in as much as Noah did obey the commandment of the Lord according as the spirit of the Lord did reveal unto him Noah may be said to be a Preacher of righteousness and he doing all things by inspiration of the spirit of Christ which was not at that time made of flesh but in the fulness of time became pure humane flesh and suffered the pains of death And the same spirit that suffered death that very same spirit that quickned was that spirit that preached to the spirits in prison in the days of Noah as aforesaid And the making of the Ark by the inspiration of Gods spirit in the sight of the people who were in prison in ignorance and darkness of mind is called by the revelation of faith A preaching to the spirits in prison so that the spirit of God in Noah may be said to preach unto those spirits in prison in the days of Noah and that there was but eight persons saved from the Floud So that this place of Scripture doth no way prove that the spirit of Christ did ever preach to spirits in prison without bodies neither did Christs spirit preach in the days of Noah without a body for he always preached with a body himself or else chose men that have bodies and gave them power to preach to spirits in prison and to deliver the captives and to set the prisoner at liberty and the bound in prison to go free So that the Reader may see how and in what manner the spirit of Christ did preach unto the spirits in prison in the days of Noah and how their spirits may be said to be in prison and how their unbelief in the days of Noah was called disobedience to the preaching of Noah all that while the Ark was building And being built by the inspiration of the spirit of God it may and is called the preaching of Christs spirit to them that were in prison in spiritual darkness in their minds for their minds being darkened they did those things that were unseemly yea unnatural as the people of Sodom did Now were not the spirits of these people in prison and led captive of those unnatural lusts I think no sober man will deny yet these were those spirits in prison that Christs spirit preached unto in the body of Noah in the days of Noah and that there was but eight persons in the days of Noah that were saved from the destruction by water by the preaching of that spirit of God in Noah This is the true interpretation and meaning of those words of Peter the Apostle aforementioned and how the spirit of Christ went and preached unto the spirits in prison in the days of Noah CHAP. XIII AGain there are some other places of Scripture which several people have objected as if the spirit or soul of man might go out of the body and subsist in bliss and happiness or in misery and a tormented condition without its body it always lived in from that place Luke 23.43 Jesus said to the Thief on the cross Verily I say unto thee This day shalt thou be with me in paradise Now observe this no way proves that the Thiefs soul went out of his body into a Paradisical place and so escaped suffering death or did not die for if the soul of Christ did die at that time as is clear by Scripture it did then the soul and life of the Thief did die also Then where was the Paradise the Thiefs soul and Christs soul that was heavy unto death where did they go To this I say they went to a place of rest where all righteous souls go which is to the sleep of death for there was nothing did die but the souls of them both and the Paradise Christ and the Thief went into that day they suffered death I declare it was this that Christ was sure in himself that he should rise from the dead the third day and afterward should enter into eternal glory and this assurance in Christ that he should rise again the third day it was Paradise and Peace to his soul that he should pass through that death he was now to suffer that very day into a new life that should not be capable to die any more So likewise when the Thief did truly believe that Jesus was the Christ the Saviour from eternal death to those that did believe as it is certain he did when he said Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom for he did really believe that Christ would rise the third day and that he would raise him to eternal joy and happiness at the last day and the Thief dying in this faith he entered into peace of mind and had rest and freedom to die in hope and full assurance that Christ would raise him up soul and body to eternal happiness at the last day And this was that Paradise that Christ and the Thief were in that very day they both suffered death for the assurance of everlasting life in a mans self here in mortality is the Paradise of peace in this life This I know to be true and this was the Paradise Christ did mean the Thief should be in that very day he believed and not that either of their souls went out of their bodies to any other place or Paradise then what was in their own bodies as aforesaid In like manner people do imagine that the soul of man goeth out of the body at his death from that saying Acts 7.59 from those words of Stepher when he was stoned to death he said Lord Jesus receive my spirit The meaning is this that when any man dieth in the true faith of Christ in the hope and full assurance that Christ will raise him up to eternal happiness at the last day he commits his spirit into the hands of Christ knowing that though he doth lose his life for Christs sake here that Christ will raise it again and save his soul hereafter and so Christ may be said to receive his spirit For this I must tell the Reader that there is not a quarter of an hours time to the dead to his rising again no not a minute for there is no time to the dead not a minute of an hour though a man have been dead 5000 years yet it is not a minute of an hour to him that is dead For all time belongs to the living for after death there is nothing but eternity on the other side of death either eternal happiness or eternal misery so that when men die they may be said to go immediately to Heaven or to Hell to joy or torment to be received into Christs hands of mercy or into the hand of Christs wrath where they shall be tormented with the Devil and his Angels yet shall never see the Devil nor his Angels nor themselves to eternity as they did not know the Devil here neither shall they know or see him hereafter yet be tormented with him And in this sense a faithful
spirit or soul as Stephen was may be said to commit his spirit into the hands of Christ and that Christ doth receive his spirit into his hands and will raise it up at the last day which will not be a minute of an hours time to the dead as I said before therefore let not the seed of faith think the time long between death and the salvation of their souls because so many of the faithful have been so many hundred years in the grave and let not the wicked unbelieving people comfort themselves that the dead shall never rise again because the Fathers are dead and the Prophets are dead and we see none of them rise again therefore we conclude their spirits are gone to Heaven without bodies and the spirits of the wicked are gone to Hell without bodies but as minute of an hours time will deside this matter when the dead are raised for they shall not remember they have been asleep in the dust one minute of an hoâ—r for there is no remembrance of time in the grave Therefore let that vain conceit that is in most people fall of spirits going to God without bodies for I can assure you there is no such thing neither can there be any true peace in that conceit I know it by faith now and by experience for I was of that opinion once my self when I was zealous in religion according to the Puritan way but I knew no Scripture truly neither was there one true Interpreter of Scripture no not one in those days that could shew a man the true righteousness of God or the true way to everlasting life CHAP. XIV THere is another place of Scripture that is objected that seems is if the soul went out of thâ— body when they die as in 1 Kings 17.21 where Elijah prayed that the childs soul might come into him again The meaning is this that Elijah did pray in faith unto God that he would assist him in this as in other things as iâ— shutting up the Heavens that it should not rain and calling for fire from Heaven to destroy those two captains and their fitties and m ny other wonderful things he did so he prayed unto God to strengthen his faith so that he might have power to raise this childs life out of death again Therefore he stretched himself upon the child and prayed that the childs soul might come into him again that is that the childs soul or life might quicken in the body of the child again for Elijah knew the soul of the child was dead and by the warm flesh of the Prophet laid upon the childs dead flesh and the faith and prayer of the Prophet together it begot life in the child again so that the soul that was dead it became life in the child again and that life that was quickened it run through the veins of the childs body and so the childs soul did come into him again For this I say if the soul of the child had been gone out of the body then Elijah did not raise the dead child to life again for how can a man be said to be dead whâ—nas life doth not die but slips out of the body as most people do vainly imagine but it may be clear to those whose understanding are enlightened that Elijah did raise the child from death to life and that the childs soul was dead in its body and that the soul of the child was revived in the childs body again by the power of faith in Elijah And the very same thing was done by the Prophet Elisha as in 2 Kings 4.34 the Prophet Elisha did the same thing to the Shunamite womans son he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth and his eyes upon his eyes and his hands upon his hands and he stretched himself upon the child and the flesh of the child waxed warm and Elisha stretched himself upon the child a second time here the Reader may see that the child was dead and by the faith and prayer and by the warmness of the Prophet Elisha his flesh the child revived to life again both body and soul And Elisha did use the same means and way as Elijah did for he went in and shut the door and prayed unto the Lord as Elijah did and stretched himself upon the child as Elijah did and raised the child to life again by the power of faith Yet Elisha maketh no mention of the soul coming into the child again but he delivered the body and soul of the child that were both dead together he delivered them both alive together to the childs mother It was the same thing done by Elijah onely some difference in the words but the sense and meaning is all one So that the Reader may understand if any true light of life be in him that the soul of the child went not out of its body but died in the body and by the power of faith in the Prophet it quickned alive out of death in the childs body again for the soul or life of the child never went out of the body as is vainly imagined but the soul life and spirit of the child was absolutely dead in the body and by the power of faith in the Prophet the dead soul or life of the child was quickened alive again and caused the body to live also For if the woman should have had the soul of the child given unto her without the body she would have given the Prophet no thanks for raising her childs soul without a body but the body and soul being one person they were both dead together and the Prophet raised them both together alive and the woman received them both together and rejoyced greatly in God and gave honour to the Prophet Thus in short I have given the true interpretation of all those Scriptures that most seem or most commonly are objected against the mortality of the soul or to prove that spirits do go out of the body at the time of death or that spirits may be raised without bodies or have any being without bodies and that a spirit may appear in a shape without a body or that a spirit can assume what shape it please yet have no body or substance These things the vain imagination of reason in man hath created in it self to fright it self with for there is no such thing as spirits walking without bodies neither doth any spirit go out of the body when men die as is imagined by most people but these are factions of mens brains created by the imagination in the dark minds of men and women for God never created any such thing as I have shewed before And as for that saying of Solomon Eccl. 12.7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it His meaning I suppose in these words is as is generally conceived by all people the body to the dust and the
and not to a natural captivity Neither was it meant the opening of the natural prison doors to them that were bound by the Powers of the nations but the doors of mens hearts were opened at the preaching of Christ and his Apostles in that light and life and salvation was preached unto them that whoever believed that this Jesus is the Christ the Saviour of the world should be saved and delivered from the fear of eternal death so that the soul of man that was lead captive into prison and bound in chains of darkness and strong doors lockt fast to keep the spirit of man in prison by the works of the Law and the expounders of the Law before Christ came the spirit of reason in them did lead the generality of people their spirits into spiritual captivity and shut them up in prison and tied their spirits up in the observation of the Ceremonial Law of Moses Which was as chains of darkness and not onely so but shut the door of hope upon them so that there was no hope to be saved in them but by observing the Law aforesaid which Paul calls beggerly rudiments Gal. 3. So that this spiritual captivity and being bound in prison and the doors being shut it was the spirits of people that were captives and prisoners in their own bodies kept by the Legal and ceremonial righteousness of the Law of Moses and when Christ came to preach and to give power to his Apostles to preach the Gospel of truth both to Jew and Gentile then was the dore of hope opened in peoples hearts and many that were bound in prison whose spirits were led captive they were set at liberty from that bondage of the Ceremonial Law wherein they were bound and brought out of that prison of darkness in the mind into the glorious light and life of faith by the preaching of Christ and his Apostles Then was this prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled in the Apostles commission then was liberty preached to the spirits of many that were bound and in prison in their own minds the word of faith preached unto them it opened a door of hope of deliverance from the bondage of the Law as aforesaid wherewith they were bound so that by faith they had in Christ their chains fell off their feet and darkness of their understanding so that they were at perfect liberty and delivered out of prison and the prison door of hope in Christ being opened all true believers in Christ were set at liberty free from captivity and out of that spiritual prison of darkness into the glorious liberty of the sons and daughters of God for ever and ever So is it now in this commission of the spirit we the witnesses of the spirit have preached glad tidings of salvation and have opened the prison doors of mens hearts and have let many out of that spiritual prison that were bound to the righteousness set up by the imagination of reason now in these last days who were led captive by their own traditions and kept in prison in their own bodies for many years but by the declaration of truth in all our writings and our speakings many people have been delivered out of captivity and out of prison their spirits have been let loose out of the chains of darkness because the door of their hearts hath been opened by the word of faith in the true God which we have preached and written this many can witness at this day the truth of it So that now that Scripture is fulfilled again in these last days and this is the true meaning of the Prophet Isaiah in those words concerning opening the prison and giving liberty to the captives that were imprisoned in their own bodies by the conceptions of the imaginations of their own hearts So that there is not the least colour or ground from those words for the reason of man to think that spirits may be let out of prison without bodies or that the spirit of Christ did preach to any spirit in prison without his body CHAP. XII ANd as for those words of Peter aforenamed where he saith Christ was put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison which sometime were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was a preparing c. The meaning of those words are as followeth that Christ was put to death in the body of his own flesh this is confessed by most people that profess the Scriptures of truth but very few do truly believe that the soul or spirit of Christ did die or was put to death at all notwithstanding the Scripture saith that He poured out his soul unto death and he himself saith His soul was heavy unto death Therefore that the Reader may understand what is meant in that Christ was put to death in the flesh but quickened by the spirit mind I declare that it was the soul or spirit of Christ which was the Godhead life that dwelt in that body of flesh and bone of Christ for as the Scripture saith In him all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily and this Godhead life that dwelt in the body of Christs flesh it was put to death in the body of Christs flesh and the same Godhead life that was put to death in the body of his flesh and when Christs body was crucified upon the cross then was the soul and life of Christ or the Godhead life did die and was put to death in that flesh of Christ for that flesh of Christ was God become flesh as the Scripture saith and the soul and life of Christ was the soul and life of God And When Christ poured out his soul unto death it was the Godhead life that was poured out unto death so that the Godhe d spirit was put to death and did die in the flesh of Christ when he was crucified But this Godhead life which was put to death in the flesh of Christ it quickened again where it was put to death even in the same flesh where it was put to death And in its quickening agâ—in it raised the same flesh again and so spiritualized the same flesh that suffered and made it uncapable to suffer death any more For this I say no spirit or life that is put to death whatsoever could possibly quicken again in the same body but the life of God onely so that Christ must needs be God as well as Man for it was Christ that was put to death in the flesh and the same life that was put to death and did die that which did die did quicken again and so is called a quickening spirit Now observe it cannot properly be called a quickening spirit if it had not been once dead for if the spirit and life of Christ did not die nor was not dead then I say there was no need that this spirit and life should quicken again
for it was always quick and alive For the spirit quickening doth imply a sensible life is quickned out of an insensible life as a child in the womb before it is quick it feeleth no pain neither doth it stir in the womb and the midwife doth not care to destroy it to save the womans life because the child was not quick it was an insensible life no more capable of pain then there is in death or a dead lump of earth but when a child is quick in the womb it is capable of pain though it hath not strength to express it to us that are strong yet it is capable of pain because it is quickened into a sensible life that is a living soul a living spirit and so may be called a quickened spirit of life out of that which was dead yet by the appointment of God in his creation and the warmness of the womb there is a new life or spirit doth quicken in the womb in its season according to the appointment of God when he created all things and placed a law of generation in them So likewise the spirit or life of Christ was put to death in his own body of flesh as aforesaid and in its season he himself had appointed before namely three days and three nights this spirit of Christ so put to death it quickened again in the same flesh a new and glorious life which made that flesh that suffered glorious also And this is the true interpretation of Peters words and the faith of all true believers that the spirit life and soul of Christ did die and was put to death in the body of his own flesh that was crucified on the cross by the Jews and that the same spirit that was put to death it did quicken again out of death into a new and glorious life by his own power therefore called a quickening spirit So that here is no ground at all for that vain conceit in people who do believe that spirits may be raised without bodies or appear without bodies but altogether to the contrary And as for that saying of Peter By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison which sometime were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was a preparing These words do seem to carry some shew as if the quickening spirit of Christ after he was risen from the dead or in the time he did lie in the grave as if his spirit in that interim of time went into some local place where spirits were in prison without bodies to preach unto them who had been disobedient in the days of Noah this is the vain conceit of most people from those words of Peter who saith By which he went and preached unto the spirits in prison as if the spirits of the disobedient people in the days of Noah had been in prison in some local place in the earth without bodies who had been departed in the days of Noah in the destruction of the world by water This the imagination of reason in man doth imagine that spirits may be shut up in prison without bodies and that the quickening spirit of Christ might preach unto them without a body But the true light and revelation of faith doth know to the contrary that no spirits can have any being at aâ—l without bodies neither of God Angels nor Man nor no other living creature who hath the breath of life in it But to give the interpretation of this Scripture that the Reader may understand it is thus the spirit of Christ that quickened from the dead to life again I say is the same spirit that preached to the spirits in prison in the days of Noah and the spirits of the disobedient world were in prison in their own bodies in the days of Noah as they were when Christ came upon earth for then he opened the prison to them that were bound by preaching glad tidings of freedom to those that were bound and liberty to those spirits that were in captivity Now as I said before this captivity is spiritual captivity and to be bound and in prison it is meant a spiritual imprisonment in the mind and not a natural imprisonment of the body And this I say the very same spirit of Christ that preached to the Jews when he was upon earth did preach to the old world in the days of Noah though in a twofold manner And as the spirits of men were in prison in their own ignorance blindness and darkness of understandings in that they were led captives and prisoners by their wicked and unnatural lusts in the days of Noah so were both Jews and Gentiles in the days of Christ when on earth their spirits were led captive and into the prison of unbelief and persecution of the Lord of Life in that their fathers persecuted the Lords Prophets and Messengers he did send so did these Jews persecute the Lord himself when he preached to their spirits that were in prison and led captives by their wicked murdering wills into the prison of unbelief for he did preach when on earth that whosoever did believe in him should be saved And as many as did truly believe in him their spirits were brought out of that captivity of unbelief and out of the prison of darkness in the mind into a glorious liberty and light of life eternal And thus did the preaching of Christs spirit deliver many spirits of men and women out of prison in the days when he was upon earth So likewise this quickening spirit of Christ it preached unto the spirits in prison in the days of Noah And why were their spirits in prison in the days of Noah Because they were disobedient And how may they be said to be disobedient Because they did not believe that good man Noah who was a preacher of righteousness And how did he preach righteousness unto that wicked people In that he prepared the Ark and being so many as a hundred years in building all that while God is said to wait for their repentance and that they might believe that God would destroy the world by water But instead of repentance and believing they hardened their hearts and mocked at Noah and the Ark so that while the Ark was preparing God waited for the peoples repentance and all that while that Noah was building he preached to the people that the world would be drowned And the spirit of Christ which is the spirit of God which was put to death in the flesh but quickened by the spirit by which he went and preached unto the spirits in prison in the days of Noah it was the same spirit that instructed Noah to build the Ark so that the building of the Ark by Noah he being a Preacher of righteousness in that he believed God and built it as the spirit of God had commanded and instructed him as God did Moses shewed him the pateâ—n of the tabernacle in the Mount And