and his mouth must be stopt and he must make supplication to his Judge whom though I were righteous saith Job yet would I not answer but I would make supplication to my Judge Job 9. 15. And this becomes man and not to argue it with the Lord and to wrangle with him as if God were unrighteous as if his Ways were not equal Who measures the Lord by his shallow understanding who cannot be searched out O the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and the Knowledge of God how unsearchable are his Judgements and his Wayes past finding out for who hath known the mind of the Lord Or who hath been his Counsellor Or who hath first given unto him and it shall be given unto him again For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be Glory for ever Amen Rom. 9. 33 34 35. 36. So every man's mouth here must be stopt and before his Judge he must be silent as I have said and not lay unrighteousness on God or charge him that his Wayes are not equal For man himself shall conclude it otherwise in the day wherein the Lord will render unto him according to his deeds and therefore it is in vain to stand it out with the Lord. It is but the artifice of the Enemy that works this in you he knows you will otherwise say when it is too late therefore be not deceived by him least when 't is too late you blame your folly Moved of the Lord I am to write this to you in bowels of love that you may see your state and how this matter stands and that ye may be delivered And if ye yet say The Children being not yet born neither having yet done any good or evil that the Purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth It was said unto her the Elder shall serve the Younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated I answer as I did before this is spoken of the two Seeds the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent of which these two were Figures in which as the Knowledge of the Lord foresaw they would be so he loved so he hated For he loveth and hateth no man but as they are in these and it was after the fall that this was spoken both the promise that the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head and the Elder shall serve the Younger Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated For before there is nothing spoken of this for all stood well and as the same in the first Adam whilst he stood and there was no need of the Promise nor was there two as to man the one whereof was the Object of Love and the other of Hatred the Elder serving the Younger but man was one spirit from the Root Eternal and in the Root Eternal which God hath blessed And the two or that which made two the seed of the Serpent which entered into man came out afterwards For man receiving the Serpent and obeying his voice after he was made against the Command of God there came to be two things in man two Roots two which strugled the Seed of the Woman the seed of Promise and the seed of the Serpent the seed of the Curse as the Promise came to take place and that seed came to move in man to bring him back to God which the Lord hath promised as the Children strove in Rebecca's womb when she came to be delivered so do these as the time cometh wherein as I have said the promise of God cometh to be fulfilled The Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one unto the other So that ye cannot do the things that ye would As the Apostle speaks Gal. 5. 17. And which the Apostle found in himself when the Promise came to be fulfilled in him I see saith he another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into Captivity â—o the law of sin which is in my members And he cries out there as Rebecca did concerning the Children If it be so why am I thus And she went to enquire of the Lord Gen. 25. 22. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this Death Rom. 7. 23 24. So the Children strugled in the Womb of Rebecca which was the Figure Two Nations are in thy Womb and two manner of People shall be separated from thy bowels and theone people shall be stronger then the other people and the Elder shall serve the Younger said the Lord unto her of whom she went to enquire when it was so with her as aforesaid And when her dayes to be delivered were to be fulfilled behold there were Twins in her womb and the first came out Red all over like an hary Garment and they called his Name Esau and after that came his brother out and his hand took hold on Esau's heel and his Name was called Jacob â— 24 25 26. So the Law of the Spirit of Life which was in Christ Jesus strugled with the law of Sin and of Death In Paul which though the law of sin and of death the law in his members strugled with and came out first When I would do good the law of his mind evil is present with me the law in his members the good that I would I do not the evil which I would not that do I Yet it took hold of its heel and supplanted it as the Name of Jacob the true Seed siignifies Is he not said Esau rightly named Jacob For he hath supplanted me these two times he took away my birth-right and behold now he hath taken away my blessing and Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his Father blessed him And Esau said in his heart the days of mourn-for my Father are at hand then will I slay my brother Jacob Gen. 27. 36 37. 41. It came after and supplanted overthrew the other I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death For what the Law could not do for that it is weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit for to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace vers 21. chap. 8. 2 3 4 5 6. So there is the first and the second the first man Adam and the second the Law of Sin and Death and the Law of the Spirit of Life the Law of the
Mind and the Law in the Members the Flesh and the Spirit the Son of God in the likeness of sinful flesh condemning sin in the flesh and the body of sin and death Two Nations two manner of People the one stronger then the other the strong man armed the stronger then he The Elder as to man in the state of the fall that came out first the Younger which was before the Elder though it came out in the World after This is he said John of whom I said after me cometh a Man which is preferred before me for he was before me John 1. 30. The Younger who comes after the fall the seed of the Woman to redeem out of the fall to bruise the Serpents head which the Elder must serve which taketh hold of the heel of the Elder and supplants it and makes it to serve the Elder shall serve the Younger And so the Apostle speaketh They are not all Israel who are of Israel Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all Children but in Isaac shall thy seed be called That is they that are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the Promise are counted for the seed For this is the word of Promise at this time will I come and Sara shall have a son And not only this but when Rebecca also had conceived by one even by our Father Isaac for the children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her the Elder shall serve the Younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated as aforesaid Rom. 9. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. And here is the whole matter as it lies together and as the Scriptures testifie and are the Explanation of one another in the Spirit of the Lord from whom I have written and who hath shewn me these things that I might write them unto you that your understandings might be opened and that ye might come to see the Truth as it is in Jesus and be brought to the Knowledge of the Truth And so I have finished this particular The Lord God Eternal open your eyes that in this your day you may know the things that belong unto your Peace And so I shall proceed As the Lord made not man to destroy him and as he hath not concluded any man from all Eternity to destruction So neither hath he so made man as that it is impossible for him to fall from the state in the which he was made or to miscarry so as to fall from life for ever and ever That were to put man in another state then that in the which he was made who was made in a Dependance on God for his being and Subsistance in the state in the which he was made and to render him as God knowing both good and evil that is to set him as do he good or do he evil he shall never be finally removed from the state in the which he was made that is from Life but shall remain as God The Judgement of the Ranters whom the Serpent hath taken with that which was his first bait with which he took Eve at first and with which they are taken at this day who hold That do they what they will they shall never be finally â—emoved from the state in the which they were made that is from Life Ye shall not surely die for God knoweth that in the day that ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil Gen. 3. 4 5. This the Serpent laid before Evè viz. a state beyond that in the which she was made Ye shall not surely die a state at the pleasure of him that made you and at his Commandmen who gave you your being Yea hath God said ye shall not eat of every Tree in the garden v. 1. hath he put you are ye under such a dependency on him and at his command Nay ye shall not surely die it is not so ye shall be as Gods a state beyond that in which ye were made ye shall not need to stand in such awe and dread Ye are not necessitated to such a dependency upon God as that doing contrary to his Command ye shall die your state shall be changed nay your state shall not be so changed but eating of the Tree doing of that which he hath said ye shall not doe which signifies a Subjection and Subordination a Creature state of Variation and Change at the Will of Him that made you Nay the doing of this will enter you into another state that 's more high more fixed more certain a state wherein God is who changeth not nor is moved nor doth alter or varie from that wherein he is and this God knoweth for God doth known this is the Reason that God hath set you under such a command in such dread in such awe as of death a loosing of the state in the which ye are and a coming into a quite contrary or another this he knows and therefore hath laid this Command upon ye to keep ye from this to prevent your attaining unto this to be as he is setled and unchangeable do ye what ye will ye shall not surely die Nay it shall enter you into that state wherein there is no such thing as death but only a death unto that in which ye are as you are passing to it as through death to life ye shall not need thus to be put to it ye shall be as Gods without change without alteration without fear or dread or a necessary dependance upon another to keep you in the state in the which ye are Ye shall not need thus to be put to it at every turn to be under this Rod under this reproof under this check under such a manifestation as this and who would be so when he may be otherwise This God knoweth therefore hath he laid this Bar upon you this Precept this Bond to keep ye under that in the day that ye eat thereof ye do otherwise then he hath ordained you and so put your selves out of a state of dependance upon him or of being Creatures so to be disposed of and ordered by him so taking your selves into your own Power your own disposal as he doth himself and you whilst it is thus with you that you dare do nothing but what he requires you and that ye dare not do that which he forbids you which is a Creature state of alteration and change of Subjection and Subordination you will be as he is you will be as Gods unalterable unchangeable insubjectible insubordinate and this God knoweth that in the day that ye eat thereof that ye so put your selves that ye so take your selves into your own order and not stand under his Order and Rule who hath so
Apostle as aforesaid and were it not that the Lord first touched man that of him in him which lies in death and by reason of the fall is buried in the Grave so that it cannot move to God man never would look after God nor know the state in the which he is for the enemy having him and holding him and compassing him about would never suffer him so to see nor so to understand Now herein is the love of God manifest and his great loving kindness that when man whom he made upright and in his Image and breathed into him the Breath of Life and he became a living Soul turned away from the Lord and from that in which he was made which kept and would have preserved him had he kept to it and let in the enemy and so death came over him in the Transgression over that in which he was made that it moved not but lay as dead Free among the dead like the slain that lie in the grave whom thou remembrest no more and they are cut off from thy hand Psal 88. 6. I say that the Lord should then visit man and reach to that of himself in man which lay in the grave free among the dead like the slain that lie in the grave and so give man to see the state in the which he is and his enemy and to cause a moving after God a Will to God this is the Lords great loving kindness and his free mercy and this the Apostle reckoned when he cast up the sum and minded the great love of God to man in this state In this saith he as hath been said was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him Herein is the love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins 1 John 4. 9 10. And when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly Rom. 5. 6. So then man cannot move to God unless God reach him that of him in him that lies in death by reason of Transgression and quicken him then it moves to God again not that we loved God see in what state the will of man is in the fall where all men are found when God comes to them when God visits them when he speaks to them when his voice reacheth them that shaketh the Wilderness when that moves in them which shews them sin and evil and judges it not that we loved God saith he before whilst we were in this state the state in the fall we loved not God before God reached to that of himself in us that lay in death Free among the dead like the slain that lie in the grave whom thou remembrest no more saith he also as aforesaid but he loved us and sent his Son that of himself in us to be a propitiation an atonement for our sin and herein is love and in this was manifested the love of God towards us that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him We who were dead in trespasses and sins who were without sence or feeling of God over whom death was gotten who had no mind nor will to God nor moving to him who could never have moved to him nor minded nor willed him in the state in which we were in the fall in the Transgression when we were from that of him which gives the sence and feeling of him and willing to and moving after him because of death which was got between us and that of him in which we were made from which we fell which came under by reason of Death by reason of the fall and so were at that time without Christ Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel strangers from the covenants of Promise having no hope and without God in the World that we who were in this state might live through him through that which speaks in us which in us moves to God So that it is not in the will of man in the fall for so man as to this particular is to be considered for that which restores him brings him to God is another thing being brought to God is another state of which I speak not now but of the state in which man is before he is brought thither I say it is not in the Will of man considered in the fall to will to God or to move to him that which moves him to God and makes him will to God is another thing as I have shewed and there being no will in man as to God in this state wherein every man is found when God comes to him as hath been instanced where then is free will or the freedom of his will to God for where there is no such thing as a thing there cannot be said to be the freedom of such a thing because there is a non entity as I may so speak if so be it be proper so to speak and yet how shall I otherwise speak to give a demonstration of the thing of which I speak there is no such thing in being of which the freedom or the freedom of which is pretended there is no such thing in being therefore there cannot be said to be the freedom of such a thing For again of his own will begat he us with the Word of Truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his Creatures saith the Apostle Jam. 1. 18. Of his own will then it is not of man's will that man is begotten to God that he is delivered for two wills cannot consist in this Particular no more can it consist then two Fathers in the Generation of man or for a man to beget himself which is incongruous to Nature to say as it is to reason to think it and it being not of man's wil then man hath no freedom of will to be begotten to beget himself to God And this is manifest for it is by the Word or with the Word of Truth too that he is begotten to God So man hath nothing to do in the matter of his own will With the Word of Truth hath he begotten us the Word of Truth the Word nigh in the mouth and in the heart the Word of Faith which we preach said the Apostle The Word of the Lord which endures for ever and this is the Word which by the Gospel is Preached unto you saith Peter 1 Epist 1. 25. The Word which is quick and powerful and sharper then any two edged Sword piercing even to the dividing assunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the Thoughts and intents of the heart neither is there any Creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do Heb. 4. 12 13. So it is by this Word the Word of Truth the