the bottomlesse pit your very fleshly self you are deceived and you shall find that when this bottomlesse pit is opened to your view it will be a torment sufficient for from hence doth the curse spread and all that misery you are or may be capable of it is but the breakings forth of that stinking dunghill that is seated within you is that power of darkness that rules within the Creation your body If the power of Righteousnesse peace take possession and rule in you then you shall live in rest and be free from hell and sorrow death and bondage If the Lamb be the light of your heart all tears shall be wiped away and you shall be in peace But if the selfish power rule your heart then as you live now upon uncertainties in confusion and vexation so this manifestation of hell darknesse and sorrows shall multiply within you and when your body goes to the Earth you multiply the curse upon the Creation and so you enter into the body of the Serpent that must be burned and consumed by the power of the Lord Hell and the curse doth rule within câ—eated flesh in every family of the earth and will rule till the feed of Abraham the blessing of the Lord come and burn up that serpent and deliver the Creation from that burden And let me tell you That this seed This blessing of the Lord is rising up in every family that lives after the flesh Whether Parents brethren or sisters they do hate grudge and persecute those in whom the blessing begins to rise up and tramples upon them like dust but out of that dust of the earth man-kind shall the deliverer come that shall turn ungodlinesse from Jacob A few years now will discover more and then that prophecy shall be materially fulfilled Then ten men shall take hold of him that is a Jew saying we will go with you for we have heard that God is with you Zech. 8. 23. The heart of man is the place wherein heaven and hell for nature and kind are both to be seen that is when the Law of Righteousnesse rules there is Christ or the Kingdom of heaven within even the manifestations of the Father appears in glory to the sweet rest and peace of that soul But when the power of unrighteousnesse rules in the heart which is the Serpent Dragon or God of this world this is hell or kingdom of darknesse for first the man sees and feels himself in bondage to his lusts and to the powers of his flesh This is death and the curse that he lies under And then secondly The man sees himself under bondage of sorrows and torment and the increase of this sensiblenesse is will be an intolerable misery As it is said That the King of Righteousnes takes delight in nothing but what is within himself and what proceeds out of himself So the Heaven of an enlivened heart is not a local place of glory at a distance from him but the seeing and feeling the Father within dwelling and ruling there and to behold the glory of that power proceeding forth of himself to which he is made subject through which he walks righteously in the Creation and in which he rests in peace Even so the souls that are lost and ashamed in their work are not tormented by any terrour without them in any local place but their hell or place of torment is within themselves seeing and feeling themselves chained up in bondage to fears terrours â—â—rrows afrightments intolerable vexations and powers of lust and under all that cursed darknesse â—â—till the judgement of the great day And what misery or torment doth or shall appear â—â—â—m outward objects it is but the breakings forth of their own cursednesse that creates misery to himself and so goes forth to fetch in torment from without For he that hath a troubled conscience turns every thing into gall and worm-wood to terrifie himself thinking every bush to be a devil to torment him he saies he sees fearfull shapes without but they arise from the anguish of his tormenting conscience within for they be the shapes and apparitions of his own caused flesh that is presented to him which comes not from any other but out of the bottomlesse pit the Serpents powr but rules and dwels within him and the sight of this is like the misery of tender flesh burning in the fire Let a man lie upon his sick bed and to the view or others the chamber is quiet yet he saith he seeth devils and flames and misery and torments Well this is but the rising up of his own unrighteous heart the flames of the bottomlesse it that appear to himself For certainly unrighteous flesh is hell the appearance or risings up of unâ—ighteous flesh to its own view is the torments of hell Pride lust envy covetousnesse hypocrisie self-love and the like being crossed by the spirit of Light are the particular devils that torment the soul in hell or in that dark condition Or if so be a man be tormented by visible bodies of fâ—ry and ugly shapes as he apprehends they be all the creatures of his own making and rods which the flesh hath made to whip and punish himself withall for a man suffers by no other but by the work of his own hands And as he hath acted envy venome and poison in strange wayes of oppression walking unrighteously in the Creation Even so when his soul comes to be judged he shall apprehend snakes scorpions toads devils in bodily shapes and flames of fire and direfull noises and pits of darknesse which are creatures of his own making or the shapes and fashion of those unrighteous turnings and windings and actings of his unrighâ—eous soul that now appear in their own colours to his own torment and this is â—ell For if the flesh be righteous within there is nothing without can trouble it When the bodies of men are laid in the grave we have a word That he is either in heaven or hell Now the senses of the body are not sensible of either such But now the power that ruled in that body righteously or unrighteously is fully manifested to it felt if the power of Righteousnesse did rule Now it enters into the Spirit the great Ocean of glory the Father himself If the power of unrighteousnesse did rule now it enters into the curse encreases the body of death corruption and enmity and becomes the bondage and Burden of the Creation that â—â—â—st be purged out by fire If there be a local place of hell as the Preachers say there is besides this I speak of time will make it manifest but as yet none ever came from the dead to tell men on earth and till then men ought to speak no more then they know wheâ— I speak I speak from what I have in some measure seen within me and as I have received from the Lord in clear light within my self But is not hell the execution of
either to kill that body it dwels in or some others that angers it But the Power of Christ the Law of Righteousnesse ruling within is not moved to any such rashnesse it is patient meek and loving and doth act righteously both to his own body and to others though they be his enemies CHAP. IV. ANd truly here lies the chiefest knowledge of a man to know these two powers which strives for government in him and to see and know them distinctly one from the other that he may be able to say This is the name and power of the flesh and this is the name and power of the Lord For these two powers are the two Adams in man-kind they are Iacob and Esau striving who shall rule in the Kingdom the flesh first Or these are the Son of the bond-woman viz. The powers of the flesh which is the serpent Devil or power of darknesse Or the Son of the free woman which is Christ the wisdom and power of Righteousnesse ruling in flesh and making it free from the others bondage And here I shall declare what I know the first Adam or son of bondage is And secondly What the second Adam or son of the free-woman is both which Powers I have seen and felt manifested in this body of my flesh First I shall shew how the first Adam in his time of rule hath suppressed and kept under the second man the anointing And then secondly how this second man in the time appointed of his rising doth kill and crucifie the first Adam daily with all his lusts and freeth me from that slavery The first Adam kils and crucifies Christ in me when I consent and make provision to satisfie my pride over humility covetousnesse over contentednesse envy over love lust before chasticy esteeming the power of an humble loving and righteous spirit towards the poorest creatute but a low and contemptible thing or the like Now Christ is crucified in me he rules not he acts not in a lively power but the first man of the flesh he governs the Kingdom my body in unrighteousnesse And Christ lies buried in this earthly tabernacle under those cursed powers in my enslaved body But then secondly When the fulnesse of time comes that it is the Fathers will that Christ the spirit of truth shal arise above the power of unrighteousnesse in me that is humility arises above pride love above envy a meek and quiet spirit above hasty rash anger chastity above unclean lusts and light above darknesse Now the second Adam Christ hath taken the Kingdom my body and rules in it He makes it a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwels Righteousnesse I shall explain these two Adams a little more First then The first Adam or man of the flesh branches himself forth into divers particulars to fetch peace into himself from objects without himself As for example covetousnesse is a branch of the flesh or first man that seeks after creature enjoyment or riches to have peace from them Pride looks abroad for honour Envy seeks the revenge of such as crosses his fleshy ends by reproch oppression or murder Unclean lusts seeks to embrace strange flesh Imagination flies abroad to devise wayes to satisfie the flesh in these desires Hypocrisie turns himself into divers shapes ye sometimes into an Angel of light a zealous Professour to compasse these ends And self-love which is ignorant of the universal power lies couching in the bottom sending those six several powers of darknesse abroad to fetch in peace to delight self that lies at home in the fleshy heart And all these powers make up but one perfect body of sin and death one Devil or one compleat power of darknesse or that whorish power called the Beast with seven heads And it is called the Beast because all those seven discoveries are of the flesh and flesh is no other but a beast and the wise flesh of man is said to be the beast the King of beasts that was to raign fourty two moâ—ths or for a time times and dividing of time and then he should be destroyed by the man of Righteousnesse Christ And truly upon every head there is ten horns that is there are many branchings forth of powers from every head to satisfie self which are Kings indeed And they are called ten horns every head encountering against the five senses of the left hand man and against the five senses of the right hand man of righteousnesse and so fights against every particular spreading forth of Christ So that these Kings are not to be restrained to the Kings of the Nations though that is true such powers are enemies to Christ and they must yield up their Kingdoms unto him and those that are angry against Christ are to be destroyed But these ten horns are Kingly powers of the flesh that rules within every man leading him captive under the body of the power of darknesse for there is not the branching forth of evil in any kind to delight self but it springs forth from one or other of those seven heads all joyning to honour and advance the Beast The man of Righteousnesse Christ he is the second Adam and he spreads himself as far as the other to undermine him and to take the Kingdom that is the created flesh or the living earth man-kind out of that Devils hand For Christ is the spreading power of Righteousnesse and therefore he is called The anointing which was poured upon that humane body called by the name Iesus the Son of man and dwelt bodily there for a time but afterward was to spread in sons and daughters many bodies As the oyl upon Aarons head ranne down to the skirts of his garments if any one find rest and peace in this precious Alabaster which is the wisdome and power of the spirit he finds it not by looking upon him at a distance from him but by seeing and feeling that power ruling within the body of his flesh As thus contentednesse in all straits or poverty to live upon providence is this second Adam in thee killing thy discontented covetousnesse Humility and meeknesse is the same anointing which kils pride and loftines Love to enemies yea the law of love flowing forth to every creature is Christ in you which kils envy and rash anger Chastitie in the flesh kils uncleannesse wisdom that is pure and plain down right kils a subtil over-reaching Imagination Sincerity and singlenesse of heart the same anointing kils hypocrisie and love to others doing as a man would be done unto and so respecting the publick preservation of all creatures doth kill self-love And all these seven branchings forth of the pure spirit makes but one body Christ or one Almighty power or Mercie and Justice the holy breathing or Emanuel God in us And every one of these seven eyes or seven attributes of the Divine branches themselves forth into several horns of power to destroy the man of the flesh and to
libertie When slaverie began to creep in upon the Creation the Spirit might wel cry out in Lamentation Ah-dam A-dam which draws together a head of corrupted waters of covetous proud and imaginary flesh to stop the streams of the waters of life and libertie But saith the Spirit our Maker The seed from whence the Creation sprang shall bruise that Serpents head and open the dam againe and cause the waters of the Spirit which is Life and Libertie to run free againe without any stoppage This A-dam stops up the waters or Life and Libertie in a two-fold way Firâ—â— he ties up the Creation man in chains of darknesse within it self For there is not a man and womon â—ound since Adam's rise but the man Christ Jesus in whom the seed ruled in power but they were bound up in bondage to coveteousnesse pride imagination and to all the powers of the flesh So that the free running streams of the Spirit of life were stopped that they could not run which hath made every one cry O wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from this body of sin or death Here you see that knowledge libertie and comfort hath been stopped or dammed up within the Câ—eation maâ— Secondly this A-dam being the power of coveâ—ous proud flesh he sets up one part of the Creation man to rule over another and makes Laws to kil and hang thal part of the Creation that wil not submit to the ruling part And so he is become a God ruling in the spirits own house not preserving the Creation but does set the Creation together by the ears to kâ—l it self to the mighty dishonour of our Maker Therefore when the people would have Saul to rule them the Spirit declared that that outward ruling power was the curse and he set him up in his wrath to be a scourge not a blessing Now whereas the Creation man should live in equalitie one towards another this A-dam hath lifted up mountaines and hils of oppressing powers and there by that dammed and stopped up that universal communitie Therefore at the first rising up of this serpentine power to enslave the Creation he might wel be declared by way of Lamenattion A-dam Adam Covetousnesse or self-love is the dam the letter A before declares that he is a preparer to miserie and is delivered by way of Lamentation Ah or A-dam Dovetousnesse or self-love is the man of sin that appears first The imagination arising from that couetous power is the woman or Eve which like the Ivie clings about the tree and so covetousnesse and imagination does beget between them a supposed joy pleasure and delight but it proves a lie These two Covetousnesse and Imagination the man and the woman of sin or A-dam and his Eve or Ivie does beget fruit or children like both Father and Mother as pride and envy hypocrisie crueltie and all unclean lusts pleasing the flesh And now the dam-head is made up strong to stop the streams of waters of life and universal libertie But in the fulnesse of time the Spirit wil break down this dam-head againe and cause the waters of the Spirit of life to flow again plentifully And herein you may see how the publique Preachers have cheated the whole world by telling us of a single man called Adam that kiled us al by eating a single fruit called an Apple Alas this Adam is the dam that hath stopped up the freedome of the Spirit within and without so that while he rules a man can have no community with the spirit within himself nor community of love with fellow creatures he does so puff them up with covetousnesse and pride and desire of Lordly rule one over another Do but look into every mean and woman and into al the actions of the world and tel me whether that first Adam be one single man as the publique Preachers tel you or is not more truly that covetous proud and imginary power in flesh that hath dammed and stopped up the way of the spirit of life and universal libertie and so he is that Father of lies and Satan that holds the Creation under bondage til the Son which is the light in the Creation shine forth and sets us at libertie And if the Son set you free you are free indeed This Son is the second Adam which is A-dam indeed that stops the streams of bondage from runing and sets the Creation at libertie again CHAP. IX WHat I have spoken I have not received from books nor study but freely I have received and freely I have declared what I have received And the Declarations of the Lord through his servant shal not be in vain The beholding and feeling of the Law of righteousnesse within me fils my whole soul with precious peace the favour of the sweet ointment and I know as this power of love spreads in al mens hearts as it wil spread for Jacob must rise Then there shall be no begger no tears no complaining no oppression but the blessing of the Lord shal fil the earth Then our swords shall be beaten into plow irons add our spears into pruning hooks and then shall the Lord be known to be the salvation of Israel and the restoration of the whole Creation Iâ— any man be offended here let him know I have obeyed my Maker herein and I have peace in him When the Man Jesus Christ was one earth there was a sweet communitie of love between all the members of that humane body For the spirit that was within made every member a servant to the other and so preserved the whole body in peace one member did not raign over another in tyraâ—nie Even so when the humane body was laid in the earth the Spirit which indeed is Christ came again the second time upon the Apostles and Brethren while they were waiting for that promise at Jerusalem And as Christ then began to spread himself in sons and daughters which are members of his mystical body they did not rule in slavery one over another neither did the rich suffer the poor to beg and starve and imprison them as now they do But the rich sold their possessions and gave equality to the poor and no man said that any thing that he possessed was his own for they had all things common But this community was a vexation to Esau the covetous proud flesh and he strove to suppresse this commnuity And the Lord he gives this Beast a toleration to rule 42 months or a time times and dividing of time and in that time to kil the two Witnesses that is Christ in one body and Christ in many bodies or Christ in his first and second comming in flesh which is Justice and Jugement ruling in man I but now the 42 months are expiring we are under the half day of the Beast or the dividing of time and Christ or the two Witnesses are arising and spreading himself again in the earth And when he hath spread
revenge of the pride lust envy covetousnesse which ruled within the flesh and casts that Serpent and Dragon out of Heaven That is out of that part of the Creation and makes a man to cry out upon himself and to hate and abhor his cursed lusts which lead him captive He makes a man to look abroad with the eie of pitty and compassion to fellow-Creatures but to look with the eie of hatred and loathing upon the Serpent his unclean lusts desiring nothing so much as the death of the body of sin within So that the law of righteousnesse may reigne in peace in his soul O thou cursed envy cursed rash anger cursed uncleannesse O cursed Devil cursed Father of lies that will not suffer Christ to rise up and reign O thou enemy of all rightousnesse thou wicked one thou curse thou power of darknesse thou fleshly power thou shalt be destroyed and subdued under Christ's feet whom thou fightest against The greatest combate is within a man when the King sits upon the Throne judging unrighteous flesh and bruising that Serpents head And though this be trouble and torment for a time to the Creature yet Christ at last will sit down in him who is Prince of peace and King of righteousnesse The created flesh of man is the Beast the King of Beasts the same principles as are in other Creatures are in humane flesh The difference between man and other beasts is this The flesh of man is made an understanding Soul capable to know Reason and to walk in his light Other beasts cannot Now the wise flesh is meerly selfish he seeks himself in every thing he doth and would be a Lord and Ruler not only over the Beasts of the field but over creatures of his own kind whom his Maker made equall to himself and so strives to fetch in all other Creatures to advance his content though it be to the losse and misery of other men This is the Beast Lord Esau the wise and covetous self-seeking flesh that hath sold his birth-right and blessing to Jacob for the pleasure of unrighteousnesse a small time And now he must be turned out and deliver all up to Jacob and he is extreamly vext and will not yield quier possession but stand out stifly till he be cast out by the universall power of Reasons law Now the rule and dominion of Jacob doth not bring losse and misery to any his law is so established in love that the whole Creation finds peace under it sorrow and tears beggary and oppression shall be done away and the blessing of the Lord Jacob shall fill the earth So then we see that the great battell of God Almighty is between thi selfish power the Beast and fleshy man and the universall power Christ the man of righteousnesse for the flesh would be wiser then its Maker for though his Maker would have the whole Creation and every creature to enjoy the benefit of their Creation and no live free from straits comfortably Yet the wise and converous flesh seeks to live free in honour and quiet in himself makes laws to imprison kill and waste every one that will not conforme to his selfish Government Now the Father wil destroy the Beast in the open field by fair play and hath given him all advantages as may be for he hath given the Beast thedominion and himself is a Servant under his dominion and will undermine the wise and covetous Beast by righteous sufferings and action as a Servant And the Father encounters with the Beast or Dragon in a three-fold posture of war As First by the Sacrifices under the Law the Spirit thereby declared the destruction of the Beast and the Spirit lay hid under those types and shadows fighting against the Beast and the wise flesh in those daies sought against his Maker This is a distance of Cannon shot Secondly In the prison of Jesus Christ the Lamb the Father fought against the Beast and killed him for the Dragon was cast out of that Heaven or Creation in whom the Father dwelt bodily for that flesh was wholly made subject to the Spitit this was at a closer distance closing in the Front But the wise flesh hath many strong holds even the multitudes of men and women which he fortifies against the Spirit And therefore in the third posture which is now begun the Father encounters and wil encounter with the Beast every where that is with the wise but covetous unrighteous flesh in every son and daughter and so bruise that Serpents head in the whole body of his Army And before he hath done he wil fire all the strong-holds of this murder so that he shall not have a place to keep garrison in for the Father will subdue the whole bulk of man-kind and make all that living earth subject to him self and all with holy breathing This is the spreading of the Anointing This is the glory of the Elect One glorious things are spoken of thee O though City of God This holy breathing is the Kingdom of Heaven within you when he rules within you and the Kingdom of Heaven without you likewise when you see the same glory rule in others in which you rejoyce And this is the last encounter the Father wil have with the Dragon This is the great day of Judgment judging and condemning and putting the Serpent to death every where This is the day of Christ power in which he wil subdue all his enemies under his feet deliver up the Kingdom to his Father Therefore marvel not to see the people turn from one way of worship to another for the Father is driving this people through al the waies and forms and customs and reformation and governments of the Beast to weary them out in all that so they may find rest for the soles of their feet no where in no outward form of worship til they come to lye down in him forsaking all forms to worship the Father in spirit and trurh that is to walk righteously in the Creation And this restlesnesse of people running from one form and custome to another meeting with confusion and curse every where is no other but the dividing of time the half day or image of the Beast which is the last period of his time Then faith the Angel It is done time to the Beast shal be no more And while it is thus poor Creatures they are in bondage within for they know not what to do the way to Sion is not yet cleare and they are filled with sighings and secret mournings to see themselves in confussion and losses to stick in the mire but cannot come out This is inward slaverie under which they lie Then poor Creatures they are under an outward bondage under the hand of Tyrant flesh that rules the Kingdom and that divises the several fleshy forms and waies of government to which if any refuse to conform then they must be imprisoned reproached or tortured by punishments in what kind