us and we are the man intended for when Nathan the Prophet came to David he seemed to speake to him of another when as hee meant himselfe and David did conclude what the action represented to him in the person of another by Nathan was unjust not thinking that the Prophet intended himself but another and so judged him to death but when the Prophet said it was himself and that he was the man hee was sorry and loth to dye himselfe although he did judge the other to death and thought he deserved death justly but in condemning the other he judged himselfe Therefore wee are the men that are to be condemned or saved according as our deservings are and the Scripture is the reall truth and is our true Nathan the Prophet that tells us what we have done but he tells us our selves in histories and in the person of others to try how farre we condemne others and justifie our selves but when wee condemne others we condemne our selves for wee are the guiltie and that wicked man therefore looke into the scripture as if it were thy owne soule for all that is written there is written in thy selfe and there is the two tables the table of stone thy stony heart that is ingraven with a rough penne and with a thundering voice which is the whole worke and curse of the law for thy sinnes and the other table is the heart of flesh which is soft and melteth at the word that is written in thee and is ready to obey all the words of the commandements that speaketh in thee but the table of stone thy disobedient and stony heart must be broken for thy sinne and disobedience cause and for thy Idolatries and all thy sinnes riseing up against thee crying vengeance so that thy God or goodnesse in his great zeale throweth downe thy stony heart breaking it to peeces and burneth up all thy Idoll Gods to powder makeing thee drinke up their ashes which is to make thee taste of the death and losse of them and still his zeale is so great towards thee that hee maketh thee sheath thy sword into thy brothers belly which brother is thy nearest selfe will or thy darling sinnes so when thou hast fulfilled the will of thy Jelous God he returneth to his place where hee was before and the tables of stone or stony heart is turned to flesh and is obedient to the will of God and keepeth his commandements the which I wish all Soules may do for their soules health and safety There be many at this time that looke externally for an infallible spirit when as the infallible spirit is internall in the soule of every man for the same spirit is Jesus Christ the word of life that is neare thee even in thy heart and mouth to do it and to be obedient unto the same and he is that pearle hid in the field of thy heart for which thou must sell all that thou hast to purchase this field that thou mayest injoy that pearle And there are others that thinke that the externall body is the soule and that it must dye and must answer for sinne by that death and that it must rise againe at the last day by Christ therefore God cannot be their God whilst their body is dead for he is not the God of the dead but of the living then whilst they live here they may live as they list and commit what sinnes they will for their body dying which they take for the soul doth make satisfaction for their sinne which of necessity must draw this consequence that if one man kill another he doth but the will of God for he saith the soul that sinneth must dye I wonder much what those people that hold such opinions can say or think of little children that dye in the wombe or as soon as they are borne certainly no man in reason can say that their soule hath sinned but you will alleadge their parents have sinned for them as others have said if it be so the sinne of one condemneth a great many that of themselves hath not sinned the which to me appeareth to be altogether against reason and justice and is against the nature of God to condemne the children for the sinne of the parents for Ezkiel saith 18. that this proverb should be no more in israel that the fathers had eaten four grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge at he saith that every soule standeth upon his owne bottome or its owne selfe and the fourâ— that sinneth shall dye also there are many creatures or bodies which they call soules that are drowned in the sea and divers fishes have fed upon that body or that which they call the soul and these fishes have concocted or digested the soule of this man and it is turned into the flesh of a fish and afterwards this fish is taken and another man or soule eats this fish which is the concocted soule of the other man so that his soule is made fat and increased thereby the one soule by eating the other and Caniballs which are men eat other men and are fed thereby now when the soules of all these men are dead and concocted in those that have eat them how shall every one have his own proper soule at the last day when all the soules shall arise I would willingly hear it proved by good reason how every one can have his owne soule againe seeing they are all concocted and digested one in another but perhaps you will say we must believe against reason which is consequently that we must believe an absurdity and the Apostle St. Paul desireth to be delivered from unreasonable men which were absurd and did believe against reason for all men have not faith whose foundation is grounded upon reason this body which they call the soule is dead without the spirit as St. James witnesseth in the second Chap. where he saith that as the body without the spirit is dead even so is faith without workes by which Scripture it is manifest that the body without the soul or spirit is dead and as is said before God cannot be their God because their body which they tearm the soul is dead so as he ceaseth to be their God while they are dead all which is contrary to sense reason and Scripture where it is said that he is the living God and the God of the living and not of the dead also it is contrary to sense and reason in this that that which is the God good felicity or chiefe happinesse of those that live and are rationall and sensible of the same cannot in sense reason or Scripture be said to be the joy happinesse or God of the dead because he is not sensible or capable of any joy felicity or happinesse at all THe summe of all and the whole discourse of this Book is that we should feare to disobey the holy God but keep all his Commandements which is the whole duty of man and to live a pure exact just and holy life not doing to any man what we would not have done to us but doing all the good to another that we would have done to us and this is the infallible Spirit Jesus Christ the power of God in us which directs corrects instructs perswades and makes us wise unto salvation for he is the holy word of life unto us and he is the Father Elder true Bishop and high Priest of our soules so that we need no other Father Elder Bishop nor high Priest but this holy Iesus Christ in us for he is the holy unction that we have from above and the holy One that teacheth us all things and discovers all mysteries unto us leading us into all truth if so be that we are obedient unto him but if we are not obedient unto this infallible Spirit Iesus Christ in us then wee shall know nothing of God or of the Scripture but it shall be a sealed book a dead letter and seeming contradiction unto us but I hope we shall all learne and bee taught of him and declare every one to his friend and neighbour what the Lord the infallible Spirit hath done for his poore soule saying What we have learned heard felt and tasted of the good word of life that will we declare unto you FINIS
free and might have stood or fell but he fell and all Adams knows this their owne conscience accusing them for hee made man upright and shewed himselfe to bee good but he sought out many inventions to destroy himselfe yet God hath mercy on him and hath brought forth his elected seed to save him which was Isaac or Jacob that wrastled with God in this darke night of man to save and blesse him for this Esau was faine to sell his birthright and was so hungry with hunting and killing the man of sinne that he had almost lost himselfe but his brothers pottage which is love and mercy and power was given him to strengthen him to overcome the man of sinne in himselfe yet he thought this pottage should not have taken away his birthright and destroyed his first creation which he wept for although it was too late for it was for his further good which is hid from his eyes for a time and whilst he is a hunting for Jacob puts on Esaus rough garment or flesh which is the law of sin which made the man of sin mad and hee thought to destroy this Jacob or this second creation which appeared in the man but in the end when sinne is destroyed they will be loving brothers and one man of God for this Jesus Christ or seed of promise the destroyer of sin will make all peace and quietnesse for this holy God is in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe in mortifying and cleansing this man and burnning up all the chaffe of sin with unquenshable fire that there might bee great love betwixt God and man againe for this Jesus was three dayes and three nights in the man of sinne and in the heart of the earth and was carried into his wildernessed land and was tempted of him the manner whereof shall afterwards be expressed for he shewed Man all his filthinesse and how wicked he was and regardlesse of God and goodnesse and this was the first day in him and the night of that day was the death and wrath of God that appeared in the Man which did teâ—rifie and feare him and was the wounds of conscience that told him what he deserved and he threw downe himselfe at Gods mercy and the second day or light God gave him true grace and sorrow for his sinnes and the night of that day is that bloody fight in heaven betweene the Man of sinne and God and that terrible agony and sweat of death was on the humanity and the third day or reigne of Christ is that day that Christ shall reigne a thousand yeares in Man with death which day is that power of patience and long sufferance that lasts till the Man of sinne is rooted out for a thousand yeares is but as one day with the Lord and one day in this suffering and reigne of Christ is as a thousand years to the man for he must reigne till all sinne is subdued and the night of that day all hell is broke loose to torment the Man for a short time but this Almighty power gives the Man a strong and victorious power that he fights with himselfe and overcomes himselfe and all his devillish crew and so the wicked world is ended and Man shall come into a happy condition There are many that think that Christ will come and reigne a thousand yeares here on earth personally but they will be deceived for they look and judge of the Scripture after the outward appearance which is not righteous judgement for we are to looke on it with a spirituall eye and then shall we see it as it is for the looking on it as a history and not as it is a sacred and holy mystery makes so many false Religions for the birth of Christ in this elementary world was after a extraordinary manner and not after the ordinary manner of men for he was not as the seed of man nor did the Virgin Mary feele any manner of paine in bringing him forth as the wise and learned hold nor doth the Scripture make mention of her paine as they doe of others as Rebeckah Isaacs wife and Rachel Jacobs wife for the Divinity is a spirit and the humanity is a spirit and the Divinity and the humanity joyned together in conjunction as man and wife is but one spirit and spirits bring forth a spirit and can doe no otherwise for this Jesus Christ is a Spirit and is the Spirit and life of God that is sowne in our hearts and spirits which makes us cry Abba Father for he was and is a Spirit comming forth of God and man that were and is spirits and that organicall body or figure that he seemed to be in and to eat and drinke and that he was like flesh and blood was as three Angells that appeared to Abraham which he did dresse a kid for who seemed to be men and did eat and drinke with them as they thought â— so Christ seemed to be in that figure and flesh of the man but he was a reall spirit for with that body he walked on the sea the which Peter could not doe with his heavy body but did sinke and Christ did hide himselfe many times and could not be found for he did walke in visibly and when they did leek him to destroy him they could not finde him till he pleased to give himself into their hands and he could come with his body into any roome the doores being shut as he did after the resurrection come to his Disciples saying Peace be unto you and he did eat a broyled fish and they knew him by eating and breaking of bread and there is surely some secret mystery in that for when hee walked like a gardener they knew him not but by breaking of bread and Thomas would not beleeve that it was the body that was crucified because he could come through a chinke of the doore as he thought till Christ shewed him the print of his nailes after which he said he beleeved because hee saw those things but Christ said to him they were more blessed that beleeved and saw not but beleeved and trusted in God without the death of Christ for if we had beleeved and trusted in God wee should not have fallen and sinned but have been more blessed for the whole had not had need of the Physitian but we all have fallen and need the death of Christ to make us whole againe and we cannot beleeve till wee see the print of his death and nailes in our hearts and spirits which he hath taken on him and is now his humane nature for his Godhead and humanity is in us if Christ be in us for he is whole Christ in us God and man nor can he be divided and be in part in us and if he had a corporall body of clay consisting of foure clements made up of flesh and blood as ours is it were impossible and against reason that he could be in us therefore looke into the Scripture with spirituall
to our darke eyes to be flesh which is not as the three Angells to Abraham and to Lot for we beleeve appearances to be that which they are not in deed and in truth which we finde by wofull experience the which makes such contention and cutting of throats about Religion the cause of this distraction is that we doe not see things with a righteous eye I desire all friends and readers who doe read this booke and all to whose hands it shall come that you will looke into it rightly and not construe it amisse but as it is really intended for the good of all and where I speak of the death of God and Christ in man I doe not meane that the Almighty and powerfull Godhead can dye or be lost but as he is dead and lost to the man that despises truth and treads it under foot and so I meane that God is dead and lost and the truth lyeth in the streets of his heart which is God who is that truth and the two witnesses lye dead in the street of his heart unregarded which is mercy and righteous judgement and is God which we should have shewed forth to all the world even mercy and righteous judgement but we have hid these witnesses So I desire that the most holy and righteous God may be your guide and director to lead you into all truth The true Articles of the Christian Faith 1. I Beleeve in God the Father Almighty maker of the holy Heaven and earth in the man I confesse and acknowledge that the same is a true holy living God or good and that he is a mighty Spirit and a perfect clear light that discovers to the man the reall truth of things and how all things are in their places and in or to the Man and he is the reall beeing the truth light life and love to the Man and this is his name light life and love for he is all this to the man for the love of God to the man was such that he brought him under the law of discipline and correction instructing him what to doe for his good and convincing his conscience for what hee hath done to himselfe and against God or goodnesse so he raiseth up all our sinnes as judges to condemne us for what we have done and they correct or punish us for God or goodnesse hath put it in them to doe it and God hath opened our eyes with his power to see it which makes us hate and condemne our selves for what we have done his holy power or light hath perswaded our hearts to have true sorrow and reall repentance for our sins with a broken and a contrite heart and sorrowfull spirit and so we begin to hate our selves and our sins and doe really forsake them and doe confesse that we doe deserve to bee for ever lost and damned and be deprived of God and goodnesse for ever because we have chosen hell death and devill and joyned our selves unto it but Gods mercy and goodnesse hath inlightned our hearts with his law and hath really corrected 〈◊〉 for our sin and hath brought us to the beleefe of Jesus Christ by his law or fatherly correction for he receiveth no sonne but whom he correcteth and none comes to Jesus Christ but whom the Father drawea to him and this drawing to Jesus Christ is by the law of discipline and this law is the river Jordan or judgement and Iohn the Baptist or the light of Gods grace that doth dip or dye us in the river Iordan or Iudgement of Gods glacious goodnesse and this his judgement doth cleanse us from all our sinnes that were as red as searled and we come out as white as snow and this is the first Baptisme in the Fathers Name 2. I beleeve in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God or good and that he is the reall substance of God and that he is the goodnesse that proceedeth from God or good And I beleeve that all good things are made in the man by him and through him and that all goodnesse doth consist in him and proceedeth forth of him into the man for his goodnesse in us beareth in us our sinnes by his mighty power of patience and long sufferance with grievous sufferings and agonies which hee hath for our sinnes and there hee lyes or reignes in us till our sinnes bee vanquished or rooted out by this mighty power of patience and long sufferance and when all our evill is overcome by this power of his goodnesse then he delivers us which is the Kingdome of God to his Father that God may be all in all 3. I beleeve the Son of God or Righteousnesse is borne of the holy virgin Mary which virgine is the pure humanity and this pure humanity is overshadowed by the Angell Gabriell or the power of the most highest God and this Son or righteousnesse of God is begotten upon the humanity and is the promised seed to the man which is borne for a blessing to all generations of man as was promised 4. I beleeve that this holy seed of blessing the Sonne of God Jesus Christ the Saviour of us hath suffered death under Pontius Pilate the law of sinne in us and that he dyeth for and to sinne in us and is dead and buried and in hell under our earthly beeing and man of sin and he suffers for our sin in this hell for they be all upon him and he is nailed to the crosse of patience to endure all the reproaches and blasphemies contempts and false defamations or accusations for our sinnes cause on him and for the love of God and to us hath taken us upon him that we should suffer with him all our own reproaches contempts and sinnes to condemne us for doing them and that wee should condemne and forsake them and be dead to them and they to us by the power of Iesus Christ that saveth us in us and this is the baptisme of the Sonne and is the fiery tryalls or the baptisme of fire with which he saveth his owne body or us which is the humane nature that he hath taken on him to suffer for and with and that it might be saved through him and by his power in us and whosoever doth not suffer this death with Christ for their sinnes that is to suffer under the law of sinne death for sinne and to sinne the death of the crosse which is the patience and long sufferance of Christ to the killing of sinne in us he is no Christian let him brag how much he will of his Christianity till he hath tasted the death and life of Christ and that all this is come to passe in him for they must all taste of this cup or passion and be baptised with his baptisme for if we doe not suffer and dye with him we shall never rise and reigne with him 5. I beleeve that the holy God hath raised up his Sonne Jesus from the dead and that he was three dayes
death which was the tree of life till thou be killed by it as thou hast killed as it is said I have been dead but now am alive for evermore for this tree of life is the Lambe of God that is slaine in the beginning of our first world and so hee lyeth dead to us till our wicked world is at an end and this our wicked world shall bring forth nothing but thornes and thistles which is sins that shall prick thee to the heart and thou shalt eat of thy owne fruits with the sweat of thy browes that is the labour of thy sinnes that toyleth thee with their laboriousnesse and this toyle shalt thou have with thy sinnes till thou returnest to thy dust againe or to thy old silence wherein thou wert before and thy serpent or sleshly wisdome shall goe creeping on thy earthly beeing of sin and shall live on their dust or first originall which is lies and is thy subtle serpents food and thy husband which is thy lie or unreasonablenesse that thou hast united thy self to shall rule and domineere over thee and thou shalt be subject to his will and all thy children or sinnes that he begetteth of thee thou shalt bring forth in sorrow and they shall be a pain unto thee for what is said to Adam is said to both for she or he is one and is the female of God for man or woman signifies both and this sword of justice which standeth in the death of Christ is the enmity the seed of the woman or humaine nature that shall breake the serpents head and destroy his seed and this enmity shall bruise the humanities heele or foot that he shall never walke any more in false wayes so this enmity or sword standeth in the death of Christ crying vengeance and saith that this world or Adam Edom or Esau is the childe of wrath and he hath prepared or ordained himself to destruction and so this whole world of Man is destroyed damned and utterly lost and Man shall never bee happy in his first birth because of his fall for he must be dead buried and borne againe or else hee shall never enter into the Kingdome of heaven for his owne nature is wrath but God did not make him so but his nature was so for ever for according to Scripture we are the children of wrath by nature and at the first wee appeare so and God did make him appeare to himselfe what he was and gave himselfe and all things into his power that he might not complaine and that the Man might see how he would use God himselfe and all things in him and so he destroyes himselfe God and all things within him and hath ordained himselfe and all to be lost so the first creation in Man is lost and God shewes Man his miserable condition in this death and losse of God and goodnesse and the power of God that lyeth in this death is called the death of Christ or the two edged sword that standeth to divide the soule asunder or that flesh of Christ that is the curtaine that stands before the most holy place or Sanctum Sanctorum and this power of Christ is in hell under our earthly beeing and Man of sinne till we and all ours is turned to dust againe and this power or death stayes with patience and long sufferance under us in hell till we are weary of our selves and sins for we grieve the Spirit of God by whom we are sealed and he daily shews us our owne misery and toyle and sorrow sinne doth make in us and this toyl we shall have for ever till we are weary of our selves and desire to be ended with all our hearts and to forsake our selves and our owne wicked world and all that is within us that is wicked then doth this holy power Man himselfe in us and destroyes us and all within us and turns us to our dust againe and when we are in silence with God againe then doth he create us anew and make us a new world and prepares us a bride for himselfe a heavenly Jerusalem a City and house for God and he is our Lord and husband and he is a holy and righteous ruler and doth governe all the faculties of our soule in peace and love with all orderlinesse and union for then the Lion our strongest passions is in peace with the lambe or innocencie and all our other beasts birds and fishes which is our phantasies is orderly and in peace then shall the childe or innocencie lay his hand on the Cockatrice hole and the Wolves Beares and Lions shall be together and one shall not sting or hurt the other for God is King and ruler in man which orders all things well and in peace in him and the Son of glory or God shines seven times more brighter then hee did in the former world and this glorious world or Man of God shall last for ever and ever in his glorious transcendent brightnesse and there is no sorrow or paine in this world but everlasting ravishing joyes and sweet content of minde for this holy God doth ravish the soule continually with his delectable pleasures so the soule is ever satisfied for God when he is our Lord and we have given our selves to him hee uses us thus sweetly and doth give us all pleasure and content but when he gave himselfe to us in our first creation and first world we were ashamed of him and hid and destroyed him from us but he is not ashamed of us but uses us with all love for nature appeared first and in that Adam all dyed for God and Christ was Sonne and borne there and he became mortall in this nature for God appeared there in weaknesse which weaknesse is humility and lowlines of spirit with all gentlenesse and love and when the wisdome of the flesh the serpents subtilty had opened natures eyes to pride and high mindednesse and to wrath covetousnesse and envie which eyes is the serpents eyes which is the evill eyes or the Devils which the nature or man lookt through which made him thinke that this high mindednesse and pride with selfe-will was a glorious tree and that there was glorious fruit on it and that it would elevate him highly and that he should be his owne God and ruler and that he should know good and evill which he did by wofull experience taste of its good which had the evill in it for it was full of confusion as was said before and was the mans toyle but he thought it was a glorious fruit and much to be desired and so doe all men that are in the first creation and first world so when Man had tasted of pride high mindednesse and selfe-will the forbidden fruit he despised God which is humility and lowlinesse of spirit and meeknesse and was a shamed of this and thought it foolishnesse to bee humble meeke and lowly for hee thought this to bee poore beggarly nakednesse and was ashamed of such a lowly
eyes for that Christ that seemed to have a body to be nailed on a cosse was a spirit and shewed to thee how he is nailed with thy sins to patience and long sufferance in thee which is death to him for he grieveth and mourneth for thee for we grieve the holy Spirit by whom we are sealed and made the sons of God and we quench and put out the Spirit of God from us and this is death or griefe and paine to God for us for there is no death to any but grief and pain and no life but joy and pleasure and sweet content for the soule is an eye and is composed of joy and harmony and desires to flye into harmony which is God and sorrow and paine is a living death and dying life nor know I any other life and death but these though there is some other things that is called life as stirring and motion and the leaving the body is called death and in forsaking any thing I am said to be dead to that and that dead to me The Sonne of God Jesus Christ was and is a Spirit God and man which now doth live and walke amongst us and we doe really kill and crucifie him every day to ourselves and the flesh and bloud of Christ which he would have us eat and drinke was not such flesh and bloud as ours is but there were then some that followed Christ as foolish as we are now that when Christ spoke these words they did leave him for they thought he meant they should eat this sigure or organ that he seemed to be in when he was a Spirit The flesh of Christ which he would have us eat is his bloud and passion which is the death and mortifying of our sinfull flesh which St. Paul saith so long as he lived in he could not please God so Christ would have us eat his flesh and drinke his bloud and joyne our sinfull flesh to his flesh so his death or flesh doth destroy our death or sinfull flesh and so that death of Christ doth save us and reconcile us to God again Now I know no other flesh of Christ but this flesh which is the new and living way is the curtaine and vaile before the most holy place and all that will be saved must enter through this vaile and when this vaile or flesh or death hath done the worke he came for hee must be taken out of the way for no flesh and bloud that is death can enter into the Kingdome of Heaven therefore when we enter into the most holy place the vaile or flesh of Christ is rent in twaine from the top to the bottome and so the death and flesh of Christ is finished and ceaseth and he is taken out of the way for there is no mourning nor wayling in the most holy place for all teares are wiped from our eyes Now he saith that he Christ after the flesh must be taken out of the way or else the comforter will not come which is the life and ravishing joy of Christ And Paul saith though he knew Christ after the flesh now hee knew him so no more as I shall speake of all these things more at large in this booke Now when Melchisedeck appeared on the earth hee was without father and mother and he seemed to Abraham to be a man a Priest and King and blessed him when he came from the slaughter of the Kings which are the seven deadly sinnes This Melchisedeck is that Christ that was before Abraham as it is said Before Abraham was I am and this Christ that appeared in the end of time is that Melchisedeck that was before Abraham and that Elias that was carried up into Heaven in a fiery chariot with fiery horses which was a Spirit and the power of God though he seemed to be a man of flesh and bloud for Elias is said to be the power of God in man and I beleeve that all mankinde when they have put off this lower elementary body that is dead clay without Spirit shall be like Christ Melchisedeck and Elias which are spirits and may assume any bodily likenesse as they were and did appeare in these lower elements my reason is this because Samuell assumed the likenesse of his owne body and came to the witch at Endor and Moses and Elias appeared to Peter and Christ on the Mount so I beleeve any one may appear to their friends as many have for there have many appeared that have beene killed in secret to discover their murthers and many of the Saints appeared when Christ was crucified certainly it was not their lower elementary bodies of clay that appeared but some aireall and spirituall body they assumed which was the likenesse of their former and lower elementary bodies and like unto Christs spirituall body that appeared like flesh and was not flesh but to our appearance and that it might discover to us and tell us what we do internally and in our intellectuall mau and Christ called Lazarus his spirit and made him appeare as if he had been in his former flesh and blood sure these things must be so or what did become of Lazarus and where did hee recide before Christ opened Heaven gates for it is said that he is the first that riseth from the dead and openeth heaven gates to all beleevers we read that Elias raised a childe from death and another when the Prophets dead body did touch his dead body the dead body of the Prophet did raise the dead so the dead did raise the dead which is a miracle therefore there is some greater and further consideration in it for certainly they could not be dead but this elementary body seemed to be dead which was dead before never being alive although it seemed to be alive whilst the spirit of man lived in it as I have spoken more at large in this booke therefore let us consider well how all these things can stand together with reason or else wee shall make a confusion of the holy written word of God that is given to lead us into all truth for there must be a reason given where Lazarus and all the Saints were that appeared whether they did dye againe or where they now be for wee never read of any thing they did on earth since for it seemes they have seen the last day before it comes to us and before it came to Christ as the childe that was raised by Elias and the dead man raised by the dead Prophet and Lazarus that was raised by Christ as also a maid where did they recide with their corporeall body of clay and elements till Christ did open heaven gates â— sure therefore the man must be a spirit and hath assumed and taken this body out of the foure elements and casting it off againe as a borrowed garment and may assume a more rarified and aircall body to appeare in as Christ Melchisedeck Samuell and Moses for nothing is impossible only that may appeare
livest in thy sinnes and in thy heathenish nature for thy sinnes have sold thee into his hands as it is said in the Thessalonians that thou hast thrust the holy God out of his roome or Temple and wouldst not receive the love of the truth that is the reall good or God and is true life and joy to the man who is one and the same for ever and is no change to the man as the delusive God is for he seemeth to be good or is not the God nor reall good to the man for ever as the most holy God is for if we breake the Law or Commandements of this angry God he is very cruell and jealous and will make us drinke the cursed and bitter waters that shall make our belly swell and our thigh to rot if we breake his Commandement commit adultery or Idolatry against him for hee it is that worketh this evill of punishment in our City and is that cruell thundering voice that terrifieth us and makes our hearts to tremble we would faine be at quiet with our sinnes and delight our selves with our wicked abominations but this God doth so trouble us that we cannot injoy our wicked selves hee doth so torment us and shall doe so still till we are weary of our selves and sinnes and desire to be freed from all or to seek some way to please this furious God which wee by our sinnes have raised up for this law is added because of the transgressions and doth continue till sinne endeth in us but wee are not able of our selves alone to satisfie this severe God that is the strong delusion and consuming fire and is not the reall God or good to us which we shall find in the second world or creation which now sitteth in the Temple of God as God and hath thrust the reall holy God out of his roome and is the just God that roigneth in the man of sinne being froward with the froward rendering evill for evill and is righteous with the righteous for he is just in rewarding every one according to his workes and although the man is so wicked that he cannot abide this judge yet he shall be with this seeming God or good for ever if he doe not hate and forsake himselfe and send for the mourning woman and call and proclaime a fast and rent his heart and not his garments which is an acceptable day to him and seeke for the innocent Lamb to make satisfaction to this angry God that he may overcome him with his innocent life for when this innocent Lambe is borne in thee he doth strive and wrestle with this severe God for thee and doth overcome his wrath and evill with his goodnesse and if any do wrong him he doth not revenge but doth good for evill and so overcommeth this revenging God he doth no wrong to offend this God and when he hath wrong done him he will not become the evill God or judge to revenge evill for evill thus and in this manner doth he take away the linnes of the world and the law or punisher of sinne and in taking away the cause the effect ceasoth but whilst the crucifying the man of sinne is a doing it makes the humanity in a great agony and bloudy sweat in overcomming the sinne and the wrathfull judge and this is that most innocent Lambe which worketh all in all in us and for us and he is that still and soft voice that lyeth in thy inmost selfe and in the cave of thy earth till thou seek cry and call for him to save thee therefore looke to it in time and whilst time doth last What time is and concerning man I shall speake more at large hereafter in this book The spirit of man and the two instrumentall spirits is to bee seene and felt in the man and by the man and is discerned by their severall natures the good instrument is justice with which the just doth justly and prudence with which the prudent doth use prudence and fortitude with which the strong doth valiantly the good in heart and temperance with which the temperate walketh temperately and faith with which one beleeveth that to be true that they doe not understand if they see reason for it and hope with which one hopeth and confideth in that that is good and charity with which having proper goods he maketh them common to the good of another that needeth them and patience with which the patient overcommeth and is not overcome and piety with which the pious condoleth the miseries of another that is in misery so if thou art guided by these good vertues thou needst not be afraid of the law ofsin nor any thing else for thy conscience justifieth thee that thou dost what thou wouldest have done to thee and if any one is angry with thee for thy charity that thou useth to another this evill flyeth in his own face and doth thee no hurt for he condemneth the good hee would have done to him if he stood in need and so he is a devill to himselfe for condemning the good that thou dost for all evill flyeth in the faces of them that use it so that none is so great an enemy to a man as himself therefore thou art happy ô man whosoever thou art that is guided by the good spirit for he is all good to thee and the other is all evill let it seem never so good to thee yet thou shalt finde it so in the end for his qualities are these the first is avarice with which the rich is poore and a begger because he knoweth not how to use his riches and gluttony with which the glutton is imprisoned and is never free to injoy himselfe in regard of his slavery to it and leachery with which the man useth the powers of his body unlawfully to his destruction and pride with which the proud man endeavours to be above all others which is a lie and deceiveth him and sloth or negligence with which the idle grieves at the good of another man and rejoyceth at their harme and envy with which the envious desires unjustly the goods of another which covetousnesse is Idolatry and wrath or anger with which the angry man bindes his owne liberty so that he is not free but is a slave to wrath or passion and lying or a lie with which the liar speaks against the truth doing great mischiefe in the world and unconstancie with which the man is manifestly changeable so that no good man dare trust him so thou mayest plainly see and discerne if thou wilt for thy owne conscience tells thee which is the best of these two thinke what thou wilt to deceive thy selfe for none shall suffer for it but thy self This good instrument is the ten stringed instrument or harpe of David on which he praised the Lord and chased a way the envious evill spirit of Saul and thy soule being an eye or light that is composed of harmony and joy this instrument which is
be as great as God himselfe before his time and so his pride threw him downe into the most lowest world which is the diabolicall so that his body is now the body of sinne death and all wickednesse and besides he hath pulled downe the divine and most holy world upon him as a judge with wrath and violent fire and so hee standeth still over him till the man desire to come forth againe out of the diabolicall world and returne with humility true repentance and reall sorrow for his sin and then the divine and most holy world doth worke this true reall death in mans heart and descendeth into the hell of his heart that is into the lowest parts of his earth where the wrath of God is and there pacifieth this wrathfull Iudge or God with his humility and true sorrow for sinne by which sorrow and humility he crucifies and destroyes all sinne out of the man and then he raiseth him out of the lowest world into the divinest and most holy world and this world is the second creation that God maketh in man and is himselfe which he createth in him for in his comming he first humbleth and then exalteth the man for the divine and most holy world in his comming downe into hell or the most lowest world to the man to save him doth appeare in humility and lowlinesse of spirit very meeke and gentle enduring patiently all that the law would have him suffer and so teacheth and incorporateth this humility and lowlinesse of spirit into the man that hath learned God so that they twain are made one spirit and this is the new creation of which David speaketh saying Create in me a cleane heart O God and renue a right spirit in mee this is that poore humble meek soule that lyeth in the dust and seeth no help which shall be â—â—ised up from thence to dignity and shall sit with Princes which is to sit with the most highest God and he is the barren that shall beare and bring forth the holy Godhead or divine life out of him Now O man mayest thou see how great the love of God is to thee therefore forsake all worlds for his sake because he loveth thee so deerly and look upon all things through his spirituall and holy eyes and then shalt thou see things cleerly and as they are and not esteem of any thing above it selfe nor above its owne deserving Wherefore wee must looke into the Scripture with those holy eyes or else we shall see nothing aright or as it is Now to looke upon all the histories of the Prophets Judges and Kings without those divine and holy eyes where through we see the holy mystery of the same it will appeare very strange to us and contrary to nature and reason as for example that of Bilaams Asse speaking to him and Nebuchadnezzar being turned to a Beast to eat grasse with the Oxen till the dew of heaven had wet him seven times and the fiery furnace spoken of in Daniell in which the three children were cast wherein they had no hurt nor so much as their cloaths burned and the great Image of brasse iron and clay which is also spoken of in Daniell with many other mysteries which setteth forth the creation fall and restauration of man by the whole worke of the law together with his new creation so that the whole history of the Scripture rightly understood tendeth to those things but are illustrated and set forth many and divers wayes therefore this worke of man is wonderfull and would make an eternall discourse in the minde of man to expresse himselfe And the history of David that he did kill a Lion and a Beare and did kill Goliah is the whole worke of the law to destroy the Devill and sin out of the man also he complaineth sometimes that he is in the lowest hell and in a deepe pit and that he is a worme and no man and that he is in the deep waters and the raging seas run over him so that in all this he carries a double death which is to kill and be killed for the whole worke of the law is to kill and bee killed therefore the law or David cannot build a house for God to dwell in for he saith that David or the law is a man of blood and that he should pull down all buildings of sin and destroy the enemies of the Lord and prepare timber and stones hewed and cut for the house of the Lord that there might bee no noise of the hammer or of the worke mans tools for the law of the Lord hews cuts and prepares us for the house of the Lord before we are or can be set in that there should be no noise of hammer or worke mans tooles hewing or cutting which hewing or cutting is the wounds of conscience making a true sorrow and mourning for sinne and when we are prepared and made living stones and a spirituall house Christ being the head and corner stone that upholdeth this house and holy building and this whole house is covered within and without with pure gold that is with a most pure holy and glorious life then the most holy and wise Solomon the wisdome of the Godhead the sonne of David or the law enters in this most glorious house that shineth with his most bright and glorious rayes and there he worships and adores this great and most holy Godhead and there was and is continuall songs of Hallelujah praise and thanksgiving to him that liveth for evermore and without this house is the middle court where the peace offerings that was and is offered up to this most holy God and was and is the fulfilling of the law by obedience in killing the man of sinne the which doth pacifie and reconcile us to God againe that we may enter the Temple with this holy and wise Solomon to worship and sing praises to the most glorious and most holy God O that it were so well with all the soules of men and that it were so come to passe in them then were they happy but till then most unhappy Now to understand these buildings of the Temple and house of the Lord as a history with all these glorious externall things how that there were galleries and chambers and in those roomes pictures of Angels and Cherubins and that they did uphold the Arke and Alter and that the same should bee covered within and without with pure gold and that the stones must be hewed and prepared before they were set in that there should be no noise of the hammer or workmans toole what is that to thee O man to read the history of these things for all externall buildings must perish with the using and thou never the better for it but looke thou into the mystery thereof because it concernes thy selfe for this building is thee and God joyned together and is the rocke Christ Jesus that living stone disallowed of men but chosen of God and yee as living
stones are joyned to him and made a spirituall house and an holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifices to God by this holy Iesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour that hath called us from death to life and hath made us sit with him in his holy place that is in the most holy Father therefore O man seeke after this holy building and let it be built in thee for all the hystories of the Scripture is concerning thy selfe thy falling rising or something that concerns thee or the holy Godhead therefore thou oughtest to looke into the scripture with a vigilant eye and with due respect for it is the true looking glasse which showes thee in what condition thou art and therefore read it not as thou dost other hystories but read it and take it to heart and esteeme it as it is the most holy and sacred mysteries concerning the great and most powerfull Godhead and thy selfe O man And as for the Hystory of Iesus Christ that he was borne in an Inn and in a stable betwixt an Oxe and an Asse and laid in a Crach and that the Inn was full and no roome in it but the stable is a great mystery for this Inn is thy selfe O man and the chambers of thy heart is full of thy sinnes the great Kings of thy earthly being which is pride vaine glory hypocrisie lust vanitie wrath and selfe will so that the chambers and roomes of thy heart are full of such guests as these and there was nor is no roome for the most holy life but in the worst place of thy house and thy Herod or bloody mind will not let him ly there but seeketh to destroy and kill him and so hee is carried away and hid in thee till those be dead that seeke his life Now when Christ the holy divine nature comes into our earthly Man of sinne hee hath not a place to lay or rest his head on but is sought for by our sinnes to bee destroyed for he sayeth the foxes that are our worldly Passions have holes and the birds that are our vain Phantasies have nests but bee hath not whereon to lay his head Doest thou not see O vain man that the most holy and divine world or divine life is neglected of thee and kept under thy earthly being and he is in the most lowest parts of thy earth and under thy sinfull manhood hee is that most glorious and holy light that commeth into thy wicked world of sinne but thou art ashamed of him because hee discovers thy deeds of darkenesse so thou putst out this light and quenchest this spirit for thou lovest the deeds of darknesse more then the works of light therefore this light or holy life is carryed away by Ioseph and Marie the perfection and fountaine of Love to the holy light from whence he came till all thy sinne and iniquity which sought his life is dead in thee for the holy life cannot live in thee till sinne be dead and rooted out of thee Now to looke upon Christ comming into this externall world in such a mean manner his birth so low and his condition so poore and dispised and sought out by the Kings of the earth to bee destroyed was because they thought scorne that one of so poore and mean birth should bee King of all the earth And thou mayest see the mystery of his comming into this world in so poore and dispised manner which is to shew thee how hee is in thy selfe and in thy internall world dispised and sought for to bee destroyed by thy finnes the great Kings of thy earthly being therefore O man if thou readst the history of the birth of Christ and not look into the mystery how much it concerns thee thou art never the better for his comming for his externall comming to the sight of the world shall vanish away like a tale that is told or a dreame that is seene no more therefore O man looke into the Scripture and into the holy writ with a diligent and circumspect eye and into thy selfe where is written the holy word to thy condemnation or to thy salvation compare thy selfe and the scripture together and thou shalt see thy selfe there for it is the true reall lookeing glasse wherein thou mayest behold thy selfe and thy owne soule or spirit is a witnesse to thee that it relates to thee thy selfe and it speaks the reall truth to thee in condemning or justifying thee wherefore O man take it to heart for thou needst not no other witnesse of the truth thereof but thy selfe As for Christs being led aside by the spirit into the Wildernesse to bee tempted of the Devill and that he fasted fourty dayes and fourty nights and that he was set upon a Pinacle of the Temple shewing him from thence all the Kingdoms of the earth in the twinckling of an eye and that hee told him all the Kingdoms of the earth were his for they were given him and if hee would fall down and worship him they should bee his certainly this cannot be meant of the externall for no mortall creature taking on this elementary body of clay can subsist without foode so long nor could it be that all the Kingdomes of the world were the Devills for who did give them to him nor can there bee any reason given why or how hee could possible see all the Kingdomes of this world with his externall eyes at one time for this world being imagined round high and low it is impossible that any externall eye should see it at once therefore O man looke to the mystery thereof for when this holy Jesus is borne into us this wicked spirit commeth to him and seeing him cloathed with our fraile and weake nature thinking to overcome him shewing him our barren and wildernessed nature wherein is no good thing for foode for him so that hee must bee starved if hee lived in it therefore hee would have him obedient unto him and hee should have all his honour kingdome and riches but he did forsake them all as abhominable and brought his owne foode or kingdome with him for he liveth by the power and life of the Godhead from whence he came and by this mighty power he makes this stony and barren ground of mans nature food for him to live of and with for hee participates and liveth of both natures the Godhead and the manhoode and this Godhead and manhood being joyned together by a conjunction or reciprocall union have betwixt them both brought forth Jesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sonne of man who is both God and man and being in the wombe of the humanity is nourished and fed by the same as of his mother for all children live of the mothers life and nature and are fed by it so this Iesus Christ comes into our barren ground and by his mighty power maketh it fertill and fruitfull bringing forth himselfe in us to live of us and we by him for our barren ground is plowed