zeal in persecuting the Church Act. 22. 3. and out of conceit he did God good service Rested satisfied We know the Scribes and Pharisees who were the most Zealous for Sabbaths and prayer and other points of Worship yet they make it their Rest but come to our daies and see if we swarme not of the same only seeming professors of God who are very Zealous for the same things and from their very Zeal are made to Rest with high thoughts of their condition But how far this zeal which is most commonly led with more affection then Judgement will bring man into a form of Truth First It will leade man into a whole conformity to what it doth conceive to be truth that it shall according to what it hath serve God in all good conscience Acts 23. 1. and according to the Law to be unblamable and untaxable Then his conversation shall bee very strict in the observation of what the Law requires and hee shall act the same with much vehemency of spirit taking all opportunities for the doing of the same Secondly It will carry the soule on to suffer cheerfully what he may meet withall in this very particular Thirdly he may by Zeal afflict his body sore 1 Co. 13. 3. with fasting and mourning under pretence the one to honour and obey God the other for dishonour brought to God So as he may be almost spent in body and spirit and estate in prosecuting the things of God according to his light Farther hee may out of Zeal come to Gospel precepts and may be Zealous for that light in externall formes which is there required to be obeyed so as he may gather Churches and may suffer much in the conforming to and practising with so much vehemency the Ordinances coÌ„monly practised by the Churches in the Apostles and our daies so as his Zeal may lead him out to teaching and helping forward that worke studying night and day to finde out matter to furnish himselfe for edification so as for paines in the Churches and for Zeal to observe the severity of those formes and any thing required to bee practised in the said Churches so as now it will have communâ—on in Ordinances with none but those of his own stamp judgement being mightily carried forth to judge and pity those who are opposers of that light Now this soul through Zeal may goe thus farre yea to act up to the highest things the Scriptures doe require in matters of visible practise and yet be not at all taught in the Spirit neither got into the life and power of what he doth professe but meerly zealous for shadowes and wants the power so as he is commanded by the form and not the forme by the power dwelling within him Now grant farther That such a soule did act in truth according to this dispensation yet notwithstanding in this particular there were no cause of Rest for nothing visibly seen flowing from the Creature ought to be its Rest but some invisible flowings into the Creature which is being and substance from which and unto which a Soule through Zeale for God acts Also a Creature thus zealous Rests not at home but reformes abroad also beginning with his own family and so goes abroad to others and labours for a reformation and practises the same with much Zeal so as he can not endure the visible appearance of any sinne in himself or others He may help with much Zeal the purging of Cities and Nations of drunkennesse or swearing or any open prophanesse he may be for punishing of evil doers in this particular with much severity and seeming to be much troubled at the neglect of it he may rejoyce much in this practise and may help forward this work in a Nation very much and yet this no Rest at all also he may be zealous yea mad of Zeale for the worship of his God in reference unto others not only taking all opportunities to inform them in the same but using all Coercive powers for confirming them thereunto so as he may be an instrument to bring families and most part of Cities into this outward conformity to the matters of worship and here hee lookes upon an action done of great moment and weight and partly makes this an evidence of his true enjoyment of God by Reason of his zeale for God and the effect thereby produced which is the good of many Now the cause of a Souls thus Resting partly flowes from want of the information in judgement of the great deceite of the heart in putting man by zeal upon such publique actions and then to cause it to Rest and further it conceiving it's Zeale for God and from a principle of God not being acquainted with a Pharisaicall Zeale to be seâ—n of men or to get a name amongst men or that Zeal which men have but not according to knowledge or the Zeale Paul had before conversion which excels both for vehemency and downrightnesse is the Zeal of many a Professor who are at Rest in our daies Now a poor Creature because he is made to suffer freely and to hazard life and liberty in the prosecution of his Zeale he is much puffed up under these considerations 1. That now this is a suffering with and for Christ and therefore he shall reign with him and enjoy much from him 2. That this is a parting with all for Christ and a great point of self-deniall and so an evidence of a disciple of Christ when indeed the Soule is in himselfe and hath not at all attained that estate to forsake himselfe Therefore let every heart though never so Zealous for God take notice that his heart may deceive him in his Zeale and his affection may blinde his judgement and so it proves blinde zeale Or Secondly Consider that though it be such Zeale as is good and to be approved of in it's dispensation yet not at all to be Rested upon nor to be an evidence of any true enjoyment of God though he pretend God in the fore-front as Jehu did The fifth false Rest THe next Rest of a Soule though I might not have spoken of it because I have partly given it forth yet that things may be the more opened it s the Creatures Righteousnesse or sanctification and outward holinesse wherein both in carriage and words he doth most sweetly in probability savour of high enjoyments of God This is to be a testimony of the same to others though not to himselfe yet notwithstanding his Rest is to him a high evidence of the true and reall possessings of God when alas it is continually a vanishing Rest and evidence and when the Creature stands in need of it it is taking its wings and flying away and proves a miserable comforter in the saddest straits of a Soule But first Let us consider that true holinesse of a person made manifest in actions flowes from the justification of a Soule made manifest in the Spirit so that the truest holinesse or outward sanctification
Kingdome after death or any thing here I have inserted to be false Rests But that I aime at is to set all things in its proper place and to bring soules to see the true Center that they may not misse the one thing necessary while they are acting beyond their line in which actings themselves may become cast-awayes and that men may know That neither Scriptures or Christ in the flesh Oridnances or Members of Churches or the Kingdome after death or the form of Words in the Letter or Promises is the Rest of Saints But He who is the summe and substance of all viz. Christ in the Spirit Coming in us to be Life Glory Light and Happinesse to us and so an hope of glory in us This is the Rest of Saints But Christian Reader God now in these daies is discovering the false Coverings of creatures and so stripping them naked God is bringing men to see this great Mystery of self in all its glory Hee is annihilating Creatures and bringing them to a spirituall death He is laying low mountains and un-bottoming and un-resting Creatures Mens lofty looks He is abasing yea He is bringing men who have been Stars and something in their own and others eyes even to a losse and silence confusion and darknesse That now their light is darknesse their wisdome folly their life death their enlargements and self-actings hedged up and they cannot finde out any of their former Paths so that now they are made to waite in silence as well as the Author of this Book was forced to do and it may be the Wisdome of God that this particular shall be an instrument of good as well in this as it hath been before iâ— came in this publique view to many soules in another manner and method so that I shall leave them to receive at thy hands what Censure the Wisdome of God pleaseth to cause or permit wishing thy exceeding happinesse in the Spirit Thine in Truth Revealed R. W. Severall Rests of Creatures Discovered and laid open below the Comming of Christ in the Spirit who is the alone Rest of Saints THE first Rest which we shall speak of is Civility or a common restraint of the Creature from the committing of grosse evils looked upon by the party to be Reformation This condition or dispensation speaks deceiveable Peace to many a spirit upon the which seeming good which pretends to follow this state the creature resteth and is satisfied But the reason thereof partly flowes from these following grounds 1. From comparing himself with others that is looking upon the grosnesse of mens actions abroad in the World as namely swearing and drunkennesse and the height of all prophanes many spirits live in where they are in the same condion Drinking up iniquity as if they were drinking up water and in these particulars hee being restrained and more civillized then these he blesseth himself in his present condition and Rests satisfied with it as though in it he did enjoy much of God 2. It flowes from comparing his condition present with what it was The more grosser his condition was before the higher it works him into conceit with the happines of its present condition Thus not seeing the purity of God and the deceitfulnes of its own spirit within he comparing himself with himself is deceived and so rests satisfied 3. It flowes from the consideration of the greatnes of love hee had before being restrained to those grosse evils he is restrained from together with the greatnes of the power which he cals the divine power of God which thus restraines him and thus he reasons If God did not highly love me I should never have received such a power from him as to shake off and not only so but to haâ—e and obhorre those grosse sinnes I so decrly loved both in my self and others and now the very practise of them being as he conceives hated by him ads weight to his thus reasoning out the Love of God Another thing which ads weight is his often praying against such particular sins as yet remaines unsubdued and afterwards these being subdued he looks upon acceptance with God in this being he lookes upon it as an answer of prayer and so in the same he reasons out love in this condition 4. It flowes from the seeming sorrow which ariseth continually upon the view of his former condition which workes a seeming repentance and reformation and from the sorrow he hath for his former condition now having a work of Reformation he Rests under the notion of happinesse yet not all this time brought home to see the grosnesse of his heart within but meerly washing the outside Luke 11. 39. and being a whited wall glorious without it is all he looks for or seeks after But Satan and mans heart will suffer the creature to act so farre and propound such waies to himself as in the same to bring the soul into a state of security where it may rest under the consideration of being happy and not without some visible ground apparent both to the creature thus deceived and the World who are not spirituall discoverers But alas what is it for any to be instruments to pull down or to be restrainers from Idolatry without when indeed there is remaining the cause of all Idolatry of spirit within To be outwardly drunk no more and yet to be drunk with the high conceipts of himself which is neither with wine nor strong drink its worse for a man to have the branches broken down before the root be pulled up for a man to be seemingly a Saint a devil within in this estate there is no sure Rest but thus it is most commonly with men they conclude they are happy if they have but the least appearance of it in a visible restraining of them from grosse evils and in this they appear to themselves and others men reformed and so new creatures when indeed they are still in their blood though they have escaped the common pollutions of the World through a generall knowledge of Christ which is no sure cause of Rest until there be a particular knowledge of him by which the creature is cleansed from all pollutions both of flesh and spirit which makes the heart upright before God from this inward knowledge of God which carries up the spirit of a spirituall man into God where he comes to be truly centred up in God so that the heart and Satan being deceitfull as to suffer the creature to escape the common pollutions of the World so that it may but there keep the Creature And seeing in this estate of darknesse none can truly judge of its condition aright untill the true light come in which makes all things manifest Then it behooves souls in this estate though to themselves never so seemingly glorious not to Rest satisfied with or content it self in it as though it did enjoy God in the same manifested but to wait for a higher dispensation and then the truth
transformed into another likenesse the cause yet remaining which of the two consider the effects that follow as namely Security or lukewarmnes or fulnesse and self conceitednesse and so false Restings are of as dangerous a consequence as the other Thirdly Humility is by resembling of such property of words and actions in an other as is most lovely in the eyes of himselfe and others and here lies a sad dâ—ceit when men doe only resemble the words or carriages of another which it may be in that party flowes from a principle or power of God in him and by a resembling of him and getting into his form think their condition is the happier and so glory in it more then before so that though his Humility flow from a divine work in him yet the others is but shaped out of what is expressed by or from him and here lies much danger especially if man Rest in the same The fourth way whereby humility comes most commonly to be attained And the way indeed is from the enjoyment of God thereby man comes not only to have the effects or branches cut off but the cause or root of the same taken away So as now man hath it not in the form or shape but in power and substance and now man is truly what he seems to be but not before whereby as the Creature is humbled so God is exalted and this is the Creatures joy though not hiâ— Rest wholly This humility now is the effect of Goâ— enjoyed whereby man is made to partake of Gods nature and this nature breaks out into these particulaâ— effects but now this very effect of humility though iâ— be from the enjoyment of God yet it is not the Reâ—â— of a Saint but the cause which is God The next part is the gift of Utterance which is thâ— many have that knows not God and many have noâ— which sweetly enjoy him So that man who is freeâ— carried forth to utter or make known any thing hâ— conceives is truth yet there is neither cause of trusting to it or Resting in it neither is there cause why a Soul should the more glory in the enjoyment of it â— be troubled in the want of it The last part or Gift we shall speak of is Memory This part of Memory is that which doth most sweetâ— adorn man in the visible making of it forth and â— makes man much adored for it It is 1. Away to grow very profitable in respect of him that hath it and beneficiall to them for whom he imployes it as namely In that dispensation of hearing after which the party which enjoyes this Part is able to repeat or declare almost verbatim what he hath heard this makes him very profitable in what he hears in respect of gathering knowledge and beneficiall to others from the improvement of the same This is the reason why two Ministers so professing of themselves studying their matter the one brings it in a peece of paper and the other in the same method or forme though in his understanding because the one excels the other in this Part of Memory and this makes the one more esteemed then the other and the one to appear more weake then the other But alas though all these were in one man in a higher strain then I have declared yet they all were but a poor Rest or cause of joy or contentment to any heart and truly when God appears so as to manifest himself the Soul shall see the weaknesse and folly of his spirit to be satisfied in the whole not to be any cause of Rest though they were dispensations of God and were freely given by God For all these may be in a very hipocrite or in a meer naturall man First of all to conclude this Rest 1. It is an abuse of a Gift and an affront put upon the Giver to make it either cause of Rest or an evidence of a true enjoyment of God 2. That Soul most commonly who is not led in the Spirit either to behold God or enjoy him to be the Rests of spirits is most usuall and it can hardly be prevented to Rest upon such Rests as we have declared but consider that must be â—he Rest of any who fees or enjoyes not one manifested to him to be above it Man must have some Rest either true or false But that must be the safe Rest the which no hipocrite doth attainâ— nor can enjoy which is God manifested in the Spirit further why should any man place his Rest upon any thing which will come to nothing or is given to change Or why should we make that the ground of our happinesse which is but a tallent given to be improved which may be taken away at the Owners pleasure being given onely to bee improved and then mans Rest and peace ceaseth and in this particular doth the folly of mans heart appeare in abusing the end of every dispensation as of this of Parts As First The abuse of Parts lyes in the boasting and glorying in the gift and not in him who gives it And also in this to make them his Rest 2. For a man so to glory in them as to make a gaine of them and prove them for to get honour and preferment and glory in the world This I fear was partly the end of Simon Magus in defiring the gifts of God Alas all gifts are empty without God be manifested in them and poore contentment do they afford to him that Rests in them And here men are setting them in Gods place and labouring to dispossesse God who is or ought to be the satisfaction of the heart And this is another abuse of Parts A world of deceit lyes in mans heart about gifâ—s or parts if abused First They will not make forth themselves unlesse it be where they be honoured or else they labour for the same by the improvement of them being the most free where it 's the most applauded and the most straitened and weary of that place where it is not adored and exalted and set up above the proper station of the creature being much cheered when exalted and much cast downe when rejected or at least not so applauded as he requires or expects here is man much abusing Parts and setting them in Gods stead in the which man shall be brought to a losse when God doth manifest himself in that heart The fourth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is Zeal for the truth Zeal in the matters of God is that which the most gothrough before the manifestations of God yet though it be good in its place and a dispensation to be owned yet it is but a deceitfull Rest We know the cry of him in the Scripture who was Resting and glorying in his Zeal for God when he cryed come see my Zeal for the Lord of hosts So we know many mens zeal goes before their knowledge of God in the spirit We hear of a zealous Saul who was mad of
secure estate but a low dispensation which wil dissolve in a higher appearance of God Therefore though men both know and beleeve that there was a Christ crucified in the flesh yet let them not Rest untill they know it in Spirit Then shall a man see Christ daily crucified before his eyes First In him Secondly By him Thirdly For him And fourthly Crucifying of him That he shall say with Paul from experience I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Gal. 2. 20. then shall the soule know both what it is to be crucified by or with Christ and also what this Christ is that lives within him which is become life unto him then he shall know it is not flesh but Spirit and life that lives in him neither shall he be satisfied with hearing of his deaâ— at Jerusalem but with experiencing partly the mystery now made manifest in him and so comes to be known by him then shall he say Though I have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know I him no more 2 Cor. 5. 16. Being he knowes him in the new Creation being made to see and discerne in the Spirit and so behold Christ in the vision of God Hab 2. 3. which is so far from being beheld before as a true crucified estate as indeed there is nothing but darknesse and rebellion in the heart to such an estate onely the soule living and rejoycing in some carnall conception of God and Christ and yet the heart is empty of his light and glory and indeed running from the Fountaine to the streames and from the substance to the shadow or figure as I might plainly lay open how all the actions of Christ in the flesh attributed to him are but reall Types and figures and shadowes of either good things to come or to be revealed in soules I cleerly see that sometimes he spake in Mystery and sometimes yea altogether he acted in Mystery as holding forth what he did in his coming in the soul being a more glorious dispensation then that under the Law as the coming of him in the Spirit is from his comming in the flesh so that what miracles and acts transcendently acted by him above all that was made and is experienced by those in the Spirit who enjoy him who discovers all as namely his raising Lazarus and at the marriage turning water into wine and his healing sick and opening eyes and so all passages flowing from him of this nature were buâ— figures still of what he did and would doe in and for soules and so not only in matters of doing but also in matters of sufferings they are reall figures of the same truth substantially experienced in Saints both place persons condemnation Crosse death â—buriall his agony or withdrawing before his grave and resurrection his not ascending immediatly after his death to his Father but afterwards ascended in the fulnesse of time All these in every particular are known in the true and spirituall sense of them by those that have had fellowship with him in his death and Resurrection and so hath passed from death to life and now is risen within and dwels with him in Heaven and so is swallowed up in the God-head and is rose in the Fathers glory and now is filled with the Spirit this time is the time of knowledge and this is wisdomes time wherein he comes to be satisfaction to them and also is justified by them this is the time when they sing nothing but praise and glory to the Lamb who doth not onely deserve to open the Book Rev. 5. 9. and the Seales thereofâ— but hath opened the Book and discover to the soule the Cabinet and storehouse of the glorious Mystery of the Father and Christ into which City of glory and light the soule is made ro enter and Rest and live for ever that now all things are become new Rev. 21. 5. to and with such a soule the very Kingdome of God and the mystery thereof is opened Rev. 10. 7. and now the Tabernacle of God is with man Rev. 21. 3. and now this glorious mystery Christ is manifested in life and power and become the hope of the compleat glory and fulnesse thereof Col. 1. 27. to be made manifest when it is made capable to comprehend it from being comprehended by it and swallowed up in it then shall this heart dote no more upon shadowes or broken Cisterns or figures of good things to come but he shall be gathered up into God and Christ and shall possesse them in the fulnesse of them The ninth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is visible Church communion or the relations under this notion O this I may say is one of the Idols of Israel and I may say as God was a saying once Come and see yea behold what the Children of Israel is doing in the darke O the darknesse of such Soules who Rest in and under such dispensation truly if I should speak the naked truth and nakedly discover every false Rest I never in my own experience did finde more grosser darknesse sease upon my spirit then did sease upon my spirit under this dispensation Secondly Never more false Laodicean security Thirdly Never more pride and self conceitednesse then at that present ready to judge every one that were not in relation in reference to Church communion to be no Saints 2. Looking more at the practise of Ordinances and being members of Churches then at the reall experience of such a soule 3. More longing after the encrease of members then of their living in the Spirit which were members 4. Judging every one if they were but in and under such Relations to be Saints though they had little yea indeed no experience of God at all refusing communion with such being not of my judgement though they knew what communion in the Spirit was and closed yea joyned with those who were ignorant of it because they were Church members This having been mine and still are many mores at thispresent what Church are they of Are they Baptized What judgement are they of Which doth argue both an Idolizing of and Resting upon these poore dispensations of babes and Children It hath been with me and I feare hath been and is still with many more a coldnesse of love to those yea a condemning also because they have or doe not close with us in every particular in matters of Judgement or formes of worship though the parties live in very high enjoyments of God and are passed these childrens and babes dispensations and all this testifies a Resting upon our formes and manner of worship as for instance An Independent so called and an Anabaptist and so many more as the godly Presbyterian and others under divers distinctions of formes how bitter they are one against anothers what a distance they stand one from another witnesse their preaching and printing and in the same their bitternesse Instance their refusall to
to be practised after these two did appear So it is with new Testament formes they have and had their time and yet have when God will and doth appear in them yet it is but untill God appear in a higher dispensation and bring the soul into a higher administration then doe all shadowes and whatsoever is Gospel administration cease to that particular soule in the use of them what they were before I would not be mistaken I doe not say they cease to all and every person whatsoever but to such a soule as is in this dispensation namely he who is caught up with God and carried by God out of the forme God ceasing to appear to that particular soule in that forme the Lamb leading the soul gently out of one dispensation into another untill he be wholly swallowed up with God Secondly Such a soule as can truly say the substance of such a forme is come in the Spirit and enjoyes the same within him for there are some formes and administrations which holdes forth Christ in the Spirit to come now such ceases to be in the use of them at his coming as those old Testament formes did hold forth as we say Christs coming in the flesh which was both the substance of those formes and a more glorious administration of God so it was in the decrease of John and the encrease of this more higher and glorious administration so it shall be in Christ his coming in the Spirit into every soules heart then these formes that Christ appeared in in the flesh shall cease in his coming in the Spirit Now some Gospel formes doe cease to none but to such as have enjoyed the enjoyment of Christ in the Spirit For as Christ led the Apostles from the Tabernacle condition in his transfiguration so he will when he appears transfiguring himselfe in every heart as the Apostles so every heart shall cease to make any forme yea the New Testament formes Tabernacles to dwell in for ever as many makes them now in our daies also there are administrations which hold out Christ already come Which 1. Is not to be practised before 2. It is to be practised after his coming As I shall name one especially It is the administration of Praise which is alone the work of those that are Redeem'd and have the Scales of the vision of God opened and are caught up with God into Heaven to sing songs to Zions God in Zions language by Zions spirit in that holiest of holies which is the place of Zion and those brought into the God-head to sing Praise but now God in this condition is departed from them to this heart not to every one being seen and enjoyed in these formes which doe hold forth his thus coming into the heart now none but those who doe enjoy God in a more glorious dispensation are to cease acting in those dispensations or formes he yet continues his presence to them in for as God did cease and did not appeare in the forms of the old Testament and they were no more to be used after the substance therof was come God appeare in a more glorious administration so will God depart and cease to be seene in new Testament formes or administrations when both the substance of them is come and a higher dispensation do appear leadind the heart out of them to a more glorious and immediate enjoyment of himselfe This is to follow the Lambe whithersoever he goeth This is to hear a voice behinde man saying This is the way walke in it Isaiah 30. 1. And to be led by a pillar of fire Num. 9. 16 17 18. and sometimes by a Cloud to mans spirituall Rest and not to stand in and under one administration all ones daies and to be in one place for ever But to finde God leading daily from one forme into another untill he bring the soule into the perfect enjoyment of him who is the glory and substance of all formes this for the want whereof makes many to make them their Tabernacles and Rest yea their home yea their God peace and happinesse which if they be taken away their God is gone and their peace have taken its wings and flown away this is the reason why many in Church relations have a name they live and yet are dead that is they have a name of Saints and Christians but they want the nature of them they have a profession but want a possession This is the reason why many come to have a burning up in their spirits and are brought to a daily losse they run faster into formes and Church relations then God did leade them therefore in them God leaves them for this reason the expectations of many are frustrated which causeth nothing but death and sorrow when they have longed and prest out after formes and being members of Congregations and the enjoyment of pure Ordinances thinking to finde so much in them and to conceive so much from them and when they come there behold nothing but driness and emptinesse and the want of God and so have suffered losse This is partly the reason of all the rents and breaches in all Churches Congregated and why they cannot stand is because they were not led by God into these formes neither did they see God cleerly go before them but some by affection some by mis-information and some out of zeale so that now very little of God appears either in their coming in continuing with or parting from thus being bound up in formes and living in them and doting too much upon them and rejoycing too much in them and judgeing all that speakes not for them or joynes not with them yea this is the reason why we are devouring one another because we all doe not look for and expect that the glorious appearance of God will leade each man out of his dispensation and forme though never so low to drinke into one Spirit Let him that is so much either bent for formes or wholly against them beware that he doe not so dote upon them as to neglect the Summum bonum the chiefest good and let every heart that is against forms beware of these ensuing things 1. That his living above formes be not a pretence of his own and no true and reall thing for many are mightily deceived in this very particular thing they live so high as they live above all formes and Ordinances in the Spirit when alas they are yet living in a form of knowledge scraped up either from their own industry or else got from hearing others report their experiences or apprehensions and he presently conceiving it to be a truth conceives it to be his truth and so fals off crying out and judging all those that live yet out of conscince in the use of formes not enjoying higher makings forth of God and yet he hath but got a notion of this into his understnading yet is ignorant of living or enjoying God in the Spirit 2. Let them
salvation from some false christ which workes and acts like this Christ yet the Son hath set neither free neither doe they know that alone redemption salvation and liberty which is produced by Christ living or appearing in any heart so that the spirituall Rest of saints is in and upon that salvation liberty and freedome which they have in this Christ who is become this unto them so that all heavy loads and yoaks are removed all oppositions of spiriâ— are taken off and all the wearinesse of spirit removed so that now the spirits are set free and can no more come into bondage but Christ alone is become salvation and liberty to him so that the spirit doth salace it selfe and Rest in him who is become freedome and salvation to him Sixtly Christ the Rest of Saints spiritually known is the wisdome of God in creatures the wisdome of God in Saints is Jesus Christ and there it is said He is made unto us wisdome 1 Cor. 1. 30. So that it is the Wisdome of God which is Christ spiritually known in which Saints Rest Fot if they Rested in the wisdome of the flesh that should be destroyed and so no safe Rest and center for them but the Wisdome of Christ doth unbottome Saints from their own wisdome and establish himselfe even the Wisdome of the God head in the Creature to be a Rest unto the Creature whereas before the Soule and spirit were not a Rest being from its own wisdome plotting and contriving which way to act and what to doe not from the Wisdome of God but from the wisdome of the flesh onely opposing and gain-saying this Wisdome which when the Creature could not bring about what in his owne wisdome he had contrived he must needs be perplexed and so conâ—inue in all trouble but now he is destroyed in that and he is made to Rest upon the Wisdome of God Christ now taking the Creatures place and acting in the stead of the Creature so that the soul is made to walke in and by Wisdome it is that Wisdome which is pute peaceable and undefiled The Wisdome of the flesh is corrupted but this is pure The Wisdome of the flesh hath nothing in it but disquietnesse both to the party in whom it is or in the Kingdome Church or Family where ir is acted and for this reason is occasioned all jarrings and tumults But the Wisdome of God which is Jesus Christ is peaeeable it workes abundance of peace and quietness in the soule Church or Nation where it onely is advanced here is a quiet and peaceable habitation for Saints to Rest and live upon wee see Christ often in Scripture called the Wisdome of God and as 1 Cor. 1. 24. where the Apostle declares Christ in all that are saved to be the Wisdome and power of God though this Wisdome be little esteemed of by the world yet it is highly precious in the esteem of Saints as for instance that of the Proverbs 3. 15. ver where that Wisdome is precious yea more precious then Rubies yea he is expressed to be an un-comparable comparison so that this Wisdome of the eternall Spirit which is Christ in us is desirable and therefore above all things saith the Scriptures Get Wisdome Prov. 4. 5. yea there is a happinesse in the enjoyment of it for it is the principal thing belongs to a Saint Pro. 4. 7. so that Saints are centred up in the Wisdome of God and are wholly delivered up into it to be alone disposed by it so that the spirit lives in sweet quietnesse and Rest the Creature being wholly made nothing in his own Wisdome and the Wisdome of God alone orders all things in him Seventhly That which spiriturlly is called Christ in us is that Peace which is spoken by God to us and received from God by us in which Peace we live and Rest so that Saints are kept in the Peace of God which is Christ to this purpose is the saying in the Eph. 2. 14. For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us Here the Apostle sets forth Christ to be the Peace of the Saints for whatsoever tends to peace in the Creatures spirits that I mean which truly tends to the same is Christ for the soule before he appeares in it is like unto the ship tossed with the waves and tempest before Christ said unto the waves Be still this is that Peace the Apostle desires the Saints may enjoy which was the Peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding Phil. 4. 7. which was of ability to keepe their hearts in the knowledge and love of God now this is that Saints spirituall Christ a Peace which is able to keep them in the love of God and a Peace which passeth the understanding of the Creature that is a Peace which the understanding of man can never finde out or iâ— able to reach under yea all the understanding in the world is never able to finde out such a Peace for the Creature as this is so that he is tearmed the prince of Peace Isa 9. 6. All the acts of Christ in the spirits of Beleevers are Righteousnesse and Peace It is that Peace which the world cannot give and such a Peace it is as they cannot take away When God speaks Châ—ist into a soul which is Peace in which none can cause trouble in such a soul because Christ is become the Peace thereof indeed men may speak Peace and Ordinances may speak Peace and false Gods and Christs may speake Peace after which there may be trouble occasioned But after God speaks Peace there can none cause trouble but the soule lives and is kept in the Peace of God and none can make him afraid therefore the Prophet did utter these sayings He shall be our Peace when the Assyrians comes into our Land This Christ is the Peace of Saints in every condition so that they live in much freedom and joy because the center and rest of their spirits is peace And lastly This Christ is Righteousnesse and holinesse in the Saints or Sanctification this not onely by experience but by Scripture may be proved The Apostle tels the Church of Corinth That Christ of God was made unto them wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. So that Righteousnesse and sanctification Christ was made unto them so that whatsoever is Righteousnesse in the Spirits of Saints is Christ spiritually dwelling in them this is that righteousnesse that the Apostle desired to be found in this is that divine nature which the Saints are made partakers of to wit Christ the Righteousnesse of God This is agreeable to that saying concerning Christ And this is his Name whereby he shall be called THE LORD OVR RIGHTEOVSNESSE Jer. 23. 6. Jer. 33. 16. He shall not only be called so by them but he really shall be made over so by God to them so that the Righteousnesse of God in us