Godhead that is one is of a more pure and excellent nature then these lower changeable elements of earth water ayre and fire of which this lower world is composed off for this lower world bringeth forth nothing but his owne nature as earth water aire and its spirit of fire from which all spirits have borrowed a body which they cannot keep for ever because its nature is changeable and runneth or whirling round never standing at one certaine stay for the Sunne which is soule fire or life of this world never standeth still but every yeare runneth his race round and in his running he melts hardens congeales withers and makes grow green so that there is a continuall death and resurrection every yeare of things under the Sunne for nothing stands at one stay but is in continuall motion and change and in this change is was and shall be one and the same for ever for no man can consume diminish or annihilate the least atom or dust or bring any thing that is to nothing neither can any man finde the beginning or end of things but thou hast borrowed a garment or body which did lye potentially in that matter and when thou makest it appeare it is said to be a beginning to thee and when thou leavest it as it was it is called an ending to thee As for the world whereof Moses speaketh that the most holy God made certaine it is some more excellent better or purer world for man to live in then this for hee hath no true content here in this world or body of clay for this world is the visible God or good that is in continuall change but in the invisible world or invisible God is no change nor shadow of turning but is one and the same for ever if thou borrow a body or garment of this internall and invisible world he never looketh for it again for he is the righteous that lendeth never looking for it againe O that all soules did keep this body or garment that was given them out of this internall world that they might see with those eyes the Sun Moon and all the glorious orders of Starres which glorious world is for thee O man therefore look for thy internall garment that is given thee for ever for the eyes or lights of this body shall never wax dimne but in those lights or eyes we shall see and behold the eternall eye or light from whence those our eyes or lights came which shall be our everlasting body that wee need not feare losing or changing for it continues one and the same for ever being the free gift of the internall God There is a time wherein it seemeth to us that we had a beginning to this internall and invisible body although indeed and in truth this body hath neither beginning nor ending because it lay potentially hid in God and in his essence for its beginning to us is its ending because the beginning reacheth unto eternity and we shall for ever have this body if we doe not lose and disregard it as I feare we all have done for wee have not remembred our Creator in these dayes of our youth before our evill dayes came wherein we have had no pleasure for our evill dayes is this when we disregrad this holy body and then those eyes begin to wax dim in us though in themselves they are one and the same for ever and those grinders cease from eating the internall life the food of our soules and the mourners shall carry this dead body about the streets and walks of our hearts mourning and grieving for us and for our great losse and this is the grieving of the holy Spirit by whom we are sealed made sonnes of God for we have quenched crucified and killed this holy body of the Lord which he gave us for a garment for ever to cover our nakednesse and so he returnes to that holy divine earth from whence he came and the soule spirit or life of that body returnes to him that gave it And now O man what shall we doe for our great losse for we see nothing but death on every side for this externall world is but a living death to us for wee are in continuall expectation to be called out of it and besides there is one that is worse then death that followes us to cloath us with his mortall garments or body of wickednesse for he prepareth a body which is a lie or delusion and shews us a body which is a lie or vanity to cloath us with so that this body is worse then death for it is a living death and dying life and we were better to bee dead and and if possible to be annihilated quite then to live in such a wicked body of sinne and death and it had beene better we had never beene borne or brought forth in it as Job saith cursing the houre of his birth and the day wherein he was borne and wisheth that he had dyed in the birth and that he had never been seen in this wicked world therefore we see many worlds yet cannot see what reason man hath to believe that this externall world was ever made as he imagineth seeing there will follow so many absurdities on it for what reason can be given that there was but one man and one woman at first seeing there is blackmores or men and white and it is contrary to nature and impossible for a man naturally black or blackmore to bring forth a white or a white to bring forth a blacke and we see it so by experience and when Cain killed Abel the Lord being angry with him said that he should be a vagabond and runnagate Cain answered that his punishment was greater then he could beare and if any man should meet him he should kill him when there was none to kill him for if there was but one man and woman created at first there was but his father and he in the world and afterward it is said that hee went into the land of Nod and tooke him a wife who did inhabit that land and what man was the father of his wife how can all these things bee made good by the letter of the Scripture or doe you thinke that there was a materiall garden or a tree whereon did grow the fruit of good and evill or that a Serpent did goe up in the same to speake to the woman sure it cannot stand with reason that it could be so for it is said that all the creatures did come to Adam and he gave them names according to their natures now it is contrary to the Serpents nature to speake after the manner of men unlesse you will alleadge that she understood the language of the beasts and thought them wiser then God and resolved to be ruled by them which to me seems altogether against reason that the woman should be so ignorant and irrationall who was created rationall after the image of God to be ruler of all creatures
hell death and Devill But the hinder part of the ship which is the humanity must be broken because of our sinnes and transgressions and must taste of death for sinnes cause but nothing in the ship that stayes in it to indure this storme of death shall perish and all the prisoners that are bound in it shall be saved and swimme to shoare on the broken peeces of this ship the true sence and consummation of all is that when we have indured the battle till sin be destroyed then do we enter into the most holy life and are saved Now to read the history of Christs last supper how that the same was kept in an upper Chamber and that he did eat bread and drinke wine and give of the same unto his disciples and that he was whipt scourged and crowned with thornes and how Judas sold him and how that he was afraid to die insomuch that hee did sweate drops of blood and that hee was nailed upon a Crosse and was pierced through with a Spearel so that there came forth of his side blood and water and that at his death the sunne was darkened and the moone was put out and that hee had gall and vinegar to drinke and that he was crucified betweene two theeves This is the most holy and sacred mystery which is acted in the soule of every man that is saved and this upper chamber is thy inmost selfe and this bread and wine is the bitter cup of Gods wrath and indignation whereof thy soul must drinke for the sinnes cause and thou art not able of thy selfe to beare or drink this cup without some mighty power come to assist thee to doe it now thy Judas or man of sinne that is raised up to destruction hath sold the most innocent life into the hands of the wicked to suffer for thy sinnes for the most innocent life commeth to thee in fearfulnesse and trembling and thou being in him in this feare and trembling preparest thy selfe to suffer with him and thy Judas Devill or wicked nature commeth to thee as if he were thy friend and now seeing that thou wilt leave him hee fawneth on thee as if hee loved thee and were thy friend saluting thee as if it were with a kisse of love but he selleth thee to the blinde Jewes to be killed and crucified of them which Jewes are thy blinde selfe will that now crucifies thy selfe and Saviour within thee and thy selfe will carries thy selfe and Saviour into condemnation with thy condemning conscience into the judgement hall of condemnation where all thy sinnes riseth up against thee taunting mocking and scourging thee and crowning thee with the thornes of thy sinfull life which pricketh and woundeth thee and thy Saviour with griefe for what thou hast done so that thou and he art in a bitter agony and sweat of death insomuch that thou desirest and wouldst faine have this bitter cup to passe from thee but thou must indure it if thou wilt be saved for Gods will must be done and not thine for it is he that raiseth up all thy sinnes against thee to condemne thee crowning whipping and scourging thee with what thou hast done so that thou must now taste of the death of thy sinnes or otherwise thou shalt never taste of the life of God for the life of thy sinnes is the death of God in thee and the life of God is the death to sinne and thou and thy sinnes must be nailed to this crosse which crosse is the patience and long suffering of Jesus Christ in thee unto which thou and thy sinnes art nailed till thou art dead to thy sinnes and thy sinnes to thee for thy sinnes hath nailed thee and thy Saviour together and hath pricked him and thee to the very heart so that he and thou dost dye of those wounds and he and thou cryest out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and in the time of thy sufferings or Iesus that makes thee indure this curse or shamefull reproach of thy sinnes according to thy due desert the Son of glory the life and brightnesse of the Godhead is darkened or put out so that there is all darknesse death and hell over the internall divine and most holy world till thy sinnes and thou art dead one unto another so thou seest that the divine and most holy world is in hell under thy earthly being till thy sinnes be destroyed and being in hell under thy body of sinne and death he raiseth up all thy sins against thee to condemne and shame thee and shews thee what a partition wall is betwixt thee and him which is the law of sinne and death that condemneth thee alwaies rising against thee till sinne be destroyed so the love of God to thee offers thee his power which is Iesus Christ that enters into thee to destroy the body of sinne in thee which body of sinne is the workes of the Devill that hath destroyed the body or works of God in thee It is not the divine and holy God that is against thee but it is thy sinnes that standeth in judgement against thee to condemne and arraigne thee so that thou must goe under their judgement condemnation and execution for what thou hast done against God and goodnesse for he it is not that is angry with thee nor condemneth thee for he is that righteous and holy one that can indure all and is one and the same for ever nor can he be any other for he cannot be moved to wrath or fury for then were he changeable but he is the unchangeable and one and the same for ever but the deeds that thou hast done against that holy One that is so good to thee slyeth in thy face crying vengeance against thee and telling thee that thou must dye for what thou hast killed and cast away from thee so till the law of sinne hath done his office and killed thee for killing and laid thee under the earth in hell where thou hast laid the holy One thou shalt never be at rest for thou hast killed but art loath to be killed but thou must cast off this death or â—â—p otherwise thou shalt be ignorant of justice for justice is to reward every one according to his workes and as he hath done to another whether good or evill so the most holy One by his mighty power inlightens thee and shews thee all thy sinnes how they slye in thy face against thee and shews the justice of the law of sinne and that thou must dye for thy evill deeds the which worketh feare and trembling in thy heart and then doest thou cry and morne for helpe and can finde none till the goodnesse of God commeth to thee taking pity and compassion on thee and helpeth thee to indure the death of sinne for sinne in thee so that now thou lyest on the patience of God till thou art freed from sinne and the Devill lyeth upon the other side of the patience or crosse and is that
eyes for that Christ that seemed to have a body to be nailed on a cosse was a spirit and shewed to thee how he is nailed with thy sins to patience and long sufferance in thee which is death to him for he grieveth and mourneth for thee for we grieve the holy Spirit by whom we are sealed and made the sons of God and we quench and put out the Spirit of God from us and this is death or griefe and paine to God for us for there is no death to any but grief and pain and no life but joy and pleasure and sweet content for the soule is an eye and is composed of joy and harmony and desires to flye into harmony which is God and sorrow and paine is a living death and dying life nor know I any other life and death but these though there is some other things that is called life as stirring and motion and the leaving the body is called death and in forsaking any thing I am said to be dead to that and that dead to me The Sonne of God Jesus Christ was and is a Spirit God and man which now doth live and walke amongst us and we doe really kill and crucifie him every day to ourselves and the flesh and bloud of Christ which he would have us eat and drinke was not such flesh and bloud as ours is but there were then some that followed Christ as foolish as we are now that when Christ spoke these words they did leave him for they thought he meant they should eat this sigure or organ that he seemed to be in when he was a Spirit The flesh of Christ which he would have us eat is his bloud and passion which is the death and mortifying of our sinfull flesh which St. Paul saith so long as he lived in he could not please God so Christ would have us eat his flesh and drinke his bloud and joyne our sinfull flesh to his flesh so his death or flesh doth destroy our death or sinfull flesh and so that death of Christ doth save us and reconcile us to God again Now I know no other flesh of Christ but this flesh which is the new and living way is the curtaine and vaile before the most holy place and all that will be saved must enter through this vaile and when this vaile or flesh or death hath done the worke he came for hee must be taken out of the way for no flesh and bloud that is death can enter into the Kingdome of Heaven therefore when we enter into the most holy place the vaile or flesh of Christ is rent in twaine from the top to the bottome and so the death and flesh of Christ is finished and ceaseth and he is taken out of the way for there is no mourning nor wayling in the most holy place for all teares are wiped from our eyes Now he saith that he Christ after the flesh must be taken out of the way or else the comforter will not come which is the life and ravishing joy of Christ And Paul saith though he knew Christ after the flesh now hee knew him so no more as I shall speake of all these things more at large in this booke Now when Melchisedeck appeared on the earth hee was without father and mother and he seemed to Abraham to be a man a Priest and King and blessed him when he came from the slaughter of the Kings which are the seven deadly sinnes This Melchisedeck is that Christ that was before Abraham as it is said Before Abraham was I am and this Christ that appeared in the end of time is that Melchisedeck that was before Abraham and that Elias that was carried up into Heaven in a fiery chariot with fiery horses which was a Spirit and the power of God though he seemed to be a man of flesh and bloud for Elias is said to be the power of God in man and I beleeve that all mankinde when they have put off this lower elementary body that is dead clay without Spirit shall be like Christ Melchisedeck and Elias which are spirits and may assume any bodily likenesse as they were and did appeare in these lower elements my reason is this because Samuell assumed the likenesse of his owne body and came to the witch at Endor and Moses and Elias appeared to Peter and Christ on the Mount so I beleeve any one may appear to their friends as many have for there have many appeared that have beene killed in secret to discover their murthers and many of the Saints appeared when Christ was crucified certainly it was not their lower elementary bodies of clay that appeared but some aireall and spirituall body they assumed which was the likenesse of their former and lower elementary bodies and like unto Christs spirituall body that appeared like flesh and was not flesh but to our appearance and that it might discover to us and tell us what we do internally and in our intellectuall mau and Christ called Lazarus his spirit and made him appeare as if he had been in his former flesh and blood sure these things must be so or what did become of Lazarus and where did hee recide before Christ opened Heaven gates for it is said that he is the first that riseth from the dead and openeth heaven gates to all beleevers we read that Elias raised a childe from death and another when the Prophets dead body did touch his dead body the dead body of the Prophet did raise the dead so the dead did raise the dead which is a miracle therefore there is some greater and further consideration in it for certainly they could not be dead but this elementary body seemed to be dead which was dead before never being alive although it seemed to be alive whilst the spirit of man lived in it as I have spoken more at large in this booke therefore let us consider well how all these things can stand together with reason or else wee shall make a confusion of the holy written word of God that is given to lead us into all truth for there must be a reason given where Lazarus and all the Saints were that appeared whether they did dye againe or where they now be for wee never read of any thing they did on earth since for it seemes they have seen the last day before it comes to us and before it came to Christ as the childe that was raised by Elias and the dead man raised by the dead Prophet and Lazarus that was raised by Christ as also a maid where did they recide with their corporeall body of clay and elements till Christ did open heaven gates â— sure therefore the man must be a spirit and hath assumed and taken this body out of the foure elements and casting it off againe as a borrowed garment and may assume a more rarified and aircall body to appeare in as Christ Melchisedeck Samuell and Moses for nothing is impossible only that may appeare
and consuming of things that they starve and dye for hunger and are forced many times to eat one another as may be seen and heard of where these practises are If this be God or good that acteth those things and tells me that it is pleasure I will abandon such a god as the most abominable and hatefull thing that is and desire to have nothing to doe with such and abominable and wicked god that blindes my eye and makes me thinke good to be evill and evill good for the Scripture faith Woe to him that calleth evill good and good evill and light darknesse and darknesse light for wee are all ready to mistake but our nature and quallities cannot be altered for we use our quallities and natures upon what object we light on whether good or evill For the cholericke man whieh is most composed of fire if he light upon the evill instrument he hath so many severall temptations to wrath and anger that his soule or himselfe is never at quiet for one disturbance or other and many times in his wrath the Devill tempts him to kill a man and he is in continuall vexations so that he is in a living death and dying life although he see it not but loves this living death more then the everlasting life which hath no bitternesse therein but is full of all sweet content and all the workes that this life or spirit animates thee to doe breeds thee no sting discontent or any thing to be repented off but this evill instrument animates thee unto horrid and cruell things full of mischiefe which cruelties riseth up in thy conscience and flyeth in thy face making thee condemne thy selfe saying what a wicked man and beastlike wretched creature am I that doth such wicked actions I would not have such things done to me why would I doe thus to another sure there shall some heavy judgement fall upon mee and I shall have the same measure met to me againe and so still the law of sinne flyeth in the wicked mans face and is called the law of God or the wrath of God that moveth man to repent for the wickednesse he hath committed and to condemne and arraigne himself at this barre of Gods judgement within himselfe which shews him all his sins and wicked life and so hee kills and crucifies himselfe with these horrible wounds of conscience in him and is never at quiet nor never shall till the cause is taken out of the way which cause is the Devill and sinne and there must a greater power take away this death with another death that is by the death of Christ being a death unto Devill and sinne which death is called the death of Christ in us that sighteth against our sinnes and all our lusts and affections and crucifieth all our sin and sinfull life so that there is no more sin death and devill in us for it is this death of Christ that destroyes the death for sin and the cause of sin which death of sin was done by the law for sin executed upon sinne so taking away the cause and the effect which cause was the devill and sin and the effect was the law of sinne so that when the cause is taken away of necessity the effect must cease and this death or mortality of Christ shall raise us up into immortality so that we may say O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory for the strength of our sins was the law of sinne which law or wounds of conscience was our grave wherein we were dead and buried so this death of Christ hath freed us from all deaths and mortallities and his death and mortallity will bring us into the true sweet and everlasting life which I desire all soules may come into and injoy Now he whose spirit is most composed of spirituall fire as was said before when he was ruled by the evill instrument doing such wrathfull and cruell things when he is turned to God and goodnesse his quallity and nature of fire is turned into burning zeale so that he is on fire of love to doe all goodnesse and is never well but when he can doe some deeds of charity and love to others so that his minde is swallowed up in God and this his nature and quallity of fire is turned to all God or goodnesse for the Divine Nature is wholly incorporated in him the which I desire all fiery and choloricke men may attain unto As for the spirituall ayreall or sanguine man if he sets his nature or quallity upon the evill instrument hee is very lascivious and given to leachery gluttony and drunkennesse and to all vaine pleasure which doth besot the minde for nothing doth besot the minde so much as leachery and drunkennesse and all these his follies doe flye in his face calling him foole and sot and it doth so besot them to all good that it makes them careles of wife children and all other friends and makes them apt only to devise a thousand plots and mischiefes to maintaine their beastly brutiall and sensuall life so that they spend all their owne estates and other mens and in the end goe a begging or live upon others and they defile and spoyle their owne bodies with the pox and other diseases so spoyling both body and minde with their sensuall living for they are in an extasio below themselves and ravished with a brutiall and sensuall life and this their evill instrument the Devill or unreasonablenesse hath brought them to and when they have lost their organicall man then commeth in their greater griefe or hell because they cannot execute their beastly and sensuall life so they are tormented in that they cannot doe as they formerly did when they had a body here for their minoe is upon nothing else but on their beastly brutiall and sensuall life which perisheth with the using leaving them in great discontents and the Devill sets alwaies this joy and pleasure before their eyes and the want of their bodies to execute their former fooleries which want torments them to the death so that they are in a living death and dying life and the law of sinne still rising out of their conscience condemneth them for what they have done and for what they desire and so they are with death and hell except they could returne but the Scripture speaketh of time and of a day and whilst time doth last and he saith there is an appointed time and after that time there is no time more for in that time the death of Christ should have taken away death and the cause of death which is the Devill and sinne who hath brought them into this miserable condition under the law of sinne and condemnation which is the second death for he saith in dying thou shalt dye the death so then all men of all quallities and complexions shall be in this condition for ever except they bee amended by the death of Christ for he is that innocent Lambe
bringeth forth their owne kinde in Man for every affection thought and inclination hath its owne seed in it selfe and doth produce its own fruit out of us which is good in their owne kinde and the appearance of these things in us is the third day in man with its evening and morning for the evening and morning maketh the whole day And God said let there be light in the firmament which light is the Son and glory of God and Man Christ Jesus and is the light which distinguishes or discovers the mindes both of God and Man to each other and the Moon that is in this distinction that rules the night or the darke Man is the instruction and the good advises that the Sunne or true day light shineth through them to the Man and all the starres in this firmament are the lights of Gods graces that is severall to the Man to enlighten his darke heart that hee might see the glorious Son through these gimmering lights for his dark eyes is not able at the first to behold the glorious Sonne but by degrees the holy God brings him to it so these holy lights in the Man are the fourth day with his evening and morning And God said let the waters bring forth fowle and fishes which waters are the flowing sea of thy minde and the fowle or birds are the flying fantasies that flye about the heaven of our souls and the fishes are thy delightfull thoughts that swim up and downe in thy minde and all these are proper selves with their seeds and are very good in their owne kinde and are usefull for the Man and for his pleasure and delight and this is the fifth day in man with its evening and morning And God said let the Earth bring forth all beasts and creeping things which beasts is the passions of thy minde some of which thou maiest use and eat of and some thou must keep under and not eat of as the Hare which is thy fearfull passions and the Swine which is thy voluptuous appetite and the birds and fishes which will not be orderly thou must keep under and not taste of for we must reigne and keep our phantasies that is the ravenous and destructive birds hood winkt that they may not see nor goe beyond their limits to disturbe the soule with their disorderlinesse for David did kill a Lion and a Bear and fought with Goliah and killed him which Lion is thy strong unruly appetite and the Beare is thy unorderly and bloody selfe will and the Goliah is that evill or divell that is thy unreasonablenesse that raileth against thy God or good which is thy reasonablenesse Now these thoughts and phantasies unruly passions appetites and unreasonablenesse must be kept under and ruled or else they will disturbe and destroy thy soul but kept under ruled and ordered are usefull to the Man but this keeping them under is death to them for they are mad and cruell let loose and keeps the soule and reason in all subjection so that no good shall appeare in the soule but they will destroy it for these beasts birds and fishes will destroy and devoure all the rest of the peaceable beasts birds and fishes as the dove or thy innocencie or meek lambe or peaceablenesse and all those peaceable creatures that would be at rest in thee and please thee and give thee rest for Sampson killed that Lion that came roaring upon him that was his strong and ravening appetite that would have devoured him so he saith afterward when he had overcome his ravening appetite there came sweetnes out thereof where with he was refreshed for he saith out of the eater came meat and out of the strong came sweetnesse so that appetite that would have devoured him keepst under and set upon the love or desire of goodnesse was meat and sweetnesse to him And God and Man said let us make or set forth our image which is male and female that is true righteousnesse holinesse and purenesse that should rule over these birds beasts fishes and all creeping things that moveth in the world of Man and they give them names according to their natures and qualities that they see in them so this is the sixth day in Man with its evening and morning and all things is good in their kinde So the rest of Gods discovering or creating things is that holy rest and dwelling of God and good in the Man for he hath shewed Man all things and he discovers himselfe the last which is the best and holy rest and peace of things and is the Sabbath or seventh day with its evening and morning the holy rest in man which hee should have kept for ever and never have lost or broken this rest is the holy Godhead or breath of life that is given to the Man and is light of his light and the life of his life or breath of his breath for Man without God is dead and his life and breath is death without the life and breath of God So God gave himselfe into the hands of Man to see what he would doe with him for he loveth the Man as himselfe Now when the Man seeth that God hath given all things in his owne power then comes the subtilest beast that is in the earth of Man to intice or allure the Man and to be master of all in him and to rule all things and this beast is the wisdome of the flesh or the wisdome of the darke man which is sensuall and devillish and now the Man or female having her will and beeing free having all things in her possession by the free gift love of God to her desires to rule by her will and wisdome and to let God alone and forsake his counsell and wisdom rule by herself and wisdome which is blind sensuall and evill and this is her guide and she will be her own God to do her will lusts and desires and she in blindenesse wil distinguish between good and evill who knowes nothing at all but by the light of Gods grace and goodnesse in her which she hath forsaken and is ruled by her owne selfe and wisdome that calls good evill and evill good and so it is all lies and falshood which the Man is ruled by and so he is lost and damned from God and goodnesse and is joyned to a lie and deceitfulnesse and hath made God taste of her deceitfulnesse by her forsaking him for shee that is his wife hath forsaken him which is her mate and yoak fellow and so he is lost and hidden from her and is under her earthly man of sin which is in hell for that which should be uppermost is undermost which is God and that which should bee undermost is uppermost for all thy brutiall passions and beastly appetites which should bee keept undermost and ruled is uppermost and they rule and governe thee and all things in thee for they keep God and goodnesse under them and will not let them appeare
death which was the tree of life till thou be killed by it as thou hast killed as it is said I have been dead but now am alive for evermore for this tree of life is the Lambe of God that is slaine in the beginning of our first world and so hee lyeth dead to us till our wicked world is at an end and this our wicked world shall bring forth nothing but thornes and thistles which is sins that shall prick thee to the heart and thou shalt eat of thy owne fruits with the sweat of thy browes that is the labour of thy sinnes that toyleth thee with their laboriousnesse and this toyle shalt thou have with thy sinnes till thou returnest to thy dust againe or to thy old silence wherein thou wert before and thy serpent or sleshly wisdome shall goe creeping on thy earthly beeing of sin and shall live on their dust or first originall which is lies and is thy subtle serpents food and thy husband which is thy lie or unreasonablenesse that thou hast united thy self to shall rule and domineere over thee and thou shalt be subject to his will and all thy children or sinnes that he begetteth of thee thou shalt bring forth in sorrow and they shall be a pain unto thee for what is said to Adam is said to both for she or he is one and is the female of God for man or woman signifies both and this sword of justice which standeth in the death of Christ is the enmity the seed of the woman or humaine nature that shall breake the serpents head and destroy his seed and this enmity shall bruise the humanities heele or foot that he shall never walke any more in false wayes so this enmity or sword standeth in the death of Christ crying vengeance and saith that this world or Adam Edom or Esau is the childe of wrath and he hath prepared or ordained himself to destruction and so this whole world of Man is destroyed damned and utterly lost and Man shall never bee happy in his first birth because of his fall for he must be dead buried and borne againe or else hee shall never enter into the Kingdome of heaven for his owne nature is wrath but God did not make him so but his nature was so for ever for according to Scripture we are the children of wrath by nature and at the first wee appeare so and God did make him appeare to himselfe what he was and gave himselfe and all things into his power that he might not complaine and that the Man might see how he would use God himselfe and all things in him and so he destroyes himselfe God and all things within him and hath ordained himselfe and all to be lost so the first creation in Man is lost and God shewes Man his miserable condition in this death and losse of God and goodnesse and the power of God that lyeth in this death is called the death of Christ or the two edged sword that standeth to divide the soule asunder or that flesh of Christ that is the curtaine that stands before the most holy place or Sanctum Sanctorum and this power of Christ is in hell under our earthly beeing and Man of sinne till we and all ours is turned to dust againe and this power or death stayes with patience and long sufferance under us in hell till we are weary of our selves and sins for we grieve the Spirit of God by whom we are sealed and he daily shews us our owne misery and toyle and sorrow sinne doth make in us and this toyl we shall have for ever till we are weary of our selves and desire to be ended with all our hearts and to forsake our selves and our owne wicked world and all that is within us that is wicked then doth this holy power Man himselfe in us and destroyes us and all within us and turns us to our dust againe and when we are in silence with God againe then doth he create us anew and make us a new world and prepares us a bride for himselfe a heavenly Jerusalem a City and house for God and he is our Lord and husband and he is a holy and righteous ruler and doth governe all the faculties of our soule in peace and love with all orderlinesse and union for then the Lion our strongest passions is in peace with the lambe or innocencie and all our other beasts birds and fishes which is our phantasies is orderly and in peace then shall the childe or innocencie lay his hand on the Cockatrice hole and the Wolves Beares and Lions shall be together and one shall not sting or hurt the other for God is King and ruler in man which orders all things well and in peace in him and the Son of glory or God shines seven times more brighter then hee did in the former world and this glorious world or Man of God shall last for ever and ever in his glorious transcendent brightnesse and there is no sorrow or paine in this world but everlasting ravishing joyes and sweet content of minde for this holy God doth ravish the soule continually with his delectable pleasures so the soule is ever satisfied for God when he is our Lord and we have given our selves to him hee uses us thus sweetly and doth give us all pleasure and content but when he gave himselfe to us in our first creation and first world we were ashamed of him and hid and destroyed him from us but he is not ashamed of us but uses us with all love for nature appeared first and in that Adam all dyed for God and Christ was Sonne and borne there and he became mortall in this nature for God appeared there in weaknesse which weaknesse is humility and lowlines of spirit with all gentlenesse and love and when the wisdome of the flesh the serpents subtilty had opened natures eyes to pride and high mindednesse and to wrath covetousnesse and envie which eyes is the serpents eyes which is the evill eyes or the Devils which the nature or man lookt through which made him thinke that this high mindednesse and pride with selfe-will was a glorious tree and that there was glorious fruit on it and that it would elevate him highly and that he should be his owne God and ruler and that he should know good and evill which he did by wofull experience taste of its good which had the evill in it for it was full of confusion as was said before and was the mans toyle but he thought it was a glorious fruit and much to be desired and so doe all men that are in the first creation and first world so when Man had tasted of pride high mindednesse and selfe-will the forbidden fruit he despised God which is humility and lowlinesse of spirit and meeknesse and was a shamed of this and thought it foolishnesse to bee humble meeke and lowly for hee thought this to bee poore beggarly nakednesse and was ashamed of such a lowly
to our darke eyes to be flesh which is not as the three Angells to Abraham and to Lot for we beleeve appearances to be that which they are not in deed and in truth which we finde by wofull experience the which makes such contention and cutting of throats about Religion the cause of this distraction is that we doe not see things with a righteous eye I desire all friends and readers who doe read this booke and all to whose hands it shall come that you will looke into it rightly and not construe it amisse but as it is really intended for the good of all and where I speak of the death of God and Christ in man I doe not meane that the Almighty and powerfull Godhead can dye or be lost but as he is dead and lost to the man that despises truth and treads it under foot and so I meane that God is dead and lost and the truth lyeth in the streets of his heart which is God who is that truth and the two witnesses lye dead in the street of his heart unregarded which is mercy and righteous judgement and is God which we should have shewed forth to all the world even mercy and righteous judgement but we have hid these witnesses So I desire that the most holy and righteous God may be your guide and director to lead you into all truth The true Articles of the Christian Faith 1. I Beleeve in God the Father Almighty maker of the holy Heaven and earth in the man I confesse and acknowledge that the same is a true holy living God or good and that he is a mighty Spirit and a perfect clear light that discovers to the man the reall truth of things and how all things are in their places and in or to the Man and he is the reall beeing the truth light life and love to the Man and this is his name light life and love for he is all this to the man for the love of God to the man was such that he brought him under the law of discipline and correction instructing him what to doe for his good and convincing his conscience for what hee hath done to himselfe and against God or goodnesse so he raiseth up all our sinnes as judges to condemne us for what we have done and they correct or punish us for God or goodnesse hath put it in them to doe it and God hath opened our eyes with his power to see it which makes us hate and condemne our selves for what we have done his holy power or light hath perswaded our hearts to have true sorrow and reall repentance for our sins with a broken and a contrite heart and sorrowfull spirit and so we begin to hate our selves and our sins and doe really forsake them and doe confesse that we doe deserve to bee for ever lost and damned and be deprived of God and goodnesse for ever because we have chosen hell death and devill and joyned our selves unto it but Gods mercy and goodnesse hath inlightned our hearts with his law and hath really corrected 〈◊〉 for our sin and hath brought us to the beleefe of Jesus Christ by his law or fatherly correction for he receiveth no sonne but whom he correcteth and none comes to Jesus Christ but whom the Father drawea to him and this drawing to Jesus Christ is by the law of discipline and this law is the river Jordan or judgement and Iohn the Baptist or the light of Gods grace that doth dip or dye us in the river Iordan or Iudgement of Gods glacious goodnesse and this his judgement doth cleanse us from all our sinnes that were as red as searled and we come out as white as snow and this is the first Baptisme in the Fathers Name 2. I beleeve in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God or good and that he is the reall substance of God and that he is the goodnesse that proceedeth from God or good And I beleeve that all good things are made in the man by him and through him and that all goodnesse doth consist in him and proceedeth forth of him into the man for his goodnesse in us beareth in us our sinnes by his mighty power of patience and long sufferance with grievous sufferings and agonies which hee hath for our sinnes and there hee lyes or reignes in us till our sinnes bee vanquished or rooted out by this mighty power of patience and long sufferance and when all our evill is overcome by this power of his goodnesse then he delivers us which is the Kingdome of God to his Father that God may be all in all 3. I beleeve the Son of God or Righteousnesse is borne of the holy virgin Mary which virgine is the pure humanity and this pure humanity is overshadowed by the Angell Gabriell or the power of the most highest God and this Son or righteousnesse of God is begotten upon the humanity and is the promised seed to the man which is borne for a blessing to all generations of man as was promised 4. I beleeve that this holy seed of blessing the Sonne of God Jesus Christ the Saviour of us hath suffered death under Pontius Pilate the law of sinne in us and that he dyeth for and to sinne in us and is dead and buried and in hell under our earthly beeing and man of sin and he suffers for our sin in this hell for they be all upon him and he is nailed to the crosse of patience to endure all the reproaches and blasphemies contempts and false defamations or accusations for our sinnes cause on him and for the love of God and to us hath taken us upon him that we should suffer with him all our own reproaches contempts and sinnes to condemne us for doing them and that wee should condemne and forsake them and be dead to them and they to us by the power of Iesus Christ that saveth us in us and this is the baptisme of the Sonne and is the fiery tryalls or the baptisme of fire with which he saveth his owne body or us which is the humane nature that he hath taken on him to suffer for and with and that it might be saved through him and by his power in us and whosoever doth not suffer this death with Christ for their sinnes that is to suffer under the law of sinne death for sinne and to sinne the death of the crosse which is the patience and long sufferance of Christ to the killing of sinne in us he is no Christian let him brag how much he will of his Christianity till he hath tasted the death and life of Christ and that all this is come to passe in him for they must all taste of this cup or passion and be baptised with his baptisme for if we doe not suffer and dye with him we shall never rise and reigne with him 5. I beleeve that the holy God hath raised up his Sonne Jesus from the dead and that he was three dayes
which taketh away the sinnes of the world and so maketh amends for all Now when this ayreall or sanguine man returneth and is moved by the good instrument which is God and doth wholly follow him then doth God ravish his minde with his sweet contents and ravishing joyes so that his soule is taken off from all things below and is never at quiet but in this sweet contemplation for he sings in minde rejoycing in the spirit so that his soule is wrapt up in God and goodnesse and hee sheweth forth to all the world all love and goodnesse so that happy is that man that can injoy his company I doe earnestly wish that all ayreall or languine men or women may set their minde upon the holy God that they may injoy this good for their minde in this estate is carried up in such raptures in the holy God that they live here below in this world as if they lived not As for the phlegmaticke or spirituall watry man which hath a dull and grosse capacitie if he suffer his minde to be moved by the evill instrument hee is so strongly set on him that he will very difficultly leave him and he maketh him live so lazily that he is good for nothing and setteth his minde on all lasciviousnesse on evill surmisings and suspitions constrning all things in the worst sense so that he is never at quiet for one suspition or another being in continuall mistrust of every one because his capacity is shallow and the Devill hath blinded his eyes with these fallacies so that he thinketh every one to be his enemy and he doth a great deale of mischiefe in these his evill suspitions thinking to begin with others first and in his blindnesse of minde doth undoe himselfe and others and then riseth up the law of sinne in his minde tormenting him accusing him of what mischiefe he hath done to others without any other cause save only his owne wrong apprehensions and so this law of sinne condemnes and wounds him to the death till the death of Christ takes away this death and the cause of this death which is the devillish delusions and the evill surmisings which makes him do all this mischiefe to others without a cause And if this spirituall watry or phlegmatick man forsake the evill instrument with all his soule and minde and returne to the holy God or good instrument with his whole strength and minde to bee joyned to and ruled thereby then all his thoughts are set upon goodnesse and then doth hee construct all things in the best sense which is done to him and he seeth all things that fall crosse in this world to be good for him to wean and draw his love from earthly things which perish with the using and his minde is wholly swallowed up in God and goodnesse and all his thoughts and contemplations are upon God and hee she weth forth nothing in all his life but God and goodnesse to the whole world and to the sonnes of men for his life is swallowed up in the most holy Godhead if all the phlegmatick men and women were come to this estate then were they happy but till then most unhappy And for the spirituall earthly or melancholly man if hee joyne himselfe to the evill instrument the Devill to be ruled thereby he is wisest of all in doing mischiefe for he hatha vast capacity and can receive all suggestions and as was said formerly by him is acted the greatest cruelties and therefore hee hath the greater wounds of conscience for the law of sinne raiseth up all his cruell deeds against him so that his soule is heavily vexed unto the death and he hath such feare and dread in him that he wisheth that he had never been for he hath such fearfull and melancholy thoughts that every houre he feareth to be torne in peeces and this is in him till the death of Christ takes away the cause and then this wounding law of sin will cease but many love their sins too well to part with them to let Christ take them away and so they live and dye with them so that the Devill and they are together for ever and for ever in his world which is without end for the beginning of his world is the ending with the man for the beginning and ending is with the man one and the same for ever for as he was at first to him so hee is the last and the same for ever for he changeth not but continueth still evill therefore O man looke to it in time and whilst time doth last for after one time there is no time more and looke to it before the decree where of the Prophet speaketh come forth for after that decree is past there is no hope therefore looke to it whilst it is called to day and whilst this day doth last in thee which day is Jesus Christ that commeth to help and save thee but if thou dost not regard this day or Jesus Christ then the decree commeth forth to thee which is the eternall black night of death and darknesse which darknesse or night is the depriving thee of Gods grace and comfort for thou regardest it not when it was offered to thee and so in despising it thou shalt bee for ever without it thinke as much as thou wilt to the contrary for as sure as there is a God and as thou livest this will come to passe upon thee if thou dost not looke to it before all these things come to passe in thee so if this melancholy and earthly man forsake the Devill and evill one and turne to God and goodnesse to bee joyned to and guided by him he conceiveth more of the secret mysteries of God then all the rest for hee findeth out all the deepest mysteries and all things are opened unto him for as he hath suffered more so more is revealed to him and so God and he are joyned for ever in all love and he is in everlasting joy and comfort in God for ever and for ever I wish that all spirituall earthly and melancholy men and women may bee joyned to this everlasting joy and comfort Where as I have spoken of the delusive God in this Chapter I desire I may not be mistaken for the Scripture speaketh of two Gods the most holy God and the wicked God of this world that blindeth the eyes of mankinde one is the reall good and the other is the reall evill And the Scripture maketh mention of two Sathans Devills or evills and of two guiles or two delusions the one Sathan guile evill or delusion is for the good of the man and the other Sathan guile or delusion is for his utter destruction for the incestuous person was delivered to the good Sathan or evill for the destruction of his sin full flesh that his spirit or soule might be saved in the day of the Lord and St. Paul tooke his disciples with a good guile and made them grieve and mourne deceiving them by
perfection with the crowne of glory which is holinesse to God and be cloathed in white linnen which is a most pure and innocent life and now you see that Priest people and sacrifice must be pure and unspotted without sinne having all perfection As for the holy Arke which was builded by the free will offering of the people and Moses going up into the mountaine to the Lord for a paterne to shew the people that it might be builded with all their pretious stones and fine silks for curtaines and the drinking pots of gold with the candlesticks snuffers and snuffing dishes and the mercy seat with the Cherubins that holdeth up the mercy seat and the holy and most holy place with the curtaine betwixt the holy and most holy and the Altar and hookes the table and shew-bread with Arons rod that budded and the pot of manna which to understand as a history that such a glorious building was made to look upon is nothing to me for to looke or judge of it so is to looke according to the outward appearance which is not righteous judgement for in this is to be seene the whole mystery of the Godhead and the humanity for in the holy place is the whole worke of the law with the death and sacrifices for sinne for a reconciliation which death and sacrifices is the Godhead and manhoed which lyeth upon the holy Alter fire wrath crosse or patience till the man of sinne be destroyed and rooted out of us And the golden candlesticks with the lights in the holy place is the law or grace that shineth from the morning till the evening or till sinne is extinguished and done away in us and is the lights of Gods grace which is true repentance for sinne with a broken and contrite heart and sorrowfull spirit which shineth till all things are finished and then giveth up the ghost unto the Father from whence he came and then the vaile or curtaine which standeth in the most holy place is rent in twaine from the top to the bottome which vaile is the flesh and death of Christ and is the new and living way through which all must enter or else they cannot be saved nor enter into the most holy or Sanctum Sanctorum where the mercy seat is held up by the Angells and Cherubins Now when the Priesthood which is the holy humanity hath fulfilled the whole worke of the Law the sacrifice for sinne in the holy place then they put on all their holy garments and attires and so enter into the most holy place with their bells or hymns that soundeth forth the praise of God internally to God and externally all good to men for in this holy attire must he enter in the most holy place with odours and sweet perfumes of a holy life and the smoke of these odours and perfumes of a holy life ascendeth to the mercies seat and ravisheth the most holy Godhead and then he imbraceth him in his armes saying Thou art my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and this is he that maketh us Kings and Priests to God and giveth us himselfe to be offered up for a sacrifice to God his Father for us O man how great is the love of God to thee that hee becommeth thee to save thee and makes thee himselfe for the great love he hath to thee for in thy first appearance he created himselfe in thee and then there appeared unto thee foure worlds first this externall world whereof thou hast borrowed a body or garment and knowest not how foone it shall be called for againe for the world whitleth about and calleth for her owne againe and there can be no certainty of any thing here because here is nothing but change and mortality for this world of it selfe is death but that the spirits that are in it is its life so that this world is not worthy so much as to bee thought off for it perisheth with the using as doth a garment only it is good in this respect because wee could not know light but by darknesse nor life but by death nor immortallity but by mortallity and the reason we were in obscurity or in silence before wee could come here is this that there is one eternall increase of the seed of man and they can but appeare in time here for this externall world is time and time is a running round and there is no new thing here but as it is to me for this materiall world doth neither increase nor decrease but is one and the same for ever in its turning round only it seemeth to me to increase and diminish and so it is finite and because the seed of man is an eternall increase and this world being one and the same may be called finite in this respect because there is not matter enough for all spirits to have bodies or garments of at one time and therefore some must goe before others can come for the spirits to come are infinite and this world is finite because of its materiall confine not increasing but running round so that which is called the body of one to day may be called the body of another to morrow for there is no certainty here and all soules must stay their time till they can come here and in their comming and being here is the time to see distinctions and all worlds and if thou doe not looke about thee and see them here in this world of time but be neglective of the time thou hadst better never have been born or brought forth in time for this time vanisheth away to thee and thou shalt bee seen no more for when man is in honour and knows it not he is like the brute beast that perisheth being without God in the world therefore whilst time doth last to us let us looke about us and redeeme our mispent time and seek the everlasting good or reall true world that is beyond all time or change and this is the divine world which God hath placed in thy heart as is said in Ecclesiastes the 3. and the world whereof Moses speaketh Gen. 1. and is the Angelicall world or paradise out of which the man had an Angelicall body which is but a part of Gods house for God shewed himselfe but in part and this part he lost and in that part he was that great Lucifer or Angell that was the Sunne of the morning or starre that fell and in falling fought against his Maker or him that gave him that Angelicall body or world in which the most holy world stood as a tree of life unseen or untouched by the man for he had more minde of the diabolicall world for all worlds being opened to the man he desires the evill and worst of worlds desiring to be free before his time because he could not abide the servanthood to till and dresse the garden of the Lord which servanthood is the angelicall body or world which is the servant of the Lord but desired to
be as great as God himselfe before his time and so his pride threw him downe into the most lowest world which is the diabolicall so that his body is now the body of sinne death and all wickednesse and besides he hath pulled downe the divine and most holy world upon him as a judge with wrath and violent fire and so hee standeth still over him till the man desire to come forth againe out of the diabolicall world and returne with humility true repentance and reall sorrow for his sin and then the divine and most holy world doth worke this true reall death in mans heart and descendeth into the hell of his heart that is into the lowest parts of his earth where the wrath of God is and there pacifieth this wrathfull Iudge or God with his humility and true sorrow for sinne by which sorrow and humility he crucifies and destroyes all sinne out of the man and then he raiseth him out of the lowest world into the divinest and most holy world and this world is the second creation that God maketh in man and is himselfe which he createth in him for in his comming he first humbleth and then exalteth the man for the divine and most holy world in his comming downe into hell or the most lowest world to the man to save him doth appeare in humility and lowlinesse of spirit very meeke and gentle enduring patiently all that the law would have him suffer and so teacheth and incorporateth this humility and lowlinesse of spirit into the man that hath learned God so that they twain are made one spirit and this is the new creation of which David speaketh saying Create in me a cleane heart O God and renue a right spirit in mee this is that poore humble meek soule that lyeth in the dust and seeth no help which shall be â—â—ised up from thence to dignity and shall sit with Princes which is to sit with the most highest God and he is the barren that shall beare and bring forth the holy Godhead or divine life out of him Now O man mayest thou see how great the love of God is to thee therefore forsake all worlds for his sake because he loveth thee so deerly and look upon all things through his spirituall and holy eyes and then shalt thou see things cleerly and as they are and not esteem of any thing above it selfe nor above its owne deserving Wherefore wee must looke into the Scripture with those holy eyes or else we shall see nothing aright or as it is Now to looke upon all the histories of the Prophets Judges and Kings without those divine and holy eyes where through we see the holy mystery of the same it will appeare very strange to us and contrary to nature and reason as for example that of Bilaams Asse speaking to him and Nebuchadnezzar being turned to a Beast to eat grasse with the Oxen till the dew of heaven had wet him seven times and the fiery furnace spoken of in Daniell in which the three children were cast wherein they had no hurt nor so much as their cloaths burned and the great Image of brasse iron and clay which is also spoken of in Daniell with many other mysteries which setteth forth the creation fall and restauration of man by the whole worke of the law together with his new creation so that the whole history of the Scripture rightly understood tendeth to those things but are illustrated and set forth many and divers wayes therefore this worke of man is wonderfull and would make an eternall discourse in the minde of man to expresse himselfe And the history of David that he did kill a Lion and a Beare and did kill Goliah is the whole worke of the law to destroy the Devill and sin out of the man also he complaineth sometimes that he is in the lowest hell and in a deepe pit and that he is a worme and no man and that he is in the deep waters and the raging seas run over him so that in all this he carries a double death which is to kill and be killed for the whole worke of the law is to kill and bee killed therefore the law or David cannot build a house for God to dwell in for he saith that David or the law is a man of blood and that he should pull down all buildings of sin and destroy the enemies of the Lord and prepare timber and stones hewed and cut for the house of the Lord that there might bee no noise of the hammer or of the worke mans tools for the law of the Lord hews cuts and prepares us for the house of the Lord before we are or can be set in that there should be no noise of hammer or worke mans tooles hewing or cutting which hewing or cutting is the wounds of conscience making a true sorrow and mourning for sinne and when we are prepared and made living stones and a spirituall house Christ being the head and corner stone that upholdeth this house and holy building and this whole house is covered within and without with pure gold that is with a most pure holy and glorious life then the most holy and wise Solomon the wisdome of the Godhead the sonne of David or the law enters in this most glorious house that shineth with his most bright and glorious rayes and there he worships and adores this great and most holy Godhead and there was and is continuall songs of Hallelujah praise and thanksgiving to him that liveth for evermore and without this house is the middle court where the peace offerings that was and is offered up to this most holy God and was and is the fulfilling of the law by obedience in killing the man of sinne the which doth pacifie and reconcile us to God againe that we may enter the Temple with this holy and wise Solomon to worship and sing praises to the most glorious and most holy God O that it were so well with all the soules of men and that it were so come to passe in them then were they happy but till then most unhappy Now to understand these buildings of the Temple and house of the Lord as a history with all these glorious externall things how that there were galleries and chambers and in those roomes pictures of Angels and Cherubins and that they did uphold the Arke and Alter and that the same should bee covered within and without with pure gold and that the stones must be hewed and prepared before they were set in that there should be no noise of the hammer or workmans toole what is that to thee O man to read the history of these things for all externall buildings must perish with the using and thou never the better for it but looke thou into the mystery thereof because it concernes thy selfe for this building is thee and God joyned together and is the rocke Christ Jesus that living stone disallowed of men but chosen of God and yee as living
us and we are the man intended for when Nathan the Prophet came to David he seemed to speake to him of another when as hee meant himselfe and David did conclude what the action represented to him in the person of another by Nathan was unjust not thinking that the Prophet intended himself but another and so judged him to death but when the Prophet said it was himself and that he was the man hee was sorry and loth to dye himselfe although he did judge the other to death and thought he deserved death justly but in condemning the other he judged himselfe Therefore wee are the men that are to be condemned or saved according as our deservings are and the Scripture is the reall truth and is our true Nathan the Prophet that tells us what we have done but he tells us our selves in histories and in the person of others to try how farre we condemne others and justifie our selves but when wee condemne others we condemne our selves for wee are the guiltie and that wicked man therefore looke into the scripture as if it were thy owne soule for all that is written there is written in thy selfe and there is the two tables the table of stone thy stony heart that is ingraven with a rough penne and with a thundering voice which is the whole worke and curse of the law for thy sinnes and the other table is the heart of flesh which is soft and melteth at the word that is written in thee and is ready to obey all the words of the commandements that speaketh in thee but the table of stone thy disobedient and stony heart must be broken for thy sinne and disobedience cause and for thy Idolatries and all thy sinnes riseing up against thee crying vengeance so that thy God or goodnesse in his great zeale throweth downe thy stony heart breaking it to peeces and burneth up all thy Idoll Gods to powder makeing thee drinke up their ashes which is to make thee taste of the death and losse of them and still his zeale is so great towards thee that hee maketh thee sheath thy sword into thy brothers belly which brother is thy nearest selfe will or thy darling sinnes so when thou hast fulfilled the will of thy Jelous God he returneth to his place where hee was before and the tables of stone or stony heart is turned to flesh and is obedient to the will of God and keepeth his commandements the which I wish all Soules may do for their soules health and safety There be many at this time that looke externally for an infallible spirit when as the infallible spirit is internall in the soule of every man for the same spirit is Jesus Christ the word of life that is neare thee even in thy heart and mouth to do it and to be obedient unto the same and he is that pearle hid in the field of thy heart for which thou must sell all that thou hast to purchase this field that thou mayest injoy that pearle And there are others that thinke that the externall body is the soule and that it must dye and must answer for sinne by that death and that it must rise againe at the last day by Christ therefore God cannot be their God whilst their body is dead for he is not the God of the dead but of the living then whilst they live here they may live as they list and commit what sinnes they will for their body dying which they take for the soul doth make satisfaction for their sinne which of necessity must draw this consequence that if one man kill another he doth but the will of God for he saith the soul that sinneth must dye I wonder much what those people that hold such opinions can say or think of little children that dye in the wombe or as soon as they are borne certainly no man in reason can say that their soule hath sinned but you will alleadge their parents have sinned for them as others have said if it be so the sinne of one condemneth a great many that of themselves hath not sinned the which to me appeareth to be altogether against reason and justice and is against the nature of God to condemne the children for the sinne of the parents for Ezkiel saith 18. that this proverb should be no more in israel that the fathers had eaten four grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge at he saith that every soule standeth upon his owne bottome or its owne selfe and the fourâ— that sinneth shall dye also there are many creatures or bodies which they call soules that are drowned in the sea and divers fishes have fed upon that body or that which they call the soul and these fishes have concocted or digested the soule of this man and it is turned into the flesh of a fish and afterwards this fish is taken and another man or soule eats this fish which is the concocted soule of the other man so that his soule is made fat and increased thereby the one soule by eating the other and Caniballs which are men eat other men and are fed thereby now when the soules of all these men are dead and concocted in those that have eat them how shall every one have his own proper soule at the last day when all the soules shall arise I would willingly hear it proved by good reason how every one can have his owne soule againe seeing they are all concocted and digested one in another but perhaps you will say we must believe against reason which is consequently that we must believe an absurdity and the Apostle St. Paul desireth to be delivered from unreasonable men which were absurd and did believe against reason for all men have not faith whose foundation is grounded upon reason this body which they call the soule is dead without the spirit as St. James witnesseth in the second Chap. where he saith that as the body without the spirit is dead even so is faith without workes by which Scripture it is manifest that the body without the soul or spirit is dead and as is said before God cannot be their God because their body which they tearm the soul is dead so as he ceaseth to be their God while they are dead all which is contrary to sense reason and Scripture where it is said that he is the living God and the God of the living and not of the dead also it is contrary to sense and reason in this that that which is the God good felicity or chiefe happinesse of those that live and are rationall and sensible of the same cannot in sense reason or Scripture be said to be the joy happinesse or God of the dead because he is not sensible or capable of any joy felicity or happinesse at all THe summe of all and the whole discourse of this Book is that we should feare to disobey the holy God but keep all his Commandements which is the whole duty of man and to live a pure exact just and holy life not doing to any man what we would not have done to us but doing all the good to another that we would have done to us and this is the infallible Spirit Jesus Christ the power of God in us which directs corrects instructs perswades and makes us wise unto salvation for he is the holy word of life unto us and he is the Father Elder true Bishop and high Priest of our soules so that we need no other Father Elder Bishop nor high Priest but this holy Iesus Christ in us for he is the holy unction that we have from above and the holy One that teacheth us all things and discovers all mysteries unto us leading us into all truth if so be that we are obedient unto him but if we are not obedient unto this infallible Spirit Iesus Christ in us then wee shall know nothing of God or of the Scripture but it shall be a sealed book a dead letter and seeming contradiction unto us but I hope we shall all learne and bee taught of him and declare every one to his friend and neighbour what the Lord the infallible Spirit hath done for his poore soule saying What we have learned heard felt and tasted of the good word of life that will we declare unto you FINIS