of Hell it prevails against all there is no standing before it no binding it with cords or chains they are like tow and flax before the fire all Delilahs cannot betray it the Flesh may lie in wait and the wiles of Satan to weaken and quench the Spirit but all in vain The Army of the Midianites like grashoppers that lay in our flesh as their camp a world of serpents and lusts are all afraid of the judgment of the Lord The spirit of this Gideon makes them melt away like wax before the Sun SECT III. §. 3 The Sampson and Gideon that is in us THus the upper and the neither springs Jabin and Sisera Deborah and Barak with their triumphant Song and Jael with her hammer and hand Gideon and the Midianites Sampson and the Philistins Israel against Benâ—amin in the Levites behalf are nothing else but the contentions of Flesh And as the Apostle saith well from whence come wars and fightings Come they not from hence even from our lusts that war against the spirit And again are ye not carnal when there are envyings and wrath and evil speaking amongst you when ye admire men and means but say little of the Lord this is a glorying in Flesh and not in the Lord. So here we see it is the Lord our Iudg that must sit upon the Throne and take to him his great power and assemble all the Nations of the earth all flesh together judging it like grass casting it into the oven destroying it by his two edged sword and cause the enemy and the avenger thus to cease by his might alone the Lord our Iudg in us CHAP. VIII The seventh Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is the two first books of KINGS THe book of the Kings is next the Lord goes on thus making us Priests Prophets Iudges and Kings here We are the true anointed ones of the Lord of which all Kings are but shadows having received the power of Kings to command all things subdue all things the great Leviathan himself and to tread them under our feet 2. The Crown of Kings a Crown not only of gold but of grace and glory Christ is our Crown a Crown of twelve Stars of the Lord himself our Crown and Glory 3. The Throne of Kings being exalted above all that are called gods above all Principalities and Powers to the right hand of God having Heaven for our throne and Earth for our footstool 4. The Robes of Kings and the attendants clothed with the Sun guarded with the heavenly Hoste Lastly The spirit of Kings a noble and royal spirit the Spirit of the holy God the King of Kings from whom we are descended So that we cannot but be strong and of a good courage having the unction and anointing upon us giving and making Laws to bring every thing in obedience to the Lord in us SECT II. §. 2 The Kingly Scepter ruling in us HAving also the Scepter of Kings to break the Nations in peeces with a rod of iron and to dash them in peeces like potters vessels but to defend and maintain the subject of the Lord the whole Land and Kingdom of the Lord in all their Laws Liberties Priviledges Charters Grants given under the Hand and Seal of the Almighty King himself That all that live under his Wings lodg in his Boughs or dwell in his Land or inherit his Kingdom may fear any thing for not a hair of their heads shall perish the Lord is their defence by day and night watching over them and caring for them in all things what they shall eat drink be clothed with how kept and preserved by his power unto salvation which is to be remembred in the last day and coming of the Lord which we wait for For his first was to make us Priests under the Law His second to make us Prophets under the Gospel But the third and last is the chiefest and that is to make us Kings to reign with him and to sit upon his Throne and as he is so we to be in him SECT III. §. 3 The outside of the Book opened SO Hannahs prayer and song Samuels call and prophesie Eli's falling backward and dying the Ark of the Lord taken by the Philistines Dagons fall the Ark sent back Israels false gods cast away Israel meet at Morpeth are humbled and subdue the Philistins they will have a King Saul is anointed and prophesieth Samuels integrity Saul spared the best Agag the King David is anointed and Saul rejected David slayeth Goliah that defied the Armies of Israel Jonathan and David love Sauls envy to him hunting him like a Partridg Saul sends for David to play and still his spirit David escapes his hand Nabals cruelty to David Abigals wisdom and marriage to David Saul going to the Witch of Endor shortly falls by his enemies and kills himself c. SECT IV. §. 4 The inside and the Spirit in it opened and revealed there ALL this is now verified in our spirits opened and explained there by the Spirit which pours that prayer signs that song making melody to the Lord in our hearts it is that which calls once twice thrice and ceases not till it be heard and obeyed making us prophesie it is that which keeps us from falling backwards and death leading us forward to life it is that which keeps the Ark of the Lord amongst us which is nothing else but the Lords presence it is the Spirit of the Lord that destroys the Antichristian Philistin in our flesh and his god Dagon dashing them in pieces Gods presence lifted up again upon his people in the Arks returning Israel broken by the Lords Spirit and made weak are then most strong to subdue flesh according as it is written My grace is sufficient for thee and my strength seen in the midst of thy weakness Thus God gives grace to the humble and exalts them above then enemies The fleshly man will have a King and a Kingdom he would fain raign that as sin abounds so grace might much more abound and yet would pretend loyalty to God and would give liberty to conscience and the Spirit but it 's only to murder and not worship like Herod so is this Saul in our flesh seeks Christ to kill him thus the persecuting Saul worships in lips but the heart is far from God sparing Agag the Amalekite offering only the poor and blind not the best keeps that and sacrifices it to its own lust This is the proud King the fleshly Saul that exalts itself and loves sacrifice better then obedience robbing God of all for it self But the Spirit of the Lord our David comes at last to be anointed and appointed to raign in us and over us and now Sauls Kingdom must cease though he may envy persecute hunt to death and crucifie the Lords David and Spirit yet it shall live and raign in the spite of all and all powers and principalities are nothing to it The uncircumcised Philistin the mighty
the blinde eyes opened the deaf ears unstopped the hard heart mollified the lame to walk and leap the dumb to sing the parched land a pool and the thirsty land springs of water Here among these shall the Lord prepare a way it shall be called The way of holiness no Lion shall be there nor any such beast but the Lambs of the Lord shall walk therein SECT XXXIII Sennacheribs and Rabshakehs blasphemies §. 33 against the servants of the Lord in whom they are comforted SEnnacherib comes with an Army against Jerusalem to besiege and take it Rabshakeh sent to summon it with fair promises to enjoy every one his own and to be brought to as good a land as their own and not to trust in Hezekiah nor his confidence or vain words nor in Egypt a broken reed nor in the Lord for there is no God that can deliver you or your land out of our hands or our King the great King of Assyria for neither Samaria nor her gods nor any other god was able to deliver them out of his hand and if they did refuse and rebel they should eat their own dung and drink their own piss and be afterwards destroyed with the sword for thus saith the great King Now all this is true in the application of it to our selves The world and the flesh or the evil spirit in both Rabshakeh like reviles and speaks evil against the Lord tempting and summoning us bringing an army of evil and strong delusions to ensnare us promising if we will yeeld up all soul and body and all that God hath given us to him falling down and worshipping him we shall have all glory and be like gods and withal telling us many lies that God does not nor can deliver us he sees not neither cares for us saying God hath not said it and as for Hezekiah beleeve him not nor stay your selves in the Lord for I am the God of this world and give honor and glory and riches to them I will be I am exalted on high in these Kingdoms All bow down to me and serve me and they that serve me the god of this world I preserve them and if not I persecute hate destroy kill murther and torment Woe unto them if I am set against them This is the railing Râ—â—shakeh contending for the poor creature and rending it but the servant of the Lord is silent and mourns waiting patiently on the Lord in all things and commits it self wholy to him against all temptations and blasphemies SECT XXXIV How the Spirit of the Lord given to his §. 34 doth overcome all the evil and blasphemies of the devil and is stronger then he or his YEt further when the evil spirit that dwells in us or sent to us from the powers of darkness shall grieve the Spirit of the Lord in his Hezekiahs or servants by high imaginations or abominable blasphemies against the holy Spirit of the Lord in his lifting up it self against the Lord then a greater power of the Spirit of the Lord comes upon us and his Word strengthens us saying Grieve not nor be troubled at the blasphemies of Sennacharib and Rabshakeh those spirits of Satan for I will be with thee and I will let all the Nations of the earth see that I am the Lord God and there is none besides me and that you are my people preserved by my power I will put a bridle in his mouth and my hook in his nose and overcome him and fall backwards and perish in his own land and the Angel of my presence shall fall upon his hoste with the breath of my mouth and slay them all you shall finde in the morning nothing but carcasses this shall they have that rage against the Lord and his Spirit above a hundred thousand nay almost two hundred thousand slain in the field but a remnant of the Lord shall take root downwards now and bear fruit upwards manifold and rejoyce in the Lord of the whole earth And again we see that though an evil spirit of wickedness or blasphemy like the beast in the Revelation may for a while triumph over all and speak great words and do mighty things yet the Spirit of Truth and Glory consumes it all at last SECT XXXV §. 35 How the Lord makes sick and well kills and saves and he is glorified in all he doth THis shews how those whom the Lord loves fall sick through boyls and distempers of flesh the corrupt nature is sickly and perishes and how it all turns to the glorifying of God and the good of the soul as in the 11. of John saith Christ of Lazarus this sickness is not for his death but for the death of sin in the flesh and for his life for the Son of God in him shall be glorified by it and it was so And even so here Hezekiahs life is renewed he dyes after the flesh to this life and state and lives to God after the Spirit dyes to himself to live to God as he saith now shall I live to praise thee Thus the Lord makes us sick and well dead and alive wounds and heals takes and gives after his good pleasure sets all in order the fire the faggot the sacrifice the knife and all the whole sacrifice the whole man with his whole house and it is not to kill the Lamb but the Ram not the Sinner but the Sin and the Lord healed him and defended his City all his with him house and all prolonging their lives giving them a long life even for ever and ever and a signe The Sun returning or going backwards ten degrees which shewed the return and fall of his enemies or the forgiveness of sins and the restauration of souls SECT XXXVI Babylons letters and presents to betray us §. 36 and our treasures into his own Land LEtters and Presents from Babylon and her King Baladan upon Hezekiahs recovering hearing of it pretends joy for it Thus the Flesh lies in wait for the Spirit Antichrist for Christ and the Christian if we recover from falling on the left hand we are presently tempted to fall and err on the right hand Here the Devil is transforming himself into an Angel of light and deceives and betrays us basely pretending to be outwardly for us giving us his letters and presents and is inwardly against us so creeps in unawares and like a serpent subtilly gains upon us undermines us findes and feels our strength and eats and drinks with us and is received into our heart and treasure we being all opened to him nothing in us but made known and yet really know not whence he comes a stranger from a far Country to see us and rejoyce with us but not out of love but envy like them in Pauls days that preached Christ out of envy But the Lord remembers us and findes out all our enemies for us and smites us when we do amiss so that as Hezekiah received these messengers and presents and withal shewed his treasures
the flesh in the Letter but not according to God in Spirit I saw others moats but not my own beams such a hypocrite I was thus I followed a false Christ and not the true and so was a false branch and not a true SECT VI. It is God that justifieth that is our §. 6 comeliness 6 TEll me O thou whom my soul loveth It is God that justifieth who is it that condemneth It is God that sanctifieth who is he that defileth It is God that is with us who is he that is against us It is God that makes us comely what shall make us black Tell me therefore and say unto me Thou art all fair my love there is no spot in thee and then though my mothers children be never so angry with me or do condemn me yet there shall be no condemation to them that are thus in Christ Jesus and do not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit he hath justified and that shall be justified If this be vile I will be more vile I value not their anger then for I have thy love SECT VII The true Vineyard §. 7 AGain I have followed false christs and worshiped strange gods and those have been my blackness In that I have lived in the Vine Christ as a Branch therein I have lived in the Vineyards of men and means they have planted Vineyards and made Sermons and Worships and these I have kept before I recived thy anointing and had almost forsaken the living Fountain the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts SECT VIII §. 8 Three things thirsted after by him that is as the Spouse here hath tasted any thing of the Life of God TEll me There be three things that every soul that hath tasted any thing of the heavenly Life thirsteth after The first is To have the everlasting Love of the Lord to be revealed to him which is better to him then life it self better then all things Secondly To see a love from the Lord a fire from Heaven falling in our hearts and kindling an everlasting flame of heavenly love in us to him again that from a coal from his Altar we may be all a fire of love with him that the zeal and love we have to the Lord may eat us up Thirdly That the love wherewith God loves us and the love wherewith we love God we may also be taught to love one another all these three loves may thus agree in one we should not then be angry at our mothers children without a cause and hate them but love and pitty them SECT IX §. 9 The bread that satisfies not and where our rest fulness and fatness lies TEll me I shall insist something more largely upon this having had my enlargement and commission from God to speak more from hence upon sundry occasions And first That when we are wearied out in following and keeping many Vineyards many mens works and labours when we are weary of all and loaded after all and as far to seek then at last as at first then here is our Rest after all this is the Vineyard Come unto me and I will give you rest I am the Way the Truth and the Life In me shall ye have peace and perfect freedom When you have emptied all the Cisterns I am full when their Lamps are grown dim and almost spent I will be thy sun shield and great reward Why do we spend our labor then for that which is not bread and our mony for that which profiteth not and our strength for that which satisfieth not Hearken unto me and your souls shall live ye shall eat that which is good and delight your selves in fatness SECT X. We shall never be taught well till the §. 10 Lord teach us TEll me When men can teach us no longer then God can and will and may I not say as the Apostle said Whereas for our time we might have been teachers of others we have need that one teach us again what be the principles of the doctrine of Christ And what is the reason of this because we have been taught of man and by man and so shall never come to the knowledg of the truth that way unless the Spirit teach us all over again then we shall profit indeed We shall never be well taught till then For flesh and blood can never reveal such things unto us as in the 16. of Matthew saith Christ What do men say that I the Son of man am that is what do the Scribes and Pharisees Rulers and Sadduces the wise Doctors and Rabbies those as well as others what do they teach to the people and say or speak of me Peter answered Some say thou art Elias others say thou art Jeremias others Iohn Baptist is risen again and others one of the Prophets Thus these great wise learned men were at variance and said nothing to the purpose For God had hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes Therefore said Christ again But what sayst thou that I am thou that art taught of God thou that hast none of these outward glories after the flesh thou that art a fool to them what sayst thou Peter answered Thou art the Son of the living God this was a lively voyce that spake thus in him Well saith Christ I would have you know That flesh and blood could never tell thee this but my Father which is in heaven he hath told thee it SECT XI The teachings of God more excellent in three §. 11 things then mens teachings A Gain the teachings of God are more excellent then any other whatsoever in these three things First His teachings are plain Secondly Pure Thirdly Powerful First Plain as the Apostle said Now thou speakest plainly and not in parables And again Shew us plainly of the Father that we may see the Father and it sufficeth us And again Thou hast the words of eternal life whither should we go And again When Christ comes he well tell us all things in Heaven and in Earth in Scriptures and Prophesies he will open all to us and we shall have all things naked and open Death and Life Hell and Heaven Flesh and Spirit There shall then be neither proverb nor parable nor dark saying no sealed books nor sealed fountain no secrets nor mysteries but all things shall be manifest for the Day shall declare them Secondly Purely now he is the pure Being and Fountain of all things in whom is light or he is light and in him is no darkness at all There is no mixture at all with God the throne of the Lord and the Lamb from thence come the chrystal waters of life pure and clear Thirdly Powerfully he speaks with Authority and not as the Scribes he speaks and brings forth his word and it is done All things are at his command he calls and all obey Lazarus come forth and it is so Be it according to thy faith and it was so I will be thou clean and
it was so Awake thou that sleepest and I will give thee life And how is this He is the resurrection and the life thus he that receives power to beleeve in him though he were dead yet shall he live SECT XII §. 12 This teaching will make us perfect THe best have need of his telling none knows so much but he can tell them more and when they think they know something are puffed up they know nothing yet as they ought to know for I may say in very many things we are yet ignorant but we shall not always know in part we shall know as we are known and when that which is perfect is come that which is imperfect is done away and indeed it is God alone can tell us best When none is nigh us he hath a sweet still secret way a voyce behind us telling This is the way this is right and truth That is not Hear him what the Spirit saith SECT XIII Nothing can quench kill or separate §. 13 this love O Thou whom my soul loveth This is a heavenly voyce breathed out by the Spirit a divine flame of love by which it appears how the Spouse was sick of love and nothing but death without his presence And also that all Gods teachings and workings towards his people are all in lone His very Rod and Staff is in love He loveth every Childe whom he correcteth And so the Soul that loves the Lord truly though the Lord kill him yet will he put his trust in the name of the Lord. Such a thing is love that though it wander a while in the wilderness and lose it self yet it will finde out the way nothing can quench it no waters nothing can kill it no death nothing can separate it no torment no defence nothing can diminish it or any way choke it but the thing it lives upon and where it loves there it lives What other argument could the Spouse bring to move God As his love constrains us so will our love to him constrain him draw him and he will run after us fall about our necks and kiss us I remember in the history of Lazarus that Mary and Martha sent to Christ this message Lord he whom thou lovest is sick They thought that was enough he knew well whom they meant and they knew well how much that would prevail upon him to which Christ returns This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God and so it was His love to Christ made him sick and Christs love to him made him well Therefore saith Mary Lord hadst thou been here my brother had not dyed Christs absence was his death and his presence brings him life SECT XIV §. 14 Christ loves where it is is in the heart and spirit with all our souls strength and might THe love we have to Christ must be with all the soul or else it is not love he will have the whole child or none of the child he is the right mother that bare us he cannot endure to have us divided between God and Mammon he will say to uâ— as he said to Peter Lovest thou me more then these that is more then gold silver lands livings wife children lusts sins gifts or graces men or mâ—ans then it s well if we can return the answer better I mean upon better grounds then he did not from a Confidence in the Flesh but in the Spirit saying Lord thou knowest that I love thee better then all things David could many times say so O how do I love thee Lord above my rest or appointed food O how do I thirst after thee and when shall I appear before the living God And again One thing have I desired of God and that is that I might always live in the house of the Lord. Such a love as is between man and wife they have but one life one love one soul so here is one spirit when it is so rooted in love and stablished in God that nothing can move or shake it it can do all things and endure all things deny it self take up its cross and follow him through fire and water life and death and rejoyce in him in the midst of all fearing nothing as long as he loves them and his love is with them SECT XV. §. 15 The five things that are excellent in this love of the Spouse called the soul love NOw there are five things that shews forth the excellency of this love of the Spouse to Christ that it will deserve the name of a soul love and a sound love The 1. is Where this love is it is a love above all loves whatsoever no other love comparable to it it endures to the end it will bear all things believe all things hope all things and endure all things though other loves fail but this doth not it is of a more excellent Nature from an excellent Principle from a divine Spirit there is no love in the world like it it being transcendent and supernatural Secondly It is a love before all other loves this the best the love that commands all the rest For where the soul is all else is there is mind will and affections it sits at uppermost room hath the highest place in our hearts all the rest bow down to this sheafe to this love here they all cover their faces and pull down their top sails Thirdly This soul love is a love beyond all loves whatsoever beyond the love of husband and wife parents or children beyond the love of other men women brethren or friends nay Angels themselves for all these loves may exceed their bounds and then prove hurtful but let them keep their bounds and then they fall very short of this infinite and exceeding weight of love For though the Lord hath set bounds to Seas and other Creatures nay to men women and children thus far you must love and no further but here are no bounds nor limits to this soul love Love him with all thy soul thy heart thy strength It is a love beyond all love whatsoever it is larger higher deeper longer broader then any love else that made the Apostle cry out and this will if rightly understood make us cry out O the heighth depth bredth length of the love of Saints to the Lord O thou whom my soul loveth Fourthly It is a love without all a naked free pure love not for ends gain or ought else not for any reward or wages as Satan would have accused Job to God to have done saying Doth Job serve God for nought No no Job knows what he doth and knows what he gets by it or else he would never be so serviceable as he is whereas indeed Job served God without all but simply and truly for the Lords sake alone and not his own sake at all this is called a love without all out of love and not of fear to him The fifth and last is To love the Lord in all which is indeed
Prophet saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem it was this The Prophet looked and behold he saw the earth full of hills and mountains and so full that they could hardly stand one by the other and the valleys were drowned by the mountains and the hills and he looked till he saw the mountains and the hills wage war one against another and he saw them that lived in these mountains and hills were Soothsayers Philistins strangers and the mountains and the hills were full of silver and gold no end of their treasures full also of horses and no end of their charets full of idols and no end of their bowing down to them and full of swords and spears and no end of their blood till at last in the end I saw a little hill arise out of the earth amongst the midst of the hills from the valleys it ascended like the little hill Hermon and this hill in the rising of it did terribly shake the earth and in time grew to a great mountain and neither by sword nor spear nor might nor any such thing but by my Spirit saith the Lord it waxed exceeding great and the hills and the mountains melted before it and would not stand when it appeared all that opposed it were broken in pieces and on whomsoever this mountain of the Lord fell it ground him to powder And this holy hill and high mountain came at last to get all other hills and mountains under its feet and it was established upon the top of the mountains and then there was no living or safety but only here even all the Nations of the earth came flocking hither to the Mountain of the Lord and cast all their idols away and forsook their own Country and fathers houses their own hills and mountains and fly to this Rock for there was darkness and death upon all the rest here was the light of the Lord and they said one to another Come let us walk in the light of the Lord. SECT IV. §. 4 The Spirit interpreting the Vision to be in us THis is the Vision and herein the Spirit of Truth will open and interpret it to you the mountains and hills are proud rebellious lofty looks and haughtiness of mens hearts the treasures charets horses and idols what are they but the pleasures vanities and lusts of the flesh the fighting what was it but the torment and disquiet that flesh hath there is no peace there saith God and what is the hill arising out of the valleys the Spirit of God arising a little in us shaking the foundations of flesh and earth in us and becomes powerful and mighty making all her enemies her footstool triumphing gloriously and destroying flesh with her Principalities and Powers leaving her dead and this is the Day of the Lord upon all things to bring to nought the things that are and establish what is not SECT V. The stay and the staff of the Creature §. 5 broken but the stay and the staff of the Lord himself remains for ever ANd this is not all but the stay and the staff shall be taken away the staff of bread and the stay of water This is the vanity of the Creature that shall be removed and broken in pieces whatsoever is a stay or staff besides the Lord be it meats or drinks you make so your Judges or Prophets you make so your mighty men of War or your honorable House of Commons I will then break them and turn them all to nothing your Princes then shall be children so your ancient men fools your strength rottenness your gods idols I will corrupt them all and these shall not rule over you Nay if you make any your stay or staff besides me saith the Lord I will take the life away and the comfort away I will take your clothing and glory so that none shall rule saying they have neither clothing bread nor water and they cannot rule over the ruines of the people but the Lord alone shall thus raign and rule over in glory they shall be ruined and fall and then I shall stand alone and be stay and staff thus woe shall be to the wicked the reward of their hands given them but well to the righteous that have me for stay and staff the fruits of their hands shall be given them and thus the Lord shall enter into Judgment with the oppressor and violent man the ancient and the honorable the proud and the base and stain all their glory smite it with a scab even the crown and head of it to the feet also and where the sweet smell was shall be a stink for a girdle a rent for hair dressed baldness for a stomacher a girding with sack-cloth and burning instead of beauty all these mighty things shall be and fall by my Sword the Spirit and lament and be left destitute this is the Decree of the Lord God SECT VI. §. 6 The beautiful Branch of the Spirit of the Lord and all the fruits thereof holy IN that day further we shall all that know the Lord whether weak or strong take hold of one man which is Christ the Lord and the seven women shall be married to him this is the male and female bond and free made one in Christ this is surely the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and then all reproach shall be taken away and we shall eat every one his own bread and wear his own apparel and this one bread shall be the bread of Life and this one apparel the Robes of Christ himself and now shall the Branch of the Lord the Spirit of Grace budding like Aarons Rod be glorious and beautiful and the fruits of the earth excellent and comely and that amongst them that are escaped of Israel the outcasts shall be received in and they that are dead shall live and every one that liveth then shall be called holy no other life but that written amongst the living and then the Lord shall wash away both filthiness of flesh and blood and spirit also by the Spirit of Judgment and burning the Lord wil create upon every dwelling place of his Tabernacles and Assemblies clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night for upon all their glory shall be a defence to keep from rain and storm and heat that nothing shall hurt SECT VII §. 7 The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts and the men of Judah AGain The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts declared in a parable and that in a Song of the Lords Beloved The Lord hath a Vineyard planted on a fruitful hill hedged fenced gathered from stones and planted with Vines dressed digged and a wine-press digged therein and a tower build thereon looking for fruits and it brought forth wilde fruits Judg now between me and my Vineyard I will tell you what I will do with it I will take away all from it leaving it naked and depart from it and then it shall be full of bryars and brambles What
THE LITTLE Bible of the Man OR THE Book of God opened in Man BY THE Power of the LAMB Wherein God is the Spirit or inside of the Book and Man the Letter or out-side of it In whom as in a Glass you may both behold the Spirit and Letter of the holy Scriptures in the new Man fulfilled and Explained from Genesis to Jeremiah This is the first Volume of Gods Book in Man Written by a weak Instrument of the Lords Capt. T. BUTLER LONDON Printed in the first year of Englands Liberty 1649 For Giles Calvert at the black spread Eagle at the west end of Pauls TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE Lord of Pembroke AND To the Right Honorable the Lord of Mulgrave all Peace and Happiness My Lords IT is the Design of Heaven to pull down the pride of all flesh and to have the Lord alone Exalted that no flesh might glory before him but all that glory may do it in the Lord God they being the Lords For the day of the Lord is come upon all flesh to destroy it like grasse but the Word of the Lord abides for ever and he that is built upon that Rock the gates of hell can never prevail against him though the Lord cometh to shake terribly the Earth and the Heavens also yea though the mountains and hils remove out of their places though the stars fall from heaven and the Sun be turned into darkness and the Moon into blood by this terrible Earthquake yet the foundation of God stands sure their Sun never sets nor their Moon changes For the Lord himself is their everlasting Light and thy God their glory And though the fashion of this world perisheth waxing old as doth a garment and as a vesture shalt thou change them yet thy Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome O God and thy Dominion throughout all ages thou changest not but art the same to day yesterday and forever thou shalt raign till thou hast made this world become the Kingdomes of our Lord Jesus Christ and of his Saints and great shall be the day of the Lord. My Lords I could doe no less then recommend this new born babe unto You which hath been brought forth in sorrow and much weakness of flesh though in the willingness of spirit the Lord gives it his grace and blessing that it may be growing up in you in strength and power which shall be the joy and desire of Your Servant T. Butler From my Quarters in Black-Fryers Mr Delaines February 8. 1648. To his Worthy Friend Mr Tho. Appletree Worthy Friend LEt him that stands saith the Apostle take heed least he fall and be not high minded but fear for God gives grace to the humble and exalts the meek but the proud he beholds afar off it is good therefore for every man to look to his feet and consider how he stands by sense or by Faith by Flesh or Spirit by Grace or by Works and where he stands on holy or unholy ground or the Sand or the Rock upon the Sea or the dry Land on Earth or in Heaven in himself or in God whether the Moon be under his feet and he clothed with the Sun whether he serve God or Mammon for if we stand in the Lord we are safe but if we stand any where else we sink and fall the Lords Angels pitch their tents about his to preserve them in all his ways they shall walk and not be weary run and not faint they walk as wise men and not as fools redeeming the time because the days are evil And while God gives You opportunity do good to all but especially to the houshold of Faith and be not weary of well doing for in due time you shall reap if you faint not faithful is he that hath promised who also will do it Your labor of love is well known to many Saints in Dedington and thereabout in Oxfordshire whose bowels You have refreshed the Lord make You more and more to abound in Faith and Love that You may never see Christ naked hungry or in prison but You may minister to him and relieve the oppressed judg the fatherless and widow and let the cause of the poor be maintained still keeping Faith and a good Conscience in all things that Your good example and counsel may win upon many and if J or my poor endeavors herein may advantage You any way in this kind it will be the travel of my Soul and the joy of my Spirit Sir Your Friend and Servant THO. BUTLER TO The Vertuous LADIES Mrs Elizabeth Mrs Anne Mrs Margaret Mrs Katherine and Mrs Lettice Babingtons my dear and precious Sisters together with the rest of that noble Family My deer Sisters AMongst the Catalogue of Gods great mercies to me I account it not the least to be of the number of that sweet and precious society and Family and to see how the Lord hath multiplied his mercies towards us as not onely to make us one Body but also one Spirit giving us the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace whereby we have fellowshp with the Lord and one with another in the Spirit praying rejoycing conversing walking and living together continually this never dyes neither can it be parted it s such a threefold cord that nothing can break it such a fellowship nothing can divide it and such a joy and life none can take from us I have through the love and goodness of the Lord to me drawn some spiritual Discoveries upon a part of the Scriptures as God gave me opportunity Onely my dear Sisters let me desire this from you What you finde herein of God glorifie him for it and what is not of God as you apprehend judg it not after the flesh but judg righteous judgment and withal remember the weakness of him that was but a poor instrument in it And if it may by the blessing of God give any light to you God speaking the same things in a vail to it in your spirits how will it rejoyce mine Thus leaving all to the good guide of the Spirit of Truth in all things I take leave and remain Your loving Brother T. BUTLER TO THE READER JVdg not saith the Apostle that ye be not judged for with what measure you meet it shall be measured to you again and what you would that men should do unto you even so do ye unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets but Christ and the Apostles go further and would have us do far better to others then they do to us give them good for evil knowing this now J cannot but perswade my loving Reader to lay aside all malice wrath envy guil and hypocrisie and in love meekness patience and much goodness read and consider trying the spirits whether they be of God or not And thus J shall say with thee if there be any thing as questionless there is of flesh darkness or the spirit of this world that all of it may come into
my self abundantly in love This true Paradise which God planted in man Christ formed in us and the Spirit of God living like a fountain of water with us SECT X. The Adam and Eve there in Paradise §. 10 ANd further as from the Paradise and River of Life the whole world is refreshed for from hence come the streames of life and divide themselves into all parts of the world teaching in his Name wonderfull things so the Man and the Woman that lives in this Paradise with God the Adam and the Eve is Christ and the Christian Christ the Man and the Christian the Woman both living in one Paradise brought together by God marryed and given in marriage by the Spirit of God making Christ and the Christian one this is the Mystery of God manifested in the flesh or God dwelling in us becoming a second Adam to us feeding us with the tree of Life in us and refreshing us as with living water which he gives us and the tree shall not dye but live need no clothing or any Tabernacle or Shrine or Fig-leaves but the nakedness of God appearing in the Righteousness of Christ not having our garments which are hairy but the smooth and naked clothes of Christ and we shall not be ashamed SECT XII §. 12 The Tempter the Fall the Serpent NAy further the Tempter here in the New Creature thus written by God is the good Tempter the Spirit of the Lord tempting us and leading us into all Truth and Lord lead us into this temptation for ever and this Spirit is not like the beast of the field but like the Doves of Heaven it is as wise as Serpents but as innocent and harmless as a Dove Now the great Fall of this New Man is a total and final fall from sin Satan or a Being taken up in Clouds from the earth a receiving out of their sight to live with the Lord as also the curse there is nothing but blessing there is neither pain nor sorrow conceiving nor travelling there is neither Lord nor servant but all are made one in Christ Jesus SECT XII §. 12 How all things are made new in the beginning of this book LAstly to conclude the writing of God in short for the book of the beginning of the new Creation or Book of life in Man Here is no carnal generation no living after the Flesh no knowing one another after the Flesh but in Spirit and Truth a spiritual encrease and multiplying Here is no death at all but a long life even for ever and ever Here is no marrying nor giving in marriage but they are like the Angels of God no violence but all meekness and love Here is no wrath nor destruction but eternal love and consolation Here is no repenting the Lord he made Man but it rejoyces him at the heart to see him Here is no Deluge but the pouring out of the Spirit no Ark but the Lords presence in our Ark we are the house of God no perishing but Flesh no Sacrifice but the Spirit no Covenant but the new one in Man no Rain but that of the Word of Truth no Flesh but Spirit to feed upon no Milk nor Herbs but Grace no Vinyard but that of the Lords love no Altar but God no Call but that inward Call to forsake thy Fathers house No House nor Father nor Mother nor Land nor Portion but the Lord none to serve nor follow but him no Circumcision but in Spirit no bond woman nor her children but the free woman the spirit of liberty from sin and death no Well but the deep Rivers of Salvation no Vision but of God no Famine but of Flesh no Corn nor Wine nor Oyl but the Light of Gods countenance lifted up upon us CHAP. III. The second Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is called EXODVS THe second book is the book of Exodus for where the Lord hath once begun a writing or a work a word or a line he will build up finish and make an end in his due time but now he is but beginning and going on from one strength to another appearing in us now he comes with an out-stretched arm to deliver before he came to pull down and to build up to lay the foundation now he comes to deliver from the enemies of our salvation SECT II. §. 2 God calling his Son out of Egypt THerefore saith he I have called my Son out of Egypt that is Christ is called out of the grave death darkness this is the Son called out of Egypt the Flesh to live in Spirit in his members and body Now in this Egypt of our flesh and filthiness dwells nothing but Thunder and Lightening Darkness Plagues and Crosses for all these lay upon the Son while he is and was in our Egypt or fleshly Nature but he must rise the third day the Son shall not always lie thus in the grave the Spirit shall not always strive with Flesh and be buffeted and betrayed by it as Israel after a certain time was called forth the Lord hears the groans of his Son on the Cross and Israel in Egypt and the groans of the Spirit in these Tabernacles of Flesh willing to be delivered waiting for the day of Redemption not out of a part of Egypt to live in the suburbs or as neer as may be but far off to get into another land and kingdom even the kingdom called the Lords And though Flesh and Blood Principalities and Powers spiritual wickedness in high places Pharoah and all his Taskmasters the Magicians and all the hoste of Egyptians rise up against this Call and power of God to withstand it as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses and as the Scribes and Pharises placing the watch and ward laying the stone upon the grave of Christ sealing it withstood God and as Antichrist withstands the two witnesses but all in vain till the power of God entred into them all bringing them forth with a mighty hand saying Come up hither and fire came out of their mouths and the sea to consume and devour them They I mean all their carnal and spiritual enemies may come after them as far as the red sea but then no farther As soon as his Son the Lord Christ or the Christian hath passed through the red Sea of the sufferings of Christ Flesh and Blood dare follow them no further nay here dyes and perisheth all this carnal power and enmity SECT III. §. 3 God leading his Son through the Wilderness BUt though Gods Son Christ Jesus be called out of Egypt and is led from thence and Egypt destroyed in the Red Sea there the Flesh suffers yet there is another Call God leaves not his Son in the Wilderness whom he hath once called but then he calls them on and allures them there speaking comfortably to them This Son of God called out of Egypt thus and now all his children in the Wilderness is brought to straits and knows not whither to look
standing between Heaven and Earth Flesh and Spirit both fighting the one against the other SECT IV. What this Wilderness is §. 4 FOr this Wilderness in us is nothing else but the warfare between Flesh and Spirit light and darkness between Michael and the Dragon with their Angels and it is a long time before it be altogether finished we go on as we overcome through faith still gaining ground overcoming by little and little till at last all the two and fourty years are expired along time God had many battels in them searching and smiting drawing and healing but at last the Lord overcoming and they sing with Deborah and Barack and with Moses and the Virgins that follow the Lamb having their harps in them the new song the Lord omnipotent reigneth and as Paul said I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom I have obtained the Victory SECT V. What God doth for his Son in the Wilderness §. 5 three or four things especially The first thing is the several forms of Rest BUt there are three things remarkable in the wilderness and another at the end of the wilderness before they entred the Land For the first how many several rests and standings turnings and windings they had there at the least fourty two and all this time were these witnesses prophecying in sackcloth Judah and Israel or Moses and Aaron for they could not in the Wilderness sacrifice well nor serve God nor keep their Feasts nor their solemn meetings for fear of their enemies So is it in the warfare between Flesh and Spirit as long as there is any flesh reigning living fighting opposing there is little Sacrifice Obedience Worship Praise or serving of God because of these enemies we are kept under in bondage being in fear of them so in these several stages forms or seats that Israel had it was given them because of their weakness had they been able God could have brought them sooner but their wickedness makes these standings lest they should faint in the way And we shall finde it hindered them much and because of their dulness and deadness their unbeleef they went no faster on so is it in the experience true in the spiritual state and travel in this Son Christ travelling in us till he is brought forth into rest the Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak and we make many false rests and say Lo here is Christ and lo there Now we are well and may stand still and go no further and anon a little further and stay there again Thus our pressing from one Form Presbytery to Independency and to Anabaptism and so further we are apt to flatter our selves they be our Rests and many a Proselite having fellowship with some Church to be a member and have such and such a Pastor and breaking bread with such beleevers and in such a pure outward way as they conceive here they are happy and lay themselves down to rest thinking they have purchased a good degree to themselves when they may be as far from the Kingdom of God as before SECT VI. §. 6 The second thing that God doth for his Son in the Wilderness is His giving the living Law with the Tables by the Spirit of Christ from Mount Zion NOw the second thing in the Wilderness is this The giving of the Law upon Mount Sinai this is Hager and her children the bond woman and her son shall not be heir with the Son of the Promise the one is of the Flesh and the other from the Spirit The one from Mount Sinai the other from Mount Sion the City of the living God the new Jerusalem and we have our Laws from Mount Gerizim and not from Mount Ebal and our Laws from Mount Zion not by the hand of Moses nor by the Ministry of Angels nor yet in Tables of stone which are only the patterns of heavenly things but by the hands of the Lord himself by the Ministry and Writing of the Spirit and that in the Tables of the Lords will planted in us which are the very heavenly things themselves and here shall the Vail be taken away and we shall say no more now Let not the Lord speak to us lest we dye but we shall say Let the Lord alone speak to us that we may dye and he may live and there shall be no more here the Thunder nor the Lightening nor Earthquake seen but the still Voyce of the Lord speaking within us and setting up his lively oracles there that he that preacheth may take out his Text from the Law of God within him and he that speaketh may speak as in the name of the Lord that shall here be fulfilled Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord And this is that which will carry us through the Wilderness indeed through all Tryals Troubles Temptations Persecutions in whose heart the Law of God lives when those that have it only written with pen and ink shall perish in the mid way SECT VII §. 7 The third thing in the Wilderness is The Tabernacle of God with his Son THe third thing I spake of is the Tabernacle now having a Law given them they must also have a Tabernacle for the Congregation to meet and hear the Law read and expounded also and here must they bring their sacrifice and worship the Lord this being the holy place of the Lord that he hath chosen to dwell in so that all this is true in us Christ is the only Tabernacle where the Godhead dwells there is the glory of the Lord filling that Tabernacle and here is all the Sacrifice and Worship of God in Spirit and Truth here all the Congregation all that we have or are is offered up to the Lord as a burnt offering wherefore he saith in a certain place The Tabernacle of God is with men and he dwells amongst them and he will be their God and they shall be his people And further here is the Law of God revealed and taught as from the Tabernacle God speaking with a lively voyce in them and calling the whole Congregation of Heaven and Earth Flesh and Spirit Men and Angels to draw nigh to him to his Tabernacle which is his presence saying and writing this in them I am the Lord your God which brought you out of the house of bondage thou shalt have no other Gods but me SECT VIII The total Circumcision of Flesh and final destruction §. 8 of the fiery Serpent THe last thing I only mention is the Circumcision in the end as they were going to enter into the Land this was the last fiery tryal the same is also made good in our spirits that Gilgal where we must be first of all Malice Guile Hypocrisie of Altar Forms and Notions only circumcise from all our filthiness of flesh spirit this is the book of Exodus God makes good in us in bringing us forth with a mighty hand from all the powers of flesh and Satan that keep us
the region and shadow of death light might spring up this is the healing of the water and the making the Ax to swim to take away the heart of stone and to give them a heart of flesh as also to grow in grace and multiply and increase in knowledg and love as the oyl did and the meal the more she gave the more she had so it s truly in the Saints a little grace goes far doth many cures answers all things as it was with the few barly loaves and the little fishes how many thousand were fed and the twelve baskets full of fragments that was left this was wounderful so it is in us here a little grace overcomes a world of sin like a spark of fire to a deal of gun-powder and as a little leaven that leaveneth the whole lump and as a graine of mustard seed that grows to a tree suddenly so is the Righteousnesse of God revealed SECT II. §. 2 The opening of the Temple and the repairing it JOsias and Hezekias good raigne how they opened the Temple restored many things found the Law hid and caused it to be read and sanctified the people and to make the table of the Lord holy this is the Lords doing to finde the Law that hath been lost to restore it in us and all things else that we may see how we are purged from dead works to serve the living God and thus he is the good Hezekiah that opens that Temple of the Lord preparing a way for him making the everlasting doors to fly open at his voyce and knock that the King of Glory may enter in who is the Lord of Hosts CHAP. XI The tenth Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is the two Books of CHRONICLES THe Book of Chronicles this also God writes in us he doth these two things according to this two-fold Book for there is two Books especially to be taken notice of wherein God writes his Will The first is called or may be the substance of the first Book of Chronicles and the other of the second Book of Chronicles answerable to these Books in Letter we find two Books in Spirit The first is called Gods Book of Life and that is when the Lord God writes his Name in our hearts his new Man and his new Nature and Life there then we are his Book of Life The second is called our Book of Life that is the Book wherein God writes our Names according as it is written Rejoyce not so much in any writing as in this that your names are written in Heaven Now this Heaven and in the Book of Life is all one that is when we are beloved of God or when the Lord seals us a seal upon his Heart or as a signet upon his Arm to be written in the everlasting Love of the Lord which is his Heart and Bowels and there to live by the Life of Love this is the writing in the Book of Life indeed and though we have our names written upon our towers walls houses histories and generations of the whole world yet it fals at last but this only endures the memorial of the other shall rot when the memory of these shall be blessed these be the two books of Chronicles indeed and yet both agree in one and are indeed one for where the one is there will be the other If we be written in Gods Book or Heart then be sure God will have his name written in our hearts and spirits SECT II. §. 2 How we are made Gods Chronicles THus the whole book of Chronicles We are the sum of them all Chronicles of his Love Chronicles of his Mercy the Chronicles of his Grace the Chronicles of his Power Goodness and Greatness and the Chronicles of his Wisdom We are his generation of off spring all our lives as well as lines descended from him He was and is the Father of us all He knows every Soul and Family apart Tribe by Tribe He knows our names and our fathers house he Chronicles and sets down the time of our birth and baptism who was our father and mother and in what Country whether a free-born or a stranger all our travels even our whole pilgrimage written our lives deaths resurrections and mansions Are not we his Chronicles then indeed CHAP. XII The eleventh Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is the books of EZRA NEHEMIAH THe books of Ezra and Nehemiah opened in Man The returning out of captivity the leading captivity captive and receiving gifts from above according as it is written when the Lord turned back the captivity of Zion we were like men in a dream till we were throughly awakened and then we sang the songs of Zion when we were in our own Land just like Peter when the Angel smote him and made way for him open the iron gates and did deliver he was in a trance he thought he had seen a vision at first till afterwards So is this deliverance from the whore of Babylon that hath bewitched us all with sorceries more or less Oh what a joyful thing it is And then can they tell what God hath done for their souls and magnifie the Lord saying By the rivers of Babylon we have sate This Sodom hath been a Paradise to us But now if I prefer not Jerusalem above all having seen it and now come tolive in it before we had nothing but sadness a laughter that was but madness there we howled but here we have our harps and songs full of joy SECT II. §. 2 The Restauration of all things THe number that are delivered the journey God was with them on their way the laying the foundation of the Temple the building it the Spirit of the Lord strengthening them in it the enemies that oppose the building of the Wall Sanballats rage against it the sword the trowel finish it The strange wives put away the Law read the Reformation made All which is most true if applied in the truth of it to the workings of God amongst us whom the world and flesh hath made a wilderness a desolation a place for Dragons there God intends to lay his foundation which is Christ Jesus in us the hope of Glory other foundations can no man lay else then the building is the Temple of the Lord which is his Spirit in us and the Walls are the arms of the Almighty stretched out these everlasting arms of love that are about thee O Israel the one arm under thy head the other upon thy heart these be thy walls thou needst not now fear any Sanballat Tobiah any Ashdonians whatsoever that like Foxes would spoil thy vines or else climbe thy walls to pull down thy glory but they shal not All that hate thee shall be ashamed And whereas ye say it is not time to build my house saith the Lord and ye to live in your seiled houses and to let my house lie waste ye shall not prosper For if any man hideth his sin he
flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick with love His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me This banquetting house makes her so sick of love she is so ravished there with more Glory from the Lord that she cries out More Glory Lord more Grace more Wine more Love whole flagons to quench my thirst I am so tormented with love after me Oh â—tay me with flagons of wine and comfort me with apptes No more shadows now but fruits it is not the sitting under the shadow of the tree but eating the apple this is the pleasant fruit indeed this is Christ and his Spirit For it is not the knowledg of Christ in the flesh can profit us any thing we may sit there long enough but Christ in the Spirit is the fruit that must comfort us O comfort me with this this healing and balm to my sick soul and nothing else SECT XXXII §. 32 The left and right hand of the Lord about us I Charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem by the Roes and by the Hindes of the field that ye stir not up nor awake my love till he please Here she is at rest in a sweet calm not wounded but comforted not sick but well the Lord is embracing her with both hands Heaven and earth about her Christ and his Spirit with hâ—r Grace and Glory on her these be the two hands left and right embracing her Form and Power And now I am layd at rest and the Lord is at his rest awake him not till he please he is my love stir him not disturb not my peace grieve not my spirit awake not my soul SECT XXXIII §. 33 The Lord living by degrees from weakness unto strength in us THe voyce of my beloved behold he is coming over hils and mountains leaping and skipping The Lord is risen and ascended and comes again he hath absented himself but is now drawing nigh to me he hath hid his face for a moment but with everlasting love will he return unto me he is coming Yet a little while he that should come will come and will not tarry His first coming was in Flesh but his second will be in Power and Spirit His first was low in the Valley dark and obscure his second shall be in brightness every eye shall see him he shall come leaping over the mountains and hills that before concealed him they shall now be all under his feet all this in us SECT XXXIV § 34 He will stand no more behind the wall door or the window THe voyce of my beloved He speaks as he comes the voyce prepares for him My beloved is like a Roe or a young Hart he stands behind the wall looking forth at the window shews himself through the lattess This is the Child Jesus coming and it shews the degrees of his coming growing up still dayly First his voyce comes then he stands at the door and knocks and then he breaks the wall of partition and all the windows glass that he makes use of and the walls also that he stands behind and the windows or ministrations that are more clear he appears in them a while but at last appears nakedly in himself stript of all these robes and sweet attire in the brightnesse of his Spirit which is far best of all and this is our beloved and thus we look for him he is now at the windows SECT XXXV The Lord calling his love to come away §. 35 ARise my love my fair one come away This is through the window also the Lord calling his love out of the window and draws her nigh to himself and not to stand at that distance Arise my love stay not there arise go on come to me my love my fair one come away how do I long for thy possession and to enjoy thee wholy for my self I will prepare the way also for thee The Winter is gone the rain and the cold is over the heart of stone removed the flowers appear in the earth I have put my desire in thee the time of the singing of birds is come and the voyce of the Turtle is heard in our Land My Spirit is singing to thee chanting of thee and my Turtle it mourns for want of thee and I cannot be at rest without thee Arise my love my fair one therefore and come away SECT XXXVI §. 36 The Lord loves to bring his people out of the clefts of the Rock to see his face O My Dove that art in the clefts of the Rock in the secret place of the stairs let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voyce for sweet is thy voyce and thy countenance comely Now the Lord is exalting and raising up his people indeed they that are in the clefts of the Rock in the secret places of the stairs that is such as are yet weak and tender ashamed to come before the Lords presence and see him as he is but as Moses run to the Rock and the clefts of the Rock and there behold him only his back parts but the Lord would have them appear with an open face before him and see face to face the Lord longs to see our countenance and to hear our voyce for its sweet and comely to behold us living in God how doth the Lord delight in the prosperity of his servants SECT XXXVII §. 37 The Foxes that spoil the Vines TAke us the foxes the little foxes that spoil the vines for our vines have tender grapes These foxes are such as Christ speaks of The foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests but the Son of man no where to lay his head These birds and foxes are nothing else but the unclean fowls and the birds of prey and the unclean beasts that lodg in us even in our flesh there they live till the Lord takes them and destroys them not only the great foxes but the little ones also not the least vanity shall be suffered to remain in us for the flesh persecutes the spirit and spoils the vines nay the tender vines the fruits of the Lords Spirit in us for the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh SECT XXXVIII §. 38 My beloved is mine and I am his MY beloved is mine and I am his he feedeth amongst the lillies Now the foxes are gone here is nothing but love and joy My beloved is mine and I am his though the foxes prevailed much yet I thank God through the Lord Jesus Christ by whom I have obtained the victory Here is a community of all things what I have he hath and what he hath I have all things common He was made sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him This is the ministry of Reconciliation given to us who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ So that as the Apostle saith to the wife her body is not hers but the mans and to the man
ground-work and pillars of truth His countenance is as Lebanon excellent as the Cedars His mouth is most sweet yea he is altogether lovely This is my beloved and this is my friend O ye daughters of Jerusalem This is my boast and glory the Lord. SECT L. §. 50 The Queens and Concubines and Virgins without number that praise the Spouse which is but one IT is good to seek the Lord though alone and in it we may provoke others also to seek him with us God bearing witness to us as they do here What is thy Beloved above our beloveds Nay then if he be so as you speak of and so much goodness in him come we will seek him with thee Come then let 's go to the gardens to the beds of spices he feeds there and gathers lillies we finde him in himself in the midst amongst us there he meets us and we meet him My Beloved is mine and I am his and upon this exchange we are beautiful as Tirzah strong and terrible as an army with banners and yet sweet and comely as Jerusalem Our eyes overcome him Queens Concubines and Virgins without number wait upon thee we are but one in the Lord not many the onely one of our mother and the choyce one of her that bare us The daughters see us and they bless us yea the Queens and the Concubines and they praise us when we look as the morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun terrible as an army with banners I went down to the garden of nuts in the valleys and before I was aware my Soul was like the Charets of Aminadab SECT LI. §. 51 The beautiful feet of the Kings daughter THe Lord makes our feet beautiful shod with peace and glad tidings like Princes Daughters lively to run the Lords ways made with thighs like jewels by the hands of a cunning workman the Spirit of the Lord yea how fair and how pleasant art thou O love for delights Thy stature in grace and spiritual strength like to a palm tree and thy brests to clusters of grapes give nourishment and abounding with fruits full of the blessings of the Lord and all manner of pleasant fruits new and old layd up for thee in my heart O my beloved SECT LII §. 52 The Lord sets us as a seal upon his heart the strength of the Lords love to us and ours to him THe Lord Christ that was our brother and sucked the brests of the Spirit our mother if I should meet thee I would kiss thee without and not be ashamed my love is so strong to thee I will lead thee into my mothers house and there thou shouldst instruct me and I would drink of the spiced wine prepared for thee of the juice of the pomegranate and whither soever I went I would hear thee my beloved Set me as a seal upon thy heart for love is strong as death jealousie is cruel as the grave the coals thereof are coals of fire which have a most vehement flame Many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it if a man would give all the substance of his house for this love of the Lord it would utterly be contemned We have many little sisters virgins that love the Lord what shall we do for her in the day that she shall be spoken for to be married to the Lamb if she be a wall the Lord will build upon her a palace of silver and if a door she shall be enclosed with boards of Cedars whatsoever she wants shall be compleated Lord we are thy vineyards and the vineyard that is thine is before thee Thou Lord must have a thousand and those that keep the fruit of the vineyard two hundred Thou that dwellest in the vineyards all therein hearken to thy voyce cause me to hear it Make haste my beloved and take me to the mountains of spices and to the hills of frankincense CHAP. XIX The eighteenth Book that God writes in Man is the book of the Prophet ISAIAH SECT I. The two sons and seeds one of Flesh and the §. 1 other of Spirit that is in us THe book of the Prophet Isaiah opened in Man both his Visions and Prophesies from the Lord and first you have the carnal and spiritual seed of the Lord the bastard and the son the child of the Flesh and of the Spirit the son of man and the Son of God held forth The first of these the fleshly seed that serve God after the flesh and call themselves by the name of Israel and the children of the Lord thus saith the Lord ye are not sons but rebels you know me not neither will I know you nor consider you you are a sinful people laden with iniquity I have smitten you and you go worse and worse you are all over corrupt within full of wounds bruises and sores whatsoever you pretend without your head and heart and all is out of order the strangers live in you and devour you and the fire of lusts burn in you and eat you up you are children of Sodom more like then of God And as for your Worship and Sacrifice in multitudes your appearing outwardly and treading in my Courts your new Moons Sabbaths calling and sitting of assemblies and solemn meetings your appointed Feasts and Fasts your spreading forth your hands and making long prayers I abhor it all it 's detestable my soul hates all these and I never required them of you your hearts and hands being full of blood and all kinde of iniquity your silver dross your wine water your Ptinces rebellious and theeves SECT II. §. 2 How the fleshly is eaten up of the spiritual I Will therefore stand up in judgment against you all and consume your dross tin blood and filth ignorance and baseness I will mollifie you and binde you all up together and if sons of the Flesh I will make you sons of God in Spirit you shall not have the image of Sodom but Jerusalem no Hypocrisie but Power I will wash you thorrowly and purge you by my Spirit of judgment and burning that all your iniquity shall pass from before me and no evil pass through any more you shall not be bloody but white as snow I will receive you to favor you shall not rebel any more but altogether willing and obedient if I say do this ye shall do it or that it shall be fulfilled and the sword shall be broken in pieces and there shall be no dross amongst your silver nor water with your wine but all things shall be of God Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness and the destruction of transgression and iniquity shall be together and whatsoever forsakes God consumed be it an oak or a garden that hath no water they shall be burnt together and none shall quench them SECT III. The great Vision which the Prophet saw §. 3 what it is and what it means THus much for the Prophesie now for the Vision which the
is all this but the good work of the Lord upon his We are his Vineyard the Lord God is the Husbandman Christ the Vine We the Branches the Spirit the Fruits the Lords Grace the fruitful Hill the Lords Peace the Hedg and Wall the Lords Power the Tower Righteousness his Vine Love his Winepress and this is watched and watered from Heaven and gives always increase abounding with fruits to the Lord. But as for the flesh and earthly man the corrupt nature formerly the Lords Vineyard when he leaves it O what is it Nay the very best of us if the Lord absent himself take away the hedg wall vine winepress then what a miserable thing is man then he minds nothing but earthly things woe unto him when I leave him Woe to him that joyns house to house then thâ—t is his treasure making provisions for the flesh that is his feasts but hell and darkness opens her mouth wide and is enlarged her self and all their pomps and glory descend thither SECT VIII §. 8 The second Vision of the Throne and of the Temple and him that sits there A Second Vision from the Lord There was a mighty high Throne and it was lifted up gloriously and the Lord sate upon the Throne high and lifted up and there was a Temple also the Throne was in the Temple where the Lord sate and the Lords train filled the Temple also full of Glory and above the Throne and about it stood the Seraphims and every one had six wings with two he covered his face with two his feet and with other two he did fly and as they fled they cryed one to another Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory And moreover the voyce that cryed was so great that it shook and moved the posts of the door of the Temple and the house was filled with smoak and it shook and terrified the Prophet also that he cryed out I am undone I am undone I am unclean all over and as I cried thus I am undone for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts that then the Lord of Hosts sent a Seraphim to me that came flying with a live coal taken from off the Altar with the tongs in his hand and he came and laid it upon my mouth and took away with it my iniquity purging away sin and cleansing my lips then saying to me Who will go for us whom shall I send And I said here am I Lord send me and the Lord said Go and shew this people what thou hast seen make their hearts fat and ears heavy and shut their eyes for they understand not and do so long till the Land be utterly desolate for a remnant only shall be left like an oak whose leaves are dryed up and the substance in the root so shall the holy seed be the substance thereof SECT IX §. 9 The Lord ruling in the midst of his people judging all within and without in Righteousness NOw what is all this that the Vision means but the Lord God coming to Judgment and sitting upon the Throne of Righteousness which is high and lifted up to rule the Nations and judg the Earth in Righteousness and inasmuch as the Throne was lifted up in the Temple which Temple are we in the Lord there God hath his Throne in the midst amongst us and none other and from thence he will send forth Justice and Judgment that shall run along the streets of the Cities and Countries but there shall his Throne be and what are the Seraphims but the ministring spirits from the Lord praising the Lord and fulfilling his Word crying Holy holy holy continually and what is the train that fills the Temple are not we in the Lord or are not all his Excellencies Grace Power Wisdom Truth Mercy Love Peace are they not his train that fills the Temple of the Saints All his Attributes Blessings Comforts Gifts Graces are his train and to the filling of the Temple and from thence he sends whom he will from the Temple where he is into the Land to convince them of sin righteousness and judgment c. SECT X. §. 10 Rezin and Remaliah 's sons confederacy their tails and evil counsel like fire-brands THis is is a Prophesie now of Rezin the Syrian King and Remaliahs son the Ephraimite being Confederates and taking evil counsel against the Lord and his people in Jerusalem saying Let 's go up and vex it make a breach in it and set a King over it of our own or else destroy it This news made the house of David Judah Jerusalem faint for fear like the trees moved with the wind because of the tails of these two fire-brands raging against them but the Lord sends the Prophet with a message to comfort them and not to fear for he will break destroy them both their evil councel shall not stand nor prosper and the Lord sent them a sign also either in heaven or earth which they refusing the Lord himself gave them a sign saying Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bring forth a Son shall call his name Emmanuel and then the Land and the enemy that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her Kings if thou believest this thou shalt be established and weary not the Lord as ye have wearied men This is the will of the Lord that though the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing and the Kings and the Princes take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed Judah and Jerusalem the house of David the Lords heritage and people yea though all the enemies of our salvation and all the host that flesh and blood can make against us should compass us round about yet the counsel of the Lord that shall stand and he will comfort his people and say unto them their sins are forgiven and their warfare accomplished and they shall receive double for all their miseries and this shall be their sign the Virgin conceiving and Christs forming in them shall be the Emmanuel God with them to deliver them out of all the hands of their enemies and establish them a glory to the Lord. SECT XI §. 11 The waters of Shiloah or the soft and still voyce condemned by most and Rezin followed the Law and Testimony where to be found THe people that refuse the waters of Shiloah that go softly and rejoyce in Rezin and Remaliahs son the Lord shall hiss for the Fly that is in the river of Egypt and for the Bee in the Land of Assyria and they shall devour thy Land and the mighty river shall overflow thee and reach even to the neck and the lifting up of his wings shall fill thy Land O Emmanuel yet Emmanuel shall break you all in pieces though you associate confederate and band your selves never so much yet the Lord God himself whom they sanctifie and who is their dread shall be their Sanctuary to them but for a stumbling for a
the Flesh be so beautiful what is his Head then which is Christ justified in Spirit If the Feet of his Humanity be such what think you must the Head and Heart of his Divinity be SECT LIV. Thy God reigneth in the Zion of Saints §. 54 THe only glad tydings is this to all Zion Thy God reigneth This is their greatest joy and without which all other joys are soon quenched This is the Day of Salvation Redemption Remission Justification Sanctification and all blessedness the acceptable year and Jubile of the Lord and his Zion then when their God reigns and where must he reign not only in heaven and in earth but in men in the midst amongst us then is his Kingdom come and Will done on earth as it is in heaven when thy God reigneth O Zion SECT LV. §. 55 How thy God doth set thee apart and how though thy outward man be vile yet the inward glorious DEpart ye depart ye shall the Lord then say get ye out from hence and touch no unclean thing I have received you go out of the midst of her and be altogether in my holiness and live in me for I will lead you and go before you and be your rereward and come behind you so that nothing shall come nigh you but my self I will compass you so about and deal so prudently with you that I shall only be exalted and extolled amongst you and though his outward form and visage in whom I dwell be so base and marred by reproaches more then any other in the world yet I will stop the mouths of Kings for their sakes and my glory shall break forth in the midst of them and that which had not been told them by flesh and blood shall they see by the Spirit of my Father and that which they had not heard neither could they believe shall they now know and be fully satisfied in and all this shall be in the day that thy God raigneth in Zion SECT LVI The Arm of the Lord. §. 56 THe Arm and Strength of the Lord are we in the Lord and it is revealed to us in Christ who is this Arm of the Lord indeed and we cannot but report so the Lord is with us and his Arm upon us when it is so indeed when the Arm of the Lord goes along with the report and indeed how can we that have been saved and healed by the Lord and his Arm but go about testifying what great things the Lord hath done for us and magnifie his name and declare his goodness whether they will believe it or not I am constrained to report it to prepare his way SECT LVII §. 57 The plant growing up out of a dry ground with sorrow to the flesh and the world but with joy to the Lord his Spirit in Saints ANd this Arm of the Lord as it is revealed and comes that way before it can be reported by us flesh and blood reveals it not but our Father which is in Heaven so it grows up as a tender plant of the Lords own planting Christ planted in us grows up like a plant and takes root from the Father and brings forth his branches and fruits in the dry ground of our nature in our sinful state poor barren flesh and when this tender plant Christ Jesus grows up it shall be at first in weakness without form or comeliness after the flesh nay without beauty that you should desire him after the flesh for he comes to crucifie flesh and blood in us and therefore the natural man will despise him hide his face and not esteem him for the plant of the Lord will be a man of sorrow and grief to his flesh as the Lord Jesus was to the Jews in his day And further this Arm of the Lord will bear all our griefs and sorrows all our smitings strikings and afflictings of God and men besides the principalities and powers of Satan which dwel with us it will bear them all yea the wounds of our transgressions and the bruises of our iniquities wounding and bruising him he heals them all and overcomes them reconcileing us to God slaying the enmity taking away the wall of partition becomes a Mediator between God and us uniting us in one SECT LVIII §. 58 The Lamb that opens not his mouth but by suffering overcomes THis arm of the Lord findes us lost and going astray like sheep out of his way and turns us into the way and leads in the way of righteousness bearing all our iniquity both in the way and out of the way that lies upon us it s the Lords pleasure to remove them that they lie not in our way nor keep us from the way nor turn us out of the way and as a Lamb so opens he not his mouth though oppressed afflicted smitten and slaughtered but by patient suffering overcomes all and is glorified over all and is taken out of prison and from judgment and who shall declare his generation for when he was oppressed and smitten he was in prison in flesh but when the Lord rises in us and leads us captive after him then he is out of prison and destroys flesh he is not here in prison he is risen SECT LIX §. 59 Christ makes his grave with the wicked and the rich in his death BUt this Lamb though he lies in the prison of flesh and is in the wicked as in a grave buried and imprisoned yet there he will rise and as his grave is with the rich that have righteousness but not from the Lord he rises amongst them so that the Lord makes his grave in his death with the wicked and the rich and makes them both one in his death and buried with him into his death and lie with him in his grave and rise with him in the Spirit by making wicked and rich both happy in himself alone SECT LX. What it is to have the pleasure of the Lord §. 60 for to prosper in his or in our hand IT pleased the Lord to bruise his Son and so his Saints often to put them to grief in the flesh that they might rejoyce in the Spirit and to sow that seed in them that might prolong their days and to let them see the seed of his soul and love and the seed of their soul joy and praises and so to have the pleasure of the Lord to prosper in their hands as it did in Christs and to have the Lords pleasure to prosper in the hands of Christ and no other hands for it cannot if taken out of his hands all decays and withers every branch or work but in him is all fruit and prosperity found the pleasure of the Lord is he and the pleasure of the Lord is his work and way and it is to save sinners to dye for sinners call sinners justifie sinners and to make them Saints and sons the soul of the living God blameless harmless glorious beautiful all over this is the pleasure of the Lord nay
glorious presence of the Lord when he comes with so much brightness and glory then shall our Sun and Moon that is all our heavenly gifts graces ministries and administrations cease and go out give up their light and life as being darkened by this everlasting Light and Glory And the Moon turned to blood that is all our natural excellencies gifts parts relations portions possessions qualifications conditions whatsoever all our reason knowledg wisdom and understanding here below shall then appear as blood loathsom and filthy to us yea all shall appear vain and empty and instead of this Sun and Moon that is all earthly and heavenly things thou shalt inherit the Lord God himself most gloriously to be thy Sun that shall never set and thy Moon that shall never change for then thy God shall be thy glory and thou shalt be righteous and all thy people and shall inherit the land for ever the land of the living the living Lord to be planted as his branch there living in him as their vine even the work of his own hand that he hath glorified and a little one shall become a thousand and a small one a great Nation for the Lord will multiply and encrease them yea the Spirit of the Lord shall grow upon them and in them they shall put on strength dayly from strength to strength SECT LXXXV The Spirit of the anointing of the Lord §. 85 what works it doth binding and loosing doing all good THe Lords anointing of us with the oyl of his Spirit makes our hearts to overflow and speak of the loving kindness of the Lord to the humble and meek spirit it s a spirit of binding and loosing binding up the wounds and loosing the wicked bands a spirit of liberty to righteousness and opening and enlargement to the prisoners a spirit that doth and proclaims the acceptable works of the Lord a spirit of vengeance against sin and yet a comforter to the mourners it is the Spirit of the Lord that doth this it overcomes the spirit of sorrow and heaviness death and darkness it gives beauty for ashes joy for mourning praise for heaviness it makes them trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord to glorifie him it s a Spirit that is building up it doth nothing for destruction but all for edification and what unclean spirits have wasted and spoiled and wounded and consumed this Spirit of the Lord comes to us as a repairer of the waste places and the desolations made and to restore what is lost it makes us this anointing of the Spirit the Lords Priests yea the Ministers of God it shall fall upon the Gentile as well as the Jew and they shall eat the riches of his grace together I will give them everlasting joy and bring them into my everlasting Covenant and their seed shall be the seed the Lord hath blessed thou and thine shall be like the bride and the bridegroom deck'd with ornaments and jewels salvation and righteousness for their garments And thou shalt be like a fruitful garden righteousness and praise shall spring forth from thee and be the fruits in thee SECT LXXXVI §. 86 Our righteousness brightness and our salvation a burning lamp THe Lords zeal for Zion and his love to Jerusalem will not give him rest nor peace till he hath made our brightness righteousness and our salvation like the burning lamps for ever flaming and yet never ending being fed with eternity and all see the glory of thee and the Lords new name shall be in thy forehead which he shall give thee and write on thee We shall be the pure crown of gold which is a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and as a royal diadem with our God We shall be no more accounted forsaken or desolate as we were once but be termed Hephz-ibah the Lord delighteth in thee and thy land called Beulah thy land married for thy God shall marry and rejoyce over thee for ever SECT LXXXVII §. 87 The Lord thy Watchman day and night THe Watchman upon thy walls O Soul that never slumbereth nor sleepeth careth for thee and keeps not silence but remembers thee day and night neither will the Spirit of the Lord rest till thou art established and made a praise to the Lord in the earth Thou shalt not be spoiled any more by strangers nor thy corn wine and oyl devoured by them any more the enemy sin and Satan shall wrong thee no more nor the flesh plunder thee for thy salvation is come the Lord God is his name his reward with him and his work before him and the Lord shall call thee his People and his Redeemed sought out and not forsaken the habitation of the Lord through the Spirit SECT LXXXVIII §. 88 The Lords dyed garments coming from the great slaughter of his enemies sin and Satan THe coming of the Lord is with dyed garments glorious apparel travelling in the greatness of strength and righteousness to save us with might all over red with the winepress treading it alone trampling upon all thine enemies and mine in wrath and fury till the blood comes for I will take vengeance on all my adversaries now my Redemption is come to thee and I will help thee though there be none left else besides me I am alone and I will bring down all strength glory haughtiness and pride to the earth there it shall lie in the dust then shalt thou remember my loving kindness alone and praise me for all that I have done for thee When I was afflicted for thee and the chastisements of thy peace lay on me my presence saved thee and my love and pity redeemed thee and carried thee along in safety leading thee by the hand through the terrible wilderness and made my name glorious you are the habitation of my holiness I cannot forget you yea Abraham may though your own father or mother may cast you out of their Synagogue yet I will have thee to rule over them SECT LXXXIX §. 89 The Lords coming down with power to destroy flesh LOrd bow the Heavens and come down let the mountains melt at thy presence come amongst us like a melting fire to burn away all dross and iniquity that thine adversaries may tremble and perish in us and amongst us and do terrible things that we looked not for let sudden destruction come upon all flesh while it cries peace peace for eyes have not seen nor ears heard neither can the Natural perceive the things that are prepared of God for them that wait on him and that are to be fulfilled in him but thou art our God we know and we thy clay and thy work thy people and souls thou hast made le ts not be destroyed but make us a beautiful house to praise thee build us up and let not thy pleasant things lie waste but bring thy treasure to thy house and land SECT XC The Lord God is found of them that sought §. 90 not after him I The Lord
in bondage from serving the Lord in freedom of heart and this is his Call Let my people go that they may serve me To this purpose speaks Zacharias Oh that he would grant unto us that we being delivered from the hands of our enemies may serve the Lord without fear in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life I know saith the Lord that Pharaoh that proud flesh wil not let my people go to serve me But they saith Christ shall go in spite of all to serve the Lord I will make all their enemies their footstool saith the Lord. CHAP. IV. The third Book that God writes in Man is §. 1 called LEVITICVS NOw the third Book is called Leviticus This also is made good in the Saints in the truth of it the spirit of that Letter dwells in them and the substance of what is written in that Book concerns them chiefly as this All the Sacrifices looked at them they are to offer up the Sacrifice of Righteousness of which all the legal were but Types Secondly the Sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart and then their souls and bodies to be offered up as living Sacrifices to the Lord holy and acceptable And what were all the Calves Lambs Doves but meerly figurative not only looking at Christ but Christians also they must be the Lambs of God Doves Turtles and Christ presents them thus to God therefore the Apostle saith We shall be presented harmless and blameless at his coming And again I beseech you present your selves a living Sacrifice to God And again Ye are a holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifice to God so that the Apostle makes them and all that they do to be Sacrifices to God and the Lord smells a sweet savor in them nay he tells them they are the Lords Levites and Priests to make prayers and supplications to God yea to offer the Sacrifice of thanksgiving and to call upon the Name of the Lord these are they that are to stand before the Lord of the whole earth the anointing of the Lord is upon them to minister before the Lord God not only oyl but the oyl of Life and Grace the Spirit of the Lord falls on them and hath anointed them to preach the glad tydings Thy God cometh O Zion SECT II. §. 2 The Levites garments that minister to the Lord. NAy yet more all the fine linnen the Priests did wear what meant it but the white garments the walking with God in white the pure white linnen the Righteousness of Saints what was the Ephod and their Brest-plate their Urim and their Thummim their Bells and Pomegranates the names of the twelve Tribes on their Brestplates their Incense their ministring before the Lord their entring in with blood to the Temple all these are fulfilled spiritually in Saints the mind of God is with them that fear him they have a Brestplate of Righteousnes the Name of the Lord written in their hearts and they have the Names of the Tribes all the people of God are fellow Members and fellow Feelers one of another SECT III. §. 3 The spiritual Service in the House of the LORD THeir Incense they have is The sweet perfume of the Spirit of Grace in them that runs all along their garments their Bells and Pomegranates is the everlasting Gospel of God made known by them in truth and evidence of the Spirit every way these are they that minister before the Lord day and night they kindle the fire upon the Altar and do not offer up strange fire keep the Lamps in the House of the Lord that they go not out all these things and many more are proper to the Saints they have the Lamps of the Lord burning in them never decaying having the Olive trees always feeding them so that whensoever the Lord comes these wise Virgins are with their Lamps prepared and they receive this fire from Heaven to consume every Sacrifice and not false fire the fire of the Lords Love and Zeal the Zeal of his House eat them up they look to the doors of the Lords House see that no lame blind sick Sacrifice be offered but the best in the flock not the female but the male they think it not a weariness to serve the Lord neither do they make his table contemptible they have the Tythes of all all things in Heaven and Earth they have the first fruits all do homage and yeeld obedience to them all the sheaves bow to them the whole world shall bring their glory into them and they shall be the store-house of the Lord. CHAP. V. The fourth Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is called NVMBERS THe fourth Book is the Book of Numbers where you have the Lords people to be the Sum of all that is therein contained it is fulfilled in them and compleated spiritually by them they are Gods Numbers they are all numbered in his Books are all their names written nay their thoughts and actions numbered a Book of Remembrance writing down what they say of the Lord Mal. 3. Their very bones nay the very hairs of their heads numbered much less will he have any one of his number lost though the shepheard had ninety nine he would leave all to seek after the one because of all that is his he will lose none he keeps a perfect account of them and of every sort of them so many Tribes so many of every Tribe of all tongues languages kindred and people he hath his Numbers besides he hath the number how many lambs how many babes how many strong men how many fathers how many hired servants how many sick how many well how many strong how many weak how many fat and lean poor and rich male and female bond and free in all such things the Lord is instructed taking care of all and providing for all SECT II. How every thing is numbred by the Lord in them AGain numbering their gifts and graces their growth and age till they come to that perfect number and stature in Christ having their days and age filled being full of days and of the holy Ghost Besides this the Armies of the Saints their Banners Christ their Camp Righteousness their General the Lord of hosts their Pillar of Fire and Cloud by day and night the presence of the Lord even the Angel of his presence their matches from strength to strength going on to perfection forgetting the things behinde Their Trumpets sounding is the Voyce of the Lord heard amongst them calling and gathering them together their Sacrifices Praises their Meat Manna their Flesh Quails their Drink out of the everlasting Rock the Lord a Well of living water their spies viewing the holy Land and bringing the first fruits is the earnest of the Spirit giving us a view of Heaven and a taste of the Milk and the Wine therein with the clusters of Grapes brought from thence to refresh us withal SECT III. The true Serpent healing us §. 3. THe brazen
Serpent healing their stings is nothing but the power of the Lord breaking in peeces and slaying the head of the Serpent the Devil Christ Jesus the seed of the woman breaking the Serpent head Jesus saving us from our sins pouring out his wine and oyl into our wounds the Lord healing our Rebellion The Canaanites destroyed is the flesh crucified dead and buried The removing every unclean thing out of the Camp is the sanctifying of us in Soul Spirit and Body The false Prophet brought to curse us but cannot is the spirit of Antichrist dwelling too much in every one of us when Flesh glories in it self the Blessing of the Lord is the turning of every one from his iniquity The Inheritance is the Land of Peace the Kingdom of the Lord himself the dividing of it is the Mansions prepared of God for us all The Rest on this side the river is the living any where below God like the dove that stood upon the ark before she was taken in so here it s the outside only made clean which is but the hem of a Christians garment The murmuring and returning back again to Egypt is the beginning in the Spirit and the ending in the Flesh the dying and having their carcasses to fall in the Wilderness the running well who hindred them so run that ye may obtain so that for want of faith and patience they do not inherit the Promise Wherefore he saith let no man take thy crown he that is faithful to death shall have a crown of life and he that continueth to the end shall be saved SECT IV. §. 4. The Ark of Gods presence THeir Ark carried before them is the power of the Lord leading them forth The standing of the Ark is the Lords resting upon them Their arising with the Ark next day is the Lords making way and preparing it dayly for them through mountains hills plains drying up the waters destroying enemies all is to shew us how he wil bring forth judgment unto victory bringing down our haughtiness that the Lord alone may be exalted amongst us in that day CHAP. VI. The fifth Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is called JOSHVA THe book of Joshua or Jesus who is the Lord God the Commander and Leader of the people commanding all that is in them their mindes and spirits carrying them through Jordan or the midst of many afflictions in spirit giving them his grace which is strength enough and though his rod and staff be upon them yet it shall comfort them if the Lord be with them Moses could not bring them in their Rest but it must be Joshua that must do it not men but the Lord not the Ministry of Flesh but Spirit Moses dyed Joshua lived it is not the dying man but the quickened Spirit SECT II. §. 2 The true Joshua saving us in fighting to deliver us JOshua fought all their battels for them overthrew their enemies took their strong holds bound their Kings in chains and Nobles in fetters of iron This honor have all his Saints Praise ye the Lord. Joshua never left them till he had settled them in the good Land He followed the Lord he knew not whither but when he knew he did althings as the Lord commanded him So is it with our true Joshua Christ Jesus in us doth fulfil all things that are given him of the Father and never leaves nor forsakes us til he hath possessed us and desposed all things else for us Joshua overthrew the walls of Jericho with the blast of Rams horns went forth conquering and to conquer till he had made his enemies his footstool and the footstool of Israel and when they had overcome then he and his house would serve the Lord and so he dyed in the Lord So is our Joshua by the breath of his mouth all the foundations of the earth are shaken yea Heaven and Earth His Enemies are subdued yea the devil is made subject to him and his giving them power over Serpents and Scorpions and all manner of creeping things thâ—t nothing shall hurt them thus overcoming all things giving them the spoyl opening the Kingdom of Heaven to them that had been so long shut from it SECT III. The seven Blessings he delivers to us §. 3 ANd now having overcome all things through the spirit of the Lamb they shall inherit all things the oppressor shall pass through them no more the Lord shall encamp about them they shall now serve him 1. They shall eat of the tree of Life for Food 2. They shall not be hurt of the second death 3. They shall have the new name and white stone the Palms in their hands and Vials or Harps the hid Manna 4. They shall have power from God to rule over Nations yea they shall have the morning Star given them 5. They shall live in that Land they shall be clothed with white rayment and they shall not be blotted out of the book of Life for ever and they shall be confessed before God and Angels to be worthy 6. They shall be Pillars in the house of God they shall not go any more out they shall have the name of my God and the name of the City of my God written upon them 7. They shall sit upon my Throne as I am set on my Fathers Throne Thus Christ our Joshua and his house the Saints shall serve the Lord in one Spirit CHAP. VII The sixth Book that God writes in Man §. 1 is called JUDGES THe next book is called Judges in Scripture and this also is written in us by the finger of God We are his Judges to sit upon his Throne judging righteously We shall judg Angels saith the Apostle yea the world also how much more the smaller matters And again they shall sit upon twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel thus judgment is committed unto the Saints this honor have they Nay they can much more judg and condemn sin in themselves having their sences exercised to discern between good and evil judging every thought word and work SECT II. §. 2 The Spirit of the Lord the best and just Judg. WHen the Spirit of the Lord is our Judg then we are as Israel was here having good Iudges they were delivered from the cruelty of enemies and rejoyced But when the Flesh sits as judg and will rule the bramble wil have the command of all the trees then there is sorrow of heart then we are like Israel under the Philistins and other enemies till the Lord raise up his Iudges again the Spirit of life to break their yoke off our necks So that many are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord delivers them from them all fightings within and fightings without but more then conquerors in all having such a Gideon and a Sampson as the Spirit of the Lord is the Barly cake that must overthrow every tent that stands against it and carry away all the gates that oppose though they be the gates