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A58336 A divine looking-glass, or, The third and last testament of Our Lord Jesus Christ whose personal residence is seated on his throne of eternal glory in another world : being the commission of the spirit, agreeing with, and explaining of the two former commissions of the law and Gospel, differing only in point of worship : set forth for the tryal of all sorts of supposed spiritual lights in the world, until the ever-lasting true Jesus, the onely high and mighty God, pesonally appear in the air with his saints and angels / by John Reeve and Lodowick Muggleton ... Reeve, John, 1608-1658.; Muggleton, Lodowick, 1609-1698. 1661 (1661) Wing R676; ESTC R35141 178,978 220

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A DIVINE Looking-Glass OR The third and last Testament of our Lord JESUS CHRIST Whose personal Residence is seated on his Throne of Eternal Glory in another world Being the Commission of the Spirit agreeing with and explaining of the two former Commissions of the Law and the Gospel differing onely in point of Worship Set forth for the Tryal of all sorts of supposed Spiritual Lights in the world until the Ever-living true JESUS the onely High and Mighty God personally appear in the Air with his Saints and Angels By John Reeve and Lodowick Muggleton Pen-men hereof and the last chosen Witnesses unto that Ever-blessed Body of Christ Jesus glorified to be the onely wise very true God alone Ever-lasting Father and Creator of both worlds and all that were made in them Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly to testifie and fulfil thy own promise in thy Records of Truth that thy redeemed ones may really know that thou hast seat us and art that unchangeable God which cannot possibly lie though millions of unredeemed mankinde thereby should everlastingly perish Printed in the year of our Lord 1656. and since reviewed by and reprinted for Lodowick Muggleton one of the said Witnesses dwelling in great Trinity-lane in London near ●he Sign of the Lyon and the Lamb where this Book is to be had 1661. To the spiritual discerning Reader MY beloved spiritual brethren in whom is rooted and really grounded the saving light of Life eternal I know that the manifold breakings forth of seeming glorious appearances in this Age can by no means be hid from your eyes Also you know that the true light of Life hath almost discovered them all to be nothing else but the very depth of mens serpentine subtilties cloaked over with the divine titles of the most infinite and holy God so that mens glittering language now is of no value unto you unless the holy Spirit beareth witness unto your spirits that the Lord hath spoken unto them from heaven neither can men blinde your eyes with their natural miracles artificial juglings sophistical signs and wonders to cause you ever the sooner for that to receive them as immediately sent forth by the ever-living God I say it is not lofty words of imaginary voices visions dreams revelations variety of languages declarations of the knowledge of the heights and depths of perishing nature pretended Jerusalem Journeys supposed seeing of spiritual Angels with eyes of natural flesh and familiar conversing with them and knowing the names of all the holy Angels in glory and every mans protecting Angel in this world or any such like carnal fancies can blinde your eyes any more which have received from above a distinguishing gift between the things of eternal life and death not onely from its effects but from its first causes also My selected brethren unto a pure light language and life from the very true God I certainly know that nothing in this world will satisfie your hungry souls but a right understanding of spiritual things which are eternal in that world to come therefore unto you alone which look not after gilded words but glorious things present I this Epistle from that Spirit which can neither deceive nor be deceived by men nor angels Wherefore if any sober man of a quick comprehension shall suppose that this Writing might have been composed into fewer words then is here inserted I hope he shall wisely consider that things of such concernment requires more words then ordinary not onely for informing and confirming of the simple Saints but also for confounding of the subtile Serpents of this Age. Moreover you that peruse this Epistle which are of an unjudging tender spirit may also know that before the eternal Spirit in Christ Jesus became my Minister I was very weak in the knowledge of learned mens Opinions their Disputes or Writings concerning heavenly things which are hid from them and revealed unto unlearned babes Therefore the chief desire of my soul is that it may be manifested unto elect men and Angels whether the substance of this Epistle proceeds from mine own carnal spirit or from the most pure and holy Spirit of God himself I mean that one personal glorious Majesty of our Lord Iesus Christ whose divine nature both is and shall be Crowns of immortal ravishing Excellencies in all his elect at the great and dreadful Day of eternal burning vengeance upon the souls and bodies of all bloody-minded impenitent Persecutors that ever were born John Reeve Another Epistle annexed to this Book My beloved spiritual Brethren who are or shall come to be really grounded in the true Doctrine which is held forth in the three Commissions namely the Commission of Moses and the Prophets 2 Of Christ Jesus and the Apostles 3 Of the Commission of the Spirit which Commission is now extant in the world though not accompanied with visible signs and natural miracles as the other two Commissions had in their time when their Commission was in being yet this I am sure that this Commission of the Spirit being the last Commission that God will ever send into this world while time is no more therefore it is that this Commission of the Spirit hath the onely interpretation of the two former Commissions for there is no man in the world at this day let him be of what Sect or Opinion soever that doth truly know any part of the Scriptures but this Commission of the Spirit onely notwithstanding they labor so much after the knowledge of them yet for wan● of a Commission from God they have no true understanding of any one principal or true ground of faith for all that they do of that nature is nothing else but the very strength of reason and reason can never truly know the deep things of eternity because there is no man in the world at this day that hath the knowledge of the true God his Form and Nature the right devil his form and nature but this Commission of the Spirit onely Therefore when God spake these words unto John Reeve saying I have given thee understanding of my minde in the Scriptures above all the men in the world Also God did say at the same time I have given thee Lodowick Muggleton to be thy mouth So that according to the words of God he hath given us two to understand more of his mind in the Scriptures then all the men in the world do at this day that is more spiritual knowledge of the Scriptures than all the men in the world because God hath chosen us two to be his last Commissionated Prophets and Witnesses of the Spirit to declare and make known unto the Seed of Faith those great mysteries which have layen hid in the breast of God ever since the foundation of this world was laid and in the time of their Commission was in some measure made manifest unto the sons of men by some part of the mystery of God as those Commissions aforesaid namely Moses and Jesus But now
didst thou ever see this infinite Ma●esty and Throne of Glory thy self if thou didst where are thy miracles to confirm it or why dost thou not make us believe it by thy spirituality or why doth not this infinite Majesty bear witness that he sent thee as he did to his former Prophets and Apostles or when will he do it that we may see and believe and own thee for the truths sake 25 Whoever thou art that thus callest in question the glorious truths of eternity under pretence of my weakness in reference unto miracles that thou mightest believe 26 Little dost thou think in stead of contending with me thy sinful brother according to the flesh that it is that old Serpent Devil in thee that arraigns the glorious God that made thee at the blinde bar of thy carnal reason and by it condemns him and his heavenly truths because thy unbelieving desires are not satisfied 27 Again did not the Lord of Glory himself call those Jews that required a sign an adulterous and wicked generation 28 Moreover when the Lord of life by the mighty power of his word onely wrought wonderful miracles in their sights instead of believing on him ever the sooner for that the sign-mongring Jews cursedly say that he cast out Devils through Beelzebub the Prince of Devils 29 Furthermore if thou shouldst upbraid me for want of the gift of tongues or languages yet I render praise unto the God of Glory by his poor light in my poor soul thou canst not upbraid me for want of a spirit of Prophesie though thou at present shalt slight it 30 And what if I could speak all languages would it advantage any sign-monger in the world but to his further condemnation only 31 What saith the Scripture concerning this thing Wherefore strange tongues are for a sign not to them that believe but to them believe not but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not but for them which believe 22 verse of the 14. Chapter of the 1. Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians 32 Moreover did not the Lord of Glory himself say that John the Baptist was the greatest Prophet under the Law that was born of women and yet thou never reads of any miracles or tongues possessed by him 33 The Christian Dove waites for a spiritual sign within him that he may believe the glorious truths of the everliving God without him but the carnal Serpent requires a natural sign without him to make him believe the spiritual truths of an invisible God in the high heavens 34 Again if there should be no other appearing of a God or Christ but in mens consciences as thousands vainly imagine in this drunken age what did Christ mean by these and such like sayings in the 15. of St. Matthew And when the Son of man cometh in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats and he shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on the left then shall the King say to them on his right hand come ye blessed of my father take the inheritance of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was an hungry and ye gave me meat I thirsted and ye gave me drink and such like then shall he say to them on his left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels for I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat I thirsted and ye gave me no drink and these shall go into everlasting pain and the righteous into life eternal 35 Again thou that vainly boasts of a spiritual God or Christ appearing in glory within thee onely darest thou say that these Scriptures are fulfilled 36 Moreover canst thou say that thou hast this King on his Throne of Glory with his holy Angels and all the Nations of the world within thee 37 Furthermore is the Devil and his Angels and eternal blessedness and cursedness within thee also 38 My beloved friends in the Lord of life if there were not a generation of cursed men that glory of a God or Christ within them that are not onely full of these and such like discourses but are also given up unto all filthiness I could not have mentioned this thing wherefore there are many of these Serpents that creep into houses telling poor deceived men and silly women laden with many lusts that the resurrection of the dead is past already since Christ in his glory is risen in them 39 Moreover if their captivated friends should seem to scruple at any kinde of fleshly community held forth by them then these wandring Stars will say unto them What poor low things are these that you are troubled withal what are you in Egypt still is there any more then one pure being and is not this pure being within you all and is it not he that speaks and acts all in you seeing there is but one power what do ye scruple at are ye as little children or fools yet do ye not see that there is no union or true communion in the world among those people that hold two powers 40 Furthermore lest their deceived friends by whom they possess Balaams wages should fail them then these cursed captives will tell them That their bodies are fleshly forms that turns to dust from whence they came and shall appear no more therefore not to be minded in the least in reference to sin so that ye fall not under the civil law or oppress nature but your souls are immortal and cannot die but ascends into its glory from whence it came Wherefore since ye have attained to such liberty that all men are in foolish bondage which know it not let us eat and drink and be merry whilest we enjoy these vanishing forms yet let us sollace our selves with all delights even as our divine rights 41 O thou King of all kings for the glory of thy great names sake discover these Serpents with their carnal wiles that all thy simple hearted people may be delivered out of their Satannical snares and brought into that pure light and liberty of thy own likeness by one heavenly glance from thy eternal spirit CHAP. XLV 1 The Creators withholding of his divine assistance was the cause of the Fall of our first Parents 2 The ground of all spiritual or natural Curses 3 Noahs Ark assimulated to Heaven 4 Of the Resurrection YOu that are full of the light of life may know that whilest Adam and Eve continued in the purity of their Creation this whole earth and all things made therein were as pure in their kinde and measure as that vast kingdom of glory and all that therein is 2 Moreover as soon as ever their pure natures were defiled with the Serpentine nature of fiery lust you
to please God Furthermore it is written That faith is the gift of God 30 In these Records and many more such like you see the Scritures takes no notice of the word pure reason by which men could know any thing of the true God or of his heavenly secrets at all 31 Therefore I would fain know whether those men that call pure reason the Divine Nature are fit to interpret Scriptures or to bear the name of Gospel-Ministers but I will leave them at present to him that will discover them soon enough to their costs CHAP. II. 1 What the substances of Earth and Water were from eternity 2 A great secret revealed concerning Death and Hell 3 Concerning the Heavens above 4 Earth and Water not eternally glorious 5 The residence of the Creator 6 Earth and Water uncreated substances A Gain in the next place by inspiration from the unerring Spirit I positively affirm that the substances of Earth and Water were from all eternity in the Creators presence uncreated sensless dark dead matter like unto water and dust that have no kinde of life or light or vertue in them at all 2 Also I declare from the Holy Spirit that darkness death or devil and hell lay secretly hid in that earth above this perishing Globe and in the sight of the Creator were eternally naked and bare both in their root and in their fruit 3 Again I declare from the true Light of Life Eternal that that world or kingdom where the Creators glorious person is visible is a place or throne infinite in length b●eadth or height answerable unto an infinite Majesty 4 Moreover for your information that are spiritual from the true God I declare that in this heavenly City there is no Firmament Sun Moon nor Stars so that you may understand that is an infinite open place for Divine personal ascending or descending at pleasure onely under foot is fixed a spiritual earth and a chrystal sea 5 Furthermore you that are spiritual may know that it stands to very good sense that an infinite Majesty cannot be confined to a finite world or kingdom as this is I mean when he possesseth the throne of immortality as at this time or before he became a body of unspotted flesh 6 Again concerning that glorious earth and chrystal sea aforesaid I would not have you to think that I mean it was eternally so but after or in the finishing of the creation of Angels and variety of other creatures the infinite vertue of the Creators word produced that chrystal spirituality in them that both visible as well as invisible every thing or creature appointed to abide in the presence of the Divine Majesty might be all glory in their kinde and measure answerabl● to the unmeasurable variety of unspeakable glory in the Creator himself 7 My spiritual brethren you know that it is an opinion of the Learned that those substances Earth and Water aforesaid were not eternal but they have long imagined that the Creator spake the word and so they came to be and after he had given them their being he formed all things that were made out of them 8 My beloved brethren you may know that this must needs be an error because you know that the word Create is to make formless dead matter into sensible living forms 9 Besides this you know as for creating of those elements of water or dust there is no Scripture maketh mention of any such thing therefore a meer imagination but more of this in the 6. Chapter 10 Again you know that from eternity the divine nature of the Creators spirit was nothing but immortal fiery glory of life and light It is written God is light and in him there is no darkness at all and it is written in Gen. 1. And darkness was upon the deep 11 My Brethren if the Creator be all life and light as you know he is then without controversie the dead earth and dark deep water never proceeded out of his glorious mouth but if that Scripture should be objected where it is said I create light and I create darkness to that I answer The mind of the holy Spirit in those words was this that he created those souls that were naturally dark and he created these mortal spirits that were full of immortal light but on the contrary there was not the least meaning in those words or any other throughout the Scriptures that God created or gave any being or beginning unto dead dark sensless earth and water as aforesaid 12 Whatever men vainly imagine the Creator to be if they shall conclude there was nothing eternal but God onely if they acknowledge the Creator to be some glorious thing which is incomprehensibly infinite then I would fain le●rn of those wise men where the glorious Creator was resident when he gave a being to earth and water If they shall say unto me that he was uncapable to be in any one place because he was every where As to that I cannot understand which way the Creator should be every where or any where at all if he had no place or habitation to abide in neither finite nor infinite 13 God being all light life joy and glory in himself from eternity is it not against all divine or humane light that is not unreasonable that ever those da●k dead elements of earth and water should have their original from his glorious spirits because their natures are so contrary that it was impossible that they should proceed from one another for alas what is death or darkness Is it not through the absence of life or light And is not life being overcome by death absolutely become death and darkness or utter silence for a moment 14 Again if light and darkness or life and death meet together is there any peace or agreement between them untill life be swallowed up by death or death be swallowed up into life 15 If th s be so the which no sober man can gainsay then without controversie earth and water were uncreated substances eternally distinct from the God of glory because the Scripture saith and darkness covered the face of the deep CHAP. III. 1 Of the Angels 2 Their Form and Nature 3 Out of what they were made 4 The Serpent which tempted Eve 5 The Cause why any creature was formed 6 Who are partakers of the Divine Nature 7 No created being capable of the essence of God to dwell in it A Gain from the true light of life I affirm that the Angels were the first sensible living beings formed by the Creator 2 I declare also that the angelical host were all produced by his word speaking into that dust without or above this visible heavens 3 Moreover I positively affirm from the same light that all the Angels in the heavenly throne aforesaid are persons in forms like men and not bodiless spirits as the Learned have long declared and the nature of their angelical spirits are pure reason onely 4 From the God of all
who shall change our vile bodies that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself And to you which are troubled rest with us When the Lord Jesus shall shew himself from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire rendring vengeance unto them that do not know God and which obey not unto the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which shall be punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2 Thes 1. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then shall we which live and remain be caught up with them also in the clouds i● meet the Lord in the air and so shall we be ever with the Lord 1 Thes 4.16 17. For therefore we labor and are rebuked because we trust in the l●ving God which is the Savior of all men especially of those that believe 1 Tim. 4.10 We know that we are of God and this whole world lieth in wickedness but we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us a minde to know him which is true and we are in him that is true that is in that his Son Iesus Christ the same is that very God and that eternal life 1 John 5.19 20. Now unto him that is able to keep you that you fall not and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with joy that is To God onely wise our Savior be glory and majesty and dominion and power both now and for ever Amen Jude 25.26 18 Remember the golden positive Rule and none can deceive you concerning the one glorious personal God-Man blessed for ever This is a true saying and by all means worthy to be received that Christ Iesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief notwithstanding for this cause was I received to mercy that Iesus Christ should first shew on me all long-suffering unto the example of them which shall in time to come believe in him unto eternal life Now unto the King Everlasting Immortal Invisible unto God o●ely wise be honor and glory for ever and ever Amen 1 Tim. 1.15 16 17. 19 My spiritual brethren if you take good no●ice of this place of Scripture you may plainly see that the Apostle Paul owneth no other God Father or eternal Spirit but that one personal Majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ in immortality There is one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all which is above all and through all and in you all But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Wherefore he saith When he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men Now in that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lowest parts of the earth He that descended is even the same that ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things 20 My beloved spiritual brethren which are appointed unto an immortal personal glory you may see that the Lord Jesus Christ is that Holy One of Israel which first descended from his throne of infinite God-head glory into the lower parts of the virgin earth and so became a body of pure flesh of her seed and by vertue of his divine power in that very body of flesh and bone he descended into the lowest part of the earth death hell or the grave for a moment not onely for improving the power of his God-head life entring into death and in that very body of flesh quickening and reviving a new and glorious life again and as a flame of fire naturally ascending and immortalizing that body of flesh and bone with a Fathers Throne of transcendent Excellencies but also for destroying of the power of sin and fear of eternal death in all his new born elect trees unto eternal life CHAP. X. 1 Of persecution of Conscience 2 Of the sin against the Holy Ghost MY beloved brethren by immediate inspiration from that Holy One of Israel in the next place I shall clearly demonstrate unto the heirs of glory the confused darkness of two or three sorts of men concerning the knowledge of the onely very true God the which confusion riseth in them through their mis-understanding of the true grounds of certain Scriptures as namely these God is a Spirit and a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have But more especially these Trinitary expressions Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Ghost Mat. 28.19 For there are three which bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one 1 John 5.7 2 The first sort of deceived persons past or present which affirm the Holy One of Israel to consist of three persons were Athanasins Socinus alias Iohn Biddle and their literal adherents 3 My brethren I do not say they can help this their darkness or blame them for this their error for alas poor simple or over-wise men to their imaginary understandings it is a pure truth and those which are contrary minded to them in darkness 4 Therefore who ever are left to persecute their persons for their judgements sake onely it would have been better for those men that they had never been born if they acknowledge a Christ 5 Take this for an infallible Rule those that persecute a man for error in judgement concerning his God will as soon persecute him for the truth of Christ as for a lie 6 Let no persecutor flatter himself that he may repent and find mercy as well as Paul because Paul acknowledged no Jesus at all when he persecuted his Saints therefore you know how he pleads Gods mercy towards him in that he did it ignorantly 7 Moreover how deeply did he pledge that cup of persecution upon his own body for the Truths sake all his dayes which instrumentally for Christs sake he had caused others to drink 8 Again before I go forward concerning the point in hand it will be necessary for me to shew you who those persecutors are which commit that unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost 9 My spiritual brethren if a Turk do persecute a man that professeth himself to be a Christian for despising of his Mahomet or if a man called a Christian should persecute an Infidel for despising the Lord Jesus Christ this persecuting each other is pardonable though not justifiable in their consciences when they shall understand the truth of leaving all vengeance in spiritual things unto God himself 10 But on the contrary suppose two men shall acknowledge that the man Christ Jesus glorified is the Son of God spoken of in the Scriptures both of them affirming that all their hopes of eternal