellent things bringing us into the wildernesse and shewing us that all our works are burnt up so far as they are of us but that which is of God in us is not burnt up but is purged from our drosse and will appeare very glorious and will make us silent for we shall have nothing to boast of but confesse that it is Christ in us which is that glory then we shal ●e that he is no respecter of persons for whatsoever he be whether he be a strict Jew as the Jewes were very strict as ye may see by Paul before his conversion Or a Gentile one that makes no shew of godliness but lives very loos●y as those Gentiles did which are spoken of ●n Rom. 1. yet when Christ reveales himself to them they shall finde that his love is the same to them as to them that have been most strictest When the Lord of the Vine-yard sent labourers into his Vine-yard he sent some at the first hour and some at the third hour and some at the sixth hour some at the eleventh hour and when hee came to pay them hee began with him that went in last and he had as much given him as he that went in first Mat. 20. Those that are but young Saints that have been but lately brought into Christ the Lord doth many times reveal himselfe in a very glorious manner to them before he doth to them that have laboured in the Lords Vineyard a great while and have had the seede of God appearing in them a great while Mat. 29.30 But many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first That we may know that God is no respecter of persons for wee are all one body and his love is as great to one member as to another Ephes 4.4 5 6. There is one body and one Spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling One Lord one faith one Baptisme One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Col. 3.11 Christ is all and in all the Saints CHAP. XVIII How glorious the glory of Christ will appeare in his Church when he bringeth them out of the Wildernesse VVHen Christ hath stripped his Church off of all her goodly things then she hath nothing to trust too but on Christ Isa 2. Then the lofty lookes of man shall be humbled and the baughtinesse of men shall be bowed downe and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up and hee shall bee brought low and the Idols hee shall utterly abolish And they shall goe into the holes of the rockes and into the ●aves of the Earth for feare of the Lord and for the glory of his Majestie when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth In that a man shall cast his Idols of silver and his Idols of god which they made every one for himselfe to worship to the Moles and to the Bats Hosea 14.8 Ephraim ●●all say what have I to doe any more with Idols Isa 31.7 For in that day every man shall ●ast away his Idols of silver and his Idols of gold which your owne hands have made for a sinne When this day of the Lord is come to us then wee shall be willing to cast them away because the Lord shewes us the odiousnesse of them by the glory of himselfe revealed in us but before this day is come to us we had rather part from any thing than part from them But when he comes to give a full possession of himself then wee are willing to part from all thinge that are not of himselfe but hee doth not reveale all his glory to us at once but revealeth himselfe to us by degrees as wee are able to beare and containe him And as hee shewes himselfe to us so hee shewes us Antichrist and his destruction for the more incomes wee have of Christ the more of selfe and Satan doth appeare to us and is destroyed more and more by this fire of Christ For hee doth baptize us with the holy Ghost and fire Mat. 5. Acts 2. Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Isa 33.14 This fire of the Spirit of God never goes out but is always burning up that in us that is contrary to it selfe that there may be all the drosse burnt up And this fire is in Sion and his fornace in Jerusalem Isa 31.9 which is the Church of God Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her Beloved Cant. 8.5 The Spouse of Christ see● all other things faile her and she leaneth now wholly upon her Beloved shee is of her selfe like a barren wildernesse but now hee will cause the fui●ts of his Spirit to appeare to grow and flourish in her The Wildernesse and the solitary place shall bee glad for them and the desart shall rejoyce and blossome as a rose It shall blossome abundantly and rejoyce even with joy and singing the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it the excellency of Carmel and Sharon they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God Isa 35.12 The Spirit shall be powred upon us from on high and the Wildernesse be a fruitfull field and the fruitfull field bee counted for a Forrest Then judgment shall dwell in the wildernesse and righteousnesse remaine in the fruitfull field And the worke of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places and none shall make her affraid Isa 32.15 16 17 18. Now is the time come for us to see that the marriage day is come when he doth come and manifest himselfe in us in a glorious way to tell us what he is to us and in us and what wee are in him and to him when hee thus comes to us that day is the marriage day to us Rev. 19.7 8 9. Let us be glad rejoyce and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his Wife hath made her selfe ready And to her was granted that shee should be arraied in fine linnen cleane and white for the fine linnen is the righteousnesse of Saints And he said unto me write blessed are they that are called to the marrioge supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me These are the true sayings of God Rev. 20.9 10 11. And there came unto mee one of the seven Angels and talked with me and said unto me Come hither and I will shew thee the Bride the Lambes Wife And hee carried mee away in the Spirit to a great and

high mountaine and shewed mee that great Citie the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God having the glory of God And her light was like unto a stone most precious even like a Jasper stone clear as chrystall The Bride of Christ is the Church of God and it is descended out of Heaven from God for it is one with him for it is the Spirit of God in all the children of God that is this body the Church The Bride and this descendeth from God into us yet it is not parted from him but is in him and this is cloathed with the glory of God This is that righteousnesse of the Saints and her light is the light of Christ and that light is the clearest and purest and most precious and glorious light that can be I will appeare glorious in thee Isa 49.3 Awake awake put on thy Strength O Sion put on thy beautifull garments O Jerusalem the holy Citie for hence-forth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the uncleane Shake thy selfe from the dust arise and sit downe O Jerusalem loose thy selfe from the bands of thy necke O captive daughter of Sion Isa 52.1 2. Shee was in a sleepy drousie condition so long as shee sate in the dust of that earth of Anti-christ and was a captive in his band But now our Beloved is come hee calls unto us to awake and to put on strength The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be affraid Psalm 27.1 Psalm 28.7 Hee hath cloathed us with his strength And this is that beautifull garment Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee For behold the darkenesss shall cover the earth and grosse darkenesse the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seene upon thee Isa 60.1 2. And the glory that thou hast given me I have given them John 17.22 The Spouse of Christ being cloathed with the glory of Christ shee is all glorious The Kings daughter is all glorious within Wee are the King of heavens daughters for wee are married to Christ and God the Father is our Father and wee are all glorious within It is the Spirit of God in us that is so glorious and this is a spirituall glory it cannot be seene outwardly by others they may hear us speake forth something of this glory in us but none sees it nor knowes it but those that have it Revel 2.17 To him that overcommeth will I give to eate of the hidden Manna and I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving him that hath it This Manna is Christ and he is hid from the world but as wee are Saints wee see it and feede upon it for it is that which wee live by and this stone is Christ 1 Pet. 2.6 And this is a very precious stone and here is a new name written in this stone that none doth know it but hee that hath it And that which is written in it is the manifestation of the exceeding riches of the love and mercy of God and all his glory and excellency which hee hath given us as we are Saints Christ doth set forth the beauty and comlinesse and glory of his Church having his beauty and comelinesse and glory on her Cant. 4. Cant. 7. Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thy eyes with one chain of thy necke How faire is thy love my Sister my Spouse how much better is thy love than wine and the smell of thy oyntments than all spices Thy lips O my Love drop as the honey-combe honey and milke are under thy tongue and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon This oyntment that our Beloved is so taken with the smell of is the anoynting of the holy Ghost 1 John 2.27 The anointing which yee have received of him abideth in you and yee need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you all things and is truth and is no lye and even as he hath taught you ye shall abide in him The Priests and Kings used to be anoynted with oyle and it was a type of Christ hee was that King and Priest that was anoynted with the holy Ghost Psalm 45.6 7. Thy throne O God is for ever and ever the scepter of thy kingdome is ascepter of righteousnesse Thou lovest righteousnesse and hatest wickednesse because God thy God hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse above thy fellowes And this is like that precious oyntment upon the head that runneth upon the beard even unto Aarons beard which wet downe on the border of his garments Psal 133.2 This oyntment of the Spirit of God is all of it poured upon this Priest Christ which is the head of the Church and it runs off from him down upon all the Saints and this ointment of the Spirit of God makes our garments smell so sweete which is that Wedding garment Mat. 22.12 which is the righteousnesse of the Saints Revel 19.8 And being filled with this Spirit causeth our lips to speake or drop forth sweet heavenly glorious things more sweeter to the soule than the honey and honey-comb is to the pallet The Spouse of Christ is exceeding glorious in every respect being in Christ she is perfect in him I in them and they in me that they may be made perfect in one John 17.23 That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us John 17.21 Put on charity which is the bond of perfectnesse Coloss 3.14 which is Christ And where hee is there is perfection Col. 1.27 28. To whom God would ●ake knowne what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in ●ou the hope of glory Whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdome that wee may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus We are perfect in Christ as wee are Saints and are the Church of God for this Spirit of Christ in us is perfect but as wee are men and women we are not perfect for we are naturall and not spirituall and as we are naturall we cannot discern the things of God neither can we doe them 1 Cor. 2.14 But it is this Spirit of God in us that doth all and if hee withdraw his Spirit from us we shall runne into all sin if he doth not restraine us for our bodies are the same as they were before the Spirit of God appeared in us and by his reigning in us he suppresseth destroyeth and burneth up by degrees as he revealeth himself in us all things that are contrary to him and hee brings our wills into subjection to his for wee are led by his Spirit and being filled with his Spirit wee are made drunke as it were with it

worshipped God that sate upon the Throne saying Amen Allelujah And a voyce came out of the Thron● saying Praise our God all ye his servants and yee that fear him both small and great And I heard as it were the voyce of a great multitude and as the voyce of many waters and as the voyce of mighty thundrings saying Allelujah for the Lord God o●●●●potent reigneth Revel 19. The foure and twenty Elders are thought to be the Prophets and Apostles for by them was the minde of God made known and these foure beasts yee shall find spoken of in the first of Ezek. Rev. 4. which was moved by the Spirit of God and was continually praysing God And this heaven where there is such a noyse of joy and rejoycing and praising God is the Church of God here is the singing of birds Cant. 2.12 Because the voyce of this Turtle our beloved Bride-groom our sweet Saviour Jesus Christ his sweet voyce of love and peace to us and joy and rejoycing in us is heard by us and wee see all things that hath hindered us from seeing him is destroyed by him for these earthen pitchers of Antichrist in us wherein the lamps of the light and glory of God lieth hid These pitchers being broke by Christ then the glory of God appeareth Judges 7. And then the trumpets will sound forth the praises of God our tongues shall be as a trumpet being blown by the Spirit of God to sound forth the praises of our God and this sound shall be heard throughout the whole world for the Lord will come in his time and reigne in all his Saints throughout the whole world and throughout the whole world shall this trumpet be sounded and it will cause a great earth-quake for all things that are not of God shall be exceeding fraid and troubled for as the Saints joy encreaseth more and more by Christ manifesting himselfe in us so shall the sorrow of those that are not the children of God encrease more more Rejoyce ye heavens ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth of the sea for the Devill is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev. 12.12 For the light of these lamps and the sound of these trumpets doth terrifie our spirituall enemies and causeth them to flie and let us doe as the four and twenty Elders did fall downe at the feete of Christ And when those beasts gave glory and honour and thankes to him that sate on the Throne who liveth for ever and ever The four and twenty Elders fell downe before him that sate on the Throne and worshipped him that liveth for ever ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4.9 10 11. These Elders that God had revealed himselfe unto in such a high and glorious way and made them instruments to make his mind knowne to all people crowned them with his crowne of glory these cast their Crowns at the feet of God for it was he in Christ that did make knowne his minde by them and as he deserveth all the honour and praise so let us be willing for him to have all the honour for wee have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us 2 Cor. 4.7 It is he that doth all in us and let him have all for it is the glory of the Saints for Christ to have all the glory and for us to be abased and cast downe as low as may be at the feete of Christ and for him alone to be exalted in us There is one seale more to be broke open for this is the sixth seal and the first resurrection and now is Satan bound but he must be again let loose for a little season Revel 20. Hee shall have power given him of God and will transforme himselfe to the likenesse of this glory to deceive us but hee shall never have his will of the Saints for when he thinks to deceive us in this way the Lord breakes open the seventh seale then is the whole mystery of God made known and then shall the seventh trumpet of perfection of joy and rejoycing sound forth the praises of God in the dayes of the seventh Angel when he shall begin to blow the Trumpet even the mystery of God shall be finished as hee hath declared to his servants the Prophets Rev. 10.7 And now we see but in part and know but in part and so we have an enjoyment of God but in part but when that which is perfect is come that which is in part shall be done away and now we see him but darkly but then we shall see him face to face and behold him as he is in his full glory and when we come to have this seale broke open to us then we shall know when the time is for the breaking of it open and how it is what it is that we shall enjoy and in the mean time let us not be inquisitive to know when it shall be or how it shall be for wee shall not know till then and then we shall know whether it be here while we live in this world or hereafter when all things are dissolved but let us leave that to God and to him commit our selves rejoycing always in the Lord. To whom be all honour praise and glory given both now and for evermore Amen FINIS

of him that sate upon the Throne This booke is the minde of God as in a booke a man may write his mind at large being of a great volume so for our weake capacity the minde of God is as it were writ in a booke being written within but on the backside sealed with seven seales that wee cannot what is written in it The vision is become unto you as the words of a booke that is sealed up which they deliver to one that cannot read saying Reade this I pray thee and he saith I ●●nnot for it is sealed And the booke is given to him that cannot read saying Reade this I pray thee and he shall say I cannot read Isa 29.11 12. And the same booke was sent to Ezekiel Ezek. 2.9 10. Behold a hand was sent to me loe a roule of a booke was therein And he spread i● before me and there was written therein lamentations mourning and woe Isa 8.16 Bind up the testimonie seale up the law among my Disciples A testimonie is when a man dyeth he writeth down to whom he would have his estate dispos'd when and how so in this booke o● God is written the whole mind of God what he hath given us and when it shall be revealed to us and how yet it is bound up and sealed and none is found worthy to open the booke and loose the seale He that sate upon the Throne is God the Father and the book that was in his hand was the whole love and minde of God to all man-kinde in Christ Jesus And the seven seales doth set forth to us that the whole mind and love of God is alone known to himselfe and quite shut up and as it were sealed fast from us that as wee are men and women we cannot know any thing that is written therein In this booke there is written all things what Christ hath done for all and what for his Church in particular what he hath obtained for us and what wee are in him what hee hath made us to the Father in him and what he is in us And it is Christ alone that hath obtained of his Father ●o open this booke and to loose the seals for ●e was the Lambe that was slaine for all and ●y his death hee hath obtained power of his ●ather to open the booke and make knowne ●o us his whole mind There are seven seales ●o be broke open and hee doth not breake o●en all the seales at once but by degrees and as he breakes open a seale he saith Come and ●●e Rev. 6.1 That is wee must see our selves in Christ before we can see any thing of the mind of God made known to us and he it is that doth make knowne to us that wee are in him and the first seale that he breaks open to us are some manifestations of his love to us and by degrees he breaks open the seales to us hee doth make knowne his love and minde to us more and more in a more fuller clearer and glorious manner every seale breaking open are new manifestations every seale more glorious clearer fuller than the other that was broke open before And in this booke is written lamentation mourning and woe to Antichrist for her destruction and ruine is come more and more As Christ breakes open the seales and reveales himselfe to us hee gives us that hearing eare his Spirit that we may hear those things which he hath unsealed to us The Lord God hath opened mine eare and I was not rebellious neither turned away backe He wakeneth mine eare to heare as the learned Isa 50.4 5. Thou that dwellest in the gardens the companions hearken to thy voyce cause mee to heare it Cant. 8.13 And when wee come to heare the love of God to us then we shall see this messenger of the Spirit of God casting the stumbling blockes out of the way and making known to us in some measure the great love of the Lord to us and so making way for a further manifestation of himselfe to us in a fuller higher and more glorious manner for as the seales are broke open so is Anti christ more and more discovered and destroyed by the bright comming of Jesus Christ for there is a seven-fold purifying of this seede of God in us from the seede of the Devill before it can appeare to us in the purity of it and that is as the seales are broke open to us and hee appeares very glorious at the breaking open of any of the seales much more glorious will he appear to us when all the seales are broke open when we shall perfectly fully and clearly see and know Christ as hee is to us for when they are all broke open then there the perfection of Christ is made known to us for seven is perfection CHAP. XV. How the LORD leades his people by faith THe Lord doth shew his people that which yet they have not the enjoyment of and 〈◊〉 is in a high and glorious manner and they ●●e not able to expresse what it is but by faith 〈◊〉 some measure they see what it is that they ●●all enjoy and in the meane while they walke 〈◊〉 faith and not by fight Heb. 11.1 Now faith 〈◊〉 the substance of things hoped for the evidence of ●●ings not seene And so by faith we must wait ●atiently for a further manifestation of himself ●n us in a more glorious and clearer manner ●or if we hope for that we see not then do we with ●●tience waite for it Rom. 8.15 We must not ●e like Thomas believe no more than we see or ●njoy but Christ said Blessed are they that ●ive not seene and yet believe John 20.29 A●raham desired to see my day and he saw it and ●as glad He saw by faith the glorious days of Christ the mysteries of the kingdome of God ●ath beene hidden from us but now hee will ●ake them manifest to his Saints to whom God would make knowne what is the riches of this mysterie among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1.26 27. Christ manifested in the flesh is a great mysterie his first comming was in flesh visible to all that all might see him Then hee went away as concerning his flesh and came in Spirit to us I will not leave you comfortlesse but I will come unto you John 14.18 And he saith I send my Spirit unto you John 16.7 If any man love me he will keepe my word and my Father will love him and wee will come unto him and make our abode with him John 14.23 So Christ will not only come unto us but hee is in us already and he will make it manifest that he is come in our flesh by his Spirit for hee and his Spirit are all one and where Christ is there is the Father Know ye not that the Father is in the Sonne and the Sonne in the Father And at that time ye shall know that I am in my Father

laying them clearly open by the appearance of himselfe in us and as he breaks open the seals to us there are great earth-quakes Heb. 12.26 27. Yet once more I shake not only the earth but also heaven And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remaine The Lord when hee appeareth in us doth not only make the earth quake at his presence which is all things that doth appeare to us to be below God whatsoever it be but also heavenly things all glorious things which are of Anti-christ which is like heaven and doth appeare to us to be heaven but this shall be shaken by the appearing of Jesus Christ in us and those things that cannot be shaken which are of Jesus Christ they shall remaine but all things that are not of him shall fall and shall appeare to us to be but earth or flesh as bad as the kilel of the flesh grosse sinne and wickednesse I doe not meane the flesh of our bodies nor this earth that we dwell upon but there are two kinds of seeds of the Devil in us that grosse seed which bringeth forth sinne in us is called earth the first man was of the earth earthly as is the earthly such are they that are earthly That which is not of God is said to be of Satan which is called earth and so farre as we have this earthly seed appearing in us so far we are of the earth earthly then there is that seeming glorious seed of himselfe in us which is our righteousnesse and that seemes to be like the wayes of God and therefore it is called heaven but it is but of the earth and is earthly this is called the first man the second man is Christ and he is heavenly 1 Cor. 15. The first man is of the earth ●arthly the second man is the Lord from hea●en as is the earthly such are they that are ●arthly and as is the heavenly such are they ●lso that are heavenly and as we have borne the image of the earthly we shall also bear the ●mage of the heavenly Now this I say brethren ●hat flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdome ●f God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption That which is of Satan which is called ●lesh and blood and earth and corruption ●hall not inherit the Kingdome of God for this ●shmael shall not be heir with Isaac so at the ●ppearing of God in us there will be a great ●arth-quake when the mountaine of the Lord which is Christ comes to be established atop of the mountaines of Anti-christ For thou ●ast said in thy heart I will ascend into heaven 〈◊〉 will exalt my throne above the Stars of God I will sit upon the mount of the Congregation I will ●scend above the heights of the clouds I will be ●ike the most High Isa 14.13 14. The voyce ●f my beloved behold he commeth leaping upon the ●ountains and skipping upon the hills Cant. 2.8 Whether the hils or mountaines though they ●e never so high that is not of himself what●oever it be in us whether high or great sinnes ●r our righteousnesse hee will tread them all under his feete and triumph over them all and this mount makes the whole earth filen● before him both outward and inward and make them quake Revel 6.12 13 14. And 〈◊〉 beheld when he had opened the sixth seale and lo●● there was a great earth-quake and the Sunne became blacke as a sacke-cloath of haire and th● Moone became as blood And the starres of heaven fell unto the earth even as a figge-tree casteth he● untimely figges when she is shaken of a mighty winde And the Heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together and every mountaine and Island were moved out of their places Mat. 24.29 Immediately after those dayes shal● the Sun be darkened and the Moon shall not giv● her light and the stars shall fall from heaven the powers of heaven shall be shall be shaken And then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man is heaven and then shall all the Tribes of the eart● mourne and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with power and great glory Here is speaking of Christs comming to judgement The comming of Christ to judgement is both outward and inward spirituall● in the mystery and at the opening of the sixt●● seale here is the first resurrection for after th● Sunne is darkned and the Moone not give he● light then shall Christ appeare in his glory i● us he is come to this spirituall judgement i● us and by his glorious appearance he makes the Sun to appeare as black as a sack-cloath of haire and the Moone to be like blood But while the first Heaven is departed away his glory doth not appear in us for the first heaven hinders us from seeing the glory of Christ the Sun is that whereby we see for that is light it selfe and giveth light to us and by that light that we receceive from the Sun we see the Sun and that light that the Moone hath she receiveth it from the Sun it is the same light infused into the Moon but it doth not appeare so glorious as the Sun for the Sun is the fulnesse of light and the Moon partakes of it all but is not able to containe it all but is filled with the light and glory of it and the starres have that light that they shine withall from the Sun and is the same with the Moone and they give a bright cleare and glorious light yet not so full and great a light as the Moone doth for they are not able to contain it and this typifieth out to us Christ and his Church and every particular Saint for Christ is the Sunne and the Church the Moone and the Saints the Starres Now where the Church of God is there is also the church of Anti-christ and the light that shee hath is infused after the same manner and all in us and both these lye together that as we are men and women we doe not know one light from the other but when Christ doth appeare to us in his pure light then the light of the sun of Anti-christ in us will appear as blacke as sack-cloath of hair and that moone the Church of Anti-christ will appeare like blood being a bloody persecuter of the Church of God and the starres of Anti-christ will also fall for being that sun is darkened whereby the starres receiveth their light they must fall and that heavenly and glorious appearance of Anti-christ shall depart as a scroll when it is rolled together And then every mountain and Island shall be moved out of their places for now is the day of the Lord come to render vengeance on all things in us that knowes not God Now is the time of the destruction of Anti-christ come and he is not able to stand against