salvation from some false christ which workes and acts like this Christ yet the Son hath set neither free neither doe they know that alone redemption salvation and liberty which is produced by Christ living or appearing in any heart so that the spirituall Rest of saints is in and upon that salvation liberty and freedome which they have in this Christ who is become this unto them so that all heavy loads and yoaks are removed all oppositions of spiriâ— are taken off and all the wearinesse of spirit removed so that now the spirits are set free and can no more come into bondage but Christ alone is become salvation and liberty to him so that the spirit doth salace it selfe and Rest in him who is become freedome and salvation to him Sixtly Christ the Rest of Saints spiritually known is the wisdome of God in creatures the wisdome of God in Saints is Jesus Christ and there it is said He is made unto us wisdome 1 Cor. 1. 30. So that it is the Wisdome of God which is Christ spiritually known in which Saints Rest Fot if they Rested in the wisdome of the flesh that should be destroyed and so no safe Rest and center for them but the Wisdome of Christ doth unbottome Saints from their own wisdome and establish himselfe even the Wisdome of the God head in the Creature to be a Rest unto the Creature whereas before the Soule and spirit were not a Rest being from its own wisdome plotting and contriving which way to act and what to doe not from the Wisdome of God but from the wisdome of the flesh onely opposing and gain-saying this Wisdome which when the Creature could not bring about what in his owne wisdome he had contrived he must needs be perplexed and so conâ—inue in all trouble but now he is destroyed in that and he is made to Rest upon the Wisdome of God Christ now taking the Creatures place and acting in the stead of the Creature so that the soul is made to walke in and by Wisdome it is that Wisdome which is pute peaceable and undefiled The Wisdome of the flesh is corrupted but this is pure The Wisdome of the flesh hath nothing in it but disquietnesse both to the party in whom it is or in the Kingdome Church or Family where ir is acted and for this reason is occasioned all jarrings and tumults But the Wisdome of God which is Jesus Christ is peaeeable it workes abundance of peace and quietness in the soule Church or Nation where it onely is advanced here is a quiet and peaceable habitation for Saints to Rest and live upon wee see Christ often in Scripture called the Wisdome of God and as 1 Cor. 1. 24. where the Apostle declares Christ in all that are saved to be the Wisdome and power of God though this Wisdome be little esteemed of by the world yet it is highly precious in the esteem of Saints as for instance that of the Proverbs 3. 15. ver where that Wisdome is precious yea more precious then Rubies yea he is expressed to be an un-comparable comparison so that this Wisdome of the eternall Spirit which is Christ in us is desirable and therefore above all things saith the Scriptures Get Wisdome Prov. 4. 5. yea there is a happinesse in the enjoyment of it for it is the principal thing belongs to a Saint Pro. 4. 7. so that Saints are centred up in the Wisdome of God and are wholly delivered up into it to be alone disposed by it so that the spirit lives in sweet quietnesse and Rest the Creature being wholly made nothing in his own Wisdome and the Wisdome of God alone orders all things in him Seventhly That which spiriturlly is called Christ in us is that Peace which is spoken by God to us and received from God by us in which Peace we live and Rest so that Saints are kept in the Peace of God which is Christ to this purpose is the saying in the Eph. 2. 14. For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us Here the Apostle sets forth Christ to be the Peace of the Saints for whatsoever tends to peace in the Creatures spirits that I mean which truly tends to the same is Christ for the soule before he appeares in it is like unto the ship tossed with the waves and tempest before Christ said unto the waves Be still this is that Peace the Apostle desires the Saints may enjoy which was the Peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding Phil. 4. 7. which was of ability to keepe their hearts in the knowledge and love of God now this is that Saints spirituall Christ a Peace which is able to keep them in the love of God and a Peace which passeth the understanding of the Creature that is a Peace which the understanding of man can never finde out or iâ— able to reach under yea all the understanding in the world is never able to finde out such a Peace for the Creature as this is so that he is tearmed the prince of Peace Isa 9. 6. All the acts of Christ in the spirits of Beleevers are Righteousnesse and Peace It is that Peace which the world cannot give and such a Peace it is as they cannot take away When God speaks Châ—ist into a soul which is Peace in which none can cause trouble in such a soul because Christ is become the Peace thereof indeed men may speak Peace and Ordinances may speak Peace and false Gods and Christs may speake Peace after which there may be trouble occasioned But after God speaks Peace there can none cause trouble but the soule lives and is kept in the Peace of God and none can make him afraid therefore the Prophet did utter these sayings He shall be our Peace when the Assyrians comes into our Land This Christ is the Peace of Saints in every condition so that they live in much freedom and joy because the center and rest of their spirits is peace And lastly This Christ is Righteousnesse and holinesse in the Saints or Sanctification this not onely by experience but by Scripture may be proved The Apostle tels the Church of Corinth That Christ of God was made unto them wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. So that Righteousnesse and sanctification Christ was made unto them so that whatsoever is Righteousnesse in the Spirits of Saints is Christ spiritually dwelling in them this is that righteousnesse that the Apostle desired to be found in this is that divine nature which the Saints are made partakers of to wit Christ the Righteousnesse of God This is agreeable to that saying concerning Christ And this is his Name whereby he shall be called THE LORD OVR RIGHTEOVSNESSE Jer. 23. 6. Jer. 33. 16. He shall not only be called so by them but he really shall be made over so by God to them so that the Righteousnesse of God in us
secure estate but a low dispensation which wil dissolve in a higher appearance of God Therefore though men both know and beleeve that there was a Christ crucified in the flesh yet let them not Rest untill they know it in Spirit Then shall a man see Christ daily crucified before his eyes First In him Secondly By him Thirdly For him And fourthly Crucifying of him That he shall say with Paul from experience I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Gal. 2. 20. then shall the soule know both what it is to be crucified by or with Christ and also what this Christ is that lives within him which is become life unto him then he shall know it is not flesh but Spirit and life that lives in him neither shall he be satisfied with hearing of his deaâ— at Jerusalem but with experiencing partly the mystery now made manifest in him and so comes to be known by him then shall he say Though I have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know I him no more 2 Cor. 5. 16. Being he knowes him in the new Creation being made to see and discerne in the Spirit and so behold Christ in the vision of God Hab 2. 3. which is so far from being beheld before as a true crucified estate as indeed there is nothing but darknesse and rebellion in the heart to such an estate onely the soule living and rejoycing in some carnall conception of God and Christ and yet the heart is empty of his light and glory and indeed running from the Fountaine to the streames and from the substance to the shadow or figure as I might plainly lay open how all the actions of Christ in the flesh attributed to him are but reall Types and figures and shadowes of either good things to come or to be revealed in soules I cleerly see that sometimes he spake in Mystery and sometimes yea altogether he acted in Mystery as holding forth what he did in his coming in the soul being a more glorious dispensation then that under the Law as the coming of him in the Spirit is from his comming in the flesh so that what miracles and acts transcendently acted by him above all that was made and is experienced by those in the Spirit who enjoy him who discovers all as namely his raising Lazarus and at the marriage turning water into wine and his healing sick and opening eyes and so all passages flowing from him of this nature were buâ— figures still of what he did and would doe in and for soules and so not only in matters of doing but also in matters of sufferings they are reall figures of the same truth substantially experienced in Saints both place persons condemnation Crosse death â—buriall his agony or withdrawing before his grave and resurrection his not ascending immediatly after his death to his Father but afterwards ascended in the fulnesse of time All these in every particular are known in the true and spirituall sense of them by those that have had fellowship with him in his death and Resurrection and so hath passed from death to life and now is risen within and dwels with him in Heaven and so is swallowed up in the God-head and is rose in the Fathers glory and now is filled with the Spirit this time is the time of knowledge and this is wisdomes time wherein he comes to be satisfaction to them and also is justified by them this is the time when they sing nothing but praise and glory to the Lamb who doth not onely deserve to open the Book Rev. 5. 9. and the Seales thereofâ— but hath opened the Book and discover to the soule the Cabinet and storehouse of the glorious Mystery of the Father and Christ into which City of glory and light the soule is made ro enter and Rest and live for ever that now all things are become new Rev. 21. 5. to and with such a soule the very Kingdome of God and the mystery thereof is opened Rev. 10. 7. and now the Tabernacle of God is with man Rev. 21. 3. and now this glorious mystery Christ is manifested in life and power and become the hope of the compleat glory and fulnesse thereof Col. 1. 27. to be made manifest when it is made capable to comprehend it from being comprehended by it and swallowed up in it then shall this heart dote no more upon shadowes or broken Cisterns or figures of good things to come but he shall be gathered up into God and Christ and shall possesse them in the fulnesse of them The ninth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is visible Church communion or the relations under this notion O this I may say is one of the Idols of Israel and I may say as God was a saying once Come and see yea behold what the Children of Israel is doing in the darke O the darknesse of such Soules who Rest in and under such dispensation truly if I should speak the naked truth and nakedly discover every false Rest I never in my own experience did finde more grosser darknesse sease upon my spirit then did sease upon my spirit under this dispensation Secondly Never more false Laodicean security Thirdly Never more pride and self conceitednesse then at that present ready to judge every one that were not in relation in reference to Church communion to be no Saints 2. Looking more at the practise of Ordinances and being members of Churches then at the reall experience of such a soule 3. More longing after the encrease of members then of their living in the Spirit which were members 4. Judging every one if they were but in and under such Relations to be Saints though they had little yea indeed no experience of God at all refusing communion with such being not of my judgement though they knew what communion in the Spirit was and closed yea joyned with those who were ignorant of it because they were Church members This having been mine and still are many mores at thispresent what Church are they of Are they Baptized What judgement are they of Which doth argue both an Idolizing of and Resting upon these poore dispensations of babes and Children It hath been with me and I feare hath been and is still with many more a coldnesse of love to those yea a condemning also because they have or doe not close with us in every particular in matters of Judgement or formes of worship though the parties live in very high enjoyments of God and are passed these childrens and babes dispensations and all this testifies a Resting upon our formes and manner of worship as for instance An Independent so called and an Anabaptist and so many more as the godly Presbyterian and others under divers distinctions of formes how bitter they are one against anothers what a distance they stand one from another witnesse their preaching and printing and in the same their bitternesse Instance their refusall to
Creature with it and giving the soul full contentment in it First It is an unexpressible glorious Center the Lord promising in Isaiah that hee would accomplish a glorious worke in silling the hearts of his People with the knowledge of himselfe hee Centers all in this To him shall the Gentiles seek and his Rest shall be glorious Isa 11. 10. Yea the Rest of Saints is the very Substance of his glory which glory is Christ when hee comes to bee manifested in his Saints and to bee admired by them 2 Thes 1. 9 10. Secondly It wholly takes up the Creature who is Centred in it so as now the soul or spirit is wholly swallowed up of God and unexpressibly overcome is such a soul The glory of God which is Christ is that which swallows up mens spirits and the more it appeares in them the more it overcomes them so as now they are taken up in their spirits being gathered up into it with nothing else but it So as now the soules delight ioy solace is now alone in nothing but in him who is become a glorious Center to him Thirdly The Rest of Saints gives Saints full contentment the full satisfaction of Saints lyes in living and Resting compleatly in this glory which truly is Christ so as man sometimes is lost in the greatnesse of it The least manifestation of this glory doth fill the creatures capacity so that until the capacity be enlarged with more of God it can desire no farther enjoyment or discovery of it so as now his spirit is filled with glory And that which makes it the more satisfactory is the Centring of the spirit up in it Now Christ in the Spirit becoming a Saints Rest all other seeming glories which before the soule was sheltred under and lived upon are now vanished and decayed and the greatnesse of this glory which is the Vision of God yea the manifestation of his glory in man takes up man into it to live wholly in it and so to remaine in compleat satisfaction and contentment of spirit for a great part of a soules Rest consists in this very particular to wit the gloriousnesse thereof together with the swallowing up of the creature with it and the giving the spirit a compleat contentment in it for it would be in time a place of wearinesse unlesse it were a place giving the creature full contentment Secondly It would be no place for Saints to delight and solace themselves in unlesse they could bee wholly taken up and seallowed up with that which of necessity must be enjoyed from it and unlesse it did exceed all glory that could bee imagined it could be no Rest for the spirit of a spirituall man So that it must be an unexpressible glory swallowing up of mens spirits with it and giving that spirit compleat satisfaction and contentment in it The fourth description of true Rest IN the fourth place This Rest is a carrying forth of the Creature out of the creature into the place where he had his first Being to live for ever in him who is now become his manifested Being First before wee speak of the Rest it self we will observe That there is no true Rest for the creature in himselfe for if man either Rest in his pure naturals or upon any refined property in himself he Rests out of his proper Element I mean as he is a spirituall man yea It is both unsafe and unsound so to doe neither can man with any solid delight or true contentment Rest in or upon any eyther pure naturals or refined properties or parts within himselfe though man could attaine to his first principles and purity yet if he Rested upon them he would live below the true Center of Spirits for indeed the Rest and proper being of all spirits especially those that are renewed is the Eternall Word of God which Word is Christ who made all things in the World of nothing into which nothing they are to returne But the spirits of men or especially that renewed spirit of Saints that came down from the Father of spirits who begot this spirit in them not by flesh but by himselfe in his spirituall breathings and actings in the Creature which spirit of man cannot live in any true element neither can it live satisfied untill it come into its proper and originall Being from whence it came for every thing is in its right place when it is returned into its originall and place from whence it was derived so that the spirit returnes to God that gave it Eccl. 12. 7. and the flesh of the man into the dust from whence it was derived so that man as he is carnall and flesh it cannot be possible that the spirit of any should take much delight in the same so as to make it the satisfying Center But yet after it is renewed it may be compared to Noahs Dove it sees the Deluge and looks abroad in the flesh to the Mountain of former self-actings and pure naturals yet it cannot rest in the same neither can it take any delight therein but is made to returne to the Arke Jesus Christ who though he is in the soule yet above it as the Arke above the water so Christ above the Creature though within it as the Deluge in the world so that the Creature as man is no fit place for a renewed spirit to be centred up in but he must by divine power be brought out of himselfe into that eternall being of spirits who is said to be above man though in man Eph. 4. 6. as the Arke above the Deluge though in the world Now man cannot truly Rest in himselfe But Secondly The place into which the soule is carried is and was the first being of his spirits and now manifested so to be to the Creature which being was Christ this Christ was Gods eternall thoughts of Love in which man had a being and now comes in time as a Being to be manifested in the Saints so the one was the unknown Being of Saints before time where they lay in the Love and heart of God which nothing could remove them out of it the other Rest is the known Rest and being of Saints made manifest unto them in time which knowledge begets a returning of spirit who with much weaâ—inesse of spirit have been waiting for such a day of Redemption Luke 21. 28. that it might return into its first originall and being and to be fully secured in its God which before it neither knew nor did experience So that after the heart hath a discovery of this Being it is like a Loadstone touching the Needle the Needle can stand no way but towards the North and South so with the spirit of man after it is touched with his Being and center manifested it is not able to Rest in all the glories or excellencies that can possibly be imagined untill it be returned into its being he is like a wicked man or man of this world who cannot act but in his
element and like a Fish whose element is in the water so with the spirit of man he cannot act in his right sphere untill he come into his first originall Being which is Christ in God 2 Cor. 5. 19. so as now it acts in God and lives by God and is taken up with God and cannot live in any thing else not as a Saint So that the truest comparison that can be made of such a spirit is the Needle and the Dove which truly holds out this to us First That Christ the Arke is the center and the sure being of the spirits of Saints Secondly There is no safety or true Rest for the beleeving spirit but in this Christ Thirdly That it is impossible for any spirit who knowes Christ truly to be his Rest being once touched by the divine and holy being of Saints to Rest below the same though many things may transform-themselves selves within the Creature like unto it yet upon them he cannot Rest no more then can the Needle towards the East and West but it is truly known by such a spirit not to be his first being and originall and so disclaims it as Christ did Satan in his temptation but is carried forth the more in vehemency of spirit flying continually without Rest untill he be got into the Arke which was the place from whence it came and in truth it is of such a latitude as all the world is not able either to give Rest unto it or produce true or full contentment in it The fifth decription of true Rest FIftly It is the centring up of a spirituall man in a spirituall place not made nor created but a being of himselfe stands by himselfe having his dependency upon none else 1. Here is the subject matter of Rest and that is the spirituall part of man which is created again and born of the Spirit John 3. 3. for first of all no uncleane spirit or thing shall come there Rev. 21. 27. nothing shal enter into it but that which is become sutable to it That which is borne of the Spirit is that which must enter into this Kingdome of Rest and peace Secondly This spirituallity which is made in the Creature is produced by God possessed in the Creature for as a carnall heart cannot live in God no more can God manifest himselfe in any unpure spirit so as God before he manifest himselfe to a Spirit he makes it sutable to that glory which shall iâ— measure be revealed unto it So also before God give man Rest in himselfe he sets man of himselfe to live in himselfe for no carnall minde or will can attain God before by God it be attained and before God manifest to the heart the Creature is attained by him he workes a glorious worke of the New Birth in him so that if man were carried up into God which is impossible before he be borne of God there is such a disproportion betwixt the purity and holinesse of God and the corruption and carnalnesse of mens spirits that the Rest of the soul oâ—uâ—ld be no Rest for there would be nothing but war and enmity so that God alwayes puls downe mountaines of flesh pride and selfe and makes the crooked waies of the heart plaine Luk. 3. 5 6. and brings downe those false Rests and Christs in the Creature and so after makes known a glorious Center to the creature Now the spirits being made spirituall by being Borne againe it is made spiritually to judge receive and discerne the Truth of this glorious and spirituall Place 1. Cor. 2. 15. which no man in the flesh or by the flesh can attain to 1. Tim. 6. 16. whom never any man in the carnall minde hath seen nor can see So that mans Resting place together with the subject Resting in it must be spirituall and of himself Now secondly This place of Rest is Spirituall so that man if hee bee in any true Rest It is not carnall formes or ordinances which shall cease Neither is it the rarest Qualifications or expressions of creatures neither is it glorious apprehensions or puffings up of flesh no our Rest is beyond these as far as the light of the Sun is from the Candle Hee is an unexpressible Spirituall Being One who makes all things spirituall that are spirituall by that spirituallity in the fulnesse of it that dwels in him He is the expresse Image of God Heb. 1. 3. yea he is God equall in Nature though inferiour in place operation or expression He is One in all things He is above all things and in him all things consist Col. 1. 17. So he being the Fulnesse and the Cause of spirituallity He himselfe must needs be spiritual So that any soul Centred up in him lives above all carnall Formes Ordinances Qualifications common holinesse or fleshly puffings up eyther in false apprehensions or in inward delusions Hee is none of these but is above these which is the spirituall mans Rest And this spirituall Rest is nothing but God who is all and none besides him who enjoyes all in himself and we in him and by virtue of our being made born and begotten of him we become One with him and of him So that now being borne of him it is impossible that the Nature of God in us can Rest or bee satisfied but alone in him and by him it being of an everlasting and infinite nature but now as it is infinite and of God in us so it throws off all below God and wholly and alone returnes to him and Rests in him Now thirdly This Rest is not any thing Created or depending upon any other power but its own Christ as he was in the flesh is none of the Rest of Saints Hee is a Rest of them as he becomes one with them in the Spirit so as he is one with God and we with him One in God and we in him 1. Cor. 6. 17. Joh. 17. 21 22 23. Yea very God and we by him 1. Cor. 8. 6. 15. 45. So that He is a Spirit not made nor created but making and creating all things for and of himselfe Col. 1. 16. Rom. 11. 36. And all by him was created not as he was in any form or shape in the flesh without us not so to be a Rest but as he is God made manifest in the Spirit within us How ever men deem of him yet he is the Eternall Spirit and the Father of all spirits Heb. 9. 14. though distinguished from the Father in divers acts shapes or formes yet he dwels substantially in the God-head and in whom dwels all the power and fulnesse thereof Col 1. 19. 2. 9. And though he might be in the forme of flesh as man yet then he was in the power and fulnesse of God as God So that he is In and Of Himself and he that knows him aright knows that saying And he that is experienced in that spirituall union and conjunction will say That his Motion Glory Dependency and all
attained qualifications sutable to the Law or else brought up into a higher obedience to the Law or he remaines sensibly miserable of the greater misery in it then before which though it be more sadder to the apprehension yet it is the way of God in the Creature thus to frustrate the expectation of the Creature in its labouring to worke happinesse for it selfe untill happinesse be revealed within it The Third cause is from the principle of Nature and here the Covenant of workes is most sutable to the principles of Nature Nature would alwaies be doing though in its doing it instead of acting to God is acting from God For it is impossible that man can truly act â—o God before there be an acting of God in him So that man cannot ascend up to God before there be a descending of God into the soule which Descendings I call a reall manifestation of life within man which is God being a Fountaine breakes forth againe from man unto God And before that though soules act never so gloriously yet they are but Adams running away from God and from the principles of Nature clothing themselves Gen. 3. 8. Which in time though man Rest upon it proves selfe Righteousnesse or a Righteousnesse according to the Law and not the Righteo usnesse of God by faith and so his Rest and peace shall be taken from him and destroyed in him 4. The cause from which his thus acting flowes is from self-love and this will goe beyond any thing formerly mentioned Self-love in the gaining of its owne ends will thinke nothing too difficult to attempt nothing too deare to part withall unlesse the things we are now speaking of which is mans selfe When a man is swallowed up with selfe instead of being swallowed up with God whatsoever the Creature is put upon when swallowed up with God this Creature thus led forth out of self-love will resemble the same if not goe beyond it nothing that stands in the way of the Creature thus possessed is too deare to it or too hard to attempt it Put Jehu upon pulling down Idols it made him very zealous it made the Scribes and Pharisees give almes and spend themselves and suffer theirs to be spent to attaine their ends It will put a man upon fasting much praying often yea if it be to hazard life or liberty it is free if it may but accomplish its owne ends which is most commonly from a convicted happinesse or glory either inward from God or outward from man Self sees a promise of life and happinesse handed out in the Law to those that keepe it as namely Doe this and live it never considers what it could doe and now can doe but now it labours to try what may be done that an undone soule may be made happy Oh the consideration of happinesse doth so affect a soule convinced of the want of it that as the love of God enjoyed doth draw out that soule that enjoyes it too much for God so this soule possessed with the love of selfe doth draw out the Creature not out of himselfe yet to doe or act any thing that may procure happinesse to it selfe Also self-love in this particular would not freely have all from God nor would it be beholding to God for all then it should have nothing to glory in but God Witnesse those cryings out Must the Creature do nothing must he not take paines with his owne heart to prepare it for God Must not the Creature seeke and knocke and pray and be prepared for Christ Not considering it must be a meere passive Goe through the sufferings of Christ or rather to have fellowship with him in his sufferings that is to be subject to the will of God and to suffer God to dispose order or burne up in the Creatures spirits as he pleaseth onely the soule to be a patient in the workings out of life untill he can act from the enjoyments of it The Lords way is to destroy or burne up all the Creatures preparations for God and all that stuffe the Creature hath within him or attained by him and strips the Creature naked of all either in him or done by him and brings him as an empty soule to him who is the fountaine of life and to be revealed in him Now to take away an objection which is that the Creature must labour though not for life yet for a manifestation of life To this I answer That the life whereby man acts to God is by the power of life revealed from God for before it be re-revealed man is dead it is the revealing of life into man which gives life to man So that man can neither truly act for life or the manifestation of it before man be made alive by it which is not before the manifestation of Christ which is life to the soule Secondly That as mercy and love was prepared freely of God in Christ without the Creature so it is to be revealed freely by Christ in the Creature and after it be revealed in man It is that grace which is in man acts out from man unto God That occasioned these words from Paul Yet not I but the grace of God which was with mee 1. Cor. 15. 10. Then let these following particulars be considered of 1. That man who doth obey God though his obedience be never so seemingly glorious yet if he Rest upon and be satisfied with it he Rests below the true Rest which is God For though the Creature yeilds obedience to the Law or any other Truth as the Truth requires yet he is not to Rest upon it though it be of and from the Lord it being flowne from that which is to be the soules Rest 2. That soule who being convinced of the want of and its misery without God and from this labours to get God by acting to God though his action be never so glorious it being to get his person acceptable from the glory of his action and Rests here conceiving the acceptation of his person from the glory of his action that mans Rest and Conception is false This was the reason why Abels Sacrifice was acceptable and Cains was not because Abels person was acceptable and Cains was not for Cains action was as seemingly glorious as Abels was But the acceptation of an action must flow froÌ„ the acceptation of a person It is not nor cannot be that any mans person can be accepted with God from the glory of any of the Creatures actings to God Then it should be of workes and man hath something to boast of Neither is my obedience to God a true evidence of my enjoyment of God and acceptance with God For the young man in the Gospell who was nigh to the Kingdome of God did yeeld obedience to the commands of God and yet he wanted that one thing necessary which was to be the Rest of his soule 3. That the Resting upon any obedience to God performed in the exactest manner by the Creature will
a poor Rest yet thus it is men by abundance of paines and diligence in the Scriptures and in books doe get abundance of knowledge and after it is gotten they Rest upon the same as though it were to enjoy the manifestation of God to enjoy much knowledge here they abuse a dispensation of God and transform it into another use then ever God ordained it for So that though a man have never so much knowledge yet though his knowledge be according to or attained in the Scriptures if he Rest there before he hath got it in the heart by experience as he hath got it in the head for discourse his Rest is much below the substance of Truth For no man is to Rest in any thing without him so known untill it be within him and then he Rests not in God because declared in Scripture but upon God because revealed and experienced in him and so is fully known by him The third way whereby this Knowledge comes to be attained is from the declarings of the experiences of others he by the same stores himself with points of experience as well as points of Judgement and here he can speak all manner of Languages as well as those that enjoy truth in them so that he can speak of points of judgement with those that are for that discourse and points of experience with those that are for that having a form of both in his understanding and from that is able to make out himself as those who sweetly in the power of Truth enjoy God But for this latter he hath but stolne the word from his Neighbour hee hath got his experience to discourse of And this is the great deceit of mens spirits in our daies for when they hear of a precious high Truth of God which they never heard of before they eyther oppose it or else they get the form of it into their notion or understanding and the next upportunity they have they declare it â—â— their own whereas though they were convinced of the truth of it yet they were to waite for the enjoyment of the power of it in themselves and that it might be sealed by the Spirit in them 1 Cor. 4. 19 20. But many conceive if they can but remember a truth though they have it not in the power of it in themselves that the very believing of it and assenting to it is the experience of it And these are those who have a form of God or the truth in their understandings and wanâ— the power of that truth in their Spirits Amd so many a soul Rests in this very part of knowledge Now the Reasons of a soules resting here are partly these following First From a Comparison made in his own spirit with others that are in lower dispensations or weaker in knowledge or discourse then himself but especially Professors who live in high thoughts of their estates and he thus comparing his condition with theirs and seeing it so far excell theirs makes his conclusion If their condition be happy then mine is much more in respect of what I have enjoyed more then they I am not any way inferiour to any almost surely I am in a happy estate if any The second Reason followes from the high estimation others have of him especially men of the rarest abilities and solidest judgements and this addes fuel to his fire of conceipt and makes his Rest the more glorious And this is the reason that if at any time the approbation of those cease to be what it was that it occasions much distraction and want of peace within himselfe for when part of a mans cause of Rest and peace is taken away no marvell then if part of his Rest and peace go along with it Whereas he that Rests in God is freed in the Spirit and is as Mount Zion which can not be moved Psalm 125. 2. Let mans apprehensions cease or encrease he is not lifted up by the one or cast down by the other but he hath a continuall testimony within himself which abides for ever The third Cause or Reason of his Resting vpon the gifts of knowledge is from want of a right information of judgement in the difference betwixt a form of truth in the understanding and the power of truth in the heart not opposite to the other for though mans knowing God in generall or from heresay be a dispensation of God and good in its place yet it is not to be Rested upon as though the soule had in this a reall enjoyment of God Now a man may know a thing in generall and may believe in it assent to it and obey it and make a large profession of it yet if he enjoy not God in that very thing it is but a dispensation below the power of Truth So that we see here that men may get things into the head before they be in the life and power of them in the heart which if Rested upon brings with it a dangerous consequence As 1. It is the way to a high security and such a security being but carnall as is not without ground It is the way in the second place to a self-glorying and creature exalting and to the displacing of God Thirdly It is the way to fall into all manner of loosnesse under pretence of freedome and knowledge of truth and that it is no sinne though it doe this or that For no marvel when a man hath no more then a form of God in the head and wants the power of God in the heart then that soul fals into a carnall loosnesse whereby truth is evil spoken of and the party thus doing justifying his action by his hardnesse of spirit which by it he is brought into And this is the reason why many when they have received high notions do hold them forth do walk very unlike Truth is because they have it but in the head and want the power of it in the heart They have it from others or some other way and not from God and so they cannot stand in the day of temptation and so return like a Sowe to the wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2. 22. Again a Soul is further established in this condition from the dayly growth and encrease in knowledge he daily growing in knowledge is daily more established on his own bottomes though not so thought by himself This daily encrease of knowledge in himself the benefit that sometimes is redounded to others by that doth encrease the flame and addes fuel to the fire of this false Rest The second excellent Part or Gift upon which men Rest is Prayer and this is made an Idol of by such parties who Rest upon it But first of all when a man sets his face towards God it would gladly pray but wanting this proper Gift it useth formes but after it sees the vanity of that dispensation and the emptines of it it now would gladly pray in the Spirit and continually is complaining for want of matter
by Christ to the sonnes of men wherupon the creatures spirit is set a waiting for it and at last comes to enjoy it So in Free grace when God represents this truth to let man see he is Free in all his dispensations man being thereby convinced of it his heart is set a waiting for the enjoyment of the same within him which he sees in God above him that is above his reach of enjoying and so he doth not let him Rest though he see a truth until he comes to have the manifestation of it within him and in the power and life of it enjoyed by him So as the generall knowledge of Free grace before it be known particularly in the creature by the manifestation of it from God will be no secure Rest or satisfaction for any soul First The creature in this condition may receive it with much joy as witnesse them Mat. 13. 20. yet be short of having the power This truth is very pleasant to many especially to those that have been the greatest workers for Grace whereupn their delight is much taken up either in hearing reading or discourse that tendeth to the declaring of this truth and it is a dispensation of God in some men but not a Rest unto them Now men who are made to Rest here may have high notions of this Truth and may be more able to speak of it then those who have enjoyed it in a geneâ—al manner but come to the particular workings of it in the soul and many proves shallow there only they declare it as they see it to be a Scripture truth But he that Enjoyes sees it to be an Experimentall and a Scripture Truth Now some men have learned what he beleeves and Rests upon it only from report or men declaring their experiences or what the Scripture doth relate of others but have not any Teachings of God what it saith according to the Scriptures in them by Experience And here sometimes man is not compleatly furnished to declare this Truth But one who doth enjoy Truth within doth a little discern where such a soul is to wit have heard and from hearing do declare and yet not brought into the Kingdome of Truth to see and experience it with in himself Further Man may daily increase in the Notionary knowledge of this Truth wherein he may appeare a Tall Cedar in his owne eyes and in the eyes of others and grow up into high Notions and Light and is able to speak of very high and glorious lights yet if he here Rest it may prove in conclusion but a feeding upon winde and husks Furthermore In this knowledge of Truth may man solace and refresh his spirits continually in the apprehension of the same and yet it is but seeming not reall satisfaction or refreshment if he there Rest trusting to it to be God himselfe for want of information of the difference betwixt what is a Truth in it selfe seen so by me and a Truth mine manifested within me not knowing the foot-steps of truth without man from the foot-steps of truth within man not knowing a difference betwixt the deceipt of the heart in its deceivable workings making glorious Rests of that which is none and Truth nakedly discovered from or by God in the heart with its End and Testimony so as the creature is not satisfied with any thing though it be a truth without him until he finde the very being of that Truth within him Therefore whosoever he bee that reads these few lines Let him beware of these things following First that he judge not that to be a place of Rest to his spirits which is but in shew not enjoyed in substance nor absolutly passe sentence of any thing untill there be a Divine light within which makes it manifest Yea though they may come so far as to be convinced of the truth of Free grace and of the transcendent Excellency of Christ in God yet Rest not until thou sinde it in thy soul manifest from God then shalt thonseal it to be a Truth yea thou shalt have it fealed up for Truths by the Spirit of GOD within thee Also to take notice I do not despise nor condemne this dispensation not to be of God first to see by Scriptures these to be Truths But I here labour to unbottom and to un-center any soule who meerly Rests in the Notion of them Thirdly To beware of condenming these things because they have no Experience of them or because they come nigh them or because if they be Truths they have nothing left them but waite untill they see a Light within to discover the truth or fallacy of them to them Jer. 17. 9. and if so be they see not the deceite of their hearts or those false Rests in them wee are speaking of yet do not condemn them who have both seen and known them as though they sought to destroy the foundation of God in Saints but looke upon me as one owning any dispensation of God in its place proper to it The Eight false Rest THE Next Rest we desire to speak of in order to this is the Knowledge of Christ in the flesh Either considered as he is declared in Types and Figures under the Law or as he assumed Nature upon him and so consequently dyed at Jerusalem Now for the first In reference to Types and Figures which at this time are the dispensation of Ordinances either practised before or since his Coming How many in our dayes are they that meerly Rests upon such shadows some practising of such Types as held-forth Christ to come some in those that were practised after his Coming and here they satisfie themselves As instance the cry of most Wee enjoy the pure Ordinances of Christ wee are Members of the Church of Christ we are partakers of those outward priviledges purchased by Christ Instance the peace and comfort they enjoy in them the glorying and the high conceite they have of themselves above others that do not practise with or enjoy them witnesse their deadnesse flatnesse when they want them and their life and peace in the enjoying of them witnesse their binding up in them and their whole Experience contained in this particular When I was imployed in such an Ordinance I was fil'd with joy or I was made to be satisfied with the seeing of God in it when the poor Creature it may be knowes not what God in all or any thing is but if it be enlarged or have some particular â—â—shes of comfort it makes that to bee the presence of God and meerly under these fleshly practises or carnall relations do many Rest satisfied But Secondly To Rest upon Christ come in the flesh is to Rest upon the beleeving the report the Scripture gives concerning him as being borne of a Virgin and suffering and being buried and the like and if they beleeve this and can but heare enough of the Letter preached to this purpose they Rest as beleeving such a particular to be true and
forme but shall appeare alwaies in the same glory in and to the spirit of such a Creature So that what changeable forme God is pleased to appeare in to us is to be no Rest or habitation of us but to be led into higher enjoyments or after higher enjoyments of God by the fight and appearance of him though in a low or very meane manner in the form discovered For the end partly why Christ appeared in divers formes to his Apostles and so to many now is because he would not have any Rest in or upon his forme or appearance but that they might be as he was dying to all these and waiting for his ascending into God where he might be for ever swallowed up with the light and glory of God and there to make his and all Saints habitation and Rest The fifteenth false Rest THe next Rest which I shall speak of is The Gospel Faith of Jesus Christ as men cals it which indeed hath some ground of Rest both from Scripture and reason as they thinke Men in our daies have given distinctions of Faith as namely Historicall Temporall and Saving But leaving the two former I come to the latter and shall un bosome my sad experience of deceit in the same 1. Concerning this Saving Gospell Faith I owne their is a Faith which in Scripture is termed Saving yet that which men cals both beleeving and saving I finde not to be so And first of all men cals true Faith A dependance upon Christ or beleeving Christ dyed for them according to the Scripture Now Faith is neither a dependancy upon Christ or beleeving according to our common exposition that Christ dyed for us these if they be so in the heart as a Creature doth conceive yet they are but the effects and fruits of Faith in its spirituall act upon or towards God but this many make their Rest and shelter that if they can but beleeve Christ dyed for them at Jerusalem and that thus beleeving they can goe out of themselves that is onely deny their own righteousnesse and beleeve that Christ is theirs and that he dyed for them this is a Rest sufficient when indeed the poore heart is both ignorant what Faith is and what going out of himselfe is For never can a creature go out of himself to Christ or God before there be a cleere manifestation of God in the heart Now the Creature who is thus Resting upon his beleeving in Christ is altogether ignorant of any manifestation of God to him or in him For Faith is a supernaturall and divine light of God communicated to the soule by the Spirit of God which after this manifestation of light the creature comes to see and behold the glory of God by which Faith he is made to beleeve yea which beleeving is an effect or act of the said Faith upon or towards the same God which is revealed Now in the first place Beleeving is not Faith but an effect thereof Secondly Beleeying is an act of God in us to himselfes and so no Rest Thirdly Nothing which flowes forth from man to God is to be a Rest No act whatsoever is to be a Rest as it is purely exercised in man though of God but mans Rest is to be One who acts all in man who is God Many men are thinking highly of themselves because the Scriptures declare a Christ crucified for man and they are made to beleeve he was so for them and so are made to deny their own workes of doings and to depend onely upon this Christ â— which indeed the poor hearts be ignorant of and know him not neither have any manifestation of Jesus Christ in them in any particular way but onely from their own imaginations and fancies they still confidently beleeve that this Christ is theirs and he dyed for them and here they Rest and make their habitation concluding this to be Faith and the knowledge of Christ which indeed if such a Spirit knew what Faith were or the knowledge of Christ were this would be dissolved if not destroyed and it would finde it's faith and knowledge to be an un-sound and nn-safe Rest to be centred upon So that I say that that is not Faith or beleeving which men so cals and if so it were no ground to Rest upon For In the first place A man must truly know within himselfe what Faith is before man can truely beleeve Secondly Hee must also know what this Christ is he beleeves in before he can depend upon him and beleeve truly in him Thirdly There must be a cleare manifestation of God or Christ in man before there can bee any true knowledge particularly of him by man Fourthly Christs dying at Jerusalem shall then bee known to the heart in a more spirituall manner then ever And the workings of that death shall be found in that heart to bee such as formerly it did not conceive of Fiftly He shall know that dependency upon Christ and his former beleeving in Christ the truth of which he hath formerly tryed by visible signes and marks is now made to be a fancy not Faith and an effect of darknesse not of light And now he findes another dependency and beleeving in him flowing from another ground then before he knew and that the matter hee Rested upon in his own imagination which he before called a Christ dying for him is now changed being it was but his carnall conceptions and fleshly teachings and actings and now he is made to see the spirituall sense and so to judge of the truth of an ever dying yet ever living transfigured glorified Christ so as now he is making his habitation not amongst the beasts of the field in his former fancies and fleshly teachings but in the spirituall heavens where lives all Just men made perfect and all perfect men made to live by or in the life of God or Christ so as he is changed into glory and his Rest is made glorious Sixtly When this is come to passe men shall know really the Mystery of Faith and why it is called a Mystery and that same spirit shall know a difference betwixt the Mystery of Faith discovered to the Conscience coming as it were from God and the keeping and exercising of the Mystery of that Faith in a pure Conscience to God and that beleeving is not Faith as it purely comes from God discovering it selfe and the Mystery thereof to the Conscience But it is the exercise of that said Mystery of Faith by God in Conscience to God So that the Mystery of faith in it selfe is one thing and beleeving and dependency upon Christ if true is another thing But the effect or exercise of the Mysteriousnesse of faith in a conscience which is pure to or upon a God that is pure Seventhly Men may beleeve Christ died for them and from this beleeving may practise such things as are required by him yea may have much peace joy in the same And in this his own works
speak of was Christ Secondly we see the place where it centers before it is made manifest and that is laid open to be in the Father Thirdly the way whereby they knew it and also to be theirs was twofold First by the manifestation of it Secondly by opening the eyes of a souls understanâ—â—ng whereby they come to see that life which now to them is made manifest further he is the life of Saints spiritually considered Coloss 3. 3. 4. here he saith when Christ our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory So that he is here Saints life called and more fuller experienced in every heart who hath found him fully made manifest within their spirits againe he is life of Saints as he becomes the spirituall resurrection of Saints for before ever God bring any Creature into the enjoyment of himself he brings the Creature into a spirituall death not in the body but in the spirit and being layd in the grave aloâ—â— Christ as he is the spirituall life of Saints must be their resurrection I meane the resurrection of their spirits from this spiritual death as he is a dispensation of life and therefore it is written Joh. 11. 25. I am the resurrection and the life he that beleeveth in me though he were dead yet shall he live So that Christ as he is to become the spirituall life of Saints proves an inward resurrection to them in the manifestation of this their life which indeed Paul did experience when he spake these words Gal 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me So that though Paul had been buried into Christs death yet notwithstanding when Christ came to be manifested to him then he proved a resurrection of life in him and by this life was Paul madâ—â—◠〈◊〉 for untill Christ our life comes to be manifest we lye dead voyd of any spiritual life or motion in us and this was figured out in the matter of Lazarus death when Christ came he found him dead and buried voyd of life or motion wherein at last the very breath of Christ breathed out in way of voice Lazarus come forth raised him up and gave life unto him Ioh. 11. 43 44. Two things are here spiritually holden forth First a spirituall death of Creatures when Christ comes to breath upon them the breath of life Secondly by his thus comming speaking and breathing occasions life because his words are spirit and life thus spoken So that it is said The hour is comming and now is when the dead shall hear the voyce of the Son of God and they that hear shall live Now in all this is held forth unto us The spirituall resurrection of all Saints by Iesus Christ coming in the spirit into them so that though this particular be the least looked after yet it is of the highest concernment and not that which most men doat of so much after death So that if we look upon our spirituall resurrection we shall see that the coming of Christ in the Spirit is a manifestation of Spirituall life which proves a spirituall life which proves a spirituall resurrection in such Creatures and in time their Rest and Center Now he being the life of Saints Then first we may observe That Saints life is Iesus Christ Though before they are making out of their own actings according to the law of works do this and live yet now they see that life is destroyed and the cause of all actions to God flowes from this life principled in them and though they are making a life out of enlargement or holinesse in conversation yet this is a life above it unbottoming the creature off from it and centring the Creature in a stable and solid life Secondly the Saints live because Christ lives in them for though before their livâ—â—â—re hid with God yet they were not to live in 〈◊〉 â—o themselves with joy and peace untill it 〈◊〉 manifest from God in them so that they are made to live from the manifestation of life in them whereby they come to know it and so to be made to live by it for ever Cast a Saint into any condition he lives very sweetly because he lives by the life of Christ in him yea he lives sweetly with contenâ—ednesse because Christ lives in him So now to summe up this Christ as he is a spirituall dispensation of God in the Spirit is a Spiritual life by vertue of which life in Saints are Saints swallowed up with it and so centred up in it So that the center or rest of a Saint is eternall and everlasting which is Christ the spirituall life of God in us by which life the Creature doth not only live to but live to do This life is the motion of his spirit so as by this life he doth not onely live but lives to it so that the creatures spirits are wholly set apart to live to God This life is the living in the Spirit and not in the flesh hereby comes the life of Saints to be a life of love and a life of God because they are not at Rest from all their own labors and now all things are acted in them by that Spirit of life which is Christ dwelling in them now Saints wholly live to God by the life of God in them and thus are Saints centred up in God or Christ because their spirits are carried up above the creature into life which is Christ in them becoming spirituall and eternall life to them Fifthly This spirituall Christ as he comes from God and is manifested by God and so known by us and become Rest to us he is spirituall redemption and deliverance Now to looke upon Christ in the Spirit he cannot be manifested but he becomes a spirituall Jesus that is a Saviour of spirits for he was not a Jesus as he was in the flesh but he was a Jesus as he was to come in the Spirit for the flesh could not doe it Yet it was a figure of that spiritual salvation and liberty which Christ is in the hearts of Saints For indeed Jesus Christ is salvation it self and where he in power and glory there is salvation that is he is a Saviour or a deliverer of the creature out of that spiritual slavery and bondage in which he lives So as he is become freedome and redemption to the heart and therefore he is said to be made unto us Wisdom and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption that is he is manifest in us and so is become a spirituall redemption to us freeing us spiritually from our inward bondage and slavery both that bondage of self and Sathan whereby we are made to live in spiritual freedome and all this freedome and deliverance is Christ in the spirit as he is a spirituall dispensation designed of God for the same purpose though many souls do work out their own salvation by their doing whose salvation is false others having