perfectly cure and restore the sick and diseased Body of Nature either in man or other things but his incorruptible body through the Power of the Spirit that dwelleth in it who said Behold I make all things new and for whose coming to renew them all the Creation is invited to rejoyce because of their being to be delivered through the same from their Bondage and Vanity Yet I shall not deny but that it may be possible for men through the Wisdom of God to find out such a substance as may do great cures on the Body of Nature but I say it can never perfectly cure it otherwise the Body should become immortal which never shall be through the Vertue of any other Body but that of Jesus Christ as is said And though such a Substance have been found or may be as supposing it which could turn the other Metals into Gold yet this were not the universal Balâ—om or Stone for even the purest Gold on Earth hath its Corruptions and Distempers from which when it is refined it will more excell what it is now than it at present doth excell the basest Metal Stone or Sand or Turf And to the end that this excellent Body or Birth of Jesus Christ might be the more prepared forsuch an effect viz. To cure and restore all things therefore it pleased the Father to give him up both in Soul and Body to suffer such deep inward afflictions sufferings and trials for by these that hidden Divine Vertue and Perfection which was in the center both of his Soul and Body was raised up and brought forth as into the circumference even unto its fulness and perfection According to which it is said in the Scripture that he the Captain of our Salvation was made perfect thro sufferings for so it is indeed as to all other things which have any perfection or vertue further in them than is manifest as it were hid in the centre which perfection is raised up and brought into view or manifestation through its sufferings as by mortification calcination melting it in the fire heating it pounding and pressing it bruising and squeezing boiling and many such kind of things well known to Chymists and Physicians And thus was our Blessed Lord used both in his Soul and Body his deep sufrings in both were like a Wine-press which served to squeeze and press out the hidden Wine that was in his Grapes even that pure and precious Water and Blood which came out at his Side on the Cross and when in the Garden he sweat that drops of Blood fell to the ground these very drops of Water and Blood had a most excellent vertue in them beyond what man's heart is able to conceive of whereby they entred into the very kernel and quintescence of the whole Creation to its very heart for its deliverance and restauration And this was as a Seed that was then sown in the very heart of the outward Nature by which it is blessed of God in some measure and through which it shall in due time be perfectly delivered and cured of its vanity corruption and bondage Therefore it was that at the sufferings of Christ the whole outward Creation fell into a wonderful passion and suffering in so much that there was a great darkness over all and the very Earth was as it were rent for that secret and excellent vertue which went forth from him at his Sufferings even in the Water and the Blood pierced into the heart of the body of the World and wrought in it like Physick that worketh strongly against the corrupt humours in man's body that doth greatly affect the body with sufferings And thus it was even fit that the Creation should after its manner suffer with him which was to partake of such glorious effects through his sufferings And though the outward Creation be not yet cured through the secret Vertue of that Water and Blood no nor yet the Bodies of the Saints yet in due time they shall even through and by the Vertue of these Sufferings But as I have said above so do I again repeat it that it may have the more weight viz. that we are not too nicely to make a difference betwixt the Influence and Effects of his outward and inward Sufferings but to understand them in a perfect conjunction and that the end of his Suffering in both was this viz. 1. Both to quench and allay the wrath of God which was kindled both in Mens Souls and Bodies and also in the whole Body of the Creation And 2. To purifie and cure both Men and also the outward Creation from Corruption Vanity and Bondage And so in relation to Men this I say that the Sufferings of Christ and his Obedience Life and Righteousness both inwardly and outwardly hath a very blessed influence upon Men both to remove the Wrath and also to remove Sin the cause of it and to bring in everlasting Righteousness to cover the Soul with by a real participation of it over and beyond all imaginary reckonings and imputation of man though the imputation of God unto man â—we own And this I say further that the Wrath is no further removed from Men by Vertue of Christs Obedience and Sufferings than Sin that is the cause of it is removed and thus Justification and Mortification and Sanctification go on equally And by what is said way is also made for clearing of that concerning Christ his bearing the Wrath and Anger of God for us to which I say he did so bear it indeed that he bore it up from falling upon us in its full weight which if it had done it would have sunk us into an eternal state of misery and he stood in the way and bore it off that it did not drown and consume us with everlasting Death and Destruction but that he did bear the Wrath of God either in that manner or measure which the damned in Hell do or we should have done had not the Lord recovered us I altogether deny for he could and did satisfie the Father well and acceptably without bearing it in that way But if it be queried If he suffered by that wrath when he stood betwixt us and it I answer He suffered a trial and chastisement by it and so it is called a Chastisement but it could never be said that the Father was offended or displeased with him even while he suffered for us for the Father was satisfied and well pleased in him in his greatest sufferings which he did bear in most perfect resignation love and willingness both to please his Father and also to save and reconcile men unto God And tho the Lord did not withdraw that sensible comfort from him when he suffered on the Cross it was not for any displeasure towards him but for a trial and as is said to raise up and draw forth that excellent vertue and perfection that was in him the more So it pleased the Father to bruise him and press him with
the inferiour powers and affections of the Soul be also therewithal moved and with the words which proceed therefrom it is a good thing and comfortable in its place but not too much to be looked after But we are to be careful that we keep them in such stedfastness as not to suffer them to be moved simply or barely by meer words or outward works when the Holy Life doth not move upon them and that principally for all such motions are hurtful and not profitable It is the Coal from the Altar that is to say such a heat or warmth that comes from the Holy Life thâ—â— doth only work the true impressions on the affections whether by words or without them or doth only qualifie and concoct them so to speak after the right manner working out the evil crude and beastly humours and dispositions out of them VI. Thou art also to know that though thy present condition admit thee to do some things yea divers works both inward and outward pertaining to a Holy Life as being come in measure to be a partaker thereof yet thou art in this time of thy weakness and childhood in the Spiritual Life more to be passive than active except as to the simple acts of conversion wherein thou art constantly so much as possible to be found for thereby thou wilt be still drinking in from the Living Fountain the Waters of Life by which thou wilt live and increase more and more in the Holy Life so as to grow up from childhood unto youth-head and from that unto a perfect man in Christ Iesus Therefore it will be altogether fit and needful for thee to be often repeating these former steps of conversion and persisting therein in great passiveness and forbearance not only from all evil things but even from these which are not clear unto thee to be good or at least harmless and innocent And as thou knowst that the several ages and states of a man of infancy childhood youth-head and perfect man-hood have their several works and exercises proper unto them beside what is proper unto all these four so it is much what here for indeed the spiritual man also hath his four states as his infancy his child-hood youth-head and perfect manhood Now if thou be yet but in the infancy of a spiritual Life thou canst do but little unless to turn thee to thy Mother's Breast which hath conceived thee that is to say to the Divine and Holy Life and abide in thy conversion thereunto drinking in the sincere milk of the Word that thou mayst grow thereby And if thou be come up to a state of childhood as out of infancy yet thou canst as yet not do many nor great things but this is a good time for thee to go unto the School of the Holy Ghost and learn the things of God in his immediate teachings so as to drink in a solid sound and digested knowledg of them in some measure before thou much speak of them to others being swift to hear but slow to speak But if thou be come up to the state of a young man yet thou canst not do all those things which a man of perfect age can neither is it given nor required of thee VII Be very mindful to regard thy own measure of Life so that thou be not drawn forth or lifted up to do greater things or any things in a greater or higher strain then thy present ability of Life permits for if thou bend or screw or wind up the Powers of thy Soul too high above thy measure yea if in any thing above it it will much mar and spoil the work that thou art about and displease the Lord and grieve his Holy Spirit and Life even as the winding of some string or strings on a musical instrument above what may keep in true concord with other strings doth quite spoil the harmony and render it ungrateful unto discerning ears Yea many hereby have suffered great loss and brought many grievous burthens upon that Holy Life and also upon their own Souls in so doing And let not the greater measure of another be an occasion to draw thee forth from thy own as seeking to do things equally with him or to go beyond him also to mind and reflect by an inward observation when the Life or Powers thereof begin to cease or shut up that so thou mayst therein also follow them so as to cease at their ceasing to be shut up with them and opened with them and keep time and measure and touches with them that thou mayst not be left doing alone for if so thou art not doing the Lords's work but thy own VIII Thou art to learn to distinguish betwixt the powers given thee from the Holy Life to do such and such things and the exercise of that Power for though the Power may be said after a sort alwaies to remain with thee while the Life it self remains yet thou hast not the exercise of this Power at thy will and dispose and so thou mayst observe a great difference betwixt thy exercising thy natural Powers and these Spiritual for the natural thou canst use when thou wiltst as to speak write sing naturally c. But thou canst not use the spiritual powers though they be in thee in thy own will Therefore thou art to wait upon the Lord that he may give thee the use of them by the new and actual influence of his Spirit upon them which is as it were the key which opens them otherwise they are shut up and locked IX And lastly Watch against the enemy who lieth near thee in all thy workings one way or other to mar them For indeed so long as the body of sin lives in thee in any measure so far hath Satan a place in thee for this body with its members and powers of its unholy life is the very Kingdom and Throne of Satan in which he lives and rules after a sort as the Lord doth in his Kingdom which is the heavenly Body and Birth with the Members and Powers thereof and as the Lord doth work mightily in his own Kingdom and place which he hath gained in the Soul and strongly moveth the Soul with its Powers to concur and cooperate with him so the enemy worketh strongly in opposition to the Lord and also moveth the Soul with its powers to concur and co-operat with him And thus the poor Soul is set as betwixt two contrary streams the one seeking to carry it one way and the other to carry it to the contrary and on this account it is that the Soul sometime obeyeth the one and sometime the other sometime it is carried forward and sometimes backward yea and sometimes it doth the Lord's work and sometimes the work of the enemy and at other times the works which it doth are so to speak mixed or standeth in a mixture so that one part of its work may be of and in the Lord and done in his Power and Spirit and
all times to help the travelling Soul but yet there are some times more especially wherein the Lord doth give more abundant access and opportunity unto the Soul which every one is to observe within himself and improve the same Let none therefore strive or wrastle in their own will or natural strength to attain to this Silence but let them be faithful to God in what they know to be his will and be diligent in some honest and lawful imployment and carefully attend the meetings of the faithful when they meet together to wait upon the Lord and speak the Word of the Lord to one another as they are moved and to worship and call upon him in Spirit and in Truth For the Life of the faithful and of such as are near unto the Lord who are become strong men in Christ hath an exceeding great influence upon the weak to help them and gather them to the true silence and the presence of the Lord is more abundantly manifest where the faithful meet together in his Name as â—e hath promised whereunto many can set their seal And thus every one who is sincere and faithful to what they know and have received will naturally and as it were by a natural growth in the Truth attain by degrees more and more unto such a state until they perfectly come to enjoy and possess it so as to see Jerusalem a quiet habitation and to behold the King in his beauty and see his goings in the Sanctuary which will cause the Soul to sing with David and to say as it is Psal. 84. ver 1 10. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts For a day in thy Court is better than a thousand But of this I warn thee that if thou hast time enough to spare as thou think'st to rest from all outward affairs that thou mayst the more abundantly apply thy self to this Silence and silent waiting yet thou mayst exceed through a wrong and blind zeal and so mayst indanger and hurt thy self For such a silence as doth not allow us to mind and be employed in our honest and lawful affairs is not alwaies required of us but at certain times that we set apart unto that end either in private or publick as the Wisdom of God doth teach us and his Spirit doth move Which times although they be frequent yet ordinarily are not to be of long continuance for it is the will of God that so long as we are in these earthly tabernacles we be exercised in bodily and external actions whereof Christ himself gave us an example who went about doing good and at times retired with his Disciples and sometimes alone to watch and to pray and again returned unto the people to minister unto them both in Soul and Body what they had need of Nor doth the moderate use and exercise of the body in lawful affairs hinder as is said the true silence in some degree that is sufficient for the present time but doth rather help and contribute unto the same but the highest degree of it is neither alwaies required of us nor is indeed at all times possible to be performed by us for unto all things there is a measure and what is within measure is good but to exceed is hurtful and dangerous GEORGE KEITH In the Prison of Aberdeen the 15 of the 4 month 1678. The Way to the CITY OF GOD. CHAP. I. Holding forth Certain Doctrinal Principles of the TRVTH whereof a Mâ—n being convinced by the Spirit of God it contributes much to his making a right entrance into the way of Holiness A Man doth not nor can he enter into the way of Holiness but he must first have his understanding some way opened by the Spirit of Truth so as to receive some convincement of certain Principles of Truth For how can a man enter into a way and know nothing thereof neither more nor less It is the usual method and order of the Spirit of God first to convince a man of divers things before he proceed further so as to convert him into the way of Holiness or carry him on wards therein Therefore I shall in the first place lay down a few certain Principles the knowledg of which is of great advantage unto beginners for their first entrance into Holiness and I shall at this time but name and suppose them as known rather than prove them referring their probation to other Treatises And though I may not say that none ever attained unto any measure of Holiness without the clear distinct and explicit knowledg of all these Principles hereafter delivered yet I am very free to say that the knowledg of them all doth very much conduce to beginners for their entrance into Holiness and the ignorance of them hath been a grievous let to many a Soul which though it hath not made the entrance absolutely impossible yet hath it made it extream difficult even much more by far than it is indeed and in Truth or is found to be by those whose Understandings are well informed in these Principles I. That all men in their natural and unregenerate state are unholy and unrighteous altogether and so as such unable to do any thing acceptable to GOD and unfit for fellowship and communion with him II. That GOD hath not left men wholly in this condition but hath given unto all and every one of them an occasion in a day or time of Visitation whereby it is possible for them to come out of their first state of unholiness and unrighteousness which is also a state of Spiritual blindness and death into a state of holiness and righteousness which is a state of enjoying spiritual Light and Life of GOD. III. That this occasion is ministred unto every one through Jesus Christ who is freely given of the Father unto every man that comes into the world for Salvation as attainable by every man through him IV. That the coming of Jesus Christ into the world both outwardly and inwardly was necessary unto mans Salvation so that the one is not to be understood in opposition to the other for that both have their great uses and blessings unto men Hence all who are saved are saved no less by the benefit and grace of his outward coming in his becoming man suffering dying and resurrection then by that of his inward coming as a Light and quickening Spirit c. Yet that the knowledg of his inward coming is that which is the more needful and in the first place as being that by which the true and comfortable use of his outward coming is alone sufficiently understood V. That the Lord IESVS according to his inward coming is come a Light into the world lightning every man that cometh into the world that all through him might believe and by believing might have eternal life VI. That his coming in the inward is in a Divine and Heavenly SEED which the Father hath given from Heaven unto every man and hath sown in the
God in Iesus Christ is so near him as to be in him in a Seed as in fire for his cleansing and delivering of him from this woful Image and from the impressions and dispositions it hath wrought in him through Satan is to turn his Soul and mind inwards unto God and Christ as he doth there manifest himself Even as the Father of the Child which was bodily possessed with the Devil brought him unto Christ that he might cast him out so the Soul is to come unto Christ who is spiritually present in it that he may cast out this Devil out of it for this woful Image is a very Devil and by it the Devil possesseth the Souls of the unholy The Soul must not bethink with it self that because it is so unclean and sinful that therefore it ought not to come unto Christ for indeed one main end of Christ his coming into the world is to do good unto such to cleanse the unclean and to save the sinful from their sins Therefore let not the consideration of thy uncleanness and naughtiness prevail to let or hinder thee from coming or turning inwards to him Perhaps the Soul may say I do not find God or Christ in me how then can I turn unto him whom I cannot find If I could once but plainly find him I would think it a great step Answ. Dost not thou find somewhat in thy very heart discovering the evils and pollutions thereof in some measure Is there nothing in thee that in some measure manifests thy condition to be evil and naught and gives thee some knowledg of it upon which thou art made at times to say Oh! I am unclean unclean and evil Yea further dost not thou find somewhat secretly stirring in thy heart and moving in thee against particular evils which are under thy observation and in some measure pricking and smiting thee And yet further hast thou never observed it drawing thy heart inward unto it self though faintly and weakly Also are there not times wherein thou canst observe this to manifest it self more strongly then at other times Yea are there not times that thou find'st it lie as a burden and load upon thy very heart Yea wouldst thou not think thou feltst something in thy heart cutting it and making gashes therein yea and that as a fire burning in it which greatly paineth and afflicteth thee so that at such times no outward pleasures can comfort or ease thee Furthermore dost thou not find at times somewhat arising as it were in the midst of thy heart and sending forth a secret vertue whereby it seeketh to pierce thy whole heart and so far as it pierceth or entreth it somewhat softeneth thy heart and worketh some little relenting in thee but because of the badness of thy heart it is hindered from entring so far as it essayed to do Sure I am there is no man however bad but hath had some experience more or less of these and such like workings in him Thou may'st say I find indeed somewhat working in my heart after the manner as is declared and that frequently but most especially when I am most quiet and still in mind but I never apprehended this to be any other thing then the light of nature checking me in my conscience as I have been alwaies informed by my Teachers But I say unto thee therein thou hast been mis-informed as in many other particulars for this thing that worketh in thee after the aforesaid manner is the very Seed of God or the Divine Seed in which God in Iesus Christ is really present in thee and in and through the Seed worketh in this manner in thee for the Salvation of thy Soul neither ought'st thou to think it so strange that he worketh in thee in such a small and weak manner of manifestation for this is in great part because of thy weakness for thou art not able to bear great and powerful workings and manifestations in this state And seeing that the way which the Lord taketh for the saving of Souls is after the sort of a real generation such as regeneration is it is most proper to begin it from a Seed and it were an easie thing for the Lord to appear in this Seed by such manifestation of power as on a sudden to remove all impediments and instantly to cause it to spring up into its full stature growth and proportion But it hath pleased him to do otherwaies for he can bring Glory to himself the more in the Creatures Salvation that he beginneth it yea and carrieth it on in a weak and foolish appearance to the natural eye Now this is it which Christ himself taught that the Kingdom of God in man at first is like unto a grain of Mustard-seed the least of all Seeds but after it is grown up it becometh the greatest of all Herbs Wherefore despise it not though it be a very little thing in thee for as little as it is it is the Kingdom of God for God and Christ is present in it and manifesteth his Power therein as a King doth in his Kingdom And because the Seed is little therefore the Power of God worketh but in little and small manifestations to bear a proportion unto the Seed and according to the growth and increase of the Seed by the same proportion the Divine Power becometh greater and greater in its manifestation But how small and mean soever the working of the Divine Power in this little Seed doth appear yet it is abundantly sufficient to begin the work of thy Salvation and still where more power and more powerful working from God is needful to carry on this work it will be seasonably afforded But a man may readily object that he doth essay to convert or turn himself unto God but cannot get it done because of his weakness and impotency finding himself bound as with a strong Iron Chain yea with many Chains which doth so avert and hold him back that he cannot convert himself Answ. To require any man to convert himself as by himself without power given him from God for that effect were to lay a burden upon the Soul too grievous to be born but indeed the Lord who is present in this little Seed sendeth forth at times yea very frequently some secret Divine influence and vertue upon the Soul through the Seed to enable it to convert or turn unto him and he toucheth the bonds and fetters in which it is bound at times and shaketh them off so far that the Soul may turn unto God yea the Lord is the chief and principal Worker here and man but the instrumental So that the Soul its converting it self is through the Lord's converting it that is to say inclining it by a Divine and gracious touch and influence upon its will to convert and in a manner I may call it upon the Souls part rather a suffering it self to be turned by the Lord according to these words in the Scripture Turn thou me and
I shall be turned But now many when the Lord toucheth them and by his touch infuseth a certain secret vertue sufficient to turn them or whereby they may turn yea when he draweth and pulleth them very sensibly do resist and continue in their aversion and of such the Scriptures say they draw back and that they resist the Truth and resist the Holy Ghost whose damnation is just seeing he would have healed them but they refused Be not therefore discouraged or driven into despair because thou find'st such weakness and inability to convert thy Soul unto God as aforesaid nor yet because thou find'st so little vertue or power administred unto thee from the Divine influence for thy enabling for by what is from the Lord administred unto thee it is possible for thee to convert though at first and for a considerable time afterwards it will be difficult for strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads unto life This converting the Soul after the manner declared unto the Divine Presence is the true faith and believing in God and Christ so much required in Scripture in order unto Salvation which is the Soul 's coming unto God and Christ as he said Come unto me c. and the Soul 's taking hold of him and cleaving unto him And indeed the Latine word Credo doth significantly express it which is as much as to say A giving the heart unto God And how doth a man give his heart unto him but by turning it towards him Which conversion or believing is not simply of one power of the Soul but of both viz. the understanding and will yea of the whole Soul with all its powers when the conversion is through and total CHAP. III. Shewing How the Soul ought to persist and continue in its Conversion towards God and Christ and of the effects which follow at first thereupon as also of the inward trials and troubles it usually meeteth with therein NOw after the Soul hath got it self converted or turned inwards by the Divine influence and assistance unto the Divine Seed and to God and Christ present therein then it is to be careful that it persist and continue in its conversion and the LORD who by his Divine Grace hath enabled it to convert after the former manner doth and will also enable it to persevere therein For it is in the Soul 's persisting and continuing in its conversion and application unto the Divine Word Light and Life in the Divine Seed that it comes to receive and be partaker of the blessed effects thereof An outward example whereof we have very plain in our holding any thing to the Fire which if suddenly we remove again it scarce produceth any effect in it as if we would purifie or refine any Metal from its dross by the Fire we must not only apply it intimately to the Fire but hold it in it a good time that it may melt and the dross may separate from it So thou must not only turn thy Soul to this Fire of God in thee but must persist and continue in so doing and by that means thou wilt quickly begin to be a partaker of its blessed effects Some of which effects as they follow at first upon the Soul 's converting unto this Divine Principle I find it with me to mention As first Thou wilt by thy conversion thereunto receive a more clear and full convincement and discovery of thy sins and sinful polluted nature then formerly so that thou wilt come to see sin to be exceeding sinful and how thou art compassed about with it as with a thick cloud which hinders thee from enjoying the sweet and comfortable presence of God yea thou wilt come to feel thy poor Soul imbodied or incorporated in a very body of sin having many members and how near and dear they are unto thee some as a right Eye some as a right Hand c. Then thou wilt know that such things are sins which have place in thee more than by any words even of Scripture for the manifestation of the Spirit and Light of Christ in the little Seed will greatly convince thee thereof and let thee see thy sins and the nature or root that brings them forth in their monstrous and hellish forms and shapes II. Thou wilt also feel and perceive how the displeasure wrath and indignation of God is against every sin in thee even all ungodliness and unrighteousness the whole body of it with all its members root and fruit and branches and how also the wrath of God is against men because of sin to which they are joined And so thou wilt find how all men in a sinful and unrenewed condition are miserable as being under the wrath and displeasure of God and how sin is the root and fountain of the whole misery of man and how man stands before God in a state of judgment and condemnation while in sin imbodied and drowned in it as it were over head and ears III. Thou wilt have occasion to observe the mercy of the Lord in the midst of all this wrath and judgment after a wonderful manner which will raise in thy mind amazing and astonishing thoughts whereby thou wilt wonder and admire that thou art not consumed in the midst of all this wrath yea then thou wilt be made to see somewhat like that of Moses how the Fire burnt in the Bâ—sh and it was not consumed IV. Thou wilt find that this fire is only sent down from Heaven to burn and consume that beastly and sinful nature wherewith thou art inwardly cloathed as with a body and that the fruit of all this burning and kindling is to take away thy sin and purge away thy filthiness and dross V. And so as thou remainest and continuest introverted or converted towards that Divine Principle aforesaid thou wilt find it as a Sword a Fire and a Hammer in thee knocking down and killing and consuming this body of sin with its members yea a flame will issue forth from it and will enter into the body of sin killing and burning so far as it entreth VI. By the operation of this Heavenly Fire thou wilt find a very sensible and grievous pain in thy inward man as verily as if the outward fire were burning in thy outward body So thou mayst conceive how thou wouldst be affected if the tenderest and most sensible part of thy outward body were held close unto a burning flame even such sensible and grievous pain wilt thou find inwardly for indeed thy Soul dwelleth as really in the body of sin and is united with it as it doth in the outward body Therefore it is sensible of whatever hurteth it and findeth pain till it have put it off and then it hath no more sympathy with it VII Great fear and terrour will take hold upon thee because of these things which thou wilt have occasion inwardly to observe the like whereof before thou wert never acquainted with for this doth answer unto the
the ministration of the Law than of the Gospel yet we must not too nicely or subtilly distinguish them far less divide them for the ministration of the Law in the Spirit is never administred in that rigour or severity by the Lord unto men in order to their Salvation but it hath somewhat more or less of the Gospel mixed with it even as in the midst of wrath he remembreth mercy and so as Law and Gospel Iudgment and Mercy are mixed and complicated together in like manner the effects are mixed also partaking of both but most of the former at first and for some considerable time following Now these and such like effects as do follow upon the Souls first converting unto God in the Divine Seed we do usually comprehend under this term the work of Iudgment And as the Spirit of the LORD hath its divers names according to its divers workings so in this it is called the Spirit of Iudgment and of Burning as in Isa. 4.4 Others also not unfitly if rightly understood have called it the work of the Law and Legal ministration in Spirit also it may be called Repentance or the baptism of repentance in Spirit and by Fire And tho I have mostly insisted upon comparing the operation of the Spirit in this administration unto fire which similitude is most used in Scripture yet it is not to exclude other resemblances as that of Water and of Soap mentioned also in Scripture and it is also likened unto that of a Hammer and Sword and that also of a Cross very significantly in relation to which term the work of the Spirit here is fitly called a crucifiction or being crucified oft also used in Scripture and Mortification which tho it taketh its beginning from the Law yet is consummated or perfected by the Gospel As touching the inward trials or troubles the Soul usually meeteth with in this state they are divers proceeding partly from its own weakness partly from its corruptions and partly from Satan First from its own Weakness for the Soul entring into a new way it knew nothing of formerly and meeting with many strange and wonderful things with which it was never acquainted heretofore cannot but occasion great inward trials and troubles unto it even as if in the outward a man should be brought unto some violent bodily death as Burning or Crucifying c. Yea it is represented in the Scripture under such terms as of the Suns losing his light the Moons becoming black the Stars falling from Heaven the Earth shaking and such like dreadful and astonishing things 2. From its corruptions which beginning to be assaulted and set upon for their destruction will combine all their forces to avert and turn back the Soul from its progress in this new way also they will call in for the aid and assistance of flesh and blood which in its corrupt state is a very great impediment to the poor Soul in this way whereof flesh and blood has no liking at all for it perceiveth it will be greatly straitned and restrained from its wonted liberty it rrceived by sin and corruption and put to endure great and many hardships through the Souls entring into the way of mortification and holiness 3. From Satan who as the strong man has formerly kept the house in peace and now another coming to cast him out he will use many methods and waies with the Soul to turn it aside and divert it from it's new way that he may keep his place in it for it is as torment to him to be cast out and lose his usurped possession He will suggest unto the Soul the novelty of its way the difficulty of it and how few take such a course Also he will alledge unto it that it may get to Heaven by easier means yea he will endeavour to perswade the poor Soul that the Light within is but some fancy or Imagination or at best some insufficient thing and that the very works the Soul feels begun in it by and through the Power of that Light are but melancholick imaginations and that the fire the Soul finds kindled in it is but the heat of the fancy or sparks of its own kindling or if he cannot prevail that way but that the Soul still persists in its conversion unto this Sacred and Divine fire then especially when he perceives that the Souls feels it great force he will be tempting to despair telling it that God has kindled this fire in it for its utter destruction and torment And if he cannot prevail thus then he will tempt it with hard thoughts of God as if the Lord were too severe and rigid in using such waies with it Also he will endeavour to stir up in it impatience grudging and fretting weariness and discontent and a longing to return unto the flesh-pots of Aegypt even to its former evil and licentious way of life in sin These and many such like troubles and trials will the poor Soul meet with besides many outward occasions from the World both of pleasures and afflictions to divert it and turn it aside from its persisting in its conversion unto God in the Divine Seed By reason of these and such like inward trials and troubles divers after some measure of a real and true application and conversion of their minds unto God and Christ in the Divine Seed have turned back again and not continued in their begun conversion even like some unwise and cowardly patients who at first give themselves up unto the Physian to be lanced and tented and scarrified but afterwards finding the pain and anxiety thereof shrink back and chuse rather to remain in their wounds and distempers though it should cost them the losing of their life then indure a little trouble and pain for their cure Therefore it 's said in relation to this Mal. c. 3. v. 2. Who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he shall be as the refiners fire and fullers Soap Which words do import that some may receive his first appearance but not abide it nor stand it out nor indure unto the end of the fiery trial which comes by it for to abide and to stand are words signifying continuance and persisting But notwithstanding all these things thou must persist and continue therein with a stout and bold resolution which will be given thee of the Lord if thou be not wanting on thy part to receive it and if thou persist not the work of thy Salvation will be stopt It is much better for thee to indure these inward trials and difficulties then to lose thy own Soul and be cast into endless torment hereafter for thy negligence and carnal ease better thou go maimed into Heaven losing a right eye a right hand then that thy whole body should go into Hell fire The cure is worthy all the pain and much more A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow and pain but after she hath brought forth
and exercises also it can use Legerdemain and by hypocritical tricks and knacks counterfeit holy actions but it cannot perform them by any means till it begin to receive some measure of deliverance from these powers of sin which hold it in bondage its Tongue is bound that it cannot speak the holy language so is its heart that it cannot meditate or conceive holy thoughts nor exercise it self in these operative exercises of the will and affections which holy Souls have power to do Now in the Souls being thus passive and quiet standing still in a cessation from all its operativeness but simply persisting in its conversion the Divine fire receiveth a great opportunity more and more to enkindle it self in the Soul and so to kill and consume the lusts and evils that are in it for by its activeness and operative exercises it quencheth this Divine Fire and hindereth it to burn and by its doings and workings it is like unto a man who coming unto a Chyrurgion to get some infectious member of his body cut off when the Chyrurgion comes to cut off the member or grate it off with his Tool be it a Leg or an Arm should with all his power struggle and work to resist the man he comes unto for his cure whereas he should be passive and still and busied in nothing but in holding the infectious Member steadily and stoutly unto the Chyrurgions hand bearing patiently the pain of the Cure and forbearing all these things which do any waies hinder its more speedy accomplishment So shouldst thou come before the Lord and convert or turn thy infectious Members of sin which hang upon thee towards the LORD's hand and arm of power revealed in thee to destroy them yea thou shouldst stand as passively and receive the stroke as the condemned person to have his head cut off standeth or applieth himself quietly without wrangling or moving to receive the blow and it will be a great happiness for thee so to be killed and slain by the Lord for if he kill thee it is but as unto sin which separateth thee from enjoying him that he may make thee alive unto holiness so as to live in him and with him in blessedness everlasting Besides the Souls being so operative doth not only weaken and quench the Divine fire that is kiâ—dled in it for its mortification but doth also strengthen the life of sin and unrighteousness for even as the fire goeth out if it be hindred from its motion and the life of any thing dieth if it be not suffered to breath or perform its vital actions but if it have scope and liberty to act and move it gathers strength so the life of sin is greatly strengthened by its being permitted to act for its actions are like unto the pouring of Oyl upon a flame which causeth it to burn more vehemently Wouldst thou have therefore this unholy fire to be extinguished in thee then keep Oyl from it that is to say keep thy self from thy operative excesses as aforesaid which in this thy present state are but the works of thâ— unholy life and power the holy life not yet being formed or begotten in thee Behold how a fowl keeps it self up in the air by its motion and waving of its wings whereas if it ceased to work and wave as it doth it would suddenly fall down to the earth or water Now thy thinkings and willings and doings keep thee aloft in that unholy and impure air where Satan hath dominion cease but from them and as the bird falleth down so thou shouldst find thy self after a wonderful manner to sink and fall out of that element thou wert in into another even into a river of living water which killeth every unclean thing but afterwards reviveth and quickeneth it again with a pure and holy life by which River I understand the Divine Power and Spirit that is nearer unto thee then the air thou breathst in but because of thy impurity at present thou caâ—st not enjoy the sweetness and glory thereof thou must first fall into it and die ere thou canst live But perhaps some may say Is not Conversion a being operative how then dost thou require us to convert and cease from being operative The answer to this is plain for the conversion of the Soul to this Divine fire and Principle in it is so simple and so little operative upon the Souls part that it is rather a being so to speak passive then active and if it offend or seem harsh unto any that I bid them convert in the Active Mood then it may be converted into the Passive as Peter said unto the Jews Be converted saith he so I say I thou canst not convert thy self be converted or suffer the Divine Power to convert thee unto it self and whether the first step of conversion be active or passive or whether most of the two this is certain that by the touch and attract of the Divine Power upon any Soul were it never so impotent and lame it is possible for it to convert or turn thereunto and may be able to convert it self by such a simple act by the Divine and gracious touch and yet at that present not able for any other acts The example of the needle and the loadstone will here be of use for though the needle before it be touched by the loadstone cannot direct or move it self towards the pole albeit being influenced by the stone it be brought near unto it yet in vertue of that influence it can convert it self unto the stone Thou mayst perhaps say It doth not convert it self but is by the load-stone drawn or attracted to it But be it so the matter is not much for whether it be said that the Soul in the first step of its conversion doth not actively convert but is converted by the Divine touch or influence oâ— that she is both passive and active in that step Passive as being touched or influenced by the Divine Grace Active as receiving and drinking it in and so may be understood to have that inclination begot in it by which it can actively convert or turn it self unto God The matter I say is not much for the Children of Light have large experience of it that they find an ability given them many times to perform simple acts of conversion when they are not able to do others as to speak or pray or meditate divinely or spiritually yea when we find an inability as to these things and some impediment in our way or any hurt or blemish by converting or turning in our minds unto the Divine Power we will find our strength renewed and ability given us to do these things which formerly we could not and the impediments removed and the hurt or bruise taken away and so in like manner proportionably it may be with beginners Again it may be objected that the Soul would willingly come unto this passiveness and forbearance and silence of mind but it cannot atâ—ain
of the natural powers of the Soul for the supernatural power to do these things is never subject unto mans command and will but alone unto the will and command of God And thus we find it to be in our experience as did the holy men of Old who spake and preached and prayed and wrote declarations of the Truth as they were moved of the Holy Ghost so their using this power stood in the will of God and not in their own A third Instance is this that this power in them judged by them to be the power of Godliness in its greatest growth and heighth is very compatible and consistant with many evil thoughts desires words and actions yea it can very easily be reconciled unto many sins and hath not so much as an appearance of enmity at such sins as are not contrary unto these acts which have produced it as ye shall find that a man who hath got a strong habit or custom of praying twice or thrice a day if he omit this practice at a time how will he be troubled for it and what is the matter of his trouble his habit strongly inclines him to it and gives him no peace nor rest till it be done and this inclination he may readily judge to be from the Spirit of God whereas it is but from his own habit and so be the more troubled as supposing he resisteth the Spirit by this forbearance but now if he omit the necessary performance of other things he is not accustomed to he will not be troubled at all And thus how many care not to omit the duties of Faithfulness and Righteousness towards their Neighbours who are at a great care to say their Prayers But verily that power in man which inclines him to some things good in themselves and not to all other good things and practices and which is not as a fire a sword and a hammer in him against every evil way and work yea the least evil motion in the mind is not the true power of godliness it may well be a habit as aforesaid Yet by what is said let none suppose that I judg all who have not in such a clear distinct and explicit way been acquainted with these aforesaid steps of inward conversion to the Light continuance therein and passiveness and forbearance above-mentioned in the said continuance as if they were utterly devoid of the power of godliness having nothing but a natural habit in the room of it For as I am fully perswaded that many or most have no other but the natural habit so I verily believe there are some hidden ones hidden many waies who are truly partakers of some measure of the power of godliness which at times stirreth and moveth hiddenly in them and by which they act divers practices of Religion as by a certain secret instinct as it were unknown to themselves but they are such babes poor souls who know not the right hand from the left that is to say cannot distinguish plainly betwixt the true power of godliness and that which is but the natural habit and so act sometimes from the one and sometimes from the other yea more from the habit then from the true power ten or an hundred to one perhaps and many times that which they are aptest to judg to be the true power is but the natural habit for the habit is great and strong in them perhaps but the true power is a weak and tender thing even as a smoaking flax and bruised reed to which the habit is an enemy always in its actings and the devil seats himself in the habit and fights against the true power in the Soul by the acts of the habit he concurring therewith And truly ere the true power can become strong in the Soul so as to have the dominion the habit or habitual power must be broken down for it is but an image of the beast And glory to the Lord for ever who is giving to a remnant the victory over this Image and raising up the power of his own Holy Life over it to its brusing and destroying Now albeit such souls have not as to a distinct reflection and knowledg of the way of their attaining unto these small beginnings of the true power of holiness passed through these steps of inward recollection conversion passiveness and forbearance yet after some secret and hidden manner unknown to themselves in some measure they have no doubt flid through them the darkness so far prevailing that they could not observe their way but surely where one hath got through this way a thousand have missed stuck at the entrance and never got truly into it Therefore I may warrantably say the want of the plain and clear understanding of these steps hath made the way unto Holiness if not altogether impossible yet very difficult and much more then it is in deed and in truth CHAP. VI. Wherein divers things needful to be known by them who do or would enter into the way of Holiness in relation to the nature of Conversion Regeneration of the Life and Powers of Holiness and of Vnion with God are opened and the gross mistakes of most Professors touching these things discovered and cleared GReat and woful have been the mistakes and misconceptions of the Professors whether of one sort or another touching these tings which have occasioned great hurts and impediments both unto their entrance into Holiness and progress therein the clearing of which would be of great use and profit Therefore I find it with me to declear somewhat touching them according to the understanding given me of God not that any thing said by me can suffice simply to the clearing of any it being the Spirit of the Lord who only can do that yet the declaration hereof may be an occasion as the Lord shall bless it for them to weigh and consider these things in the true Light whereby they may come truly to judg of them I. As touching Conversion and Regeneration It is supposed simply to consist in the Lord 's infusing certain supernatural habits of Grace into the Soul which sometimes they express under this term the Seed of Grace or the Seed of God so that that they judge that instantly at the infusing of this Seed the Soul is converted and that all these Souls into whom this Seed is infused are instantly converted and regenerated which is a gross errour II. They suppose that Conversion and Regeneration is wholly done in an instant and that at the very first instant the Seed spreads it self or is spread and diffused through every power of the Soul wholly which is another great error III. They suppose that God works so irresistibly in all men in whom this Seed is sown or infused that it is impossible for them to resist but converted or regenerated they must be which is a third For though the Lord can so work or may do so in some yet it is certain he doth not so in all but in
little and diminutive that though they had room they could not perform the operations of their nature till by their more through generation and formation they be encreased and augmented And thus the little embryo or conception in the Womb be it of Man or Beast cannot perform the operations of a Man or Beast nay though the Child be born and come into the world how little do the powers of manhood appear in it But as the Body of the Child groweth up the powers of manhood do more and more appear as of Vnderstanding Speech Memory and the like And so it is much what in some manner as to the Divine and Spiritual Seed or if the Soul doth not receive it and convert unto it as aforesaid and that it be not permitted to take root and plant it self in the Soul its life and powers will not be generated or raised up And so the Spiritual generation of the Seed is the raising up of its life and Powers and bringing them into manifestation in the Soul which the Soul drinking in it comes to be regenerated or renewed thereby and still more and more according to the growth and increase of the Seed endued therewith Now the Powers of the Seed of God which proceed or flow from its Life and Spirit are these noble and heroick Christian Vertues enduing both the understanding and will yea and all the other powers of the Soul according to the capacity of each such as love joy peace gentleness meekness temperance righteousness fortitude patience and holy wisdom and understanding and the like upon the distinct and particular enumeration of all which I shall not now insist These are the powers of the Holy Life which are as natural to it as the natural passions and affections are unto the natural Life and Soul and by these Powers man can only perform the exercises and practices of Holiness and Righteousness which powers and the Life which is their root are not in all men though the Seed of them be in all as is said and is elsewhere demonstrated Now it is through the generation of the holy Life and Powers thereof in the Divine Seed and Birth that the Soul cometh to have union with God for the Divine Birth with the Life and Powers or Vertues thereof is that noble chain which tyeth and joyneth the Soul unto God being of a middle or mean nature betwixt God and the Soul and so the more apt for such an effect For as it is inferiour unto the Godhead so is is superiour unto the Soul being Christ the Image of God according to which the Soul is made and by it enobled and dignified And the excellency of this Holy Life and Seed above the Soul appears greatly in this that whereas the Soul can corrupt and degenerate with all its gowers this holy life can never in the least admit of any corruption for it ever abhorreth all sin it may indeed be killed or crucified by it but never corrupted And so it is a most fit medium or mean to unite the Soul unto God and the Powers and Vertues thereof are as so many Chains whereby the Lord doth unite the pure and righteous Souls unto him Ye must understand therefore the Soul's union with God is not simply immediate but mediate through this Seed for no Man nor Soul save Jesus Christ alone by his Soul and Manhood conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin Mary hath this dignity to be immediately united with God for which cause God hath highly exalted him even the whole Manhood of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ above every Creature not only Men but Angels that at the Name of Iesus every knee may bow to whom be Glory Power and Dominion for ever This union of the Soul with the Seed and the Holy Life and Powers thereof through which the Soul becomes united unto God is gradual and becometh more and more intimate and near as the Soul advanceth in Holiness and Righteousness and until the leaven of the Holy Life hath diffused its pure Vertue through the whole Soul and all its powers the union cannot be total nor through but in part even until all sin and iniquity be wrought out for there can be no union with that which is holy with that which is unholy Wherefore if there be but a part of the Soul as it were purified only that part receiveth union with the Holy Seed and with God therein Therefore the first step and degree of the Soul's Conversion unto the Holy Seed and to God and Christ therein is not to speak properly union for the Soul at its first step of conversion bringeth it self or converteth unto God as it is viz. all filthy and unclean with sin yea it bringeth its sins and sinful Members unto God that he may kindle his Fire in them for their destruction but there is no union until the Soul be cleansed in some measure but when the Soul converted unto God in that part or measure of it which is purified its conversion so far may be called and is truly an union with God Furthermore it is to be observed that the Soul's union with God consisteth not simply in meer acts as when it exerciseth acts of conversion towards God these and other acts of the Soul by the powers of the Holy Life do contribute and conduce unto this union and begets it yet the Soul enjoyeth a more constant and permanent union with God then by acts whether of one or all its powers for if the Soul's union consisted only in acts then when it did not act but were wholly suspended in its actings towards God the union should cease which is false for when a righteous man sleeps so that perhaps his Soul exerciseth no acts yet his union remaineth with him buâ— because the Soul enjoâ—eth an union with God by its acts of conversion as aforesaid proceeding from the Holy Life and its Powers therefore this union enjoyed by acts may be called Actual Vnion and the other which abides without acts or while acts are suspended may be called Potential because the Soul remains in union with God simply through its powers being as it were glewed unto or cemented with the powers of the Holy Life Now any sin which the Soul committeth doth certainly break off its actual union with God but though the infinite mercy and Grace of God doth not quite break off the potential though it weaken and many sins weaken it much yea some sins may break it quite off but theâ— it hath been but partial and not through and total for if it had been total the Soul could not have committed such sins as could occasion the breaking it quite off Moreover it is to be noted that when at times we say God is the Life of the Soul as to its Spiritual Actions and at other times the Life of the Soul is begotten of God from a Seed we understand this in different respects
as thus God is the Life of our Souls as an efficient câ—use of Life and that originally and immediately but not as the informing or formal cause thereof such as the Holy Life begot of the Holy Seed is which is even the formal cause of it CHAP. VII Shewing How the Soul is to reflect upon it self and enter into Trial and Examination of it self whether it hath truly passed through the aforesaid steps of Conversion and continuance therein in passiveness and forbearance and whether it hath attained unto any beginnings of the Divine and Holy Life and the powers thereof before it enter upon other operative Exercises and how or by what Rule or Touch-stone it may infallibly know the same THe service which the Lord requireth of us and which we ought to perform unto him is our reasonable service as the Scriptures declare and expresly call it which beside other things which might be mentioned doth import this especially that whatsoever service or work we go about to do unto the Lord we do it with a true and certain knowledge that we are indeed serving him and not our selves nor any other For if I do any work and yet do not know certainly to whom I am working my work cannot be called reasonable for to do a thing reasonably is to do it with a certain knowledg and judgment and herein is man's excellency above the other Creatures which are unreasonable that whereas they work only according to that which either inwardly or outwardly moves them not knowing what they do so as to make a judgment of discretion betwixt causes and cauâ—es man is to do all his works with such a discretive judgment and understanding that he certainly knoweth both the end unto which he worketh and also the principle from which otherwise his work is rather brutal than rational And so as we are required to praise the Lord with understanding as the Scriptures declare so we ought to serve the Lord in every particular step with understanding also so as to be able to give a rational account of our service that it is indeed unto the Lord and this we cannot do unless we certainly know that what we do is by the Power of his Holy Life and Spirit assisting us for it is the Lord who giveth us both to will and to do and without him we can do nothing not so much as say that IESVS is the LORD but by the Holy Ghost divinely and supernaturally assisting us indeed we may repeat the bare words without any supernatural assistance but here they are no wise regarded of the Lord for if they be not expressed with the supernatural assistance of his Spirit as aforesaid they are but dead and empty of that Life and Vertue which renders them acceptable unto him And so any other work if we do not work it in him and by him supernaturally assisting we do it not to him and if we know not that we do so it is not our reasonable service which he requires Moreover whatever we do as a service unto the Lord we ought to do it in faith but if we do not certainly know from what principle or power we do any thing we are left in a suspense and doubtfulness and have nothing but conjecture at best to build upon which is far from faith Also he that doth a thing doubtfully doth both displease the Lord who forbids it and brings weakness and confusion upon himself for he that doubteth is damned as saith the Scripture Now to the end that a man may know whether the work or works which he is about to do be indeed unto the Lord he is to reflect upon himself and to enter upon an impartial examination and trial of his own Soul whether he hath passed truly through the aforesaid steps of conversion and continuance therein in passiveness and forbearance and so whether he hath attained unto any true beginnings of the Divine and Holy Life and the Powers thereof and that before he enter upon other operative exercises because that unless in some measure he hath truly passed through these steps he cannot perform any work rightly and acceptably unto God And this examination and reflexion is the more needful for that even these steps may be counterfeited no less then other things A Soul may even seem to it self to have converted or turned it self inwards unto the Divine Presence c. and yet not have truly converted thereunto Yea I will say a great word but that which is a very certain truth Many do inwardly convert as unto God but it 's not to the true God but a false even an Image of their own framing and deviseing and as unto Christ but indeed it is unto Anti-Christ And surely this is as it were the very beginning of the working of the Mystery of iniquity when Satan putteth on the appearance of God and Anti-Christ of Christ sitting down in the Temple of God and being axalted above every thing that is called God Now to open this a little more we are to consider that all men have some notion or image of God in their minds by which when they speak hear or read of him they some way think and form their thoughts and conceptions of him according to that objective notion or Idea with which they are acquainted Now though it is also certain that there is in some measure a true objective concept or Idea of God put or planted by God himself in every man's mind which is in and of the Divine Seed sown in every man yet the usual knowledg that men commonly have of God doth not proceed from this true Idea in the Divine Seed nor is it the pattern or example according to which they usually frame the thoughts and conceptions of their minds when they usually speak read hear or consider of him in their minds forasmuch as the Divine Seed in and through which the true Idea is received in most men yea in all wicked men and unconverted is greatly burthened and oppressed through the lusts and iniquities which prevail in them whereby it comes to pass that frequently that true object concept or Idea or manifestation of God in the Divine Seed which in Scripture is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. that which may be known of God is vailed and clouded in them so that the Soul doth no more apprehend it then if it were not And when by the Power of the Lord in his Visitation upon the Soul this objective concept as aforesaid is brought into some measure of manifestation yet the Soul is so intently taken up with its sinful lusts and pleasures that it doth little observe it and many times not at all even as if some friend passed by before me in my view yet I being much taken up with looking at some other persons or things should know nothing of his being so near And indeed it is even so as to this matter the Lord doth often visit the Soul and passeth
by it and so far draweth by the curtain or vail that he maketh somewhat of himself plainly manifest in the Soul calleth yea pusheth and pricketh it as it were with a sharp pointed goad that it may be made sensible and convert the intention of its mind unto him which calleth and toucheth it and if at any time the Soul converteth or turneth it self towards him that so calleth and toucheth it how speedily doth it turn back again For it liketh better to be taken up with its sinful pleasures then to remain in its conversion to hear the Lord expostulate with it by the reproofs and convictions of his Spirit Whereby it may appear that it is a great matter for the Soul to convert unto the true and real appearance of God in the Divine Seed for sometimes it is so vailed that it cannot perceive at all as is said and at other times when it is made manifest in some measure it is so intent upon other objects that it doth not observe it tho it could And thirdly Though at sometimes it be made to observe it even will it nill it yet it is so unpleasant and ungrateful a thing to convert or turn unto it that it is very unwilling even more than the School-boy whom his Master findeth at his play and calleth him back to be reproved or whipped therefore But now as for that Image or Idea which the Soul hath framed unto it self of God the God of its own making which it hath made like unto it self the Soul can without difficulty convert or turn it self unto such a God and continue in its conversion therewith long enough and so be taken up with the contemplations of it that it as it were standeth in great passiveness and forbearance from all these exercises which would avert it from the contemplation thereof So that with great reason and wisdom the Lord put this as the first of all the Commandments engraven in Stone with his own Finger Thou shalt not have any other God before me and this the second Thou shalt not make unto thy self the Image or likeness of any thing which doth plainly import that among all sins which men are readiest to commit the very first is to have some other God then the true and to make and frame a God like unto themselves And though many do not this outwardly as others who are more gross yet how many do it inwardly So that the object of all their contemplations and adorations is in no wise the true God but an Idol And in this Idol Satan seats himself as God yea he hath helped the Soul to form it after a very sublime and artificial manner and truly this is the God whom many in their conversions do contemplate and adore and with whom they do converse at times with great intentness of mind yea are as it were so occupyed with their interior recollections towards him as if they were wholly taken up therewith and stood in a total passiveness and silence and forbearance as to other things Again The Soul may be altogether defective in the way and manner of its converting it self even while it endeavours to do it unto the true God as if it labour to perform its acts of conversion simply by its own natural Powers which is impossible for it to do For only when the Lord visiteth and calleth it and moveth and toucheth it inwardly is it put into a capacity to convert and turn truly and unto the true God as aforesaid which times of the Lord's visitation are frequent enough within the day of their continuance yea many times in one day or one hour yea they are so frequent that they cannot be numbred or particularly determined by us how often they come and how long they continue being much what like unto the lightning which often appeareth and disappeareth in a short space Some may say If these things be so then who can be saved We are almost quite discouraged to hear of these difficulties and hazards of being deceived in the very entrance ANSW This is no more but what Christ hath taught himself Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life c. Yet these things are not mentioned for the discouragement of any poor Soul but indeed to be an occasion unto it that it may apply unto these steps with the more diligence and circumspection and may get the more safely into the true way and not divert into some by-path And for thy more encouragement poor soulâ— I have this to tell thee the Entrance though somewhat difficult yet is not impossible for thee yea it is very possible and on some account very easie and plain forasmuch as he who offers himself to be thy Guide and Leader is the Lord strong and mighty even IMMANVEL God with us in Iesus Christ whose Spirit is given even unto the blind and to those who are out of the way to lead them into it and no less to begin them in the way of Holiliness then to carry them on therein And yet for thy further encouragement I say unto thee Many have found this way and have got a safe and sure entrance into it and do walk safely and surely therein who at first were as unacquainted with it as thou art now yea as blind and dark and as weak and indisposed every way as thy self And seeing the same help is administred unto thee which was unto them why mayst thou not find it and enter thereinto as well But thou mayst say Are there not some signs and marks whereby I may discern whether I have truly converted unto the true God and to his true appearance in his own Seed yea or nay As also Whether or not I have passed truly through the other steps aforesaid in some measure And whether I am become a partaker of the Holy Life and Powers thereof yea or nay Answ. Yea there are certain infallible signs which if thou canst truly and plainly read them will discover unto thee if thou hast truly converted unto the true and real Presence and Appearance of God in his own Seed and these are the aforesaid effects and consequences of the true Conversion which are particularly mention'd in the 3 chapter And if thou hast truly these effects in any measure thou mayst be sure thou hast truly converted or been converted and passed truly through the aforesaid steps in some measure But thou mayst reply that yet the difficulty remains how the Soul may know that it hath such effects wrought in it yea or nay seeing there may be counterfeit resemblances and likenesses of these effects wrought in the Soul by its own hammerings and toolings and the sparks of its own kindling the enemy concurring therewith Answ. Indeed this is a very weighty objection for there may be counterfeit effects insomuch that the Lord scarce doth any thing in the Soul but Satan labours to counterfeit it that he may deceive the Soul therefore it is said
in the Revelation that he shall work lying and false wonders and cause Fire to come down from Heaven videlicit in appearance to deceive them who dwell upon the earth Yet we have a plain and ready answer to this objection which is this The Presence of the Lord in the Soul in the Divine Seed doth send forth such a manifestation of his own Light and Spirit in it which discovereth infallibly the works and deeds which are wrought in the Soul whether they be of God yea or nay and putteth the Soul into a capacity infallibly to discern them and to know whose they are And though the Enemy be never so near in his subtle workings to deceive thee the Lord is as near and nearer to reveal him But as for them who deny Immediate Revelation in these days they leave the Soul at an utter uncertainty that it cannot know the work of God in it from the work of the Enemy For seeing they deny that the operations of his Spirit are objective and objectively manifest they are but as certain blind or blank lines and impressions drawn upon paper which no man can read or perceive But having shewed this at more length elsewhere I shall not further proceed in it at present Now if thou wouldst desire to know the truth of thy Conversion by a way prior to that of effects which is needful yea it were needful for thee to know in the very first instant in which thou setst about to perform thy acts of Conversion whether they be true yea or no Also whether that be the true presence or manifestation of God unto which thou dost convert or but that false and framed god above-mentioned or Satan transforming himself into the likeness of God thou shalt know thus If it be the true God and the true Christ he doth manifest himself so to be for God is Light and Christ is the Light of the world which lightens every man that comes into the world that they may believe and turn unto God Now as there is no way to know the Light even that which is outward but by it self and the manifestation that comes from it so there is no other way so certain to know God and Christ but by the Light and Spirit of manifestation which proceed from them And of this I am verily perswaded that there is no man upon the face of the earth but that there is some manifestation of God so plainly and evidently set before him as that he cannot but be convinced that it is the LORD and that frequently whose appearance in the heart is so far different from every false appearance of Satan or any god or image of him which the Soul makes to it self or can make that it may very plainly and infallibly distinguish the one from the other and needs not to be deceived unless it wittingly and wilfully give up it self to be deceived And if thou ask Wherein doth the appearance of the one from the other so far differ that it may be so easily discerned I answer In this the true appearance of God and Christ Jesus is against every sin more or less in thee whether of Flesh or Spirit and by it thou art reproved of every sin in some measure yea and it worketh as Fire against the Briaâ—s and Thorns against every sin in thee and the body and root of it though at first thou wilt not be so sensible of it as to have a particular observation of all thy sins yet thou wilâ— find it working against them all as it were in a heap sparing none of them nor reconcileable to any of them So that what ever particular sin is brought under thy particular observation thou wilt find the appearance of Christ against it as much as any But now the false god which a man maketh unto himself in his mind is very reconcileable to many sins which thou art plainly convinced to be sins and he can dwell with them and let them flourish and grow largely in the heart and not be a devouring fire against them yea the false and counterfeit god is an enemy tâ— no sin at all and would never reprove or disswade thee from any sin but o 〈…〉 thee And this is the hypocriâ—es 〈◊〉 and the high flown notionists god whom they in some sort stand in awe to offend as to some â—ross outward acts or even some inward also because they have shaped him in such and such a form as is contrary in appearance to such and such sins But as for thee love him that reproves every sin in thought or desire word or work and is dreadful unto every transgressour more or less yea is as a devouring fire against them for that is the true God Now this appearance of God thou shalt observe to manifest it self in a little small Seed the least of all Seeds in the very inwards of thy heart which is meek and holy and pure and harmless and is contrary unto nothing but sin can be reconciled with any thing save sin but with no sin in any measure I have found it with me the more to insist on this particular for that I certainly know there are many who are wofully bewitched with a mystery of Iniquity in relation to this matter being like Capernanum exalted to the Heavens as it were in their notions about God so as to think they daily contemplate and enjoy him and yet it is but an Idol and by the children of Light they are seen and felt to be it darkness and the Seed is felt to suffer in them and to â—e in the very bonds of death notwithstanding all their high and lofty imaginations Now if the Seed be raised in thee so that the Holy Life and Powers thereof become formed though but a little thou wilt feel it and its powers as manifest to move stir and spring in thee as ever the Mother felt the Child to spring in her Womb so that thou canst no less doubt of the one then she can of the other and so by the stirrings and movings thereof thou wilt begin to be acquainted with the Spiritual refreshments and joyes of the Children of God CHAP. VIII Wherein divers Advertisements and Cautions are given unto the Soul in relation unto its applying it self unto Works or operative Exercises inward or outward through the Holy Life and the Powers thereof WE are his Workmanship said the Apostle created unto Christ Iesus unto good works that we should walk in them So that the Lord giveth not unto any man the being of a holy life with its powers in vain or for no effect but that he should make use of it and them to bring forth good works even as the Husbandman planteth his Vines and other Trees that they may bring forth Fruit. We must improve and make use of our Masters Money to profit withal that our Talent may encrease to the honour of him who hath given it unto us and to our own happiness and comfort
Lord who is the Husband-man requireth not fruit of thee before the season but patiently waiteth for it Yet the time is not so long betwixt the time of the first converting and the season of bearing fruits and producing good works as thou maist think if thou pass truly and faithfully through these few steps thou maist come to bear some fruit that is to say to be able and fit to do some good works in a very short space much less than a year yea much less than a Month yea what if I say than the space of one day Nay I add further it may be possible for thee within an hours space and yet less after thou hast truly converted unto the Lord and touched as it were the hem of his Garment and drunk in vertue therefrom to do some good works in a true measure of acceptance unto the Lord yea the time may be so short wherein after thy conversion thou maist be put into a capacity to do something both inwardly and outwardly that we cannot determine the least bound or limit of it for it is an easie thing for the Lord to raise his holy life in thee in an instant or the twinkling of an eye And indeed the waies of the Lord with men in this respect are very wonderful and past finding out as in many others in some he raiseth life as it were instantly in others he taketh a longer time to do it in others yet a longer c. For he is the unlimitted Holy One of Israel who limiteth us but will not nor ought he to be limited by us And tho he may raise this life sooner in one than another where that other is no more wanting as to the aforesaid steps than his Neighbour yet usually these who with most diligence and faithfulness cleave unto the Lord in his appearing in them in his own Seed do most readily and speedily find the holy life raised in them and the Powers thereof sensibly moving in their inward parts Now I find it with me yet more particularly to point at some advertisements and cautions in relation unto the Souls applying it self unto works and operative exercises after it hath attained unto some measure of life and power whereby it is put in some capacity to perform them which I may not call Rules and Prescriptions as proceeding from me tho herein I know the mind and counsel of God but advertisements being only of use to point the Soul inwards unto the manifestations of Truth in the springings up of life in its own particular where it will see the use and need of these things more than what it can hear or read of them from anothers declaration And truly they are such things that the want of the true knowledg sense and observation of them has been a grievous block in the way of many in their proâ—ress in holiness yea has hindred them from growing up to any considerable pitch or perfection in holiness that they have continued as Weaklings and Babes there-through whereas otherwise they might have been strong men in Christ. I. Having now attained unto a measure of the Holy Life and the Powers thereof so that thou findst the Powers of this Life in thy heart as it were a wheel within a wheel or as a Soul within a Soul yea it is truly so and that also thou findst thy Soul in a measure of pure union with it and every power of thy Soul affected and touched with the powers of this Holy Life in pure embraces every one as it were kissing each other and hereby thou wilt feel thy self strong in some measure to do some things pertaining unto a holy Life yea thou wilt even so find it with thee as if thou wert cured of a bodyly lameness or as if thy tongue were loosed which was formerly bound then thou art to stand in great fear and reverence and be very cautious that thou fall not upon doing any thing or things less or more at all adventures or hand over head as they use to say as to set about any performance in thy own natural and selfish will because thou findest strength in thee as thou conceivest to perform it for if thou so do thou wilt provoke the Lord and grieve that holy life which hath sprung and appeared in thee not at all to be ruled or led into any action by thy will but by the will of the Lord alone And if thou goest about to do any thing in such a manner though thou findst both clearness and strength of mind with thee at first yet afterward thou wilt to thy great loss feel weakness and confusion to enter thee and a thick cloud of darkness will come betwixt the eye of thy Soul and that pure Light of Life which shined in thee yea a vail of death will come over the tender Life in some measure and thou wilt find the pure Life in thee burthened and oppressed which will occasion pain and grief of Soul unto thee which cannot be uttered And of these things we have had experience divers times so that had not the Lord in tender mercy recovered us we had gone down into the grave after some measure of quickening The reason of all this is because of man by his own will usurping and presuming to lead forth the holy life which usurpation it cannot endure so as to yield or consent unto it Therefore it withdraweth its holy powers of Light and Life from the powers of the Soul concentring them within its own particular being And thus the Soul is left in darkness confusion and weakness and the tender Life is both grieved and burthened as aforesaid For whatever seeketh to move it from its perfect unity with the will of God doth hurt it for it standeth for ever incorruptible with the Divine will and that which seeketh to move it to the contrary may well bruise and wound yea kill it while it is but young and tender but it can never draw it to consent When therefore at any time thou findest it well with thy Soul and thy heart is strengthned as with bread or with some strong cordial or liquor by the springings forth and effusions of the streams of this holy Life in thee then thou art to stand in a passiveness and forbearance waiting upon the will and motions of this holy Life which is for every one with the will of God that thou mayst do such or such things which that Life requireth of thee and then whatever thou sets about to do not in thy own natural will but in the will of this which is the will of God thou shalt find thy clearness thy peace and strength which formerly thou hadst not only to be continued with thee but to be multiplyed and abound II. And yet more particularly know or consider it that thou art to do nothing without a clear and infallible knowledge of thy warrant and that from this inward Guide the Holy Life of Christ and his blessed
Spirit now raised and formed in thee For this is he whom the Lord hath given thee for a Leader and a Commander and he is worthy to have this place for that he is an infallible Guide Instructor Counsellour and Teacher which never sinned nor can sin and him hath the Father given unto thee for a Head that in all things thou shouldst obey him and do nothing but in his will Even as it is in the natural body and life and powers thereof for the powers of Life which are in the head and heart being supream over the powers which are in the other members do rule and command them and the members in which they are And so it should be here and where the inferiour powers of the natural life do not obey the superiour powers of the same there is confusion and disorder in nature as indeed it hath fallen out through mens disobedience to this holy Life because man's supreamist power of Life videlicet his will hath not stood in subjection to the Powers of this Holy Life which is its supream therefore hath its power been taken from it in great part that it cannot rule its inferiour powers as of the natural passions and affections but they often rebell against it So that many times a man is led by his very animal passions into things against his very will which would not be so were his will brought into a perfect subjection unto the will of this Holâ— Life its supream and higher power for then it would give it a perfect victory and dominion over them Now when I speak of the absolute need that the Soul hath to know its warrant from its inward Guide and Leader viz this Holy Life and God who is so therein and so in conjunction therewith that when I speak of the one it is never to be understood but in conjunction with the other By this warrant I say I do not conceive that the Soul for every thing it doth is to have an absolute and possitive command nay but it must have either that or at least an inward felt permission allowance or liberty given to it in and from the same and where this is clearly and distinctly received and known it is warrant sufficient unto such who have it And whosoever do any thing or things in this inward and felt liberty of the Holy Life and Spirit of Jesus Christ do the same in true faith and gruonded upon the known will of God either mandatory or permissory And if this permission or liberty be not granted unto thee thou wilt sensibly feel in thy heart the Holy Life with its powers repugnant thereunto so that it will sensibly move and stir in thy heart against the thing thou hast before thee to do III. And as thou art not forwardly or rashly in thy own will to do any thing without the warrant aforesaid of the Holy Life mandatory or permissory â—o thou art to be as careful that thou be not backward negligent or unwilling to answer the will of this Holy Life in doing those things which it moves and inclines thee unto and requireth of thee for the hurt is one and the same in both viz. in going about to do a thing or things contrary to the will of God and forbearing to do that or those things which he requireth of thee the one is the sin of commission the other is the sin of emission both of them the sin of disobedience against God and so both of them provoke the Lord burthen and grieve his Holy Life and Spirit and both of them bring weakness conâ—usion deadness and darkness upon the Soul IV. Do nothing doubtfully and with unclearness and confusion of mind but exercise a perfect passiveness and forbearance as to all these things which are not cleared up unto thee to be the mind and will of the Lord. The right knowledge use and observation of this is of both great comfort and advantage unto the Soul as we have often found by great and good experience 1. It is of great comfort for it signifieth the great lenity and moderation of the Lord towards us that if we be singly given up in our minds having a willingness of heart in simplicity and uprightness to know the will of God perfectly in all things if some things even of great importance be unclear unto us he spareth to charge the guiltiness of disobedience upon us till we be clear tho we be â—ound in the forbearance of them which is great gentleness upon the Lords part 2. Again It is of great advantage to us for First It riddeth us of many superstitious fears which others have whilst one while they suppose they should do this other while the contrary and still imagin God to be angry with them one way or other which begetteth most woful superstitious fears in the Soul and indeed I may say the ground of all superstition is the unclearness and confusion of mind as to the understanding the will of God one while over-rating things and judging it self bound in things wherein the Lord hath left it free and then again imagining but both doubtfully to please the Lord in things he doth not regard Secondly It reduceth our whole work as it were within a narrow or small compass and yet not narrower than the Lord alloweth for according to this advertisement concerning the many things that come before us as duty by way of consideration if we stand in a true and single resignation unto the will of God in all things or truly aim thereat we may thus reason with our own hearts Either such a thing is made clear unto me from the Lord by the manifestation of his Holy Life in my heart or after singly waiting upon him it is not as yet made clear unto me If the former then it is my work to do it and I must not forbear whatever trouble from the enemy without or within I meet with in the practice thereof If the latter I have nothing more to do with it at present but to wait upon the Lord if he shall afterwards clear it up unto me and so I may let it alone with a quiet and peaceable Conscience And thus ye may see there is a great difference betwixt doing and forbearing for unclearness of mind in the thing may be a ground for me to forbear it but I must not do any thing upon the ground of unclearness A third advantage is that thereby our minds are kept clear and pure and open even like a free and clear air which doth with readiness receive the light that shineth in it and every impression made in it thereby whereas doing things in the unclearness and doubtfulness confuseth and disordereth the mind yea maketh it muddy and gross bringeth darkness and death over it for he that doubteth is condemned in his own heart Fourthly It giveth us an opportunity to cut short the work in righteousness touching the doing or forbearing of divers things which are called
in question and debated among people in this day But now for the further opening of this Particular I find it with me to add somewhat more as 1. When I say Do nothing doubtfully I do not understand it so that thou art not to do a thing if there be any objections which thou findst arising against it either from thy carnal reason or unbelieving part till thou get rid of them for notwithstanding them thou maist find a good clearness in thy mind which shuts them out or puts them under And so thou maist proceed upon thy clearness from the Lord in thy mind notwithstanding these objections altho' thou canst not give them any direct and positive answer but this that thou art clear of the Lord to the contrary yet if the objections should so far prevail as quite to cloud thy clearness so that thou losest sight of it this is indeed thy sin so to have permitted them to do yet till thou get them in some measure removed and clearness in some measure be given thee from the Lord thy safety is to forbear Again Whereas some wrong Spirits may take an occasion from this unjustly to shelter themselves under a cover in their omissions and neglects of those things which the Lord requires saying they find not clearness to do them therefore I must add this also that if thy unclearness proceed from a wrong and deceitful part of thy heart which is unwilling to be cleared because it is unwilling to obey it is another case for then thy forbearance is thy sin though thou be unclear because thou mightst have been clear hadst thou stood singly and yet if thou dost things in this unclearness thou sinst also Thou maist say then What shall I do For this is a strait â—â—se I answer Come unto the Light and turn to it in singleness and that will clear thee and so thou art to do them V. Be careful to keep thy heart and mind in a sense and feeling of the Holy Life and Powers thereof at all times as much as is possible I know at first and for some time it will be hard for thee yea at times till thou witness a further growth and become more inwardly acquainted with the enemies workings thou wilt as it were lose much what all and clear and distinct sense feeling and discerning of the Life as if it were not in thee But this is as it were a fit of a Lethargy a fainting or falling into a swarf for even the Spiritual Life suffers these things at times especially when it is young and tender no less than the natural But now as one live in the natural Life doth what in him lies to be kept out of such fits which bereave him of the present use of his natural senses and doth greatly desire alwaies to have the free and lively use of his natural senses which are very needful unto him for his preservation from outward dangers even so one who is come to live in the Spiritual Life and hath once received the powers of of the Spiritual Senses whereby to hear see taste smell and feel heavenly objects as also to have a sense of what hurteth from the contrary life and powers thereof he will and ought to be very careful to preserve the free and lively exercise of them for they are given unto him both for his comfort and also to be helps unto him whereby he may know things good and evil profitable and hurtful unto his spiritual condition that so he may chuse and imbrace the good and refuâ—e the evil Now if he run out from the inward sense and feeling of the Holy Life and its Powers till he be restored again into the sense thereof he is out of any true capacity to know either the things he should do or the manner how to do them Therefore it plainly appears how needful it is unto a man who is come to be a partaker of the Holy Life to be very careful to live alwaies in the sense and feeling of the same and the powers thereof and this he shall the more readily attain unto by the due and right use and observance of the former Advertisements and those which yet remain to be mentioned This particular is contrary unto the Doctrin that passeth generally among the Professors who are taught to say that they should not seek to live by sense but by faith alledging the Apostle's words but this is a meer abuse of his words for he doth not say We walk by faith and not by sense but thus and not by sight whereas a man may have the exercise of divers other senses and yet at present have not the exercise of his sight Now there are divers other spiritual senses besides the sight whiâ—â— is the clearest manifestation and it 's true that many times the Children of the Holy Life can believe when in some sort they do not see yet I altogether deny that any can believe without some inward spiritual sense or another whereby that which they should believe is proposed unto them objectively for otherwise it were a groundless faith Also by these works We walk by faith and not by sense may be understood the outward senses or the inward which reside only in the lower parts of the Soul which are wrought upon by natural and outward objects by these we are not to walk nor expect to have the Lord to propose himself unto us in order to satisfie us by our outward senses or by the inward sensible affections in the lower parts of the Soul for it is the excellency of a Christian Life that gives us to walk with God both confidently and comfortably to follow him in the waies of obedience when we have nothing from these inferiour senses to help or encourage us but many times to the contrary And as for that which they call sensible devotion which some say we must not much seek after if by sensible devotion they understand that which only affecteth the inferiour sensible powers of the Soul such as the phancy and imagination whereby the inferiour affections of love joy fear grief c. are moved and stirred which can be doâ—e by some pathetick discourse or deâ—cription of things by a form of words I agree unto what they say But if by sensible devotion they understand that which moveth the very spirit and will of man with the supream affections of the Soul by the workings of the Holy Life and the powers thereof upon its spiritual senses I say this Devotion is most needful in some measure and is to be sought after by all for it is the highest and noblest kind of Devotion and the most rational even that we have a real sense and feeling upon our hearts of the power of the Holy Life of the only and true God when we worship him so as to be inwardly melted into a holy tenderness before him through what we feel and taste and savour of his Divine Power and Goodness And if
the other part may be of the enemy yea the Soul may begin to do something well and in the Spirit and yet end it in the Flesh through its weakness and inadvertency Nevertheless we must not conceive any such mixture possible as if what the Lord doth in the Soul and what the Soul doth with him and by his Power and Spirit could be corrupted and defiled by the Enemy Nay for the work of the Lord is still pure so far as it goeth But now the Soul giving way to the Enemy he enters and so putteth a stop to the Lord's work at that time but he can never defile or corrupt it And thus the Lord's part of the work is still his and the Enemy hath no share in it nor any influence upon it so as to defile it but he may stop it as the Lord permits him and as the Soul gives him way so to do Now one may readily object According to this it would seem that so long as sin hath any life or power in the Soul it being as is said the Devils Kingdom it were impossible for it to do any work unto the Lord and in him from fiâ—st to last but that it should be marred and stand in the mixture as aforesaid for the very state and condition of the Soul being in the mixture as partly the Holy Life and its Powers having place therein and partly the unholy life and its powers How can it be but that the work it self should stand in the mixture also and that proportionally according to the mixture of the Souls own state and condition For while the Soul is working that which is good by the Powers of the Holy Life in and with the Lord will the powers of the unholy life be idle and asleep or rather will they not work in opposition Yea will not the Devil move strongly in them to resist and mar the work of the Lord Answ. This objection indeed doth evince that the things is somewhat difficult but not impossible It 's true the powers of the unholy life do of their own nature incline to work in opposition to the work of the Lord and Satan will never be wanting as much as he can to move and stir them up but this answers it plainly that as the Soul turns unto the Lord and breaths unto him through the Powers of his own Life and Spirit for preservation and continueth thus inwardly turned and converted unto him in fear watchfulness and singleness the Power of the Lord God cometh over the unholy Life and its Powers yea and over the whole power of the enemy therein and doth bind and captivate them that they can no more prevail to hinder the Soul from doing the work of the Lord in purity and perfection in a measure then if they had no such place in it Even as in the outward if I were doing a piece of work and some strong bodied man had a resolution to stop or mar me yet if a stronger than he come and bind him up I may do the work compleatly maugre him he may fret and make a noise like a mad Dog or Lion upon a Chain but he can do no more And truly we have found the truth of this many times in our own experience that as we have kept diligent nigh unto the Lord with our minds towards him in tender breathings and desires that we might be preserved we have found him chained as aforesaid But when we have but a little become remiss and suffered our minds to slide back from that diligence and watchfulness as was requisite then the Lord suffered the enemy somewhat as it were to break loose upon us and use his strength in some measure against us to the end that thereby we might be stirred up unto the more watchfulness And indeed many times we find it so with us in this matter as it was with the Jews at the rebuilding of the City who were so put to it that while they builded with the one hand they behooved to fight against the adversary with the other Thus ye may see that there is a time wherein sin and its powers may be captivated before it be utterly slain and the strong man may be bound before he be utterly cast out CHAP. IX Shewing How that though Works can have no great influence upon the very first beginnings of a Holy Life that being only received through a receptive Faith yet they do greatly conduce unto the growth and continuance thereof also unto the killing and mortification of the sinful and unholy Life with its powers more and more till it be utterly slain where also the distinction of a twofold property of Faith viz. Receptive and operative is somewhat opened WOrk out your Salvation said the Apostle with fear and trembling It is observable he did not bid them begin their Salvation with works but that they should work it out or proceed in it through works which is a manifest proof that works have a great use and service promoting and carrying on the Salvation of the Soul though they cannot begin it and concerning the great use they have unto this effect Paul the same Apostle said again Rom. 8. If ye live after the flâ—sh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Wherein these two things are plainly implied 1. That carnal and evil works that is a living after the flesh occasion death upon them who are come to some measure of spiritual life evil and unholy works are deadning and killing they are like a cankeâ— which eat out the life of the Soul 2. That good and holy works serve not only to preserve the measure of the holy life already attained but to increase and improve it And this same the parable of the Talents doth plainly hold forth for he who received but two Talents yet improving the same and putting them to use they became multiplyed into four so he who received the five by using them gained other five Many other Scripture exaâ—mples could be brought to prove the Trâ—â—â— of it but these shall at present suffice Moreover the very nature of the thing doth also demonstrate it for it is here the same as to the spiritual life as it is in the natural for the natural life and the powers thereof become stronger and stronger the more it is upon motion and exercise as we see by dayly experience but there is this difference that the natural Life after it hath come to its heighth doth decay and even spendeth or consumeth it self in its motions or workings for it is but a temporary thing Whereas the spiritual life is eternal and doth never at any time decay or diminish through its workings but is thereby perpetuated It is such a good plant that it ever groweth and flourisheth and bringeth forth twelve manner of fruits every Month where it is well occupyed or improved and never of its own nature decayeth or waxeth barren
but the more abundant fruit it bringeth forth this Month or year the yet more abundantly it bring forth the next Yea its life is so much in working and bringing forth fruit that if it be hindered in its movings and workings it dyeth even as the fire goeth out if it be stopt from burning and the water dyeth if it be kept from running Besides The Lord is so well pleased in the Soul that is diligent in good works through his own holy Life and Spirit that he doth reward it with a further measure and taketh delight to water the Soul that is fruitful therein the more abundantly with his heavenly vertue and Spirit even as the Husband-man doth his garden which yieldeth him good fruit But the Vine-yard which bringeth not forth Good Grapes but the Sowr and Bitter Grapes of evil works see what he doth to it Isa. 5. I will lay it wast saith the Lord it shall not be pruned nor digged c. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it But it may be said Is not faith a work and is not believing working And yet thou grants that the Soul comes to attain unto the first beginning or beginnings of a holy and spiritual life through faith and believing Unto this I answer that there is a twofold property of Faith 1. Receptive or receiving 2. Operative or working Now the Soul doth not attain unto the beginning of a holy Life through the property of faith which is opperative but through that which is receptive And least any should think this distinction too nice or subtile I shall prove it from the express words of Scripture 1. That faith is operative is clear from that Scripture where it is said Faith worketh by Love and where it is said to purifie the Heart and do a great many good things in many other places 2. That it is receptive I shall go no further then Ioh. 1.12 For proof To as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God And that this receiving Christ is a believing in him is plain from the words immediately following even said he to them that believe in his Name So here is the receptive faith for receptive is as much as to say in English receiving Nor are there many examples wanting in natural things to shew that a thing may have the receptive power when as yet it hath not the operative yea that the receptive maketh way for the operative as to instance in some 1. The needle of the compass must first receive its vertue from the load stone being touched with it before it can direct it self towards the pole 2. The branch that is cut-off from its own natural stock and grafted into another it first receiveth life and vertue from the stock into which it is grafted and drinketh it in before it proceed to send forth either leaves or flourish or fruit 3. The womb first receiveth seed before the powers of nature in it proceed in their operation for its conception and formation 4. The Stomach first receiveth the meat into it before by the powers of nature therein it digest and turn it into the nourishment of the body And indeed this last example doth with great clearness hold forth the thing in hand For suppose now a man through hunger were even faint and as it were dead so that he were able to do nothing yet receiving a little food the vertue of it doth suddenly revive him and gives him natural strength whereby he may do and work as formerly And thus the Soul receiving and drinking in that divine vertue of life that is in the divine Seed is thereby quickened and strengthened to do the things that pertain unto an holy Life in some measure All which examples and many more which could be adduced prove that a thing may have a receptive power and not the operative yea that the receptive maketh way for the operative And to this purpose these words of Christ are observable He that believes in me saith he though he were dead yet shall he live which imports that a Soul though it be dead may believe that is to say receive the Seed and principle of Life into it for this Divine Principle is of an insinuating and penetrating nature it doth make way for its own reception in the heart insinuating and as it were winding it self thereinto as the Fire doth into Wood or any combustible matter But now when this Principle doth labour to work it self into the Soul and its powers the Soul may resist and doth so many times whereby it remaineth dead though otherwise it might have lived by giving way unto or receiving this Divine Principle and Seed And thus that subtle objection may be answered which is thus Believing or Faith is an act of Spiritual Life indwelling in the Soul and can only proceed from the Soul that liveth a Spiritual Life For as a dead Body cannot walk or move so nor can a dead Soul believe From this it is inferred That the Soul must first live before it can believe or have Faith and consequently that none others can have Faith but they who are already partakers of a Spiritual Life which is contrary to what ye say that it is possible for all men to believe while yet ye grant all men are not spiritually alive But this is answered by the former distinction of the twofold property of Faith Therefore unto that proposition on which the whole strength of the objection lieth viz. that Faith is an act of Spiritual Life indwelling in the Soul I thus answer That the Operative Faith or Believing is an act of Spiritual Life indwelling I grant but as for the receptive property of Faith through it the Soul is made a partaker of the Spiritual Life by which it comes to indwell in the Soul and therefore the Soul cannot be conceived to live Spiritually before the receptive Faith This receptive Faith is the same with the Soul 's converting or turning or being converted or turned inwardly by the Lord unto the Divine Seed and Principle in it and to the Divine Presence of God and Christ Jesus therein whereof I have said somewhat chap. 4. And whether the Soul be supposed only to be passive in this receptive Faith or partly passive and partly active the matter is not much provided it be acknowledged that it cannot so much as believe even according to the receptive Faith but as it is enabled and assisted after a supernatural manner by the Lord. Also some may object This Doctrin seemeth contrary to what ye seem to hold when ye say That it is possible for all men to do the things that God requires of them and that no man perisheth for want of power to do the will of God Answ. There is no contrariety herein for when we say it 's possible for all men to do the things that God requires of them we understand not this simply and absolutely
Life through the burden and weight of mens iniquities But how Christ did suffer under the iniquities of men and the spirit and power thereof can never be understood in any true measure but by these alone who are come to be acquainted with a measure of his righteous Life in their own particulars and to know a measure of redemption from sin thereby such will feel how that righteous Life of Christ Jesus suffers by sin and the spirit and power thereof so that many times we have felt the Life of him in us to be deeply smitten and wounded and deeply to suffer through and by iniquity and the spirit of it even in others and in a whole country and nation yea in some measure through the whole world The reason of which is because of that deep and near Sympathy that his Life in the Saints hath with the Seed of that Life that is oppressed in others till it be raised So that many in whom this righteous Life is raised to reign in perfect dominion over all its contrary in their own particulars yet witness many times its deep sufferings through its Sympathy with that Seed of its own nature oppressed and murdered in others So that indeed upon the matter this Righteous Life in none of the Saints will be wholly delivered from its Sufferings till that of its own nature over all the World be raised up in all hearts to reign with it in dominion either in full love or wrath And truly these deep Sufferings of Christ under the burden of mens Iniquities really felt and witnessed by him as in the Garden and on the Cross c. I find the Professors know little or nothing of for they conceive not that Christ suffered any other way by the burden of sin laid on him then in that he suffered the Wrath of God that was due to men for sin and so they understand his bearing our sins to be only in respect of the Wrath of God he did bear which was not so for he suffered much more deeply by the sins of the World and the Spirit thereof because of that great and implacable contrariety and enmity which sin and the Spirit thereof hath against his tender Life which at that time had mustered up all its forces against him the Lord permitting it so to be that by his patient and meek sufferings he might overcome it as indeed he did and even upon the Cross Triumphed over it and gave the Spirit of Transgression the greatest blow and wound that ever it got which shall in due time by the Vertue and Power of his Sufferings be utterly slain and extinguished in the Earth and it filled with his Holy and Righteous Spirit And this Spirit of Iniquity wrought what it could so to Eclipse and Vail the presence of God from his Righteous Soul as to take away that comfort and joy from him which at other times he had yet his Faith pierced through this Cloud that it did not overcome him but he overcame it and signified his Faith in God saying My GOD my GOD Why hast thou forsaken me which respected that sensible joy and comfort yet in the midst of this deep trial the Father was with him in love and in the Power and Vertue of that Love the Wrath became mitigated and qualified towards men And to speak properly the Wrath was indeed against men but never on any account directly against Christ who did indeed intervene and intermediate betwixt it and us to bear it off and qualifie it as is abovesaid yet he could never suffer it as the damned do for he qualified it both in the Father's Love and in his own but the Wrath which the damned suffer hath no such qualification And truly we cannot judg that the Father was to speak properly offended or displeased with him nay not on our account nor do the Scriptures speak any thing so only it pleased the Father thus to try him and make him perfect thus by sufferings to the end he might overcome Sin and the Spirit thereof in the more Glory and might be the more fitted to help them that are under Trials as being touched with the feeling of our Infirmities IIII. Being presented in his Spirit as aforesaid they have also great influence to raise in our Souls most fervent Breathings and Supplications unto the Lord not only for his pardoning and forgiving Grace for and because of his Son's Blood-shed his Sufferings and Death c. by which he procured or purchased it but also for his Sanctifying and Mortifying Grace even for an abundant measure of the Life and Spirit of Grace whereby we may be enabled to die perfectly unto sin and live unto God in perfection of Holyness so thâ—t the Soul may strongly plead with the Lord upon the account of Christ that he may pour forth abundantly of his Grace Life Light and Spirit because that the Lord Jesus hath purchased it abundantly and hath opened the Fountain of the Father's Love abundantly by his Obedience and Righteousness to the end that all Souls may come and draw out of that fulness of his which he hath purchased and is in him even Grace for Grace Joh. 1.16 both to justifie and sanctifie and as much the one as the other V. Also these things presented in the Spirit as aforesaid and in and thereby applied to the Soul become very strong and forcible motives unto it to war against sin universally and the Spirit thereof to the utter killing and destroying of it seeing it is the greatest enemy of that tender Life of Christ which suffered so much on this account even to the mortifying of the Soul unto sin and saving it therefrom so that if the Soul do not diligently apply it self unto a total mortification of sin it doth nothing answer unto that love and good-will of Christ in his sufferings nor to the end thereof They are also of the same force to move the Soul to follow after Holiness till it attain unto it so as to be pure and holy as Christ its Beloved and Spouse who gave himself for her that she might be holy and to present her unto God without spot or wrinkle or any such thing Eph. 5.27 Also how can the Soul but be moved to press after Holiness seeing it inwardly feels that the Righteous Life of Christ is as much eased and refreshed and delighted in its becoming Holy as ever it was formerly Grieved and Burthened with its Iniquities VI. Our Blessed Lord in his outward coming Life and Way of Conversation Doctrine Sufferings and Death c. is a most noble and perfect example unto us even the best that ever outwardly was is or shall be that we might imitate his Vertues and follow his Steps in all Godliness Temperance and Righteousness who taught us most excellent Documents and Instructions of a Holy Life both in Doctrine and Example and sealed the same with his most Holy and Blessed Sufferings who knew no sin yet so willingly
suffered Death for Sin gave us a most convincing Example that we should Die unto it and suffer it no more to live in us Now it is to be observed and remembred that in all these Steps the Sufferings and Death of Christ c. have these Influences upon us not as they are presented unto us barely in our own Spirit or as we do bring them to our remembrance thereby and so make a working upon our selves in our own thoughts and motions for in so doing we shall never profit our own Souls either in Dying unto Sin or Living in Holiness unto God Indeed we may thereby raise sparks of our own kindling in the affectionate part and work some effect in our hearts which may be a shadow or likeness of these things but can never be the things themselves but as they are inwardly presented to the Soul in the Light Life and Spirit of Christ Iesus and applied thereby and that instantly and continually For it is his Light Life and Spirit alone which both gives the true Understanding of the Vse and End of these things and also gives unto the Soul the living sense and feeling of them and in a living and effectual way doth only and can apply them unto the Soul and whole Powers thereof for the Working such suitable Effects and Impressions as are proper thereunto But some may say Seeing the outward Coming Sufferings and Death c. of the Lord Iesus Christ as it is known and improved by the Soul is so effectual to work Faith and Love in it towards God and for its Mortification unto Sin and living in Holiness unto God would it not therefore seem that the knowledg of the outward Coming Sufferings and Death of Christ as aforesaid is of absolute necessity unto every one for the attainment of these things For how can a Soul believe that God will be Gracious unto it or is reconcileable with it but as it looks upon that Testimony of his Mercy and Love in sending his Beloved Son outwardly into the World to Suffer and Die for our Sins in order unto our Reconciliation and Peace with God Also how can it love God with that Purity and Fervency of Love which is according to the Gospel but as it regards and considers that Testimony of his Love in the Coming Sufferings and Death of Christ in the outward ANSW Indeed the knowledg of this outward Coming Sufferings and Death is of very blessed use and advantage and all who have it should be very thankful unto God who hath given us this Testimony of his Love Good-will Long-suffering and Power in the outward coming of Jesus Christ for the more abundant helping and enabling us to believe in him and love him Yet this I say though express knowledg of his outward Coming Sufferings and Death is very profitable to beget Faith and Love in men towards God as aforesaid and ought to be highly valued in its place nevertheless this express knowledg is not of absolute necessity unto Faith and Love forasmuch as the outward Coming Sufferings and Death of Christ may have and hath a real and true Influence upon them who know it not expresly For seeing he hath tasted death for every man and given his Life a Ransom for all it cannot be but that it should have an Influence upon all Yea the Apostle expresly mentions what it is Rom. 5.18 19. how that by the Righteousness and Obedience of Christ the Free Gift is come upon all to Iustification of Life Look then as many of Adam's Posterity suffer disadvantage by his disobedience who never knew it expresly so why may not many receive an advantage by Christ the Second Adam's obedience even in the outward who never knew it expresly Yea certainly they have for how many Thousands have been Saved before Christ's coming in the outward who knew it not expresly And many who knew something of it it was but very darkly and under Vails and Figures yea the very Disciples did not for a good time know of his Death so that when he told them of it they were astonished and yet they had both Faith and Love in some measure seeing then that some had Faith and Love to God and were saved without the express knowledg thereof before he came outwardly why not also after his coming where his coming outwardly hath not been preached nor revealed Yea has not God a way of saving Infants and the Dumb and Deaf who have not that express knowledg For now Christ is inwardly come in a Seed of Life and Light in all which is the Word of Reconciliation by which men may be Reconciled with God as they joyn and apply their minds thereunto and in this the Lord God doth give a sufficient testimony of his love mercy good-will Long suffering and Power unto every man for his Salvation whereby it is possible for him to attain unto the true Faith in God and the true Love towards him even according to the Gospel And in this Holy Seed the Sufferings of Christ and how he bore the Iniquities of the Soul and makes Intercession or Attonement unto God may be learned in some measure with many other things concerning Christ in relation to him and his doings and sufferings in the outward which was an outward and visible Testimony of his inward doings and sufferings in all ages in men and women in the Holy Seed And indeed we find that this is only the true and effectual way of knowing the use and work of his Coming and Sufferings and Death in the outward by turning and having our minds turned inwards unto himself near and in our hearts in the Holy Seed to know by an inward feeling and good experience his doings and sufferings in us by being made conformable thereunto In which Holy Seed as it ariseth in us such a clear Light shineth forth in our hearts as giveth unto us the true knowledg of the Vse of his inward Doings and Sufferings hence also such a precious sweet and powerful Life springeth up from and in the same Holy Seed which doth with much sweetness and comfort enable us to follow his example in the outward in Faith in Obedience in Love in Purity in Patience in Godliness in Righteousness and Temperance and all other things wherein we are required to imitate him And this is the great loss we find people at generally who seek to know the Vertue and Vse of his Coming Doings and Sufferings in the outward by what they can outwardly hear or read of him while as they remain estranged from his Light Life and Spirit in the Holy Seed in their hearts and yet they can never know the same but in this And Oh! at what great pains have many poor Souls been to imitate Christ in his Heavenly Vertues by setting him as their Example before him but meerly as the Letter or History declares of him By which way yet they can never attain unto the true imitation or following of him for
there is required an inward Spring and Power of the same Life of Christ by which he did these things to enable them to follow his Example and all imitation without the Soul attain to be endued with this Life which it attaineth unto through the arising of the Holy Seed in it is as if a man would by much pains set himself to mount up towards Heaven and fly through the midst of it like an Eagle or Bird of the Air which were impossible for him to do even so as impossible is it for him to follow Christ in his Heavenly Vertues Doings and Sufferings but by being endued with a measure of his Heavenly Life and the Powers thereof which are as Wings whereby the Soul may indeed mount up as an Eagle and follow Christ flying with him through the midst of Heaven yea walking with him and that without wearying and running without fainting And therefore this is the true method and order which we have found greatly blessed of God which the Lord hath taught us to hold forth unto people whereby they attain unto Holiness to a being made conformable unto the Holy Life of Iesus Christ and come to know the true and great End and Vse of his outward Coming viz. In the first place to point and turn their minds unto the Light of Iesus Christ who hath inlightened them and Every One and hath sown a Seed of his Light Life and Spirit in every one unto which Seed they should give the most inward of their Hearts as a Ground for it to grow and spring up in abondoning and forsaking all those things which hinder its arising whence then in due time such a measure of Light and Life ariseth therein as gives them both truly to know Christ and to follow him GEORGE KEITH How to discern the CONVICTIONS that proceed from the LIGHT of Faith or Divine Principle in us from those that proceed from the Light of Nature or meer Natural and Humane Reason assisted by Arguments drawn from Scripture THis question I find weighty on my heart to answer for the sake of some whose minds through the subtle workings of the Enemy may be perplexed with the same as my mind was for a considerable time after I was in great measure convinced of the Truth The Enemy of my Soul did exceedingly work in me to cause me to believe that I was still but where formerly I had been to wit that although I had changed my judgment concerning many things yet the principle that swayed my judgment was still but the natural principle helped with Scripture Arguments and so my Faith touching these things was but meerly Humane and Natural not Divine and Supernatural and consequently was nothing but opinion still and that I was still but a natural man and no true believer and that though I should join with the People of God who have the true Divine Faith and should do the things that they do I could not be accepted of God my Obedience not proceeding from the true Divine Faith which is the effect of the true Divine Light nor having received the true Divine Call This Objection did so trouble perplex and disquiet me through the working of Satan as it were under ground and hiding himself and his design from me that none but the Lord alone did or could know the great anguish of my Soul and had not the Lord in his wonderful Mercy broken this snare I had been held in it unto this very day and perhaps had died in that sad and lamentable condition And I do certainly know the Enemy doth assault many in this day and doth prevail over them by the same tentation who are truly convinced of Truth by the Divine Light and Principle of God in their Hearts which Divine Conviction is a sufficient Divine Call being alwaies accompanied with a secret Divine drawing to give Obedience unto God in all things whereof they are convinced The sense now of such Souls condition being brought upon me my Bowels are moved in great tenderness towards them and my Heart is opened by the Lord to say somewhat unto them that may be of service to whose hands it may be ordered to come And the breathing of my Soul in the Spirit of Lifâ—â—â—s that God Almighty may bless it 〈…〉 and make it effectual The 〈…〉 between these two Principles and their respective operations in the Soul doth not proceed from this that they are not in their own nature widely distinct or discernable to be so by them who have the true eye of discerning opened in them and are come to a clear inward sense and feeling through a living growth in the Truth for indeed no things in the whole Universe do more clearly appear to be of a differing nature unto those who have the Spiritual Senses raised and opened in them than the two aforesaid Principles or Lights which differ as widely as Heaven and Earth for the one is of the Earth Earthly the other is of Heaven Heavenly the one is of the first Adam the other is of the second Adam Iesus Christ yea the one is meerly Humane and Natural the other is purely Divine and Supernatural The cause then of the great difficulty to discern betwixt these two Principles and their respective Operations is that Darkness and Confusion that is over the Hearts and Vnderstandings of those who are but first convinced of the Truth and not as yet really so converted unto it as to be leavened by the Power of it and transformed into its nature Yea after some beginnings of true Conversion wrought in the Soul the difficulty doth in some measure still remain but not so great as formerly The greatest difficulty therefore belongeth unto those only who are but beginners and beginning to travel out of Egypt and Babylon and Sodom into the Holy Land the Land of the Living and the Holy Hill of Zion with their faces thitherwards To whom also it is a great difficulty how to distinguish not only betwixt the Naturalâ— Vnderstanding and the Divine Light of Faith in them but to distinguish betwixt the true Divine Light and Satan transforming himself into the similitude of an Angel of Light in all which notwithstanding the difficulty is not so great as the Enemy of the Soul doth represent it to be Now to help any distressed or perplexed Soul that may be in doubt concerning this thing To such I say Since thou art really convinced that God hath given a measure of the true Divine Light of his Son Christ Jesus unto every Man and Woman and consequently unto thee for to such only at present do I write who are convinced of this Truth but do question the nature of their Convincement why shouldst thou question that thy Convincement doth only proceed from the Natural Light and meer Natural Vnderstanding of thy Soul as influenced by Scripture Arguments and other outward helps and not also from the Divine Principle of the Light Life and Spirit of Christ Jesus
For certainly this Divine Principle which is in thee is not altogether idle or without Operation it is of a most active or operative Nature even as Fire and Light in the outward Can the outward Sun shine and inlighten the Earth and have no operation nor influence upon it or can the Fire burn and have no operation or influence upon what is next unto it Nay surely And therefore no more can this Divine Principle and Light be in any Soul but it must certainly and infallibly have some Influence and Operation upon that Soul in whom it is and that in order to Salvation whose day of Visitation is not expired And the most proper operation of it in the first place is to convince the Soul of Truth I mean of somewhat of the Truth of somewhat of God and of his mind and will of what he doth accept and is well pleased with and what he doth reject and abhor The Word of God said the Apostle Heb. 4.12 is Living and Powerful or operative and sharper than any two edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Ioynts and Marrow and is a Discerner Judge or Reprover of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart And this Word is in all even in the mouth and in the heart of every man and is that Word of Faith as Paul did expound it Rom. 10.8 Now if it be the Word of Faith it is also the Light of Faith for in that Word is Life and the Life is the Light of men and this is the true Light that doth lighten every man that cometh into the World as Iohn declared 1.9 Now mark the word lighten which doth import its active and operative Influence and Vertue in all men in some measure or degree really to convince them And although there be great darkness over the Hearts and Souls of all Unconverted Men and Women that they are said to be darkness yet as Iohn hath declared the Light shineth in Darkness although the Darkness comprehends it not 1.5 so the Light not only is in the darkness but it shineth in the darkness and worketh against the darkness to reveal it and remove it even as the darkness doth work in the Soul to hide and obscure the Light and as it were to extinguish and quench it in the Soul And it is a most absurd thing to acknowledg that the natural Principle hath its operation in the Soul and is not without its influence and force to move and act the Soul as also that the principle of darkness to wit the Diabolical or Hellish Principle even the very Spirit of Satan hath its operation and influence in all men in whom it is and yet to deny that this Divine Principle that is in Nature more powerful and more operative than either of the other two hath any influence or operation in them at all And this I would have thee also to consider that it pleaseth God in his great condescension many times together with his Divine Light and Spirit in thy Soul to make use of the Scriptures and arguments drawn therefrom making them of Service in the Hand of the Divine Light and Spirit as also to make use of thy own natural understanding and the natural principle or light by shining upon it and raising up in it pure and holy convictions and openings of Truth together with pure and holy desires in the Soul which as they are entertained become a true beginning of Conversion in that Soul But the way of the Lord is not one and the same alwaies to the Soul in this State for sometimes as is said he maketh use of the natural principle it self to wit the natural understanding and reason of man by shining upon it in a more active way and manner so as it may seem to be nothing else but the natural principle it self helped with Scripture Arguments and Reasons or some outward helps that doth convince the Soul of those things which it is forced to acknowledg to be true while yet it is Divine Light working in the Soul more secretly and hiddenly that hath the main stroak and hand in the business At other times the Divine Light appeareth more immediately in the Soul and more openly and scarcely at all maketh use of the natural principle or understanding further than in a passive way as when the Eye looketh towards an object or as the Ear heareth a voice or sound wherein the Soul is rather passive than active And sometimes all the natural powers of the Soul are drawn into a deep silence by the mighty and yet secret working of the Power of the Divine Principle and Light so that the Soul by none of its natural or humane powers or faculties doth apprehend what is inwardly revealed in it by the Divine Light but they all being silenced bound locked up and as it were made asleep both imagination and Reason or whatever else can be called a natural or humane faculty of the Soul being wholly suspended and laid by as of no present use and the Soul as it were wholly dead for that present time unto them all as so many dead Members the Divine Light and Spirit doth raise up and awaken in that Soul a new Sense and power of discerning of which it formerly had no experience or at lest made no reflexion upon the same which is the Spiritual sensation of God and Divine things as inwardly revealed by the Divine Light But this kind of experience is more rare to new beginners and to whom it is given is a most singular and choice mercy and favour of God which yet is most ordinary to all those who in any considerable measure are truly converted unto the Truth and leavened into the nature of it And if it shall please God at any time to give thee such an experience who art not yet so considerably converted unto the Truth thou art to receive it as a singular favor and Grace of God but if it be denied at present unto thee God not judging thee worthy of so high a favour thou oughâ—st to be content with that other way And such a convincement is a true Divine and Spiritual convincement proceeding originally and principally from the true Divine Light and Spirit of Faith and there is vertue sufficient in that which doth thus convince thee to enable thee to believe and joyn unto it and to obey its requirings according to the present measure and that is a true sufficient Divine call for the present which if thou dost slight or neglect in expectation of a greater or more clear thou dost tempt the Lord and provoke his Holy Spirit Moreover I would have thee to know that thou oughtst not to expect that measure or degree of clearness or clear and distinct discerning as perhaps thy own mind doth judge to be requisite God is wiser than thou and doth better know what is fittest for thee than thou dost And indeed this is no small engine
of the Enemy to keep thee in a state of Unbelief and Disobedience under a pretence that thou art not so fully and sufficiently clear as is requisite and if the Enemy can prevail with thee here he will continually keep thee in it from day to day yea from one Week Month and Year to another until thou lose the pretious opportunity and day of thy visitation to end thy miserable life in this sad estate of Unbelief and Disobedience and so in place of getting more clearness and more distinct and clear discerning of the true Divine Light and Divine Voice and Call thou wilt come to have less until what thou once hadst be altogether taken from thee and thou left in great darkness and deadness and hardness of Heart Therefore thou oughtst to improve that small clearness which thou hast and not to despise the day of small things Zach. 4.10 nor overlook and contemn the little small grain of the Kingdom of God in thee which is as a Mustard Seed the least of all Seeds The least measure of the true Light that shineth in the darkness in thee is a most precious treasure even when it is but as the light of a Star that shineth in a dark night Some people travel with the help of Star light till the Moon arise and after the Moon is risen they travel on until the day dawn and the clear day appear and the Sun rise up and then they have great comfort and see much more clearly than before and many things are clearly discovered unto them far and near which they saw nothing of formerly or but very dimly and obscurely But he is certainly a very unwise Traveller who having a great Journey before him which he must accomplish in one day or else suffer an unexpressible and irrecoverable loss resolves in himself to lie still in Bed till the Sun be up and that he hath not time enough to accomplish his Journey on the contrary the discreet and diligent Traveller gets up betimes and even while it is yet night sets forth on his Journey and contenting him with the morning or Star light goes on inexpectation of the approaching day when the Sun will arise upon him and then his Travel will be the more comfortable easie and pleasant to him As it is then in the outward so ought it also to be in the inward or rather much more for thou hast a great and long Journey before thee ere thou arriv'st at everlasting Salvation and thy time is but short thou hast but one day or rather piece of a day to travel it in For all men spend a great part of their day in other Travels yea in Travelling the contrary way which must be all Travelled back again and therefore when thou whoever thou art beginst to see and turn thy face to thy Journeys end thou hadst need gird up thy Loyns and Travel with all thy might with all circumspection making use of every help thy Guide affords thee for if thou dost not accomplish it within this one day or the remaining part thereof I mean the day of thy Visitation thou art undone for ever Herein only lies the difference 'twixt these two Travellers in the outward and in the inward That in the outward when one hath mispent slept trifled or rioted away his time how deeply soever he become affected with his mistake he is past all remedy of getting to his Journeys end in that small pittance of time left him But in the inward 't is quite otherwise when the Lord by his pure Judgments manifested in the Soul awakens her shewing her that she is even at the brink of the pit of misery ready as it were to drop in and yet would did not his Mercy prevent I say if the Soul in a deep sense of her error turn to the Lord flee unto him lamenting her by past strayings and present miserable state void of all capacity of helping her self expecting from him his Power and Assistance to carry her through to â—her Journeys end Behold she will find Iesus that Mighty Saviour who is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto him Heb. 7.25 at her right hand to uphold and carry her through And as the Soul comes diligently to wait upon him in the Light in the true self-denial forsaking every evil way and taking up his daily Cross in all things his Light Life Power and Vertue will break forth in the Soul and cut short the work in righteousness and so the Soul in and by and with his Power and strength will redeem the Time lost For which cause it was that Christ said Work while ye have to day the night cometh wherein no man can work Joh. 9.4 12.35 But if any man will neglect the small measure of Light that Jesus hath imparted to him in the night state and refuseth to follow and obey it but saith in himself I will stay untill the Sun arise he provoketh the Lord against him instead of giving him more Light to take that from him which he hath already received for the promises of more Light and Grace are only to those who improve what is already given in how little measure so ever And now in what I am further to say unto thee take heed unto it and observe it for it is from the Lord and by the opening and moving of his Spirit Light and Life in my heart I declare it unto thee which is this The Divine Light of God and of his Son Jesus Christ which is in thee hath a true and innate clearness in it and a self-evidencing power and vertue whereby it can and doth sufficiently discover it self to be what indeed it is namely to be a Divine Light given of God to guide and lead the Soul in the way of Life and Salvation And it doth at times and seasons sufficiently appear in every Soul of man and woman upon the face of the Earth with a sufficient clearness and self-evidence in some measure more or less according to the good pleasure of God whereby to convince every Soul that it proceeds from God and leads unto God by the innate clearness and self-evidencing Power of which Light and Grace Seed or Principle all men Fools or Idiots and Infants excepted in whom yet this Divine Principle is tho they do not actually understand it with whom therefore how the Lord dealeth in order to the Salvation of their Souls he alone best knoweth nor is it for us curiously to enquire by this Divine Principle I say all men shall be left without excuse who have not believed therein nor obeyed it Nor shall their pretence of wanting clearness and evidence sufficient avail them in the day when God shall call them to an account for he will then bring to their remembrance the particular times and places when and where he caused his Divine Light to shine in their hearts in such manner and measure as was sufficient to enable them to know
whence it was what was its tendency and wherefore it was given them If then thou be but diligent in thy mind to observe and give attendance to the inward Operations Motions and Shinings of the Divine Light in thee and Breathings of the Divine Life in the silence and quietness of thy Soul out of the many wanderings vain thoughts and imaginations of thy mind thou wilt certainly come to a true measure of clear discerning of the true Divine Principle Life and Light and of the operations thereof so as to distinguish it from all that which is but Natural and Carnal as also from all that is of Satan in his cunning transformings And although in the beginning it will be very hard to thee to attain to that perfect and absolute inward silence of mind from all thy own thoughts and imaginations which will afterwards become easie and familiar unto thee as thou dost experience any considerable growth in the Truth yet as thou pressest after it thou wilt find they self helped by the Lord to come into some measure of true silence And although thou canst not say that all vain foolish thoughts and idle imaginations are put out of thy mind yet if a considerable part of them be gone and evanished so that thy mind is somewhat more cool and quiet and still and empty of such things than it 's wont to be here thou wilt find thy self at some advantage and in some capacity to discern the Divine Light and working thereof even as it were in this imperfect state of Silence or half Silence as we may call it To help thee then a little further in this inquiry and search that thou mayst come to know discern and be acquainted with the true Divine Light and working thereof in thee which is indeed a very necessary knowledg and without which thou art liable to sit down in a false rest and build upon a false foundation as many do at this day taking the Natural Light and Principle for the Divine and Supernatural And so what the Socinians and Pelagians are in profession who profess no higher Principle in them necessary than the Natural these Men are whatever they profess of the necessity of having and being illuminated and led by the Spirit really in practice Therefore that thou mayst avoid this snare and come to the true knowledg of the Divine Light and Principle of God in thee I shall briefly point at some distinguishing marks and characters whereby the Divine and Supernatural Principle is truly distinguishable from that which is but Humane and Natural As 1. The light influence and operation of the Humane and Natural Principle is cold saint and dead but that of the Divine and Supernatural warm living and powerful and the warmth power and life thereof reacheth not only the Brain or Head or the animal part and affections which the natural can do and often doth but it reacheth also the heart and most inward parts even the most inward affections of the Soul and is of a Heavenly and Divine Nature as the Principle is of which it proceedeth It is said of Christ when he preached outwardly he spake with Authority or Power and not as the Scribes Matth. 7.29 and he said himself The words that I speak unto you are Spirit and Life It is the Spirit that quickeneth the Flesh profiteth nothing Joh. 6.63 And thus it is in the inward what Christ speaketh in the Soul or Heart of any Man or Woman is with Power even with a Heavenly Power and Authority that raiseth an awe and reverence in the Heart by which the Soul is convinced that it is indeed the Voice or Word of God and not of Man by reason of that innate Majesty and Glory that is in it as it is said in Psalm 29.4 The Voice of the Lord is Glorious the Voice of the Lord is full of Majesty c. And although many Souls be so dark blind deaf and stupid that many times they have no sense of any Divine Power or Principle yet when it pleaseth God to speak in the most deaf and stupid Soul he causeth it to hear and raiseth up some small sense of the same in it at that present time although soon after darkness and death doth prevail over them again and they forget any such experience as if they had never had it How did God speak unto Cain and expostulate with him We read not that it was by an outward Voice nor is there any need to suppose that when God reproved him for his anger against his Brother it was by an outward Voice and not rather by the Spirit of God inwardly in his Heart and Conscience as he doth reprove men at this day and as he did strive in man before the deluge and did judge and reprove him for sin Gen. 6.3 My Spirit shall not alwaies strive or contend in Man for so the words should be translated and Christ promised that he would send the Comforter unto his Disciples to wit the Holy Spirit and he should reprove the World of sin Joh. 16.8 Now although a man by his own reasonings may reprove himself for sin yet there is a great difference betwixt man's reproving himself and God's reproving him by his Spirit and Divine Principle in his Heart that of Man being saint cold and dead as is said but the inward reproof of the Spirit of Truth powerful hot and living which goeth to a man's heart and pricketh him to the quick woundeth him deeply and of this no man but hath some experience at times especially before sin be come to such an heighth and hath power in the Soul that it is become past feeling Now that some are so become doth plainly imply that once they had a feeling Again when a man reproves himself he doth it too partially although he will be ready to judg himself in the general a great sinner yet there are many times many particular sins whereof he is guilty that he will not reprove himself for by any reasonings whatsoever or Arguments drawn from Scripture but will rather justifie and defend himself for the natural light and natural understanding is exceedingly corrupted by the fall and therefore it cannot impartially witness against sin but is most ready to call many sins vertues and to call many vertues sins and so to put light for darkness and darkness for light and call good evil and evil good Isa. 5.20 Yea the Natural Light or Understanding is so dim and dark that it is no where in all Scripture called Light but I find that unconverted men are ealled darkness in Scripture and that by reason of the darkness of their understandings It is said in Scripture the carnal mind is enmity against God and the wisdom from below is carnal earthly and devilish All the natural powers of man's Soul are so corrupted by sin that he is but dark foolish blind and deceived in his most sublime and refined reasonings in Spiritual matters But the inward
for the mind of man striving to bring it self into such a composure and quietness and not attaining unto it is the more disquieted and this may be feared to turn into rage or natural distemper for which câ—â—se some have both had a great aversion unto such a thing and also have disswaded others from attempting it and some have concluded it as an impossible thing to attain unto a perfect silence from all our own thoughts seeing it is as natural to the mind to think as it is for the fire to burn or the light to shine Answ. To the last part of this objection I answer that by a perfect silence from all our own thoughts do not understand that the Soul is to be without all sense or remembrance or thoughts of all kind for I distinguish of thoughts thus There are thoughts which are brought forth in us without any Divine or Supernatural Concurrence motion and assistance of the Holy Spirit which are but the bare and meer product of our own minds Also there are thoughts which arise in us from suggestions of Satan and of the Flesh which when we consent unto them and entertain them may be called ours And thirdly there are thoughts that are begotten and excited in us by a Divine and Supernatural motion concurrence and assistance of the Holy Spirit which lâ—st kind of thoughts are only profitable unto the Souls Spiritual growth and progress but the former especially the second kind which are too frequent are hurtful and evil Now when I say the Soul or mind of man should be silent from all its own thoughts I mean all thoughts of the first and second kind which are meerly natural carnal and devilish and when all these thoughts are silenced the other thoughts which may be well called divine thoughts as having a Divine Original to wit the Divine Spirit Life and Light of Christ in the Soul do instantly spring up and abound which are unspeakably sweet refreshing and prâ—fitable And therefore we perswade none to abstâ—in from such Divine Thoughts or shut them out but on the contrary we exhort all to entertain them and abound in them as much as possible in order to which they must diligently abstain from all their own thoughts especially such as arise in them from Satan and the Flesh for they are contrary to one another and waâ— against one another in the Soul And whatever thoughts are most loved received and entertained in the Soul these do most prevail and bear sway to the excluding the contrary Again Of Divine Thoughts there are sundry kinds as when we meditate upon any subject in words and propositions that are mental or when we discourse mentally as the Divine Spirit doth move and assist us which kind of thoughts are very precious and useful unto us But there is also another kind of Divine Thoughts which is many times wholly abstract from all words terms propositions argumentations so much as mental and are simply Divine Sensations as seeing hearing smelling tasting and feeling whose object is not words nor discourse in the mind but simply the Divine Spirit Power Light and Life of God and his Divine Goodness Love Mercy Kindness and Compassion revealed to us in Christ Iesus and this kind of divine thoughts if so be it is proper to call them thoughts for they are as real sentations as the outward and natural sentations are are the more excellent of the two and when they do most abound in the Soul they as it were swallow up the former as the greater Light and Glory doth the lesser And to the first part of the objection I answer that the blessed experience of many thousands at this day who are come to such a silence and silent waiting upon the Lord is testimony sufficient unto the contrary who have found and do find continually the unspeakable advantage of it on a Spiritual account and that it is so far from having any real tendency to work a natural distemper upon the mind that we who have tried and experienced it for many years never found any thing more profitable unto us to work a right and solid natural composure and settlement of mind as well as Spiritual whereby our very natural strength is renewed and we made more fit for outward occasions and affairs than by meat drink sleep or any other bodily refreshment whatsoever And to our experience we can add the experience of the Holy Men of God recorded in Scripture especially the Prophets and Apostles to whom the Word of God came immediately and in wâ—om the Lord did immediately appear and who on that account waited in silence for the same as Habakkuk said I will stand upon my watch Tower and will watch to see what he will say in me Hab. 2.1 and Psal. 85.8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak said David and said Jeremiah It is good both to hope and quietlâ— or in siâ—ence to wait for the Salvation of God Lam. 3.26 And though such a posture of mind be exceeding tedious unpleasant and irksome to the carnal part yet let us hear further what the Prophet saith ver 27. It is good for a man that he bear the yoak in his youth he sitteth alone and keepeth silence because he hath born it upon him And by bearing the yoak in this particular as well as in other things many can say It is now become light and easie unto them the carnal part that made it so uneasie being overcome And we are not ignorant how all seriousness and indeed the whole practice of self-denial and mortification of the deeds of the flesh is equally liable to the same exceptions which yet hath no just ground For do they not readily object when any man becomes serious and effectually sets about the work of mortification Such a man iâ— become melancholick he is in some distemper and is in hazard to turn fool â—oâ— or distracted And indeed to forsake our own thoughts which the Scripture saith are all only and continually evil Gen. 6.5 12. and to kill and crucifie them is no small part of true mortification For what is a man 's own thoughts but the product and fruit of a carnal mind And therefore they are but flesh which must die and be crucified But to prevent all hazard of receiving any hurt I say unto all who desire to attain unto the said Silence that they apply themselves diligently unto outward affairs in a sober way and in the fear of God for nothing is a greater enemy or hinderance to the true Silence or Peace of the Soul than to be idle and have no business or labour whereas to be honestly and soberly exercised in business and to labour with the hands is a great help and furtherance to attain unto it And let none strain or use any violence or force to nature to compass it for no mâ—n of himself can attain unto it but as he is assisted and enabled of the Lord who is near at