the flesh in the Letter but not according to God in Spirit I saw others moats but not my own beams such a hypocrite I was thus I followed a false Christ and not the true and so was a false branch and not a true SECT VI. It is God that justifieth that is our §. 6 comeliness 6 TEll me O thou whom my soul loveth It is God that justifieth who is it that condemneth It is God that sanctifieth who is he that defileth It is God that is with us who is he that is against us It is God that makes us comely what shall make us black Tell me therefore and say unto me Thou art all fair my love there is no spot in thee and then though my mothers children be never so angry with me or do condemn me yet there shall be no condemation to them that are thus in Christ Jesus and do not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit he hath justified and that shall be justified If this be vile I will be more vile I value not their anger then for I have thy love SECT VII The true Vineyard §. 7 AGain I have followed false christs and worshiped strange gods and those have been my blackness In that I have lived in the Vine Christ as a Branch therein I have lived in the Vineyards of men and means they have planted Vineyards and made Sermons and Worships and these I have kept before I recived thy anointing and had almost forsaken the living Fountain the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts SECT VIII §. 8 Three things thirsted after by him that is as the Spouse here hath tasted any thing of the Life of God TEll me There be three things that every soul that hath tasted any thing of the heavenly Life thirsteth after The first is To have the everlasting Love of the Lord to be revealed to him which is better to him then life it self better then all things Secondly To see a love from the Lord a fire from Heaven falling in our hearts and kindling an everlasting flame of heavenly love in us to him again that from a coal from his Altar we may be all a fire of love with him that the zeal and love we have to the Lord may eat us up Thirdly That the love wherewith God loves us and the love wherewith we love God we may also be taught to love one another all these three loves may thus agree in one we should not then be angry at our mothers children without a cause and hate them but love and pitty them SECT IX §. 9 The bread that satisfies not and where our rest fulness and fatness lies TEll me I shall insist something more largely upon this having had my enlargement and commission from God to speak more from hence upon sundry occasions And first That when we are wearied out in following and keeping many Vineyards many mens works and labours when we are weary of all and loaded after all and as far to seek then at last as at first then here is our Rest after all this is the Vineyard Come unto me and I will give you rest I am the Way the Truth and the Life In me shall ye have peace and perfect freedom When you have emptied all the Cisterns I am full when their Lamps are grown dim and almost spent I will be thy sun shield and great reward Why do we spend our labor then for that which is not bread and our mony for that which profiteth not and our strength for that which satisfieth not Hearken unto me and your souls shall live ye shall eat that which is good and delight your selves in fatness SECT X. We shall never be taught well till the §. 10 Lord teach us TEll me When men can teach us no longer then God can and will and may I not say as the Apostle said Whereas for our time we might have been teachers of others we have need that one teach us again what be the principles of the doctrine of Christ And what is the reason of this because we have been taught of man and by man and so shall never come to the knowledg of the truth that way unless the Spirit teach us all over again then we shall profit indeed We shall never be well taught till then For flesh and blood can never reveal such things unto us as in the 16. of Matthew saith Christ What do men say that I the Son of man am that is what do the Scribes and Pharisees Rulers and Sadduces the wise Doctors and Rabbies those as well as others what do they teach to the people and say or speak of me Peter answered Some say thou art Elias others say thou art Jeremias others Iohn Baptist is risen again and others one of the Prophets Thus these great wise learned men were at variance and said nothing to the purpose For God had hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes Therefore said Christ again But what sayst thou that I am thou that art taught of God thou that hast none of these outward glories after the flesh thou that art a fool to them what sayst thou Peter answered Thou art the Son of the living God this was a lively voyce that spake thus in him Well saith Christ I would have you know That flesh and blood could never tell thee this but my Father which is in heaven he hath told thee it SECT XI The teachings of God more excellent in three §. 11 things then mens teachings A Gain the teachings of God are more excellent then any other whatsoever in these three things First His teachings are plain Secondly Pure Thirdly Powerful First Plain as the Apostle said Now thou speakest plainly and not in parables And again Shew us plainly of the Father that we may see the Father and it sufficeth us And again Thou hast the words of eternal life whither should we go And again When Christ comes he well tell us all things in Heaven and in Earth in Scriptures and Prophesies he will open all to us and we shall have all things naked and open Death and Life Hell and Heaven Flesh and Spirit There shall then be neither proverb nor parable nor dark saying no sealed books nor sealed fountain no secrets nor mysteries but all things shall be manifest for the Day shall declare them Secondly Purely now he is the pure Being and Fountain of all things in whom is light or he is light and in him is no darkness at all There is no mixture at all with God the throne of the Lord and the Lamb from thence come the chrystal waters of life pure and clear Thirdly Powerfully he speaks with Authority and not as the Scribes he speaks and brings forth his word and it is done All things are at his command he calls and all obey Lazarus come forth and it is so Be it according to thy faith and it was so I will be thou clean and
THE LITTLE Bible of the Man OR THE Book of God opened in Man BY THE Power of the LAMB Wherein God is the Spirit or inside of the Book and Man the Letter or out-side of it In whom as in a Glass you may both behold the Spirit and Letter of the holy Scriptures in the new Man fulfilled and Explained from Genesis to Jeremiah This is the first Volume of Gods Book in Man Written by a weak Instrument of the Lords Capt. T. BUTLER LONDON Printed in the first year of Englands Liberty 1649 For Giles Calvert at the black spread Eagle at the west end of Pauls TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE Lord of Pembroke AND To the Right Honorable the Lord of Mulgrave all Peace and Happiness My Lords IT is the Design of Heaven to pull down the pride of all flesh and to have the Lord alone Exalted that no flesh might glory before him but all that glory may do it in the Lord God they being the Lords For the day of the Lord is come upon all flesh to destroy it like grasse but the Word of the Lord abides for ever and he that is built upon that Rock the gates of hell can never prevail against him though the Lord cometh to shake terribly the Earth and the Heavens also yea though the mountains and hils remove out of their places though the stars fall from heaven and the Sun be turned into darkness and the Moon into blood by this terrible Earthquake yet the foundation of God stands sure their Sun never sets nor their Moon changes For the Lord himself is their everlasting Light and thy God their glory And though the fashion of this world perisheth waxing old as doth a garment and as a vesture shalt thou change them yet thy Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome O God and thy Dominion throughout all ages thou changest not but art the same to day yesterday and forever thou shalt raign till thou hast made this world become the Kingdomes of our Lord Jesus Christ and of his Saints and great shall be the day of the Lord. My Lords I could doe no less then recommend this new born babe unto You which hath been brought forth in sorrow and much weakness of flesh though in the willingness of spirit the Lord gives it his grace and blessing that it may be growing up in you in strength and power which shall be the joy and desire of Your Servant T. Butler From my Quarters in Black-Fryers Mr Delaines February 8. 1648. To his Worthy Friend Mr Tho. Appletree Worthy Friend LEt him that stands saith the Apostle take heed least he fall and be not high minded but fear for God gives grace to the humble and exalts the meek but the proud he beholds afar off it is good therefore for every man to look to his feet and consider how he stands by sense or by Faith by Flesh or Spirit by Grace or by Works and where he stands on holy or unholy ground or the Sand or the Rock upon the Sea or the dry Land on Earth or in Heaven in himself or in God whether the Moon be under his feet and he clothed with the Sun whether he serve God or Mammon for if we stand in the Lord we are safe but if we stand any where else we sink and fall the Lords Angels pitch their tents about his to preserve them in all his ways they shall walk and not be weary run and not faint they walk as wise men and not as fools redeeming the time because the days are evil And while God gives You opportunity do good to all but especially to the houshold of Faith and be not weary of well doing for in due time you shall reap if you faint not faithful is he that hath promised who also will do it Your labor of love is well known to many Saints in Dedington and thereabout in Oxfordshire whose bowels You have refreshed the Lord make You more and more to abound in Faith and Love that You may never see Christ naked hungry or in prison but You may minister to him and relieve the oppressed judg the fatherless and widow and let the cause of the poor be maintained still keeping Faith and a good Conscience in all things that Your good example and counsel may win upon many and if J or my poor endeavors herein may advantage You any way in this kind it will be the travel of my Soul and the joy of my Spirit Sir Your Friend and Servant THO. BUTLER TO The Vertuous LADIES Mrs Elizabeth Mrs Anne Mrs Margaret Mrs Katherine and Mrs Lettice Babingtons my dear and precious Sisters together with the rest of that noble Family My deer Sisters AMongst the Catalogue of Gods great mercies to me I account it not the least to be of the number of that sweet and precious society and Family and to see how the Lord hath multiplied his mercies towards us as not onely to make us one Body but also one Spirit giving us the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace whereby we have fellowshp with the Lord and one with another in the Spirit praying rejoycing conversing walking and living together continually this never dyes neither can it be parted it s such a threefold cord that nothing can break it such a fellowship nothing can divide it and such a joy and life none can take from us I have through the love and goodness of the Lord to me drawn some spiritual Discoveries upon a part of the Scriptures as God gave me opportunity Onely my dear Sisters let me desire this from you What you finde herein of God glorifie him for it and what is not of God as you apprehend judg it not after the flesh but judg righteous judgment and withal remember the weakness of him that was but a poor instrument in it And if it may by the blessing of God give any light to you God speaking the same things in a vail to it in your spirits how will it rejoyce mine Thus leaving all to the good guide of the Spirit of Truth in all things I take leave and remain Your loving Brother T. BUTLER TO THE READER JVdg not saith the Apostle that ye be not judged for with what measure you meet it shall be measured to you again and what you would that men should do unto you even so do ye unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets but Christ and the Apostles go further and would have us do far better to others then they do to us give them good for evil knowing this now J cannot but perswade my loving Reader to lay aside all malice wrath envy guil and hypocrisie and in love meekness patience and much goodness read and consider trying the spirits whether they be of God or not And thus J shall say with thee if there be any thing as questionless there is of flesh darkness or the spirit of this world that all of it may come into
am sought and found by them that never knew me nor sought me but I them and they loved me and beheld me I opened my heart to them and spred forth my hands and drew them from gâ—rdens altars graves and groves mountains and valleys and from eating swines flesh and abominable things and from thine own holiness and filthiness which was like a smoke and filth to me to my own self and my own mountain to dwell in for my blessing that is amongst you I will not quite destroy you but my inheritance shall be with you and I will dwell with you and all that is with you and in you that forsakes me I will number to the sword and bow down to the slaughter all that is disobedient to me and thus I will do to you my servants in you and amongst you you shall eat drink and rejoyce but what is my revenge in you and amongst you you shall hunger thirst and be ashamed and cry for sorrow of heart and howl for vexation of spirit and slain but his servant shall be called by another name and he that blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of earth and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of the earth so that heaven and earth shall give glory to God and all that dwell therein SECT XCI §. 91 How all things are made new of God ANd behold I make all things new and these shall be remembred but all the former forgotten and thou shalt rejoyce forever at what I create for I create truth peace salvation and righteousness yea my rejoycing and my praise there shall be no more an infant nor a father but all shall be as one strong man in Christ yea they shall have houses vineyards possessions of their own and no others they shall no more labor in vain nor bring forth for trouble but you shall be called the blessed of the Lord and his off-spring thy God I will be that hears and answers thee who lives and abides with thee there shall be nothing that doth hurt in all my Mountain but the Wolf and Lamb Lion and Bullock shall lie down together there shall be nothing else but rest amongst them all living in one SECT XCII §. 92 Though heaven and earth be my house yet I will dwell in you ANd though heaven be my throne and the earth my footstool yet this is not my dwelling nor the place of my Rest but in the houses and dwellings of men you are my building and house the humble and the contrite heart will I live with and till I come to live with them all their worship and sacrifice yea their lambs and offerings are abominable to me I hate them all till I am formed in them and when I am thus formed in thee all that hate thee hate me then your souls shall not delight in these things which I delight not in nor when I call shall they not answer but they shall delight in the Lord alone and nothing else SECT XCIII §. 93 Zion brings forth yea a whole Nation in a day and that without pain THe soul that trembles at my Word though he be cast out falsly for my names sake and think they glorifie me in it yet let them know their zeal is without knowledg and who hath required this at their hands but you shall be justified and they ashamed and the Voyce of the Lord shall be heard from his Temple with us that Zion travelleth and is delivered without pain Was ever such a thing heard or seen that a whole Nation should be born at once and brought forth in one day And why cannot the Lord do it Shall he bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth or then shall the Lord shut the womb No no be glad and rejoyce with her all ye that love her take of the brests of her consolation and be satisfied delight thy soul in the abundance of her glory for her peace shall be like a river and her glory as a stream you shall be born on her sides and be dandled on her knees I will comfort you as a mother comforteth her children for by fire and a sword shall the Lord plead with all flesh and make it as a loathsom carcass but you shall remain for ever and worship before me Thus I have finished this Book of Isaiah in much sorrow weakness and trouble and dare not yet venture to proceed till I finde a more convenient time for it then I have had for this first Volume it being brought forth in the midst of our troubles here at London while the Army was amongst you and these great things acted as the Charge Tryal and Execution of the King in all which time this was some repast and refreshment to write these things though it was by fits and starts yet the Lord may make it useful in some measure for the good of others Being called away now from London I am forced to break off here in the midway else I might shew you the Book of Jeremiah opened in Man Ezekiel and Daniel with the lesser Prophets one by one fulfilled in us as also the New Testament how we have the everlasting Gospel taught us by the Spirit of Christ in our hearts together with his Birth Life Doctrine Works and Death of Christ formed in us as also his Resurrection Ascension and Glorification within us Christ risen Again how we are the Acts of Christ and how Christ is all our Acts and Works it is he doth all for us and in us And again how we are his Epistles yea the heavenly and holy Epistles of Christ written by God on the Tables of his Hand our hearts known and read of all men how we are the Lords Church Spouse Members and Body his Building Planting Temple and Dwelling Lastly how we are the Lords Revelations and Visions to whom he shews himself and the things that are have been and are ro come things past present and to come afar off or nigh at hand we are these whom the Lord ravishes in Spirit in his day when that comes upon us and then he tells us all things and takes us up to heaven to see himself in all and all in himself opening heaven and revealing his whole Will and Counsel We are that sealed Book whom the Lamb takes and opens for he is worthy and we are these that shall have the honor to say Come come come Lord Jesus come quickly Thus the Bride shall say and we are those that shall have either all these Blessings Graces Gifts Mercies Promises Comforts and Glories that are in heaven and earth written or revealed in the whole Scriptures or else all the curses woes lamentations miseries threatnings and torments written in the whole Book of God to fall upon us thus eternally happy or eternally miserable but all these things I leave to the Day of the Lord to bring forth in me to perfect his praises that as the Lord hath began so he would continue and bring to the end of this Book of the Scriptures that we may be in the Lord God both the Alpha and the Omega of it I Know many things are amiss here the faults can hardly be numbered that come either from the Author Writer Printer or Reader I pray thee pass them by amend what is amiss and make use of what is good trying all things holding fast that which is good considering thou also mayst do amiss and truly this is all I can say in excuse that I wanted time to write what was in my mind only made use of the night never read it much less time to correct it but am importuned to print it and to press thy patience with it let patience then have its perfect work here Thine T Butler FINIS