high mountaine and shewed mee that great Citie the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God having the glory of God And her light was like unto a stone most precious even like a Jasper stone clear as chrystall The Bride of Christ is the Church of God and it is descended out of Heaven from God for it is one with him for it is the Spirit of God in all the children of God that is this body the Church The Bride and this descendeth from God into us yet it is not parted from him but is in him and this is cloathed with the glory of God This is that righteousnesse of the Saints and her light is the light of Christ and that light is the clearest and purest and most precious and glorious light that can be I will appeare glorious in thee Isa 49.3 Awake awake put on thy Strength O Sion put on thy beautifull garments O Jerusalem the holy Citie for hence-forth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the uncleane Shake thy selfe from the dust arise and sit downe O Jerusalem loose thy selfe from the bands of thy necke O captive daughter of Sion Isa 52.1 2. Shee was in a sleepy drousie condition so long as shee sate in the dust of that earth of Anti-christ and was a captive in his band But now our Beloved is come hee calls unto us to awake and to put on strength The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be affraid Psalm 27.1 Psalm 28.7 Hee hath cloathed us with his strength And this is that beautifull garment Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee For behold the darkenesss shall cover the earth and grosse darkenesse the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seene upon thee Isa 60.1 2. And the glory that thou hast given me I have given them John 17.22 The Spouse of Christ being cloathed with the glory of Christ shee is all glorious The Kings daughter is all glorious within Wee are the King of heavens daughters for wee are married to Christ and God the Father is our Father and wee are all glorious within It is the Spirit of God in us that is so glorious and this is a spirituall glory it cannot be seene outwardly by others they may hear us speake forth something of this glory in us but none sees it nor knowes it but those that have it Revel 2.17 To him that overcommeth will I give to eate of the hidden Manna and I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving him that hath it This Manna is Christ and he is hid from the world but as wee are Saints wee see it and feede upon it for it is that which wee live by and this stone is Christ 1 Pet. 2.6 And this is a very precious stone and here is a new name written in this stone that none doth know it but hee that hath it And that which is written in it is the manifestation of the exceeding riches of the love and mercy of God and all his glory and excellency which hee hath given us as we are Saints Christ doth set forth the beauty and comlinesse and glory of his Church having his beauty and comelinesse and glory on her Cant. 4. Cant. 7. Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thy eyes with one chain of thy necke How faire is thy love my Sister my Spouse how much better is thy love than wine and the smell of thy oyntments than all spices Thy lips O my Love drop as the honey-combe honey and milke are under thy tongue and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon This oyntment that our Beloved is so taken with the smell of is the anoynting of the holy Ghost 1 John 2.27 The anointing which yee have received of him abideth in you and yee need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you all things and is truth and is no lye and even as he hath taught you ye shall abide in him The Priests and Kings used to be anoynted with oyle and it was a type of Christ hee was that King and Priest that was anoynted with the holy Ghost Psalm 45.6 7. Thy throne O God is for ever and ever the scepter of thy kingdome is ascepter of righteousnesse Thou lovest righteousnesse and hatest wickednesse because God thy God hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse above thy fellowes And this is like that precious oyntment upon the head that runneth upon the beard even unto Aarons beard which wet downe on the border of his garments Psal 133.2 This oyntment of the Spirit of God is all of it poured upon this Priest Christ which is the head of the Church and it runs off from him down upon all the Saints and this ointment of the Spirit of God makes our garments smell so sweete which is that Wedding garment Mat. 22.12 which is the righteousnesse of the Saints Revel 19.8 And being filled with this Spirit causeth our lips to speake or drop forth sweet heavenly glorious things more sweeter to the soule than the honey and honey-comb is to the pallet The Spouse of Christ is exceeding glorious in every respect being in Christ she is perfect in him I in them and they in me that they may be made perfect in one John 17.23 That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us John 17.21 Put on charity which is the bond of perfectnesse Coloss 3.14 which is Christ And where hee is there is perfection Col. 1.27 28. To whom God would â—ake knowne what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in â—ou the hope of glory Whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdome that wee may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus We are perfect in Christ as wee are Saints and are the Church of God for this Spirit of Christ in us is perfect but as wee are men and women we are not perfect for we are naturall and not spirituall and as we are naturall we cannot discern the things of God neither can we doe them 1 Cor. 2.14 But it is this Spirit of God in us that doth all and if hee withdraw his Spirit from us we shall runne into all sin if he doth not restraine us for our bodies are the same as they were before the Spirit of God appeared in us and by his reigning in us he suppresseth destroyeth and burneth up by degrees as he revealeth himself in us all things that are contrary to him and hee brings our wills into subjection to his for wee are led by his Spirit and being filled with his Spirit wee are made drunke as it were with it
Crooked PATHES Made STRAIGHT OR The wayes of God made knowne to lost Sinners or bewildered SAINTS Wherein is represented the severall conditions of a Christian in the Spirit as hee growes up out of weaknesse into strength through death into life eternall By ANNE YEMANS Isa 40.3 The voyce of him that cryeth in the wildernesse prepare ye the way of the Lord make straight in the desart a high way for our God LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the black-spread Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1648. To the READER Gentle Reader I Have done mine endeavour to set forth unto you in some measure the bondage that we have been in by sin the Devill and false Teachers what wounds wee have received by them and all hath been because we have not been able to discerne the difference between the wayes of God and Anti-christ And the more wee strive struggle in our own strength the more we are wounded while Jesus Christ doth appeare to us to reveal some light of himselfe to us and hee is that Son of righteousnesse that will appeare to us with healing in his wings Mal. 4.2 He will reveal his love to us and heale up all our wounds and lead us in the way that we should walke taking us by the hand and leading us gently as we are able to goe and drawing us with the cords of love Most of the children of God have been in this spiritual bondage and those that have been in it and are brought out of it doth know in some measure how to comfort them that are in it and the Lord doth make us many times instrumentall under himselfe for th comfort and edifying one of another but it is Gol that doth make known all things to us whether it be by meanes or without and we ought to give him all the honour it is very dangerous to idolize the meanes neither ought we to slight it thougo it be by never so mean a person For out of the mouth of babes will hee be praised And let not us undervalue any thing that is of God whosoever it be spoken by for God is no respecter of persons I beseech you beloved let not this my labour seeme odious to you nor causâ— you to slight iâ— because it is written by a weak woman nor for you to harbour any strange thoughts of me for the writing of it for I have my self gonâ— through much spirituall bondage in severall wayes and finding many severall turnes and windings of Satan how cunning hee is in all his wayes anâ— transforming himselfe to an Angel of light labours our destruction in all things And the Lord having brought mee out of that bondage into thaâ— spirituall freedome which is in Christ for all thâ— Saints and I seeing many that are yet in spiritâ—â— all bondage and knows not what freedome there 〈◊〉 in Christ for them it doth cause my bowels of affection to yern to them Yet I should not presume 〈◊〉 set forth this in writing but that I have beene exceedingly moved by the Spirit of God to doe iâ— that I could not be quiet till I had begun it I haâ—â— done what I could before I did begin to doe it to pâ—â— those thoughts out of my mind bringing as many objections against it as I could but still the Spirit of God moved me more and more with motives to stirre mee up to doe it and many promises for the enabling of me to doe it knocking all the objections in pieces that came against it and this was one thing that was laid before me When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren And if thou lovest me feed my Lambs Ioh. 21.15 And another was I am no respecter of persons And also if we are the children of God we must be led by the Spirit of God to doe what hee would have us but after I saw it was of God I durst not refuse to doe it for obedience is better than sacrifice 1 Sam. 15.22 For I plainly see how dearly God loveth all man-kind but especially his children and those that are babes in Christ how great his love to them is yea even those that Christ is but newly conceived in If there be but a desiring really after God though there be yet no enjoyment of God hee will not quench smoaking flâ—xe and his love is as great to those that are the lowest and weakest Saints as to those that are the highest and strongest onely hee makes his love knowne more to them than to those that are yet weake and his making his love known to us causeth us to grow strong in him We all were weake at the first but be strengthens us by degrees as he revealeth himselfe to us more and more and so be will doe to you and when hee doth reveale any thing to any it is not only for them bit that they should declare iâ— unto others that tâ—ey may know what love Goâ— hath toward them that our weake brethren maâ— he strengthned and the lambs of God whicâ— are the young children of God may be fed 〈◊〉 and the doing of this aright is exceeding pleasinâ— to God Here is one signe of our love to God anâ— after wee have found our Beloved all our desire should be that we should be led wholly by the Spirit of God to glorifie him and setting forth hiâ— praise and not to fear the scandals reproaches oâ— the world which are like thornes springing uâ— by the Devill labouring to choake the purâ— truth of Christ but I passe not what scandals oâ— reproaches I meete with all by this booke settinâ— forth for truth doth always finde some great enemies and the more because it is written by a woman for there are some always that doe respect thâ— persons of people having mens persons in admiration Jude 16. My brethren have not thâ— faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of glâ—ry with respect of persons Ja. 2.1 And 〈◊〉 shall come to pass in the last days saith Godâ— I will pour of my spirit upon all fish you sons your daughters shal prophesie you young men shall see visiions and your old me shall dream dreams and on my servant an on my hand-maidens I will pour out in thoâ— days of my spirit they shall prophesie Joel 2.28 Act. 2.17 18. When the children of Israel murmured for flesh to eate and Moses was not able to bear it the Lord bid him gather seventy men of the Elders of the people and the Lord toook off â—he spirit that was upon Moses and put upon them and when the spirit rested upon them then they prophesied and did not cease and there was two â—f that seventy that went not out of the Host and they also prophesied Then there ran a young man and told Moses and said Eldad and Medad doe prophesie in the host And there was one answered and said My Lord Moses forbid them but Moses said unto him Enviest thou for my sake Yea would
wee shall see our selves live in his life and dead to that life that wee did live to our selves Thus the Lord will strip us of all our excellent things bringing us into the wildernesse and shewing us that all our works are burnt up so far as they are of us but that which is of God in us is not burnt up but is purged from our drosse and will appeare very glorious and will make us silent for we shall have nothing to boast of but confesse that it is Christ in us which is that glory then we shal â—e that he is no respecter of persons for whatsoever he be whether he be a strict Jew as the Jewes were very strict as ye may see by Paul before his conversion Or a Gentile one that makes no shew of godliness but lives very loosâ—y as those Gentiles did which are spoken of â—n Rom. 1. yet when Christ reveales himself to them they shall finde that his love is the same to them as to them that have been most strictest When the Lord of the Vine-yard sent labourers into his Vine-yard he sent some at the first hour and some at the third hour and some at the sixth hour some at the eleventh hour and when hee came to pay them hee began with him that went in last and he had as much given him as he that went in first Mat. 20. Those that are but young Saints that have been but lately brought into Christ the Lord doth many times reveal himselfe in a very glorious manner to them before he doth to them that have laboured in the Lords Vineyard a great while and have had the seede of God appearing in them a great while Mat. 29.30 But many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first That we may know that God is no respecter of persons for wee are all one body and his love is as great to one member as to another Ephes 4.4 5 6. There is one body and one Spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling One Lord one faith one Baptisme One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Col. 3.11 Christ is all and in all the Saints CHAP. XVIII How glorious the glory of Christ will appeare in his Church when he bringeth them out of the Wildernesse VVHen Christ hath stripped his Church off of all her goodly things then she hath nothing to trust too but on Christ Isa 2. Then the lofty lookes of man shall be humbled and the baughtinesse of men shall be bowed downe and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up and hee shall bee brought low and the Idols hee shall utterly abolish And they shall goe into the holes of the rockes and into the â—aves of the Earth for feare of the Lord and for the glory of his Majestie when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth In that a man shall cast his Idols of silver and his Idols of god which they made every one for himselfe to worship to the Moles and to the Bats Hosea 14.8 Ephraim â—â—all say what have I to doe any more with Idols Isa 31.7 For in that day every man shall â—ast away his Idols of silver and his Idols of gold which your owne hands have made for a sinne When this day of the Lord is come to us then wee shall be willing to cast them away because the Lord shewes us the odiousnesse of them by the glory of himselfe revealed in us but before this day is come to us we had rather part from any thing than part from them But when he comes to give a full possession of himself then wee are willing to part from all thinge that are not of himselfe but hee doth not reveale all his glory to us at once but revealeth himselfe to us by degrees as wee are able to beare and containe him And as hee shewes himselfe to us so hee shewes us Antichrist and his destruction for the more incomes wee have of Christ the more of selfe and Satan doth appeare to us and is destroyed more and more by this fire of Christ For hee doth baptize us with the holy Ghost and fire Mat. 5. Acts 2. Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Isa 33.14 This fire of the Spirit of God never goes out but is always burning up that in us that is contrary to it selfe that there may be all the drosse burnt up And this fire is in Sion and his fornace in Jerusalem Isa 31.9 which is the Church of God Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her Beloved Cant. 8.5 The Spouse of Christ seeâ— all other things faile her and she leaneth now wholly upon her Beloved shee is of her selfe like a barren wildernesse but now hee will cause the fuiâ—ts of his Spirit to appeare to grow and flourish in her The Wildernesse and the solitary place shall bee glad for them and the desart shall rejoyce and blossome as a rose It shall blossome abundantly and rejoyce even with joy and singing the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it the excellency of Carmel and Sharon they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God Isa 35.12 The Spirit shall be powred upon us from on high and the Wildernesse be a fruitfull field and the fruitfull field bee counted for a Forrest Then judgment shall dwell in the wildernesse and righteousnesse remaine in the fruitfull field And the worke of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places and none shall make her affraid Isa 32.15 16 17 18. Now is the time come for us to see that the marriage day is come when he doth come and manifest himselfe in us in a glorious way to tell us what he is to us and in us and what wee are in him and to him when hee thus comes to us that day is the marriage day to us Rev. 19.7 8 9. Let us be glad rejoyce and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his Wife hath made her selfe ready And to her was granted that shee should be arraied in fine linnen cleane and white for the fine linnen is the righteousnesse of Saints And he said unto me write blessed are they that are called to the marrioge supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me These are the true sayings of God Rev. 20.9 10 11. And there came unto mee one of the seven Angels and talked with me and said unto me Come hither and I will shew thee the Bride the Lambes Wife And hee carried mee away in the Spirit to a great and