purify him from the darkness unbelief and disobedience and whether God will not impute to this man what Christ performed on man's behalf in the flesh he being in unity with and in subjection to the light and poâ—er whereby it was wrought wherein is the fellowship with the blood and wherein alone it washeth from the sin though as to the outward knowledge of what was outwardly done the man may possibly be ignorant And seeing it is not absolutely necessary towards the involving in the guilt of Adams sin the outward knowing what Adam did but the proceeding from and being found in the same spirit and nature doth sufficiently convey it So whether being gathered into and found in Christs Spirit even in faith obedience and subjection to the light thereof in the heart whether this is not also sufficient to convey the Righteousness of Christ and wheher God will fail to impute it to that man Query 6. Whether True Religion Spiritual Worship the Salvation of the Soul do not depend upon the Spirit of the Lord who is near to every heart with his eternal Light which he can easily convey to any heart whose ear is opened to hearken to his breathings and drawings So that it is easy to the Lord to save any of the Sons of men even in the darkest and remotest corners of the earth and he can cast off those who seem highest in zeal and most flourishing under any outward means of Salvation Oh wonderfully infinite is the Lord who shall bound his Spirit Happy is he that feareth before him and in his fear learneth to depart from iniquity and walk in the good Path that his Spirit teacheth He is near to God and shall tast of the good things and shall not be rejected for want of outward knowledge but what ever was done for lost man he that is found in the light of Life and in the obedience to the spirit of Life shall reap the benefit of But he that boasts in his knowledge of these things and of his Faith in Christ Jesus yet not being found in the true living eternal light of the Spirit but an enemy to it and ignorant of it the Lord will rend his confidence from him in a day that he is not aware of ' Glorious was the dispensation of the Law and great was the advantage to the Jew thereby above the Gentiles Yet they missing the Spirit and Life of it and growing wise in their own apprehensions and interpretations about it fell beneath the Gentiles becoming greater strangers to the power wisdom of God harder to be reached brought in under the subjection of the Gospel More glorious was the dispensation of the Gospel to the Christians and much greater was their advantage than that of the Jews But an Apostacy coming and they loosing the true Power and Spirit growing wise by a litteral knowledge of some of the things of God in the earthly part forming interpretations of Scriptures and entring into practises in that wisdom they are now become at as great a distance from this powerfull visitation of God by his Spirit which raiseth the Seed and springeth up freshly in the hearts of those whom the Lord our God doth call out of their fenced Cities and allure into the Wilderness as the Jews were at from that appearance before the Apostacy and in as great danger are the Children of the Kingdom to be cast out now as then Oh that my God would please to open the ear of some tender and upright-hearted among them to hear this testimony that they might no longer stumble at that which alone is able to lead them to God and to make them happy in God Is there any uniting with God or enjoying of God but by his Spirit is there any receiving of Gods Spirit but within in the heart doth he not appear there by his Light in his Power What if God please to give forth a measure of his Eternal Light in the hearts of his Chosen to open that to thâ—m which they could never see before and to bring them into a nearer unity with him than ever they knew before may he not do it Nay is not such a thing needful to help out of the deep intricate Apostacy wherein have been so many twistings twinings of the subtle Serpent about every step or appearance of Reformation and to gather the wandring sheep who were scattered up and down and sorely distressed for want of the Tongne of the Learned to speak a word in season to their estates and conditions Have not every sort bent the Scriptures in the Reasonings of their own Minds and made them speak according to their own hearts Lusts And is not every one wise in his own Eyes and strong in his own Tower and fenced City Surely there was great need of an appearance of the Lord to shut out the Wisdom of Man and to help the Poor the Needy the Fatherless the weak Panting-Babes And blessed be the Lord God who hath appeared and blessed are those who have seen his Light and bowed at the Feet of his living Appearance and felt the Vertue of his Saving Arm scattering their Lusts and Corruptions yea also raising up and bringing forth his Pure Seed in the fâ—eâ—h Power Dominion and Authority of his perfect life which reigneth in the hearts which the Lord hath Regenerated and Sanctified for evermore O my Friends my Friends that the eye might be once blinded in you which hinders your sight of God and the eye opened which beholds his Glory and also taketh pleasure in his lowest Appearance The Babe alone hath the Misteries of the Kingdom revealed to him the Wise and Prudent are excluded the birth after the flesh in every one must be famished and destroyed and he alone can see in the Eternal Light this Dispensation of the Everlasting Gospel after the Apostacy which the Lord hideth from those who are wise in the Letter of the former Dispensation of the same Gospel but cannot read it as it was given forth in the Spirit then nor as it is now again held forth in the same Spirit and Power O my Friends This is the Truth to you wait on the Lord that ye may understand it from him Your right Eye must be put out which will never cease offending you and causing you to stumble so long as it is able to see and all your knowledge which ye hold out of the Life become as dross and dung to you if ever ye tast and come to enjoy the Excellency and Glory of this Appearance of God in his Eternal Spirit who hath descended from on high into the Hearts of his Chosen to prepare thâ—m for his Spiritual Temple that he may dwell in them and they in him And he will dwell in them and they shall dwell in him to the full delight and satisfaction of their hearts and to the confusion of all those who remain despising and reproaching this his Glorious Appearance and his people in whom he hath appeared The day is not far off wherein this will be made manifest wherein great bitterness and anguish of Spirit will befall those who can onely see the Glory afar of but cannot Inherit it being found in that nature and spirit which is separated from it and eternally shut out of it Isaac Penington the younger LONDON Printed for Robert Wilson at the Sign of the Black-Spread-Eagle and Windmil in Maâ—tins l' Grand 1661.
condition required the manifest appearance of a very great power to help me and so when sin overcame me I did only mourn over it crying after and waiting for power but was kept from joyning with and cleaving 〈◊〉 that wherein the power springs up and manifests it self according to its own pleasure quite contrary to the way of man's expectation The operations of the Power are divers and gradual according to the condition and necessity of the soul whom it visits and reacheth forth its hand unto 1. There is a discovery of the darkness and of the erring of the heart from God This is power for this should never be in any heart could all the powers of darkness there withstand it 2. There is a rising of the heart against the evil with a desire of deliverance from it and of the springing up of the good in such power as might conquer it This is a further appearance of power than the former and a good beginning towards believing or joyning with the redeeming Arm which all the Powers of darkness with all manuer of subtilty endeavour to divert the heart form 3. There is an upright frame of sirit begotten and a truth of heart formed towards the Lord from which desires and cries and groanes after his life and presence and for deliverance from the enemy and from under the power of his deceit spring more and more 4. There is a fear begotten in the heart of being deceived by the enemy of being drawn from the feeling of and panting after the Life and Power of God 5. There is an hope and trust in the Lord's Goodness and Mercy with a daily waiting for his appearance for the manifestation of his Spirit and pure Presence and for the springings up of his frsh Life and precious Vertue 6. There are overturnings of the enemy battering down his strong holds breaking of many snares beating back of many furious assaults and causing the plant of Life to grow up and Triumph over all the powers of darkness 7. There are secret stayings and upholdings of the heart in the hour of darkness when God sees necessary to let forth the power thereof upon the Soul and to Eclipse his own Power when the enemy buffets tempts prevails and gets ground upon the Soul is drawing it back under the vail even into the Pit and nothing appears near to stop it or Rescue the Soul from death and from the power of the Grave but the sting thereof enters and deeply wounds the Soul yet even then the power is near secretly upholding preserving and watching over the Soul and waiting for the proper season of Deliverance Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou haâ—t holden me by my right hand said David when his feet had almost slipped into the grievous snare of desperate unbelief and murmuring against God's dealings with him and the rest of his people Many more operations of the Power might be mentioned even of its tabernacling and glorious appearing in some vessels in various wayes both delighting it self in the heart and also filling the heart with delight and joy in the pure Life but these things are better enjoyed and sweetly felt in the silence of the fleshly part then spoken of to that ear which is not fit to hear the sound thereof 2dly The way of the Powers springing up in the Heart which is 1. In its turning from the Darkness in the Faith and in the pure Obedience which flowes from the faith For us the Soul turns from the power of darkness and death towards the living Power towards the power of the Eternal Spirit of Light so the Power meets it embraces it appears to it and manifests it self in it proportionable to its present capacity and condition And as the soul being touched with the living Vertue gives it self up to believe to trust the power which draws so the power manifests it self in the heart according to the proportion of the faith which the Eternal Vertue hath begotten there And as the soul in the faith gives it self up to obey so the power appears works the obedience For we can do nothing of our selves but being called being drawn being required to do that which is far beyond our strength and giving up thereto the Life springs the Power appears which does the work This the Philippians had experience of to whom the Apostle gave that exhortation Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure It is the unbeliever hangs back and cries where shall I have power But the faith follows the moving and drawing of the spirit and the Power never fails the Faith But that which cries how shall I get out of Egypt which way shall I ever be able to pass through this intricate wilderness how shall I overcome those mighty Enemies which already have the possession of the Land I should inherit and 〈◊〉 strongly senced in it and mighty in strength to keep their hold therof This is not the right Seed this is not the true Israel for whom the everlasting inheritance of the life and of the pure Power is prepared 2. Under the Cross under the yoak to the corrupt yea and to the very natural the power springs The false birth would have the power spring in a way pleasing to it self at the time its Wisdom sees necessary and in the way its Will would have it but the power springs up according to its own wisdom at its own time and after its own way When the man would have it then it flyes from him and when it is not expected nor perhapâ— desired at least in that way wherein it chuies to appear then it springs up and puts forth it self Most men that have felt any thing of God cannot but desire his Life and Power But most fly the Cross wherein it hath chosen to appear and so they can never meet with but are still complaining for the want of it In the power is the ease the rest of the Gospel Take my Yoak upon you and learn of me saith Christ and ye shall find the rest which flowes from the Power This made Paul rejoyce in the Cross of Christ whereby the fleshly lusts were brought down in him and the Life and Eternal Power sprang in the Seed of the Kingdom For under the Cross the seed grows up and flourishes and the flesh withers and dies And as the power of flesh and death wasts so the Power of Spirit and Life Increases 3. The power springs under the fear and in the uprightness and love which God hath begotten I put these together for there is a close unitie between them The fear is the dwelling of the upright heart and the love is within the fear He that distrusts himself feels his own nothingness finds no power to do any thing God requireth and yet also fears to stay behind the light of God's Spirit in any thing it
To all such as Complain that they want Power not applying themselves to yeild subjection to what of God is made manifest in them upon a pretence of waiting for Power so to do THe Lord God of eternal power who made Man in his own Image he stretcheth forth his Arm to save and redeem his lost Creature It is his power alone that effecteth the work of Redemption He quickneth man who is dead in Trespasses and Sins He keepeth alive and leadeth on the quickned soul in the path of Life He conquereth scattereth and subdueth all the enemies round about the Soul even all the losts corruptions and temptations which lead unto and entangle in Perdition Yet the Lord God requireth somewhat of the man whom he saveth without which being found in man and returned to him from man he saveth him not Quest What doth he require of Man Answ He requireth of Man Repentance Faith and Obedience That he should turn at his Call from the Darkness to the Light that he should trust in and cleave to the Light but believe the spirit of Darkness no more and lastly that he should obey the Light follow the Light walk in the footsteps of the living towards the Land of Light work the Works of God in the Light Quest How can Man do this Answ Of himself he cannot But being touched being quickned by the Eternal Power being turned by a secret vertue and stirring of life in his Heart then he can turn towards that which turneth him Being drawn by the Life by the Power he can follow after the Life and after the Power Finding the sweetness of the Living Vine and his soul made alive by the Sap of the Vine his heart can now cleave to and abide in the Vine and bring forth the Fruit of the living faith and obedience to the Husband-man who daily dresseth the Heart that waiteth in the Living Principle for further life from the Fountain that it may bring forth the fruits of Life more and more Now mark Is it possible for any man to come to the Eternal Rest that travels not the Path Or is there any Path but the repentance faith and obedience of the Living Spirit even of the Child begotten by the Eternal Power who is taught by its Father to abide and walk in the Life and in the Power God putteth forth his Hand all the day long to fetch home lost man He hath given him a Talent a living Talent which is able to work man into the life and to bring forth the fruits of life in man Man overlooks the Talent joyns not his heart to it brings not forth the fruits of Life to the giver but cries he wants power and what is he what can he do can he cleanse his own heart can he kill his corruptions can he quicken himself c. Now mark again There are several dispensations of God to mankind in all which man of himself falls short of the Life of the Power of the Glory an comes under Condemnation God layes the blame on man for not hearkning for not believing for not walking with him Man layes the blame on God and says he wants power Look on him who is not obedient to the light which he cannot but confess to shine in his heart and often to reprove him ask him why he doth not obey it is not this his plea that he wants power Now let men consider will this stand before the Throne of God This is the condemnation that men do not believe the Light of Life do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ do not trust and follow the Light which would lead them to Life but trust and follow the darkness which leads into death and into everlasting Condemnation Their plea is they want power so to do Is this true I confess the power doth not so flow forth to man as man expects it but the power of life works man out of death in a mistery and begins in him as weakness There is all the strength all the power of the enemy against the work of God in the heart There is but a little thing like a grain of mustard-seed a weak thing a foolish thing even that which is not to man's eye to overcome all this and yet in this is the power And here is the great deceit of man He looks for a great manifest power in or upon him to begin with and doth not see how the power is in the little weak stirings of life in the heart in the rising up of somewhat against the mighty strength of corruption in him which he turning towards cleaving to and wa 〈…〉 upon the Lord in the strength of the Lord will be made 〈…〉 a 〈…〉 in its seas and he will be drawn nearer and nearer to the Lord and his enemies be overcome and fall he knows not how But he that waits for such a mighty appearance of power at first looking so to begin and after that manner to be preserved and carried on can never in this capacity so much as walk in the path Eternal nor is not in the way of receiving the power which springs up as weakness and leads on and overcomes enemies in a mysterions way of working and not in such a manifest and direct way of conquest as man's wisdom expects The seed of the kingdom is sown man knows not how even by a sound of the Eternal Spirit which he is not a fit Judge of and it grows up he knows not how and the power appears and works in it in away that he is not aware of He looks for the Kingdom the Power and the Life in a way of his observation answerable to the thoughts and expectations of his heart But thus it never comes but in the way of its own eternal motion it springs in the hearts of many and they overlook the thing and turn from it daily not knowing its proper way of appearance but expecting it some other way And thus the enemy holds them in the bands of death and they are captives in the strange land refusing the Prince of Life in his daily offers of Life because they look not for him thus but after another way and manner And till this eye of observation be put out in them they can never clearly see the appearance of the Saviour to them not feel the efficacy of his saving of them from that from which none but he can deliver Now for the sakes of such as are single-hearted and yet withheld from the enjoyment of the Life of God and of his pure Power through away of wrong expecting it I shall say a little concerning the operation of the power in quickning and leading on the quickned soul as also concerning the way of its springing up in the heart and the necessity of this way I my self was long withheld from obedience to the Light Eternal in its low appearance of discovering and convincing of sin through this very deceit believing that my