zeal in persecuting the Church Act. 22. 3. and out of conceit he did God good service Rested satisfied We know the Scribes and Pharisees who were the most Zealous for Sabbaths and prayer and other points of Worship yet they make it their Rest but come to our daies and see if we swarme not of the same only seeming professors of God who are very Zealous for the same things and from their very Zeal are made to Rest with high thoughts of their condition But how far this zeal which is most commonly led with more affection then Judgement will bring man into a form of Truth First It will leade man into a whole conformity to what it doth conceive to be truth that it shall according to what it hath serve God in all good conscience Acts 23. 1. and according to the Law to be unblamable and untaxable Then his conversation shall bee very strict in the observation of what the Law requires and hee shall act the same with much vehemency of spirit taking all opportunities for the doing of the same Secondly It will carry the soule on to suffer cheerfully what he may meet withall in this very particular Thirdly he may by Zeal afflict his body sore 1 Co. 13. 3. with fasting and mourning under pretence the one to honour and obey God the other for dishonour brought to God So as he may be almost spent in body and spirit and estate in prosecuting the things of God according to his light Farther hee may out of Zeal come to Gospel precepts and may be Zealous for that light in externall formes which is there required to be obeyed so as he may gather Churches and may suffer much in the conforming to and practising with so much vehemency the Ordinances coÌ„monly practised by the Churches in the Apostles and our daies so as his Zeal may lead him out to teaching and helping forward that worke studying night and day to finde out matter to furnish himselfe for edification so as for paines in the Churches and for Zeal to observe the severity of those formes and any thing required to bee practised in the said Churches so as now it will have communâ—on in Ordinances with none but those of his own stamp judgement being mightily carried forth to judge and pity those who are opposers of that light Now this soul through Zeal may goe thus farre yea to act up to the highest things the Scriptures doe require in matters of visible practise and yet be not at all taught in the Spirit neither got into the life and power of what he doth professe but meerly zealous for shadowes and wants the power so as he is commanded by the form and not the forme by the power dwelling within him Now grant farther That such a soule did act in truth according to this dispensation yet notwithstanding in this particular there were no cause of Rest for nothing visibly seen flowing from the Creature ought to be its Rest but some invisible flowings into the Creature which is being and substance from which and unto which a Soule through Zeale for God acts Also a Creature thus zealous Rests not at home but reformes abroad also beginning with his own family and so goes abroad to others and labours for a reformation and practises the same with much Zeal so as he can not endure the visible appearance of any sinne in himself or others He may help with much Zeal the purging of Cities and Nations of drunkennesse or swearing or any open prophanesse he may be for punishing of evil doers in this particular with much severity and seeming to be much troubled at the neglect of it he may rejoyce much in this practise and may help forward this work in a Nation very much and yet this no Rest at all also he may be zealous yea mad of Zeale for the worship of his God in reference unto others not only taking all opportunities to inform them in the same but using all Coercive powers for confirming them thereunto so as he may be an instrument to bring families and most part of Cities into this outward conformity to the matters of worship and here hee lookes upon an action done of great moment and weight and partly makes this an evidence of his true enjoyment of God by Reason of his zeale for God and the effect thereby produced which is the good of many Now the cause of a Souls thus Resting partly flowes from want of the information in judgement of the great deceite of the heart in putting man by zeal upon such publique actions and then to cause it to Rest and further it conceiving it's Zeale for God and from a principle of God not being acquainted with a Pharisaicall Zeale to be seâ—n of men or to get a name amongst men or that Zeal which men have but not according to knowledge or the Zeale Paul had before conversion which excels both for vehemency and downrightnesse is the Zeal of many a Professor who are at Rest in our daies Now a poor Creature because he is made to suffer freely and to hazard life and liberty in the prosecution of his Zeale he is much puffed up under these considerations 1. That now this is a suffering with and for Christ and therefore he shall reign with him and enjoy much from him 2. That this is a parting with all for Christ and a great point of self-deniall and so an evidence of a disciple of Christ when indeed the Soule is in himselfe and hath not at all attained that estate to forsake himselfe Therefore let every heart though never so Zealous for God take notice that his heart may deceive him in his Zeale and his affection may blinde his judgement and so it proves blinde zeale Or Secondly Consider that though it be such Zeale as is good and to be approved of in it's dispensation yet not at all to be Rested upon nor to be an evidence of any true enjoyment of God though he pretend God in the fore-front as Jehu did The fifth false Rest THe next Rest of a Soule though I might not have spoken of it because I have partly given it forth yet that things may be the more opened it s the Creatures Righteousnesse or sanctification and outward holinesse wherein both in carriage and words he doth most sweetly in probability savour of high enjoyments of God This is to be a testimony of the same to others though not to himselfe yet notwithstanding his Rest is to him a high evidence of the true and reall possessings of God when alas it is continually a vanishing Rest and evidence and when the Creature stands in need of it it is taking its wings and flying away and proves a miserable comforter in the saddest straits of a Soule But first Let us consider that true holinesse of a person made manifest in actions flowes from the justification of a Soule made manifest in the Spirit so that the truest holinesse or outward sanctification
attained qualifications sutable to the Law or else brought up into a higher obedience to the Law or he remaines sensibly miserable of the greater misery in it then before which though it be more sadder to the apprehension yet it is the way of God in the Creature thus to frustrate the expectation of the Creature in its labouring to worke happinesse for it selfe untill happinesse be revealed within it The Third cause is from the principle of Nature and here the Covenant of workes is most sutable to the principles of Nature Nature would alwaies be doing though in its doing it instead of acting to God is acting from God For it is impossible that man can truly act â—o God before there be an acting of God in him So that man cannot ascend up to God before there be a descending of God into the soule which Descendings I call a reall manifestation of life within man which is God being a Fountaine breakes forth againe from man unto God And before that though soules act never so gloriously yet they are but Adams running away from God and from the principles of Nature clothing themselves Gen. 3. 8. Which in time though man Rest upon it proves selfe Righteousnesse or a Righteousnesse according to the Law and not the Righteo usnesse of God by faith and so his Rest and peace shall be taken from him and destroyed in him 4. The cause from which his thus acting flowes is from self-love and this will goe beyond any thing formerly mentioned Self-love in the gaining of its owne ends will thinke nothing too difficult to attempt nothing too deare to part withall unlesse the things we are now speaking of which is mans selfe When a man is swallowed up with selfe instead of being swallowed up with God whatsoever the Creature is put upon when swallowed up with God this Creature thus led forth out of self-love will resemble the same if not goe beyond it nothing that stands in the way of the Creature thus possessed is too deare to it or too hard to attempt it Put Jehu upon pulling down Idols it made him very zealous it made the Scribes and Pharisees give almes and spend themselves and suffer theirs to be spent to attaine their ends It will put a man upon fasting much praying often yea if it be to hazard life or liberty it is free if it may but accomplish its owne ends which is most commonly from a convicted happinesse or glory either inward from God or outward from man Self sees a promise of life and happinesse handed out in the Law to those that keepe it as namely Doe this and live it never considers what it could doe and now can doe but now it labours to try what may be done that an undone soule may be made happy Oh the consideration of happinesse doth so affect a soule convinced of the want of it that as the love of God enjoyed doth draw out that soule that enjoyes it too much for God so this soule possessed with the love of selfe doth draw out the Creature not out of himselfe yet to doe or act any thing that may procure happinesse to it selfe Also self-love in this particular would not freely have all from God nor would it be beholding to God for all then it should have nothing to glory in but God Witnesse those cryings out Must the Creature do nothing must he not take paines with his owne heart to prepare it for God Must not the Creature seeke and knocke and pray and be prepared for Christ Not considering it must be a meere passive Goe through the sufferings of Christ or rather to have fellowship with him in his sufferings that is to be subject to the will of God and to suffer God to dispose order or burne up in the Creatures spirits as he pleaseth onely the soule to be a patient in the workings out of life untill he can act from the enjoyments of it The Lords way is to destroy or burne up all the Creatures preparations for God and all that stuffe the Creature hath within him or attained by him and strips the Creature naked of all either in him or done by him and brings him as an empty soule to him who is the fountaine of life and to be revealed in him Now to take away an objection which is that the Creature must labour though not for life yet for a manifestation of life To this I answer That the life whereby man acts to God is by the power of life revealed from God for before it be re-revealed man is dead it is the revealing of life into man which gives life to man So that man can neither truly act for life or the manifestation of it before man be made alive by it which is not before the manifestation of Christ which is life to the soule Secondly That as mercy and love was prepared freely of God in Christ without the Creature so it is to be revealed freely by Christ in the Creature and after it be revealed in man It is that grace which is in man acts out from man unto God That occasioned these words from Paul Yet not I but the grace of God which was with mee 1. Cor. 15. 10. Then let these following particulars be considered of 1. That man who doth obey God though his obedience be never so seemingly glorious yet if he Rest upon and be satisfied with it he Rests below the true Rest which is God For though the Creature yeilds obedience to the Law or any other Truth as the Truth requires yet he is not to Rest upon it though it be of and from the Lord it being flowne from that which is to be the soules Rest 2. That soule who being convinced of the want of and its misery without God and from this labours to get God by acting to God though his action be never so glorious it being to get his person acceptable from the glory of his action and Rests here conceiving the acceptation of his person from the glory of his action that mans Rest and Conception is false This was the reason why Abels Sacrifice was acceptable and Cains was not because Abels person was acceptable and Cains was not for Cains action was as seemingly glorious as Abels was But the acceptation of an action must flow froÌ„ the acceptation of a person It is not nor cannot be that any mans person can be accepted with God from the glory of any of the Creatures actings to God Then it should be of workes and man hath something to boast of Neither is my obedience to God a true evidence of my enjoyment of God and acceptance with God For the young man in the Gospell who was nigh to the Kingdome of God did yeeld obedience to the commands of God and yet he wanted that one thing necessary which was to be the Rest of his soule 3. That the Resting upon any obedience to God performed in the exactest manner by the Creature will
a poor Rest yet thus it is men by abundance of paines and diligence in the Scriptures and in books doe get abundance of knowledge and after it is gotten they Rest upon the same as though it were to enjoy the manifestation of God to enjoy much knowledge here they abuse a dispensation of God and transform it into another use then ever God ordained it for So that though a man have never so much knowledge yet though his knowledge be according to or attained in the Scriptures if he Rest there before he hath got it in the heart by experience as he hath got it in the head for discourse his Rest is much below the substance of Truth For no man is to Rest in any thing without him so known untill it be within him and then he Rests not in God because declared in Scripture but upon God because revealed and experienced in him and so is fully known by him The third way whereby this Knowledge comes to be attained is from the declarings of the experiences of others he by the same stores himself with points of experience as well as points of Judgement and here he can speak all manner of Languages as well as those that enjoy truth in them so that he can speak of points of judgement with those that are for that discourse and points of experience with those that are for that having a form of both in his understanding and from that is able to make out himself as those who sweetly in the power of Truth enjoy God But for this latter he hath but stolne the word from his Neighbour hee hath got his experience to discourse of And this is the great deceit of mens spirits in our daies for when they hear of a precious high Truth of God which they never heard of before they eyther oppose it or else they get the form of it into their notion or understanding and the next upportunity they have they declare it â—â— their own whereas though they were convinced of the truth of it yet they were to waite for the enjoyment of the power of it in themselves and that it might be sealed by the Spirit in them 1 Cor. 4. 19 20. But many conceive if they can but remember a truth though they have it not in the power of it in themselves that the very believing of it and assenting to it is the experience of it And these are those who have a form of God or the truth in their understandings and wanâ— the power of that truth in their Spirits Amd so many a soul Rests in this very part of knowledge Now the Reasons of a soules resting here are partly these following First From a Comparison made in his own spirit with others that are in lower dispensations or weaker in knowledge or discourse then himself but especially Professors who live in high thoughts of their estates and he thus comparing his condition with theirs and seeing it so far excell theirs makes his conclusion If their condition be happy then mine is much more in respect of what I have enjoyed more then they I am not any way inferiour to any almost surely I am in a happy estate if any The second Reason followes from the high estimation others have of him especially men of the rarest abilities and solidest judgements and this addes fuel to his fire of conceipt and makes his Rest the more glorious And this is the reason that if at any time the approbation of those cease to be what it was that it occasions much distraction and want of peace within himselfe for when part of a mans cause of Rest and peace is taken away no marvell then if part of his Rest and peace go along with it Whereas he that Rests in God is freed in the Spirit and is as Mount Zion which can not be moved Psalm 125. 2. Let mans apprehensions cease or encrease he is not lifted up by the one or cast down by the other but he hath a continuall testimony within himself which abides for ever The third Cause or Reason of his Resting vpon the gifts of knowledge is from want of a right information of judgement in the difference betwixt a form of truth in the understanding and the power of truth in the heart not opposite to the other for though mans knowing God in generall or from heresay be a dispensation of God and good in its place yet it is not to be Rested upon as though the soule had in this a reall enjoyment of God Now a man may know a thing in generall and may believe in it assent to it and obey it and make a large profession of it yet if he enjoy not God in that very thing it is but a dispensation below the power of Truth So that we see here that men may get things into the head before they be in the life and power of them in the heart which if Rested upon brings with it a dangerous consequence As 1. It is the way to a high security and such a security being but carnall as is not without ground It is the way in the second place to a self-glorying and creature exalting and to the displacing of God Thirdly It is the way to fall into all manner of loosnesse under pretence of freedome and knowledge of truth and that it is no sinne though it doe this or that For no marvel when a man hath no more then a form of God in the head and wants the power of God in the heart then that soul fals into a carnall loosnesse whereby truth is evil spoken of and the party thus doing justifying his action by his hardnesse of spirit which by it he is brought into And this is the reason why many when they have received high notions do hold them forth do walk very unlike Truth is because they have it but in the head and want the power of it in the heart They have it from others or some other way and not from God and so they cannot stand in the day of temptation and so return like a Sowe to the wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2. 22. Again a Soul is further established in this condition from the dayly growth and encrease in knowledge he daily growing in knowledge is daily more established on his own bottomes though not so thought by himself This daily encrease of knowledge in himself the benefit that sometimes is redounded to others by that doth encrease the flame and addes fuel to the fire of this false Rest The second excellent Part or Gift upon which men Rest is Prayer and this is made an Idol of by such parties who Rest upon it But first of all when a man sets his face towards God it would gladly pray but wanting this proper Gift it useth formes but after it sees the vanity of that dispensation and the emptines of it it now would gladly pray in the Spirit and continually is complaining for want of matter
to expresse In conclusion it attaines matter to expresse and in the attaining matter doth much abuse the same but the means most commonly wherein it doth attaine it is first by often frequenting private and publike meetings where it steales away the expressions of others and when it sees one man enlarged it is made to admire that part in them and cry out O if I could pray as such a one can then I should be at Rest and enjoy much peace It presses forwards and by paines and diligence it attains that enlargement as that now it excels others and is now admired by them who before was admired by it so as now the poor Creature can speake three or four hours in prayers and can hardly comprehend himselfe within the space of one houre and here lies the deceipt of the heart that here the Soule makes his Rest and this to be a sure evidence of his interest in God But alas how blinde and unsound this present evidence is let Scripture and experience testify for alas a hypocrite or one who at all knowes not God may excell in the seeming glory of this Part yea excell those that live in the highest enjoyments of God and here many soules make this dispensation a meer Idol they draw all their peace and comfort from it for if in this part the Creature excell he will be the oftner using of it living most upon it draw most comfort from it and glory the most in it for if ever the Creature be straitned in this particular he begins to droop and be sad and full of trouble but if either in publique or private he be enlarged much again he is mightily refreshed and lifted up And secondly If at any time he cannot have those cōmon opportunities or set times then al his peace is gone and it is because his peace is grounded upon his often praying and his great enlargement in so doing and indeed the soules blindnesse lies here for the Creature takes his enlargement to be a manifestation or evidence of the presence of God Now a man may pray long and often and excell all in externall form and yet have none of the presence of God manifested at all in the same neither is a straightning of the Creature in expression to be any cause of sorrow or trouble if God be manifest neither is it an evidence of his not being manifested within So here partly lyes the ground of a souls thus Resting or taking satisfaction or peace to his spirit in this dispensation Now I would not be mistaken that I am speaking against this form or dispensation when a man is not commanded by the form but he is commanded from a power within so as he commands it and useth the same according to the end for which it was appointed For I looke upon the same as to be a dispensation of God But I looke upon the Resting in it or having peace by it to be a corruption of a mans owne heart and a deceit thereof First Therefore I commend these things following to be considered of all That though a man should be never so glorious or admirable in this particular dispensation so as in the same he may be able to speake a whole day together yet his heart in this may deceive him and if it doe not yet it is no safe Rest or cause of peace or satisfaction or there is no safety in the excellents part that can be received but they take their wings and flee away and here is not that in them which men conceive Secondly Man may have these parts in the glory of them and yet have no fellowship or commmnion with God in them aud so they may be rather snares them sure Rests Nay if it were so as many souls doth enjoy God in them or rather communion with God in the same yet it is neither the duty or enlargement which is or ought to be the Rest but God made manifest in the same The third Part or Gift is Humility And this sometimes comes some of these waies following 1. Either from an instinct or property in nature O◠2. From a self-reasoning Or 3. From resembling the truth of Humility that is in another Or 4. From or as an effect of the enjoyment of God First It is in many who in the least have no divin◠workings of God in them any way made manifest yet they are excellent in this very particular which makes them very lovely in the eyes of all men so that a little of God will be seen in such a Creature but meerly without the manifestation of grace such Soule doth appear to be gracious such a spirit as this ◠can hardly be given to passion but full of meeknesse and love and moderation and yet this parties gifts a◠common or naturall to him He cannot be almo◠otherwise this disposition is so naturall But others b◠nature are of a turbulent spirit and full of pride an◠choller which makes him to become odious to all and hererupon when he becomes odious to himself◠he fals in the second place to reason thus O how lovely doe others appear to me how humble and low are they What a proud spirit am I of How am hated and become almost odious to all I will goe se if I can help this carriage of mine Now this Soul one looks to take away the effects though the cause abid◠and here he labours to frame his speeches and his jesture and actions and so by much paines gets a form of humility and now carries himself very sweetly towards all so that now there is a strong change wrought in this person so that he is admired by all and chiefly by himself who was of such a high carriage and of a proud and turbulent spirit and now he is of a calm and quiet spirit this appears to be a great change and so judging of it he is highly exalted in his opinion of himselfe and conceives he hath enjoyed abundance of grace from God that hath thus humbled him when indeed he hath it but in the forme of it not in the power having the branches and effects taken away for the present in the outward expression of it but transformed into another shape and that 's more inward making of him more spiritually proud and so have high conceits of the happinesse of his condition and so Rests Secondly It reasons thus God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble 1 Pet. 5. 5. Now in his highnesse of carriage or turbulency of spirit he looks upon his condition as to be resisted of God whereupon he prayes and useth what meanes he can to restraine himselfe saith he It may be I may be I may come to get a better temper of spirit whereby I may not become both odious to God and man Now I say at last he attaines a form or shape of what he doth desire and Rests satisfied in the receiving of it Though I say he is outwardly but
transformed into another likenesse the cause yet remaining which of the two consider the effects that follow as namely Security or lukewarmnes or fulnesse and self conceitednesse and so false Restings are of as dangerous a consequence as the other Thirdly Humility is by resembling of such property of words and actions in an other as is most lovely in the eyes of himselfe and others and here lies a sad dâ—ceit when men doe only resemble the words or carriages of another which it may be in that party flowes from a principle or power of God in him and by a resembling of him and getting into his form think their condition is the happier and so glory in it more then before so that though his Humility flow from a divine work in him yet the others is but shaped out of what is expressed by or from him and here lies much danger especially if man Rest in the same The fourth way whereby humility comes most commonly to be attained And the way indeed is from the enjoyment of God thereby man comes not only to have the effects or branches cut off but the cause or root of the same taken away So as now man hath it not in the form or shape but in power and substance and now man is truly what he seems to be but not before whereby as the Creature is humbled so God is exalted and this is the Creatures joy though not hiâ— Rest wholly This humility now is the effect of Goâ— enjoyed whereby man is made to partake of Gods nature and this nature breaks out into these particulaâ— effects but now this very effect of humility though iâ— be from the enjoyment of God yet it is not the Reâ—â— of a Saint but the cause which is God The next part is the gift of Utterance which is thâ— many have that knows not God and many have noâ— which sweetly enjoy him So that man who is freeâ— carried forth to utter or make known any thing hâ— conceives is truth yet there is neither cause of trusting to it or Resting in it neither is there cause why a Soul should the more glory in the enjoyment of it â— be troubled in the want of it The last part or Gift we shall speak of is Memory This part of Memory is that which doth most sweetâ— adorn man in the visible making of it forth and â— makes man much adored for it It is 1. Away to grow very profitable in respect of him that hath it and beneficiall to them for whom he imployes it as namely In that dispensation of hearing after which the party which enjoyes this Part is able to repeat or declare almost verbatim what he hath heard this makes him very profitable in what he hears in respect of gathering knowledge and beneficiall to others from the improvement of the same This is the reason why two Ministers so professing of themselves studying their matter the one brings it in a peece of paper and the other in the same method or forme though in his understanding because the one excels the other in this Part of Memory and this makes the one more esteemed then the other and the one to appear more weake then the other But alas though all these were in one man in a higher strain then I have declared yet they all were but a poor Rest or cause of joy or contentment to any heart and truly when God appears so as to manifest himself the Soul shall see the weaknesse and folly of his spirit to be satisfied in the whole not to be any cause of Rest though they were dispensations of God and were freely given by God For all these may be in a very hipocrite or in a meer naturall man First of all to conclude this Rest 1. It is an abuse of a Gift and an affront put upon the Giver to make it either cause of Rest or an evidence of a true enjoyment of God 2. That Soul most commonly who is not led in the Spirit either to behold God or enjoy him to be the Rests of spirits is most usuall and it can hardly be prevented to Rest upon such Rests as we have declared but consider that must be â—he Rest of any who fees or enjoyes not one manifested to him to be above it Man must have some Rest either true or false But that must be the safe Rest the which no hipocrite doth attainâ— nor can enjoy which is God manifested in the Spirit further why should any man place his Rest upon any thing which will come to nothing or is given to change Or why should we make that the ground of our happinesse which is but a tallent given to be improved which may be taken away at the Owners pleasure being given onely to bee improved and then mans Rest and peace ceaseth and in this particular doth the folly of mans heart appeare in abusing the end of every dispensation as of this of Parts As First The abuse of Parts lyes in the boasting and glorying in the gift and not in him who gives it And also in this to make them his Rest 2. For a man so to glory in them as to make a gaine of them and prove them for to get honour and preferment and glory in the world This I fear was partly the end of Simon Magus in defiring the gifts of God Alas all gifts are empty without God be manifested in them and poore contentment do they afford to him that Rests in them And here men are setting them in Gods place and labouring to dispossesse God who is or ought to be the satisfaction of the heart And this is another abuse of Parts A world of deceit lyes in mans heart about gifâ—s or parts if abused First They will not make forth themselves unlesse it be where they be honoured or else they labour for the same by the improvement of them being the most free where it 's the most applauded and the most straitened and weary of that place where it is not adored and exalted and set up above the proper station of the creature being much cheered when exalted and much cast downe when rejected or at least not so applauded as he requires or expects here is man much abusing Parts and setting them in Gods stead in the which man shall be brought to a losse when God doth manifest himself in that heart The fourth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is Zeal for the truth Zeal in the matters of God is that which the most gothrough before the manifestations of God yet though it be good in its place and a dispensation to be owned yet it is but a deceitfull Rest We know the cry of him in the Scripture who was Resting and glorying in his Zeal for God when he cryed come see my Zeal for the Lord of hosts So we know many mens zeal goes before their knowledge of God in the spirit We hear of a zealous Saul who was mad of
doth wholly flow as an effect of Justification made manifest As for instance The Fountain and the streames The streames are an effect of the Fountain flowing from the abundance contained in the same so it is with God made manifest in the heart he being the Ocean or Fountain comprehending all streames within himself doth issue out of himselfe those streames of Sanctification or holinesse in conversation from himself thus abiding in the Creature So that a man may have the latter in as high a manner though not in truth as he that hath God truly manifest and no way to be discerned but by the light of truth dwelling within which makes the truth or falshood of such things in this nature manifest and before the same enjoyed the Creature is in darknesse and it is as possible for a man to see twenty miles in a very darke night as for a man really to judge of the truth or falshood of his own condition before this light come in from God which expels those cloudes as the shining of the Sun doth the cloudes and here lies the darknesse of a heart when it is made to see the want of God it looks into the frame and disposition of mens spirits abroad who are under a name of profession and being much affected with them and drawn out in love to them it gets into such relations or society and it sees abundance of holinesse flow from their conversations now it being away to reprove that party not having the same conversation in holinesse of walking or power against corruption it cries out O that I were so holy in conversation as such a one is O that I had such and such a power against corruption as they have and could be alwaies discovering of good things as they are or could have my minde fixed upon heavenly things as they have O how heavenly doth such a one walke and this is his construction or application O if I could be but so I should then be at peace and Rest then I should think my condition happy but alas here is such abundance of carnall mindednesse and of corruption in my conversation and a wearinesse in things that are good here the Creature takes up a daily complaint and to every Saint is making his condition known and cannot Rest quiet untill he have resembled or attained such a measure of knowledgee to discourse of God and so much power against corruption as to walke in conversation like those whose conversation did convict him and ashame him Now having attained so much in shew and that now his affections seem to be bent upon good things that now God is his meditation and his continuall ponder that now when it s thus the Creature hath much peace sometimes upon the view of the same and when it cannot walk thus it hath neither Peace nor Rest Now here the Creatures heart deceives him and makes him Rest upon that which may be in truth and not in truth or upon that which is given to change and abides not one and the same for ever Now al this a man may have and yet have nothing manifest in truth and though it might be said that these are true in there place yet not appointed for Rests but for effects of that which was in truth within for he that saith he dwels in him ought even so to walk as he hath walked Now holinesse in the highest degree as it flowes out from man is but an especiall effect of the dwelling of the Spirit of God or an effect of his Rest in him not to be a Rest but to manifest to others that he dwels and Rests in God For to me that Soule who Rests and dwels in God must have his conversation but especially his inward walking like God for to others that look upon a Saint thus pretending to dwell must judge of the same by that fruit that flowes from him in one kinde or another though it is not to be a testimony to himself who thus liveth he having another testimony which speaks or evidences Peace 1 John 5. 10. upon more sure grounds yea and lets the Creature see a ground or place of Rest going as farre beyond this as the streams are short of the Fountaine and the body of the Sun beyond the least glimpse or shining thereof Man I may say who is Resting in peace and quietnesse of spirit from these visible branches if they be true is one who still hangeth upon the outside of the Arke and like the Pharisees Resting with glorious outsides and washing of the outside of Cupâ— more to be seen of men or justified before God then to be as an effect of that truth within made forth for the glory of God The one of these ends did Cain act for and the other end did the Scribes and Pharisees act for so that a house builded upon such a foundation as this seems to be as glorious as that which was builded upon the Rock but it was not so safe for with every blast storm that comes against such a spirit it fals into its former state it was in before thus builded so were the devout Women and golden Sepulchers and whited walls builded upon such considerations as these they were outwardly holy and seemingly pure but were within full of deadly poyson and were put for outward glory not adorned with the Spirit so it is very likely that the said Spirit that Rests upon this seeming though thought by himself true holinesse is a Soul altogether full of deadly poyson and deceite which in time may be discovered and then the Creature shall see another Rest more sure and safe then this and shall lose by it yet Love shall save him though it be a fire for to burn up what of this Rest was of himselfe so that I say such a soules foundation of Rest shall fade as Solomon in all his glory First Then this Spirit thus Resting is away to keep it below true assurance for in this Rest there can flow no true cause or ground to the Creature to be assured thereby Secondly For a man to Rest here it will be but to make a house which ere long it may be God will batter about his ears and so prove labour in vaine as many can speak by sad experience Thirdly Whatsoever flowes from a man pretended to God before there be an inward revelation in that man of God and makes the same a true evidence of his enjoying this God thus revealed and so Rests his thus doing is but his own righteousnesse and not the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ revealed by faith Fourthly That the party thus acting doth go no farther then a point of bodily exercise for what a man doth in point of holinesse pretending for God and after doth owne it as a true evidence or any causeof Rest as God To me it appears and in the judgement of Scriptures that mans action is but bodily exercise for nothing is or ought to be either
here or joyne one with another witnesse their crosnesse of spirit what a smell of false principles this of Rests appears withall and truly argues much deceit and unpossessed like with God If one either hath attained higher or live in the use of Ordinances waiting for the reall enjoyment of God being lower why should that heart who hath either enjoyed more or lesse of God have such an unlikenesse of any thing of God in him seeing God is love and he that dwels in the lowest enjoyment of God dwels in Love but truly the being bound to formes or bound up in formes and the using of them before we be led unto them by God occasions all this Resting in and condemning of all that doe not in all things walk up into and in the use of these formes and Church relations which the letter of the Scriptures owns to be a dispensation of God But Secondly As this is the cause of and doth much savor to be occasioned either by our being bound up in them or falsly led out to them so also it is occasioned by the want of a divine principle within whereby that principle of God might command our formes and Church relations and not formes and Church relations command the souâ—e so as the Soule onely seeing something in the letter wanting a divine light within to discover unto him either the time place manner or end by this it comes to passe why he is darke in and Rest upon and is commanded by and so bound up in the form repuired in the letter being ignorant of truth in the Spirit but to come more fully to the thing in hand This in my judgement was the Rest of the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3. 17. in her concluded riches yea in her insensible poverty and thus it prevailes with many a heart First When especially the Soul hath been much under the Law and hampred by the Law and so kept in a cloude from the view of Gospel truthes and now come to see a clear truth in that which he so much opposed he is so taken up with it as he hath no peace untill he fals in obeying of it so gathers peace comfort and Rest in the same thinking it is now got into a very high estate and the very name of a member of a Church together with the greatnesse of the love of God in bringing this Creature to beleeve and obey who was darke opposite yea a despiser of the same this doth help forward his Rest in this particular Secondly It considers and reasons with it selfe now I am got into the communion of Saints and enjoy now their society which before it wanted fellowship with and also from consideration of the purity of the Ordinances it now enjoyes It before was alive in the use of corrupted Ordinances now it enjoyes them in the purity of them before in and amongst a mixed people or he had fellowship with devils 1 Cor. 10. 20. now with Saints but truly though this be a Laodicea condition yet it is a false Rest for there is no true Rest either in the purest Ordinances or visible relations for these a man may enjoy and be ignorant of the enjoyment of God in them as the wofull experience of many will seale unto and testifie the truth of whatwe are speaking of Thirdly Another cause of Rest in these relations flowes from his continuall growth in Gospel light and his encrease and growth of knowledge and most commonly the whole bent of such a spirit is taken up with labouring after the knowledge of points of judgement and with matters nice and curious things which most commonly pleaseth the fancy and understanding and to know such things it is his continuall study and end of all his labour when still he wants the life and power of Christ in his heart neither doth he know him but either by his profession or by hear-saies not in any true way of experience Fourthly Another cause flowes from his conceived peace and comfort he enjoyes in the same and thus he reasons before I had no peace either in conscience within me or from Ordinances practised by me but now I enjoy much peace in my condition when indeed he may have stopt the mouth of conscience his peace come in from a false ground not spoken from God but drawn forth or Imagined in his particular practise Many a soule feeds upon an imaginary peace when it is ignorant of peace truly manifested in the heart and in this most commonly doe the affections blinde and bribe the judgement and so peace remaines onely in the imagination and not enjoyed by any powerfull manifestation But if mens hearts in Church relations may so utterly be deceived then it stands in need of these ensuing cautions 1. Beware of making thy being a member of any Church to be either evidence to thee or ground of peace in thee neither let any conceive better of their conditions because they are in visible fellowships and neither let their joy or peace be the more unlesse they doe uprightly enjoy more of the discoveries of God to them then they did before 2. Beware that thou thinke not thy outward uniting in a visible manner with Saints is a uniting thy spirit more unto God or God uniting himselfe more to thee or that for or in thy present practise thou art got the nigher to God lest thou Rest more secure in thy present condition then before for carnall security doth most commonly follow the most of men in those dispensations 3. Beware thou goe not before God leade thee for most commonly when God leades man into formes when he forsakes them he leades them out of them into that dispensation God will appear in therefore beware that thou be not led by thy owne imaginations then thou shalt not be left in and bound up in formes but shalt continue in them so long as God continues in the same But many who live and make a God of their forms they neither know when God leads or not leads when God is present or not present it s all one if they can enjoy the desire of their hearts and that which speaks peace to them namely Their formes and Church relations It is to them yea its life and happinesse in them But in the next place observe Though God do own all or the most formes and administrations yet it is but for a time untill a higher dispensation appear or the substance of that forme be enjoyed and then God departs from it and seldome or never appears in that forme any more especially if the soul be caught up into God for as the old Testament formes which were of Gods own appointment and God was in them for the time they were to be used so also they were to cease 1. When the substance thereof was come Heb 5. 18. 2. When a more glorious administration was and did appear then did God both depart from them and dis-own them and they no where
other to be that in an especiall manner which both in word and action hee seemes to be and that he do not pretend to live in God above all formes when indeed he neither lives in God nor knowes what it is to be led by God out of the same into that which is truely sweet if the soul were led into that he pretends to enjoy The Tenth false Rest THe next Rest which in order we shall speake of is a Sutability to the externall letter or some quallified frame wherein this Creature takes his joyfull Rest in the view thereof Indeed when a man is wounded yea deadly unlesse there be speedy helpe in this condition the Creature will bee willing to enjoy any Chirurgeon for the Cure thereof yea him that but pretend faire and by his skill do give some ease therein at present and hopes for the future though this party do it but to serve his owne ends not from any principle of good to the party who is the patient yet he being ignorant of his faire pretences he heales up his wounds though falsly and afterward the wound breakes forth again to the greater damage to the party Thus it is with a poor distressed wounded helplesse heart whom it may be God is a preparing for mercy he lying in such a desperate condition would gladly have his wound Cured by God but there coming a pretended Physitian into the heart speaks like God appearing to the Creature to be God and to heale in the same way God heales Soules yet the soul being ignorant accepts of it and freely entertaines it whereby it comes to have a time of peace and Rest onely because he apprehends his desperate wound to be cured And thus souls do in a time of straights accepts of those proffers when in another condition he would not but at present necessity putting the soul upon it Now soules that live under the sight of the want of God would in the sight thereof be in a way to attaine God seeks and presses to know in this case what to do at last it lookes upon the Scriptures in this case to be the only Teacher whereupon hee gives himselfe to a diligent searching of the same where he meets withall some places how the Saints were formerly quallified and these preparations they had within them whereupon he sets a labouring with his own heart to bring it into such an estate of mourning humiliation or repentance with hungring after God as also loathing fin and having a wearinesse and burthen under it and when he hath thus done hee runs to Scriptures and seeing his condition sutable to that he makes Scriptures the ground of his faith and so cures his wounds by it and so drawes peace and comfort from it Now the creature being ignorant of any other work he wrests from this Scripture influence as is pretended and from thence concludes his enjoyment of God and that now from some perswasions of spirit concludes it to be the witnesse of the Spirit when indeed the creatures heart in this case is not upright and he being in darknesse is not able otherwise to judge of himselfe or his condition neither of his heart which do tell him that this his sutability is upright but the soule wanting the manifestation of light he is not able to passe true sentence upon the same but Rests and man makes his habitation here and though he pretends to make Scripture the ground of his thus beleeving yet it is his quallifications and sutability to Scriptures which is the ground of his thus Resting and beleeving Or Secondly That which in this case the soule is most establisht in is when it may be a Creature is in some sad condition a Scripture is cast in immediately upon the soule un-sough-out or laboured for and this sutable to the soules condition from which there is ioy and peace yea sometimes the heart is so ravisht with it and so over come by it as indeed it 's hardly able to expresse its joy and peace yea sometimes the heart is so overcome as it cannot expresse it or hardly knows for the present where it is But here lyes the Angel-like designe sometimes of Satan to come in the same manner and with the same effects to deceive that God comes in with to save and so transformes himselfe into Gods shape And one of the cheefest waies he hath is to apply himselfe in such a way of working like God as he may the most prevaile with the soule and resemble God and so keep the soule much below God Now Scripture way Satan thinking is most like Gods way of any other especially when he brings in Scriptures sutable to the condition of the party and so that he may cause the soule to beleeve that at such a time God was pleased to manifest himselfe by casting in such a Scripture so sutable so as now his transformed worke is the more surer seeing it hath such a foundation as this yet this he doth of purpose to deceive Thirdly Man 's owne Memory or fancy being upon some serious meditation may in the same manner and way bring and represent before the soule such a Scripture and here lyes most of the deceite of the fancy and and imagination thus to work this way there coming in a Scripture into the thoughts of such a soules fancy and imagination to drive on his owne Designe makes it as it were a nose of wax to apply it to what use or way hee please yet he will make it the ground of his imagination and fancy and so man this way comes to Rest upon a deceite and fiction and not upon any ground in the glorious manifestation of God Now Scriptures it is true doe display in a Mystery most Precious things which if a soul did enjoy them their thus enjoying of the Truth there displayed would be a Rest unto them but so long as a man reads Truth in the letter without him until he can read it in the Spirit within him there is little cause of Rest to such a heart As Instance For a man to be overwhelmed in grosse darknesse and in this darknesse the soule not able to behold the glory of God Now from his reading in Scriptures hee sees God there expressed to bee a Light and to be full of Glory yet notwithstanding from the fight of this in Scripture though he want this light within him and his darknesse to be expelâ—ed out of him yet he Rests with the fight of this in the Scriptures satisfied as though God were become light and glory in him and had expelled all darkness out of him and hee carried up to behold it truely and live in it so that that I drive at is to unbottome any soul of making a nose of wax upon the letter and because Christ saith in an upbraiding way Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to have Eternal life so many now think to have this Eternall life in the Scriptures or in searching
of them when indeed they are but a Testimony or a Record to set forth in a Mystery what Eternall life is And because the Scriptures say that weary soules are to come to Christ for ease and Rest therefore every soul who in his own fancy and imaginations doth judge himself to be weary may come to Christ and so by his being weary there is way opened for his coming to him For First It may be the heart may be weary of sin because it brings judgement or condemnation Or Secondly It may be weary because of his long travel to and waiting for Christ Thirdly It may be weary because it can no longer abide in these dispensations of Gods leading Fourthly It may be weary because God comes not in his time and reward it for its breathing after and working to attaine God or Christ Now the soul being falsly led out by his owne heart hee instead of coming to Christ onely Rests upon his bare apprehension of this in the letter from his sutability to it in his own spirit and here he feeds and remaines with ease comfort and peace in his own spirit and this hee makes his Tabernacle Though it be true that Scriptures were given to be a visible testimony or declaration of God or Christ according to which God workes in man yet they were never given to bee an inward Testimony or a Rest unto man but the Truth of the letter must be both Revealed Known and Judged of by the Spirit and not the Spirit especially in Internals by the Externall letter neither qualifications in man sutable to the letter in mans apprehension is a ground of faith or Rest without an inward Testimony and Manifestation by the Spirit of the Truth of these qualifications The Eleventh false Rest THE next Rest in order to this upon which men Center their spirits and makes their Tabernacles is the use and applycation of the conceived and imagined extent of Christs death which being so fully declared in the letter without any more they beleeve it upon this Testimony and here is the ground of their joy peace assurance and Rest Now I shall not go about to speake evil of any point of judgement in reference to any particular factions but to come to lay open my own experience and false Rests which in so doing I may come to lay open a way whereby those that are led by the same deceite may come to see it in themselves and so may from sad experience seale to the Truth of what we are saying for many who have gone through this dispensation and have beleeved this to be a Truth when now alas they see that they were both ignorant of what this Christ was or what was meant by his death wanting the knowledge of it in themselves now the terrours of death have or doe sease upon them and instead of being joy and peace unto them it hath produced death and sorrow in them But first of all This soul who is thus Resting upon Christs dying for all he sees the Scriptures saith Hee gave himself a ransome for all The conclusion is this of such a spirit If for all then for me and this he beleeves and this saith hee is the ground of true faith when he is altogether decived For the ground of faith is something out of the Creature in God before time revealed and made manifest from God to the soule in time upon which the soule builds his faith Rests upon it and is kept unto all time in the glory and splendor of it but the soul wanting this in a particular way of discovery he makes the other the ground of his confidence for refreshment peace safety and happinesse and he concludes First That no true faith can be but this Secondly that none have any ground to beleeve but upon this ground When the poor heart is altogether ignorant in his owne breast of the manner of Gods coming to reveale Truth yea himself in his Son by his Spirit whereas now mans ground of his happinesse lyes not in a misunderstood Scripture without him but in a right discerned revealed and known God within him Thirdly This soul daily encreaseth in the assurance of this his Rest by his daily study paines and diligence wherein he fils his head with so much of the Scriptures as indeed hee makes it so glorious as it Conquers his spirits and many more into a follacing himself in this very particular when indeed he is missing the cheesest good which is the life of him who puts an end of all controversy to all such disputes when he comes to appear in the Spirit But alas before no marvell though the poore soule bee running from mountaine to hill though hee forgets him who is the Resting place of Zion Therefore Soule Thou that makest thy habitation amongst the briers and thornes and barren mountains Arise these are not thy Rest they are from a corrupted judgement and therefore are corrupted and if thou stay here they shall destroy thee with an utter destruction all are not proper Rests which are dispensations and manners of Gods leadings but the pure promise of Rest is neither in any thing before in Death and Resurrection but in the ascendings of the heart and spirit of a Creature into God by the descendings of God into the Creature which did raise him from death and the grave and now hath opened the Heavens to him by receiving of him into glory for as Christ did not make his Rest and abode in any carnall or fleshly dispensation though in the same he did enjoy the Father so no heart is to make that his Rest which Christ did not make Every heart so long as it lives below the glory of God so as it is not glorified with God is a heart centring himselfe in a dispensation which shall be dissolved For both man in the dispensation of Christ in the flesh or in a crucified buried or raised Soule is not to abide but in a glorified ascended soule into God where the life is the unchangeable glory and splendor of God dwelling in man glorifying of man in which is the life and center of man truly and unchangeably centred The Twelfth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is a closing with and drawing comfort from the promises expressed in the Letter of the Scriptures This closing thus with and applying the benefit of promises the whole life center comfort cause of joy peace duties diligence what not to many a soule and from hence when many comes to declare their manifestation of God all they have to say is at such a time a promise was made forth unto them or cast into their thoughts by which they apprehend God and closed with it and from thence did draw comfort and peace from it and this is all the experience of God that is manifested to them or that they have This causes abundance of Rest and security to many a heart and luls them a sleep which is
he may abhâ—rre and detest not setting them up with Christ and this he may do from a Scripture notionary knowledge onely got in the head where hee is swallowed up with his conception of his enjoyment of Christ and God by beleeving and so may live in a way of Dependency upon Christ as he is declared and set forth to dye for man at Jerusalem from which knowledge beleeving and dependency there is begotten much deadnesse and security in which he may suffer and rejoyce he may dye and live in it exalting God much in word and seeming actions and yet all this time ignorant of the ground and Mystery of faith yea ignorant of the knowledge of Christ which begets the true exercise and living by faith Yet if this which I now say were true yet it were to low an Element for any spirituall heart to make his habitation or Rest but in this same they are to be as men of hope 2. Thes 3. 5. waiting for and hasting unto the Coming of Christ in the Clouds 1. Thes 4. 17. where they shall enjoy and have a Dispensation of Glory and so shall be for ever with the Lord for the Mystery of faith is the pure sight of an un-known un-seen God Isa 33. 17. and the pure sight of God in this great Mystery is from the pure enjoyment of God is the Kingdome of heaven and glory and this must be within and enjoyed by every spiritull heart This is the place of safety where Saints Treasure lyeth and where they are to make their Rest habitation and abode Col. 3. 1. This safe Rest is not procured by neither is it a dependency upon one a heard of Christ but it is a carrying up of a spirituall crucified Spirit into a glorious God who was and now is made manifest to live with to Rest upon and to have a habitation in for Ever and for Ever And here the spirit remaines in safety and in glory triumphing in him and being swallowed up with him is carried up into the light and life of God knowing him in all things enjoying him in all things seeing him to be the light and life of all things being now gathered up into his will is wholly disposed by him and therein with God is satisfied and so Rests whereas mens beleeving is very unsound and if it were not yet it s very unsafe being given to change And being it is but some exercise of something in man yet it being but an effect it is not to be a Rest but man is rather to be carried above it after the possession of him who can give Rest and ease all heavy loades and burthens of the creature Mat. 11. 28. 29. The sixteenth false Rest THe next Rest we in order shall speake of Is the great Experiences many have of deliverances given them by God from inward and outward streights making them evidences of his love and matter enough to conclude safety Rest and happinesse and in this particular there is some glosse and seeming cause as afterwards shall be produced And first of all we will come to spirituall deliverances as First Inward conflicts of spirit occasioned either by a discovery of the want of God or of a soules misery without God which occasioneth condemnation and apprehensions of wrath and so sorrow mourning and griefe of spirit in which condition the soul lyeth as in hel being filled with horrour and fear and looking upon God as nothing but a revenging and tormenting God in which torments of spirit he lyes groaning and mourning before God being swallowed up in darkness and bondage attempting all meanes to get freedome and liberty from this his sad wofull and miserable estate wherein soules sometimes get deliverance one of these three waies 1. Either from extraordinary paines and diligence wherein he thinks if he could but do this or that or attain so much humiliation or mourning or repentance then he should be happy and in freedome whereupon in conclusion he attaines in his own apprehension that which before he desired which stopping of the mouth of conscience and a breaking prison before God deliver together with a conceite of a Cure applyed by God when indeed it is a curing the wound of such a soul falsly which in time will break forth to the greater damage of the party Or secondly It is freed by some cunning Sophister of Satan either immediately by himselfe wherein hee labours to apply a false remedy thinking to put the soul thereby into a state of security or else mediately by his instruments in the Ministry wherein they come to daub with untempered morter and so speaks peace to man before God speak peace within man and so doth as the Lord saith Heal up the wound of the daughter of his People falsly and from this have many poore hearts been mistaken when at any time they have been in and under such torments of spirit they have not rested untill they have run unto Ministers to see what they will say some of them putting them upon doing some of them applying cures to them and here a poore heart thinks to bee satisfied where hee never Rests but runnes from one to another from creature to creature seeing if he can get any thing from them sometimes coming away with much peace other times coming away with a lesson of doing and by these means comes soules sometimes to have their deliverances and for a space Rests untill it breake forth againe The third way wherein many others attain deliverances is from God As the children of Israell from their land of bondage tiranny and task-masters which though God himself did free them yet notwithstanding was not to be their Rest but to be their first step toward their Rest So though God do sweetly deliver a Soul from and out of this trouble and perplexity of spirit yet it is not to be a Rest unto him or to be a habitation for him to dwell in but to be as it were the first step to his Rest Now some mens deliverances are of God and some of themselves and some of Satan but none of these are to bee rested upon as they are deliverances seeing they may be true or false which untill a higher dispensation of God cannot inâ—allibly be discerned Secondly A Soul may be delivered from a resolved selfe Murther or Destruction when temptation doth violently attend that way yet not withstanding though hee bee abundantly preserved by God in his inward streight wherein Satan would have him become his own executioner yet it is not any sufficient Center for any spirit Or thirdly If it be a deliverance of the creature from the wrath to come presently lying in the apprehension of the creature yet not to be a Rest or any cause thereof Fourthly If it be a deliverance of the creature from some violent corruption or lust within him so as now God hath as it were freed his spirit from that Lordly power of inward corruption so as now he is freed
within to consume mens lusts and selfe and to cast out all those spirits of deceite which internally doe lodge within the Creature so that the letter which was confirmed by outward Signes after Christ appeared in the forme of flesh shall in the mystery thereof be confirmed to and in us by the internall workings miracles which shall attend Christs spirituall coming in the Soul and that in the Spirit Now I say that neither do mens waitings appeare to be that which men conceive them to be nor if they did enjoy that at the last which they waite for it would not prove that to them nor give that content peace joy and cause of Rest in them nor assurance to them which they expect from it and thinke to attain when they come to attain it I wish that men would turne the wheele into the waiting for the inward coming of these things in a more spirituall manner For my own part I thinke they would enjoy more quietnesse in their spirits for the present and more settlement and Rest peace and safety in them for the future when it comes to be experienced But I think I may say thus much to such spirits that I thinke when they enjoy that they waite for viz. the powrings out of the spirti from which to enjoy power to worke outward miracles it will be in the enjoyment thereof But I should be sorry to live without the enjoyment of God to that day and I am confident all such souls shall be weary before they see the same enjoyed by them But Secondly To all such as have the same in pretence I do not see how they can make them any safe Rests seeing that Saul and many others did goe as far in the gifts of Prophesie or any other gift of the Spirit aâ— any almost who did sweetly enjoy God and that was the cause why those words were spoken They shall say in that day have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out devils c. Mat. 7. 22 23. Yet see the reply of Christ he did not own them in the same though they did make it their Rest before and their plea then yet it was nothing but that which proved both un-sound and un-safe for them Secondly The workings of Antichrist and the mystery of iniquity doth worke withall deceivablenesse doing great wonders in the eyes of the world yet alas it is both for the deceiving of the party who hath it and for the deceiving of the parties who beleeve it witnesse the worke of the Magicians who when they acted the same things Moses did yet the parties who acted the parties who beleeved the same were both deceived so though there were any in our daies who could doe the same worke that they or Judas did yea greater then they did yet the parties might be reprobates and cast-awaies and however they may be suddainly taken away and therefore unsafe for any soule to Rest thereon It must be the power of God within and those inward miracles which God workes as the effect of his coming viz. The casting out of the devils within and bringing down mountaines of pride and selfe and exalting of his Christ in the soule so as the soule is un-bottomed of all his false props and carried wholly out of himselfe above himselfe into the power and majesty of that Christ exalted to live by and in that same power and glory by which God lives in the heart So that I say to look for outward powers in this case as I and many more have done or if they were enjoyed to make them their Rests both are to me un-sound and every party as well as my selfe shall finde the evill and un-soundnesse thereof Now having discovered as many false Rests as at present I am free to discover I shall in the next place shew how difficult it is and how hard it goes with the creature to part with these his false Rests which are false but in reference to his Resting and abusing the end for which such a dispensation was given The Soul being in the first place as I may say establisht upon them making them his God bee they formes or what they will when it seemes to bee taken away he being brought to a non-plus in his spirit He cries They have taken away my God What must I do So that there ariseth as it were a storme within this creature which begets a spirit of discontent in the creature Witnesse the same in Jonah's Gourd which God had given him yet being abused in the end for which it was given in the taking of it away there was a spirit of murmuring and discontent And thus it is alwayes when creatures would bee Resting upon any thing below God when God seems to take it away from the creature The more the soul was glued to it and Rested upon it and made a God of it the more difficult and hard it goes with the creature to part with the same yea the more discontent doth arise in that heart First then It ariseth from the abuse of our being glued to any Administration so as not to use it to that end for which it was appointed Secondly The cause partly of this ariseth sometimes from the greatnesse of the losse it works in the creature in being to part with the same as many soules it may be have spent the glory of their age and strength to patch up a Religion of their owne and have taken much paines to accomplish the same It may be hath been twenty yeares a professor and hath all this time been labouring to patch up a Rest and having got one in one moment God rases the foundation thereof this works such a losse in the soule as indeed to have many a glorious gift burned up yea many a glorious day of joy twenty yeares profession in one moment laid in the dust and now to deny it self in all his paines and parts of wisdome and knowledge This must needs goe hard and be very difficult with a poore heart to part with all And the Creature will have many shifts and puttings off before he will be made freely to part wiâ—h all and to deny himself in all The condition of such a soul is like a man that all his daies hath been taking pains night and day to comprehend some estate and when he hath got such an estate he fals a building and makes great buildings and when he hath furnished the same takes delight in it and sets his heart upon it and behold when he is solacing himself in what he hath got and done In a moment there is a fire consumes the same to the dust which being beheldby the party he is amazed and much perplexed in his spirit upon which occasion in some it begets death in others discontentednesse and murmurings yea repinings of spirit so as it is not only a day of sorrow but it continues so And this parties losse being exceeding great and his
these Rests by the departure of God from any administration so as the soule desires not to Rest where God is departed for if it hath been thus with the Creature that the cause of its Rest hath been the appearance of God in such an administration or dispensation yet if now he see cleerly that God is departed from it he Rests no longer being the ground why he Rested was and is taken away or removed for as God promised to be in and appear to his People in the Temple and in the Administrations under the Law yet not for everlasting continuance but that afterwards he did intend to withdraw his presence from them and so to disanull the use thereof so in any dispensation of God below his spirituall appearance in the foul he intends to appeare at such a time as himselfe hath appointed in the use of the same but afterwards to withdraw himselfe from it for some end best known to himself Now this is that I say Gods departing and ceasing to appeare in a Dispensation or an Administration Is that which both discovers the Resting therein to bee false and is a further meanes to un-bottome the spirit of a man for making of it his Rest any longer for that Soul that is led into any Administration by God in the which God appeares when God withdraws from it and ceaseth to appeare any more in it the Soule doth the like also And in this hee follows the Lambe where ever hee goes Rev. 14. 4. So that I say It is the departure of God from any condition which if the creature hath been made sensible of it doth represent the making a habitation in it and the Resting upon it is both below God and contrary to him so as in the same hee is made willing to part with and to see when God is known to be departed from the vanity of making any thing his Rest though given of God untill God do everlastingly appear within man carrying up the soule and spirit of man into himself Fourthly The next way God discovers these to bee false Rests and makes the creature willing to part with the same Is by appearing in a more gloryous Administration to the Creature and this is the reason why Christ comforteth his Disciples when the form of the flesh was to be taken away by telling of them He must go away or else the Comforter would not come Joh. 16. 7. As if he should say unlesse I depart in the forme of flesh or in this outward Dispensation you cannot enjoy mee in a more gloriouâ— Dispensation of the Spirit within you which should for ever abide with you It is the Substance of what God intends to make manifest in your spirits I am but in this fleshly dispensation a figure and therefore I must depart that I may more gloriously appeare within you and lead you into all Truth more glorious then yet you see or understand It was so with John and Christ in the flesh as John did decrease so Christ did encrease Joh. 3. 30. It was indeed the encreasing of Christ in the fleshly Administration that made John in his Administration decrease for the dispensation of God in the flesh of Christ was more glorious then the dispensation of John so that in spirituals there is a giving way to a superiour or more glorious Administration by an inseriour or lesse glorious dispensation for the more of God appeares in any forme the more glorious is that forme now God did more appeare in Christs forme then in Johns which made John decrease and give way unto the dispensation of Christ from whence I observe That no man is to forsake any dispensation so long as God appeares in it and makes it a living dispensation for the Apostles were not to cease walking with or to depart from Christ in the flesh unâ—il God was departed from it and ceased according to it or by it but all the Apostles were to continue in that dispensation so long as it was a living dispensation So it was with the dispensations under the Law they were to continue in them so long as God appeared in them and continued with them So shall soules follow as God leades As the Children of Israel were to abide in any place so long as God abode in it So we And as they did move when God moved from it so are we until we are in our perfect Rest Num. 9. 17. 18. Heb. 4. 9. For it is the presence of God in a particular thing which is both to be a soules Leader Exo. 34. 14 15. and his cause of stay in the use of any dispensation So it was with Moses Unlesse thy presence goe along with us carry us not hence It hath been and stil ought to be That Saints removing out of one condition into another or from one Administration or Dispensation into another hath been by the presence of God either going or removed from such a Dispensation So that there may be a folly in this particular for any man to cease acting in formes or in such an Administration as God hath brought him into and truly appeared in untill there bee a cleare departure of GOD in the same leading it into a more glorious Administration Secondly God seldome doth depart from one Administration until he appeares in a more glorious manner in another As God did not depart from the Administration of the Law until he appeared more glorious in the Administration of the Gospel So it is now That there can be no expelling clouds but by Light so there can be no other way to take off a soule truly from the use of any sorme until God appeare in a more higher dispensation For as the appearance of Christ in the flesh was the summe and substance of the forms of the Law and was not to bee disanulled before the substance came Heb. 8. 1. Col. 2. 17. so it is now The summe and substance of all Formes and Administrations is Christ in the Spirit and untill the Substance of them be come perfectly into every heart there can be no true cessation of that heart in Formes or Administrations which are Gospel Formes or Administrations So that God departing sometimes from an Administration and appearing more glorious in another either within or without is that which both unbottoms the soul of Resting in it and that which makes the creature willing to part with it For the want of this the Jewes not beholding Christ the summe and substance of the Law Come in a more glorious Administration they were unwilling to cease acting in their former Administrations the Veile being not taken away 2. Cor. 3. 14. whereby they had been made to see the Substance of those Formes establisht compleatly in a Christ Col. 2. 10. But lastly The chiefest and onlyest way why the creature comes to bee willing to be most free to part with and to have a discovery of all dispensations below the appearance of God in the Spirit to bee
to us Now Christ as he is the cleare discovery or discoverer of the Father to us so he becomes a Rest of peace and happinesse in us and so that this Christ who in name is called the Manifestation of Love â—is unchangeable in reference to the being and cause of this manifested Love which is Christ for if we consider him as the bosome love of God He is not so Christ to us or in us but as this comes to be manifest to us which manifestation or the thing manifest is onely Christ for I looke thus that not only Christ as he was in the flesh was Christ only in that form and no more but what ever was manifest either by or in that form was in Name the Christ and in Nature Christ in God now Saints Rest is not in Christ as manifested only in distinction but Christ is the Rest of Saints as God hath designed him for that purpose and so comes by God in Saints to be made manifest carrying up Saints to live in the full glory power and splendor of that God who did make manifest himself in this manifestation which is Christ And no other way comes soules truly to know the Father either in love or mercy but as the Father doth manifest himself in this very particular Christ revealed in mens hearts in which men may see God clearly and for the wâ—nt of which Philip was ignorant when he said to Christ Joh. 14. 8. Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth us They were ignorant what the Father and Christ were in the Spirit though Christ were with them in the flesh and the reason was because Christ within them was not by God made manifest to them therefore would they have been making Tabernacles in such a low fleshly knowledge where in Truth they knew nothing of him in relation to the Spirit nor of that conjunction betwixt him and the Father that whensoever Christ spiritually was made manifest there the Father was manifest also because there was one undevideable nature and being in such cases betwixt the Father and the Son So that the Saints Rest is in this cleare manifested God within us who in tearm and Truth is called Christ So that now as Christs Center was in the Father and now is to dwel in the fulnesse of his Glory so Saints being in him are carried by him to live with him in the same glory and love and to conclude this when we can say from experience that which Paul said in the Gal 1. 16. That when it pleased the Father to reveal his Christ in him then shall we know that the manifestation of God to us is â—he Revelation of Christ in us 3. Christ spiritually discovered in men and so knowne by them and so becoming Rest to them is a cleare light of God in the Creature which light and glory is onely Christ and thus he is often described in Scripture not onely as he was a light in the flesh without us prescribing rules of light to us but chiâ—ry as he shall become the light and glory of God wiâ—hin us for as he was in the forme of flesh he was a mysâ—ery unknowne yea he was not such a light so as God intended him because he was then but in the figure holding forth what he would worke and what he should be when he was to come in the glory of the spirit within men for his being in the flesh was a very dark dispensation For even the Apostles who were the most conversant with him did know little and were very ignorant of the truth So as indeed they thought he was come to set up a Kingdome in the flesh and that hee would advance them in some great place as appeares So that is was Gods great designe which was held forth in that forme of flesh which is the sum of that Scripture where he is declared to be the light of the Gentiles and to be the Glory of the people Israel Luk. 2. 32. Now to prove it by Scripture that this Christ is in the spirituall coming and advancing in the soule a glorious and Divine Light Wee see it very clear from that Scripture in the 60. of Isa 1 2. Where the Lord declares the manner of Christs spirituall appearing in the soule Arise shine for thy Light is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee This same Scripture though men doe labour to deny it to be meant of Christs appearance in any particular soule yet he that hath found the appearance of Christ within him hath found him fully making good these sayings The matter however that here is promised at the raising up of distressed spirits is Light and Glory which light is God appearing in a dispensation of light and glory the which dispensation is Christ in us for he is both the light and glory of God and all things that are either spirituall light or glory discovered is Christ for according to that Scripture Rev. 21. 23. The glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof As if he should say when the Lord comes to dwell spiritually in the manifestation of glory within the spirits of man and so set up a Temple in the creature according to the 22th verse Then shall all those lights which before the soule hath beene guided by whether they were flashes or resembled light now there shall be no need of the same but the glory of God now shall be there to enlighten the same yea Christ shall be the light thereof so that he shall be filled with true light whoever hath the glorious appearance of Christ within him he shall become a compleat light unto that soule So as he shall not stand in need of any inferiour light but they shall bee dissolved when the glory of the Sun doth appeare so that in such a soule to whom Christ is become in this manner a light unto he shall have no night there according to that in the 22. of Rev. 5. verse But the Lord shall fill such a soule with light yea he shall give to such spirits Him in whom there is no darknesse as in a spirituall dispensation and as he is termed in Joh. 1. 9. verse He is here called The true Light which lightneth every man that cometh into the world He is here called true in opposition to fallacy as if he should lay open many false lights in the world and within men yet he was come as a true light to distinguish betwixt true and false and so he is a distinguishing light in every spirit who hath receiâ—ed him for though Satan hath transformed himselfe into an Angel of light in deceiving a creature yet notwithstanding when this true light appeares in any heart it doth both discover it and destroy it according to that in the 2 Thess 2. 7 8 9 10. That though the mystery of Iniquity and Anti-Christ be never so deceiveable and glorious in their workings and transformings both within and
speak of was Christ Secondly we see the place where it centers before it is made manifest and that is laid open to be in the Father Thirdly the way whereby they knew it and also to be theirs was twofold First by the manifestation of it Secondly by opening the eyes of a souls understanâ—â—ng whereby they come to see that life which now to them is made manifest further he is the life of Saints spiritually considered Coloss 3. 3. 4. here he saith when Christ our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory So that he is here Saints life called and more fuller experienced in every heart who hath found him fully made manifest within their spirits againe he is life of Saints as he becomes the spirituall resurrection of Saints for before ever God bring any Creature into the enjoyment of himself he brings the Creature into a spirituall death not in the body but in the spirit and being layd in the grave aloâ—â— Christ as he is the spirituall life of Saints must be their resurrection I meane the resurrection of their spirits from this spiritual death as he is a dispensation of life and therefore it is written Joh. 11. 25. I am the resurrection and the life he that beleeveth in me though he were dead yet shall he live So that Christ as he is to become the spirituall life of Saints proves an inward resurrection to them in the manifestation of this their life which indeed Paul did experience when he spake these words Gal 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me So that though Paul had been buried into Christs death yet notwithstanding when Christ came to be manifested to him then he proved a resurrection of life in him and by this life was Paul madâ—â—◠〈◊〉 for untill Christ our life comes to be manifest we lye dead voyd of any spiritual life or motion in us and this was figured out in the matter of Lazarus death when Christ came he found him dead and buried voyd of life or motion wherein at last the very breath of Christ breathed out in way of voice Lazarus come forth raised him up and gave life unto him Ioh. 11. 43 44. Two things are here spiritually holden forth First a spirituall death of Creatures when Christ comes to breath upon them the breath of life Secondly by his thus comming speaking and breathing occasions life because his words are spirit and life thus spoken So that it is said The hour is comming and now is when the dead shall hear the voyce of the Son of God and they that hear shall live Now in all this is held forth unto us The spirituall resurrection of all Saints by Iesus Christ coming in the spirit into them so that though this particular be the least looked after yet it is of the highest concernment and not that which most men doat of so much after death So that if we look upon our spirituall resurrection we shall see that the coming of Christ in the Spirit is a manifestation of Spirituall life which proves a spirituall life which proves a spirituall resurrection in such Creatures and in time their Rest and Center Now he being the life of Saints Then first we may observe That Saints life is Iesus Christ Though before they are making out of their own actings according to the law of works do this and live yet now they see that life is destroyed and the cause of all actions to God flowes from this life principled in them and though they are making a life out of enlargement or holinesse in conversation yet this is a life above it unbottoming the creature off from it and centring the Creature in a stable and solid life Secondly the Saints live because Christ lives in them for though before their livâ—â—â—re hid with God yet they were not to live in 〈◊〉 â—o themselves with joy and peace untill it 〈◊〉 manifest from God in them so that they are made to live from the manifestation of life in them whereby they come to know it and so to be made to live by it for ever Cast a Saint into any condition he lives very sweetly because he lives by the life of Christ in him yea he lives sweetly with contenâ—ednesse because Christ lives in him So now to summe up this Christ as he is a spirituall dispensation of God in the Spirit is a Spiritual life by vertue of which life in Saints are Saints swallowed up with it and so centred up in it So that the center or rest of a Saint is eternall and everlasting which is Christ the spirituall life of God in us by which life the Creature doth not only live to but live to do This life is the motion of his spirit so as by this life he doth not onely live but lives to it so that the creatures spirits are wholly set apart to live to God This life is the living in the Spirit and not in the flesh hereby comes the life of Saints to be a life of love and a life of God because they are not at Rest from all their own labors and now all things are acted in them by that Spirit of life which is Christ dwelling in them now Saints wholly live to God by the life of God in them and thus are Saints centred up in God or Christ because their spirits are carried up above the creature into life which is Christ in them becoming spirituall and eternall life to them Fifthly This spirituall Christ as he comes from God and is manifested by God and so known by us and become Rest to us he is spirituall redemption and deliverance Now to looke upon Christ in the Spirit he cannot be manifested but he becomes a spirituall Jesus that is a Saviour of spirits for he was not a Jesus as he was in the flesh but he was a Jesus as he was to come in the Spirit for the flesh could not doe it Yet it was a figure of that spiritual salvation and liberty which Christ is in the hearts of Saints For indeed Jesus Christ is salvation it self and where he in power and glory there is salvation that is he is a Saviour or a deliverer of the creature out of that spiritual slavery and bondage in which he lives So as he is become freedome and redemption to the heart and therefore he is said to be made unto us Wisdom and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption that is he is manifest in us and so is become a spirituall redemption to us freeing us spiritually from our inward bondage and slavery both that bondage of self and Sathan whereby we are made to live in spiritual freedome and all this freedome and deliverance is Christ in the spirit as he is a spirituall dispensation designed of God for the same purpose though many souls do work out their own salvation by their doing whose salvation is false others having
in us so that in this particular the creatures life is swallowed up and gathered into the life of God and as God continues living in them they shall continue living in him and as God hath taken up them to be an everlasting rest for himself so he hath appointed and made himself an everlasting Rest unto them So that now they are ascended in their Spirits into God and there sweetly live in God And lastly he lives sweetly in God and so Rests in him who hath God in him to be an everlasting light in him So that his Sun never goes downe nor Christ in him never ceases to shine forth in light and glory to him So as according to that saying There shall be no night there Rev 21. 25. so also Revel 22. 5. Though some thinke that this is a very high state yet experience and Scripture do testify That it is a state injoyed or shall be injoyed by all or most Saints in these our dayes Isa 60. 19. 20. We see the Promise God makes with his people is this That the LORD shall be unto them an everlasting light and God their compleat glory Esa 60. 19. yea in the 20th verse Their sun shall no more goe downe neither their Moon withdraw it self for the LORD shall be their everlasting light and the dayes of their mourning shall be ended Here we see that in the first place there is a state that soules may be clouded in though they have precious workings of God upon them Secondly this state is attended with mourning Thirdly there is a degree that is above either where there shall be neither withdrawing of light or clouding where all mourning shall fly away but the soule shall be filled with divine light and God shall never cause any more clouds to come upon such a soul but his light shall be everlasting and the glory of God shall fill his spirits for ever so that God shall become the glory of such a spirit in which glory the spirit shall rest for ever so that there is a fulnesse of glory to be enjoyed in the spirits of the Saints when God doth dwell in them and become a disâ—ensation of glory to them I speak this in reference to the shallow capacity of the creature and that fulnesse of glory to satisfy the same in every appearance of glory within the creature so that now when saints come to enjoy this dispensation from God it being an everlasting dispensation of God in them which cannot wax old or decay so are they made to live unchangeable in the same And this is the stayed Rest of saints For one thing there is in this That no soule can truly rest in any dispensation unlesse it be a dispensation which abides for ever and cannot be dissolved so as his Rest cannot be dissolved likewise so that to Rest thus is stayedly sure and everlasting unperishable and undissolveable and also he rests in God who lives in everlasting joy and peace so as nothing can disturb his peace nor dissolve his joy so as to cause either to cease For come what condition will upon the body yet his spirit is swallowed up with joy he doth not power upon creatures as formerly he did but now he lives by rejoycing and rejoyces by living Nothing without him is a trouble to him such a trouble as touches his spirituall joy He receives alwayes praises alwayes and depends alwayes so that his spirits are kept in everlasting joy and peace and all sorrow and mourning is flown away no more sorrow of spirit is known by him neither doth he experience any more spirituall pain within him but in stead thereof is establisht peace and joy for evermore FINIS
expectation frustrated he is now at a non-plus not knowing what to do So it is with a heart after God either hath given gifts or something below himself or for the which the creature hath been labouring all his dayes and at last having attained so much as now he Rests with the Church of Laodicea in a conceited happynesse When God comes to burne down this house the soule hath been all his dayes building though upon it may bee a false foundation he layes the Creature and his worke in the dust so as now the soul is stript naked of all his conceited holinesse or righteousnesse and happinesse uâ—on which fight the creature is wrought into an amazment and astonishment of spirit wondring what God is a doing with him In this said condition which works death and sorrow and the grave and nothing but discontentednesse before and a labouring to stand and not to part with the same untill he be forced to it by an unresistible power the soule before is crying what must I be stript naked of all What is all my praying fasting mourning and the like all taken from me so as now I have nothing to Rest upon Must I part with all Oh especially this creatures riches is hard to part with as it was with the young man who wanted all things in the want of one thing who notwithstanding had enough of the World and I feare too much of this wee are speaking of for he was nigh the Kingdome of heaven yet to part with all for a Christ Oh how loth hee was Oh this parting with all goes hard makes many sorrowfull either in respect of outward or inward riches It is most commonly this inward riches which is the life of most professors in our dayes until God unbottome them of their professions and forms and self-doings and fulnesse and the most that are destroyed in our Land I fear are in this particular when poor creatures are so glued to themselves or formes or their own righteousnesse and self-riches that indeed they live upon the same and make a life out of it and a God upon it and so dwell as though they were in heaven when indeed they are neither in the way to it nor possessed with it But if ever God appear either to them or in them God will unveile them so as indeed though they have been professors never so long and in the same are become rich in their own eyes and in the eyes of others yet I beleeve God will burne it up and bring them to a losse and make their high and lofty spirits lye in the dust as he hath done with many in their condition I look that the greatest losers in our dayes shall be the longest and tallest professors though in their losing it may for the future tend to their greatest game yea Englands professors shall ere long cry out of their inward losses more then their outward losses and they shall be stript more naked in matter of spirituals then ever they were of temporals though in the losse of both it may be accompanied with little freedome but rather unwillingness at present and repinings of spirit though at the last they may be delivered from their straits and be cloathed with the Sun and then shall trample the Moon under their feet I doe not speak of professors in reference to any particular faction but I speak of all under what denomination or title soever that are professing God before they be possessed with him who are storing up inward riches but not of the Spirit and Rest upon it as though it were of God which when God makes it manifest by the day according to that Scripture 1 Cor. 3. 3. c. it burnes and is consumed either because it was not of God or else because it was Rested upon below God So that now to be brought out of the Creature and all its own fulnesse or selfe actings are so contrary to it and so for the annihilating of it so that indeed man in and of himselfe wil oppose God stand out against this work of annihilation to have a Creature who before was rich in and of himselfe or from some administration of God below the enjoyment of God in the same and according to which and for the want of which the Creature makes his habitation below Heaven though he lives as an Angell yet as miserable as any devil in reference to his want of God in a way of enjoyment it being thus with a poor heart that to part with his false Rest is so hard and difficult How then comes the soul to see them to be false in reference to his Resting upon them though they may be true as they are an administration of God I say how comes the soule to see them to be false and so either willing to have them either dissolved if they be administrations of God or burned and consumed if they be of the Creature In answer to this we will say both waies in Scripture and experience And First God makes them known to the Creature and him willing at last to part with them by discovering unto him the emptinesse of these dispensations wherin he is made to see the non-satisfaction and un-safenesse thereof if continued in by the Creature as thus either by discovering unto a soule the want of his presence in it wherein it appears to be truly empty or else by frustrating the Creatures expectation in the not enjoying that from these things but in conceit which it did expect to finde in them and receive from them and herein God hedges up the soules wayes with thornes so that now it cannot finde that comfort and refreshment in those things which formerly it Rested upon and drew comfort from now God making them empty and vain to the heart it is forced to cry out as Solomon of the vanity thereof and to say with them in the 24. of Isa 16. verse Our leannesse our leannesse so as now he is made willing to submit to the burnings up of his expectation by seeing the vanity of his conceptions in them Secondly By representing to the understanding a more excellent Rest and center for his spirit both sure and safe this begets a breathing after the enjoyment of that Rest which it is made to see without it not as yet enjoyed by it Isa 11. 10. 13. 16. 28. 8. this same makes the soule willing to forgoe the one that he may enjoy the other For as Canaan was discovered to the Children of Israel to be more excellent and glorious then that place of Aegypt was wherein they were in bondage which made them at their departure from it to be willing to part with the Garlick and flesh-pots so it is with a soule in this case the more the glorious Rest of Christ is represented to any soule the more it doth discover false Rests and the more it doth unbottome every Creature thereof Thirdly They are discovered too and un-bottomed off