Here 's no judging murmuring complaining dividing persecuting murdering These are the wayes of Egypt and Babell In Canaan there is rest from all the works of Egypt and darknesse Here 's unity in the midst of variety Here all are looking into the onenesse into the pure image and nature of the Father and this light keeps harmony and agreement between all the sons of Canaan And so in Canaan there 's joy melody singing Halleluja's Here the world is not mentioned flesh and bloud is not at all remembred with delight the former things are passed away and all is become new God alone is made mention of to be Lord and King and set up upon the Throne for ever Quest What is the vail which divides between the holy and most holy Answ It 's the flesh of Christ and all outward dispensations which divide and keep Saints whilest in weaknesse and bondage though holy in some measure from entring into the most holy into the substance truth it self or into the choisest glory of the father This vail of flesh in Christ was rent when he suffered death or was crucified in the flesh Through which death or rending of the vail of flesh he entred himself and made way also for us to enter into glory Hebâ— 10. 19. 20. Having therefore boldnesse to enter into the holiest by the bloud of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh And when this vail of flesh of letter and shadows and outward dispensations is rent and crucified by the eternall spirit in the true Christian then he the Christian enters into the holiest into the glory and joy of his Father Quest What is the death which over all men is passed and how camest thou to live Answ It 's first the breaking of the body or this earthly Tabernacle which comes upon all without exception for sin Rom. 5. 12. Secondly it's the dying unto Paradise and the Kingdom of God which man hath drawn upon himself by his lusting after and eating of the fruit of the four elements By this lusting and eating he becomes infected poysoned in his minde and will with the fruit of the Sun and Stars And this is the taking and eating of the Tree of temptation and his leaving the Tree of life and the heavenly fruit And thus he becomes an earthly man and dead Death stickes in his minde and soul and man is dead to all feeding upon God and the Son of God who is the Tree of life Man can no more feed upon the fruit which grows upon this Tree of life which is Christ till Christ awake and arise in the center of his soul and carry him through all the Trees of temptation or the pleasures pompe and glory of the outward world into the inward or holy pure element of this spirituall body and pure nature and there awaken him to eat of the Tree of life and live for ever And this is the way whereby I and all the Sons of God come to passe from the spirituall death into the spirituall life in the pure nature of Jesus Christ Quest What is deaths reign from Adam to Moses And to Moses how didst thou come Answ From Adam to Moses there was no law written without all the law was within upon the conscience here was the rule or law which God gave the worlds to walk by Now the world acting against this light and law within kept sin in the world from Adam to Moses for till the law viz. given out by Moses sin was in the world Rom. 5. 13. Now sin alwayes brings men under the reign of death and so death reigned over all from Adam to Moses All had a law given within otherwise they could have had no sin for where there is no law there is no transgression Now mens breaking of this inward law was their sin and this their sin brought them all under the power and reign of death And thus it is still though there had been no Moses to write Gods commands in outward tables or Scripture yet the law being written within upon the conscience by the finger of God we sinning against this law do plunge our selves into the reign of death wrath and condemnation we kindle the Root of the fire and that being awakened makes our Hell or self-comdemnation within because we have sinned against our light Now by this light and law within we come to know Moses and that all the law she hath written are holy just and good because we finde the same within that he hath written without and nothing without but what is in spirit and power within Quest. Who are they which sin not after the similitude of Adams transgression which till Moses death reigned over Answ They are infants in years according to some who although they sin not actually after the manner of Adam yet they have sin and death written in their nature according to the weaknesse of this creation Or they are infants in knowledge who although they have not such full discoveries of the minde of God and such strength to stand as Adam had and so their sin be not so great as Adam which is to sin after his similitude yet they have a plain law within as before which bids them not act or eat that which the Lord forbids They living contrary unto this law fall into sin and death And in this childish condition are we all sound till the Lord quicken and save us Quest Art thou called immediately by the great God of Heaven and earth into the Ministery yea or nay Answ That Ministery I act in I have the anointing of the Spirit which doth sufficiently warrant my call But as for those who are called through Arts and Sciences and mens ordinations without this anointing I know they are the Pillars of Antichrist which I cannot own for the Apostles of Christ My calling teacheth me to renounce my fleshly wisdom and to live upon the grace and love of God commending that manifestation of the truth that is in me to every mans conscience in the sight of Christ Quest Hast thou seen Gods face yea or nay Answ To see the invisible God with carnal eyes I never did nor shall for no man hath heard his voice nor seen his shape but with the enlightned minde I have in some measure seen his face nay his heart in the precious revelations and discoveries of his Son towards me in love which Son is the face and heart and brightnesse of God opened in love wherein he shews and speaks forth plainly his exceeding kindnesse and goodnesse to all his Children This face of God I have thus seen which is more to me than a thousand vvorlds Quest Hast thou heard Gods voice immediately from Heaven and earth yea or nay Answ I have heard his voice as I have seen his face viz. inwardly spiritually which voice of his hath fetched me out of the grave of darknesse sin
persecuted outwardly knowing that it is judgement and misery enough for God to send such strong delusions as that men should believe a lye Repl. But my heart is in the earth thou sayest Answ In the earth is not my treasure I finde all here vanity and vexation of spirit But in the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength and so my treasure being above mine heart and affections are also above Repl. But my compleatnesse is in darknesse Answ Here indeed is the compleatnesse of the world but the Lord is arising to discover this delusion and in him his light and grace is my compleatnesse fulnesse and glory Repl. But to the light which comes from the corner-stone I act contrary and fall not upon it so upon me shall it fall and grinde me to powder Answ Had thy building been upon the corner-stone thou wouldst not in disobedience have denied him to be thy foundation but wouldst by this falling upon him have been broken all to pieces and never thus weakly been sodered up again to act and work for life in thine own power and merits and so to be a Christ a Saviour unto thy self making thy self whole without the bloud of the Lamb which takes away the sins of the world But be sure for this thy disallowing of the stone which is elect and precious thou shalt stumble and fall and be ground to powder for thy disobedience whereunto also thou art appointed As for me let me alone to live and walk in the light of the Lord to be all I am in the grace and righteousnesse of Christ Jesus In my self I am broken indeed my glory is gone and I am nothing But in Christ I am whole and well and need none of mine own power and merits to save me In him I feed upon that which is good upon substance upon the best upon fatnesse and he being my foundation without and within I have an everlasting covenant of grace even the sure mercies of David This I know because he is faithfull Repl. But thou tellest me I am out of the Vnity in the one spirit in the number of the beast the number of a man who professe the Letter declared from the life which life knits the Saints in one peace and thee shall eternally torment who livest in vanity and deniest the way of peace Answ Once more look home to thy self that thou even thou be not found in this number of a beast of a man that art compleat in thy form in thy observations drawn sometimes from the Letter and sometimes from thy fancie in the mystery and yet neither Letter or meaning is any more direction to thee than will stand with thy dark minde and form Therefore see and know that the life the Scripture the Christ the peace which thou art in is not the life out of the original in the one spirit but the life and Christ and peace of form of fansie of man and so notwithstanding all thy pretended Unity and holinesse thou regardest lying vanity and art in a weary land without water As for me my endeavour is to keep the Unity of the spirit in the bond of peace with all lowlinesse and meeknesse and long-suffering forbearing all my brethren in love I know the body the spirit the calling is one the Lord the faith the baptisme is one and that there is one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in us all A sense of all these constrains me to love the Saints in all this onenesse though in their wayes and walkings without they are divers yet in the substances of things they are all one and of one And upon this account could I freely and faithfully have communion with them preach and pray and enter into fellowship with them though by reason of their too much indulgence to their bodily exercise and outward wayes of walking they are for the most part against communion with any out of their own modell and way and so too much spirit of God I own it as a witnesse and Declaration of the Lords will and mind to man This I professe not out of the life and light of the spirit knowing that that is the living word the kernel the substance which quickens all the body and knits the Saints altogether in that one peace of God And this spirit declared in the Letter is that which keeps me from vanity and frees me from the Law of sin death and condemnation And now to the businesse of Tythes Thou sayes Repl. In my corrupt reason I am scraping up reasons to maintain Tythes but shew no Scripture Answ Here thou art at thine old trade prating and slighting but shewing little reason and yet thou goest on to teach and say Repl. To the Sons of Levi was Tyth paid for their service and the relieving the fatherlesse widdows and strangers Ans And why must not the Ministers of the Gospel have maintenance too for their service Doth the Gospel afford lesse than the Law But to let that passe Thou hast spoken a piece of truth to which I add Thou mayest finde even Levi himself paid Tythes in Abraham Heb. 7. 9. and so Tythes were paid before the Law and Levi were in being as to the Letter so that the payment of Tythes extended further than to the litteral Tribe of Levi And if Abraham and Jacob payed Tythes as it appears they did before the Law Gen. 14. 18 19 20. and Gen. 18. 22. surely they did it by a light within and this light was their Law and this is thine too sometimes though very seldom especially when to part with something from thy self and therefore art thou covetous to rob others of all their glory in inward things to advance thy self and of their property too in outward things and so thou art greedy to keep the tenth of all But to proceed Repl. Thou sayest When Christ came he put an end to that service and to the wages due to that service and that he continued Tythes to the Ministers of the Gospel by a Law that thou bid'st me prove by Scripture command or example Answ That Christ put an end to the Levitical priest-hood that I deny not But that Christ put an end to the priest-hood so as to set up no teaching in the room thereof that I deny But what or who hath he set up Answer Ministers not of the Letter but of the spirit But are your Ministers such Answer those whom Christ anoints and ordains are such for the rest I plead not But where have you Ministers that are such if the thing should be granted any command example or practice for Tythes Answer we have the light within written in the hearts of all Nations which teacheth them to pay Tythes or maintenance unto their Priests at this day this is the light of our Nation to pay Tythe unto their Ministers And this is of as much force still where it guides and rules to teach men what to do as it
though all the Members be living in him and Elected in him yet he without them is no compleat body and so no full Election and therefore as the Election takes in Christ so all the Saints of God and whereas thou sayest all that receive him wherein the Election is in him are Elected this is true if thou understand it of the manifestation of Election to us so our receiving of Christ declares to us that we are Elected and adopted of God but if thou understand it à priori of the cause and ground in God of our Election as if he had therefore Elected us because he foresaw such and such would receive Christ then thy speech savours of an old errour for this builds Election upon the foresight of merits faith and power in man to receive Christ and so it destroyes the grace of God for if Election be by grace meere grace then it is not at all upon forseen faith and works otherwise grace is no more grace read Rom. 11. 5 6 7. And so though we receive Christ because we are Elected in him Eph. 1. 4. Yet we are not therefore Elected because we do receive him all being according to the Lords good pleasure to the praise of the glory of his grace and so as 't is in the outward world there was the image or idea of every thing first mente divina in the divine minde before it came forth in the creature not first in the creature and then in the minde of God that could not be seeing the creature was not so in the spiritual world the Church things were first in God as in their ground not first in the creature and then in God and so the idea of our Election was first laid up in the Lords minde counsell grace and good pleasure not in our acting believing and receiving Christ his beloved for this no man can do till it be given and so this building Election upon our receiving Christ is a building upon the sand upon something no man where it is not not upon the Rock which is the grace and good pleasure of God and so it makes voide the nature of grace and our Election though vain man that would be wise and something cannot receive this Quest 7. What is the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace and how ye were led out of the first and established in the second Answ The Covenant of works is that which man doth from the letter thereby to get life and the Covenant of grace is that written in the heart where Christ is the Light Life and Law-giver and by him the Law is fullfilled in us who walk no more after the flesh but after the spirit and by his light were we led out of the first and by his life were we established in the second Repl. This being a sober answer I could wish it were written in thine heart and proceeded from the life and power of that Covenant where all is written and sealed within And friend if it did so though the Letter would not be unto thee as the life yet it would never be slighted by thee being a witnesse unto the life Joh. 5. 39. much lesse would so much of the Kingdom be placed in some of the lesser observations of it when the weightier are neglected though none that live in the Kingdom will account any command of God small and much lesse yet wouldest thou make the commands of God of none effect by thy traditions neglecting the Law of faith of meeknesse of love and peace because thy ceremonies and traditions are neglected by others if you ask wherein ask thine own conscience and let that be thy witnesse and testimony in all which thou art found still walking more after the flesh then after the spirit Quest 8. What is the state of sin and wrath which all men are in and under by nature and how ye were led out of this estate Answ The state of sin is a state of condemnation and wrath from God separated in which all are by nature but by that light which is contrary to nature are we led out of this estate for he 's given to be a leader Isai 55. 4. Rep. What can poor fallen Adam or man do till God comes quickens him by a word of promise given in a spirit of power for I find the state of nature is a state of sin deadness darkness as to the things of God and the life of God wherein there 's no power to believe nor light to turn us towards God and in this estate there 's a departing from God still through unbelief and a wandring in the dark after the desires of the flesh and minde and so a separation from God and a coveting to hide our selves from his presence amongst the things that are made because we finde nothing due unto us by reason of sin and nakednesse but condemnation and wrath and so we are by nature children of wrath till the Lord in mercy and great love quicken us and raise us up through the second Adam revealed in us to live in him who is our light and life and so the onely leader of lost man out of the former state of sin and wrath and so he 's given to be a Leader and Commander by being an inward witnesse of love to us and all to free us from the Law of sin death and condemnation Quest 9. Whether any in this life are totally freed from the remnants of sin and darknesse seeing Paul saith now we know but in part and he prayed for an increase of knowledge in the Saints and Peter exhorts to grow in knowledge and Paul complains of a body of sin of a Thorn in the flesh of the lusting of the flesh against the spirit and James said in many things we offend all and John if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Answ In the life wherein thou livest is no redemption from sin for that is it which cannot bear good fruit Repl. To which I say I know that in me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing for the flesh is flesh still and sinfull still and cannot bring forth the fruit of God which springs from a new birth but in the life of Christ in me or that life which springs from the new birth there is redemption from sin and this is that which brings forth in me fruit to God Answ Further to the death of the Crosse must thou subject and obedient be else not know that life and birth which is free from sin Repl. What I am I am through the grace of God and this grace abounding towards me has brought over my flesh that Crosse whereby I am in measure Crucified and so have tasted and known that birth which is free from sin Answ The life of the new man who witnesses is free from sin Rom. 6. 6 7. and 18. 22. Repl. All the freedom from sin which this
and so not for Christ but for your selves And surely so long as so much of thy self lives that thou must needs be Christ not with him or in him but he himself all this while thou dost not suffer thy self to come under the Crosse of Christ Further know friend what it means to be saved by hope to hope for that we see not and so with patience to wait for it Ye know Pauls desire was to be dissolved and to be with Christ and he cries out if in this life onely wee have hope in him we are of all men most miserable therefore wait the day and time of your dissolution Read 2 Cor. 5. 1. to 10. The life of hope is a sweet life seeing the grace came from heaven looks back into heaven and never leaves groaning and longing till it return into the bosom of the Father and the earthly house be changed into the heavenly Therefore be not over-hasty thou knowest the men that would enter in without God were slain therefore be not high-minded but fear It 's a sad thing to be undone by our own works undone by Religion observation abstinence as many an Hermit Monk and man hath been Be as holy as thou wilt in the holy place in Christ onely glory not in thy formall holinesse Thou dreamest thou art Christ and in the holiest and yet all can see thee in weaknesse darknesse and in infirmities like other men But I would not break thy neck but rebuke thee with patience though all this will provoke thee to scorn and to turn again and rent me And therefore I 'le let thee alone to be discovered by the light and day of God Repl. Thou goest on to spend a little more breath against Tythes and Tythepriest and hirelings who denie Christ Answ This is no news therefore I 'le let it passe in silence till we come more fully to speak of Tythes But thou sayest Repl. Vnto us a reed is given like unto a rod and the Temple of God we know and the Altar and them that worship therein and thee to be in the Gentiles court I see among the prophane Answ Here thou wilt be measuring though thou want the rod of strength that is out of Sion and so knowest not how to measure the Temple and the Altar and the worship that God sets up in Sion What is below thee thou mayest measure but what is above thy reason thou canst not see to measure well till thou art born into it Therefore be not wise in thine own conceit boasting of things beyond thy measure seeing not hee who commends himself is approved but whom the Lord commendeth That I am in the Gentiles Court by nature I know is true But that God hath led me out to worship in his Temple and to sacrifice upon his Altar according to the measure of his son in me this thou canst not see and yet I dare not commend my self as thou dost knowing I have nothing but what I have received and so must not glory in my self but in the Lord But thou sayest Repl. I have slain the witnesse which quickened shall be and kindle my torment and none shall quench it Answ The witnesse that was living in me is living still he is not slain and dead but alive to reprove me when I wander and to heal and revive me again with the sweetnesse and comelinesse of his voice and countenance And by this faithfull and true witnesse the false witnesse is slain the floud of the Dragon swallowed up and though he be quickned in thee and others to affright me yet he torments me not his fire is quenched by the Lords goodnesse and mercy and so I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Repl. But death hath passed over me and reigns over me thou sayest Answ Yet can see deliverance from his sting and power in my spirit though I know he dwels in my flesh and reigns there and so he doth in thee And notwithstanding thy passing the first and second resurrection yet there is a resurrection which yet remains and a last day too which thou shalt know to thy torment and wo who knowest not the Scripture in this nor the power of God Repl. Thou sayest further Them which sin not after the similitude of Adams transgression I know not nor what it is that death hath passed over and so am I reasoning and ghessing it may be infants in yeares who have death written in their natures and thou biddest me shew such a Scripture that infants have death written in their natures else the plagues I must have Rev. 22. 18. Answ What I spake of Infants was and is a clear truth they sin not as Adam did and yet they die And that they have death written in their natures I wonder with what face thou canst deny Doth not their dayly dying shew that this enemy death lives in their natures And for Scripture to prove this what thinkest thou by Davids Childe by Bathsheba that died 2 Sam. 12. 18. Was not death written in this Childs nature See how wise thou art But thou goest on to tell me Repl. I say it may be Infants in knowledge and here I am ghessing which shews forth another spirit then wrote the Scriptures and so thou sayest neither of Infants in year nor of Infants in knowledge did Paul speak but said death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them c. Rom 5. 14. But that them I know not therefore put my ghessings and meanings to the Scripture Answ That which I spake concerning Infants in knowledge is a truth too who though they have not such knowledge as Adam had and so their sin be not so great because their light is not so great yet they have a light which being sinned against that sin lets in death upon them To confute this thou bringest nothing but thy bare word that it is not so and so let it go I could have told thee that that Scripture was to be understood of your fruitfull generation as you call it that death reigns over you even you also that have not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression that are not so bad as Adam found sinning and eating of the forbidden Tree yet even you must dye This I know you dream is the truth of that Scripture yet this is but a ghesse too and as little true as mine Understand it of whom you will you must put your own meaning when you are asked who is meant by that particle them seeing the Scripture doth not there deteâ—mine it And if your meaning may go why not anothers that hath as much face of truth as yours But when you discover your selves I shall know better what to reply unto Further thou tellest me Repl. Once there was some tendernesse in me because of sin some groaning for deliverance setting my feet in a way that leadeth out of Egypt but a Captain I chose wheeled about into Egypt and in the lusts
God in the shining brightnesse and terrours of the Law to us so Israel trembled feared and stood afar off at the giving of the Law Exod. 20. 18 19 20 21. thus the Law revealed in the conscience works fear at first arising out of a spirit of bondage with all that are born of the bond-woman Agar or after the flesh as soon as they come to Mount Sinai are possessed with Rom. 8. 15. Gal. 4. 23. 24 25. and so Paul when the Law came with power was strucken with death Rom. 7. 9 10. and at the coming of Christ to declare his sin he 's found trembling Act. 9. 6. this trembling of Paul was a trembling of the immer man the old man which Christ was now come to destroy this old man was he in Paul who kept Christ under who persecuted Jesus this old man which was Pauls own will reason minde lust and made him injurious blasphemous and a persecuter of Christ this was he whom Christ came to break to pieces and upon him falls the trembling and so Pauls trembling was his striking with inward horrour at the kindling of the Law in him and the shining of the Majesty thereof upon him this made him cry out who art thou Lord What wilt thou have me to do as for the flesh and outward body of Paul that was acted by his minde and inner man and therefore Christ did not come so much to make this tremble as the root whence this did spring the fleshly minde the body of sin this must now tremble and come under the Crosse so that this trembling of Paul and his being stricken to the ground and his falling to the earth can be no sufficient ground to justifie the fleshly trembling and quaking of these men For 1. As Paul was stricken with trembling so with bliudnesse but those who have this trembling have not likewise the blindnesse 2. Paul was sensible both of trembling and blindnesse these are onely sensible of quaking not of blindnesse 3. Paul was strucken to the earth and all that were with him Act. 26. 14. but here is one quakes and the rest are free and some have no experience of the thing at all 4. When Paul trembled the people that were with him are said to hear a voice and to see a light but at your tremblings there 's no such light or voice Lastly Pauls trembling let in so much of Christ that ever afterwards he was full of love meeknesse patience moderation towards all as one sensible what man was and this trembling brought such a piercing sight along with it that Paul ever afterwards saw a body of corruption a fleshly part in him fighting and carrying him forth many times to the Law of sin but these mens trembling lets in no such light nor life but rather madnesse fury murmuring condemning all to Hell that come not under the power of their form as likewise pride conceit and a foolish imagining a freedom from all remnants of sin and darknesse a state of fulnesse and perfection in the midst of all their palpable follies and abominations There surely Pauls trembling at the beginning of his conversion agreeing with these mens trembling in no circumstance can be no Warrant or vvitnesse for their fleshly trembling I call it a fleshly trembling because it 's a trembling of the outward flesh when the inward remains in its full force and power and rather stronger then weaker after the trembling is passed over 3. And lastly the Scriptures mention a trembling or fear which flowes from a sense and taste of what God is and what we are and this is a trembling that is alwayes joyned with faith and love and joy and this trembling and fear belongs unto the adoption or the true seed of the free-woman the Sons and Heir of God they seeing as Job speaks what an infinite incomprehensible being the Lord is and that he 's love it self and life and power and goodnesse it self unto all his Saints having a true touch of this upon their spirits and likewise of their own low weak poor empty condition in themselves that all they have they have it in the Lord and from the Lords rich grace and love without the least merit of theirs hence they learn to abhorre themselves and to tremble before the Lords Majesty and yet upon another consideration to wit of being taken into Union and fellowship with him through his son and grace they can go unto him in faith as unto their exceeding joy this is to rejoyce with trembling to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling to be afraid of God because of his power and greatnesse and so to stand in awe and sin not and yet likewise to rejoyce in the Lord and in his grace to be afraid of God because of our own pronenesse unto sin and yet to go unto him as to a father with great affection delight and joy as those who are kept by him from the power of sin and evil This is a trembling which is not for a fit and time onely but kept alive in the Soul during our abode in this house of clay whether yours be such a trembling as this let your own light be judge this is the trembling that Job and David and the holy men of God witnessed of old and do still witnesse to this very day but away with thy fleshly bodily litteral trembling and quivering this is rather like Belshazzars trembling or like a fit of Mahomet when the falling evil fell upon him which he feigned to be the holy Ghost or like a man possessed with the Devil than like the trembling of the Saints of old I know when God arises to save a Soul from death he shakes the earth and the heavens that men have made but this is inward spiritual and invisible to the bodily eye like that of Job when he said he hath broken me asunder he hath taken me by the neck and shaken me to pieces and set me up for his mark he cleaveth my reins asunder he poureth out my gall upon the ground he breaketh me with breach upon breach What was all this literal outward carnal Surely no it was rather the breaking in pieces of all Jobs somethingnesse and the grinding of him in spirit to nothing before the Lord and thus it is in measure with all his dearest Saints This is a trembling I own have not a word against and when ye can witnesse this your other trembling will no more be mentioned or gloried in at all Quest 2. Whether or no God have not a precious people found in various forms and wayes of vvorship where they are waiting on him according to their light and several attainments Answ The way of God is one his vvorship one his light one and all that are in this light are in the one way one vvorship according to their measure and by this light are all forms wayes vvorships and attainments which vary from it condemned Repl. Where the word is