out of conceit he did God good service Rested satisfied We know the Scribes and Pharisees who were the most zealous for Sabbaths and prayer and other points of Worship yet they make it their Rest but come to our daies and see if we swarme not of the same only seeming professors of God who are very zealous for the same things and from their very zeal are made to Rest with high thoughts of their condition But how far this zeal which is most commonly led with more affection then Judgement will bring man into a form of Truth First It will leade man into a whole conformity to what it doth conceive to be truth that it shall according to what it hath serve God in all good conscience Acts. 23. 1. and according to the Law to be unblamable and untaxable Then his conversation shall bee very strict in the observation of what the Law requires and he shall act the same with much vehemency of spirit taking all oppertunities for the doing of the same Secondly It will carry the soule on to suffer cheerfully what he may meet withall in this very particular Thirdly he may by zeal afflict his body sore 1. Cor. 13. 3. with fasting and mourning under pretence the one to honour and obey God the other for dishonou◠brought to God So as he may be almost spent in body and spirit and estate in prosecuting the things o◠God according to his light Farther hee may out o◠Zeal come to Gospel precepts and may be Zealous for that light in externall formes which is there required to be obeyed so as he may gather Churches and may suffer much in the conforming to and practising with so much vehemency the Ordinances cōmonly practised by the Churches in the Apostles and our daies so as his Zeal may lead him out to teaching and helping forward that work studying night and day to finde out matter to furnish himself for edification so as for paines in the Churches and for Zeal to observe the severity of those formes and any thing required to bee practised in the said Churches so as now it will have communion in Ordinances with none but those of his own stamp judgement being mightily carried forth to judge and pitty those who are opposers of that light Now this soul through Zeal may goe thus farre yea to act the very highest things the Scriptures doe require in matters of visible practise and yet be not at all taught in the Spirit neither got into the life and power of what he doth professe but meerly zealous for shadowes and wants the power so as he is commanded by the form and not the forme by the power dwelling within him Now grant farther That such a soul did act in truth according to this dispensation yet notwithstanding in this particular there were no cause of Rest for nothing visibly seen flowing from the Creature ought to be its Rest but some visible flowings into the Creature which is being and substance from which and unto which a Soule through Zeal for God acts Also a Creature thus Zealous Rests not at home but reformes abroad also beginning with his own family and so goes abroad to others and labours for reformation and practises the same with much Zeal so as he can not endure the visible appearance of any sinne in himself or others He may help with much Zeal the purging of Cities and Nations or drunkennesse or swearing or any open prophanesse he may be for punishing of evil doers in this particular with much severity and seeming to be much troubled at the neglect of it he may rejoyce much in this practise and may help forward this work in a Nation very much and yet this no Rest at all also he may be zealous yea mad of Zeale for the worship of his God in reference unto others not only taking all opportunities to inform them in the same but using all Coercive powers for confiring them thereunto so as he may be an instrument to bring families and most part of Cities into this outward conformity to the matters of worship and here hee lookes upon an action done of great moment and weight and partly makes this an evidence of this true enjoyment of God by Reason of his Zeale for God and the effect thereby produced which is the good of many Now the cause of a Souls thus Resting partly flowes from want of the information in judgement of the great deceite of the heart in putting man by zeal upon such publique actions and then to cause it to Rest and further it conceiving it's Zeale for God and from a principle of God not being acquainted with a Pharisaicall Zeale to be seen of men or to get a name amongst men or that Zeal which men have but not according to knowledge or the Zeale Paul had before conversion which excels both for vehemency and downrightnesse is the Zeal of many a professor who are at Rest in our daies Now a poor Creature because he is made to suffer freely and to hazard life and liberty in the prosecution of this Zeal he is much puffed up under these considerations 1. That now this is a suffering with and for Christ and therefore he shall reign with him and enjoy much from him 2 That this is a parting with all for Christ and a great point of self denial and so an evidence of a disciple of Christ when indeed the Soule is in himself and hath not at all attained that estate to forsake himselfe Therefore let every heart though never so Zealous for God take notice that his heart may deceive him in his Zeal and his affection may blinde his judgement and so it proves blinde zeal Or Secondly Consider that though it be such Zeale as is good and to be approved of in its dispensation yet not at all to be Rested upon nor to be an evidence of any true enjoyment of God though he pretend God in the fore-front as Jehu did The fifth false Rest. THe next Rest of a Soule though I might not have spoken of it because I have partly given it forth yet that things may be the more opened its the Creatures Righteousnesse or sanctification and outward holinesse wherein both in carriage and words he doth most sweetly in probability savour of high enjoyments of God This is to be a testimony of the same to others though not to himself yet notwithstanding his Rest is to him a high evidence of the true and reall possessings of God when alas it is continually a vanishing Rest and evidence and when the Creature stands in need of it it is taking its wings and flying away and proves a miserable comforter in the saddest straits of a Soul But first let us consider that true holinesse of a person made manifest in actions flowes from the justification of a Soule made manifest in the Spirit so that the truest holinesse or outward sanctification doth wholly flow as an effect of Justification made manifest
the two consider the effects that follow as namely Security or luke warmnes or fulnesse and self conceitednesse and so false Restings are of as dangerous a consequence as the other Thirdly Humility is by resembling of such property of words and actions in an other as is most lovely in the eyes of himself and others and here lies a sad deceit when men doe only resemble the words or carriages of another which it may be in that party flowes from a principle or power of God in him and by a resembling of him and getting into his form think their condition is the happier and so glory in it more then before so that though his Humility flow from a divine work in him yet the others is but shaped out of what is expressed by or from him and here lies much danger especially if man Rest in the same The forth way whereby humility comes most commonly to be attained And the way indeed is from the enjoyment of God thereby man comes not only to have the effects or branches cut off but the cause or root of the same taken away So as now man hath it not in the form or shape but in power and substance and now man is truly what he seems to be but not before whereby as the Creature is humbled so God is exalted and this is the Creatures joy though not his Rest wholly This humility now is the effect of God enjoyed whereby man is made to partake of Gods natrue and this nature breaks out into these particular effects but now this very effects of humility though it be from the enjoyment of God yet it is not the Rest of a Saint but the cause which is God The next part is the gift of Utterance which is that many have that knows not God and many have not which sweetly enjoy him So that man who is freely carried forth to utter or make known any thing he conceives is truth yet there is neither cause of trusting to it or Resting in it neither is there cause why a Soul should the more glory in the enjoyment of it or be troubled in the want of it The last part or Gift we shall speak of is Memory This part of Memory is that which doth most sweetly adorn man in the visible making of it forth and it makes man much adored for it it is 1. Away to grow very profitable in respect of him that hath it and beneficiall to them for whom he imployes it as namely In that dispensation of hearing after which the party which enjoyes this Part is able to repeat or declare almost verbatim what he hath heard this makes him very profitable in what he hears in respect of gathering knowledge and benificiall to others from the improvement of the same This is the reason why two Ministers so professing of themselves studying their matter the one brings it in a peece of paper and the other in the same method or forme though in his understanding becaus the one excels the otther in this Part of Memory and this makes the one more esteemed then the other and the one to appear more weake then the other But alas though all these were in one man in a higher strain then I have declared yet they all were but a poor Rest or cause of joy or contentment to any heart and truly when God appears so as to manifest himself the Soul shall see the weaknesse and foolly of his spirit to be satisfied in the whole not to be any cause of Rest though they were dispensations of God and were freely given by God For all these may be in a very hipocrite or in a meer naturall man First of all to conclude this Rest 1. It is an abuse of a Gift and an affornt put upon the Giver to make it either cause of Rest or an evidence of a true enjoyment of God 2. That soul most commonly who is not led in the Spirit either to behold God or enjoy him to be the Rests of spirits is most usuall it can hardly be prevented to Rest upon such Rests as we have declared but consider that must be the Rest of any who sees or enjoys not one manifested to him to be above it Man must have some Rest either true or false But that must be the safe Rest the which no hipocrite doth at tain nor can enjoy which is God manifested in the Spirit further why should any man place his Rest upon any thing which will come to nothing or is given to change Or why should we make that the ground of our happinesse which is but a tallent given to be improved which may be taken away at the Owners pleasure being given onely to bee improved and then mans Rest and peace ceaseth and in this particular doth â—he folly of mans heart appear in abusing the end of every dispensation as of this of Parts As. First The abuse of Parts lyes in the boasting and glorying in the gift and not in him that gives it And also in this to make them his Rest 2. For a man so to glory in them as to make again of them improve in them for to get honour and preferment and glory in the World This I fear was partly the end of Simon Magus in desiring the gifts of God Alas all gifts are empty without God be Manifested in them and poore contentment do they afford to him that Rests in them And here men are setting them in Gods place and labouring to dispossesse God who is or ought to be the satisfaction of the heart And this is another abuse of Parts A world of deceit lyes in mans heart about gifts or parts if abused First They will not make forth themselves unlesse it be where they be honoured or else they labour for the same by the improvement of them being the most free where it 's the most applauded and the most straitned and wary of that place where it is not adored and exalted and set up above the proper station of the creature being much cheered when exalted and much cast downe when rejected or at least not so applauded as he requires or expect here is man much abusing Parts and setting them in Gods stead in the which man shall be brought to a losse when God doth â—â—â—ifest himself in that heart The fourth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is Zeal for the truth Zeal in the matters of God is that which the most go through before the manifestations of God yet though it be good in its place and a dispensation to be owned yet it is but a deceitfull Rest We know the cry of him in the Scripture who was Resting and glorying in his Zeal for God when he cryed come see my Zeal for the Lord of hosts So we know many mens Zeal goes before their knowledge of God in the spirit We hear of a zealous Saul who was mad of Zeal in persecuting the Church Act. 22. 3 and
salvation and indeed so it is and something more But thirdly To Rest upon Christ come in the flesh is to beleeve from the Letter of the Scripture without any powerfull manifestation of the spirit that this Christ who did according to Scripture dye at Ierusalem dyed for them And here many satisfie themselves with very high conceits of their condition and here alone men Rest upon the bare Figure As if men under the Law should have made Circumcision and the enjoying of Sacrifices in that common manner they were performed to be a ground of Rest and so contented themselves in the use thereof as conceiving themselves to be made happy by the Type and Figure and not by that which was Typified out in the same So concerning Christs dying at Jerusalem it is a Figure of the spirituall death of the creature with Christ and also of this resurrection Now when we come to be buried with him into his death Rom. 6. 4. 5 and also come to be with him raised up from death that is into the clear enjoyments of God where we are made to live in the God-hrad from it living in us Iohn 14. 17. then do we fully understand and know this Christ and this eternal Life and not meerly for a man to conceive because the Scriptures dâ—e declare that this Christ is come and the Creature assenting to the whole history and believing of it that this is the knowledge of Christ which is eternal life for unlesse the Creature know him so to be to him that this eternal life to him Col 3. 3. 4. that as the Scriptures do declare him so to be in the knowledge of him so the creature findes it true within himself from the experience of him in his own soul his knowledge is but carnall not living spirituall knowledg for that man that Rests upon him as he is declared in Scripture before he be revealed within his soul both that mans Rest and knowledge is but carnall and fleshly for we see that all men almost in England or in any place where the Gospel is but published doe believe that he is crucified and is risen and this they know from the testimony of Scripture but doth every man know the minde and mystery of truth Doth God reveal it to every one Can any know the minde of God in these particulars either by the History or any other way but by the Spirit of God then it must he that before this Christ come to be spiritually known hee must be spiritually revealed within mans hearts 1 Cor. 2. 10. Gal. 1. 16. So that to hear of Christ and not to enjoy him from being revealed within is but very unsafe and unsound knowledge to Rest upon and that which brings not along with it eternal Life as witnesse 1 Iohn 1. 1 21 He clearly expresses that this Christ which is eternall life was made manifest unto them and as their knowledge of from which knowledge they had fellowship and communion with him 1 Iohn 1. 3. This knowledge is spirituall and according to Scripture spiritually revealed before it be truly and experimentally known now the Scriptures do not reveale Christ within any man neither doe they say to any particular soule thou such a one Christ died for thee but it is the same spirit which did declare the Scriptures which must reveal what this Christ is Secondly what the mistery of God in his so coming or what mystery God did hold out in the figure which was his fleshly coming too and for thee in particular And lastly Thou must doe as he did passe from death to life and from being buried with him before thou live in the Kingdome of heaven with him or indeed know what the Kingdome or place is which men carnally conceive to be above the Skyes though the spirituall knower of him knowes it in another place Now what is it for a man to fill his head full of the history concerning the birth and death of Christ unlesse this Jesus a Saviour or this Christ which is the light and glory of God be discovered and revealed within him suitable to that precious Testimony of Pauls knowledge of this Christ Gal. 1. 16. where he speaks of this Christ to be revealed within him for Christ as he was in the flesh cannot be revealed but Christ as he is in the Spirit or Christ as he is the great design of God typified out in the flesh and revealed in the spirit either as a light or as a life or as he is the breath of God or as he is the clear manifestation of God wherein man comes to know him to be his Jesus that is his Saviour or inward deliverer or wherein man cleatly beholds the Father in him and he in the Father John 24. 11. Which cannot be discerned as he was in the flesh but as he is in the spirit 1 Pet. 3. 8. that being a figure thereof we see this knowledge the Apostles wanted when they said Lord shew us the Father John 14. 8. they having no more knowledge of Christ but as he was in the flesh they knew not that the Father was in him and he in the Father John 14. 11. upon this knowledge were they resting when they said Lord it is good for us to be here Mat. 17. 4. when they would have been making Tabernacles of Rest before Christ did transfigure himself within but Christ bids them Arise let us goe hence as if he should say This is not a proper rest for you John 14. 31. It is a very low dispensation goe I will discover my glory to you by transfiguring my self within you then shall you see partly the mystery of my selfe then shall you more spiritually understand and know me And also sometimes the carnall and fleshly knowledge the Apostles had then put them upon carnal conceptions as in these phrases expressed when wilt thou restore the Kingdome to Israel And many more expressions as desiring fire might come from above where Christ tels them they knew not of what spirit they were the one place tels them they looked upon him as to be one who was to have a great power in the World namely To be an earthly King to live in outward pomp and glory the other doth signifie they understood not the great design of God in his coming so as they in this dispensation were very low as many are in our daies and would gladly have been resting in the knowledge they had which was Christ in the flesh that was known by them and declared and preached by them also but still they remaining under the clouds and ignorant of the mystery of Christ in reverence to his coming in the Spirit yet God was daily leading them to behold their ignorance and more into the mystery of Jesus So that though men pretend to escape the common pollutions of the world by such a knowledge of Christ in the flesh yet it is not a secure estate but a low dispensation which will
in a mystery what Eternall life is And because the Scriptures say that weary soules are to come to Christ for ease and Rest therefore every soul who in his own fancy and imaginations doth judge himself to be weary may come to Christ and so by his being weary there is way opened for his coming to him For First It may be the heart may be weary of sin because it brings judgement or condemnation Or Secondly It may be weary because of his long travel to and waiting for Christ Thirdly It may be weary because it can no longer abide in these dispensations of Gods leading Fourthly It may be wearâ— because God comes not in his time and rewards it for its breathing after and working to attaine God or Christ Now the soul being falsly led out by his own heart he instead of coming to Christ onely Rests upon his bare apprehension of this in the letter from his sutability to it in his own spirit and here he feeds and remaines with ease comfort and peace in his own spirit and this he makes his Tabernacle Though it be true that Scriptures were given to be a visible testimony or declaration of God or Christ according to which God workes in man yet they were never given to be an inward Testimony or a Rest unto man but the Truth of the letter must be both revealed known and Judged of by the Spirit and not the Spirit especially in Internalls by the Externall letter neither qualifications in man sutable to the letter in mans apprehension is a ground of faith or rest without an inward Testimony and Manifestation by the Spirit of the Truth of these qualifications The eleventh false Rest. THE Next Rest in order to this upon which men Center their spirits and make their Tabernacles is the use and application of the conceived and imagined extent of Christs death which being so fully declared in the letter without any more they believe it upon this Testimony and here is the ground of their joy peace assurance and rest Now I shall not go about to speake evil of any point of judgement in reference to any particular sactions but to come to lay open my own experience and false Rests which in so doing I may come to lay open a way whereby more that are led by the same deceite may come to see it in themselves and so may from sad experience seale to the Truth of what we are saying for many who have gone through this dispensation and have beleeved this to be a Truth when now alas they see that they were both ignorant of what this Christ was or what was meant by his death wanting the knowledge of it in themselves now the terrors of death have or do seise upon them and instead of being joy and peace unto them it hath produced death and sorrow in them But first of all This soul who is thus resting upon Christs dying for all he sees the Scripture saith He gave himself a ransome for all The conclusion is this of such a spirit if for all then for me and this he beleeves and this saith he is the ground of true faith when he is altogether deceived For the ground of faith is something out of the Creature in God before time revealed and made manifest from God to the soule in time upon which the soule builds his faith rests upon it and is kept unto all time in the glory and splendor of it but the soul wanting this in a particular way of discovery he makes the other the ground of his confidence for refreshment peace safety and happinesse and he concludes First That no true faith can be but this Secondly that none have any gtound to believe but upon this ground When the poor heart is altogether ignorant in his own breast of the manner of Gods coming to reveal truth yea himself in his Son by his Spirit whereas now mans ground of his happinesse lyes not in a misunderstood Scripture without him but in a right discerned revealed and known God within him Thirdly This soul daily encreaseth in the assurance of this his rest by his daily study pains and diligence wherein he fils his head with so much of the Scriptures as indeed he makes it so glorious as it Conquers his spirits and many more into a solacing himself in this very particular when indeed he is missing the chiefest good which is the life of him who puts an end of all controversie to all such disputes when he comes to appear in the Spirit But alas before no marvell though the poore Soule be running from mountaine to hill though he forgets him who is the Resting place of Zion Therefore soul thou that makest thy habitation amongst the briers and thorns and barren mountains Arise these are not thy Rest they are from a corrupted judgement and therefore are corrupted and if thou stay here they shall destroy thee with an utter destruction all are not proper Rests which are dispensations and manners of Gods leadings but the pure promise of rest is neither in any thing before in Death and Resurrection but in the ascendings of the heart and spirit of a Creature into God by the descendings of God into the Creature which did raise him from death and the grave and now have opened the heavens to him by receiving of him into glory for as Christ did not make his rest and abode in any carnall or fleshly dispensation though in the same he did enjoy the Father so no heart is to make that his rest which Christ did not make Every heart so long as it lives below the glory of God so as it is not glorified with God is a heart centring himself in a dispensation which shall be dissolved For both man in he dispensation of Christ in the flesh or in a crucified buried or raised Soule is not to abide but in a glorified ascended Soule into God where the life is the unchangeable glory and splendor of God dwelling in man glorifying of man in which is the life and center of man truly and unchangeably centred The Twelfth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is a closing with and drawing comfort from the promises expressed in the letter of the Scriptures This closing thus with and applying the benefit of promises the whole life center comfort cause of joy peace duties diligence what not to many a soul and from hence when many come to declare their manifestation of God all they have to say is at such a time a promise was made forth unto them or cast into their thoughts by which they apprehended God and closed with it and from thence did draw comfort and peace from it and this is all the experience of God that is manifested to them or that they have This causes abundance of rest and security to many a heart and luls them a sleep which is most commonly Satans way to apply himselfe to such a cuâ—e for to cause a soul
when this is come Eph. 1. 19. Mat. 24. 30. Sixtly Whether is it the Manifesting of God to thee that gives thee a right to the Promise and from this thou closest with God Or is it that sutablenesse in thee to the words of the promise that gives thee a being whereby thou closest with it If it be the latter it is not right For all Promises are in Christ Yea and Amen And He is the ALL in them and if he be revealed he gives a being to them yea to the creature to live in that being as He is the ALL in them So that the substance of every promise must come into the soule and be revealed in it before the form of words can truly pronounce comfort peace life happinesse or rest to it So as his Rest is not upon the form of words as in Letter expressed but upon the being of it which is God manifest Now many a heart doth feed upon huâ—ks out-sides and externall formes of words and fals short of being caught up into his glory and so resting in the being of all Truth Here it comes to passe that the Creature makes every thing a God and will shape and form out God according to its imaginations and so labours to dispossesse God and to set up its own shape in Gods stead Now promises whether they be sought or cast in they are to be no rest unto any heart for the words of the promise are like unto a figure or type it testifies something to be given to the Sons of men but when a soule is in the possession of those things then it doth not rejoyce upon the words holding out the thing but upon the substance of the thing possessed in the heart but many on the contrary hand for the want of this run after conpitionall promises and when it seeth not the condition of the promises performed in it he labours after a sutablenesse to them before not daring to apply them but when he hath got his heart into such a frame as he imagineth to be sutable to the condition thereof he Resteth there applying life and comfort from it concluding he hath a right unto it from this particular But if at any time he breâ—â—â— the condition his peace is gone because the cause of his peace was his exact performance of the condition of the promise Secondly But some are higher then this and they see a vanity in this and they lock upon Christ as the performer of the condition and if he can but beleeve Christ hath done it and then he hath a right unto the same whereupon he useth meanes to get his judgement convinced of this that Christ died for him and in Conclusion he gets himself convinced of the same and here rests concluding the promises are his because Christ is his when indeed both the ground of his conclusion and confidence is false and so he comes to be deceived Thirdly Another that Rests upon promises before Christs spirituall Coming is when a man hath laine in sad darknesse and bondage and hath a long time waited for a discovery of God and at last some apprehensions of Christ come into his understanding whereupon he stands convinced in his own judgement that Christ is his Whereupon he for the greater increase of his Rest Comfort and peace runnes to promises and applyes them as having a right to them in his own apprehensions by Jesus Christ Here is that which begets the strongest confidence that Christ is come in the Spirit which works that joy and peace the soule thinks shall never be taken from him whereas after a while man is not so quick-sighted nor so clear enlightned but it suddainly lyes in the grave as that which must vanish in the spirituall appearance of Christ in the heart Now this is the great design of Satan to keep the poor creature on the out-sides the husks and would have the Creature wholly to live below the glory of Truth which is the coming of Christ in the Spirit of glory But hearts truly principled before Gods appearance â—e made to waite for him from a great power of himself not in any of these things to rest before they in the glory of the spirit come to enjoy him Mat. 25 10. The thirteenth false Rest. THe next Rest in order to this is great strange and excellent flashes of God so I tearm them and a they the most appear yet they may be true or false resembled or reall First We shall speak of flashes of light in the understanding And neither touch them as they are true or false 1. If they be but flashes they are no reall manifestations of Christ in the Spirit and therefore in the first place They are not of a witnessing nature they bring no reall Testimony of God along with them but leave the creature dark and empty in and of this particular but Christs coming in the Spirit is not without a Witnesse which is both unresistible and satisfactory but flashes whether they are of God distinct or opposite they have no Testimony of the Spirit to witnesse the truth of God to man by the Spirit within man as man is below under the dispensation of a flash whether true or false So secondly They are not of a powerfull Nature they are very weake in comparison of the power of Christ coming in the Spirit For first They do not dispossesse Satan of his habitation whereas the coming of Christ in the spirit doth Mat. 12. 28 29. Secondly They do not dispossesse the Creature of living in himself or they do not carry up the Creature into the glory of God in the Spirit they being of too low a nature no more then flashes in a dark night can bring the Creature into the beholdings of and living in the glory of the Sun so that they are not compleat Revelations of glory neither powerful in effecting the same worke which is accomplished in the coming of Christ in glory 3. They do not satisfie the heart of any they may seemingly give contentment for the present yet the spirit not altogether satisfied whereas the coming of Christ in the glory of the Spirit doth fill and satisfie the heart of any in whom he appears Mal. 3. 10. Mat. 5. 6 yea his coming causeth a running over of the souls Cup yea it is uncontainable mans capacity not being able to receive or comprehend the same for the want of this satisfaction power or witnesse of the Truth of Christs coming he being but under a flash he runnes to Ministers and men of experience to hear their judgement being not satisfied in himself and according to their approbation and judgement he most commonly receives the more or lesse satisfaction and so â—ests whereas if it be Christs coming in the spirit a soul need not run to any Creature in the World to be satisfied in the Truth of what is discovered for HE comes with a Satisfactory witnesse which doth answer all objections and satisfy all doubts
Christ who in name is called the Manifestation of Love is unchangeable in reference to the being and cause of this manifested Love which is Christ for if we consider him as the bosome love of God He is not so Christ to us or in us but as this comes to be manifest to us which manifestation or the thing manifest is onely Christ for I look thus that not onely Christ as he was in the flesh was Christ only in that form and no more but what ever was manifest either by or in that form was in Name the Christ and in Nature Christ in God now Saints Rest is not in Christ as manifested only in distinction but Christ is the Rest of Saints as God hath designed him for that purpose and so comes by God in Saints to be made manifest carrying up Saints to live in the full glory power and splendor of that God who did make manifest himself in this manifestation which is Christ And no other way come soules truly to know the Father either in love or mercy but as the Father doth manifest himself in this very particular Christ revealed in mens hearts in which men may see God clearly and for the want of which Philip was ignorant when he said to Christ Joh. 14. 8. Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth us They were ignorant what the Father and Christ were in the spirit though Christ were with them in the flesh and the reason was because Christ within them was not by God made manifest to them therefore would they have been making Tabernacles in such a low fleshly knowledge where in truth they knew nothing of him in relation to the spirit nor of that conjunction betwixt him and the Father that whensoever Christ spiritually was made manifest there the Father was manifest also because there was one undevideable nature and being in such cases betwixt the Father and the Son so that the Saints Rest is in this clearly manifested God within us who in tearm and Truth is called Christ so that now as Christs center was in the Father and now is to dwell in the fulnesse of his Glory so Saints being in him are carried by him to live with him in the same glory and love and to conclude this when we can say from experience that which Paul said in the Gal. 1. 16. That when it pleased the Father to reveal his Christ in him â—hen shall we know that the manifestation of God to us is the Revelation of Christ in us 3. Christ spiritually discovered in men and so knowne by them and so becoming Rest to them is a clear light of God in the Creature which light and glory is onely Christ and thus he is often described in Scripture not onely as he was a light in the flesh without us prescribing rules of light to us but chiefly as he shall become the light and glory of God within us for as he was in the forme oâ— flesh he was a mystery unknowne yea he was not such a light so as God intended him because he was then but in the figure holding forth what he would worke and what he should be when he was to come in the glory of the spirit within men for his being in the flesh was a very dark dispensation For even the Apostles who were the most conversant with him did know little and were very ignorant of the truth So as indeed they thought he was come to set up a Kingdome in the flesh and that he would advance them in some great place as appeares So that it was Gods great design which was held forth in that forme of flesh which is the sum of that Scipture where he is declared to be the light of the Gentiles and to be the glory of the people Israel Luk. 2. 32. Now to prove it by Scripture that this Christ is in the spirituall coming and advancing in the soule a glorious and Divine light We see it very clear from that Scripture in the 60. of Isa 1. 2. Where the Lord declares the manner of Christs spirituall appearing in the soule Arise shine for thy Light is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee This same Scripture though men do labour to deny it to be meant of Christs appearance in any particular soule yet he that hath found the appearance of Christ within him hath found him fully making good these sayings The matter however that here is promised at the raising up of distressed spirits is Light and Glory which light is God appearing in a dispensation of light and glory the which dispensation is Christ in us for he is both the light and glory of God and all things that are either spirituall light or glory discovered is Christ for according to that Scripture Rev. 21. 23. The glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof As if he should say when the Lord comes to dwell spiritually in the manifestation of glory within the spirit of man and so set up a Temple in the creature according to the 22. verse Then shall all those lights which before the soul hath been guided by whether they were flashes or resembled light now there shall be no need of the same but the glory of God now shall there be to enlighten the same yea Christ shall be the light thereof so that he shall be filled with true light whoever hath the glorious appearance of Christ within him he stall become a compleat light unto that soul So as he shall not stand in need of any inferiour light but they shall be dissolved when the glory of the Sun appeareth so that in such a soule to whom Christ is become in this manner a light unto he shall have no night there according to that in the 22. of Rev. 5. verse But the Lord shall fill such a soule with light yea he shall give to such spirits Him in whom there is no darknesse as in a spirituall dispensation and as he is termed in Iohn 1. 9. verse He is here called The true Light which lighteneth everyman that cometh into the world He is here called true in opposition to fallacy as if he should lay open many false lights in the world and within men yet he was come as a true light to distinguish betwixt true and false and so he is a distinguishing light in every spirit who hath received him for though Satan hath transformed himselfe into an Angel of light in deceiving a creature yet notwithstanding when his true light appears in any heart it doth both discover it and destroy it according to that in the 2 Thes 2. 7 8 9 10. That though the mystery of iniquity and anti-Christ be never so deceiveable and glorious in their workings and transformings both within and without the creature yet Christ shall reveale and destroy it with the spirit of his mouth and the brightnesse of his coming And true it is that Satan both in matter of formes
without us and workings within us is transforming himselfe now if ever And truly he within soules workes like God and there is no known distinction betwixt his transformings and Christs workings untill there be a true transfiguring of Christ in the glory of the spirit and this doth find out all the deceite both of heart and Satan for indeed there is no forme though never so glorious but he will transform himselfe in it there is no working of the spirit within man but he will resemble it so that none shall be able to know whether it be true or false within him or without him untill this Christ shall appear in light and glory and shall make the same manifest so as oftentimes his thus appearing is compared to the rising of the Sun and the dawning of the day which are degrees of distinguishing light which doth dissolve the imperfect light of the Moone and Starres and is a clear light of it self to rule and order to unfold and discover the truth of every thing which under the other dispensations could not be discerned and that is the reason that the Apostle tells them that they have a sure word of prophesie whereunto they doe well if they take heed And he tels them how long it was untill the day dawn and the day-starre arise in their hearts This saying untill prescribes and sets out the limitation of time and the accomplishing of the same as if he should say there is a most glorious day to be enjoyed in Saints which day shall appear but for your direction untill that day you have a sure word of prophesie unto which if God give you care thereof may be as a rule unto you It being a light shining in a dark place and though for the present you walke by the same yet Rest not there but waite for the spirituall coming of Christ within you which in this word of prophesie is held forth to you and then when he comes he shall be a perfect light within which light shall speake truth and leade the soul thereunto but in the interim Looke to that sure word of prophesie which declares and makes manifest the truth thereof This word of Prophesie was the Scriptures this day dawning and day-starre arising was the appearance of Christ in the fulnesse of the spirit within them So as he often in Scripture is called the bright Morning-Star and as concerning his spiritual coming he is sometimes termed under the notion of the day dawning or breaking as in Cant. 2. 17. and in many others onely to shew unto us that the breaking in of Christ into a heart is like the breaking of the light in the earth when the day begins to appeare and the night is expired as also the rising of the Sun to that purpose he is often called the Sun of Righteousnesse which shall arise and be seen in the hearts of men so that we see this coming of Christ yea himself is a true and glorious light of God in the spirits of Saints so as he makes all things manifest to such a heart whether true or false and this light shall cloath every Saints spirit and all inferiour and transformed lights shall be under such a soules feet triumphing over them seeing the fallacy of them Then First it is this light Christ within the creature who appeares as light which doth expell or dispell all those Clouds which are with creatures in whom he hath not appeared for as the Sun doth expell the clouds in the appearance thereof so Christ in his glorious shinings forth and breaking in into every believing spirit so as the creature before could not apprehend God by reason of these clouds that lye upon the soule now he apprehends him clearly the cause being by Christ taken away Secondly By this light Christ doth discover all the false Waies and Rests of the creature either in opposition to or being below the true and substantiall way of Rest so that this light Christ in his divine Appearances within the creature doth bring a day of losse upon many spirits when it discovers unto them the vanity of their spirits in running after the waies of their own hearts and here they come to see the emptynesse of formes or former flashes and now it may be all the soules knowledge and practise must lye in the dust and be unlearned so as this light brings the creature out of love with his own Wayes so that now he is free to be led according to the teaching of this light Thirdly This light Christ in its spirituall appearing in the creature doth reveale and discover the Father in this light Christ so as the heart clearly sees and knows the Father and the Spirit the son and the spirit One and the spirit to be both so as this light which in reference to name is called and tearmed Christ yet it is God in this light so that God is said to be light in him is no darknesse The Father is the fountain of light the son is the manifestation of light or the light made manifest now here the soul in whom this true light doth appeare doth know God and him thus sent into the heart by Jesus Christ so that Christ as he is the Rest of Saints is a divine revelation of light in which light and glory the creatures spirit solaces it selfe and rests with much delight in the same and out of this form after enjoyed will not Christ appeare but will be unto such a spirit an everlasting light that now as God lives in light so the creature lives in light also which no creature in the flesh can attain to who cannot be seen felt or heard in the flesh in this dispensation but he is above it consuming of it and continually advancing this light more more in the creature so as this light comes to be advanced and appears in greater fulnesse so shall the spirits who are centred in it be advanced by it and the greater this light doth appear in fulnesse the more perfect doth the souls Rest appear and the more shall the spirits be filled with it Fourthly in the fourth place this spirituall Christ or what he is in the Spirit when he comes to be the Rest of Saints He is spirituall and Divine Life without which no soul hath spirituall or eternal life enjoyed by him for as a man without the soul is dead so are all men without Jesus Christ within them made manifest so that Iohn very fully laies open this truth 1 Ioh 1. 1 2. for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witnesse and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us So that we see what the life of Saints is for that life which they here 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