in a mystery what Eternall life is And because the Scriptures say that weary soules are to come to Christ for ease and Rest therefore every soul who in his own fancy and imaginations doth judge himself to be weary may come to Christ and so by his being weary there is way opened for his coming to him For First It may be the heart may be weary of sin because it brings judgement or condemnation Or Secondly It may be weary because of his long travel to and waiting for Christ Thirdly It may be weary because it can no longer abide in these dispensations of Gods leading Fourthly It may be wearâ— because God comes not in his time and rewards it for its breathing after and working to attaine God or Christ Now the soul being falsly led out by his own heart he instead of coming to Christ onely Rests upon his bare apprehension of this in the letter from his sutability to it in his own spirit and here he feeds and remaines with ease comfort and peace in his own spirit and this he makes his Tabernacle Though it be true that Scriptures were given to be a visible testimony or declaration of God or Christ according to which God workes in man yet they were never given to be an inward Testimony or a Rest unto man but the Truth of the letter must be both revealed known and Judged of by the Spirit and not the Spirit especially in Internalls by the Externall letter neither qualifications in man sutable to the letter in mans apprehension is a ground of faith or rest without an inward Testimony and Manifestation by the Spirit of the Truth of these qualifications The eleventh false Rest. THE Next Rest in order to this upon which men Center their spirits and make their Tabernacles is the use and application of the conceived and imagined extent of Christs death which being so fully declared in the letter without any more they believe it upon this Testimony and here is the ground of their joy peace assurance and rest Now I shall not go about to speake evil of any point of judgement in reference to any particular sactions but to come to lay open my own experience and false Rests which in so doing I may come to lay open a way whereby more that are led by the same deceite may come to see it in themselves and so may from sad experience seale to the Truth of what we are saying for many who have gone through this dispensation and have beleeved this to be a Truth when now alas they see that they were both ignorant of what this Christ was or what was meant by his death wanting the knowledge of it in themselves now the terrors of death have or do seise upon them and instead of being joy and peace unto them it hath produced death and sorrow in them But first of all This soul who is thus resting upon Christs dying for all he sees the Scripture saith He gave himself a ransome for all The conclusion is this of such a spirit if for all then for me and this he beleeves and this saith he is the ground of true faith when he is altogether deceived For the ground of faith is something out of the Creature in God before time revealed and made manifest from God to the soule in time upon which the soule builds his faith rests upon it and is kept unto all time in the glory and splendor of it but the soul wanting this in a particular way of discovery he makes the other the ground of his confidence for refreshment peace safety and happinesse and he concludes First That no true faith can be but this Secondly that none have any gtound to believe but upon this ground When the poor heart is altogether ignorant in his own breast of the manner of Gods coming to reveal truth yea himself in his Son by his Spirit whereas now mans ground of his happinesse lyes not in a misunderstood Scripture without him but in a right discerned revealed and known God within him Thirdly This soul daily encreaseth in the assurance of this his rest by his daily study pains and diligence wherein he fils his head with so much of the Scriptures as indeed he makes it so glorious as it Conquers his spirits and many more into a solacing himself in this very particular when indeed he is missing the chiefest good which is the life of him who puts an end of all controversie to all such disputes when he comes to appear in the Spirit But alas before no marvell though the poore Soule be running from mountaine to hill though he forgets him who is the Resting place of Zion Therefore soul thou that makest thy habitation amongst the briers and thorns and barren mountains Arise these are not thy Rest they are from a corrupted judgement and therefore are corrupted and if thou stay here they shall destroy thee with an utter destruction all are not proper Rests which are dispensations and manners of Gods leadings but the pure promise of rest is neither in any thing before in Death and Resurrection but in the ascendings of the heart and spirit of a Creature into God by the descendings of God into the Creature which did raise him from death and the grave and now have opened the heavens to him by receiving of him into glory for as Christ did not make his rest and abode in any carnall or fleshly dispensation though in the same he did enjoy the Father so no heart is to make that his rest which Christ did not make Every heart so long as it lives below the glory of God so as it is not glorified with God is a heart centring himself in a dispensation which shall be dissolved For both man in he dispensation of Christ in the flesh or in a crucified buried or raised Soule is not to abide but in a glorified ascended Soule into God where the life is the unchangeable glory and splendor of God dwelling in man glorifying of man in which is the life and center of man truly and unchangeably centred The Twelfth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is a closing with and drawing comfort from the promises expressed in the letter of the Scriptures This closing thus with and applying the benefit of promises the whole life center comfort cause of joy peace duties diligence what not to many a soul and from hence when many come to declare their manifestation of God all they have to say is at such a time a promise was made forth unto them or cast into their thoughts by which they apprehended God and closed with it and from thence did draw comfort and peace from it and this is all the experience of God that is manifested to them or that they have This causes abundance of rest and security to many a heart and luls them a sleep which is most commonly Satans way to apply himselfe to such a cuâ—e for to cause a soul
As for instance The fountain and the streames The streames are an effect of the Fountain flowing from the abundance contained in the same so it is with God made manifest in the heart he being the Ocean or Fountain comprehending all streames within himself doth issue out of himselfe those streames of Sanctification or holinesse in conversation from himself thus abiding in the Creature So that a man may have the latter in as high manner though not in truth as he that hath God truly manifest and no way to be discerned but by the light of truth dwelling within which makes the truth or falshood of such things in this nature manifest and before the same enjoyed the Creature is in darknesse and it is as possible for a man to see twenty miles in a very darke night as for a man really to judge of the truth or falshood of his own condition before this light come in from God which expels those clouds as the shining of the Sun doth the clouds and here lies the darknesse of a heart when it is made to see the want of God it looks into the frame and disposition of mens spirits abroad who are under a name of profession and being much affected with them and drawn out in love to them it gets into such relations or society and it sees abundance of holinesse flow from their conversations now it being away to reprove that party not having the same conversation in holinesse of walking or power against corruption it cries out O that I were so holy in conversation as such a one is O that I had such and such a power against corruption as they have And could be alwaies discovering of good things as they are or could have my minde fixed upon heavenly things as they have O how heavenly doth such a one walke and this is his construction or application O if I could be but so I should then be at peace and Rest then I should think my condition happy but alas here is such abundance of carnall mindednesse and of corruption in my conversation and a wearinesse in things that are good here the creature takes up a daily complaint and to every Saint is making his condition known and cannot rest quiet untill he have resembled or attained such a measure of knowledge to discourse of God and so much power against corruption as to walke in conversation like those whose conversation did convict him and shame him Now having attained so much in shew and that now his affections seem to be bent upon good things that now God is his meditation and his continuall ponder that now when it s thus the creature hath much peace sometimes upon the view of the same and when it cannot walke thus it hath neither Peace not rest Now here the creatures heart deceives him and makes him rest upon that which may be in truth and not in truth or upon that which is given to change and abides not one and the same for ever Now all this a man may have and yet have nothing manifest in truth and though it might be said thar these are true in there place yet not appointed for rests but for effects of that which was in truth within for he that saith he dwels in him ought even so to walk as he hath walked Now holinesse in the highest degree as it flowes out from man is but an especial effect of the dwelling of the spirit of God or an effect of his rest in him not to be a rest but to manifest to others that he dwels and rests in God For to me that Soule who rests and dwels in God must have his conversation but especially his inward walking like God for to others that look upon a Saint thus pretending to dwell must judge of the same by that fruit that flowes from him in one kinde or another though it is not to be a testimony to himself who thus liveth he having another testimony which speaks or evidences peace 1 John 5. 10. upon more sure grounds yea and lets the creature see a ground or place of rest going as farre beyond this as the streames are short of the Fountaine and the body of the Sun beyond the least glimpse or shining thereof Man I may say who is resting in peace and quietnesse of spirit from these visible branches if they be true is one who still hangeth upon the outside of the Arke and like the Pharisees resting with glorious outsides and washing of the outsides of Cups more to be seen of men or justified before men then to be as an effect of that truth within made forth for the glory of God The one of these ends did Cain act for and the other end did the Scribes and Pharisees act for so that a house built upon such a foundation as this seems to be as glorious as that which was builded upon the Rock but it was not so safe for with every blast and storm that coÌ„es against such a spirit it fals into its former state it was in before thus builded so were the devout Women and golden Sepulchers and whited walls builded upon such considerations as these they were outwardly holy and seemingly pure but were within full of deadly poyson and were put for outward glory not adorned with the Spirit so it is very likely that the said spirit that Rests upon this seeming though thought by himself true holinesse is a soul altogether full of deadly poyson and deceite which in time may be discovered and then the Creature shall see another rest more sure and safe then this and shall lose by it yet Love shall save him though it be a fire for to burn up what of this rest was of himself so that I say such a soules foundation of rest shall fade as Solomon in all his glory First Then this Spirit thus resting is away to keep it below true assurance for in this rest there can flow no true cause or ground to the Creatuâ—e to be assured thereby Secondly For a man to rest here it will be but to make a house which ere long it may be God will batter about his ears and so prove labour in vaine as many can speak by sad experience Thirdly Whatsoever flowes from a man pretended to God before there be an inward revelation in that man of God and makes the same a true evidence of his enjoying this God thus revealed and so rests his thus doing is but his own righteousnesse and not the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ revealed by faith Fourthly That the party thus acting doth go no farther then a point of bodily exercise for what a man doth in point of holynesse pretending for God and after doth own it as a true evidence or any cause of rest as God To me it appears and in the judgement of Scriptures that mans action is but bodily exercise for nothing is or ought to be either rest or evidence of the true enjoyment of God in me
dissolve in a higher appearance of God Therefore though men both know and beleeve that there was a Christ crucified in the flesh yet let them not rest untill they know it in the Spirit Then shall a man see Christ daily crucified before his eyes First In him Secondly By him Thirdly For him And fourthly Crucifying of him That he shall say with Paul from experience I am crucifyed with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Gal. 2. 20. Then shall the soul know both what it is to be crucified by or with Christ and also what this Christ is that lives within him which is become life unto him then he shall know it is not flesh but Spirit and life that lives in him neither shall he be satisfied with hearing of his death at Jerusalem but with experiencing partly the mystery now made manifest in him and so comes to be known by him then shall he say Though I have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know I him no more 2 Cor. 5. 16. Being he knowes him in the new Creation being made to see and discern in the Spirit and so behold Christ in the vision of God Hab 2. 3. Which is so far from being beheld before as a true crucified estate as indeed there is nothing but darknesse and rebellion in the heart to such an estate only the soul living and rejoycing in some carnall conception of God and Christ and yet the heart is empty of his light and giory and indeed running from the Fountaine to the streames and from the substance to the shadow or figure as I might plainly lay open how all the actions of Christ in the flesh attributed to him are but reall Types and figues and shadowes of either good things to come or to be revealed in souls I cleerly see that sometimes he speaks in Parables sometimes he speaks in Mystery and sometimes yea altogether he acted in Mystery as holding forth what he did in his coming in the soul being a more glorious dispensation then that under the Law as the coming of him in the Spirit is from his comming in the flesh so that what miracles and acts transcendently acted by him above all that was made and is experienced by those in the Spirit who enjoy him who discovers all as namely his raising Lazarus and at the marriage turning water into wine and his healing sick and opening eyes and so all passages flowing from him of this nature were but figures still of what he did and would do in and for soules and so not only in matters of doing but also in matters of sufferings they are reall figures of the same truth substantially experienced in Saints both place persons condemnation Grosse death buriall his agony or withdrawing before his grave and resurrection his not ascending immediately after his death to his Father but afterwards ascended in the fulnesse of time All these in every particular are known in the true and spirituall sense of them by those that have had fellowship with ham in his death and Resurrection and so hath passed from death to life and now is risen within and dwels with him in heaven and so is swallowed up in the God-head and is rose in the Fathers glory and now is filled with the Spirit this time is the time of knowledge and this is wisdomes time wherein he comes to be satisfaction to them and also is justified by them this is the time when they sing nothing but praise and glory to the Lamb who doth not onely deserve to open the Book Rev. 5. 9. and the Seales thereof but hath opened the Book and discovered to the soul the Cabinet and storehouse of the glorious Mystery of the Father and Christ into which City of glory and light the soul is made to enter and Rest and live for ever that now all things are become new Rev. 21. 5. to and with such a soul the very Kingdome of God and the mystery thereof is opened Rev. 10. 7. and now the Tabernacle of God is with man Rev. 21. 3. and now this glorious mystery Christ is manifested in life and power and become the hope of the compleat glory and fulnesse thereof Col. 1. 27. to be made manifest when it is made capable to comprehend it from being comprehended by it and swallowed up in it then shall this heart doâ—e no more upon shadowes or broken Cisterns or figures of good things to come but he shall be gathered up into God and Christ and shall possesse them in the fulnesse of them The ninth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is visible Church communion or the relations under this notion O this I may say is one of the Idols of Israel and I may say as God was a saying once Come and see yea behold what the Children of Israel are doing in the dark O the darknesse of such soulâ— who Rest in and under such dispensations truly if I should speak the naked truth and nakedly discover every false Rest I never in my own experience did finde more grosse darkenesse sease upon my spirit then did sease upon my spirit under this dispensation Secondly Never more false Laodicean security Thirdly Never more pride and self conceitednesse then at that present ready to judge every one that were not in relation in reference to Church-communion to be no Saints 2. Looking more at the practise of Ordinances and being members of Churches then at the reall experience of such a soul 3. More longing after the encrease of members then of their living in the Spirit which were members 4. Judging every one if they were but in and under such Relations to be Saints though they had little yea indeed no experience of God at all refusing communion with such being not of my judgement though they knew what communion in the Spirit was and closed yea joyned with those who are ignorant of it because they were Church-members This having been mine and still are many more at this present what Church are they of Are they Baptized What judgement are they of Which doth argue both an Idolizing of and Resting upon these poor dispensations of babes and Children It hath been with me and I fear hath been and is still with many more a coldnesse of love to those yea a condemning also because they have or doe not close with us in every particular in matters of Judgement or formes of worship though the parties live in very high enjoyments of God and are passed these childrens and babes dispensations and all this testifies a Besting upon our formes and manner of worship as for instance An Independent so called and an Anabaptist and so many more as the godly presbyterian and others under divers distinctions of foâ—mes how bitter they are one against another what a distance they stand one from another witnesse their preaching and printing and in the same their bitternesse Instance their refusal to hear or joyn
pleased to appear in to us is to be no Rest or habitation of us but to be led into higher enjoyments or after higher enjoyments of God by the sight and appearance of him though in a low or very meane manner in the forme discovered For the end partly why Christ appeared in divers formes to his Apostles and so to many now is because he would not have any â—est in or upon his forme or appearance but that they might be as he was dying to all these and waiting for his ascending into God where be might be for ever swallowed up with the light and glory of God and there to make his and all Saints habitation and Rest The fifteenth false Rest THe next Rest which I shall speak of iâ— The Gospel Faith of Jesus Christ as men call it which indeed hath some ground of Rest both from Scripture and reason as they think Men in our daies have given distinctions of Faith as namely Historicall Temporall and Saving But leaving the two former I come to the latter and shall un-bosome my sad experience of deceit in the same 1. Concerning this Saving Gospell-Faith I owne there is a Faith which in Scriptures is termed Saving yet that which men call both beleeving and saving I find not to be so And first of all man cals true Faith A dependence upon Christ or beleeving Christ dyed for them according to the Scripture Now Faith is neither a dependancy upon Christ or beleeving according to our common exposition that Christ dyed for us these if they be so in the heart as a Creature doth conceive yet they are but the effects and fruits of Faith in its spirituall act upon or towards God but this many make their Rest and shelter that if they can but beleeve Christ dyed for them at Jerusalem and that thus beleeving they can go out of themselves that is onely deny their own righteousnesse and beleeve that Christ is theirs and that he dyed for them this is a Rest sufficient when indeed the poor heart is both ignorant what Faith is and what going out of himselfe is For never can a Creature go out of himself to Christ or God before there be a cleere â—aâ—ifestation of God in the heart Now the Creature who is thus Resting upon his beleeving in Christ is altogether ignorant of any manifestation of God to him or â—n him For Faith is a supernaturall and divine light of God communicated to the soul by the Spirit of God which after this manifestation of light the creature comes to see and behold the glory of God by which Faith he is made to beleeve yea which beleeving is an effect or act of the said Faith upon or towards the same God which is revealed Now in the first place Beleeving is not Faith but an effect thereof Secondly Beleeving is an act of God in us to himselfe and so no Rest Thirdly Nothing which flowes forth from man to God is to be a Rest No act whatsoever is to be a Rest as it is purely exercised in man though of God but mans Rest is to be one who acts all in man who is God Many men are thinking highly of themselves because the Scriptures declare a Christ crucified for man and they are made to beleeve he was so for them and so are made to deny their own works or doings and to depend onely upon this Christ which indeed the poor hearts be ignorant of and know him not neither have any manifestation of Jesus Christ in them in any particular way but only from their own imaginations and fancies they stil confidently beleeve that this Christ is theirs and he dyed for them and here they Rest and make their habitation concluding this to be Faith and the knowledge of Christ which indeed if such a Spirit knew what Faith were or the knowledge of Christ were this would be dissolved if not destroyed and it would finde it's faith and knowledge to be an un sound and un safe Rest to be centred upon So that I say that that is not Faith or beleeving which men so call and if so it were no ground to Rest upon For in the first place A man must truly know within himselfe what is Faith is before aman can truely beleeve Secondly He must also know what this Christ is he beleeves in before he can depend upon him and beleeve truly in him Thirdly There must be a clear manifestation of God or Christ in man before there can be any true knowledge particularly of him by man Fourthly Christs dying at Jerusalem shall then be known to the heart in a more spirituall manner then ever And the workings of that death shall be found in that heart to be such as formerly it did not conceive of Fiftly He shall know that dependency upon Christ and his former beleeving in Christ the truth of which he hath formerly tryed by visible signes and marks is now made to be a fancy not Faith and an effect of darknesse not of light And now he findes another dependency and beleeving in him flowing from another ground then before he knew and that the matter he Rested upon in hes own imagination which he before called a Christ dying for him is now changed being it was but his carnall conceptions and fleshly teachings and actings and now he is made to see the spirituall sense and so to judge of the truth of an ever-dying yet ever living transfigured glorified Christ so as now he is making his habitation not amongst the beasts of the field in his former fancies and fleshly teachings but in the spirituall heavens where live all Just men made perfect and all perfect men made to live by or in the life of God or Christ so as he is changed into glory and his Rest is made glorious Sixtly When this is come to passe men shall know really the Mystery of Faith and why it is called a Mystery and that same spirit shall know a difference betwixt the Mystery of Faith discovered to the Conscience coming as it were from God and the keeping and exercising of the Mystery of that Faith in a pure Conscience to God and that beleeving is not Faith as it purely comes from God discovering it self and the Mystery thereof to the Conscience but it is the exercise of that said Mystery of Faith by God in Conscience to God So that the Mystery of faith in it self is one thing and beleeving and dependency upon Christ if true is another thing But the effect or exercise of the Mysteriousnesse of faith in a conscience which is pure to or upon a God that is pure Seventhly Men may beleeve Christ died for them and from this beleeving may practise such things as are required by him yea may have such peace joy in the same And in this his own works he may abhorre and detest not setting them up with Christ and this he may do from a Scripture notionary knowledge onely got in the
thus with the Creature that the cause of its Rest hath been the appearance of God in such an administration or dispensation yet if now he see clearly that God is departed from it he Rests no longer being the ground why he Rested was and is taken away or removed for as God promised to be in and appear to his People in the Temple and in the Administrations under the Law yet not for everlasting continuance but that afterwards he did intend to withdraw his presence from them and so to disanull the use thereof so in any dispensation of God below his spirituall appearance in the soul he intends to appeare at such a time as himselfe hath appointed in the use of the same but afterwards to withdraw himself from it for some end best known to himselfe Now this is that I say Gods departing and ceasing to appear in a Dispensation or an Administration Is that which both discovers the Resting therein to be false and is a further meanes to un-bottome the spirit of a man for making of it his Rest any longer for that Soul that is led into any Administration by God in the which God appeares when God withdraws from it and ceaseth to appear any more in it the Soule doth the like also And in this he follows the Lambe where ever he goes Rev. 14. 4. So that I say It is the departure of God from any condition which if the creature hath been made sensible of it doth represent the making a habitation in it and the resting upon it is both below God and contrary to him so as in the same he is made willing to part with and to see when God is known to be deâ—arâ—ed from the vanity of making any thing his rest though given of God untill God do everlastingly appear within man carrying up the soule and spirit of man into himself Fourthly The next way God discovers these to be false rests and makes the creature willing to part with the same Is by appearing in a more glorious Administration to the Creature and this is the reason why Christ comforteh his Disciples when the forme of the flesh was to be taken away by telling of them He must go away or else the Comforter would not come Joh. 167. As if he should say unlesse I depart in the forme of flesh or in this outward Dispensation you cannot enjoy me in a more glorious Dispensation of the Spirit within you which should for ever abide with you It is the Substance of what God intends to make manifest in your spirits I am but in this fleshly dispensation a figure and therefore I must depart that I may more gloriously appeare within you and lead you into all Truth more glorious then yet you see or understand It was so with John and Christ in the flesh as John did decrease so Christ did encrease Ioh. 3. 30. It was indeed the encreasing of Christ in the fleshly Administration that made John in his Administration decrease for the dispensation of God in the flesh of Christ was more glorious then the dispensation of John so that in spiriuals there is a giving way to a superiour or more glorious Administration by an inferiour or lesse glorious dispensation for the more of God appeares in any forme the more glorious is that forme now God did more appeare in Christs forme then in Johns which made John decrease and give way unto the dispensation of Christ from whence I observe That no man is to forsake any dispensation so long as God appeares in it and makes it a living dispensation for the Apostles were not to cease walking with or to depart from Christ in the flesh untill God was departed from it and ceased according to it or by it but all the Apostles were to continue in that dispensation so long as it was a living dispensation So it was with the dispensations under the Law they were to continue in them so long as God appeared in them and continued with them So shall soules follow as God leads As the Children of Israel were to abide in any place so long as God abode in it So we And as they did move when God moved from it so are we until we are in our perfect Rest Num. 9. 17 18. Heb 4. 9. For it is the presence of God in a particular thing which is both to be a soules Leader Exo. 34. 14 15 and his cause of stay in the use of any dispensation So it was with Moses Unlesse thy presence go along with us carry us not hence It hath been and still ought to be That Saints removing out of one condition into another or from one Administration or Dispensation into another hath been by the presence of God either going or removed from such a Dispensation So that there may be a folly in this particular for any man to cease acting in formes or in such an Administration as God hath brought him into and truly appeared in untill there be a clear departure of GOD in the same leading it into a more glorious Administration Secondly God seldome doth depart from one Administration until he appears in a more glorious manner in another As God did not depart from the Administration of the Law untill he appeared more glorious in the administration of the Gospel So it is now That there can be no expelling clouds but by light so there can be no other way to take off a soule truly from the use of any forme until God appeare in a more higher dispensation For as the appearance of Christ in the flesh was the summe and substance of the formes of the Law and was not to be disanulled before the substance came Heb. 8. 1. Col. 2. 17. so iâ— is now The summe and substance of all Formes and administrations is Christ in the Spirit and untill the Substance of them be come perfectly into every heart there can be no true cessation of that heart in Formes or Administrations which are Gospel-Formes or Administrations So that God departing sometimes from an Administration and appearing more glorious in another either within or without is that which both unbottoms the soul of Resting in it and that which makes the creature willing to part with it For the want of this the Jewes not beholding Christ the summe and substance of the Law Come in a more glorious Administration they were unwilling to cease acting in their former Administrations the Veile being not taken away 2 Cor. 3. 14. whereby they had been made to see the Substance of those Formes establish'd compleatly in a Christ Col. 2. 10. But lastly the chiefest and onlyest way why the creature comes to be willing to be most free to part with and to have a discovery of all dispensations below the appearance of God in the Spirit to be no Rest Is by the glorious manifestation of God in the Soule whereby First of all He appears as a glorious Light within man And this Light 1.
Christ who in name is called the Manifestation of Love is unchangeable in reference to the being and cause of this manifested Love which is Christ for if we consider him as the bosome love of God He is not so Christ to us or in us but as this comes to be manifest to us which manifestation or the thing manifest is onely Christ for I look thus that not onely Christ as he was in the flesh was Christ only in that form and no more but what ever was manifest either by or in that form was in Name the Christ and in Nature Christ in God now Saints Rest is not in Christ as manifested only in distinction but Christ is the Rest of Saints as God hath designed him for that purpose and so comes by God in Saints to be made manifest carrying up Saints to live in the full glory power and splendor of that God who did make manifest himself in this manifestation which is Christ And no other way come soules truly to know the Father either in love or mercy but as the Father doth manifest himself in this very particular Christ revealed in mens hearts in which men may see God clearly and for the want of which Philip was ignorant when he said to Christ Joh. 14. 8. Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth us They were ignorant what the Father and Christ were in the spirit though Christ were with them in the flesh and the reason was because Christ within them was not by God made manifest to them therefore would they have been making Tabernacles in such a low fleshly knowledge where in truth they knew nothing of him in relation to the spirit nor of that conjunction betwixt him and the Father that whensoever Christ spiritually was made manifest there the Father was manifest also because there was one undevideable nature and being in such cases betwixt the Father and the Son so that the Saints Rest is in this clearly manifested God within us who in tearm and Truth is called Christ so that now as Christs center was in the Father and now is to dwell in the fulnesse of his Glory so Saints being in him are carried by him to live with him in the same glory and love and to conclude this when we can say from experience that which Paul said in the Gal. 1. 16. That when it pleased the Father to reveal his Christ in him â—hen shall we know that the manifestation of God to us is the Revelation of Christ in us 3. Christ spiritually discovered in men and so knowne by them and so becoming Rest to them is a clear light of God in the Creature which light and glory is onely Christ and thus he is often described in Scripture not onely as he was a light in the flesh without us prescribing rules of light to us but chiefly as he shall become the light and glory of God within us for as he was in the forme oâ— flesh he was a mystery unknowne yea he was not such a light so as God intended him because he was then but in the figure holding forth what he would worke and what he should be when he was to come in the glory of the spirit within men for his being in the flesh was a very dark dispensation For even the Apostles who were the most conversant with him did know little and were very ignorant of the truth So as indeed they thought he was come to set up a Kingdome in the flesh and that he would advance them in some great place as appeares So that it was Gods great design which was held forth in that forme of flesh which is the sum of that Scipture where he is declared to be the light of the Gentiles and to be the glory of the people Israel Luk. 2. 32. Now to prove it by Scripture that this Christ is in the spirituall coming and advancing in the soule a glorious and Divine light We see it very clear from that Scripture in the 60. of Isa 1. 2. Where the Lord declares the manner of Christs spirituall appearing in the soule Arise shine for thy Light is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee This same Scripture though men do labour to deny it to be meant of Christs appearance in any particular soule yet he that hath found the appearance of Christ within him hath found him fully making good these sayings The matter however that here is promised at the raising up of distressed spirits is Light and Glory which light is God appearing in a dispensation of light and glory the which dispensation is Christ in us for he is both the light and glory of God and all things that are either spirituall light or glory discovered is Christ for according to that Scripture Rev. 21. 23. The glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof As if he should say when the Lord comes to dwell spiritually in the manifestation of glory within the spirit of man and so set up a Temple in the creature according to the 22. verse Then shall all those lights which before the soul hath been guided by whether they were flashes or resembled light now there shall be no need of the same but the glory of God now shall there be to enlighten the same yea Christ shall be the light thereof so that he shall be filled with true light whoever hath the glorious appearance of Christ within him he stall become a compleat light unto that soul So as he shall not stand in need of any inferiour light but they shall be dissolved when the glory of the Sun appeareth so that in such a soule to whom Christ is become in this manner a light unto he shall have no night there according to that in the 22. of Rev. 5. verse But the Lord shall fill such a soule with light yea he shall give to such spirits Him in whom there is no darknesse as in a spirituall dispensation and as he is termed in Iohn 1. 9. verse He is here called The true Light which lighteneth everyman that cometh into the world He is here called true in opposition to fallacy as if he should lay open many false lights in the world and within men yet he was come as a true light to distinguish betwixt true and false and so he is a distinguishing light in every spirit who hath received him for though Satan hath transformed himselfe into an Angel of light in deceiving a creature yet notwithstanding when his true light appears in any heart it doth both discover it and destroy it according to that in the 2 Thes 2. 7 8 9 10. That though the mystery of iniquity and anti-Christ be never so deceiveable and glorious in their workings and transformings both within and without the creature yet Christ shall reveale and destroy it with the spirit of his mouth and the brightnesse of his coming And true it is that Satan both in matter of formes
without us and workings within us is transforming himselfe now if ever And truly he within soules workes like God and there is no known distinction betwixt his transformings and Christs workings untill there be a true transfiguring of Christ in the glory of the spirit and this doth find out all the deceite both of heart and Satan for indeed there is no forme though never so glorious but he will transform himselfe in it there is no working of the spirit within man but he will resemble it so that none shall be able to know whether it be true or false within him or without him untill this Christ shall appear in light and glory and shall make the same manifest so as oftentimes his thus appearing is compared to the rising of the Sun and the dawning of the day which are degrees of distinguishing light which doth dissolve the imperfect light of the Moone and Starres and is a clear light of it self to rule and order to unfold and discover the truth of every thing which under the other dispensations could not be discerned and that is the reason that the Apostle tells them that they have a sure word of prophesie whereunto they doe well if they take heed And he tels them how long it was untill the day dawn and the day-starre arise in their hearts This saying untill prescribes and sets out the limitation of time and the accomplishing of the same as if he should say there is a most glorious day to be enjoyed in Saints which day shall appear but for your direction untill that day you have a sure word of prophesie unto which if God give you care thereof may be as a rule unto you It being a light shining in a dark place and though for the present you walke by the same yet Rest not there but waite for the spirituall coming of Christ within you which in this word of prophesie is held forth to you and then when he comes he shall be a perfect light within which light shall speake truth and leade the soul thereunto but in the interim Looke to that sure word of prophesie which declares and makes manifest the truth thereof This word of Prophesie was the Scriptures this day dawning and day-starre arising was the appearance of Christ in the fulnesse of the spirit within them So as he often in Scripture is called the bright Morning-Star and as concerning his spiritual coming he is sometimes termed under the notion of the day dawning or breaking as in Cant. 2. 17. and in many others onely to shew unto us that the breaking in of Christ into a heart is like the breaking of the light in the earth when the day begins to appeare and the night is expired as also the rising of the Sun to that purpose he is often called the Sun of Righteousnesse which shall arise and be seen in the hearts of men so that we see this coming of Christ yea himself is a true and glorious light of God in the spirits of Saints so as he makes all things manifest to such a heart whether true or false and this light shall cloath every Saints spirit and all inferiour and transformed lights shall be under such a soules feet triumphing over them seeing the fallacy of them Then First it is this light Christ within the creature who appeares as light which doth expell or dispell all those Clouds which are with creatures in whom he hath not appeared for as the Sun doth expell the clouds in the appearance thereof so Christ in his glorious shinings forth and breaking in into every believing spirit so as the creature before could not apprehend God by reason of these clouds that lye upon the soule now he apprehends him clearly the cause being by Christ taken away Secondly By this light Christ doth discover all the false Waies and Rests of the creature either in opposition to or being below the true and substantiall way of Rest so that this light Christ in his divine Appearances within the creature doth bring a day of losse upon many spirits when it discovers unto them the vanity of their spirits in running after the waies of their own hearts and here they come to see the emptynesse of formes or former flashes and now it may be all the soules knowledge and practise must lye in the dust and be unlearned so as this light brings the creature out of love with his own Wayes so that now he is free to be led according to the teaching of this light Thirdly This light Christ in its spirituall appearing in the creature doth reveale and discover the Father in this light Christ so as the heart clearly sees and knows the Father and the Spirit the son and the spirit One and the spirit to be both so as this light which in reference to name is called and tearmed Christ yet it is God in this light so that God is said to be light in him is no darknesse The Father is the fountain of light the son is the manifestation of light or the light made manifest now here the soul in whom this true light doth appeare doth know God and him thus sent into the heart by Jesus Christ so that Christ as he is the Rest of Saints is a divine revelation of light in which light and glory the creatures spirit solaces it selfe and rests with much delight in the same and out of this form after enjoyed will not Christ appeare but will be unto such a spirit an everlasting light that now as God lives in light so the creature lives in light also which no creature in the flesh can attain to who cannot be seen felt or heard in the flesh in this dispensation but he is above it consuming of it and continually advancing this light more more in the creature so as this light comes to be advanced and appears in greater fulnesse so shall the spirits who are centred in it be advanced by it and the greater this light doth appear in fulnesse the more perfect doth the souls Rest appear and the more shall the spirits be filled with it Fourthly in the fourth place this spirituall Christ or what he is in the Spirit when he comes to be the Rest of Saints He is spirituall and Divine Life without which no soul hath spirituall or eternal life enjoyed by him for as a man without the soul is dead so are all men without Jesus Christ within them made manifest so that Iohn very fully laies open this truth 1 Ioh 1. 1 2. for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witnesse and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us So that we see what the life of Saints is for that life which they here speak of was Christ Secondly we see the place where it centers before it is made manifest and that is laid open to be in the Father Thirdly the way whereby they knew it and also
the two consider the effects that follow as namely Security or luke warmnes or fulnesse and self conceitednesse and so false Restings are of as dangerous a consequence as the other Thirdly Humility is by resembling of such property of words and actions in an other as is most lovely in the eyes of himself and others and here lies a sad deceit when men doe only resemble the words or carriages of another which it may be in that party flowes from a principle or power of God in him and by a resembling of him and getting into his form think their condition is the happier and so glory in it more then before so that though his Humility flow from a divine work in him yet the others is but shaped out of what is expressed by or from him and here lies much danger especially if man Rest in the same The forth way whereby humility comes most commonly to be attained And the way indeed is from the enjoyment of God thereby man comes not only to have the effects or branches cut off but the cause or root of the same taken away So as now man hath it not in the form or shape but in power and substance and now man is truly what he seems to be but not before whereby as the Creature is humbled so God is exalted and this is the Creatures joy though not his Rest wholly This humility now is the effect of God enjoyed whereby man is made to partake of Gods natrue and this nature breaks out into these particular effects but now this very effects of humility though it be from the enjoyment of God yet it is not the Rest of a Saint but the cause which is God The next part is the gift of Utterance which is that many have that knows not God and many have not which sweetly enjoy him So that man who is freely carried forth to utter or make known any thing he conceives is truth yet there is neither cause of trusting to it or Resting in it neither is there cause why a Soul should the more glory in the enjoyment of it or be troubled in the want of it The last part or Gift we shall speak of is Memory This part of Memory is that which doth most sweetly adorn man in the visible making of it forth and it makes man much adored for it it is 1. Away to grow very profitable in respect of him that hath it and beneficiall to them for whom he imployes it as namely In that dispensation of hearing after which the party which enjoyes this Part is able to repeat or declare almost verbatim what he hath heard this makes him very profitable in what he hears in respect of gathering knowledge and benificiall to others from the improvement of the same This is the reason why two Ministers so professing of themselves studying their matter the one brings it in a peece of paper and the other in the same method or forme though in his understanding becaus the one excels the otther in this Part of Memory and this makes the one more esteemed then the other and the one to appear more weake then the other But alas though all these were in one man in a higher strain then I have declared yet they all were but a poor Rest or cause of joy or contentment to any heart and truly when God appears so as to manifest himself the Soul shall see the weaknesse and foolly of his spirit to be satisfied in the whole not to be any cause of Rest though they were dispensations of God and were freely given by God For all these may be in a very hipocrite or in a meer naturall man First of all to conclude this Rest 1. It is an abuse of a Gift and an affornt put upon the Giver to make it either cause of Rest or an evidence of a true enjoyment of God 2. That soul most commonly who is not led in the Spirit either to behold God or enjoy him to be the Rests of spirits is most usuall it can hardly be prevented to Rest upon such Rests as we have declared but consider that must be the Rest of any who sees or enjoys not one manifested to him to be above it Man must have some Rest either true or false But that must be the safe Rest the which no hipocrite doth at tain nor can enjoy which is God manifested in the Spirit further why should any man place his Rest upon any thing which will come to nothing or is given to change Or why should we make that the ground of our happinesse which is but a tallent given to be improved which may be taken away at the Owners pleasure being given onely to bee improved and then mans Rest and peace ceaseth and in this particular doth â—he folly of mans heart appear in abusing the end of every dispensation as of this of Parts As. First The abuse of Parts lyes in the boasting and glorying in the gift and not in him that gives it And also in this to make them his Rest 2. For a man so to glory in them as to make again of them improve in them for to get honour and preferment and glory in the World This I fear was partly the end of Simon Magus in desiring the gifts of God Alas all gifts are empty without God be Manifested in them and poore contentment do they afford to him that Rests in them And here men are setting them in Gods place and labouring to dispossesse God who is or ought to be the satisfaction of the heart And this is another abuse of Parts A world of deceit lyes in mans heart about gifts or parts if abused First They will not make forth themselves unlesse it be where they be honoured or else they labour for the same by the improvement of them being the most free where it 's the most applauded and the most straitned and wary of that place where it is not adored and exalted and set up above the proper station of the creature being much cheered when exalted and much cast downe when rejected or at least not so applauded as he requires or expect here is man much abusing Parts and setting them in Gods stead in the which man shall be brought to a losse when God doth â—â—â—ifest himself in that heart The fourth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is Zeal for the truth Zeal in the matters of God is that which the most go through before the manifestations of God yet though it be good in its place and a dispensation to be owned yet it is but a deceitfull Rest We know the cry of him in the Scripture who was Resting and glorying in his Zeal for God when he cryed come see my Zeal for the Lord of hosts So we know many mens Zeal goes before their knowledge of God in the spirit We hear of a zealous Saul who was mad of Zeal in persecuting the Church Act. 22. 3 and
out of conceit he did God good service Rested satisfied We know the Scribes and Pharisees who were the most zealous for Sabbaths and prayer and other points of Worship yet they make it their Rest but come to our daies and see if we swarme not of the same only seeming professors of God who are very zealous for the same things and from their very zeal are made to Rest with high thoughts of their condition But how far this zeal which is most commonly led with more affection then Judgement will bring man into a form of Truth First It will leade man into a whole conformity to what it doth conceive to be truth that it shall according to what it hath serve God in all good conscience Acts. 23. 1. and according to the Law to be unblamable and untaxable Then his conversation shall bee very strict in the observation of what the Law requires and he shall act the same with much vehemency of spirit taking all oppertunities for the doing of the same Secondly It will carry the soule on to suffer cheerfully what he may meet withall in this very particular Thirdly he may by zeal afflict his body sore 1. Cor. 13. 3. with fasting and mourning under pretence the one to honour and obey God the other for dishonou◠brought to God So as he may be almost spent in body and spirit and estate in prosecuting the things o◠God according to his light Farther hee may out o◠Zeal come to Gospel precepts and may be Zealous for that light in externall formes which is there required to be obeyed so as he may gather Churches and may suffer much in the conforming to and practising with so much vehemency the Ordinances cōmonly practised by the Churches in the Apostles and our daies so as his Zeal may lead him out to teaching and helping forward that work studying night and day to finde out matter to furnish himself for edification so as for paines in the Churches and for Zeal to observe the severity of those formes and any thing required to bee practised in the said Churches so as now it will have communion in Ordinances with none but those of his own stamp judgement being mightily carried forth to judge and pitty those who are opposers of that light Now this soul through Zeal may goe thus farre yea to act the very highest things the Scriptures doe require in matters of visible practise and yet be not at all taught in the Spirit neither got into the life and power of what he doth professe but meerly zealous for shadowes and wants the power so as he is commanded by the form and not the forme by the power dwelling within him Now grant farther That such a soul did act in truth according to this dispensation yet notwithstanding in this particular there were no cause of Rest for nothing visibly seen flowing from the Creature ought to be its Rest but some visible flowings into the Creature which is being and substance from which and unto which a Soule through Zeal for God acts Also a Creature thus Zealous Rests not at home but reformes abroad also beginning with his own family and so goes abroad to others and labours for reformation and practises the same with much Zeal so as he can not endure the visible appearance of any sinne in himself or others He may help with much Zeal the purging of Cities and Nations or drunkennesse or swearing or any open prophanesse he may be for punishing of evil doers in this particular with much severity and seeming to be much troubled at the neglect of it he may rejoyce much in this practise and may help forward this work in a Nation very much and yet this no Rest at all also he may be zealous yea mad of Zeale for the worship of his God in reference unto others not only taking all opportunities to inform them in the same but using all Coercive powers for confiring them thereunto so as he may be an instrument to bring families and most part of Cities into this outward conformity to the matters of worship and here hee lookes upon an action done of great moment and weight and partly makes this an evidence of this true enjoyment of God by Reason of his Zeale for God and the effect thereby produced which is the good of many Now the cause of a Souls thus Resting partly flowes from want of the information in judgement of the great deceite of the heart in putting man by zeal upon such publique actions and then to cause it to Rest and further it conceiving it's Zeale for God and from a principle of God not being acquainted with a Pharisaicall Zeale to be seen of men or to get a name amongst men or that Zeal which men have but not according to knowledge or the Zeale Paul had before conversion which excels both for vehemency and downrightnesse is the Zeal of many a professor who are at Rest in our daies Now a poor Creature because he is made to suffer freely and to hazard life and liberty in the prosecution of this Zeal he is much puffed up under these considerations 1. That now this is a suffering with and for Christ and therefore he shall reign with him and enjoy much from him 2 That this is a parting with all for Christ and a great point of self denial and so an evidence of a disciple of Christ when indeed the Soule is in himself and hath not at all attained that estate to forsake himselfe Therefore let every heart though never so Zealous for God take notice that his heart may deceive him in his Zeal and his affection may blinde his judgement and so it proves blinde zeal Or Secondly Consider that though it be such Zeale as is good and to be approved of in its dispensation yet not at all to be Rested upon nor to be an evidence of any true enjoyment of God though he pretend God in the fore-front as Jehu did The fifth false Rest. THe next Rest of a Soule though I might not have spoken of it because I have partly given it forth yet that things may be the more opened its the Creatures Righteousnesse or sanctification and outward holinesse wherein both in carriage and words he doth most sweetly in probability savour of high enjoyments of God This is to be a testimony of the same to others though not to himself yet notwithstanding his Rest is to him a high evidence of the true and reall possessings of God when alas it is continually a vanishing Rest and evidence and when the Creature stands in need of it it is taking its wings and flying away and proves a miserable comforter in the saddest straits of a Soul But first let us consider that true holinesse of a person made manifest in actions flowes from the justification of a Soule made manifest in the Spirit so that the truest holinesse or outward sanctification doth wholly flow as an effect of Justification made manifest
and action he seemes to be and that he do not pretend to live in God above all formes when indeed he neither live in God nor knowes what it â—s to be led by God out of the same into that which is truly sweet if the soul were led into that he pretends to enjoy The tenth false Rest. THe next Rest which in order we shall speake of is a Sutability to the externall letter or some qualified frame wherein this Creature takes his joyfull Rest in the view thereof Indeed when a man is wounded yea deadly unlesse there be speedy helpe in this condition the Creature will be willing to enjoy any Chiruâ—geon for the Cure thereof yea him that but pretends faire and by his skill doth give some ease therein at present and hopes for the future though this party do it but to serve his owne ends not from any principle of good to the party who is the patient yet he being ignorant of his faire pretences he heals up his wounds though falsly and afâ—erward the wound breaks forth again to the greater damage to the party Thus it is with a poor distressed wounded helplesse heart whom it may be God is a preparing for mercy he lying in such a desperate condition would gladly have his wound cuâ—ed by God but there coming a pretended Physitian into the heart speaks like God appearing to the Creature to be God and to heal in the same way God heales Soules yet the soul being ignorant accepts of it and freely entertaines it whereby it comes to have a time of peace and Rest onely because he apprehends his despeâ—ate wound to be cured And thus souls do in a time of straights accept of those proffers when in another condition he would not but at present necessity putting the soul upon it Now soules that live under the sight of the want of God would in the sight thereof be in a way to attaine God seeks and presses to know in this case what to do at last it looks upon the Scriptures in this case to be the only Teacher whereupon he gives himselâ—e to a diligent searching of the same where he meets withall some places how the Saints were formerly qualified and these preparations they â—ad within them whereupon he sets a labouring with his own heart to bring it into such an estate of mourning humiliation or repentance with hungring after God as also loathing sin and having a wearinesse and burthen under it and when he hath thus done he runs to Scriptures and seeing his condition sutable to that he makes Scriptures the ground of his faith and so cures his wounds by it and so drawes peace and comfort from it Now the creature being ignorant of any other work he wrests from this Scripture influence as is pretended and from thence concludes his enjoyment of God and that now from some perswasions of spirit concludes it to be the witnesse of the Spirit when indeed the creatures heart in this case is not upright and he being in darknesse is not able otherwise to judge of himselfe or his condition neither of his heart which doth tell him that this his sutability is upright but the foul wanting the manifestation of light he is not able to passe true sentence upon the same but Rests and man makes his habitation here and though he pretends to make Scripture the ground of his thus beleeving yet it is his qualifications and sutability to Scriptures which is the ground of his thus Rest and beleeving Or Secondly That which in this case the soul is most establisht in is when it may be a Creature is in some sad condition a Scripture is cast in immediately upon the soul un-sought-out or laboured for and this sutable to the soules condition from which there is joy and peace yea sometimes the heart is so ravisht with it and so overcome by it as indeed it 's hardly able to expresse its joy and peace yea sometimes the heart is so overcome as it cannot expresse it or hardly knows for the present where it is But here lies the Angel-like designe sometimes of Satan to come in the same manner and with the same effect to deceive that God comes in with to save and so transformes himself into Gods shape And one of the cheefest waies he hath is to apply himselfe in such a way of working like God as he may the most prevail with the soul and resemble God and so keep the soul much below God Now Scripture-way Satan thinking is most like Gods way of any other especially when he brings in Scriptures sutable to the condition of the party and so that he may cause the soul to beleeve that at such a time God was pleased to manifest himself by casting in such a Scripture so sutable so as now his transformed work is the more surer seeing it hath such a â—oundation as this yet this he doth of purpose to deceive Thirdly Man 's own Memory or fancy being upon some serious meditation may in the same manner and way bring and represent before the soul such a Scripture and here lies most of the deceit of the fancy and imagination thus to work this way there coming in a Scripture into the thoughts of such a soules fancy and imagination to drive on his own Designe makes it as it were a nose of wax to apply it to what use or way he please yet he will make it the ground of his imagination and fancy and so man this way comes to Rest upon a deceit and fiction and not upon any ground in the glorious manifestation of God Now Scriptures it is true do display in a Mystery most Precious things which if a soul did enjoy them their thus enjoying of the Truth there displayed would be a Rest unto them but so long as a man reads Truth in the letter without him untill he can read it in the Spirit within him there is little cause of rest to such a heart Aâ— Instance for a man to be overwhelmed in grosse darknesse and in this darknesse the soul not able to behold the glory of God Now from his reading in Scriptures he sees God there expressed to be a Light and to be full of Glory yet notwithstanding from the sight of this in Scripture though he want this light within him and his darknesse to be expelled out of him yet he rests with the sight of this in the Scriptures satisfied as though God were become light and glory in him and had expelled all darknes out of him and he carried up to behold it truly and live in it so that that I drive at is to unbottom any Soule of making a nose of wax upon the letter and because Christ saith in an upbraiding way Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to have Eternal life so many now think to have this Eternal life in the Scriptures or in searching of them when indeed they are but a Testimony or a Record to set forth
to Rest below God as is sutable to a Soules condition so he brought in a promise to Christ He hath given his Angels charge over thee c. Mat. 4. 6. Here he came to apply himself sutable to the condition of Christ O when once a soul is brought into a Pinacle-condition wherein he is brought to see the glory of much then Satan labours to cause the heart to fall down and worship him he coming smoothly and bringing he promises of God along with him to back the truth of what he doth and here after the soul is betrayed by represented glory in a promise meerly cast in from Satan wherein the soul falls down and worships the very cunning working and the high exalting of Satan and in this condition he is brought to see and apprehend high things and is brought into a Pinacle to behold almost the glory of every thing made over by Satan to the Creature in a promise upon the Soules submitting to him and upon this Pinacle he sets him that is he causes him to Rest and so the poor heart being not wise in the Spirit is deceived and betrayed though the actions knowledge light joy Rest of this soul be glorious and for God in his own eyes yet it is but Satans transforming himself into an Angel of light resembling or coming in and working in the Creatures heart in the gloriousest manner and shape God works in But Secondly Others being wounded in Spirit and weary in soule for the want of any glimpse of God leaving no means un-attained to get his soul cured and unburthened and having rested upon many false props before and being unbottomed of them he tries this particular it being of a higher nature and more likely to speak peace unto him viz. a running to Scripture to finde out some particular promises sutable to his condition and having found out some sutable Promises either presently seems to speak to him from a sutablenesse in him so it may be being a conditionall Promise or else the soul meditates a while upon it and it runs much in his thoughts and at last he closes with it strikes this load and burthen at his spirit here he drawes comfort and peace from it yea it may be so much as indeed the soul is mightily overcome in his spirits with joy and can do nothing but rejoyce upon which he Rests builds his faith as he cals it and so concludes it to be a maniâ—estation of God I will nor deny but God may make these waies if in truth cause of support unto a soul in his travelling towards his Rest But for a Soul to strike sail cast Anchor and have all the waves in his heart stayed and his very wearinesse of spirit at this present put to a period is as if the children of Israel had stayed either beyond the red Sea or when God gave them Manna before they came to enjoy a reall possession of the land of promise though God did this either to refresh their spirits and so to under-prop them or else to give them it at the desire and repining of their spirits to see how they would use it or abuse it Now this being a description of a Saints spirituall travell though God should cause a glimps of glory or heavenly Manna to refresh a heart to be given to a soul in the view of a promise yet for a soul to Rest in this and make it his habitation it smels too much of mans deceite and abuse of every dispensation and a daubing up his spirit with untempered morter and so hatches Cockatrice Egs and weaves the Spiders Webbe so that it is but a kindling of a fire and manwarming himself in his own sparks whose conclusion shall be death and sortow and before ever the creature knows what true rest is by sweet experience he must be brought to a death in all these But from my own experience of the fallacy of my own heart and the contrariety of the false Rests that I have gone thorow I make bold to propose these ensuing particulars to such a heart not intending to weaken the workings of God in any poor heart though under low Administration but only to discover the nakednes of man in the way of his own heart And First of all When did the Lord manifest himself to thy soul and give thee a particular right unto and interest in this promise the application of which thou makest thy Rest Secondly How was God revealed to thy heart in this promise Or whether is it not the great necessity thou hast of it that makes thee fly to the promise and suck sweetnesse life comfort and Rest from it Or is it God in Christ clearly Revealed unto thee in the same For it was necessity that made many run to the Ark and hang upon the outsides thereof though none but those that were within were saved Scribes and Pharisees did challenge a propriety in God and all externall priviledges but it was but from a sutablenesse of holinesse they had to the promise and not Revelation of God in them discovering the truth of God in them Thirdly What inward Testimony of God hast thou for thy great joy peace rest And what is thy inward evidence that witnesseth the truth of what thou enjoyest For every one that beleeveth hath a Testimony within himself 1 John 5. 10. And every heart that hath ever seen the appearance of God within him hath found a lively Testimony coming along with that Manifestation of God which is the only proofe of the truth of what he enjoyeth and not any Qualification nor outward Testimony either of man or from man 1 Joh. 3. 24. Fourthly How was peace in this particular enjoyed by thee Was it from some inward voyce of God or discovery of the same Or was it from such a sutable form of words to thy condition either cast in or found out in searching Or was it from a clear Manifestation of the glory of God in thee sutable to those forms of words in the Scriptures without thee whereby the forme of words came to be made good to thee so that thy comfort peace satisfaction or rest do not flow from the forme of words as thou seest them in Scripture without thee but from the enjoyments of God within thee sutable to that without thee Fiftly What glorious power of God was made out in thy spirit in thy thus closing with promises Thy thus closing may seem to be done in power but the spirituall Coming of Christ in the manifestation of his glory is so great as indeed it is not ordinary but extraordinary in the heart of him that knows his coming A promise Closed with before Christ come in the Spirit may seem to be done in glory and power by reason it may be he could not before beleeve nor live in that freedome or joy he now lives in but the coming of Christ in the spirit doth so farre surmount that as indeed the other appears nothing
when this is come Eph. 1. 19. Mat. 24. 30. Sixtly Whether is it the Manifesting of God to thee that gives thee a right to the Promise and from this thou closest with God Or is it that sutablenesse in thee to the words of the promise that gives thee a being whereby thou closest with it If it be the latter it is not right For all Promises are in Christ Yea and Amen And He is the ALL in them and if he be revealed he gives a being to them yea to the creature to live in that being as He is the ALL in them So that the substance of every promise must come into the soule and be revealed in it before the form of words can truly pronounce comfort peace life happinesse or rest to it So as his Rest is not upon the form of words as in Letter expressed but upon the being of it which is God manifest Now many a heart doth feed upon huâ—ks out-sides and externall formes of words and fals short of being caught up into his glory and so resting in the being of all Truth Here it comes to passe that the Creature makes every thing a God and will shape and form out God according to its imaginations and so labours to dispossesse God and to set up its own shape in Gods stead Now promises whether they be sought or cast in they are to be no rest unto any heart for the words of the promise are like unto a figure or type it testifies something to be given to the Sons of men but when a soule is in the possession of those things then it doth not rejoyce upon the words holding out the thing but upon the substance of the thing possessed in the heart but many on the contrary hand for the want of this run after conpitionall promises and when it seeth not the condition of the promises performed in it he labours after a sutablenesse to them before not daring to apply them but when he hath got his heart into such a frame as he imagineth to be sutable to the condition thereof he Resteth there applying life and comfort from it concluding he hath a right unto it from this particular But if at any time he breâ—â—â— the condition his peace is gone because the cause of his peace was his exact performance of the condition of the promise Secondly But some are higher then this and they see a vanity in this and they lock upon Christ as the performer of the condition and if he can but beleeve Christ hath done it and then he hath a right unto the same whereupon he useth meanes to get his judgement convinced of this that Christ died for him and in Conclusion he gets himself convinced of the same and here rests concluding the promises are his because Christ is his when indeed both the ground of his conclusion and confidence is false and so he comes to be deceived Thirdly Another that Rests upon promises before Christs spirituall Coming is when a man hath laine in sad darknesse and bondage and hath a long time waited for a discovery of God and at last some apprehensions of Christ come into his understanding whereupon he stands convinced in his own judgement that Christ is his Whereupon he for the greater increase of his Rest Comfort and peace runnes to promises and applyes them as having a right to them in his own apprehensions by Jesus Christ Here is that which begets the strongest confidence that Christ is come in the Spirit which works that joy and peace the soule thinks shall never be taken from him whereas after a while man is not so quick-sighted nor so clear enlightned but it suddainly lyes in the grave as that which must vanish in the spirituall appearance of Christ in the heart Now this is the great design of Satan to keep the poor creature on the out-sides the husks and would have the Creature wholly to live below the glory of Truth which is the coming of Christ in the Spirit of glory But hearts truly principled before Gods appearance â—e made to waite for him from a great power of himself not in any of these things to rest before they in the glory of the spirit come to enjoy him Mat. 25 10. The thirteenth false Rest. THe next Rest in order to this is great strange and excellent flashes of God so I tearm them and a they the most appear yet they may be true or false resembled or reall First We shall speak of flashes of light in the understanding And neither touch them as they are true or false 1. If they be but flashes they are no reall manifestations of Christ in the Spirit and therefore in the first place They are not of a witnessing nature they bring no reall Testimony of God along with them but leave the creature dark and empty in and of this particular but Christs coming in the Spirit is not without a Witnesse which is both unresistible and satisfactory but flashes whether they are of God distinct or opposite they have no Testimony of the Spirit to witnesse the truth of God to man by the Spirit within man as man is below under the dispensation of a flash whether true or false So secondly They are not of a powerfull Nature they are very weake in comparison of the power of Christ coming in the Spirit For first They do not dispossesse Satan of his habitation whereas the coming of Christ in the spirit doth Mat. 12. 28 29. Secondly They do not dispossesse the Creature of living in himself or they do not carry up the Creature into the glory of God in the Spirit they being of too low a nature no more then flashes in a dark night can bring the Creature into the beholdings of and living in the glory of the Sun so that they are not compleat Revelations of glory neither powerful in effecting the same worke which is accomplished in the coming of Christ in glory 3. They do not satisfie the heart of any they may seemingly give contentment for the present yet the spirit not altogether satisfied whereas the coming of Christ in the glory of the Spirit doth fill and satisfie the heart of any in whom he appears Mal. 3. 10. Mat. 5. 6 yea his coming causeth a running over of the souls Cup yea it is uncontainable mans capacity not being able to receive or comprehend the same for the want of this satisfaction power or witnesse of the Truth of Christs coming he being but under a flash he runnes to Ministers and men of experience to hear their judgement being not satisfied in himself and according to their approbation and judgement he most commonly receives the more or lesse satisfaction and so â—ests whereas if it be Christs coming in the spirit a soul need not run to any Creature in the World to be satisfied in the Truth of what is discovered for HE comes with a Satisfactory witnesse which doth answer all objections and satisfy all doubts
Expells all the Clouds from off or out of the Creature which kept the creature from beholding a reall difference betwixt a true Rest and a false So long as man is without this no marvel then though he be not able to discern whether his Rests be true or false But now when God speaks in a Soul Arise soul shine for thy light is come and the glory of the LORD is Risen upon thee Isa 60. 1 2. Then this true light shining into the soule it makes manifest all things whereas the Soule before had a veile upon him and a Cloud over him but now the glory of God is Risen in such a creatures heart whereby he is made able to judge by the light of God dwelling in him Secondly As it doth discover what is fallacy so it reveals what is truth it advanceth truth in the soule though the soul before was ignorant what difference there was betwixt the appearance of God in formes without him and the appearance of God in the Spirit within him of the difference betwixt a transform'd rest resembled and a true Rest in the Spirit manifested of the end of all forms and administrations with God appearing in them without the creature before the substance of the same be come in the glory of the Spirit within Now this true light makes all manifest John 3. 21. and is a clear evidencing light within man discovering Him who only must be the center and Rest of the soule which before it heard of but now comes to see and experience the same This light removes all obstructions out of the Creature and makes his judgement act according to this light within him so that it is a light not onely expelling clouds but clearly demonstrates a reall difference betwixt truth and falshood so as now he is made to see the place God hath set every administration or dispensation in with the time place and end Thirdly This light makes not onely manifest things is they are John 3. 21. and so takes the soul off from them But it doth dissolve all those administrations the Creature hath had without him by the glory of God in the Spirit within him so as the breakings of the day do dissolve the dispensation of the night so doth the dawning of the day in the heart of a Saint dissolve not destroy any of those administrations or dispensations of God in which God did in some measure appear to the Creature for as the night is of God as well as the day yet the day doth dissolve the dispensation of the night So though many mens dispensations were of God yet notwithstanding when God appears they are dissolved and do not now appear because a more gloriouser manifestation of God within man hath appeared Fourthly Yea this manifestation of God in the Spirit doth swallow up all other dispensations so as now they are gathered up into the substance thereof who before did send them forth as the light of the Starres and the light of the Moone are borrowed lights or lights inferiour to and sent out from the Sunne and when the glory of the Sunne appears they all appear bodily and substantially in the Sunne and as it is that the light dwels in the fulnesse of it in the Sunne and all lights are borrowed from or occasioned by it and that light is that which swallowes up all other when it comes to appear So it is with God appearing in the Spirit he appears as the fulnesse and the substance or body of all other lights Col. 2. 17. which are true though sent by God in their dispensation to accomplish his own designe yet when God breakes into any soule in the glory of the Spirit this shining of God into the soule 2 Cor. 3. 8. 4 6. 3. 10. doth swallow up all his former appearances in any dispensation below this and gives way and submits and so gathers up and meets compleatly in the body and substance of them Col. 2. 10. 17. Tit. 2. 13. 1 Pet. 4. 14. which is God truly appearing in the spirit of fulnesse and glory this makes the heart free to part with any thing though never so dear to it which is obstructive to and keeps the soule from any enjoyment of this glorious dispensation yea this is that dispensation which doth destroy all administrations or formes or dispensations that are not of God what is of God before shall be swallowed up in it what is of man selfe or Satan shall be destroyed by it 2 Thess 2. 8 This is that which truly discovers to the â—oul all his false Rests though never so seemingly glorious yea though they be of Satans transformings or of self-resemblings yet it laies them all in the dust and unvailes them to the Creature so as they appear in their colours and place which sometimes workes a mighty indignation in the heart against the waies of his own heart 1 Cor. 7. 11. when his lewdnesse is discovered unto him so as he is not onely made free to part with the same but he is brought out of love with himself for Resting upon the same so much below God or Christ Again in the manifestation of God there is satisfaction peace and Rest possesseth the creature in stead of the other this peace dispossesseth the other peace this satisfaction maketh nothing the other whatsoever objection or dis-satisfaction was before or doth arise since now they are all fully answered and the soule compleatly satisfied so as now he is brought out of a dunghill into a pallace from a mean condition into a glorious to wit even to live by the breathings of Divine Truth in him so as now he lives because God lives and is satisfied with the flowings in of God and eates of that which God eates of viz. Love Glory and happinesse Nay further there is fulnesse in this satisfaction he fils the soul with himselfe and how can then this soule doe any other but be free and willing to part with any other seeming fulnesse or good when now he is filled with him that fills all in all in all things Eph. 1. 23. So as the waters cover the Sea Isa 11. 9. so is the soul truly pro tempors filled with God untill he asswage it or seem to be departed from it or else enlarge the capacity of the Creature with more of himself now seeing that God comes in with such a fulnesse into the heart in this dispensation it must needs discover the emptinesse and vanity of his other Rests and cause a sweet willingnesse to part with the one and embrace the other And lastly it comes in power which day of Gods power Ps 110. 3. makes the Creature willing to part with any darling though never so dear and neer to him both freely cordially and with much simplicity of spirit whatsoever the day of God in it is light and glory doth discover to the soule not to be of himselfe this the day of his Power doth accomplish the same
to the full in the soule yea though it be the life of a soul yea though it were its God and happinesse in it yet they all are nothing when God and it stands in competition in the soule whether of them should be advanced 3. Christ made manifest in a heart and his spirituall coming into the same is like unto a fire which burns up consumes all things that are in the soul of his own which keep the Creature below God therfore saith the Scripture Who may abide the day of his coming or stand when he appeareth And he shews the reason thereof for he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope to refiners fire he is compared the appearance of Christ in the love of the spirit is like refiners fire to refine purifie yea to burn up and consume in soules what is not of the Spirit and so to bring the creature to losse though in the same salvation shall be made manifest as according to the 1 Cor. 3 13 14 where saith he if any mans worke abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward but if it burn â—he creature shall lose thereby yet hâ— must be saved yet it must be by this fire which did consume and burn up his hay and stubble now as mans work shall be revealed by fire so if it be not of God it shall be destroyed by the same which fire is love which is God thus when he brings a soul by his appearing into the greatest losse then is he bringing a soul into the greatest gain so that that which proves destruction of his false Rests is that which brings him to the true Rest and so though it be a losing for the present yet his greatest losse becomes his greatest gain Now I know there are many Rests that are destroyed or dissolved before this day of his coming and as there is one taken away the soule findes and seeks after another and runs from mountain to hill to get ease of a tormenting spirit so as man passeth through many Rests most commonly before this day but now it may be the Creature hath such glorious resembled Rests that it cannot be found out before the day of God thus appearing then these seeming Rests are they which are discovered upon the apearance of himselfe in the soule But some soules passe through more then we have spoken of some through fewer according as God keeps the soule and alone becomes the leader of him yet many soules that are come thus high have found them by sad experience and others have found some of them and others more yet it is sometimes Gods way to permit the Creature to run out after the waies of his own heart and at last to hedge up his waies Hos 2. 6. where many soules lie at this day in the wildernesse not knowing what to doe being non-plust in their own spirits not knowing what God is a doing nor what he will doe what they must do sit still they cannot act they cannot but in their old Road. Having shewed the many Rests Soules passe thorow and the difficulty of parting with them together with the waies and means God makes the heart willing that now he may enjoy that true and unchangeable Rest of soules which shall be the next we shall speak of and that is What this true Rest is in which the spirit of a spirituall man must be centred The first description of true Rest AND first of all that Rest of Saints or the description thereof It is something lying naturally out of the Creature or above it not of it selfe attained by it But revealed and made manifest in it who is the Rest whicb alone is God or Christ First Christ it is clear he lives out of the Creature for he lay in the heart of God John 1. 18. before we had a being and is discovered and revealed by God within us when we have a being which was purposed by God to be revealed from God and therein to be a center and Rest to that heart who doth enjoy it Secondly It cannot be attained by the Creature his abilities falling short of the doing of any such worke but he was the purpose of Love freely intended by God before time and as freely without the Creature comes to be made manifest by God in the Creature in time For it is nothing which the Creature of himself can attain which as a sure Rest in the Creature will remaine but it will faile the soule and prove a broken Reed The second description of true Rest Secondly It is an unchangeable and unalterable Being seen by the soule after it is revealed to him which cannot be shaken after the Creature is centred in it wherein the Creature is carried out of himselfe a-above himself to Rest securely above all feares First Christ the eternall Being of Spirits God in God only God he it is that is an unchangeable Being Isa 9. 6. Heb. 13. 8. Mal. 3. 6. which alters not neither is given to change for he was yesterday that is before time he is to day that is in time the same he is for ever that is unto all time Heb. 13. 8. Now if we looke upon Christ as Saints Rest wee must not consider him as he was in any forme or shape for so he altered and changed into divers formes and shapes But we are to consider him as he is God Eternal Blessed yea as he is the power of all powers and so he is the foundation and Rest of Saints For as he was in the flesh he was not to be a Rest but as he was in the Spirit so he is Rest both unchangeable and unalterable In whom there is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning James 1. 17. So that now Saints knowledge of him and their Rest in him is sure and abides And this is that which heightens their assurance to see and know that the Rest of their souls is an unalterable Rest that though dispensations change and he in those disspensations yet the Center of his soul abides for ever and he kept unshaken in it because he Rests and lives in and upon an unshaken unchangeable Center Now shall the disquieted and molested soul live in peace safety and quietnesse and none now can make it in this case afraid but it lives above all feares and torments being kept safe in this Divine Spirit and power where there is neither cause of jealousie or fear but being they are removed and the creature firmly establish'd so that all storms do not molest him and all temptations do not un-rest him but he lives Triumphant above them Triumphing upon them by that power in which he is centred The Third description of true Rest. THirdly It is an unexpressible glorious Center or Being wholly taking up the Creature with it and giving the soul full contentment in it First It is an unexpressible glorious center the Lord promising in Isaiah that he would accomplish a glorious
worke in filling the hearts of his People with the knowledge of himselfe he Centers all in this To him shall the Gentiles seek and his Rest shall be glorious Isa 11. 10. Yea the Rest of Saints is the very Substance of his glory which glory is Christ when he comes to be manifested in his Saints and to be admired by them 2 Thes 1. 9 10. Secondly It wholly takes up the Creature who is Centred in it so as now the soule or spirit is wholly swallowed up of God and unexpressibly overcome is such a soul The glory of God which is Christ is that which swallows up mens spirits and the more it appeares in them the more it overcomes them so as now they are taken up in their spirits being gathered up into it with nothing else but it So as now the souls delight joy solace is now alone in nothing but in him who is become a glorious Center to him Thirdly The Rest of Saints gives Saints full contentment the full satisfaction of Saints lyes in living and Resting compleatly in this glory which truly is Christ so as man sometimes is lost in the greatnesse of it The least manifestation of this glory doth fill the creatures capacity so that untill the capacity be enlarged with more of God it can desire no farther enjoyment or discovery of it so as now his spirit is filled with glory And that which makes it the more satisfactory is the Centering of the spirit up in it Now Christ in the Spirit becoming a Saints Rest all other seeming glories which before the soul was sheltred under and lived upon are now vanished and decayed and the greatnesse of this glory which is the Vision of God yea the manifestation of his glory in man takes up man into it to live wholly in it and so to remaine in compleat satisfaction and contentment of spirit for a great part of a soules Rest consists in this very particular to wit the gloriousnesse thereof together with the swallowing up of the creature with it and the givving the spirit a compleat contentment in it for it would be in time a place of wearinesse unlesse it were a place giving the creature full contentment Secondly It would be no place for Saints to delight and solace themselves in unlesse they could be wholly taken up and swallowed up with that which of necessity must be enjoyed from it and unlesse it did exceed all glory that could be imagined it could be no rest for the spirit of a spirituall man So that it must be an unexpressible glory swallowing up of men spirits with it and giving that spirit compleat satisfaction and contentment in it The fourth description of true Rest IN the fourth place This Rest is a carrying forth of the Creature out of the creature into the place where he had his first being to live for every in him who is now become his manifested being First before we speak of the Rest it self we will observe That there is no true Rest for the creature in himself for if man either rest in his pure naturals or upon any refined property in himself he rests out of his proper Element I mean as he is a spirituall man yea it is both unsafe and unsound so to doe neither can man with any solid delight or true contentment rest in or upon any either pure naturals or refined properties or parts within himself though man could attain to his first principles and purity yet if he rested upon them he would live below the true Center of Spirits for indeed the rest and proper being of all spirits especially those that are renewed is the Eternal Word of God which Word is Christ who made all things in the World of nothing into which nothing they are to return But the spirits of men or especially that renewed spirit of Saints that came downe from the Father of spirits who begot this spirit in them not by flesh but by himself in his spirituall breathings and actings in the Creature which spirit of man cannot live in any true element neither can it live satisfied untill it come into its proper and originall being from whence it came for every thing is in its right place when it is returned into its originall and place from whence it was derived so that the spirit returnes to God that gave it Eccl. 12. 7 and the flesh of the man into the dust from whence it was derived so that man as he is carnall and flesh it cannot be possible that the spirit of any should take much delight in the same so as to make it the satisfying Center But yet after it is renewed it may be compared to Noahs Dove it sees the Deluge and looks abroad in the flesh to the Mountain of former self-actings and pure naturals yet it cannot rest in the same neither can it take any delight therein but is made to return to the Arke Jesus Christ who though he is in the soul yet above it as the Arke above the water so Christ above the Creature though within it as the deluge in the world so that the Creature as man is no fit place for a renewed spirit to be centred up in but he must by divine power be brought out of himselfe into that eternall being of spirits who is said to be above man though in man Eph. 4. 6. as the Arke above the deluge though in the world Now man cannot Rest truly in himself But Secondly The place into which the Soule is carried is and was the first being of his spirit and now manifested so to be to the creature which being was Christ this Christ was Gods eternall thoughts of Love in which man had a being and now comes in time as a Being to be manifested in the Saints so the one was the unknown Being of Saints before time where they lay in the Love and heart of God which nothing could remove them out of it the other Rest is the known Rest and Being of Saints made manifest unto them in time which knowledge begets a returning of spirit who with much wearinesse of spirit have been waiting for such a day of redemption Luke 21. 28. that it might return into its first originall and being and to be fully secured in its God which before it neither knew nor did experience So that after the heart hath a discovery of this Being it is like a Load-stone touching the Needle the Needle can stand no way but towards the North and South so with the Spirit of man after it is touched with his Being and center manifested it is not able to Rest in all the glories or excellencies that can possibly be imagined until it be returned into its being he is like a wicked man or man of this world who cannot act but in his element and like a Fish whose element is in the water so with the spirit of man he cannot act in his right sphere untill he come into his first originall
Being which is Christ in God 2 Cor. 5. 19. so as now it acts in God and lives by God and is iaken up with God and cannot live in any thing else not as a Saint So that the truest comparison that can be made of such a spirit is the Needle and the Dove which truly holds out this to us First That Christ the Arke is the center and the sure being of the spirits of Saints Secondly There is no safety or true Rest for the beleeving spirit but in this Christ Thirdly That it is impossible for any spirit who knowes Christ truly to be his Rest being once touched by the divine and holy being of Saints to Rest below the same though many things may transform themselves within the Creature like unto it yet upon them he cannot Rest no more then can the Needle towards the East and West but it is truly known by such a spirit not to be his first being and originall and so disclaims it as Christ did Satan in his temptation but is carried forth the more in veheâ—ency of spirit flying continually without Rest untill he be got into the Arke which was the place from whence it came and in truth it is of usch a latitude as all the world is not able either to give Rest unto it or produce true or full contentment in it The fifth description of true Rest. FIftly It is the centering up of a spirituall man in a spirituall place not made nor created but a being of himselfe stands by himselfe having his dependency upon none else 1. Here is the subject matter of Rest and that is the spirituall part of man which is created again and born of the Spirit Iohn 3 3 for fiâ—st of all no uncleane spirit or thing shall come there Rev. 21. 27. nothing shall enter into it but that which is become sutable to it That which is borne of the Spirit is that which must enter into this Kingdome of Rest and peace Secondly This spirituality which is made in the Creature is produced by God possessed in the Creaure for as a carnall heart cannot live in God no more can God manifest himselfe in any unpure spirit so as God before he manifest himselfe to a Spirit he makes it sutable to that glory which shall in measure be revealed unto it So also before God give man rest in himselfe he sets man of himself to live in himselfe for no carnall minde or will can attain God before by God it be attained and before God manifest to the heart the Creature is attained by him he workes a glorious worke of the New Birth in him so that if man were carried up into God which is impossible before he be born of God there is such a disproportion betwixt the purity and holynesse of God and the corruption and carnalnesse of mens spirits that the Rest of the soul could be no Rest for there would be nothing but war and enmity so that God alwaies puls down mountains of flesh pride and self and makes the crooked waies of the heart plain Luke 3. 5 6. and brings down those false Rests and Christs in the Creature and so after makes known a glorious Center to the creature Now the spirit being made spirituall by being born again it is made spiritually to judge receive and discern the Truth of this glorious and spirituall Place 1 Cor. 2. 15. which no man in the flesh or by the flesh can attain to 1 Tim. 6. 16. whom never any man in the carnall mind hath seen nor can see So that mans Resting place together with the subject Resting in it must be spirituall and out of himself Now secondly This place of Rest is spirituall so that man if he be in any true Rest it is not carnall formes or ordinances which shall cease Neither is it the rarest Qualifications or expressions of creatures neither is it glorious apprehensions or puffings up of flesh no our Rest is beyond these as far as the light of the Sun is from the Candle He is an unexpressible spiritual being One who makes all things spirituall that are spirituall by that spirituality in the fulnesse of it that dwels in him He is the expresse Image of God Heb. 1. 3. yea he is God equall in Nature though inferiour in place operation or expression He is One in all things He is above all things and in him all things confist Col. 1. 17. So he being the fulnesse and the cause of spirituality he himselfe must needs be spiâ—ituall So that any soul centred up in him lives above all carnall Formes Ordinances Qualifications common holinesse or fleshly puffings up either in false apprehensions or in inward delusions He is none of these but is above these which is the spirituall mans Rest And this spirituall Rest is nothing but God who is all and none besides him who enjoyes all in himself and we in him and by virtue of our being made born and begotten of him we become one with him and of him So that now being borne of him it is impossible that the Nature of God in us can Best or be fatisfied but alone in him and by him it being of an everlasting and infinite nature but now as it is infinite and of God in us so it throws off all below God and wholly and alone returnes to him and Rests in him Now thirdly This Rest is not any thing Created or depending upon any other power but its own Christ as he was in the flesh is none of the Rest of Saints He is a Rest of them as he becomes one with them in the Spirit so as he is one with God and we with him One in God and we in him 1 Cor. 6. 17. Joh. 17. 21 22 23. Yea very God and we by him 1 Cor. 8. 6. 15. 45. So that he is a Spirit not made nor created but making and creating all things for and of himselfe Col. 1. 16. Rom. 11. 36. And all by him was created not as he was in any form or shape in the flesh without us not so to be a Rest but as he is God made manifest in the Spirit within us However men deem of him yet he is the Eternal Spirit and the Father of all spirits Heb. 9. 14. Though distinguished from the Father in divers acts shapes or formes yet he dwels substantially in the God-head and in whom dwels all the power and fulnesse thereof Col. 1. 19. 2. 9. And though he might be in the form of flesh as man yet then he was in the power and fulnesse of God as God So that he is in and of Himself and he that knows him aright knows that saying And he that is experienced in that spirituall union and conjunction will say That his Motion Glory Dependency and all others that can be spoke of dwels substantially in him and that by him now all things are both preserved and kept Heb. 1. 3. So as all other rests below this
are none at all but only for them that know not this same Eternall Being But now this Christ He being such a Mystery and there being in the Earth such dissention about him To give true Definitions of him I will in the next place set forth what this Christ is who is the rest of Saints We have in short set forth Christ the Eternall Spirit to be the Rest of Saints â—â—â—â—s considered in any forme of flesh but as considered in the fulnesse of the Spirit But what Christ is in the fulnesse of the Spirit that is the thing we are to explaine and clearly to distinguish Christs Coming in the spirit discovered AND First of all This Christ which is the Rest of Saints He is the Eternall Word of God spoken in time within every Saint by God upon which Internall yea Eternall Word the Spirit is made to Rest Ioh. 1. 1. He is there called the Word of God He is the Word of God two waie First he was the Word of God as God either spake when he said Let us make man Gen. 1. 26. which was an expression of God concerning the First Creation and so all things were made by this Word of God Ioh 1. 1 2 3. Or He was that Word God promised should bruise the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. which Word by God being spoken was in time made flesh as appeares John 1. 14. which word being spoken of God as it was so speaken It was before this time in his bosome to be declared in time upon which word of God then we are to rest and for the manifestation of which they were to waiâ—e But secondly This word is more spirituall to us when we enjoy the same word within us and the effect thereof upon us then it was at that present Now he is the internall voice of God spoken within an undone soule which doth produce liberty happinesse freedome and all the Creature can imagine after it is spoken within him For the word that was spoken at first which word was from the beginning 1 John 1. 1. which word was spoken without and in time because the same flesh with us was but a figure of the excellency of that internall Word which God will speak within every Creature which Word shall become Christ within man after it is spoken unto man which Christ is a mystery to every one who knowes hâ—m not in this sense but to prove this more fuller in the 9. chapter of the Rev. ver 13. There he is in expresse tearmes called The Word of God whioh expression I look upon to have speciall reference to this particular we are speaking of viz. The being the eternall or internall Voice of God within every creature and indeed he is made manifest in every voice of God in soules and this Word in Scripture is often called the voice of Christ that is the voice of God which in name and nature is Christ Iohn 5. 25. 28 Iohn 10. 3 4. Iohn 14. 11. For to looke upon Jesus Christ as he is in the Father and so a spirit we are to looke upon it that all Voyces that are spoken from the spirit within us are voyces of God which for distinction sake is tearmed Christ for as he was in flesh he was not this internall Word for the externall Word of God became a Christ in the flesh Iohn 1. 14. so doth the internall Word of God within us become a saving Jesus to us the one without us before our time in the figure which was to passe away and not to continue in that forme and shape for ever to us and so not to be Rested upon but the Internall Word of God within us is a dispensation of God which cannot be taken away or destroyed but abides for ever so as in the 1 John 2. 14. I have written unto you young men because ye are strong which strength was the abidiag of this Word within them which Word was Christ which they from God had spoke within them Now this Internall externall Word of the Spirit of Christ this Word is faithfull and true Rev. 19. 11. 13. yea unchangeable upon which the Saints Spirits do Rest and live 2. This Christ is a clear manifestation of God within us He was the manifestation of God when he was in the figure which was in the flesh there God was manifested in a mystery which mystery was Christ now as Christ without us was God manifested in the flesh so Christ within us is God manifested in the Spirit This Christ within man cannot be revealed in any fleshly forme but he must be revealed as he is in the Spirit one with the Father yea in the Father So that when God clearly reveales himselfe in any soule this which is no revealed is nothing else but himselfe in Love handed out by this Revelation Christ so that in Scriptures He is called the vision of God Hab. 2. 2. 3. Here he is distinguished to be Gods Vision which Vision is nothing else but a clear manifestation of God within the Creature formerly made cleare to the understanding of the Creature to be unrevealed and enjoyed by it So as now it teaches the soul perfect and infallible Truth after manifested to it for as Christ in the fleshly forme was appointed to declare and reveal God to us and so Christ called Christ God they being manifested in the same forme So it is inward the end of this terme Christ within you the hope of glory Coloss 1. 27. was because He was God clearely made manifest within them which had been a mystery hid but now was made manifest to his Saints so that the great Mystery of heaven is Christ who is the clear manifestation of the Father in the heart of Saints Again we see it plainly declared in the 1 John 1. 1. 2. For the Life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witnesse and shew unto you that Eternall Life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us here the Apostle doth plainly make manifest unto us That Eternall Life which was Christ in God was in time manifested by God which manifestation of Life was Jesus Christ So that He is termed sometimes to be of the Father sometimes to come down from him sometimes to be the Father and sometimes to be the Vision of him and many other expressionâ— there are given of him from whence I note that most commonly every making forth of God in Mercy and Love to his Creatures are commonly called Christ for the difference betwixt the term of the Father and the Son doth not so much consist in Nature and Being but in name and working or dispensation all the acts of freedome and love and light are called Christ in us because it is a spirituall dispensation of God in mercy and love to us Now Christ as he is the cleare discovery or discoverer of the Father to us so he becomes a Rest of peace and happinesse in us and so that this
appear So it is with new Testament formes they have and had their time and yet have when God will and doth appear in them yet it is but untill God appear in a higher dispensation and bring the soul into a higher administration then do all shadowes and whatsoever is Gospel-administration cease to that particular soul in the use of them what they were before I would not be mistaken I doe not say they cease to all and every person whatsoever but to such a soul as is in this dispensation namely he who is caught up with God and carried by God out of the forme God ceasing to appear to that particular soule in that forme the Lamb leading the soul gently out of one dispensation into another untill he be wholly swallowed up with God Secondly Such a soule as can truly say the substance of such a forme is come in the Spirit and enjoyes the same within him for there are some formes and administrations which hold forth Christ in the Spirit to come now such cease to be in the use of them at his coming as those old Testament formes did hold forth as we say Christs coming in the flesh which was both the substance of those formes and a more glorious administration of God so it was in the decrease of John and the encrease of this more higher and glorious administration so it shall be in Christ his coming in the Spirit into every soules heart then these formes that Christ appeared in in the flesh shall cease in his coming in the Spirit Now some Gospel-formes doe cease to none but to such as have enjoyed the enjoyment of Christ in the Spirit For as Christ led the Apostles from the Tabernacle-condition in his transfiguration so he will when he appears transfiguring himself in every heart as the Apostles so every heart shall cease to make any forme yea the New Testament-formes Tabernacles to dwell in for ever as many makes them now in our daies also there are administrations which hold out Christ already come Which 1. Is not to be practised before 2. It is to be practised after his coming As I shall name one especially It is the administration of Praise which is alone the work of those that are Redeem'd have the Seals of the vision of God opened and are caught up with God into Heaven to sing songs to Zions God in Zions language by Zions spirit in that holiest of holies which is the place of Zion and those brought into the God-head to sing Praise but now God in this condition is departed from them to this heart not to every own being seen and enjoyed in these formes which do hold forth his thus coming into the heart now none but those who do enjoy God in a more glorious dispensation are to cease acting in those dispensations or formes he yet continues his presence to them in for as God did cease and did not appeare in the forms of the old Testament and they were no more to be used after the substance thereof was come God appeared in a more glorious administration so will God depart and cease to be seen in new Testament-formes or administrations when both the substance of them is come and a higher dispensation doth appear leading the heart out of them to a more glorious and immediate enjoyment of himself This is to follow the Lambe whithersoever he goeth This is to hear a voice behinde man saying This is the way walk in it Isaiah 30. 21. And to be led by a pillar of fire Num. 9. 16 17 18. and sometimes by a Cloud to mans spirituall Rest and not to stand in and under one administration all ones daies and to be in one place for ever But to finde God leading dayly from one forme into another until he bring the soul into the perfect enjoyment of him who is the glory and substance of all formes this for the want whereof makes many to make them their Tabernacles and Rest yea their home yea their God peace and happinesse which if they be taken away their God is gone and their peace hath taken its wings and flown away this is the reason why many in Church relations have a name they live and yet are dead that is they have a name of Saints and Christians but they want the nature of them they have a profession but want a possession This is the reason why many come to have a burning up in their spirits and are brought to a daily losse they run faster into formes and Church relations then God did lead them therefore in them God leaves them for this reason the expectations of many are frustrated which causeth nothing but death and sorrow when they have longed and press'd out after formes and being members of Congregations and the enjoyment of pure Ordinances thinking to find so much in them and to conceive so much from them and when they come there behold nothing but dâ—iâ—es and emptinesse and the want of God and so have suffered losse This is partly the reason of all the rents and breaches in all Churches Congregated and why they cannot stand is because they were not lead by God into these forms neither did they see God clearly go before them but some by affection some by mis-information and some out of zeale so that now very little of God appears either in their coming in continuing with or parting from thus being bound up in forms and living in them and doting too much upon them and rejoycing too much in them and judging all that speake not for them or joyne not with them yea this is the reason why we are devouring one another because we all doe not look for and expect that the glorious appearance of God will lead each man out of his dispensation and form though never so low to drink into one Spirit Let him that is so much either bent for formes or wholly against them beware that he do not so dote upon them as to neglect the Summum bonum the chiefest good and let every heart that is against forms beware of these ensuing things 1. That his living above formes be not a preâ—ence of his own and no true and reall thing for many are mightily deceived in this very particular thing they live so high as they live above all formes and Ordinances in the Spirit when alas they are yet living in a form of knowledge scraped up either from their own industry or else got from hearing others report their experiences or apprehensions and he presently conceiving it to be a truth conceives it to be his truth and so fals off crying out and judging all those that live yet out of conscience in the use of formes not enjoying higher makings forth of God and yet he hath but got a notion of this into his understanding and yet is ignorant of living or injoying God in the Spirit 2. Let them beware of as great an evill on the right hand as on the
left and that is That they be not living upon an imaginary God and not the true for it is the way of the Creature to give so much way to his fancy and imagination that whatevet it proposeth to be God it lives upon and rejoyceth in and brings the Soul into deep and carnall security with high imaginations of himself being able to apprehend and discourse of deep and high things and yet want the life and power of any one of them 3 Beware of Judging if thou be broke off from formes those that thou hast left behind thee in the use thereof Considering that God is in all formes of his own appointment and that their dispensations may be of God and that they shall there abide but their appointed season And therefore let thy carriage to them and thy judgement of them be as much as possible may be without offence unto them and for the winning of them and that when God sees a higher dispensation fit for them he will lead them into it onely my soul desires they may not be so glued to them as to live in them and not to waite for a higher dispensation from God onely in the want thereof they are in the use thereof God owning and appearing unto them in them so that I could wish the wisdome of God may appear so in the hearts of those who do pretend thus high to live in God that it may truly appear to themselves and to others God led them into the same not themselves I have experienced both the contrary evils and therefore I speak so that if God be love as in his dispensation God is so to him that knowes it not then it must break forth from us if it be living in us to look upon Children and babes with a tender eye and respect so as judgement may passe away and the spirit of burning which is Love may appear amongst us Thirdly As others are under mens Teachings so look thou be under the Teachings of the Vision of God Hab. 2. 3. and that thou speak or pretend to enioy no more then is taught within thee by the Vision of God for in the want thereof sad experiences testifies we Peecing and patching Religion and high notions together â—nd make it their delight and joy Oh the teachings of God do open the very heart and the secrets of the sealed Book and beleeve it to live wholly above all in God It is to live such a transcendent life as is better and sooner spoken then enjoyed and known in truth for there must be such a death within men and a passing from death to life by man that indeed men may hear of the thing and get it into their imaginations but to enjoy it in the true and reall manifestations thereof many in this shall in their conceits be brought to losse for to have the Seales of the Eternall brightnesse and glory of God opened in the appearance of the Vision in a mans heart to have the very splendor and glory of the divine Being revealed within man and to be wholly caught up in the whole ouâ— of all things so as the soul is wholly swallowed up with God in all things so that now neither eye hath seen nor eare hath heard neither by mans heart can be imagined the depths of the life glory and enjoyment of such a heart yet it iâ— his common meate and teaching of the Spirit within him so that no maâ—s teaching can reveal the life and center of such a heart but it is better experienced then can be declared it is so transcendent a life and being Yea further for any man to live so in God as he enjoyes God in all and seeth God the life and being of all yea it is not his judgement but he findes all these things effectually within him For a man may be of the judgement concerning living wholly in God to be the only Life and yet not to know this from the experience of the Visions teaching within himself Now it is no benefit for any to be of this and that judgement unlesse he live in the clear enjoyment of the truth he is convinced of in his judgement and understanding here is the glory of a Saint indeed not to know a truth because it is the judgement of any neither because it is his own judgment but that he hath within him the truth teaching of it to him from the life and power of it in him So he knowes the Sun to be the Sun not from hear says but he seeth the life and glory of it having his eyes opened to behold it and findeâ— by experience the heâ—t and powerfull operation of the same upon him as well as upon the earth So with Saints they do not receive their life light or experienco of God living in a Saint from hearing of it but God breakes forth in their spirit and so gives them the sight of the glory light and splendor of God within themselves So soul beware thou be not overcome so with hear-saies as to rest satisfied with the meer notion of God and truths and yet be at this time but a blazing starre who shall fall and cease to be what thou art present boâ—h to thy selfe and others seemest to be onely for a time thou may by this notionary light in thy understanding and judgement be a blazing star to discover what thou hast for the deceit of thy self and others and yet it is not the light of the being of truth in thee but a borrowed light got from others or in thy imagination or conception which shall suddenly perish and then thou shalt be left in the dark as a man in the Clouds reserved for the great day Oh to be Taught of God is a Jewel it will teach Truth and not lye Therefore in the last place It is worth waiting for though thou waite in silence and in death untill thou do enjoy it lest thou pretend to have that thou hast not and to enjoy that thou enjoyest not for in so doing thou shalt go with a ly in thy Right hand and shelter thy self under vanities and lies Yet I would not be mistaken that either I am against formes in their time and place and mâ—nner neither that I deny that a soul may attain to suâ—h a glorious enjoyment of God as must yea all formes and shacowes may fly a way and be dissolved though not destroyed and the person forme and use thereof shall be swallowed up with glory But I desire to compose the great difference that lyes in mens attainments when they all cannot speake one thing or enjoy God in one dispensation then they fall one condemning another so as they cannot make ouâ— for good of each other that which theâ— enjoy of God in their preâ—ent dispensations Secondly to unbottom the one of Resting in and living upon or making his everlasting Tabernacle in those shadowes and the other to be thâ—t in an especiall manner which both in word