THE FLESH BLOOD OF CHRIST BOTH In the Mystery and in the outward briefly plainly and uprightly acknowledged and testified to for the satisfaction and benefit of the tender-hearted who desire to experience the quickning healing and cleansing vertue of it With a Brief Account concerning the People called Quakers in reference both to Principle and Doctrine Whereunto are added some few other things which by the blessing of God may be experimentally found useful to the true Pilgrims and faithful Travellers out of the nature spirit of this World Written in true love and tenderness of Spirit by Isaac Penington And without Controversie great is the Mystery of Godliness God was manifest in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels Preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World received up into glory 1 Tim. 3.16 Of whom are the Fathers and of whom concerning the Flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever Amen Rom. 9.5 Printed in the Year 1675. THE PREFACE HAving been lately at London upon occasion of a Meeting between some of the People called Quakers and some of the People called Anabaptists and other Confederates wherein I was somewhat concerned being charged or brought in by Thomas Hicks in his Second Book of Dialogues called Continuation page 4. To prove that the Quakers account the blood of Christ no more than a common thing And having been at that Meeting to clear my Innocency in that particular but the thing not then coming in question and I being to return to my Habitation in the Country though I staid also a Second Meeting for that purpose it was on my heart in the clearness and Innocency thereof to give forth this Testimony to take of that untruth and calumny of T. H. both from the People called Quakers and my self being both of us greatly therein injured as the Lord God of Heaven and Earth knoweth I have had experience of that despised People for many years and I have often heard them even the ancient ones of them own Christ both inwardly and outwardly Yea I heard one of the ancients of them thus testifie in a publick-Meeting many years since that if Christ had not come in the Flesh in the fulness of time to bear our Sins in his own body on the Tree and to offer himself up a Sacrifice for mankind all mankind had utterly perished What cause then have we to praise the Lord God for sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for what his Son did therein O Professors do not pervert our words by reading them with a prejudiced mind quite contrary to the drift of Gods Spirit by us If ye should thus read the Holy Scriptures yea the very words of Christ himself therein and give that wisdom of yours which fights against us scope to comment upon them and pervert them after this manner what a strange and hideous appearance of untruth and contradiction to the very Scriptures of the old Testament might ye make of that wonderful appearance of God For the words of Christ seemed so foolish impossible to the wise men of that Age that they freequently contradicted and sometimes derided him If we be not of God we shall come to nought nay we had not stood to this day if his mighty power had not upheld us We could not have stood inwardly nor could we have stood outwardly against the fierce assaults we have met with both wayes And as we have not had by-ends to move us inwardly so neither have we had by-ends to move us outwardly as our God knoweth O T. H. dost thou believe the eternal judgment at the great day not outwardly only in notion but inwardly in heart O then consider how wilt thou answer it to God for saying so many things in the name of a People as their belief and words which never were spoken by any one of them nor ever came into any of their hearts Innocency in me life in me truth in me the Christian Spirit and Nature in me is a witness against thee that thou wrotest thy Dialogues out of the Christian Nature and Spirit and thy Brethren William Kiffin and the rest who have stood by thee to justifie thee or at least seemed so to do must take notice of these things and condemn them in thee or they will expose themselves and their Religion to the Righteous judgment of God and of all who love Truth and hate Forgery and Deceit I pity thee yea I can truly say I forgive thee the injury thou hast done me though indeed it is very great thus to represent me publickly what thou couldst not have done if thou hadst equally considered the things written in that Book and I also desire that thou mayest be sensible of what thou hast so evilly done and confess it before God that he also might forgive thee O I would not bear the weight of this Sin at the Judgment seat of Christ for Ten thousand Worlds And that these Books should be so long publick and thy Brethren take no notice of them but rather at last apply themselves to justifie thee O how will they answer this thing when they come to answer it for ever Oh what will ye set up an interest against our Lord Christ who is the Truth and teacheth Truth and bend all your strength and understanding to make lies falshoods and forgeries to appear as if they were Truth and not forgeries If ye will judge your selves and repent of these things ye shall not be condemned of the Lord but if ye will go on to cover and hide this great iniquity ye shall not prosper therein As for my particular I had committed my cause to the Lord and intended to have been wholly silent knowing my Innocency will be cleared by him in this particular at the great day and the love truth and uprightness wherein I wrote those things owned by him But in the love of God and in the stilness and tenderness of my Spirit I was moved by him to write what follows And Oh that it would please the Lord to make it serviceable even to T. H. himself for his good J. P. The CONTENTS 1. The Preface Relating the occasion of what follows page 3 2. The Flesh and Blood of Christ both in the Mystery and in the outward c. page 1 3. The Conclusion of the first part p. 19 4. A brief Account concerning the People called Quakers in reference both to Principle and Doctrine p. 23 5. A few words concerning the way of Peace p. 33 6. The Conclusion of the whole p. 37 7. A Post-Script containing 1. A few words concerning the doings and sufferings of this despised People called Quakers p. 41 2. An Exhortation to true Christianity p. 49. THE FLESH BLOOD OF CHRIST Both in the Mystery and in the Outward briefly plainly and uprightly acknowledged and testified to c. IN the Second part of Thomas Hicks his Dialogues called Continuation page 4. He
which is the inward rule of the inward Israel This was the way of Peace from the beginning this is the way of Peace still and there is not another To be new Created in Christ Jesus to be ingraffed into him to abide in him to have the circumcision of the flesh the body of the sins of the flesh cut off by the circumcision of Christ made inwardly in the heart without hands and to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit even in the newness of the Spirit he is life and Peace rest and joy for evermore The Lord of his tender mercy give men a sense of it and lead men into it more and more Amen The Conclusion of the Whole THere is a Birth which is born not of Bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God John 1.13 And this Birth which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Chap. 3.6 Now this Birth which is born of the Spirit and is Spirit hath a life and way of knowledge suitable to its nature and being which is very far above man It 's life is in the Spirit its walking in the Spirit and its knowledge is after the way of the Spirit very far above mans way of conceiving or comprehending The Birth it self is a Mystery to man and it's way of knowing is a way altogether hid from man It is indeed in the evidence and demonstration of Gods Spirit in the shinings of his light in the heart In thy light shall we see light The Birth knows what this means There is a wise and prudent part in man from which God hides the sight of his Kingdom and the Heavenly glory thereof but there is a Babe to which God reveals the Mystery thereof Flesh and Blood cannot reveal but the Father can and doth to his Children who is the Teacher of them all from the least to the greatest in the new and living Covenant There is mans day and there is Gods day There is mans day of gathering knowledge after his fleshly manner of comprehending and there is Gods day of giving knowledge by the shinings of the light of his own eternal Spirit In mans day how doth wise and prudent man beat his brains and labour in the fire for very vanity but in Gods day how doth the knowledge of the Lord cover the Earth as the waters cover the Sea When the day-spring from on high visits inwardly when the Lord lighteth the Candle inwardly O how clear is the knowledge of the Lord and how doth it abound then O what a difference there is between mans apprehensions and conceivings concerning Christ and Gods revealing him inwardly and between mans coming to Christ according to his own apprehensions and his coming to Christ in the Heavenly drawings and teachings of the Father Joh. 6.45 O that the begettings of Life and Birth thereof were felt in mens hearts that in it men might know the day of God and the Kingdom of God and the Treasures of wisdom which are hid in Christ and will ever be so but as Christ is inwardly revealed and formed in the heart Many may have notions of Christs being formed in them Ah but to feel it inwardly ther 's the Sweetness ther 's the assurance ther 's the life ther 's the Peace ther 's the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and ther 's the joy of the true Christian for ever Come O come all sorts of tender Professors out of your selves into Gods Spirit into Gods truth that ye may know what it is to be in the Spirit and in the Truth and what it is to live there and to know things there to worship there to have fellowship with the Father Son there The poor receive the Gospel the poor receive the Kingdom the poor receive the power the poor receive the Righteousness and Salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ Ye are too rich in your comprehensions and gathered knowledge from your own litteral conceivings to learn to wait aright to receive of him his Gold his Raiment and his eye-salve What pleasure is it to us to testifie against you Were it not for obedience to our God and love to your Souls we would never do it We are content and satisfied to be of the little despised Flock which the Shepherd feeds giving to every one his proportion of daily nourishment Life Peace Righteousness and Joy It is our love to you that we would not have you lay out your Money for that which is not Bread and your labour for that which will not satisfie the truly hungry and awakened Soul but might come to feed on substance on the life it self on the sweetness and fatness of Gods house where nothing that any of the children can need or long after is wanting O that ye had the sense of our love If ye had the true understanding and sense of Gods love ye could not but have a sense of our love also for it comes from him and it flows towards you in his will and tender movings Do ye love God are your hearts circumcised to love God if not ye do not truly love And if ye loved him that begets ye would love them that are begotten by him Your love is to your own notions and apprehensions of God not to his nature For if ye loved his nature that holy Heavenly spiritual nature as it is in him ye could not but love it in his Children also Well our God is Love and our God hath given us Love and taught us to Love even our Enemies and to wrestle with our God for them that if it be possible the Lord may remove the Scales from their eyes and give them Repentance to the acknowledgment of the Truth as it is in Jesus where it is more living and powerful more effectual and operative inwardly purifying sanctifying yea and justifying also then any but onely those that are born of God and kept alive by him yet ever knew or can know A POST-SCRIPT Containing a few Words concerning the doings and sufferings of that despised People called QUAKERS which are both mis-understood and mis-represented by many with an Exhortation to true Christianity FIrst their doings are looked upon by many to be from a natural Principle and according to a Covenant of works and not from the free grace and gift of Gods Spirit Now concerning this I can speak somewhat faithfully as having been long exercised in the Principle and as having had experience of the grace and tender mercy of the Lord from my Childhood And indeed thus it hath been with me from my Childhood what ever hath been done in me or by me that was good I have felt to be from Gods grace and mercy to me and have cryed grace grace mercy mercy to the Lord continually therefore And when I was turned to his truth in the inward parts I found it was Gods grace and tender love to me to turn me to it and to preserve me
maketh his personated Quaker speak thus Thou sayest we account the blood of Christ no more than a common thing yea no more than the blood of a common Thief To which he makes his personated Christian answer thus Isaac Penington who I suppose is an approved Quaker asks this question can outward blood cleanse Therefore saith he we must enquire whether it was the blood of the Vail that is of the humane nature or the blood within the Vail viz. Of that spiritual man consisting of Flesh Blood and Bones which took on him the Vail or humane Nature 't is not the blood of the Vail that is but outward and can outward blood cleanse Now to satisfie any that desire to understand the Truth as it is and to know what the intent of my heart and words as spoken by me were I shall first say somewhat to his stating the question and then open my heart nakedly and plainly as it then was and still is in this matter First I answer these were not my words which he hath set down as mine but words of his own patching up partly out of several queries of mine and partly out of his own conceivings upon my queries as if he intended to make me appear both ridiculous and wicked at once For I no where say or affirm or did ever believe that Christ is a spiritual man consisting of Flesh Blood and Bones which took on him the Vail or humane Nature Thus he represents me as ridiculous It is true Christ inwardly or to his inward being was a Spirit or God blessed for ever manifested in Flesh which to speak properly cannot have Flesh Blood and Bones as man hath And then besides his alterations at the beginning putting in only four words of my query and leaving out that which next follows which might have manifested my drift and intent in them he puts in an affirmation which was not mine in these his own words 'T is not the Blood of the Vail that is but outward and then annexeth to this affirmation of his own the words of my former query Can outward Blood cleanse as if these words of mine can outward Blood cleanse did necessarily infer that the Blood of Christ is but a common thing Herein he represents me wicked and makes me speak by his changing and adding that which never was in my heart and the contrary whereto I have several times affirmed in that very Book where those several queries were put out of which he forms this his own query giving it forth in my name For in the Tenth page of that Book beginning at line 3. I positively affirm thus that Christ did offer up the Flesh and Blood of that body though not only so for he poured out his Soul he poured out his life a Sacrifice or Offering for sin a Sacrifice unto the Father and in it tasted death for every man and that it is upon consideration and through Gods acceptance of this Sacrifice for sin that the sins of Believers are pardoned that God might be just and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus or who is of the Faith of Jesus Is this common Flesh and Blood can this be affirmed of common Flesh and Blood ought not he to have considered this and other passages in my Book of the same tendency and not thus have reproached me and misrepresented me to the world Is this a Christian Spirit or according to the Law or Prophets or Christs Doctrine Doth he herein do as he would be done by O that he had an heart to consider it I might also except against those words Humane Nature which he twice putteth in being not my words nor indeed my sense for by humane Nature as I judge is understood more than the body whereas I by the word Vail intended no more than the Flesh or outward body which in Scripture is expresly so called Heb. 10.20 through the Vail that is to say his Flesh Secondly I cannot but take notice of this That he hath not cited the place page or pages nay not so much as named the Book where those words or sayings which he attributeth to me are written whereby any persons that were not willing to take things upon bare Report especially in so deep charges reflecting not only upon one person but an whole people might consult the place and see whether they were my words or no and whether the queries I did put indeed to the hearts of people had any such drift or no and might compare the words if they were mine both with what went before and also followed after and with what was said in several other places of the Book which speak of Christ's Flesh and Blood as of no common thing but as that which God made use of toward the Redemption of Mankind Thirdly The drift of all those Queries in that Book was not to vilifie the Flesh and Blood of Christ by representing it as a common or useless thing but to bring people from sticking in the outward to a sense of the inward mystery without which inward sense and feeling the magnifying and crying up the outward doth not avail Indeed at that time I was in a great exercise concerning Professors Love was deeply working in my heart and I was in a very tender frame of Spirit towards them as any may perceive who in the fear of God and in meekness of Spirit shall read that Book It is Entituled A question to the Professors of Christianity whether they have the true living powerful saving knowledge of Christ or no c. And in this tender frame in the midst of my crying to God for them those Queries from a true sense and understanding sprang up in my heart even to necessitate them if possible to some sense of the mystery which there is an absolute necessity of unto true Christianity and Salvation This was the very intent of my heart in the several Queries which generally speak of one and the same thing under several Metaphors and Figures And that this was my intent these words following in the second page of my Preface to that Book do plainly express the words are these Now to draw mens minds to a sense of truth to a sense of that which is the thing that they might know the Bread indeed that they might know the living waters come to them and drink thereof and find Christ in them a Well of water springing up to eternal life therefore was it in my heart to give forth this Question and the ensuing Queries which he that rightly answers must know the thing and he that doth not know the thing by his inability to answer may find that he doth not and so may wait upon God that he may receive the knowledge of it and come to it for the eternal life which it freely giveth And that I did mean the mystery when I speak of Bread Water the Vine the live-coal from the Altar the leaves of the Tree of life the
putting on Christ the Flesh and Blood of Christ c. is very plain to him that reads singly But to make it manifest particularly concerning the Flesh and Blood of Christ I shall recite one Query it is the 33. Query page 29. The Query is thus Is not the true Church Flesh of Christs Flesh and Bone of his Bone Is not the false or Antichristian Church Flesh of Antichrists Flesh and Bone of Antichrists Bone What is the Flesh of the spiritual Whore which is to be stripped naked and burnt with fire Shall ever the Church which is of Christs Flesh be stripped naked and burnt with fire Nay doth not his Flesh make able to abide the devouring fire and to dwell with the everlasting burnings Can this possibly be understood of outward Flesh and Bone is it not manifestly intended of Flesh and Bone in the Mystery yea that I did relate to the Mystery in that very Query out of which he takes the four first words and no more is very manifest by the following words of the same Query It is the 17. Query page 25. The Query runs thus Can outward Blood cleanse the Conscience ye that are spiritual consider can outward water wash the Soul clean ye that have ever felt the Blood of sprinkling from the Lord upon your Consciences and your Consciences cleansed thereby did ye ever feel it to be outward It is one thing what a man apprehends in the way of notion from the letter concerning the things of God and another thing what a man feels in spirit Is it not manifest by the express words themselves that I spake of the inward feeling of the Blood in the mystery Fourthly This Query Can outward Blood cleanse the Conscience c. doth not necessarily nor indeed at all infer that the Blood of Christ as to the outward was but a common thing or useless If I had been to answer this Query my self he doth not know what my answer would have been It was put to Professors to answer inwardly in their hearts who I did believe upon serious consideration could not but confess in way of answer thereto that outward Blood it self or of it self could not cleanse and purge away the filth that was inward but that must be done by that which is inward living and spiritual Then hereby they had been brought to see the necessity of the mystery the spirit the power the life of the Son to be inwardly revealed in them and then had I obtained my end Nor was I their enemy in desiring or aiming at this for them or in setting Queries before them which to my eye as in the sight of God seemed proper and conducible in themselves however they might fail as to them towards the obtaining of this end And if they could once come to this to own the Flesh and Blood in the mystery and so come to partake of its cleansing and nourishing vertue and not fix and appropriate that to the outward which chiefly belongs to the mystery I say if they could but go thus far with me in owning the inward life and power in the sensible feeling and operation thereof I could meet them a great way in speaking glorious things of and attributing a cleansing or washing vertue to the outward in and through and with the inward For I do not separate the inward and outward in my own mind but the Lord opened my heart and taught me thus to distinguish according to the Scriptures in love to them and for their sakes For that was not my intent to deny the outward or make it appear as a common or useless thing There was never such a sense in my heart nor was ever word written or spoken by me to that end which to make more manifest I shall now plainly open my heart how it hath been and is still with me in this respect since it pleased the God and Father of mercies to reveal the mystery of himself and of his Son in me In the first place I freely confess that I do own and acknowledge as in Gods sight Our Lord Iesus Christ his Flesh Blood in the mystery The Apostle Paul speaks of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ Colos 2.2 The Son was revealed in him Gal. 1.16 and so he knew the mystery of Christ and Preached the mystery of Christ Colos 4.3 He was made an able Minister of the new Covenant not of the Letter but of the Spirit or mystery and so he Preached the wisdom of God in the mystery or Spirit 1 Cor. 2.7 2 Cor. 3.6 Colos 1.25 26 27. and he had great conflict to bring people to the rich knowledge and acknowledgement of the mystery Chap. 2.1 2. He was sent to turn men from darkness from the power of Satan which is a mystery and works in mens hearts in a mystery to the light to the Spirit and power of God which is a mystery also and remission of sins is received in and through this mystery Act. 26.18 And I desire every serious and tender heart to consider whether this knowledge of Christ in the mystery was not that which he called the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ his Lord Phil. 3.8 Certain I am that the knowledge of God and Christ in the mystery is the most excellent knowledge and no less then life eternal inwardly revealed and felt from God in the heart And here no legal righteousness no self-righteousness can stand but the vertue and power of Christs Death and Resurrection inwardly revealed and felt in the mystery subdues and destroyes it all Indeed self-righteousness may be given up in way of notion or seemingly destroyed as to mens apprehensions without the revealing or working of the mystery but it cannot be destroyed in reallity but where this is felt But where the mystery is known is received and throughly works self-righteousness can have no place there Now the Apostle who was acquainted with the mystery of Christ he speaks of his Body Flesh and Bones in the mystery Eph. 5.30 And if there be Flesh and Bones in the mystery is there not also Blood in the mystery yea the Apostle John speaks of Spirit Water and Blood 1 John 5.8 Now consider seriously are all these of one and the same nature or are they of a different nature the Spirit of one nature the Water and Blood of another nature Blessed be the Lord the birth which is born of the Spirit and is spiritual knoweth the nature of the spirit which begat it and knoweth water which is inward and heavenly and blood which is not at all of an inferiour nature to it And Jesus Christ our Lord and Teacher speaketh of Flesh which came down from Heaven which Flesh is the Bread of life which he that lives feeds upon and none can feed upon but they that live And by this it is manifest to all to whom God hath given understanding in the mystery that his Flesh and Blood in the
mystery is intended by him in that he saith He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him John 6.56 This dwelling in each other is an effect of the mystery and is witnessed by none that know not the mystery And to this effect Christ himself expresly expoundeth it ver 63. It is the spirit that quickneth the Flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak to you they are spirit and they are life As if he had said I am speaking of the Souls food I am speaking of the Heavenly bread I am speaking of spirit and life I am speaking of the mystery which ye look upon and understand as outwardly intended by me and so miss of the mystery of the spirit wherein is the quickning vertue and look only at the outward Body or Flesh which without the spirit profiteth not nor ever can profit any man Secondly I confess further that I have the sense experience and knowledge of this also that in the mystery is the quickning vertue the cleansing vertue the nourishing vertue unto life eternal The spirit the water the blood inwardly sprinkled inwardly poured by God upon the Soul inwardly felt and drunk in by the thirsty earth do cleanse do feed do nourish do refresh Doth not God promise to sprinkle clean water upon his Israel in the new Covenant and they shall be clean and to pour water on him that is thirsty and Floods upon the dry grounds is it not by the spirit of judgment and burning that God washeth away the filth of the Daughter of Sion c. Esay 4.4 Doth not the live coal from the Altar purifie and take away the iniquity Esa 6. O read inwardly O wait to be taught of God to read inwardly that ye may know what these things mean Why should ye quarrel at the precious and tender openings of truth in love to your Souls Thirdly I have likewise this sense and have also had this knowledge and experience that the outward without this cannot avail A man is not cleansed by notions or apprehensions concerning the thing but by the thing it self Let a man believe what he can concerning the blood of Christ and apply to himself what promises he can yet this will not do O how grievously do men mistake herein but he must feel somewhat from God somewhat of the new Creation in Christ Jesus somewhat of his light shining from him the Son into the heart somewhat of his life somewhat of his power working against the darkness and power of the enemy in him Now a man being turned to this joyned to this gathered to this standard of the Lord translated in some degree out of himself into this here somewhat of the mystery is revealed and found working in him and so far he is of God and hath some true sense and some true understanding from him And here also he hath right to Christs Flesh and Blood in the outward and to all the benefits and precious effects that come thereby For by owning the mystery and receiving the mystery we are not taught of God to deny any thing of the outward Flesh and Blood or of his obedience and sufferings in the Flesh but rather are taught and enabled there rightly to understand it and to reap the benefits and precious fruits of it Fourthly The Lord hath shewn me this also very manifestly and clearly That in former times in this Nation as well as elsewhere before Professors ran so into heaps I mean into several wayes and forms of Church fellowship so called they had more inward sense of the Mystery than now they have and were a great deal more tender both unto the Lord and one towards another than now they are For then grace in the heart and the inward feeling was the thing that was most minded among the stricter sort They did not mind so much bare reading or hearing or praying or any outward observation whatsoever as what they felt therein Let men have spoken never so many glorious words concerning the things of God yet if they had not been spoken warmly and freshly by him that spoke them there was little satisfaction to the Soul that hungred after that which was living but rather an inward grief and dissatisfaction felt So that in that day there was an inward sense of the mystery though not a distinct knowledge of it which was pretious in the eye of God and very savoury inwardly in the heart But now in so long time by looking so much outward and beating their brains and disputing about the outward many have very much if not wholly lost the sense of the inward and are found contending for the outward against the very appearance and manifestation of the inward and so are in danger of being hardned and sealed up in that which is dead and litteral out of the limits of that which is living and spiritual It is a dreadful thing to fight against the living God and his living appearance in the hearts of those whom he chuseth in any Age or Generation The Lord hath been pleased to bring us a poor despised remnant back to that which first gave us life in the dayes of our former profession O that ye were brought thither also that that might remove the vail hardness darkness and deep prejudices from you which can never be removed while ye stick in litteral apprehensions without the light and teachings of Gods spirit Now as touching the outward which ye say we deny because of our testimony to the inward I have frequently given a most solemn testimony thereto and God knoweth it to be the truth of my heart and that the testifying to the inward from which the outward came doth not make the outward void but rather establish it in its place and service God himself who knew what vertue was in the inward yet hath pleased to make use of the outward and who may contradict or slight his wisdom and Council therein Glorious was the appearance and manifestation of his Son in Flesh pretious his subjection and holy obedience to his Father his giving himself up to death for sinners was of great esteem in his eye It was a spotless Sacrifice of great value and effectual for the Remission of sins and I do acknowledge humbly unto the Lord the Remission of my sins thereby and bless the Lord for it even for giving up his Son to death for us all and giving all that believe in his name and power to partake of Remission through him And seeing it is thus with me seeing the Root of the matter is in me O how can any man that hopes to be redeemed by my Lord and Saviour reproach me for speaking of the mystery without the least Derogation to the outward or what was done by him in the outward But if I should speak vehemently concerning mens neglecting the mystery and setting up that which is outward instead of it and without it I should not be condemned but
justified of the Lord in so doing Indeed there is a great and weighty charge from Gods spirit upon the Professors of this age for departing from the inward I mean that sweet sense which in some measure God gave them in former times of the inward and magnifying and striving to establish that which they apprehend concerning the outward without it and against it O that it were otherwise with them that God may not have this charge to manage against them when at the great day they are to appear before him and be judged by him When all that have slighted or spoken contemptuously of his Sons appearance in Flesh and have not come to a sense thereof and Repentance for it shall be condemned and they that have slighted or spoken contemptuously of his appearance in spirit shall not be justified which appearance is now made manifest in the hearts of many blessed be the Lord for it O what cryes have been in my heart many years concerning you O ye Professors of all sorts who have had any tenderness towards the Lord that ye might see and know the Lords Christ and confess him in spirit in the Mystery even in his inward appearance in the heart and might feel his redeeming power and vertue there and so be brought into Union and Fellowship with him The Conclusion of this Part. THere is a pretious promise of Gods making a Feast of fat things on his holy Mountain and of destroying there the face of the covering cast over all people and the vail that is spread over all Nations Esa 25.6 7. Now what is this Mountain was there not a Mount-Sion under the Law which was figurative And is there not a Mount Sion under the Gospel which is the substance of that figure And did not the Christians in the Apostles dayes who were called of God and sanctified come to this Mount-Sion and to the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem where they had fellowship with God the judge of all and with Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant c. Heb. 12.22 24. And was not the vail here done away in him who was their Lord their light their life their strength their Son of Righteousness their bright and morning Star so that with open face they could behold the glory of the Lord and were changed thereby into his Heavenly Image from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3.18 But alas how hath that life spirit and power been lost since the dayes of the Apostles Men have still owned the Apostles words and formed many notions and apprehensions out of the Letter but lost the Apostles spirit lost the knowledge of the holy Mountain where the vail is taken away and where the Feast of fat things is made and so are only dreaming about eating and drinking spiritually but know not what it is to feed on the living substance And so being ignorant of that the vail is over their hearts while they read the Prophets words and Christs and his Apostles words and the mystery of life and of the redeeming power is hid from their eyes and that which God intended to them for a Table is become their snare as it was with the Jews and their back is so bowed down under the loads and burthens of the Enemy that they cannot so much as hope or believe in the power of life for Redemption there-from but conclude it must necessarily be so with them all their dayes O where 's the faith that gives victory over the Enemys Where 's the ability in the faith so to resist him as to make him fly Where 's Satans falling like lightning oh his strength before the power of the Lord is but a flash and the God of peace his treading him under the feet of his Saints O where 's that truth or that knowledge of the Son which makes free from him Joh. 8.32 36. Where 's that spirit wherein liberty from his power and snares is felt 2 Cor. 3.17 Where 's living in the spirit and walking in the spirit and in the pure light of the Lord when he cannot come Where 's reading of the Scriptures in that which gives to witness them and which fulfils them in the heart O the mystery of godliness the power of godliness where the life is revealed and the vail taken away and an understanding given opened and kept open to read and understand the Scriptures aright yea and the hidden glory also Where it cannot be said in truth to those that are there ye know not the Scriptures nor the power of God but ye have received power to become Sons of God and ye are in him that is true who truly opens the Scriptures in your hearts and gives you the enjoyment inheritance and possession of the pretious promises whereby ye are made partakers of the Divine nature and live in him who is the head and spring of that nature O that people that profess Christ were here O that they did know him who begets and then they would not be so ignorant of those that are begotten by him but would come into the true faith into the true love into the true knowledge and obedience of him whom God hath appointed to guide and govern and build up the whole living body The Lord guide men inwardly thither where the mystery is revealed and the fellowship with God and his Son and Saints held in the Mystery for our fellowship is not in a notional knowledge concerning Christ but in the life it self which the Lord God gather his people more and more into and build them more and more up in Amen A brief ACCOUNT Concerning the People called QUAKERS in reference both to Principle and Doctrine We are a People of God's gathering who many of us had long waited for his appearance and had undergone great Distress for want thereof Q. BVt some may say what appearance of the Great God and Saviour did ye want Answ We wanted the presence and power of his spirit to be inwardly manifested in our spirits We had as I may say what we could gather from the Letter and indeavoured to practise what we could read in the Letter but we wanted the power from on high we wanted life we wanted the presence and fellowship of our beloved we wanted the knowledge of the Heavenly Seed and Kingdom and an entrance into it and the holy Dominion and Reign of the Lord of life over the Flesh over sin and death in us Quest How did God appear to you Answ The Son of Righteousness did arise in us the day-spring from on high the Morning Star did visit us insomuch that we did as really see and feel the light and brightness of the inward day in our spirits as ever we felt the darkness of the inward night Quest How did God gather you Answ By the voice of his Son by the Arm of his Son by the vertue of his Sons light and life inwardly revealed and working in our hearts This loosed us inwardly from
are builders and many are built up very high in Religion in a way of notion and practise without acquaintance with the Rock of Ages without the true knowledge and understanding of the foundation and corner-Stone My meaning is they have a notion of Christ to be the Rock a notion of him to be the foundation-stone but never come livingly to feel him the Rock to feel him the foundation-stone inwardly laid in their hearts and themselves made living stones in him and built upon him the main and fundamental stone Where is this to be felt but within And they that feel this within do they not feel Christ within And can any that feel him within deny him to be within the strength of life the hope of glory Well it is true once again spiritually now as well as formerly literally The stone which the builders refused Christ within the builders of this age refuse is become the head of the Corner who knits together his sanctified body his living body the Church in this our day more gloriously than in former Ages and Generations blessed be the name of our God Fourthly The mystery the hidden life the appearance of Christ in spirit comprehends the other and the other is not lost or denyed but found in it and there discerned and acknowledged more clearly and abundantly It was to be after it and comprehends that which went before it Paul did not lose any thing of the excellent knowledge of Christ when he said Hence forth know we no more after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth know we him no more If he did not know Christ after the flesh how did he know him Why as the Father inwardly revealed him He knew him in his spirit and power He knew his death inwardly he knew his Resurrection inwardly he knew the spirit the vertue the life the power of it inwardly He knew the thing in the mystery in his own heart O pretious knowledge O the excellency of this knowledge of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ what is the outwardly most exact litteral knowledge without this But what then do I now deny or slight the outward No I have it here and I have the inward feeling of the spirit of life how it dwelt in him how it wrought in him and of what wonderful value all his actions and obedience were in and through the vertue of this spirit Was Abrahams offering his Son so pretious in Gods eye O then what is this Never was such a body so sanctified so prepared never such a Sacrifice offered O the infinite worth and value of it For by the inward life and teachings of Gods spirit am I taught and made able to value that glorious outward appearance and manifestation of the life and power of God in that Heavenly flesh as in my heart I have often called it for the life so dwelt in it that it was even one with it Yet still it was a vail and the mystery was the thing and the eye of life looks through the vail into the mystery and passes through it as I may say as to the outward that it may behold its glory in the inward And here the flesh of Christ the vail is not lost but is found and known in its glory in the inward Be not offended at me O tender hearted Reader for I write in love things true according to the inward feeling and demonstration of Gods spirit though not easie perhaps to be understood at present by thee but in due time the Lord can make them manifest to thee if thou in uprightness and tenderness of heart and in the silence of the fleshly part wait upon him A few WORDS Concerning the way of PEACE The way of Peace they have not known Rom. 3.17 THere is a way of Peace of true Peace with God who is an Adversary to all that is unholy and unrighteous Those who have been unholy and unrighteous who have been awakened troubled and could find no rest but the severe and righteous judgments and wrath of the Lord lying upon their Spirits night and day having at length had their ears opened by him and being led by him out of the unholy and unrighteous way into the holy and righteous way have felt both Life and Peace therein Now there are two sorts which the Apostle here mentions or two states which the Apostle here speaks of which have not known nor can know the way of Peace with God who is an Adversary to them both and will one day speak trouble to them both when their Souls and Consciences come to be searched and judged by him The one is the Prophane or Gentile-state which is without the sense of God not heeding any appearance of his or any inward voice of his Spirit or the writing of his Law upon their heart These never knew the way wherein the heart is inwardly and spiritually circumcised and renewed sin forgiven and Peace obtained The other is the professing or outward Jewes-state who may study the Letter and apply themselves to conform outwardly to the Letter but never were acquainted with the inward spirit and power These greatly differ from the Gentile or Prophane-state both in outward appearance and in their own eye but are the same in the ground with the Gentiles and know no more of the way of Peace than the other do Quest But what is the way of Peace which neither the Prophane nor any sort of Professors out of the life and power ever knew or can know Answ It is an inward way away for the inward Jews for the inwardly renewed and circumcised to walk in It is an holy or sanctified way for the sanctified ones to walk in It is a living way which none but the living can find It is a new way which none but those to whom God hath given the new eye can see It is a way that God prepares and casts up and leads mens spirits into who hearken unto him and guides the feet of his Saints in It is a strait and narrow way which no lust of the flesh nor wisdom of the flesh can find out or enter into O how little how low how poor how empty how naked must he be that enters into this way and walks therein Many may seek after it and may think to find it and walk in it but few shall be able as our Lord Christ said Here circumcision outward avails not here want of that circumcision hinders not here bodily exercise profits little The new Creature is all here the cross of Christ is all here the power of God is all here and he that walks according to this rule Peace is upon him and the whole Israel of God But he that knows not this rule nor walks according to this rule Peace is not upon him nor is he one of the inward Israel of God who receive power to become Sons who receive the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus