in your self and your self in God and in his Son and Word who is his Love and his all how long must the children of men run on as beasts they know not where nor yet whence nor yet in what they move and breath and subsist Lord God Almighty put a stop to their minds by the flaming sword of Truth in the hand of thy Covenant-Angel whom the Asse seeth and the Oxe knoweth O that the thousands of Israel and millions of the Gentils might now all at length under thy fifth sixth and seventh Seal Trumpet and Vial know and understand thy own Personal Being and appearance in the glasse-windows of their own spirits for thou art not far from any of them But many are far from thee so as that they neither see thee nor hear thee nor feel thee nor smell thee nor taste thee the Only God who fillest all And I poor worm am naturally as senselesse as any man living and as dark as black as unworthy as any child of Adam according to this outward Man But the new Adam within which is thy new creature and thy child waiteth on thee daily and silently to heare what thou Lord sayst and commandest to be spoken or written 2. My heart is boiling in sorrow and fear yea in indignation and love when I am made to see my brethren and sisters according to nature sunk into the deep pit of corruption And there is scarce above water as much as the crown of the head the haire yea their breath is stopped The spirit of crying to God is gone and but a form of prayer left for a carcasse of Religion and a wave of some filthy worldly lust or another comes one in the neck of another over the head of the conscience and over the crown of the learning of the souls of the people My spirit within me is baked and parched in the furnace of my secret sorrows and fears crying out Woe is me I cannot help any I my self want help of God as much as any I am scarce above water yet I am swimming towards the shore by believing in Jesus to the obedience of the eternal will But O how gastly is it to see all about so many hairy scalps floating on the top of the great deep as so many sure symptomes of dead souls dead hearts toward God and yet immortal spirits All such are the men women or children drowned in selfe and flesh O ye friends that are perfect in Christ Jesus pity pity and help both them and me I am almost arrived and landed and sometimes allowed to stand on a bank in Sion 3. Now when in spirit I am helped to stand on Mount Sion above out of the waters and deluge of Babylon I see the dead world generally and the people of divers opinions particularly burying themselves in blood and warring one with another and persecuting their brethren and yet making truce and peace with sin it self in their own closets Every one in the common rode of nature crying out Here is Truth follow me and my judgement for it is solid it is according to the rule the word of God the Scriptures the Orthodox best Interpretation My Ware is the best Ware Buy it of me or else it is just with God to leave you to errours and then it is also fit that men should make war upon you O my fellow-friend say not so not so the treasures of Truth are wonderfull God is good There is but love in him though there be wrath eternal by him Do not kindle up a fiery flame by working up a whirlwind in thy own spirit towards any Look about How many millions of lives perished in a blinde War How few follow Peace and pursue it in God Where be Gods children like Him that requite good for evill love for hatred peace for war How easily mast thou slip into this malicious or passionate pit But when thou art once in and hel-fire is kindled into flames canst thou tell when thou shalt come out of this wickednesse cruelty and evill surmisings of heart Also O ye stern austere people that are so zealously hot and rigidly censorious be warned lest ye be swallowed up in this gulfe this dark womb principle of wrath John the Baptist the morning star must give way to the pleasant Sun Terror trembling shaking is indeed the end of flesh but not of Godlinesse But while ye are afraid of the invisible one ye know not fully of what spirit ye are Howbeit others in the interim live in boastings mockings and scoldings and scufflings about outward things They project and undermine and deceive and war to to gain a name to get Scepters and Nations gold and silver pleasures and preferments and care not who they kill that stand in their way 4. Man setteth up his own mind and judgement And when he saith the Scripture is the word of God he himselfe takes upon him to judge the sense of that word and so he will needs judge his own Judge And if any other mans conscience strikes not saile to his opinion he passionately gives him a broad side and desireth to have him sunk as an heretick or formalist and so send him quick to hell And all that while the children of Adam thus violently act and dispute they are as divers sorts of birds fighting on the top of the same tree and not understand nor revere that one root of this tree which bears them all up O ye opinionists goe up to this Ramoth Gilead and prosper The false Prophets in your hearts have deceived you But they that feed onely on the true bread and water and are meek in heart have told you the truth but ye will not hear them till the arrow from God strike through your harnesse and the end will be this The dogs shall lick up your blood that was shed amongst you by one another Yet we say God is one Truth is one Love is the chief grace there should be but one Church The holy Scriptures are venerable and to be admired But who shall interpret the Scriptures and say This is the meaning You will say the Church or rather the holy spirit in the true holy Church But your neighbours ask you what Church doe you mean Is it the Baptised or Independent or Prosbyterial or Shaken or Episcopal or Lutheran or Popish or Eastern or Western Church The answer from God in ye is There is none of these righteous there is none of these perfect no not one The Baptised are narrow thoughted The Independent is corrupted the Presbyter and Episcopal are dead and swollen up the shaken too much mistaken in their censures and justifications the Lutheran too sparing in the Doctrine of the New Birth the Papal people Jewish looking out too much through the spectacles of corrupt Reason to dote on vain glosses in Divine worship the Eastern and Western both named Christian not yielding to one another the time of the day devoured the one the
men Woe is the world The world in Turky The world in Christendome for there is but one world under Satan in all in all hearts opinions Churches agitations The same body of sinne and mystery of iniquity works in them called Christians for with God there is not a jot not a whit of difference nor respect of persons He delights not in a Christian more then a Turke if that Chrian be not more like Christ Jesus his love then the Turke is for if the Turke be as honest as just as diligent in the use of his talent as the nominall Christian is he is as acceptable as he with that God that rewardeth every one according to his deeds And the Almighty hateth the sins of all equally and is a lover of all soules as they are spirits branched forth out of him All soules are mine saith the Lord yet by the fall all soules are not his as he is love but many are children of his wrath and thereun to appointed 7. But as the Sodomites sought Lots door so the Christians sought for the sepulchre in the holy land so called and their retreat is shamefull and much noted by the major part of this habitable world Howbeit the Papists generally remain very presumptuous of their cause and confident of their way And as they did in Sodome it is even so now in the universall Sodome of depraved flesh Mens fleshly minds seek for Lots doore to attaine to the angelicall seed and beauty for their own self ends And God in his Just power strikes them blind so that they never so enter through his gate into his City but fume and quarrell and babble and divide about opinions and texts of Scriptures and Churches Sacraments and doctrines and duties right governmen and headships and in many vanities and vexations of the Holy Spirit who all the while waiteth within for the resignation of their own wills unto him But thus they will still certainly certainly continue whatever shall be written and this I see beforehand nothing shall availe untill the fire of God devour divide or convince them in their bold blind and filthy contentions Man would fain finde God any where but in his own heart and walk about in all streets professing to enter to Lots doore but he wilfully or carefully shuts the doore of his own heart within him and barrs and bolts it fast with his own wilfull conceited corrupt principles opinions and self interests He would goe into Paradise but not out of himselfe He thinks to bring his beasts into God and the flesh of his minde into the spirituall Kingdome And so the selfish praying preaching and disputings become meer pratings bablings and scoldings before the Spirit of God He that witnesseth this hath had a tast of most religions or opinions in the habitable world a prospect of the lamentable diversities among men called Christians Jews Turks and certainly knoweth that this approaching Generall or Catholique Day of God shall swallow up and rule so amongst all that the combustible pieces of all religions shall be consumed by the Lord the spirit and by the breath of his mouth with his impartiall over-flowing to the very neck He shall divide and cut asunder the light from the darknesse at the last as he did the day and the night at the first And God will sharply reprove and condemne that of man which would have others to follow his light and his judgement when he himself in many other things walketh contrary to his own conscience and Vnderstanding He will have others be of his opinion contrary to their owne conscience and best knowledge when he himselfe imprisoneth the Truth in his knowledge from practice God will fire that Beame which the hypocrite will not see in himselfe and so his whole building must fall upon him and the weight of his own thoughts he shall not be able to beare with himselfe he could have patience but others he rashly censured And the only True Judge will have pitty on the weeping eye that had the moate in it and put an end to his long-suffering towards the censorious hypocrite 8. What a noise doth Magistracy and Ministry make in the Christened world and how have they hitherto kissed and clasped hands in blood and blindnesse together The clergy must preach up Magistracy and the sword of Authority must seem heathenish if hee doth not only protect but also forcibly use his Authority for the defence of his own opinion in Christian Religion whatsoever that be he must be judge himself I may not I do not denie the one nor the other Magistracy or Ministry but I must proclaime that there is a Bill of divorce written by the Lord Jesus his owne hand which he himselfe will shortly explain Among the children of Adam there hath been but two lawes of God in all since the beginning though men have coyned many or at least would mixe these two into one The law of nature for to rule men as the Moone by night and the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus to Saints as the Sun by day The interest of Antichrist hath been to marry these to one another that they might engender an impure seed of doubts difficulties and wars bloodsheds and hellfires and all under pretence of religion by the Magistrate and of covercive Church-discipline by the Ministers of the Gospel so called For saith the Magistrate My sword shall force differing consciences to that forme of form of knowledge or Church-government which I judge most agreeable to the rule of Christ And the clergy also solicited the Magistrate to strike them with the fist of punishment whom they thought erroneous in their judgement Moreover when these two concurred in opinion then were alwaies the best people the world had persecuted as Hereticks as Schismaticks and unsound But when these differed and varied upon humoursome and ambitious grounds thence also came forth treasons wars Jealousies combinations and evill concussions in States and Common-wealths And just it was with God to let them both Magistracy and Ministery thus to wrangle to much blood in the dark when both mistooke their own bounds or neglected their proper respective charge Now when I say that a Magistrate as he is a Magistrate hath nothing at all to doe with the regulating of mens opinions and consciences I finde him allowed and stinted to his owne statute-booke which is the law of nature And I challenge that Magistrate or officer of State to answer that hath learned the measure of the circumference of the law of nature though he should as man attain to know his own nature in particular And yet where is the man that hath known himselfe in all naturals Now the great law of nature is but in part expressed in the Judiciall law of Moses and not fashioned in all particulars to all nations But let the Magistrates study this law that takes notice even of mans long hair as Paul saith and he shall finde
down fire so he knowes how to seeme mild and watery If any one element drown soul or body he hath his mind and sport And finding poor man imprisonned in his four elementall fetters he perswades him that its impossible to live supersensually in this life and will admit of no talk of breaking his prison And if the poor soul once offers to goe out he will set impossibilities before him his pleasures or guilt and behind him all the world and his children about his ears his own reasonings to dishearten him God as unwilling to receive him Heaven but a sublime fancy Hell but a child-frighting-bugbear the world and things thereof as reall harmlesse comforts that so by all or any of these means he might detaine the poor heart in his clutches and powers of nature And as the cat dealeth with the mouse he also will let a soule loose to pray read hear sermons and give almes but still keep him to live in selfe unlesse the second David Jesus Christ snatch the poor lamb out of this lions pawes by the effectuall workings of his spirit in the new birth 7. The young children are by him poysoned with vanity scorning wits scoffing expressions as in Elisha's case wrangling dispositions proud carriages lying excuses fleering gestures wanton talks disobedient spirits idle tales revenging thoughts prophane oaths contempt of the Lords day lusts after Interludes from thence often to the Ale-house fighting murder gallows and hell O ye Parents thou Father and thou tender Mother see here in time how the Devil of hell swaggers in your children and it may be you laugh at their witty evils This is to sacrifice your chidren in the fire to Moloch that bloody Devil Moloch was a brasse hollow image with the face of an Oxe and being made red hot it had spring-arms to clasp the poor children that were cast in to them Hags hugs kill with kindnesse and scared them to death and while the children were shreeking or roaring there were drums and loud musick made to stop the Infants cries from the Parents eares Ah thus are the soules of many children still burnt with lust and lost in Tophet and the valley of Hinnom O ye children be afraid of sin sin the ugly Idol of Satan And ye Parents be warned of your posterity lest God curse them and they curse you and you them at the great day Rather study the blessing of God that turneth the soule from its wickednesse and the hearts of the parents aright to the children and both to the obedience of the just Parents look to your childrens soules that are Gods portion you should be Prophets Priests and Princes in all humble meeknesse of wisedom in your own Families Teach the truth and use the rod and prayer lest God use his whip and curse Example not your children to wickednesse find them honest occupations according to their natural Genius and lawful marriage when God requires it by the law of nature And above all let them not sit in the seat of the scornful while they are young lest they come to the chair of anguish when they are old Why should Satan by his vain spirit possesse your children that may become heires of everlasting riches Bring them once heartily to be servants of God and he will take care they shall want nothing in this world when you are become dust and ashes under the earth But forget not that Satan is busie in bending these tender twigs from God and Christ 8. When children grow up to the state of men and women to the flower and power and heat of the spirit of this natural world then commeth forth the Mountebank Satan and sheweth them his tricks dances and musicks First in fornications between single persons then of adulteries and unsatiable lusts of the eyes flesh and hidden looks of the minde and so drowns them in the quagmires of concupiscence which is a lust of having more If these souls feel in a sowre reproving conscience that these wanton lusts are folly in Israel and in the world then turnes he them over to peruse the lectures and lessons of the cares of this life and make them sin by lending borrowing buying selling building planting providing and in all hurries their minds to a neglect of God and of the study of better things and so hastens their end and wears out their natures before they be made partakers of the nature of God 9. But if any be given and devoted naturally to enquire into the secrets of nature or Scripture and to reading conferring and prying into more excellent things then he eggs them on in their studies to find out God in their own reasons and saith Here 's all the glorious learning of this world and the highest contemplations of things This will I give thee if thou worship I would not thou should adore me as a black Devil but admire thy selfe wonder at thy own thoughts and attainments seek thy own glory and then I shall meet thee time enough 10. But O thou crooked winding fair Serpent This will not doe with the thousands of the Elect of God They have learnt and will more to deny selfe and to take up the inward crosse that destroyeth the vain thoughts of the minde Through Christs death they live above and trample thy heighths and depths They stand in the wisedome whence thou art fallen They have seen thee in their own darknesse and sublime selfish thoughts but thou seest not them in the love and humility of Jesus Their silence outvoiceth thy roarings Their nothingness overthrows thy brags Thy winds work not on these nothings They were dead to the life of nature They are alive to thy death and on them is written These are the revived of the Lord. 11. Furthermore If a man become a Preacher as so called this Doctor Satan will accompany him invisibly to his study and pulpit and perswade him to flatter the great men or at least passionately inveigh against them and sooth up or rock the cradle to the slumbring consciences or sleepy Churches or else let fly out his bitter bullets and blind uses of reproofs against such as differ from his opinion He shall sharply reprove that in publique whereof he is guilty himselfe in private He thinks that as Solomon speaks of the muckworms saying Money answereth all things his wit parts learned distinctions will resolve all other consciences and they should submit to him and his judgement and if that seem lame he will be advised to acknowledge his weakness in all humble wise and that also from hypocrisie to fence and fortifie himselfe in his own will and way And thus would Satan the Rabbi of Hell have Preachers learn the deceit of him that the people also may be deluded through such stalking horses But God hath many and will have more sincere powerful Preachers among men who will neither deceive nor be deceived 12. If a man be a Magistrate Satan comes to him within him and saith I