the ground thereof And after they were come to the Land that God had promised them they were commanded not to worship idols as the Canaanites did that were Hams-stock who was accursed and set up cursed idols yet nevertheless breaking the Law which was to limit that part which had transgressed that which was contrary to the Law was set up in themselves even the nature of the Canaanites Gentiles and heathen and then they worshipped the heathens gods or else formed gods and idols and images of their own and worshipped Baal Ashteroth and Chemosh and the Sidonians gods every Nations gods and Images where they came and so the Lord sent his true Prophets who feared his name and worshipped him to declare against them even the house of Israel a distinct people from the heathen great professors Ezek. 14. 4. They set up idoles in their hearts and put a stumbling block of iniquity before their face the Lord said he would answer them according to the multitude of their idoles they being gone into vanity they hearkned to the Idols that spake vanity Zech. 10. 2. And baked bread and rosted flesh with wood and of the same made a God and they transgressed at Dan at Bethel at Gilgal yea their Idols flood in their hearts and they formed such without as was sutable to their hearts as you may reâ—d through many ages generations before the flood after the flood in the wildernesse in Canaan in the Nations where they were scattered Hab. 2. 18 19. What profiteth the graven Image and the molten image and teachers of lies woe unto him that saith to the wood awake to the dumb stone arise it shal teach behold it is laid over with gold and silver and there is no breath at all in the midst of it seek not to Bethel nor enter into Gilgal for Gilgall shall goe into captivity and Bethel shall come to nought Furthermore they corrupted themselves in those things which God had commanded which were commands in their time made Idols of those things which were but figures or shadowes of good things to come which they should have waited for as the Brazen serpent temple offering oblations Tythes Priests Sabbaths new-Moons solemn Feasts Circumcision Passeover and all these things were given to be observed til the seed came the end of all these things and of the Law for righteousnesse but Christ the seed the heire of all things when he came after many Prophets had declared of him from Moses to Samuel from Samuel till Iohn they exalted those things above him and neglected him who had life in himself would not come unto him that they might have had life and then their Temple Priests Sacrifice oblations became Idols and their practise Idolatry and so are in blindnesse to this day and so in the daies of Christ they held up those things and were counselled in their works and observances and days and times and came not to believe in him in whom all daies ends in and so continued in their large observations all along in the Apostles dayes and did as they had done in the days of the Prophets slew the Prophets that were sent of the Lord and set dreamers and such as prophecied for hire and divined for money and said no evil should touch them and they said the Law should not depart from the Priests mouth nor vision cease from their prophets but believed their lies and prophesied of wine and strong drink and cryed peace to them that Gods controversy was against and so persecuted the Apostels from City to City and from place to place till the the wrath of God came upon them and Jerusalem compassed about with armies and not one stone left upon another and for their sakes Sion became a plowed corne field their Temple burnt their Priests slain their sacrifices ceased and their oblations at an end and they scattered among the heathen and they and all their Idols and their worship blasted and cursed from God and from being a Nation to this day and thus hath the Lord brought shame and contempt upon all through all ages who have worshipped the works of their own hands or that hath holden up any figure representation and have set it up and exalted it above the life and with it have opposed the power the life in which all figures Types and representations ends in And thus far I have passed through generations and also through administrations that all who have a desire of the true knowledge of God may see that man in the degeneration being out of the Image of God corrupts himselfe in all things and makes idols of all things being from the life in which man hath power onely to fulfill the righteous will of God But to descend to come nearer to our age because all that which is called christendome will say this in nothing unto them because they hold not up the heathens Images nor the Jewish Idols nor the Jewish Types and worship and therefore they are no Idolaters when John the Prophet came and preached repentance in the wildernesse of Judea which was a preparer of the way he baptized in Jordan and many believed and repented and were baptized and Christ also was baptized and so was he circumcised and eate the passeover and observed what was written because he came to fulfill all righteousnesse and also bad his Disciples hear them that sat in Moses seats for he was not yet sacrificed up nor glorified I say Iohn baptized not in his own name but bore witnesse unto Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world who came after him and was preferred before him whom Iohn said should baptize them with the holy Ghost and with fire and many of Iohns Disciples followed Christ the true light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world and Iohn was not offended at them for following of Christ but rejoyced take notice of this you baptizers who are offended with them that followes Christ the light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world and excommunicates them like the envyous Jewes out of your assemblies and saith they are deluded and are so far from Iohns spirit that instead of bearing your testimony to him who is the light that you would bind them up and council your disciples not to goe after him the true light that lighteth every man the Christ of God I say to you you are in the Idolatry who prefer your water before the light but Iohn bore witnesse to Christ the light and said he was preferred before him and some Imitaters and Idolaters say the baptisme of water is the door or entrance into the Church of God when as Christ saith he is the door none comes into the fold but by him and none comes to the Father but by him and he is the way so who sets up an other entrance unto God or into the foule or into the Church which is the pillar and
and Eternal glory happy is he that believes and abides in patience unto the end Now since the dayes of John the Kingdom of God hath been Preached and as many as were ordained to Eternal life believed and many in the day when Christ was manifest in the flesh believed unto whom he declared the mind of the Father and by him was the Father glorified he fulfilled the Law and did many works and miracles by the power of the Father and herein was the Father glorified and them that did believe in him their faith was strengthened and he opened the mystries of the Kingdom of God unto his Disciples and bore witness and prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and of all their worship and said no more at Jerusalem nor at Samaria but the time was coming when they that worshipped the Father should worship him in spirit and truth and declared against the Pharisees righteousness and said to his Disciples Except their righteousness did exceed the Pharisees they could not enter the Kingdom of God and yet the Pharisees performed all the outward things commanded but were in the idolatry and did not believe in the life Now he declared of his suffering many things also how he would go away and how he would come again and would not leave them comfortless but these things were hard to be believed then by his Disciples and further he told them he must be betrayed and suffer and rise again and when the hour was come that he was betrayed when he was with his Disciples even the same night he was betrayed he took bread and broke it and blessed it and said take and eat this is my body which is broken for you this do in remembrance of me and after he took the cup and after he had Supped saying this is the cup of the New Testament in my blood as often as you drink it do it in remembrance of me 1 Cor. 11. 23. 24. and Matthew Mark and Luke declares the same and this was reall bread and reall wine which was a representation of that which was to be enjoyed in the spirit and never intended for any further thing but as a figure or a representation of the bread of life and of the cup of blessing which afterward they came to be witnesses of and as oft as they eat and drank they did shew forth the Lords death till he came Now this was practiced among the Disciples after he was risen from the dead and did converse with them at many times and exhorted them and comforted them and instructed them and told them that they should be witnesses of his name unto the ends of the earth and gave them commandment to teach all Nations and Baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost and did promise to be with them to the end of the world and told how the Comforter would come and that the Father would send him in his Name even the spirit of truth which was with them and should be in them to be their teacher leader and guide and bring all things to their remembrance Now that which he gave them as a figure and to be a sign unto them of the clearer manifestation of himself which afterward came to be fulfilled and they witnesses of it who grew up in the pure invisible being and did see the mystery through the Revelation of the spirit which did more clearly show unto them the mysteries within the vail for as I said of water it was a sign of a good thing to come so the bread and the cup was also a sign of a good thing to come as all outward figures were but they that did believe and grew up in the faith in the seed Christ they came to see the substance in whom all figures ends in and had communion with him within the vail after he was ascended where he was before now the Apostle he spoke as to wise men judge ye what I say 1 Cor. 10. 15 16. the cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the communion of the blood of Christ the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ and v. 17. for we being many are one bread one body for we are all partakers of that one bread mark all they that did believe though they were many yet they were one bread one body and were all partakers of that one bread which bread was the flesh of Christ John 6. 48. I am the bread of life and Joh. 6. 51. I am the living bread that came down from heaven if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world Now I speak unto wise men and let the wisdom of God in them manifest judge what I say for where the body of Christ is witnessed and the flesh of Christ known they know that which all the figures ends in the Manna that God gave to Israel in the wilderness they died that did eat thereof which was as pure a type of the hidden Manna as lively a type as bread outward which was but a type of the of the flesh of Christ and both they that did eats the Manna and they that eat the bread outward and drank the cup outward are both dead but he that eat the flesh of Christ and drinks the blood lives for ever and he that eats the hidden Manna hath overcome death and lives for ever and feeds upon the bread of life feeds upon Eternal life Now this is a mystery to the Papists who are idolaters who have sprung vp in the Apostacy though they have Scriptures as it was to the Jewes John 6. 52. who strove among themselves and said how can this man give us his flesh â—o eat and so the Papists who strives about the flesh of Christ and his blood and yet have the Scriptures and they say it s in the bread and in the wine after consecration so they worship the imaginations of their own hearts not deserning the Lords body and have killed thousands and taken away the lives of thousands because they would not confesse their idol to be of God And the protestants they are setting up the bread and the wine and contenting themselves therewith and are making an idol of it and comes not to discerne the body of Christ but one saying he hath a carnall body and another a fleshly body another a mystical body another sayes his body is devided from his members and so speaks out of thick darknesse their own imaginations and hath not communion with the body of Christ neither knowes the flesh of Christ which is the bread of life which is given for the life of the World Iohn 6. 51. And as godlinesse began to work and the mystery thereof in the dayes of Christand the Apostles wherein the Lord discovered much of his wisdom and power
distraction one envying another and persecuting one another about the words of truth spoken from the spirit of truth which cannot be understood again but by the same spirit and so all them that have not the spirit of truth are in the Apostacy And all Sects Judgements and opinions that hath risen up since the Apostacy from the faith that was once delivered to the saints when the woman traveled and brought the man-child which after because of the Dragons power fled into the wildernesse and her child caught up unto God all the faith and worship that since is sprung up since the Whore hath sitten as a Queen in majesty is all denyed the ground of their worship Lawes Traditions Inventions and all their invented practises and formes and Images and likenesses are denyed and disowned as to be the dresse and attire of the Whore which hath allured people through her inticing pretences and shewes of holinesse when indeed all is but spiritual adultery and this must be all turned under again the Whores flesh burned and her attire plucked off and her nakednesse appear and her shame to them that have committed fornication with her and they shall be ashamed of themselves and of her and abhor themselves and abhor her and destroyed shall she be and the Lambs wife shall be beautified and come out of the secret places into open view out of the solitary wildernesse into the beautifull place that the Lord will bring her into the time times and halfe time is out the thousand two-hundred and threscore dayes is at an end and he bears witnesse of it who saw her â—fly away upon Eagles wings into the secret place which was prepared for her for these dayes and times appointed and I say he that knowes the counsell of the most High in this matter can account the time times and a halfe and the dayes and what shall be after the days be expired which is at an end blessed is he that sees believes and understands he shall see that which yet hath not appeared neither can it be believed by the most though it were declared but yet a little while and the Earth growes ripe and an eare will be opened in many who cannot yet hear and for a little while in this I shall be silent and treasure up that which the spirit hath revealed till the time be fully accomplished which God hath determined and then his glory shall be revealed and all the former things which have lived since the man of sin hath been exalted shall all dye an utter consumption shall be of all the changeable Lawes made since the Apostacy and the many changeable dresses of the whore and attires in which she hath appeared Imaginary worships into which all have run since they were Apostatiâ—ed from the faith all this shall be disanulled and come to an end and be blasted for ever the spirit of the Lord saith Amen How the woman that was cloathed with the Sun and had the Crowne of twelve Stars upon her head which did flie into the wildernesse comes out againe after the great whore is judged and her child that was caught up unto God comes to appeare again NOw after the time times and halfe a time and after the thousand two hundred and threescore days she returns after the whore is judged and the great City Babylon is fallen which hath made the Nations drunk and brought forth children in fornication who had drunk the blood of the Saints in the Apostacy after the Whore was judged and the voice was heard in heaven of much people that sang Halelujah salvation and glory and honour power Who witnessed to the righteousness of Gods judgement And a voice came out of the Throne saying praise our God all his servants and ye that fear him both small and great Rev. 19. 5. and verse the 6. And I heard as it were the voice of many waters and as a great multitude and as the voice of a mighty thunder saying Halelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth the Whore is now judged the mother of harlots condemned with all her inchantments and sorceries Now the Lambs wife appears who is the mother of the man-child which was caught up unto God she that was cloathed with the Sun with the glorious everlasting Celestial light she is both the mother and the wife he that hath an eare let him hear now Jerusalem that is from above spiritually so called who was the mother of all the Saints before the apostacy she appears again and comes to be the wife of the Lamb and the city of the Saints the mother of them that are born from above this shall be and is made manifest to some but a numberlesse number shall see it and the day hastens greatly and she is appearing again and her solitary garments shall be put off and as she was beautifull before the whore made the nations drunk cloathed with the Sun and had the Moon under her feet and a Crown of twelve Stars upon her head and though she became child-lesse and also as a widow and the remnant of her seed slain and destroyed so shall she appear again in glory and beauty as before and shall be made ready yea my eye hath seen it she is making her selfe ready as a bride for her husband and unto her is granted that she shall be arrayed in fine linen clean and white even arayed in the righteousnesse of the saints which is not self-righteousnesse the garments of the harlot and her lovers but in the righteousnesse of Christ the Lamb her husband and child also and she shall now bring forth many more children though her seed have been slain yet a numberlesse number shall appear and ten thousand thousand shall be brought forth by her and glory in her and reverence her and rejoyce in her for ever and they shall be all clad in the same robe which the husband the Lamb is cloathed withall and the same the Lambs wife this woman is cloathed with all and the same shall all the children be cloathed with all the fine linen the righteousnesse of the Lamb which was dead and slaine since the foundation of the world but now alive and lives for evermore and here a heavenly family appears now after the Apostacy and this shall be seen by all that have an eye that can see through beyond the smoke of the pit that have darkned the ayre while the beast and Dragon hath had power but now hath her child appeared again the man-child hath appeared again and he that was in the spirit on the Lords day saw whether he was taken up to the Throne of God Revel 12. ver 5. and on the same Lords day he saw him after the woman was fled and the remnant of her seed was made War with and flain in the earth where the Dragon had power He that was in the spirit saw him alive again after he was caught up So he that is in
the spirit now on the Lords day sees the same man-childe who was brought forth by by the woman who was to rule the Nations but was caught up to the Throne of God before he came to Râ—le and then the Dragon ruled the beasts and false prophet the Whore the Mother of harlots sate as a Queen and the woman the mother of the heir fled into an obscure and a retired place and was hid times and dayes as I said before but as she appeared again in beauty so the man-childe the heir he appears also in glory Majesty and power and John saw him Revelations 19. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he that sate upon him was called faithful and true and he doth Judge and make War in rigteousness his eyes was as a flame of fire on his head were many Crowns and he had a name written that none knew but he bimself and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the word of God And now the womans seed is increased again after the Dragon and the beasts War and now they become an Army and follows the Lamb their leader who is anoynted with honour glory and Majesty and renown strength power wisdom joy and gladness above all his fellowes yet his followers are annointed too and the seed of the woman the inhabitants of the City of the great King they are clothed with the same garment and Armour and rides on in power strength and Majesty after him and they are clothed and shall be with the garment of their Mother and the garment of their Captain their head and as he rode on in innocency so they ride on after him and the woman was in heaven that travelled and the childe was born there though he was to rule the Nations of the Earth and so who so are of this womans seed which is born in the City of the great King Jerusalem unto which the Hebrewes were come Heb 21. before the Apostacy and before the woman fled so now the same City comes to be seen again and the children are free born of their mother the Lambs wife who is joyned to him and is to be so for ever in the everlasting Covenant so they being heavenly children redeemed from the earth from under the Dragons power they follow the Lamb the word Gods power Revel 19. 14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen white and clean and out of his mouth goes a sharp sword and with it he shall smite the Nations and now comes he to rule them with a rod of Iron he was brought forth long before but was caught up to God again and the Dragon beast and whore and false prophet ruled the Nations and killed the Saints but now he appears again after the Apostacy and a great host with him and the woman also and her children are many and they all follow the first-born and now comes the wo to the dragon and Whore beast and false prophets and unclean spirits and on them that worship devils and now shall he tread the wine-press of the wrath of God Almighty And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh written King of Kings and Lord of Lords And now appears an Angel standing in the Sun which the womanâ— was clothed with and he cryed with a loud voyce saying to all the fowls that flie in the midst of heaven come and gather to the Supper of the great day of God and now must the flesh of the Kings and Captains and Nobles and flesh of mighty men who had drunk the Whores cup now must drink of the wine of Gods wrath and the Beast and the Kings of the earth and their Armies gathered together to make War against him that sate on the white horse and his Army and the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him and the remnant were slain that took part with the beast by him that sate upon the horse and his Army whose sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh the Whore is burnt before the beast the false prophet and his Army now slain and their flesh eaten by the fowls of heaven and now the blood comes forth to the horse bridles And now the Angel descends having the key of the bottomless pit from whence the old Dragon the Serpent the red Dragon the Devil came there is his beginning there was he brought forth and there he grew up he that reads let him understand out of the bottomless pit for the Nations were never deceived till he appeared and he appeared as I have said before after the heaven and the earth was made and all things therein I say after he was not before he deceived Eve in the garden now he is grown old and so is truely called the old Dragon grown into a body of deceit well now must he be taken and bound and cast into the bottomless pit from whence he came that he deceive the Nations no more Rev. 20. 1 2. and all this War is in the bringing out of the Apostacy and in order to the Lamb and the Saints everlasting Reign in heaven and over the earth for ever This I have seen and my heart rejoyceth and my mouth shall praise the Lord the woman I say is appearing and she is cloathed with beautiful garments and the holy child the man-child hath appeared and is manifest again among the Saints and in then and the Lamb which hath been slain since the world began is alive behold he lives for evermore and now many are his followers and an innumerable company shall ride on after him who is King of Kings and now is God fulfilling that which Iohn saw in the Lords day which should come to pass the work is begun he hath appeared out of whose mouth proceeds the two edged sword which shall hew downe all the Dragons army the beast and his followers and though the cry be yet among many who shall make war with the beast and who shall speak against his prophets yet a little while and fear shall come their vaunts and boasts shall be turned into doubting and dreadfull fear on every side for Jacob shall be as a flame and Esau and all his race shall be as Stubble he that reads let him understand the wisdome of God in a mystery and the worke of the Lord which shall shortly come to to passe The manifestation of Gods glory shall be as great after the Apostacy as ever it was in any age before the rise of antichrist and the ministrations into which them that follow the Lamb shall be brought shall be as spiritual holy Celestial and divine as ever was before For the end of all our outward visible appearances shall come which the whore hath decked her selfe with and life it shall be known in the body and
God injoyed and worshiped glorified and honoured in that which shall never alter but abides for ever and this shall be is the last ministration that ever shall appear among the Sons of men We who are come out of the Apostacy knowes what was before sees what shal be after the everlasting Gosple of the Son of God shall be preached again to them that dwell on the Earth the same that was preached to Abraham before either old or new Testament was written the latter all sects since the apostacy call the gospel and so greatly manifest their ignoance for that were to make two Gospels to call the scriptures the Gospel or that which is written and they who so erre in their judgements are yet among the smoke of the pit are yet under antichrists reigne are ignorant of him who is the saving health of the Nations And the living infalible true lasting and everlasting spirit of the Father shall be poured out again and many now witnesse it and a numberlesse number shall witnesse it and the time hastens And the Lamb shall stand upon mount Sion and many who are redeemed from the earth and from among men which shall be the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb and they shall sit with him and shall reigne with him and have power over sin temptation and the Devil Hell and the Lake and this is to come to passe and is coming to passe and hastens greatly and the voice out of heaven shall be heard as the voice of many waters and the voice of harpers harping with their harps and the new song shall be sung the pure song of the Lamb shal be sung by all who are redeemed from the earth in every Nation kindred Tongue and people who have heard believed and received the joyful sound of the everlasting Gospel again and now they shall fear God and glorifie him and honour him even they who have feared the Beast and glorified him in the Apostacy they shall deny his power and own the Lambs power and worship him that sits upon the throne of righteousnesse who lives for ever and ever and is eternal Life it selfe the worship shall be now in spirit and truth where the Dragon cannot come neither the beast Harlot false prophet nor antichrist nor none of his followers can come and here in the ministration shal be more glorious after the Apostacy then it was before the worship stood before in many outward visible things and representations and outward performances and ordinances I manifestly say the dragon beast whore and false prophets and Apostates took up these things and Nations and kindreds and Tongues and people who drunk of the whores cup all that were gone from their maker their husband they have been and are acting and performing imitating like Jannes and Jambres but since the daies of the Apostles they corrupted these things and hath made Idols of them and painted themselves with them and have got the sheeps cloathing therefore now will the Lord appear and manifest his power life and glory in away more invisible and pure than before and more divine celestial and glorious where never an hypocrite shal tread in the path so the restoration is a mystery that shall be after the Apostacy the glory is not to appear in externall things for there the mother of harlots hath hid her selfe long which hath made all Nations drunk but the cloathing of the Lambs wife and of the bride shall be another thing then the attire of the harlot for the spouse of the Lamb shall be arrayed in the same attire that the Lamb is cloathed withall and with the same vestment and the Tabernacle of God is to be with men and he shall dwell in them even the Lord that spirit and shall walke in them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be with them and in them and sorrow shall be done away and teares wiped away and that done away which was the cause of sorrow Rev. 21. 3. and 4. and there shall be no more death nor crying nor any more pain for the former things are passed away to wit death which entred in by sin it shall be destroyed and the earth out of which the second beast arose and the sea out of which the first beast did arise upon which the whore sate and Hell and the lake which was prepared and raised up when man was degenerated from the Lord they shall be destroyed and he also which hath the power of death which is the Devil he shall be destroyed and his works the cause of scorne and then they shall see the Lord face to face even them that have but seen him darkly as in a glasse or as in a cloud they shall see his pure living countenance which giveth life and death and Hell shall be cast into the Lake of fire and whosoever is not found written in the Lambs book of life must be cast into the fire Then the new heaven and earth shall be seen and the heavenly City which shall come down from God out of heaven which no mortal eye shall behold neither shal be able to behold which hath twelve foundations and twelve gates and the glory of God shall be upon her and her light shall be as a stone most precious and as clear as cristall yea all things visible are too short and not to be compared to it for in it their need neither Sun nor Moon to shine in it for the glory of the Lord shall lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof and all who shall be partakers of this glorious Ministration shall walk in the light of the Lamb there shall be no night nor the least appearance of a cloud or darkness but transparent brightness and glory which shall be permanent durable and everlasting for the Lord God and the Lamb is the Temple of the City in which the Saints shall worship him that sits upon the throne for evermore and shall give unto him glory and honour and dominion and eternal praise for evermore who alone is worthy who lives for ever in eternal glory and everlasting light and brightness for cvermore And his face shall be seen in whom all figures representations shadows ends in and the pure river of water of life which is as clear as Christal which proceeds out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb and all who have kept the word of his patience shall drink thereof and be nourished up in immortality and life everlasting for ever And the tree of life that stands in the Paradice of God them that have overcome shall eat thereof and live for ever and the Nations Kindreds Tongues people and Regions who have heard believed and received the everlasting Gospel shall know his saving health and the Throne of God and the Lamb shall be seen and his servants shall serve him who is their Lord and King who lives for ever and they shall see
thee evil and shewes thee good thou wilt see how it appears Even as the light shineth from the East unto the West so is the coming of the day of the Lord. And the eye which is spiritual sees it and the power and the glory of the Lord comes to be seen in the day which is pure and spiritual in the heart and the eye which is pure doth behold when it comes where it comes and how it comes and it 's hid from Vulterous eyes and from their eyes which are full of adultery and cannot cease from sin Now the day of the Lord cometh not where the carnal mind may imagine nor when Man will neither according to the carnal desire of the carnal heart neither according to the evil eye that looks out can see it but it is seen in Gods own light and by the measure of Gods holy spirit And the day of the Lord is a mystery the spirit of the Lord is the onely discoverer of it None knows the things of God but by the Spirit of God and the day of the Lord and his bright shining forth in the heart of man is one of the glorious things of God which onely the Spirit of God doth give the knowledge of to man and in man and not the letter nor the Scripture for the Jews had the letter and they had neither heard Gods voice at any time neither ever did see his shape neither did they see the day of the Lord nor the power neither in a word did see or perceive God or any of the mysteries of Gods Kingdom at all but dreamed imagined thought and conceived of things in their minds their foolish hearts being darkned for the further a man drawes from the Light his heart comes to be more dark and their understandings closed up and shut up that they cannot behold the Lord neither his glory which is revealed only by Gods holy spirit which spirit is near man though he sees it not What the spirit of the Lord is and how it comes to be received which discovers the things of God THe spirit of the Lord is pure holy equal purity it selfe holinesse it selfe equity it selfe and is one with the Father and the Son The Father the word and the Spirit are one its Life its pure power pure strength purity it self which mixeth not neither joyneth to any thing but what is of its own nature it s an immeasurable pure substance its Life issued forth an active living power and is everlasting alters not changes not keeps its holinesse its purity for ever it is unsearchable unfathomable undeclarable words are all too short too narrow to declare its excellency and glory but onely as it makes it selfe out to them that believe and opens it self and sheds it self abroad in them that wait upon it it is revealed in its own purity manifest in its own power and received in its own Light felt in its own vertue the living Father of Life himselfe is manifested by it and appeares in his power majesty and excellency through it to man and to the sons of men to the righteous and unrighteous to godly and ungodly to the upright and to the deceitful to the children of darknesse and to the children of Light that which searcheth the heart of man and sees through all things and maketh manifest all things even the hidden things of God and the secret works of darknesse and reproveth for all evil all iniquity that is the pure act of the spirit which convinceth every man and as the creature comes to join to it it arises and shines forth more clearly and maketh it self known in its power and operation its power comes to be felt it checks and reproveth judgeth and condemneth all actions which is done and past and brings them to the creatures remembrance and as it is waited upon and hearkned unto it sheds its selfe abroad in its own pure brightnesse and bringeth all things to Light even all the deeds of darknesse and maketh manifest the intents of the mind and manifesteth all things reproveable Now as there is a waiting upon the pure appearance of it and the minde be still quiet and calm the creature comes to feel and sensibly to know his own condition and sees his minde is alive to other things and other lovers and not to God and so he sees himselfe dead to the things of Gods kingdome and in the losse and in the fall and in the transgression now this which shewes the vain motions and the vain thoughts and checketh them is an operation of the spirit and purity comes to be felt working in the heart and as it is loved obeyed it leadeth converteth the heart to the Lord and draweth towards it self out of unholinesse and from under the dark power and brings that under and so it arises in its strength as it is believed in and waited upon and judges and condemns for all evils for it is the discoverer of the mind of the Lord to the sons of men or the Father by it makes known his mind to and in the creature and doth discover the things that be eternal in their true property and nature which onely they that have the spirit and have received it and are brought out of the sensuality comes to discerne him who is invisible and the things that belongs to everlasting happinesse which is not seen by a natural eye neither received by the spirit of the world who never received the things of God neither the testimony of them who were in the Life Now all that comes to receive it that is to say the spirit of truth must wait in that which is pure unto which it joines it joines not to the corrupt man neither to the sensual heart neither to the vile affections neither to them whose eyes are full of adultery which cannot cease from sin neither to the seed of falsehood neither to the corruptible birth neither unto that which is born of the flesh nor unto the will of the creature yet notwithstanding though it join not to these yet it is near man even the natural man its manifestation or the shining forth of its brightnesse maketh all these things manifest before mentioned to be evil and thus far the spirit of God hath appeared to the world and all mankind to convince the world of sin yet still it remaines in its own purity and while the heart of any man is taken up with that and joined unto that which the light reproves that is to say the worker of iniquity that man hath not received the spirit neither is made possessor of it nor injoyes it but it stands off man and from man at a distance shewing the worker of iniquity and the works of darknesse and manifesting to the creature in its light and letting him see to whom he is joyned for so far as a man denies himselfe in acting or joyning to that which the manifestation of Gods spirit shining forth in its own
the Saints in former ages 15. How all men upon the earth in the degeneration in the fall have corrupted themselves and have been Idolaters in every administration being gone from the life and Power of God in themselves And having lost the Power of God man can neither worship honour nor obey God aright 16. A few words to that which is called Christendom who professe Christianity 17. Something about water-Baptisme to both Priests and separatists 18. Something about Rome in the apostacy and all their worship in the degeneration 19. The Protestants or Reformed Churches so called not yet come out of the waters nor from under the beasts Power 20. The Presbyters and Independants are yet under Antichrists Reign in the apostacy and have among them yet the Attire of the Whore 21. How the woman that travelled in birth who was clothed with the Sun and brought forth the man-childe fled into the wilderness when the Dragon had power and the man-child was caught up unto God 22. How the woman comes out again and when and he that was caught up unto God descends again and appears again to take the Rule to himself and how he makes war with the Dragon and all the apostates and overcomes them 23. How the glory of the Lord shall appear after the apostacy greater then before and the ministration into which them that follow the Lamb shall be brought shall be more spiritual celestial then before for that shall appear in which all visible types and shadowes ends in and shall be the last that is to be expected by the sons of men the sight of which hath appeared which yet cannot be uttered 24 What the day of the Lord is and to whom it hath appeared and how it is seen and discovered 25 What it is and what it will be to the wicked declared 26. What it is to the righteous and how he appears to them and whether we are to look for it while in the body resolved 27. Where it doth appear and how it cometh and how it is to be looked for declared 28. What the Spirit of the Lord is and how it comes to be received which discovers the the things of God 29. How the spirit of truth worketh and operateth in them who are convinced and yet have not obeyed it shewed 30 How the spirit of the Father worketh in them who hearken to it and are in some measure made partakers of its power shewn 31 Vnto whom the spirit of the Father bears witness and seals assurance of the Fathers love and of justification with God declared 32 What the grace of God is which is free and to whom it hath appeared and where all is to wait to receive it 33 whether all have received the grace of God or no and whether it be a sufficient teacher in it self demonstrated 34 Some objections answered 35 A word to the wise men of this world who are glorying in the sound of words 36 Also another to them who are glorying in outward appear ances and worshipping visible things in stead of the life 37 The Kingdome of God and his Christ declared in some measure as it is revaled by the spirit what it is and where it is to be waited for and how it comes to be revealed in them that believe 38 Divers Objections answered The work of the Lord declared which was in the beginning when the word was with God and was the Fathers delight and man made in the Image of God and lived in the Lambs Power and he was mans life and this was before the transgression of these declared as God hath manifested them by his Spirit IN the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God the same was in the beginning before the foundation of the Earth was laid or the Hills were framed he was with the Father and was the Fathers delight and he delighted in the Father and the Father in him then did the morning stars sing together and the Son of God shout for joy In the beginning were the heavens created and the Pillars theref set the earth was framed by the Power and all things both in the Heaven and In the Earth were created by the Power Gods Son every Beast of the field every fowl of the Heaven and the decreed place for the Sea was broken up and all things that moveth therein were created by the word and by the Power and man was made by the Power and in the Power and he was the Image of God as it is written In the Image of God created he him Male and Female created he them and he had dominion over all the works of his hands over every beast of the field which were created by the Power over the Serpent among the rest which was created by the Power and was good as he was made in the Power and by the wisdom they were all brought forth and man made in that wisdom that brought them forth who was better then them all and was made partakers of the Power and of the Wisdom more then them all and by the wisdom called every thing as is was in its nature so named he everything and the dominion he had was in the Power over all things over all the Creation of God which was good and the Earth and all things that are therein the tree of knowledge good that stood in the garden also but not for food so these be the generations of the Heavens and the Earth in the day when God created them they were all good made and created by God in the Power Eternal which is good unchangeably good without variation and the unchangeable Power in which and by which they were made moved in them all and they all received vertue and Power from the Power Gods Son and the Power moved in them all and shined through them all and ran through them all and they were all to abide in the Covenant in which they were made and not any to move or act without the Power but only as the Power which was the life of them all moved them and acted them and so goodness possessed them all for all was partakers of the goodness of God and it was the life of them and they were none of them to move nor stir but as the life of men the Power by which they were created moved them which was Gods Son the Heavens and the Earth were finished and all things that therein are and they were all good and this saying was true then which was spoken by Christ the Power many generations after I in them and thou in me and all was perfect in one the Father was in the Power the Power was in the Father and all the Creatures in the Power Now was the Father glorified now was the Son glorified now was man in Dominion in Power crowned with honour Lord over all the works that God had made in the Power and now the whole Family both of Heaven
tempted the man and the temptation entered into a ground which was blessed before and good in the motion of the life of the Power but she having transgressed contrary to the command the man received it contrary to the command without the motion of the Power or the life which all was to move in he also going out of the power received it in and seed upon knowledge without the life without the power out of the truth he became one with the woman one with the Serpent who went out of truth and abode not in it and they all were disjoynted and cut off from the Life and the power and hear was the beginning of the father of lies and of him who spoke of himself out of the power out of the truth and his beginning is without foundation now he that is wise in heart read his generation or who made him now appeared the Angel of the bottomless pit and not before and made war against the power against the Lamb and so the heart of man was turned away from obeying and feeding upon the power to obey and feed upon knowledge without the Life or power and here was the first transgression out of the power and the motion of the light which made all things good and so as this knowledge was fed upon and grew man died unto the Life unto the power and wisdom and dominion that he had over all that God had made he lost and so died unto the power and lived upon knowledge without the power and now became afraid of the power because he was in the transgression of it And thus the Serpent who was most subtle went out of the truth and acted in sin and led into transgression and so there became fear where was none and shame where there was none and nakedness where there was no nakedness before the power was died unto which was their clothing in righteousness and there was a hiding place sought by him who before iniquity needed no hiding place and this is the foundation and beginning of that seed in the transgression which shall call to the mountains to cover them and to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. Oh how is man degenerated now and grown quite out of the pure quality and kind and nature in which he was made now afraid of the power that made him which before he had union with was his Life and gave him dominion and this fulfilled upon man he was planted a noble vine a holy right seed now become a degenerate plant of a strange vine now when the Lord appeared and examined him and man knew his fault that he had acted against the power yet that which acted in transgression would excuse here is the fruit of the Devils work transgresse and then hide and excuse it and so the woman put it off to the Serpent he was the beginner of it but if she had stood in the power he would have had no place nor his counsel but they all went out of the light and Life into the knowledge without the Power and Life and so the curse came upon all Now the man cursed and the ground for his sake and the woman cursed in sorrow to bring forth and the Serpent cursed the beginner of iniquity cursed above all the beasts of the field to go upon his belly and dust to be his meat for ever and an enmity put between the seed of the woman and his seed for ever and an eternal decree passed against him for ever and he made war against the seed of the woman which the Lord promised to bruise his head now came the miserable estate in that which led him into transgression grew and he in it and to be at unity with it then came hard ness of heart and then came the world to be founded in his heart and he grew in the devouring beastly nature to follow the earthly imaginations of his heart and became earthly and fed upon that which the beasts of the field fed upon And now the Lamb came to be slain since the foundation of the world now was man driven out from the tree of Life and out of the garden and could no way come there again he had no right to it the Lamb being slain and he was cut off to wit man from him which before gave him peace and from the Power in which he was made he was driven out from and the sword set that go what way he could he could not come into the Life again the image of God lost then the joyful day was lost and rejoycing in the Lord at an end then the day of peace was finished and perpetual misery and wo come in then unity with the Lord of glory gone and now shame and contempt came and woful misery Now Hell was formed and the botomlesse Pit sprang up and the Angel thereof ruled and advanced and the Lamb slain and now the Lake was prepared and Tophet ordained now came the day of angnish of pain of wo sorrow and misery blackness and darkness terror horror fear on every side and the day of great perplexity Dominion lost power lost Authority lost peace lost joy lost health lost unity lost with God and unity lost with every creature and endless misery brought in Alas alas what is become of him who was the Son of God now become as the beasts that perish now a vessel of wrath a dishonourable vessel Oh unspeakable losse forfeited all Life and all gone into plunged into the deep pit of endlesse misery driven from the presence of the Lord from blessednesse happinesse into cursednesse and misery never to come to Life again but through the losse of Life man in honour in dominion partaker of eternal riches and the durable riches now turned out of all and become vile in the sight of the Lord and hath forfeited Life and all eternal life and he who was in perfect freedome become a bondman a slave to the Devil and to noysome lusts he who was Lord over all now become a servant to all and every creature he who was in dominion in the power of God now become base and vile He who was the Image of God now become the image of the Devil he who was heir of life and felicity now become inheritor of death and endlesse misery he was partakers of the unchangeable love now partaker of wrath he that was in the covenant of life in which he had union with God and all the Angles and all the holy host of God now hath union with unclean spirits which are cursed from the presence of the Lord for ever he that had union with all Gods creatures hath lost the union with all being gone out of the power in which all was created and moreover now in enmity to it and joyned to him who hath the power of death which is the Devil and now drawes iniquity as with a Cart-rope and vanity as with a cord and he who was joyned
and the blind doctrines of the World layd waste Ob. Some will be ready to say how dost thou say he was in dominion everlasting then how should he fall that lasted but a while Ans. I say he was made by the word which abides for ever and in it which was in the beginning with God and was God and Gods Son and his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his Throne is established in righteousnesse for ever and ever and in it selfe it is what it was ever and after the fall retained the same power and authority in it selfe and so will do for ever mans power stood in it onely out of it he had none so going out of it dyed to it and not any more power to do or to will or to order or to rule any thing but by it but he lost the feeling of it and the guidance of it the vertue of it and life of it and became dead to it and alive in his heart and mind to an other power to wit the power of deceit and to the power of him which hath the power of death which is the Devil so God is clear no fault in him nor in the power nor weaknesse in the dominion and authority which he had but destruction meerly wholly and onely of himself and he is to bear the his own burthen Thus man receiving in the Devils conceptions who was gone out of the truth and became one with it feeding upon knowledge without the life this was evil thus sin entred and death by sin man cut off from the power from life from the dominion which he had in the power now man is dead while he lives and in the day he eat he died dead to the power dead to the life dead to good dead to truth dead to purity dead to Righteousnesse estranged and alienated from it the grave covers him death hath prehemenence and bears rule and not life and he gone into its nature and loves it and imbraces it Oh sad life ah sad state now his life cursed which is death he cursed all his actions cursed all his conception cursed all his works cursed labouring in sorrow in travel and pain and grief and sweat and perplexity Now all may as in a line read the happy estate of man before the fall the sad and deplorable estate in the fall which who can declare or who can measure or who can demonstrate the miserable estate of man dead in trepasses and sins and life swallowed up of death death and destruction lives and man in it and now in the grave God is not remembred but forgotten Now the world set in the heart and the Earth in the heart the heart becomes earthly and vain thorns and bryers springs up and the Earth covers the slain now death lives and man lives in it and one with the enmity and in enmity against God who was before his life man now in chains of darkness when any thing moves Heaven-ward the power of death drawes the mind down again to the pit into darkness Now the nature of all things in the earth set in the heart Beasts Rocks Hills Mountains dogs swine and brutish creatures and man becomes brutish and vain they have all dominion over him he a slave to all all rules over him and death grew and dead works brought forth he cannot now perform any thing whereby he can purchase the love of God nor give a ransom for his soul now the root of betterness grew and the enmity and man in lust and when his lust is crost or his will crost then the enmity which liveth in him riseth he would kill that and destroy that imprison that and bring it into bondage that the enmity might be Lord over all and brings the innocent into bondage that which is nocent is set up and the higher deceit growes in the heart the more stir it makes and the greater destruction of that which crosses it and here came in oppression murder cruelty tyrany prisoning imbondaging revenge maliciousness and envie rage sury headiness pride this is all in the curse and springs up from the foundation of the world in the heart and so being given way unto and loved grows in strength and iniquity multiplies and the beast growes and the name great and numberless the Serpents root spreads forth it self and sprouts out in the Earth and comes to grow great and is admired now the deeds of darkness and the works of darkness comes to be many envy murder adultery fornication uncleanness riotousness sporting covetousness defrauding cheating maliciousness theft dissimulation feinedness hypocrisy witchcraft cursed-speaking railing reviling filthy communication unsavory speeches wantonness lightness foolish jeasting idle talking vain Babbling back-biting swearing lying cursing blasphemy slandering pride arogancy vain-boasting contention strife emulation mischief these and many more are now the fruits of the degenerate plant dead works and the works of darkness in man who was once a noble plant a holy right seed now the fruits of Sodom and the grapes of Gomorah whom God destroyed and overthrew is brought forth and the whole Earth is filled with violence and these be the fruits that grow and are become great over all Nations which are wrought by the Devil the father of lies who spoke of himself and works of himself in the dark in the night out of the light out of the day who went out of the truth and now worketh in all the children of disobedience who are out of the light and out of the power and here are all the sons of fallen Adam in the curse under the wo and these be the works that are wrought and brought forth which hath stained the earth and the father of them and man in whom they are wrought and the works themselves is all for condemnation never to be numbred among the Saints in light nor among their works Self righteousness deeds of darkness also and dead works which though they be not counted as bad as the former by them that act in them yet they are to be condemned also And man who acts them being in the fall CAin who was the first begotten in the fall the similitude likeness and image of Adam his Father who had transgressed and disobeyed and lost the power and became dead to it Cain I say his expresse Image out of the saith out of the Power he brought a sacrifice and offered in the same nature he slew his brother with and envied him who was in the saith and was accepted of the Lord through faith in the Power of God I say in this nature he offered and was not accepted he was in the imitation out of the life out of the Power in feinedness and this was self and not the Lord that moved him The Jewes in the Prophets time who were in Cains nature in envy and maliciousness grinding the faces of the poor and oppressing the needy and chopping them in pieces as flesh for the pot they brought sacrifices oblations
burnt-offerings kept fasts and Sabbaths and new Moons and all these things and lied swore and dealt falsly and left no roome for the poor and yet they said the Lord was among them the Lord sent his servant the Prophet to tell them the Lord was weary of them and of their oblations why they were out of the faith out of the life out of the Power and deceit lodged in their heartts covetousnese envy murder oppression and violence as ravening wolves hunting for their prey the Prophets prophesied for hire their Priests bear rule by their means and people was one with it and liked it and loved it should be so the end of those things was misery the Judgement of God came upon them they were scattered among their enemies their Prophets slain and for their sake Sion became as a plowed corn field and Jerusalem a heap and now he that offered an ox was no more accepted then if he slew a man no more then if he blessed Chemosh Ashteroth or Baal all was sin and to be condemned by the power out of which they were gone The Scribes and Pharisees in Christs time great worshippers devout men devout women zealous men for Temple Priests tithes days Sabbaths oblations and were acting all those things that were commanded in or about the worship of God yet Christ said unto his Disciplrs except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scrihes and Pharisees ye cannot enter the Kingdom of God they might have said which at least they did in their hearts this man says he is the Son of God and yet saith and teacheth his Disciples another righteousness then is commanded in the Law and moreover tells them except their righteousnes exceed ours they cannot enter into Gods Kingdom where is there in all the earth any better righteousness then ours we do not as the heathen worship Idol-gods we keep the Sabbaths and purifie our selves and payes tithes and keeps the Ordinances given by the Lord to Moses and our fathers well these things they were doing but they were but dead works they were out of the faith out of the Power and had not Gods word abiding in their hearts from which their Power and ability should have come to have answered the will of God here was self-righteousness although they did the outward things which were commanded of the Lord yet they were dead works their Temple left desolate worship desolate Jerusalem compassed about with armies not one stone left upon another which was not to be thrown down and they scattered among the heathen their Priests slain and their oblations ceased plagues Judgement prusuing whithersoever they went did all those things save them from the wrath all their works and dead worships self-righteousness save them were they accepted oh nay rejected a seed of falshood a crooked generation an hypocritical generation these things with many more which I could instance all shewing that man in the transgression of the life of the power whether he sinned or wrought that which he might Judge was righteous yet they were but dead works Ob. But some may say what saist thou to this generation of Ministers preachers and Ordinances we live in a Gospel time and are under Gospel ordinances and they teach that man is redeemed by Christ from sins past present and to come and the ordinances that we practice now I hope you will not call them dead works Ans. I say the ministry in these nations made by mans will and by the will of the flesh and that are seeking their gaine from their quarter and are suing men at Law and throwing men in dungeons and holes to the losse of some mens lives already and hundreds have been and are like to be spoiled onely to uphold their greedy devouring nature who have ravened and devoured like evening Wolves some mens estates wholly and some times taken ten fold the value who ravens from place to place from one end of the Land to another and into other Nations also for filthy lucre or a greater benefit I say they are in the fall in the transgression death rules in them over them and they are Ministers of death and never brought any to God but of them many other brethren who are in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ hath borne a large testimony which any considerate wise prudent and reasonable man may see them to be Ministers of death demonstrated by many sound grounds and unanswerable arguments and the scripture of truth clearly bearing witnesse to the same and so I refer the Reader to those things and shall content my selfe at present in what I have said in this particular Now as to the worship or ordinances or practices themselves I come unto and shall speak no otherwise of any thing then God by his eternal light and spirit hath made me understand in the true ground of things else I know well how to be silent Now this I say to all sects opinions and fellowships though they be devided into many heads or societies man acting or performing any thing of worship ordinance or any practice whatsoever which the scriptures declares hath been or ever was though they should doe it in the same manner sutable in every circumstance to that which others did till all or every man come to believe in the power again which man went from in the transgression all that he doth is selfe-righteousnesse and dead works preaching dead prayer dead Baptisme dead their communion dead their conferences dead their exhortations dead their fasts dead their offerings like as if one had offered a dead beast under the law or a lame Lamb which had been abomination even so I say till man come to that which he hath lost in the transgression till man find the power the life the light the messiah and feel him in them to work move lead guid and act all will be accounted with the Lord selfe-righteousnesse dead works dead fruit and if all would examine and try they might see the Nations almost spread over with dead men in Adam and dead works abound and coverings which God will rent and lay all waste together false rest imitated formes and representations without life I say till men come into the power againe that Adam went from and so died in that day he cannot doe any thing well pleasing to God and whosoever comes to that again passeth every step through death and denies himselfe and all selfe-actions selfe-righteousnesse and must come to be bare and naked again even as he was before he came out he and his wife were naked and were not ashamed selfe-acting was not known now self-will self-worship self-righteousness nay they moved in the power righteousnesse was their covering and as I said before there was no shame I might speak largely in this thing and truly my tongue is the pen of a ready writer oh that all had an eare to hear that their souls might live and that every one might be unbottomed of his false
rest false and fained hope and faith and of his own ragged garment and let goe his selfe-righteousnesse and his dead works and come to Christ the life of men again that man hath run from that so he might have life and peace Ob. But some would say that thou wouldst have all upside down unchristian the Nations and unchurch Churches and throw down all our worship and then what should we doe all would be as heathens and turne into Athisme I say a time of fanning and â—ifting and trying is come when nothing shall stand but that hath the image stamp and character of the living God upon it and all that which hath been brought up and raised up since man hath been in the transgression must be turned down into the pit again and all that have got a name of Christian and wants his life to live among them and in them shall be scattered as clouds with the East wind and all imitated worships and will worshippers and the fained faith and the fained hope shall be confounded and all will worships and worshippers will be overturned who are not come yet to the true light that lightens every man that comes into the World and till man comes to the light and tries his deeds and works by it he never sees what he is doing nor what he is working nor what he works and so all that man doth here in the unbeliefe it is but sin or selfe-righteousnesse which is brought forth by him who abode not in the truth in the unbelief and so who be come to the power which was in the beginning before sin entred and death by sin hath and doth measure all deeds and all works man that is in the losse in the fall sees that a dead man cannot act a living work nor bring forth living fruits unto God nor living works of righteousnesse being in the unrighteousnesse neither the fruits of faith being in the unbeliefe neither the works of the day being in the night neither the works of charity being in the emnity in a word without Christ the power the light the life which was glorified with the Father before the world began I say he said it himself who is the beginning of the creation of God the first born of every creature he said and his testimony will be found true without me ye can do nothing nothing that is wel-pleasing to the Lord nothing that ever shall be acceptable and here is the true state of all the Earth discovered and all mankind drove out from God miserable naked hopelesse helplesse faithlesse and so can doe nothing as to the glorifying of God his maker or to the ordering of any thing in the creation to his glory having lost his dominion and Gods wisdome and this being considered seriously by all and brought to the light in all and their deeds tryed by it would make the lofty bow and the stout hearted fear and the conceited sit down in solitarinesse that they should so long deceive their own souls with a conceit of righteousnesse and redemption when as death yet reignes in them and over them and not life eternall So the Devil is a distinct being from God and his works are distinst and his deeds from the works of God and neither he nor his works shall ever be numbred among the works of God but he and they that obey him and follow him who is out of the truth they their works of what sort soever they may seem unto men to be whose eyes the devil hath blinded so I say all is to be condemned and shut out from Gods presence for ever and to be destroyed by him who is a consuming fire and all the righteousnesse of man burned as combustable stuff in unquenchable fire Pr. And by what hath been said the principle of that ranting crew who are become vaine in their imaginations and foolish their understandings being darkned are seen and their principle overthrown As that light and darknesse is one good evil one and sin and righteousnesse one and truth and a lye one and that God is all and doth all and what ever is done is of God and that there is no evil but to him that thinks it so and it is onely a false apprehention of things and that there is no such thing as sin that sin is nothing Unto all these things I might speak but the understanding Reader may by what is before written see each of these plainly declared and the true ground of things laid down as the spirit gave utterance and this shall at present suffice in this matter Ob. But some may object further and say will not reading the scriptures and conforming to the practise of the saints in the use of his ordinances will not this make us accepted and bring us out of the fall and make us good christians Answ. No while death hath dominion in man and over man and the vaile over the heart man doth not understand the mystery of Gods kingdome neither understands the scripture which was spoken from the spirit of truth or any thing of truth as it is in Christ for none understands the things of God but by the spirit of God so that every man that comes to have a good understanding must come to know the pure spirit of God in him to direct him informe him which spirit was the original of the scripture for the holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost and without the Holy Ghost in some measure be known â—nd that which is infallible the sayings the writings the scriptures cannot be understood because of the want of this all the Earth is run into heads sects opinions large treatises and volumes expositions have been written yet differing one from another and all from the spirit and in all these particular sects persecuting one another envying one another and hating one another and would compell others to believe what they believe in what they say if they had but power and for proof of this it is most evident in the scripture of truth and in latter ages since the Apostles it hath been and it is evidently seen both among the Papists and Protestants and among all them that are called the reformed Churches but all this is in the fall and in the transgression and in the Apostacy and is an evident token that they are all under the power of the beast who makes War against the Lamb so all compellation and they that do compell are not worshippers of the Lamb but of the beast which is to be destroyed and cast into the lake For the Jews under the first Covenant had the Scriptures the good and wholsome words of God and the Prophets and read the Law and the Prophets on the Sabbath dayes and yet the vail was over their hearts and and though they did perform many things commanded yet they being erred from the spirit did not understand
of what the Scripture spoke nor know him nor his mind to wit Christ of whom the Scriptures spoke neither were they accepted of God but reproved and rejected by Christ himself who said they erred not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God doubtless they did know the words naturally and read them but the spirits mind in so speaking they knew not and Jude reproves all such and said what they knew they knew naturally as bruit beasts and in that knowledg they corrupted themselves and therefore Peter well said many things were hard to to be understood which the unlearned wrested they that were ignorant of the spirit of the Father and had not learned of God who is a spirit they I say perverted and wrested the good and wholsom words of the Scriptures and were no more accepted of God then if they had never heard the words nor read them at all and as for the Jewes conforming to the outward commands when the vail was over their hearts and their hearts uncircumcised these things did not make them any whit more accepted then the heathen so the Christians since Christs time in the Apostles days and after the Apostles days who held the form of worship and the form of godliness and the outward part of worship and holds and retains it in that part which is above the seed and denies the power this no more makes a Christian inward then outward circumcision made a Jew inward neither any of these things do recommend any unto God but are covers made rests formed from that part which is above the seed so man comes to be counselled in those things when alas he is miserable and naked and hath not the righteous garment on which should make man accepted of the Father through the beloved Gods righteousness How all men upon the earth in the degeneration and in the fall and in the transgression have corrupted themselves and have been idolaters in every administration being gone from the power in which man had the ability power and wisdom to worship God aright and honour the living God of heaven and earth IN the state and condition which man was created in when he was the image of God and lived in the Power of God in which he was created He in that Power which was his life had wisdom and understanding and power to worship the living God and to glorifie his maker the which thing I have treated on before but being gone from the power and grew in knowledge without the power his thoughts became vain and his imaginations vain and his desires earthly and corruptable and so the creatures were worshipped in his heart and not the Creator the life of the creatures and he bowed to the creatures and they had dominion over him and that nature began to grow and multiply in all the earth and that seed which was at enmity with God and against the seed which is Christ and few there were that called upon the Name of the Lord in truth righteousness although some yet few one in a Nation or a few in an age nay in many ages and men multiplied in the earth and wickedness multiplyed also and idolatry and the seed of the Serpent grew great And God saw the wickedness of man that it was great in the earth and that the thoughts and purposes and imaginations of his heart were onely evil continually Gen. 6. 5. and the earth was filled with violence and crueltie and oppression and the living God forgotten and not worshipped but on the contrary they followed the imaginations of their own hearts and bowed down to every corruptable thing and to every creature and did not worship the Lord God in their hearts till the Lord was grieved at the heart and repented that he had made man and this was before the flood and after the flood when the earth was a little multiplied iniquity grew in the earth and the cursed seed sprang from Hams stock of whom was Nimrod the hunter before the Lord the beginning of his Kingdom was Babel of the which became great Idolaters and of this seed came the Philistians who were uncircumcised who were heathens and the Jebusites and Gargasites and the Canaanites and Hivites and their generations were great in the earth they were great Idolaters and committed Idolatry with stocks and stones and with brick having forgotten the Lord they began to work exploits in the earth and to build Cities and Babel having forgot the name of God they would have got a name in the earth and builded a tower whose top might have reached to heaven but the Lord whom they had forgot scattered them and this was the seed of evil doers whom God scattered and drove out of Canaan who were great Idolaters and gave it to Abraham who feared the Lord and to Jacob and to his seed to possesse And when transgression grew he added a Law the sence of Gods power and wisdom was so lost in man and they so gone from his wisdom that a Law was added after Israel came out of Egypt which was outward and written in tables of of stone wherein was the statutes and the commands that they should onely worship him and that they should not make them Gods of gold and silver neither the likeness of any thing in heaven or earth yet nevertheless that uncircumcised part which kept the seed in bondage and that corruptable earthly nature that ruled in them made gods like the heathen Egytians and they made a Calf and bowed to the molten image and forgot God and provoked him to anger till many of them were consumed in his sore displeasure and tempted him and lusted and eat and drank and rose up to play and committed whoredoms with the creatures and abused them and therefore the Lord sent his Prophets and rebuked them they abused the gold and the silver the stone and the wood which were good creatures but not to make gods of nor images thereof nor idols to draw away their minds from the Lord but they in whom the seed was not made manifest they worshipped dead things and likenesses of things which were not life it self and so transgressed the Law acting from that part and living in that nature which the Law was against which was added because of transgression to limit the transgressor and to slay him and to bruise that under till the seed came up that fulfills the Law but the seed of the Serpent had so much rule in them whom God had often delivered out of the hands of their enemies so that many perished Corah and many Princes and many thousands of Israel who followed their own inventions and were cut off in Gods sore displeasure being gone from that which was upright in which man was created followiug their imaginations out of that mind formed idols and images and set them up and answered that part in themselves which transgressed the seed not that which doth overthrow all idols
manifested his pure presence poured out his spirit plentifully upon sons and daughters fulfilled that which Joelâ—prophesied â—prophesied of Joel 2. 28. which came to be fulfilled after Christs ascention Acts. 2. 17. and they received the holy Ghost spoke the wonderfull things of God as they were revealed by the spirit which shed it selfe abroad among them that waited for it so also the mystery of iniquity began to work even in that time and as the Apostles laid the foundation of truth and declared the truth Christ to be the foundation even so the Mystery of iniquity did work and a beginning or a foundation of error was laid by them who were gone out of the truth the false Prophets deceivers Anti-christs who were professors and preachers but they were such as were covetous and greedy of filthy lucre and made merchandize of souls for dishonest gaine and denyed the power of God Christ and were enemies to the Crosse and gloried in the flesh and spake swelling words of vanity and did all live in the lust of the flesh and were proud boasters and denyed the Lord that bought them for denying the power of God they did deny Christ though in words they preached him as this generation who are their off-springs doe out of strife contention as the Apostle writs they held the form of godlinesse but denyed the power and they were they that once were convinced of the truth and came into the forme of truth but denyed the power of truth but were in craft and deceit and they subverted whole houses from the faith and led them back into the world into unbeliefe in the Apostles dayes and yet had a worship and did worship but not the power not the life and this began to worke and wrought more cunningly and subtilly in the latter times And the Apostle Paul in many of his Epistles Iohn and Peter and Jude declares against them and Paul prophesied of them before his departure of grievous Wolves which should spring up which should not spare to make havock of the flock of Christ so the fall Apostles deceivers Antichrists and deceitful workers they went out then and did what they could to lead disciples after them into the world inwardly they were ravened from the spirit and was gone from it into the earth into the world and served not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies and the God of the world which is the Devil and they went into the world and the world received them and then they and their disciples turned against the saints and they held truth in words and the form for a while but it was in unrighteousness and here was the beginners and the beginning of the Apostats and of the Apostacy it was began in the Apostles dayes by them that went out of the truth out of the light and were ravened from the spirit and erred from the faith and were enemies to the power of God and these were the beginners and the layers of the foundation and then it grew that root of wickedness faster then the truth for the Jewes resisted and the heathen resisted and the Apostates and false prophets resisted and they that were Apostatized they resisted and they caused many to stumble to erre to make ship-wrack of their faith and so the world went after them the World the Nations the kindreds the tongues the people went after Kings Princes and potentates of the earth in processe of time they had over run-all killed the saints the woman fled into the wildernesse the man child was caught up unto God then all Nations who were gone from the Rock became as a sea reeled to fro unstable unsetled what were they like to settle in the Sea then a great beast arose with his seven heads and ten hornes and the whore which had defiled the bed and she sat upon the beast and she reached out her cup of fornication to the nations and all nations was drunk with her cup and then the beast made war and the nations were drunk and they loved the beast and received his marke became cruel and pushed at the saints and followed him and made war with them and the whore she drank the blood of the saints and the Dragon appeared and with his tayle drew the third part of the stars after him to the Earth the false Prophets they are the tayle of the Dragon who were gone from the testimony of Jesus the spirit of prophecy and drew after it the third part of the stars from the firmament of his power into the earth Rev. 12. 4. The man child was caught up unto God which was to rule all Nations with a rod of Iron and the woman fled into the wildernesse where God hath prepared a place for her and then the Dragon went out and made war with the remnant of her seed to wit the womans seed And so out of the Sea arose the beast out of Nations kindreds Tongues and peoples which are waters and the Dragon gave power to the beast and his seat and great authority Rev. 13. 2. And all the world wondred after the beast ver 3. and ver 4. They worshipped the Dragon which gave power to the beast and the beast likewise and now the worlâ— cryed which wondred after the beast who is able to make war with the beast and ver 6. he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven and he made war with the saints and did overcome them and all that dwelt upon the Earth worshipped him whose names were not written in the Lambs book of life And the beastâ— deceived the Nations and them that did dwell on the earth and now kindreds Tongues and peoples and Nations and all the world which wondred after him they who had lost the image of God now became the image of the beast that blasphemed God and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven and now the Kings of the earth that had drunk the Whores cup of fornication and the Nations Kindreds and Tongues and people who were become the beasts image now the image of the beast spoke and caused as many as would not worship the beast and the image should be killed take notice of that all who are called Christians it was not Gods image who compelled to worship or else be killed but it was the beasts image and wheresoever compultion and killing is exercised and practised they worship the beast Chap. 13. ver 16. And he causeth all both small and great rich and poor bond and free to receive a marke in their forehead or in their right hand and none might buy or sell but he which had the beasts marke or his name or the number of his name here was worship but it was the beasts worship and Idolatrous worship and the Dragons worship who sought to destroy the man-child which all the Angels is to worship all
this worship is in the Apostacy So let all take notice of this compelling causing forcing killing and destroying about worship all they that so do yet are worshipping the beast on which the Whore rides and this is that generation who slew the Lamb and they are of the World and this is the Dragons brood who sought to devour the man-child and this is the Serpents seed and a seed of falsehood who made war with the remnant of the seed of the woman through all ages unto this generation and so all that which is called Christendome is more or lesse under the beasts power and hath his Image even to this day and yet some of them are professing the saints words and imitating their actions who were followers of the Lamb and kept the faith now this that Iohn saw as come in did grow deceivers anti-christs false prophets who were before trouthe Churches at Galatia Corinth and made havock brought in deceit and infected many as Coloss. Pergamus Rev. 3. Sardis Laodicea but now all Nations were erred and gone from their maker their husband and did drink of the cup of the whore and were adulterated from the life faith and power and now worshipped the beast and the whole world went after him there was some of his adultery whordome and fornication in the Apostles dayes and some had drunken then but now Nations kindreds Tongues and people drunk the cup of fornication and now Jesabel who slew the prophets and drunk the blood of the saints she reaches out her cup Kings merchants Noble men great men Nations kinreds Tongues and people were made drunk the man-child sought to be devoured flouds cast out after the woman the saints blood drunk the world worships the Dragon and the beast and his great authority and wonders after him now Jesabel the whore who made the nations drunk she prophesies all the Nations made drunk with her cup of fornication and drinks in all her false doctrines and devised fables now she is as a Queen now the Nations worships after a beast arises she gets upon him and rides she and the beast becomes one she drinks the blood of the saints the beast makes war compells kills being of one mind with the whore none to buy or sell but they that have his mark of his name or at least some of the number of his name and who were not defiled were killed or sought to be killed this is since the apostles days so now we have found the whore her beginning in the Apostacy having lost the faith and power that the Saints were in we have found out the rise of the beast in the Apostacy since the Apostles that all the World wondred after and worshipped Now Rome we have found thy foundation and the beginning of thy rise and sees how thou art elevated we have thee and all that sprang out of thy stock and root betwixt this time and the Apostles and we read beyond thee though thou boast thy selfe of antiquity and glory in thy counsels and convocations for thy proof we have sounded thy bottome I have thee and all the Apostates sprang from thee betwixt me and the Apostles the anti-christs false-Prophets deceivers false Apostles they began they laid thy foundation who went out from the Apostles and denyed the crosse of Christ and the power of God and the Apostle prophesied of their increase here thy visible members began to gather and they went out into the World and the World received them according to Christs saying out of the light out of the power out of the faith out of the life that the holy men of God were in being ravened from the spirit whored from the life they went out in an outward dresse had a shew a form of godliness the Nations received the cup the Kings of the earth the Nobles and the mighty men thou boasts of they drank of thy cup and were inflamed with adultery after thee and then the Nations over which the whoredoms spread kindreds Dominions tongues Nations peoples and become fornicators all became as a sea rolling tossing foming raging casting up mire and dirt unstable reeling then the Kings the great men thy Nobles who were Rulers over the people being drunk with the Nations cup of fornication they sprang up as a great Beast with so many heads and horns and their teeth became as Lyons their feet as Bears and then thou began to ride in the Nations and to sit as a Queen then thou associated thy drunken fornicators together then thou began to usurp authority and then sit as Judge over the heritage of God and of the Saints of the Apostles and of them that kept the testimony of Jesus then thou began to kill and destroy and suck the blood of the Saints and to be drunk with it and then thy Kings whom thou calls converts and Christians having drunken thy cup they formed Lawes and made Lawes to guard thy whoredoms and adultries and Idolatries then they became thy executioners and what thou said was good the Beast maintained and what thou condemnedst by thy Counsels for heresie they became executioners of then came in compelling to worship by the Beast that rose out of the Sea and then thou cryed Hereticks and condemned the just and then thou got a cover thou wouldst not kil but the beast must upon whom thou rides then if there was any that kept their virginity and the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ which was in the Apostles dayes then thou condemnedst them for Hereticks then the Beast compelled and caused to worship but if they would not bow to his image then thy Merchants cries up they despise Governors and Rulers when both thy Doctrine and thy Laws is corrupt then the Beast must kill then he blaphemes the God of heaven and his Tabernacle and then thou saith thou killest none but the beast must upon which thou rides and shall have a whole Counsel to confirm it to be lawful And now thou cals thy self the Catholike and Apostolical Church and thy seat the Apostolical Chair and the Rulers and leaders defenders of the faith Nay we finde thee contrary to the primitive Church and thy seat and Chair is raised up since and thy bed of whoredoms made since and the Kings and Rulers in thy Dominions are become defenders of thy idolatries and whoredoms and are indeed the beast that makes War with the Saints and hath prevailed and truth overcome but he is risen who is able to make war with the Beast and to take the whore and to burn her flesh with fire for he is able to judge her and thy Beasts weapons and thine are carnal but the Lambs and the Saints are spiritual and so thy Doctrine and practice is quite another thing patched â—uffe some brought in from the first Priesthood some borrowed from the Jews as thy Altars thy vestments that thy idolatrous Merchants wear when they celebrate thy great idol the Mass and the rest borrowed fragments
I refer the Reader to intituled the principles of the Priests of Scotland their Reformation and discipline is nearly related to the Spanish Inqnisition for their Doctrine they say grace is not free and faith is not without sin and the Letter is the word of God and that they are cursed that say there is a light within which will lead up to God and as one said although it meant Christ and if any will not submit to their words and conform to their practice and traditions then they call a counsel together as their forefathers at Trent and pronounces him a heretick and within this few years banished them or else took their whole substance outward from them and if any out of conscience could not submit unto their invented tradition then if he ever came to have any converse with them again be must have a penance before he could get an indulgence from them like the Pope and furthermore if any deny them because they are out of the doctrine of Christ and are contrary to the Scripture then as I said they excommunicate them and charges all people neither to buy nor sell nor eat nor drink with them nor work for them and so the beasts power is exercised compelling to come to their Mass-houses and as for the denying the Bishops then you have denyed your fathers that begat you and ordained you then you have no Ordination but may be you have cryâ—d so for setling your Gospel you have got a Commitee to ordain you or one company to lay hands on another but when receive ye the holy Ghost Oh that is an error in your Church but are you not got into the old Cathedrals so called and into the Steeple-houses and the old Masse-houses and where you had may be 20 pounds or fourty in the year now you have gotten a hundred it may be two here 's reformation indeed well we must needs remember you of your race and stock the apostates since the Apostle dayes and the former practices which is found among the old Protestants and Papists is among you and you are still drunk with the whores cup and are crying for Cains weapons to guard you well I say you art part of the dragons tail that draws to the earth and to the pit which will be the end of all idolaters and Apostates except they come to repent And as for the Independants Churches so called you are a branch of the same root you have declared against the Bishops and court Prelates and said they were in error and many of you declared against them for pluralists because they had too great benefits and declared against Tythes as to be Antichristian and whoso received Tithes denyed Christ come in the flesh who are wheeled about and now takes them your selves and creeps into the old Mass-houses and hath taken that up which you condemned in others and so have made your former testimony void and all sober people sees your hypocrisie and deceit who have gathered a company together which you call select people or members of your Church and you exclude the rest who have as good right to your Ordinance as you for they professe Christ in words as you do And yet you will receive their means whom you judge not capable of your Ordinance and your Church will no more maintain you then it would maintain them that you have denied in words if you had not the beasts power to compel your vineyard would starve you your Gospel and your Preaching is one with the former and the people is the same in nature they were before you have got Bishops Lands agmentations and Stypends more large then your forefathers had for the most part and sue men at the Law and hales them before Judgement seats and takes away their goods whom you look upon to be in error yet this stands as good with you as any Article of your faith to force to compell to sue to hale into prison to take away their goods and get a Scripture for your cover and say he that Preacheth the Gospel must live of the Gospel and them that neither hear you nor receives you neither believes your Gospel yet you conclude its lawful to take their goods and if you cannot get them hale the party into prison are not you drinking still the whores cup and do not you follow the Beast and do not you own that Law to be just that compels people to pay mony to you who denyes your Ministry and are none of your sheep and are not your Ordinances and worship imitated things from the Scripture the Saints words and yet out of their life and practice are not you in the Apostacy have you not your profession and confession of faith to make year after year as the Magistrate changes doth not this evidence that you are unstable and are yet in the waters upon which the whore sits and scituated in Babylon the Mother of Harlots who yet makes you drunk and that makes all the filth and vomit appear in the earth that stains the earth and your idols corrupts the earth and all seperates under what name soever who have not denyed the ground of apostacy but are in the apostacy for all sects since the apostles days have taken up some part and left another since the life hath been lost and the power lost all hath been in idolatry and the Protestants who have denied the Papists yet they have not denyed them in the ground of their worship but hath retained some part and hath kept some part of their worship and all Sects sprung out of the Protestants in them all there is some part remaining for they have not denyed the ground of the worship set up in the apostacy the whores cup iâ— drunk of and the Dragon hath power which sought to destroy the man-childe and made war with the remnant of the seed of the woman who was clothed with the Sun you all stick yet in Babylon and the best of you all are but yet in the suburbs thereof For since the Apostles dayes their foundation hath been either traditions Imitations inventions of their own or borrowed things from the Jewes in the first covenant or at the best the letter hath been the ground of their faith and their foundation which they have twined and translated this way and that according to the wit and reason of every particular sect and opinion and according to the understanding of their private spirits now all these buildings and towers that men have builded up in the Apostacy they would fasten upon the writings of the holy men of God and so hath raised an imagination of their own and so would have the scripture prove what they say and the writings of the Apostles they all cal the Gospel the word of faith the light of the Gospel the foundation the tryer of spirits the touchstone and say its the foundation of their faith and Religion and so are all in the
his face and his name shall be in their foreheads and the Lord God shall give them light and shall be unto them an everlasting light and they shall reign with him for ever and ever over the whore Beast false prophet Antichrists deceivers seducers the pit death hell the grave shall triumph in his strength over all the powers of darkness and sing praises to him that abides for ever these things are true and faithful and shall be fulfilled and the time is at hand blessed are they that waite and watch that they may discern the signs of the times and the coming of the bride-groom that they may enter into the chamber of rest and into the Palace of eternal life into the City of the great King to sit with him and eat with him and rejoyce with him in the glory Eternal which was before the world began shall be when it shall be no more the end hastens he is blessed that is come and coming to the end of it for that which is immutable and Eternally glorious shall appear the Lord hasten it saith my spirit Amen The day of the Lord and how it is seen THe Lord God of the whole earth who lives for ever even the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and Jacob whose Throne is established in righteousness for ever who rideth upon the heavens and shines forth in his eternal excellency from the firmament of his power he is manifesting himself in his power as in the dayes of old and revealing his righteousness as in the years past and pouring forth his spirit upon his sons and daughters according to his promise and they that believe comes to be made partakers of the blessing of the everlasting Hills even the Lord who appeared at Sinai unto Moses his servant in the bush who rose up from mount Seir and shined forth in his brightness from mount Paran and came with ten thousands of his Saints even he from whose right hand went a fiery Law so that the people could not behold his glory the same is he who hath now appeared in this the day of his power and is appearing whose glory shall dazle the eyes of the world whose brightness shall make dim all the worlds glory and stain its wisdom and shut it up in utter darkness that it shall not appear to have any existance or being and the shadow of death shall flie away and all the haughty and lofty Princes of this world shall be horribly afraid the beasts shall go into their dens when the day appears and the Lambs of the everlasting fold shall come forth and be fed in the fat valleys where the springs of life compasseth about all the banks and rejoyce in their shepherd and shall say The Lord is my shepherd which many at this time doth admire and say What hath the Lord wrought who have seen his wonders in the dayes of old and have seen his noble acts which the fathers have told of who are fallen asleep and are at rest in the Lord and now many is God bringing to see their witness to be true and to have the same fulfilled in themselves honour and praise unto him for ever who is the stay and strength of all his people for ever And the day of the Lord is broken and the light hath appeared that manifesteth all things which are reproveable and the day-star is risen in the hearts of many and they are come to see that fulfilled in their hearts which Peter exhorted them to wait for and to take heed unto the sure word of prophesie until the day appeared and did dawn in their hearts which day when it appears and to whom it appears discovereth all things and maketh all things manifest as it is declared by the Spirit of truth in the Scripture of truth and every mans work shall be tryed of what sort it is and of what nature it is and this day hath appeared to many praises to the Lord who have waited for it and now they see every thing in its ground and rise and every tree and fruit is seen according to its kind whether good or bad and every mans work is obvious to every one who are in the day and upon whom the morning of righteousness hath appeared and the Sun of righteousness hath shined upon whereby that is seen in every one by the light which is truly called day by the Lord who causeth it to spring from on high which is reproveable and condemnable and also whatever is justifiable and unreproveable is seen by the day of the Lord appearing in the heart The day of the Lord what it is and to whom it hath appeared discovered and how it is seen GOd is a spirit his day is spiritual and is seen with a spiritual eye its pure light pure brightness the pure shining forth of the Lord in his glorious excellency the pure shining forth of eternity life putting forth it self in its brightness holiness sheding it self abroad in its glory purity spreading it self in its immeasurable excellency and can only be seen as it is in it self by the children of the light that are born of it there is a natural day there is a spiritual day the natural day receives its brightness from the Sun the spiritual day receives it brightness from the Son of righteousness by whom it s brought forth without whom nothing was made or is made or brought forth but by him who is the fountain of life and as the natual day receives its clearness from the natural Sun and is discerned by the natural eye of a natural man and all things natural are seen and discovered by and in the natural day and are perspicuous and obvious to him that hath his natural sight even so from the Son of righteousness the Lord of glory light and purity the day of God receives its brightness and is issued out from him by the rayes of his brightnes and is discerned and seen only by the spitual eye of the spiritual man who is the image of the father brought forth in life and in his own nature and quality that is to say from God the Father of life by Christ Jesus the life of men the light of the world and this is the birth which is born from above wch is of the nature of the Father and the Son of the day he only comes to behold this day and discerns all things of the Fathers Kingdom by it and likewise discerns all the hidden things of dishonesty and the works of darknes which are brought forth by the Prince of darkness who is shut up in eternal and utter darkness which is his dwelling place for ever which is his residence and shall be the residence of all the workers of iniquity that bear his image for ever Ob. But some may be ready to say It is not yet appeared and all things are not yet made manifest and that day is not yet come neither hath appeared in this
joy gladnesse peace of conscience assurance of Gods Love sealed in their hearts by the pure Spirit of the Lord the streams of life flowing forth continually from the great deep which refreshes and keeps cool in the greatest extremity and heat of temptation and this is enjoyed by them that have waited and doe waite for it even in the body they bear witnesse of him and of his coming the disciples what was their witnesse The Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding Of what of God of his day of his appearance of his power of his wisdome of his Kingdome of hope of faith of assurance of peace of joy of comfort and consolation what in this Life yea a cloud of witnesses I might bring in former ages and a cloud of witnesses I might bring in this age blessed be the Lord But my witnesse is nearer me that giveth me assurance and is surer to me then all their witnesses although they be all true Abraham the Father of the faithful and of the righteous who believed God and was accepted he saw Christs day and was glad Say literal professors that 's by faith yea what else He and all that ever saw Christ and his day or the Father they saw him by faith By faith they saw him who was invisible Isa. 12. 2. Behold God is my salvation he also is become my salvation what dost thou enjoy it already yea he is become And Simon who waited for the consolation of Israel Luke 2. 30 Now let thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation And this he said who knew Gods comfort and consolation as our sufferings for Christ doth abound even our consolation in Christ doth much more abound and they were made partakers of his Divine nature and sat together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus For heaven is his throne and they that are in him and injoyeth him who is the power of God and the wisdome of God knowes peace and rest and salvation both from guilt and act of sin And the Apostle wrote to the Hebrews After he had purged away our sins speaking of the atonement the everlasting high Priest he sate down on the right hand on the Majesty on high He saw beyond sin even him who had purged away sin and this comes to be made manifest unto them and in them that believe by the Spirit of Jesus who is Christ the Lord the arm that brings salvation and is the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that believe who begins it in his day and perfecteth it in his day for he works in the day as he himself said Hitherto my father worketh and I work but the night cometh when none can work So that he destroys the work of the Devil which is his work in man which they that are come to his day feels and sees the handy-work of God in themselves and his own works praise him for they onely can and they that are not come to the day knows not Gods work in themselves and they who have not yet heeded that in themselves which manifesteth all things reproveable neither that which doth reprove they are not come to know the appearance or the glimmering of light or of the day yet in themselves which the Saints witness in them even all they that are sanctified Where the day of the Lord doth appearâ— and how it cometh and how it is to be looked for declared THey that gaze abroad whose eyes are abroad cannot see his appearance nor his day which appears He that knoweth not wherein it consists knows not how to look for it no more then the Jews who were Scripture Professors and learned men knew wherein the kingdom of God did consist Even no more do the litteral professors whose faith is founded on the Letter and upon that which is visible know what I say First all must know wherein it doth consist It is eternal brightnes shed abroad through all things which pierceth through and searcheth the secretest place even that which is invisible and maketh manifest all things and the nature of every thing by the day of the Lord comes to be seen and it appears in the heart they were to wait for the day to dawn and to break forth in their hearts and to wait for its appearance there and that 's it which is to be waited for and upon that which maketh evil manifest and brings it to light and declares against that which is contrary to its nature and so the day cometh to dawn Christ the covenant of light Gods gift who is sent and annointed of God to Preach and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord also the day of vengeance he proclaims in the heart for he comes not to bring peace on earth but a sword and his sword is the sword of the Spirit it 's that which divides and discerns the intent of the heart and his day discovers the desperate wickedness of the heart And where he finds no faith in the heart he kindles a fire in the earthly heart and executeth his vengeance And his day unto such is a day of great perplexity their spirits comes to be wounded the heart comes to be made faint and sorrow comes to fill their hearts and trouble to be felt and in this state are all in who are unconverted he findes no faith no hope in the heart therefore he comes and takes away peace Many hath talked of the day of the Lord but when it comes to draw neer them they will not abide it Whatsoever makes manifest is light Now the day makes all things in every one manifest and when deceit is seen and wickedness brought to light then they that have done evil cannot abide but would run to any thing rather then abide the day or to see the Lord of life appear in his day to execute vengeance upon his enemies and to destroy his adversaries and to kindle an unquenchable fire to consume all his enemies And who hath not seen this yet in themselves never hath seen the day of salvation nor of gladness and this made the Prophet cry out Who may abide the day of his coming And many have been eye-witnesses of the dreadful day of the Lord which hath appeared wherein all peace hath been hid from their eyes and all that ever came to see the day of joy and gladness first did know the terrour and terrible day of the Lord in themselves Therefore said the Apostle We knowing the terrour of the Lord do perswade men Now it cometh not with outward observation lo here or there So the Pharisees looked the Kingdom should come when Christ told them it was within them So say I if ever any do behold the bright shining forth of eternal life they must wait in that which isâ— pure of God through which he will manifest his day and his power in his day in them is thou keepest in thy minde to that which manifests unto