Disciples Learn of me for I am lowly and meek and you shall finde reft to your souls and again Love ye one another or love together as I have loved you by this said he shall all men know that you are my disciples He did not say They should be known by working miracles casting out Devils preaching teaching or praying which should be more minded by those that now desire signes and wonders that they may otherwise see if they shut not their eyes while true love and meekness are the greatest of miracles in these last and perilous times wherein men strive to resist evil not to suffer it to revenge wrongs rather then to forgive them as Christ commanded rather to fain love and meekness then be possessed of them suffer and endure all things and such is not worthy the name of love or meekness in mans will which is but altogether imperfect but meekness as in pure love and spiritual affections is perfect meekness and he that hath this is a meek man poor in spirit that knoweth himself as he is and ought to be known dissembleth not but loveth all others in or for God but where grudgings are in the heart towards any or unquiet thoughts the heart is not clean the conscience is not pure nor the walking charitably or with God in love of clean affections and consequently in and for God for the more evil any one doth to a meek man the more good doth he to him as to a man out of his right minde and so do thou and pray for such as Christ commanded and observe how he himself did by Judas for all his wickedness and to others never so much as saying to any man Thou lyest though some falsly accused him said He had a devil c. neither do I read that he reproved Judas openly bâ—t rather waited for his repentance to the very last and the more like to Jesus Christ thou art herein the more thou lovest thy self onely in God and not out of him and so thou lovest truly and not onely for righteousness vertue of God in thee or others so thou lovest not thy felf but God and if thou be yet bound in sin and feelest the burden of it then so thou lovest thy self for God to be freed by him from sin into his service and so if thou truly live in meekness thou lovest every man in the first place thou lovest God in man and in the second place thou lovest man for God that he may be his so should God be loved in all and for all and all in him and this is true love but if thy minde be troubled or unquiet when thou art rebuked belyed or evilly entreated then there is pride remaining in thy heart seem thou never so holy outwardly and there lyes hid like a Fox in his den And no good deed canst thou possibly do but it is spoiled therewith and thou hast thy reward for it is a mystery to love mens persons which ever ought to be and loathe their sins as contrary to God but it is no mystery to fain or pretend love fast sit silent preach give to the needy c. for these things bad men may do but to love men truly and hate the evil in them is the gift of God by the holy Spirit of Love which he gives freely and readily to all that wait truely for it and is therefore most pretious and profitable and without this there is not meekness of love to all men and a seeking the salvation of all but a stumbling and erring from the truth and mistaking one thing for another errours for truth and truth for errours because Covetousness and Anger is not forsaken while any other love but what is so in God and for God remains as to any creature or thing and thou shalt sinde it easier to forsake riches and lusts then the love of them for he that coveteth or desireth any thing he hath not and thereby keeps back the clean desires to Vertâ—e is yet covetous and look how much sorrow thou feelest upon the loss of any thing so much was thy love to it so that thou covetest not spiritual things so as thou oughtest but that thou stamblest at them and then how shouldst thou be filled with kindly savour within while the flesh retains its beastly savour without But this know that diligent watching inward hunger and pains helpeth the holy Spirit in thee to overcome yet while the bad root lives its evil branches will be springing up for therein is the compleat nature of the evil root and thereof the loathsome fruit which every evil man brings forth out of the evil treasure of his heart and there the strong man armed keeps the house until there be a free yeilding to Jesus Christ in meekness and pure love wherein he may overcome that strong man and strip him of all his strength and weapons wherein he trusteth and create the new man according to his own image and likeness of righteousness and true holiness and as thou receivest him with ability to exercise thy sences and discern things rightly to have Jesus Christ formed in thee and as thou conceivest him and he lives in thee thou wilt bring forth good things out of the good treasure of his life by strong desires and earnest actings to please him and be made like unto him not as of fleshly forming but in full meekness of minde pure love full perfection and fruition of all heavenly vertues and unchangeable blessedness whereunto Christ Jesus is the door he the Porter and not another he opens and no man shuts and shuts and no man opens by him is the enterance the going in and out and finding pasture for he is the pasture even the living bread that came down from heaven and is in heaven the well of water springing up to everlasting life of whom all the several sects and sorts of men that climb up another way are ignorant and so wanting the nourishment thereof fall short of the glory of God and yet forward to reprove others without any certain knowledge of those things in themselves or considering with how much meekness gentleness love and privacie for the most part reproofs ought to be even in weighty matters and in all as thrust on by divine love and some hopes of thereby shewing the sinner the evil of his way that he may be reclaimed ever weighing well how dangerous it is to abase and reprove others and not live in the light ones self and how many tribulations and tentations others have born to keep thee low in thine own eyes and learn to know how to esteem others highly in love for their works sake but but whosoever arrogates to or exalts himself thereby becomes base and blockish an antichrist unfit for any spiritual work and shall certainly fall low at last because the power of the Lord Jesus hath not had a kindly working in such a soul or his pure presence received by it or
reasonable things But the soul is to seek for a higher knowledge of and in it self in the light as to know that it is invisible and immortal of the breath of God wherein God is to be seen spiritually which is a great mystery not to be exprest in words but to be sought out and kept clean and bright from worldly wisdom fleshly filth and earthly vanities above the sensual part to see it self in Jesus Christ the Way Truth and Life the ancient Path wherein the holy men of God ever walked to please him in diligent labour and travel of mind and sufferings of the outward man and yet with fulness of joy and spiritual delight In every spiritual work and employment mans will wisdom reasoning and earthly affections are to be left behind as Abraham left his servants when he went to offer his Son Isaac for a burnt-offering to the Lord and as Moses drawing near to God put off his shoes so all you that will draw near unto the Lord God cast aside and leave behind you your own selfishness wills wisdoms and imaginations with every high thought that exalteth it self and keeps your souls from closing with the Lord in his holy service that you may be by him prepared to meditate watch pray and give thanks in all things and at all times and embrace all divine counsel and heavenly help thereby freely tendered in the pure light and tender touches in the conscience to move the heart into an awful dread and true fear of God that by the stirrings of grace you may come to a knowledge of him spiritually which gift is common to all bat particularly received by the diligent soul that waits therein stable and firm according as it so receiveth and keepeth thereto with all ready chearfulness moving in its own measure of grace so given though it be never so little for the Lord is pleased suddenly to prepare mens hearts by putting meditations into their minds in the beginning and time of their conversions especially of such as have been much occupied in worldly defilements and then commonly the thoughts of such when once turned in are most upon their sins with great sorrow meekness and tears asking forgiveness and watching thereto as the Lord toucheth their so us sharply to make them the sooner clean for then the sin will be ever in the sight as foul and horrible and accompanied with fightings and hard conflicts in their consciences so as that they can take no rest until the Lord Jesus give it as pleaseth him wherein is his tender mercy that he may scowre and cleanse such souls the more speedily and forgive their sins as he wipeth them away wherein justification is in sanctification and sanctification accompanied with justification and fitteth the soul to receive some spiritual grace and gift of his love and so the holy Spirit oft stirreth to meditations in God which worketh a kindly work in their souls to be waited in and the fruits of the Spirit to be received and all in Jesus Christ as the pure power endless love and wisdom of God that sets the heart upon hungering after his vertue and spiritual discoveries in such exercises as God is graciously pleased to give in to the soul and so meditation watching and praying have no rules bounds or limits set by man unto them but when and as the Lord Jesus pleaseth to give by the holy Spirit for his gift it is for disposing of his chosen ones and drawing in their souls to him to be made wise in waiting knowing and obeying him spiritually wherein he giveth such tender-heartedness that they oft melt into devotion and are ravished in souls above measure somewhat like as it sometimes was with the Disciples that sate together and were filled with the holy Ghost and then spake forth the great and wonderful things of God when all they knew was oy that spiritual ravishing love and so the Lord is pleased oftentimes to open his treasury and give to some very plentifally in all ages as their souls come to be cleansed and the way made open and easie to them though the doing thereof is a great mystery to others that remain ignorant or are net watchful and diligent so that it passeth over them some growing contrary to it and at enmity with it for then the Lord withdraweth it again by reason of that slothfulness and abuse and sometimes from the more diligent to prove and try such that they may know wherein their strength standeth and after that to feel their own weakness and also know their respective states and how to love more spiritually and so partly it was with the Disciples that loved Christ much while in the flesh with them but then fleshly as in his manhood and therefore he told them it was necessary for them that he should go away and send the holy Ghost to teach them to know and love more spiritually and so the Lord oft withdraws himself outwardly that the inward and heavenly presence of his love may be the more earnestly desired meditated on and pressed after and that the soul may know its duty and employment in waiting watching and suffering until it be throughly renewed strengthned and established in his spiritual might and power to glorifie him with more fervent love and holy worship and if it so come to pass that he who is watchful and diligent therein feels not this vertue enabling him to meditation or spiritual imployment with his whole heart as he desireth but in stead thereof fee leth many other thoughts run in upon him and hinder him and the more pain he taketh to keep his heart in watching and waiting for spiritual feeling the farther off it is to the very last and again harder afterwards this is to teach him to watch more singly and sincerely within the soul and forget all things without and to know that it is no easie thing to love with all the heart until the heart be renewed for this work will be found painful and laborious at first by the pressing in of vain thoughts and a full hard task it is for him that feels no grace to be long meditating waiting and watching in his soul and much will he be encumbered with running and roving thoughts as having gotten no sure hold of his heart and therefore is the heart to be kept unto God in the light with all diligence for thereout come the issues of life or of death for there is the good or the evil treasure and when well kept there springs up wise and clear thoughts clean affections fiery desires to spititual employment vertue and vertuous actions but otherwise thereout come the contrary as evil thoughts unclean desires and affections for every mans thoughts and meditations discover to him that is of a heedful mind what he is as that whereon he thinketh and meditateth in that he loveth so that he loveth is his God and the more he loveth God the more he mindeth him and meditateth on
he witnesseth with mans spirit or how he baptiseth into the one body how the excellent mysteries of divine love are revealed to the obedient and clean soul by the holy Ghost or how so to live and walk in the Spirit as not to fulfil the lusts of the flesh This living soul is not any corporeal substance but a life invisible as God is invisible for it is of the breath of God and so is Gods in an especial manner that by its vertue beareth up the body and quickneth it and so the Spirit formed in man is said to be the candle of the Lord useful there in searching the inner parts and knowing the hearts secrets This soul consisteth of reason mind will and other faculties fit to receive and retain God in its understanding and knowledge without forgetting him or being distracted by any Creature or creaturely thing and as the Reason is enlightned and becomes clear and bright free from errour and darkness and the will and affections turned into the light and love of Christ Jesus the promised seed and endless wisdom of God and is free from all beastly love of the flesh or any Creature by his blessed love meer mercy and soveraign goodness of his holy Spirit The soul becomes as Adams was in Paradise an innocent Life of conversing with God and as Enochs that walked with God pleased him and was not found c. But this soul cannot be found or known while man hath any thing molesting it that is of his own body or bodily wits wherewith the senses may be exercised so he that will save his lise must loose it for the reasonable soul is a life immortal as well as invisible and hath a power and pure light of Christ in it self to see know and love the truth and true good which is God onely and he that truely feels and knows this and is sensible of the touches thereof feels and knows somewhat of the reasonable soul and the kindly workings of it and the more he becomes acquainted therewith in this manner the better he seeth and knoweth himself and others also and the more meek humble lowly loving tender and compassionate will he be towards all men and creatures And this was the highestate and condition the heavenly and excellent dignity that Adam lost when he became in love with himself and selfish things taking delight in earthly knowledge and worldly glory whereby he fell into a dark feeble and wretched estate like the beast that perisheth by which the love that before was clean savory and sweet in the holy Ghost was so turned into a filthy beastly love and liking of himself and the creatures wherein he sought content but found it not as it now is with all that remain in that degenerated nature and therefore the soul to be brought back to know it self and be fitted for the service whereunto it was ordained by its being gathered up into its self and fully departed from beholding all creaturely things or selfish use of bodily wits arts wisdom or knowledge of man gotten by any natural means study labour or exercise so that the soul feel it self in its own kind in being as it were without a body for as the eye of the soul is opened to Jesus Christ in his pure light and the love turned to him it is received up above all bodily creatures from beholding liking thinking on and using them and ever disdaining to be obedient to any worldly thought or earthly thing that perisheth with the using And while the soul is so kept therein cometh no errour nor deceit of its enemy because it then seeth Jesus Christ above and in him and holds the mystery of faith in a pure conscience and all created things below under his feet as not in him nor of him So David waited upon God for salvation and his heart hearkned and indited of that good matter and so became very ready in it and saw the beauty of the Lord and when the soul is brought into this heavenly harmony it truly loves God and all creatures spiritually not fleshly and carnally as in its former ignorance and is overcome with the sweetness of Christs words of love clearly revealed and spoken into the ear of the heart which that soul heareth and obeyeth with good savour and true joy in him alone and so his secrets are with his saims but not with the blind world for the ignorant soul is so over-laid with worldly love that it is all common as the high-way so that every stirring of the flesh and the Devil sinketh into it resteth therein and passeth through it as it pleaseth without controule and so if any good seed fall therein it withereth for want of earth it is choaked or these fewls of the air steal it away and devour it there being onely the degenerate nature of old Adam while that which became a living soul wants the quickning spirit to form the new man settle and establish the soul not according to the carnal commandment but after the power of the endless life But how hard and difficult this is for the rude soul so unacquainted with it self and accustomed to receive tentations make provision for the flesh and fulfil its lusts and be stirring much in filth and fleshly things to enter this strait gate to the knowledge of its self in its true light is evident by the ignorance of most and the small numbers of those that find it for most men that would finde entrance and know their souls in stead of turning in into the light of Christ turn their thoughts with imaginations into their bodies to seek for their souls and to feel them as though they were hid within their hearts as their hearts are holden and hid within their bodies Now if a man should covet to know his soul and that never so earnestly and seek for it in that manner in his body he may not possibly so find it in its self but the more he seeketh to feel and know it by studiousness as he would know or learn tongues arts or other bodily things the farther shall he be from it by that seeking and therefore so many weary themselves in vain by seeking the door in a wrong way and contrary nature whereby it is hid from the wise and prudent and revealed onely to babes and sucklings at the breasts of consolation in the pure light of Christ who is this Door and by whom the diligent soul comes truely and quickly to enter understand and know what its self is with its true Teacher and Guide while the other soul falleth suddenly into imaginations of bodily things and words supposing thereby to have or gain the light of its self and so of God and spiritual things which as I said before can never be so attained by imagination or bodily wit as the mind may see sensibly what is just between man and man by its understanding thereof for then the soul might see it self in understanding
heaven that Christ said is within the heritage of heavenly love is found and repossessed in mans soul for it is not so easily found as many usually suppose nor is it a work of one day onely but attained by much waiting in the light sweeping searching watching praying and silent mourning before the Lord and as the heart and conscience becomes purified then he shall finde that homely and peaceable presence of Jesus Christ the pearl of great price in the glimmering shadow of pure shining brightness in his soul But though Jesus Christ is so hid in the soul yet no man is any whit the better thereby that doth not there finde him and feel his operations spiritually but remains as it is written a reprobate whatsoever he may be otherwise And a great mercy it is to man that this Jewel was lost where it may be found again by the light in the scarching and watchful soul where Jesus Christ full oft calleth and knocketh by his privy voice stirring reproving and inviting the soul to a diligent search and withal to abandon other lovers vanities and entanglements that hinder the hearing of his voice for as it is said this daughter must consider and forget her own people and her fathers house of worldly thoughts loves cares and fears which hinder the soul that it can neither see him nor hear him and therefore all troublesome thoughts restless noise and imaginations are to be put away as Hagar the bond-woman that may not be heir with the son of the free woman for while the soul is in the bondage of corruption there is nothing within but black clouds and spiritual blindness with fleshly thoughts and desires crying against it in the dark conscience but as the inner eye of the soul is opened in the light which is of Jesus Christ in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily there is that pure sight and sweet love of endless vertue and blessed rest which is found within the soul by the great and burning desires for him whereby all other loves and lovers are cast out and not suffered to rest in the heart which is a right seeking for him this hid Treasure And as this stirring and waiting in the light waxeth firm stable and unmoveable it will be holpen and comforted by inward and spiritual strength of love and sweet savour in the soul with light of continual springing faithfulness and assured knowledge of him and the powers of the thoughts onely upon him and freed from every other affection to rest in the sweet anointing which is the shadow and taste of Jesus Christ and the better any soul finds him the more it will desire him in cleanness of heart and pureness of conscience to meet him more singly in the same way he appeareth and wherein it hath seen and found him at first and other times since most savourly And though thou art altogether blind and seest nothing rightly in thy self or of the Godhead of Christ yet consider seriously what thou wantest and what thou hast lost for thy soul can have no true content or sure satisfaction but in God from whence it is and if thy heart say I want and would have Jesus Christ and nothing but him onely wait therein for him as not satisfied with that appearance and follow him as he leadeth thee and more and more press forward to know him and the power of his resurrection and fellowship of his sufferings and to be made conformable to his death and so grow up in him as he moves and grows in thee and yet know that when thou hast found the most of him in the highest ravishments of spirit as Peter and Iohn in the mount or as Paul mentioned thou hast not therein fully attained to him as he is in his joy for he is still above that any soul feeleth as the fountain of all joy and sweetness but thou art ever to know and feel a spiritual longing after him and a loathing of all things else and then thou wilt find him more worth then all things even then all visions and revelations though not without visions and revelations then all joy in heaven and earth if it might be had without him for thou wilt then say in thy soul as David whom have I in heaven but thee and I desire nothing in the earth besides thee as feeling and finding that his pure presence onely gives understanding to the simple he teacheth fools knowledge whereat the Nations are angry the people and their teachers rage and imagine a vain thing against him and his holy One as not willing to know him for fear of the Cross and the shame which he despised for the joy set before him and are therefore grieved that any others should Conversion is properly a turning from evil to good from lust to pure love which is God and this conversion is ever accompanied with repentance from dead works that are past and out of that nature love and liking wherein they were wrought to serve the living and true God and therefore it is not every turning of mans body and mind from one outward form or practice to another as it were thereby to serve and worship God for then the divers Political turnings of former and latter times would be conversion to him which he may not so accept because he changeth not but is the same at all times even the unerring Father of spirits and so to be worshipped in spirit and in truth and these are outward turnings from one act of mans will to another or from evil to worse as the Proselytes that the Pharisees made sevenfold worse then before whilst the ground of sin with its branches remain standing uncut down or toucht from whence such traditional turnings arise to oppose that one truth and good way of the Lord wherein all obedient souls are made free from such shifts and changes but while men have either not know the fear of the Lord or are departed from it left and lost the power of godliness and simple truth in themselves so that their salt is without savour their minds run abroad and their hearts are filled with fleshly desires loves and fears wherein they labour night and day to gain and keep the love and friendship of this world which is enmity to God with the profits and pleasures thereof and therein serve themselves like the beasts that perish and have their hearts oft filled with wrath and revenge like unreasonable beasts against others of their own kind when they are hindred of any their desired ends and likewise against such as so hinder them not therein unless by standing in their way as the Angel before Balaam and so touching their more quick and tender parts and that onely in love to bring them back into the light and fear of the Lord that their blind and dead souls might be lighted and enlivened to have regard to the honest principle of God in themselves and others that would rule all
the holy Ghost contemplating on Jesus Christ they were awake though they had other sleeps sometimes as when Christ said Could you not watch with me one houre having their souls inspired through grace and the speciall eye therein opened and beholding Jesus Christ in purity and poverty of spirit inward silence true rest peace in conscience highness of heavenly thoughts with singleness and purity of heart disliking the joyes of this world and onely delighted with spirituall savour of bright burning love thirsting for and gently seeking the Lords blessed presence spiritually These are true testimonies of the inspiration of the holy Ghost in this keeping the spirituall eye of the soul but seeing that reforming onely in faith and fleshly feeling is very low and perilous in its beginning because of the aptness then to yield to the tempter and backslide and reforming in spirituall feeling and savour so high and sure great diligence is requisite in watching waiting coveting and labouring as the Lord Jesus moveth in disposing the affections and bringing the heart to cleanness and feeling of grace which is a constant work of much travel of soul against all wicked stirrings and temptations for it so falls out with some that through negligence and yielding to tentations the enemy enters the soul again and then it feels not the grace as it did but it is withdrawn and the soul returns into the state as before but then the soul is in much blindness pain sorrow and unsavouriness for it relisheth worldly things but unsavourily and is encumbered with bodily wit and earthly matters for the time and then it desireth after the grace of Christ Jesus again and may not find it for a time but this withdrawing is alwayes for just cause and also in much merey to prove the soul and let it see that without Christ it can do nothing and come to him again with much pain and labour fear care and watchfulness while it supposeth that Jesus Christ heareth not which is his dealing with many for their spirituall strength and growth in him for then the Lord Jesus is sure that the soul will not turn again to worldly love for that it can have no savour therein and then after a time Jesus Christ returneth into that soul full of grace and truth visiteth it in its desires sighs and longings for very love to his presence and then as he toucheth it softly and anoynieth it with the oyle of gladness it is healed of all pains and pantings and then it cryeth to Jesus in the spirit with a glad heart and sweet still voyce as his love teacheth This opening of the spirituall eye of the soule is a light darknesle and rich poverty leading to purity of spirit quietness of conscience inward peace and spirituall rest with high and heavenly thoughts in singleness of soul a light and feeling of grace in the secrets of the heart tasting heavenly savour of inflamed love with bright-shining light of reforming into pure feeling whereof many holy men of God have written every one according to his respective feeling thereof in the grace of the holy Ghost and though they seem divers in shewing by words because then each one spake after his own then receiving and encreasing in grace yet nevertheless they agreed in all as in one sentence of unchangable verity for the soul that through the Lords mercifull visiting with his grace comes to see the face of Jesus by that touching and especiall grace of the holy Ghost is changed and turned from what it was into another manner of living for it is wonderfully drawn first into it self from love and likings of all earthly things insomuch that it hath lost the savour of the bodily life and all things else save onely Jesus Christ and is thereby made clean from all the filth of sin and all inordinate affections are wiped off and washed away in the blood of the Lamb and hath nothing standing to hinder him between God and his soul but onely the bodily eye which is thereby become blind and the soul in spirituall rest with Jesus Christ without fears cares or desires of worldly things but fully imployed in a free and spiritual working and love therein whereby its rest increaseth to perfection it being truly called rest because grace hath wholly loosed the heavy yoak and bonds of fleshly love to work with ease in sweet amity joy and delight as the holy Spirit directeth the soul and leadeth it And this doth silence the soul from janglings of all other speakers for it is the voyce of Jesus Christ in heavenly vertue softly sounding in the clean soul by his quick and piercing word sharply dividing between the joynts and marrow and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart that slayeth all fleshly love and keepeth the soul quiet from all the stirrings thereof and so is silence made in heaven for half an hour as it is written even within in the clean soul that is lifted up by grace from earthly love to heavenly conversation and so it is in silence though but for a short time before it be again assaulted by its enemies yet hath it peace in conscience because this grace puts out all gratings prickings stirrings and fightings of sin making Jesus Christ and the soul both one in agreement of will and affections so that there are no upbraidings of sin nor reprovings for faults for the Son and that soul have kissed each other and are become friends and all faults past are forgiven whereby the soul feeleth assurance of its salvation by the witness of the holy Ghost in the heart and thereby receiveth day by day more and more spirituall joy and boldness to come to the throne of grace the holy Spirit bearing witness of its sonship and the witness in the conscience administring sure consolation with peace and pure accord love and lasting friendship between Jesus Christ and the soul so that the soul is then above the world in high and heavenly contemplation which is an earnest of true glory here in the body in the knowledge of Jesus Christ with so strong and lasting desires of love that many waters cannot quench And blessed is that soul which is ever fed in feeling of love in Jesus Christs presence is born up by desire to him in his absence for he is wise and hath well learned Christ that holdeth him sadly and reverently with pure affections while he is present and while he is as absent beareth it patiently and easily without bitter pains of impure desires and as there are diversities of feelings in the presence of grace so there are in the absence of grace according to the souls meekness or growth therein and therefore he that knoweth not the absence of grace is readily deceived by outward sounds of other mens sayings and he that is not diligent and watchfull to keep the presence of grace is very unkind to Jesus Christ that in and for love giveth it for the soul should be