and so in stead of enjoying me they shall be terrified by me which hell shall be here on earth for when my sons and daughters shall sing and rejoyce they shall howl and weep for sorrow and I said Lord it is said that thou wilt separate the sheep from the Goats and set one on the right hand and the other on the left hand that in the world to come And the Lord said I will make a seperation and such a seperation as is spoken of and that I will now set the one of my sons and daughters on my right hand which is my love and favour to them and the other to wit the wicked shall bee on my left hand that is under my wrath and I said Lord what is become of the wicked that have ceased if there be no hel nor no other life and the Lord said their bodyes are returned to earth from whence they came and so shall ever be and never be more but their spirits as soon as they go out of their bodies being not made of the four Elements as fire water earth and aire neither is it the soule which is their life for I the Lord is their life and soule and so soone as I draw my self which is the soul out of the body the body returnes to the earth and there it continues but the soul which is the life of the body which life is my own invisible being returnes to its centre as the body doth to his and there remaines which centre I the Lord of host am and so the soul which is the life cannot suffer any torment after it is out of the body but returnes to me to be at rest with me but the spirit and the soul being two distinct the spirit of a man it is that is and shall be tormented When the body shall rest and the soul be also at rest I meane the body of him that is deceased when his spirit which is his conscience that is compounded of reason wisedome and knowledge and so proceeds from man and is called the spirit of a man shall be tormented for ever and that in a body though it be not in the same body for this spirit which is compounded of reason wisdome and knowledge is that which exalts and sets it self against God and so is the utter enemy to God it being some thing which proceeds from flesh and proceeds out of man and yet it is not flesh nor man and as soon as it comes out of one man where I the God of gods doe not rule it goes into another wicked man and there acts the same things which it did in the first and so as Cain killed Abel the same spirit is in wicked men killing the Saints which spirit of man being all that shall be tormented I suffer it to embody it self in man untill it becomes a legion of Devils and there they remain in man untill I by my spirit cast them out or till I withdraw my self and so let the body goe from whence it comes and so the Devil which my Sonne Christ cast out of the man which man was tormented by it it being in him for so long as it was in him it did keep him from enjoying me and so did torment him is the spirits of wicked men transfused into one and so rules in a man and as it spake and desired Christ to let it go into the herd of swine it shewes that it was not able to a bide in that place were I would not have him tarry neither can it go into any but to those that I give it a commission to go into and as it chose to go into swine the swine sets forth wicked men so that the Devil that was cast forth went into the herd of swine went into wicked men and as the swine ran into the Sea and were drovvned so those into whom I do suffer the spirit of a wicked man to go into and remaine and not cast it out that man is tormented by that spirit and drowned in a Sea of misery But as the spirit cried out art thou come to torment me before my time it shewes that a spirit is not capable of torment out of a body but in a body which bodies shall now be that the spirits of all wicked men shall be tormented in and they shall for ever as one Devil and his Angels be burning in my wrath that is those wicked men that remaine shall be the places wherein all the spirits of wicked men and their spirits shall be tormented day and night that is in bodies wherein nothing but wickednesse dwels so that all might be tormented and destroyed but I the Lord of host and I said Lord there are some things in likenesse of hens or doggs or any any thing else that can speake and my God said that these are the spirits of wicked men whom I can make in any shape and can give them power to speake to other wicked men or their spirits in them which spirit workes in the children of disobedience in this forme and shape and so these spirits are witches so called because I suffer them in whom they remaine to have power and so to bewitch them that they come not to the knowledge of me that is those in whom this power of darknesse rules are so overpowred with darknesse that they become fit subjects or bodies for me to execute my wrath upon them which bodies being sensible of me the Lord and of the glory and happinesse of my sons and daughters shal gnaw their tongues for paine even in this world so that the resurrection in Scripture mentioned is not a resurrection of the body out of the earth but a resurrection of the the body from darkness to light and from the wrath of me to the love and favour of me For saith Christ I am the resurrection and the life so that the resurrection and life is Christ that is so to be raised from the body of death and sin as to be anointed with the spirit of God and so to become new being dead before and now to be alive and ever to be with God Free from apprehending God to be angry with us but always feeling his divine power ruling in us and causing of us to see and look upon him as one that is well pleased with us FINIS
as soon as I did speak with the Generall it should open which was now so closed for a signe to convince me of my unbeliefe and also a stumbling-block for those that did by violence open it as a Priest for one who was the chief cause of it I being then in the Generalls house intending for to have spoken with him as to deliver to him what God should have made out to me But I see it since to be the wisdome of my God that I did not speak with him and likewise the wisdome of God that my hand was opened by violence that it may prove the fall of the enemies of Sion and give them cause to mock and laugh at me that so thâ—y may be for the slaughter when the Lord ariseth to shâ—ke the earth terribly And this I writâ— because I would not have you wonder why I do not go to the Generall for to speake with him and so conclude that I am deluded as they that openâ—d my hand did for the wayes of God are past finding out and my message is done for the present in that I have endeavoured for to speak with him and I am as much satisfied with my condition as if I had spoke with him for I see an over-ruling power and so am made for to wait upon that power that made all creatures knowing that he will do his pleasure untill he doth in a more poweâ—full manner carry me forth in such a way to act which as I am a creature I am dead to and when he appeares in power in his own time for to make use of me or aâ— any other of his creatures they shall not be able to wiâ—hstand him as I fâ—r my own paâ—t have not beene able to withstand So with this caution to you all not to mock at me lest you mock not only me but the All of all things and so dash your selves against that rock which will beat to pouder all other powers besides himselfe that he may be all and in all I am willing to be silent leaving my God to do with me and all creatures what he pleaseth GEORGE FOSTER January 14 1650. THe first day of the appearing of the eternall God in me so as to make his excellent Majesty most illustriously to shine in me as the most excellent and most glorious object was by declaring himself to be my God and that he was come to make himselfe known unto me who had a long time been in me buried under the clouds of proud flesh and I was ignorant of him and though I was ignorant of him of the eternall God dwelling in me yet he did dwell in me and was the life of me which is a great mystery and vnknown to most creatures though most professe they know God that God even the eternall God dwels in them by which they live and move and have their being But it hath pleased the infinite Iehovah who is the fulnesse of all and fills the Creation with his grace to appeare most gloriously in me stripping and robbing me of all my former glory that he alone may appear to be my all and in all and so to declare and make himselfe manifest to me that he the eternall God doth dwell in me and is the life of me and that he will no longer be buried in me but now will arise like a man of warre tearing and destroying all proud flesh which hath covered him that he alone may appear to be my eternall King and so to take me up into the full injoyment of himselfe by declaring in me saying I the Lord of hosts am come which voice was the most joyfullest voice that ever sounded in mine eares though it was a terrour to my flesh yet I may say with the Prophet this is the day which the Lord hath made come let us be glad and rejoyce in it The Prophet was not ignorant that the Lord did make all the dayes for he knew well enough the Lord did make all but this day wherein he sayes he will rejoyce was that day even that day as the eternall God did appeare to be his God and so apprehending him selfe by the manifestations of God to him to be one with God and no longer at a distance from Godâ— did cause him to rejoyce and be glad But who shall abide the day of his coming or who shall be able to stand when he appeareth Surely no flesh shall be able to stand in that body when the mighty God of Jacob appeareth neither shall any flesh abide there neither shall that creature in whom he is pleased to manifest himself be able to oppose him for the Lord will do all his pleasure He is like a refiners fire and fullers sop The eternall God by his bright appearing in his sons he will purifie and refine them by destroying that which hath troubled them and hath kept them at a distance from him and cause them to see evill no more and to see former things to passe away and all things become new And thus it hath pleased my excellent Majestie who dwels in me to make known himself unto me that so J may see former things or old things passe away and all things become new And as the eternal God caught Paul up into rhe third heaven and he heard there words not fit to be uttered because if he should have made them know they could not understand them by reason of the difference of dispensations wherein they lived Paul being a father all they babes and children So my excellent Majesty the eternall God having taken me up into himselfe by his appearing in me in such a high discovery of his love unto me as to make me see himselfe in me and I to have no life but he to be my all yea my life and that I can do nothing without him who hath caused me to deliver my Kingdome all my strength he being now the end of it to my Father that he may be all and in all yea he hath even my eternall God so powerfully overcom me that whether I was welling or no destroyed my flesh for God is a consuming fire that he may take the kingdom to himselfe and so to be all and in all in me even thus it pleased my eternall God even in a moment in the twinkling of an eye to strike me dead and likewise to raise me from the dead and to cause me to heare the Angell sound the last Trumpet and so to take me up to meet the Lord in the aire and so to be ever with the Lord sounding the tune of the seven Trumpets alwayes in mine ears and causing me to hear the noise of the last trumpet even the mystery of God saying it is done it is done and time shall be no longer making me to see seventy weeks spoken of in Daniel to be at one end and so to see sin and transegression to be finished and to hear a voice within me saying everlasting righteousnesse is
that burned her cloathes and she was not hurt in her body brought her cloathes again to put on her all white without spot and she to my thinking was then far more glorious then she was before and I said Lord what woman is this And my eternal King said it was his Church and as she was in white it did shew that she did apprehend her self to be clean by Christ as she had black spots it doth shew that she is not so pure as to be free from imperfection and as she had knots of several ribons on her breast it doth shew that she the Church hath several outward ordinances or dispensations formes by which she doth worship me saith the Lord of Hosts but as you saw one came with fire and burnt all her cloathes and all her ribons and yet did not hurt her body it shews that I the Lord of host who am a consuming fire will burn all her dross or consume all fleshliness and dross from my people or Church and so will strip her naked of all her administrations and outward ordinances and Church-fellowships and pastors and teachers and of all though it seems never so glorious And as you saw he that burned up her cloaths bring her new cloaths to put on all white without spot or wrinkle it shews that I the Lord of hosts after I have burned up and consumed all the flesh and fleshliness of my Church as all her outward ordinances and dispensations as formes of worships and all her pastors and teachers and Church-fellow-ships and so they striped her naked of all that then I will new cloath her that she shall the Church appear far more glorious then ever she was before for when she is thus striped of all and is naked in her own apprehensions she shall be cloathed with the Sunne mentioned in the Revelations and the Moon shall be under her feet this Son is my righteousness which will make her the Church all in white as you see the woman after she had lost all was cloathed in white and all outward Ordinances represented by the Moon under her feet that when my church is stripped of all outward excellencies then shall I appear to be excellent as to be her pastor and teacher and ordinances and so her all and in all and then shall she be more free and at more liberty when these shall be taken from her then she hath been yet for then my Church shall not run after men and so go gadding about for food but shall quickly rest her self contented with me the bread of life and so shall worship me in spirit and in truth and so my Church shall be compacted of living stones that the prophesie may be fulfilled there shall not be a Cananite in the house of the Lord any more but she shal now wholly throw away that which shee hath highly esteemed of as outward means which hath been but streams which have flown from me who am the fulness of all things and shall now wait onely to hear the voice within her saying this is the way walk in it and so heard this voice which voice is I the Lord of hosts speaking in her she shall have more satisfaction and rest in her spirit then ever she has had as yet for she thus waiting upon me shall speak the pure language which none shall have but those my sons and daughters that I make out my self unto for the effect of this language which is the spirit of me will cause all difference and confusion to end that some shall no longer worship me the Lord of hosts one way and some another way but being possest of me and hearing me teaching in them I will make them all to serve me with one consent which cannot be so long as they worship me in several forms therefore do I this saith the Lord of hosts to strip my people of all forms that some might not run one way and some another but that all may serve me in one way which way is onely to wait on me saith the Lord of hosts who wil bring it suddenly to pass And as thou sawest one bring a book and it was sealed and he that brought it opened it and gave it her in her hand this book is the mistery of mee which is now to be finished and as you see it was sealed up it shews that this mistery which is I the Lord of hosts in my people have been hid and none hath been able to look into it but as he that opened it and gave it to her doth shew that though it hath been hid yet I the Lord of hosts will now open it and make it known to all my sons and daughters as the woman doth represent by having it open in her hand and when they shall see this mistery I the Lord of hosts to be in them then shall they know how to worship me which will be without ordinances or forms only waiting for me to teach them and no longer to wait upon the teaching of man for man hath teached them to look for me in heaven or that I do dwell in heaven in a place above the skies but they know not where not teaching them to look for me within them where they now in waiting upon me shall know that I do dwell saith the Lord of hosts And again the word of the Lord came unto me saying behold behold what doest thou now see and loe I beheld a beast that had upon his head one horn and he continied pushing until there came one and cut him down and burned his body and I said Lord what beast is this And my eternal Majesty the King of eternal glory within me said this beast is that beast with one horn mentioned in Daniel and yet is the same beast mentioned in the Revelations That made an Image like unto the former beast that had a wound and did live which caused all both small and great bond and free to receive a mark in their foreheads or in their right hand that they might live and have a being amongst them but here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast for it is the number of man and his number is six hundred threescore and six And I said Lord what doth this Beast represent That proceedeth from the Kings and doth think to change laws and times and had power given him until a time and times and dividing of times And my eternal God within me said that this beast is the Parliament who have their poewr by reason the 10 horns are cut down that is by reason Kingly power as the name of it is cut off with the late King that was beheaded and likewise these formes of worships as the Episcopal Government for matter of rules of worships to walk by as to do as the Bishops was pleased to have people do they are all cut down by the Parliament which the beast as thou sawest did set forth