exceeding distressed and afflicted Christendome he hath noted her in his wounds peirced with nailes his light shall shine from the East to the West for a Testimony unto all People 38. From the South there ariseth a Lilly towards the North he that getteth it for a propriety or for his owne shall sing the song of Gods mercy and at that time the Word of the Lord flourisheth as grasse upon the Earth and the Nations sing the Song of Babel in one Tune for the beginning hath found the end 39. Thinke upon my darke sayings for at this time I might not be more plaine seeing men have onely sought after Pride and coveteousnesse and despised the mirror of Anger and have not repented but have wrought iniquity with iniquity untill iniquity devoures it selfe and the wrath of God is well satiated 40. Humane Reason shall here hinder little with its Consultations but blow up the fire and give further occasion 41. God was good before distresse but seeing men forsake God thereupon followeth scorne and misery 42. Let every one have a care of himselfe but he that doth not seek and preserve himselfe shall be sought and preserved And so I commit you into the Love of Jesus Christ THE TWENTIETH EPISTLE Our Salvation in the life of Jesus Christ in US 1. NOBLE Sir c. All Cordiall wishes of Divine light in effectuall Divine working power in the fountaine of Love Jesus Christ and all temporall prosperity premised I thought good to visit you with an Epistle and to put you in minde out of a Christian faithfull intent and affection of the Conference between H. N. and D. S. about the Divine purpose and will concerning Man 2 And D. S. was not sufficiently answered at that time upon his question being I was not exercised in their Scholastick way in reference to this Article in the contemplation of the internall ground through the outward ground and also because such meetings by reason of the Drink to which I am unaccustomed do darken and cloud the subtile and pure understanding 3. Also by reason of their Latine tongue or Scholastique expressions I was hindered to comprehend the same in his ground in so much that he began to tryumph with his received Opinion yet without sufficient understanding of the alleadged sayings of Scripture and also without sufficient ground of Logicall conclusions in Reason in which verily he is excellently well exercised in their Scholastique way 4. With which discourse afterward I turned my selfe in Divine grace to the internall ground of Divine Vision to prove the same and prayed unto the Lord that he would open the understanding of the whole ground thereof unto me that I might know the same in its proper and peculiar Species 5. Whereupon it appeared so unto me that I by a Divine introduction into the wonderfull workes of God have sufficient cause and ground therein whereby also it came upon me with great desire to set downe this Ground of the Divine will and eternall purposes in Predestination and to bring it into a Booke the which afterwards being it was desired of Mr. B. T. and others I tooke occasion to doe 6. Not to the intent to despise any body in his Opinion or to undertake to prejudice him with any unchristian disgrace or girding taunts but out of a faithfull reall Christian affection and brotherly imparting of my Talent lent me of God 7. Which worke is so deeply and profoundly grounded that not onely the ground of this Question concerning Gods will may be understood but likewise the hidden God may be knowne in his manifestation in all visible things with a very cleare explanation how the ground of the Grand Mystery which is the eternall expressed word of God wherein the wisedome hath wrought from Eternity and wherein all things have beene seene in a Magicall manner or Idea without any creaturall being is to be understood 8. And also how the same Grand Mystery hath brought it selfe through the expression or outspeaking of the divine Science through the Word of God in the place of this World into a severation and comprehensibility to the Creation and how the originall of good and evill in the Severation of the Divine Science in the Grand Mystery in the Eternall Principles to the Divine manifestation and working is to be understood 9. In which the hidden God may not onely be understood in his Being and will but likewise the whole ground of his manifestation through his expressed Word out of the eternall Powers of the Grand Mystery being the Essence of Eternity and how the same is come into a visible comprehensible creaturall externall Being and what likewise the ground of all Mysteries is And how the same is sufficiently made knowne and manifest 10. Also therein is a large expositive ground of the Cosmick Spirit wherein the Creation of this World liveth and withall a very cleare ground of the internall spirituall Angelicall and soulish life also of the rise fall and restitution of man and also of the Typifications of the Scripture in the Old and New Testament concerning the Kingdome of Nature and the Kingdome of Grace what Gods righteousnesse and his Election or purpose is how the same is to be understood 11. Also a cleare demonstration of the Line in the Kingdome of Nature from Adam upon his Children and of the Kingdome of the manifestation of grace in the inspired Grace voyce of the incorporized Divine Science in the Word of Love in the wombe of Grace 12. And then a cleare explanation of the places of Scripture especially of The 9. 10. 11. Chapters of the Epistle of Paul to the Romans On which reason props up it selfe where a full Sensall ground is demonstrated by the quotation and examination of the Scriptures 13. Yet not in a Logicall way as 't is treated on in the Schooles where they make onely Objections and Contradictions one against another contriving knotty Arguments and Dilemma's and the one will not prove and examine the ground and meaning of the other in a Sensall way in the understanding whereupon they bang urge judge condemne for a Heretick and revile one another which indeed is nothing else but Babel a Mother of proud haughty grand Whoredome of errours and confusion where the Name of God is blasphemed and the holy spirit is reviled and judged by Reason in the literall Word 14. Which I wholly disliked of to follow in my Talent for not one jot or tittle of the Law in the Scripture shall perish till all be fullfilled and the sayings of the Scripture together with there types must remaine true and be not contrary as reason supposeth 15. And thereupon I have taken those sayings of Scripture which seem contrary one unto another as it is written God will that all men shall be saved and then again God hardneth their hearts that they understand not albeit they see it and so cleared and reconciled them together that
an Heretick nay giveth him to the Devill for an Opinion sake which he hath made to himselfe 52. I tell and declare unto you in my knowledge which God hath given me that it is a meere deceit of the Devill who thus doth bring us poore men into Opinions to contemne and reproach one another crying downe and holding one another for Hereticks and Fantasticks that bindeth not his conscience to our mentall Idoll or Opinion so that we strive and wrangle about the huske and in the meane time lose love and faith and attaine not the new birth 53. Our whole Religion is but a childâ—like worke namely that we wholly forsake and disclaime our owne knowing willing running disputing and forged conclusions of blinde hypocriticall Reason which bewitcheth the naturall minde to the forme and frame of its owne wisedome and unfaignedly and fully resolve with our selves to enter into and persevere in the way which bringeth us againe to our owne native Countrey which we lost in Adam when he with his minde and full will went out of Paradise into the spirit of this transitory World and so returne to our Mother which in the beginning did beget us and bring us forth out of her selfe 54. Now if we will doe this then we must not come to her in our owne selfe will and way in Pride and Ostentation in aplauding our selves in contempt of her children our fellow-Christians and fellow-members For we are the lost Sonne who is become a Swineheard and have shamefully mis-spent our Patrimony with the fatted Hogs of the Devill and the World We must enter into our selves and well consider our selves and our Fathers house and we must set before us the mirrour or looking glasse of the Law and Gospell and see how far we are departed from Gods righteousnesse and also from unseigned impartiall brotherly love and well examine our heart whereto it is inclined 55. Now when we doe this wee shall finde in our selves many hundred evill Beasts which we have set up in Gods stead and doe honour and love the same above God and even then we shall see what hideous horrible Beasts were manifest in Adam by false lust or imagination and wherefore God sayd to Adam The Seede of the Woman shall breake the Serpents head to wit the Monstrous Beasts 56. As first we shall see in our Desire the proud Lucifer who is departed from Divine and brotherly humility and contemneth the members of his body and hath set himselfe to be a God and Lord over them in whom there is no Divine love to love either God or his Brother 57. Secondly we shall find a Beast in our propertyes resembling the coveteous greedy Swine which will take all to it selfe and alone devour and possesse all and desireth more then it needeth wherewith the proud Lucifer might be able to vapour brag and vaunt himselfe that he is a God over Substance and that he can domineer having power and might over his fellow branches and we shall see how this proud Lucifer hath broken himselfe off from the Tree of life and the mutuall growth and increase of love and would be a Tree of himselfe and therefore hee is a withered dry branch in respect to God 58. Thirdly we shall finde the poysonfull envious Serpent in our properties which teareth and rageth as a poyson I meane Envy which wisheth no man so well as it selfe which stingeth rageth and rideth in other mens hearts and slandereth them with words and onely applaudeth its owne haughty Lucyfer and tearmeth its falsehood and cunning hypocrisie an Angell of God 59. Fourthly We shall finde in our properties the fiery Dragon sitting in hellish fire I meane Anger which if covetousnesse and envy cannot obtaine that which it would have will lay violent hands upon it and take it by force and is so raging madd that it bursteth its life for very malice and iniquity and breakes in pieces in fiery malice and is a very dry branch on the Tree and is onely fit for the fire 60. Fifthly We shall finde many hundred evill Beasts in our Desire which Pride loveth and honoureth more then God and covetousnesse draweth them to it selfe for a Treasure wherewith Pride vapoureth and vaunteth as if they were Gods and thereby doth withdraw sustenance and comfort from his Brothers life so that he is forced to spend it in misery trouble and perplexity by reason of his violence and extortion 61. Now when a man doth thus behold himselfe in this mirror of selfehood and perceiveth these evill Beasts then let him rightly imagine to himselfe that he is deeply guilty of them and thereby consider the greevous fall of Adam and thinke that all these evill desires and vaine imaginations doe wholly take their rise and originall in him from the Monster of the Serpent through the influence and insinuation of the Devill into our first Parents 62. For all the properties of the desires lay in one harmony and stedfast unity in Adam and the one loved the other and were in mutuall agreement but such false desires are risen in Man through the envy of the Devill who stirred up the false lust and imagination in Adam and Eve to prove the unequality in the property and spirit of the mixed World and to taste what good and evill was to feele heate and cold and to try the multitude and variety of the properties so that now these desires doe attract long after and desire that which is like to themselves and every desire of these propertyes is a severall hunger of life in man which hath broken it selfe off from the harmonious unity and opposeth the love likenesse and mutuall society of its fellow branches or brethren and covetously desireth to draw their life and maintenance to it selfe and to make it selfe a Lord over it and will be a Selfeist 63. All which is contrary to the Divine will and ground and is a perjury against God yea it opposeth the course and order of nature as we see by the Trees and Plants of the Earth how all stand and gâ—ow lovingly one by another and rejoyce in one Mother and how one branch on the Tree doth impart its sap and power to the other and mutually serve each other 64. For in such a lovely equality and harmony the life of Man John 1. was inspired out of the eternall Word into the humane Image being out of the Limus of the Earth So that all the propertyes of the life stood in an equall proportion in the temperature in one Love and mutually loved each other 65. But when the Devill mixed his poyson and false desire therein the propertyes of life were divided into many desires whence strife discord sicknesse infirmityes the cumbersome grossenesse and mortall frailty of the body is risen through the false desire and insinuation of the Bestiall propertyes by reason whereof the Image of God which was from the heavenly Essence disappeared concerning which God sayd unto them In
Unity and seeke the Lord and no more fight and destroy our selves we will be content are we not here altogether Pilgrims and Strangers and seek our native Countrey 31. In this time a Zyon verily shall be found and the Heaven shall drop downe its dew and the Earth yeeld her fatnesse yet not so as if wickednesse should be wholly done away for it shall continue unto the end of which Christ saith Thinkest thou that when the Sonne of man shall come that there will be Faith upon the Earth And though the Children of Zyon shall have a fiery deliverance that they shall remaine Maugre the will of the Devill insomuch that God will worke great things as at the time of the Apostles yet it endureth not unto the end for as it was in the dayes of Noah when he entred into the Arke so shall the comming of the Son of man be as it is written 32. But that the holy Ghost shall be in the hearts of the faithfull in Zyon I acknowledge I know it for Zyon shall not be from without but in the new man it is already borne hee that would seeke it let him but seeke himselfe and depart from the old Adam into a new life and hee shall finde whether Jesus bee borne in him 33. If he findes it not let him enter into himselfe and seriously consider himselfe and so he shall finde Babel and her workings in him these he must destroy and enter into Gods Covenant and then Zion will be revealed in him and he shall be born with Christ in Bethleem Jehuda in the darke Stable not in Jerusalem as reason faine would have it that Christ should be born in the old Asse the old Asse must become servant and serve the new man in Zion 34. But that in Foure hundred yeares there shall be a meer golden Age I know nothing of it it is not revealed to mee also the limit of the Worlds End is not revealed to me I cannot speake of any four hundred Yeares for the Lord hath not commanded me to teach it I commend it to Gods might and leave it for those to whome God would vouchsafe the knowledg of it seeing therefore I have not as yet apprehended it I rest satisfyed in his gifts yet I despise no man if he had a knowledge and command so to teach 35. For the fourth Book of Esdras is not sufficient as I understand to give a positive assurance to it yet I wait for my Saviour Jesus Christ and rejoyce that I may finde my Lord when I have him then I hope after the death of my old Adam fully to recreate my selfe in the Still rest of Zion and to wait in my God expecting what he will doe with me in his and my Zion for if I have but him then I am in and with him in the Eternall Sabbath where no strife or contention of the ungodly can any more reach me in my New man at this I doe in the meane time rejoyce in this miserable Vale of Tabernacles 36. The first resurrection of the dead to the thousand yeares Sabbath of which there is mention in the Revelation is not sufficiently made knowne to me how the same may be meant seeing the Scripture doth not mention it elsewhere and Christ also and his Apostles give not an hint of it in other places save only John in his Revelation but whether they shall be a thousand Solar yeares or how it may be referred seeing I have not full assurance I leave it to my God and to those to whom God shall vouchsafe the right understanding of it till God is pleased to open my eyes concerning these Mysteries 37. For they be Secrets and it belongeth not to man to make conclusions about them without the command and light of God but if any had knowledge and illumination of the same from God I should be ready and willing to learne If I could see the ground thereof in the light of nature 38. But seeing it behooveth me not to hide my knowledge of it so farre as I apprehend it in the light of Nature I will therefore set downe some Suppositions or considerable Opinions which are in my minde not positively to affirme but give it to consideration for good and wholesome instructions may be drawne forth thereby and t is also profitable for man so to search I will doe it in all syncere uprightnesse to see if we might attaine somewhat neerer the matter and perhaps there may be some to whom God shall bestow such a gift stirred up thereby to write more clearely 39. As first whether or no it be certaine that the World must continue Seven thousand yeares and one thousand of them should be a meere Sabbath Seeing that God created all in six dayes and began the rest on the sixt day towards evening whence the Jewes begin their Sabbath on Friday evening and Elias also saith that the World should stand but Six thousand yeares and Christ likewise declareth that the dayes of tribulation shall be shortned for the Elects sake else no man should be saved which you apply to the fall of Babel and to the time of Zyon but it seemes as if Christ spâ—ke of the fall of the Jewes and the end of the World and foresheweth an evill End 40. Also Christ saith that it shall be at the time of his comming to judgement as it was in the dayes of Noah where men did Marry and were given in Marriage now we know very well as the Scripture testifieth what manner of wicked World was in the days of Noah that the Deluge must come and destroy them This would intimate and denote a very meane Sabbath 41. And though a man should otherwise expound the words of Christ concerning his comming yet that would not be sufficient to prove it being also that the Disciples of Christ doe alwayes represent the End to be nigh and Paul saith That the end should come after that Antichrist is revealed 42. But that the Resurrection of the dead and the last Judgement should be understood of both namely that the righteous shall arise to the thousand yeares Sabbath and among them some ungodly and that Gog and Magog at the End of the thousand yeares should fight against the Saints it seemes to run quite contrary to the light of Nature 43. For first I cannot apprehend how the first Resurrection must come to passe seeing the Saints shall have their workes follow them according to the words of the spirit besides wee know very well that all our workes are sowne into the great Mystery that they are first brought forth into the foure Elements and so passe into the Mystery and are reserved to the judgement of God where all things shall be tryed by fire and that which is false shall consume in the fire and the figures shall fall unto the Centre of Nature Viz. the darke Eternity 44. But if mens workes shall follow them in the first
the Sinne and Wrath of Adam being yet but One pressed upon and into all so likewise passed and pressed the motion or affection of Gods love in Christ humanity and out of Christs humanity through the whole humanity of all men 17. Christ is againe become the heart in the Humane Tree the Divine Sound voyce or word which hath revealed it selfe in Christs humanity effectually that soundeth through Christs humanity in the Vniversall humane Tree and there is nothing wanting or in the way but that the twig which is on the Tree will not draw the Sap of the Tree into it selfe 18. It hapneth oftentimes that the property is too much in love with Mars and draweth it into it selfe and stirreth up the heat whereby the twigg withereth and so the Mars of the soule draweth wrath and falshood into it selfe whereby its Mercurie becomes poysonfull and then Saturne which is the impression of the lifes property groweth altogether obscure and darke and as long as the Mercurie of the life liveth in such a property he may not be drawne of the love of God but of the anger of God and is chosen to damnation so long as he liveth or continueth in that Free evill wicked will 19. The love of God offers it selfe unto him but he refuseth to accept of it God is desirous of him but the wrath holdeth dim As Christ sayd O Jerusalem Jerusalem How often would I have gathered thy Children as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings but you would not 20. The unwillingnesse lyeth in the way that man in his life letteth himselfe be kept or held of Gods anger being the wrath in the out-spoken or expressed Mercury according to the fiery Property of the Father 21. Deare Brother here lyeth the wicked Childe learne but to know what God Almighty is in Love and Anger and how Man is even that same Being and an Image out of the Eternall Spirit 22. Doe not say God willeth the evill he cannot will or desire any thing that is evill according to the property in which he is called God but if I should call this property Viz. of Anger God then I call Hell Heaven darknesse light and the Devill an Angell 23. True all belong unto God or all is Gods yet God is onely understood in the Source or working property of the love of the light the Anger is in his light a cause of the love-desire and of the Kingdome of joy 24. When the soule bringeth its fire desire out of its owne selfe-will into the Love-desire of God and goeth out of its owne selfenesse aud sinketh into the mercy and compassion of God and casteth it selfe into the death of Christ and willeth no longer the fire-source but desireth in its fire life to be dead in the death of Christ then the poyson of the Mercuriall life dyeth in the will of iniquity and there ariseth a new twigge and budding of love-desire 25. Loving Sir and Brother know that I write not as one blind or dumbe without knowledge I have my selfe found it by Experience I have beene as deepe in your opinion as your selfe yet my Saviour hath opened my eyes that I see I doe not see in my owne ability or power but in his as he knoweth me in himselfe and he will see and I wish with all my heart that you might have an insight into my seeing and that you might see with me out of my seeing I would willingly impart my heart and love to you for a propriety and looke through this glasse out of you 26. But I perceive that I am as yet dumbe unto you and that I am not as yet knowne to you in my knowledge which is given me and I wish from my heart that it may yet once be 27. I intreat and exhort you as a Christian in all humility that you would but gather your Objections together and send them to me in Writing I will deale according to my gifts as a Christian ought and I will declare and explaine them in such a manner that I hope you shall acknowledge me as a Brother in it 28 Not that I presume to doe it from my selfe but my desire which burnes in me like fire requires it of you and I as I am I hope to God that we shall both so prosper in it that God will unite us in his love-desire and knowledge and it shall not prejudice you at all with scorne or disgrace for I have a heart that can conceale Secresie 29. I exhort you in love to a filiall humility in the true Resignation of Christ therein you may be able onely to obtaine and comprehend it otherwise my well-wishing good intent and beginning is to no purpose for I can give you nothing but my good affection and charitable will if you will accept of it 't is well If not I protest and testifie before you and the face of GOD that I have begun my christian devoir aright towards you and in you I have done my part as I am bound in Conscience to doe 30. I may come to see you my selfe if my affaires will permit provided that it may conduce to Gods Honour and mans Salvation for I know many thirsty soules thereabouts with whom I might refresh my selfe and they in me 31. I have at present found a very pretious Jewell which might be profitable not onely for the soule but for the body and good for your Patients 32. If men would labour in Christs vineyard God might even now give us such a sunshine which might warme the Apothecaries shop of which many honest People have beene a long time desirous which sun-shine would boldly dispell the smoak in Babel and be a refreshment to the Children of Christ in their Oppression Misery and Tribulation 33. But in truth because men will be so Wicked and Godlesse there shall be an horrible storme of hail and rain at which the Earth shall quake and many thousand soules be drowned in the water 34. I would gladly heere mention somewhat unto you but at this time it cannot be be pleased to take notice of the storme towards the East that towards the North is not far from it in the South there is a great smoak that causeth the eyes of those in the West to smart 35 Let no man say when the storme passeth by that this man or that man is righteous before God it shall goe well with him because of his Religion the anger of God is enkindled in all and they are all alike unto him for all their Religion as long as the one liveth like the other 36. The most High sweepeth out one besom with another but there springeth up a Lilly unto all nations happy are those that apprehend the same 37. The thirsty soul must not say the Lord hath forsaken mee he hath forgotten me as little can God forget as a Mother can forget her child and albeit shee should forget yet the Lord hath not forgotten his poor