us and we are the man intended for when Nathan the Prophet came to David he seemed to speake to him of another when as hee meant himselfe and David did conclude what the action represented to him in the person of another by Nathan was unjust not thinking that the Prophet intended himself but another and so judged him to death but when the Prophet said it was himself and that he was the man hee was sorry and loth to dye himselfe although he did judge the other to death and thought he deserved death justly but in condemning the other he judged himselfe Therefore wee are the men that are to be condemned or saved according as our deservings are and the Scripture is the reall truth and is our true Nathan the Prophet that tells us what we have done but he tells us our selves in histories and in the person of others to try how farre we condemne others and justifie our selves but when wee condemne others we condemne our selves for wee are the guiltie and that wicked man therefore looke into the scripture as if it were thy owne soule for all that is written there is written in thy selfe and there is the two tables the table of stone thy stony heart that is ingraven with a rough penne and with a thundering voice which is the whole worke and curse of the law for thy sinnes and the other table is the heart of flesh which is soft and melteth at the word that is written in thee and is ready to obey all the words of the commandements that speaketh in thee but the table of stone thy disobedient and stony heart must be broken for thy sinne and disobedience cause and for thy Idolatries and all thy sinnes riseing up against thee crying vengeance so that thy God or goodnesse in his great zeale throweth downe thy stony heart breaking it to peeces and burneth up all thy Idoll Gods to powder makeing thee drinke up their ashes which is to make thee taste of the death and losse of them and still his zeale is so great towards thee that hee maketh thee sheath thy sword into thy brothers belly which brother is thy nearest selfe will or thy darling sinnes so when thou hast fulfilled the will of thy Jelous God he returneth to his place where hee was before and the tables of stone or stony heart is turned to flesh and is obedient to the will of God and keepeth his commandements the which I wish all Soules may do for their soules health and safety There be many at this time that looke externally for an infallible spirit when as the infallible spirit is internall in the soule of every man for the same spirit is Jesus Christ the word of life that is neare thee even in thy heart and mouth to do it and to be obedient unto the same and he is that pearle hid in the field of thy heart for which thou must sell all that thou hast to purchase this field that thou mayest injoy that pearle And there are others that thinke that the externall body is the soule and that it must dye and must answer for sinne by that death and that it must rise againe at the last day by Christ therefore God cannot be their God whilst their body is dead for he is not the God of the dead but of the living then whilst they live here they may live as they list and commit what sinnes they will for their body dying which they take for the soul doth make satisfaction for their sinne which of necessity must draw this consequence that if one man kill another he doth but the will of God for he saith the soul that sinneth must dye I wonder much what those people that hold such opinions can say or think of little children that dye in the wombe or as soon as they are borne certainly no man in reason can say that their soule hath sinned but you will alleadge their parents have sinned for them as others have said if it be so the sinne of one condemneth a great many that of themselves hath not sinned the which to me appeareth to be altogether against reason and justice and is against the nature of God to condemne the children for the sinne of the parents for Ezkiel saith 18. that this proverb should be no more in israel that the fathers had eaten four grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge at he saith that every soule standeth upon his owne bottome or its owne selfe and the fourâ— that sinneth shall dye also there are many creatures or bodies which they call soules that are drowned in the sea and divers fishes have fed upon that body or that which they call the soul and these fishes have concocted or digested the soule of this man and it is turned into the flesh of a fish and afterwards this fish is taken and another man or soule eats this fish which is the concocted soule of the other man so that his soule is made fat and increased thereby the one soule by eating the other and Caniballs which are men eat other men and are fed thereby now when the soules of all these men are dead and concocted in those that have eat them how shall every one have his own proper soule at the last day when all the soules shall arise I would willingly hear it proved by good reason how every one can have his owne soule againe seeing they are all concocted and digested one in another but perhaps you will say we must believe against reason which is consequently that we must believe an absurdity and the Apostle St. Paul desireth to be delivered from unreasonable men which were absurd and did believe against reason for all men have not faith whose foundation is grounded upon reason this body which they call the soule is dead without the spirit as St. James witnesseth in the second Chap. where he saith that as the body without the spirit is dead even so is faith without workes by which Scripture it is manifest that the body without the soul or spirit is dead and as is said before God cannot be their God because their body which they tearm the soul is dead so as he ceaseth to be their God while they are dead all which is contrary to sense reason and Scripture where it is said that he is the living God and the God of the living and not of the dead also it is contrary to sense and reason in this that that which is the God good felicity or chiefe happinesse of those that live and are rationall and sensible of the same cannot in sense reason or Scripture be said to be the joy happinesse or God of the dead because he is not sensible or capable of any joy felicity or happinesse at all THe summe of all and the whole discourse of this Book is that we should feare to disobey the holy God but keep all his Commandements which is the whole duty of man and to live a pure exact just and holy life not doing to any man what we would not have done to us but doing all the good to another that we would have done to us and this is the infallible Spirit Jesus Christ the power of God in us which directs corrects instructs perswades and makes us wise unto salvation for he is the holy word of life unto us and he is the Father Elder true Bishop and high Priest of our soules so that we need no other Father Elder Bishop nor high Priest but this holy Iesus Christ in us for he is the holy unction that we have from above and the holy One that teacheth us all things and discovers all mysteries unto us leading us into all truth if so be that we are obedient unto him but if we are not obedient unto this infallible Spirit Iesus Christ in us then wee shall know nothing of God or of the Scripture but it shall be a sealed book a dead letter and seeming contradiction unto us but I hope we shall all learne and bee taught of him and declare every one to his friend and neighbour what the Lord the infallible Spirit hath done for his poore soule saying What we have learned heard felt and tasted of the good word of life that will we declare unto you FINIS
DIVINITY AND PHILOSOPHY Dissected and set forth by a mad Man The first Booke divided into three Chapters Chap. I. The description of the World in mans heart with the Articles of the Christian Faith Chap. II. A description of one spirit acting in all which some affirme is God Chap. III. A description of the Scripture according to the history and mystery thereof Amsterdam Printed in the Yeare 1644. Deare Friend and Reader HEre is Divinity and Philosophy dissected and laid open to the view of the world by a mad man therefore if the manner phrase be not so exact as that it is not able to satisfie the curious eye or abide the censure of the nice Mercuriallist who is apt to carpe more at the misplacing or neglect of words then matter it is no great wonder nor care I whether they be satisfied or not seeing my intention is to declare the matter according to my own mad minde unto those who will under stand it after my mad manner The reasons why I expose it to the generall view needs not much be questioned or inquired after in this age wherein the whole world is full of so many distracted heads and religions which say Loe here and loe there is Christ that many are put besides their wits in straining them out of joynt to inquire with Pilate what is truth by which it may be gathered that in many ages the same hath been in obscurity without being discovered or searcht after nor are there any to bee found amongst the multitudes of those who beare the name of men that are able or at least willing to rectifie them by resolving the question Wherefore I have thrust my selfe upon the Theatre in this mad posture and act in publishing my mad minde amongst the rest to prove if any will accept my madnesse for truth the which I dare not avouch for truth to all because I know most men are full of self conceited or imaginary knowledge so that if the highest divinest and greatest wisdome and truth that can be written or expressed by letters were laid down to them they will not admit of nor receive it in their understandings but will esteeme of it as the greatest blasphemy folly and lie in the world Besides I am not so ignorant in my madnesse but that I know likewise that severall eyes and judgements will looke upon and into it and according to their eye or judgement it will appeare to or in them and so I doe expect their thoughts and verdicts to passe upon it therefore I say I will not nor dare not maintaine it to them in respect of their various capacities conceptions and dispositions but only leave it to the diversitie of censures as every one doth finde it to or in them earnestly desiring that they may understand the best sense for 〈◊〉 or profit which is my reall intention As also I propound it for a triall 〈◊〉 there be any in this uncharitable and selfe loving age that out of true love and sound judgement will extend his hand to helpe a mad man and answer him so as is able throughly to rectifie and cure his judgement in demonstrating to him by more probable substantiall and apparant reasons his error in this following Treatise be his director to a more sublime and higher truth in the thing treated of I doubt not but the truly divine and right reasonable or the truly wise able and sound in judgement is so wise and good that he is able and willing to cure distempers of all sorts to whom I am alwayes willing to submit my judgement upon better grounds however deare Reader whosoever thou art whether friend or enemy whether wise or mad man I wish thee no lesse happinesse then to my selfe who desire to be in my wits and right minde to God although a fool and mad man to the world if those things spoken here trouble or offend thee so as thou conceive hatred or malice against me for the same or that thou thinkest that any prejudice may redound to thy owne or others judgements or religions by this ensuing Discourse I beseech thee pacifie thy selfe first and judge not rashly or before thou knowest nor blame me but first enter in judgement with thy selfe by pondering and considering in thy selfe that if thou hadst ever under stood or known things aright thou couldst never have been offended at any thing spoken or at least intended for thy good much lesse could the words of a mad man have stumbled or offended thee for to the wise all things are profitable but if any doe reap good thereby let them know that out of a hearty love I earnestly intend good to them and to all and wish from my heart that they may attaine unto the perfection thereof for their owne everlasting peace and tranquility in minde nor is it impossible but perhaps that which seemeth to be a lie and madnesse to some may appeare to be the reall truth and true wisdome to others thus wishing thee the true knowledge of all things and their cause together with the fruition and enjoyment of the truest happinesse which is God I am thy true friend Errata Page 21. line 36. For negative read vegitative p. 22. l. 16. r. feeleth p. 37. l. 21. r. taste of CHAP. I. The description of the world in Mans heart AS for the creation of the world it is in Mans heart as Ecclesiastes saith in the third Chapter it is internally and in the first of the Hebrewes he saith that God hath created the worlds speaking in the plurall number that is he makes a first and second creation of Man now the creation of Gods first world in Man is Man and God joyned together from eternity and this was that deep silence and waters that God moved or brooded on and he separated the waters from the waters for God is that light and holy spring and Man is that darke and blacke water and God is the Heaven and Man is the Earth and the separation is the first day for distinctions sake that we may know God from our selves I meane the firmament and separating light and darknesse is the distinction and that is the first day in Man which is called the Evening and the Morning So these waters is the flowing of the mindes of God and Man which was separated the minde of God floweth above the firmament and in his owne light or sphere or in himselfe The Man his minde floweth under the firmament and on the earth or in himselfe that his dry land or earth might appeare and this separation of mindes or waters is the second day or light that discovers two one discoursing to the other and saith let us make or doe these things and so this day or light hath its evening and morning which is a whole day and God saith let the Earth bring forth fruits now the desires and affections are the herbs and fruits with their seeds that is their proper selves that
to our darke eyes to be flesh which is not as the three Angells to Abraham and to Lot for we beleeve appearances to be that which they are not in deed and in truth which we finde by wofull experience the which makes such contention and cutting of throats about Religion the cause of this distraction is that we doe not see things with a righteous eye I desire all friends and readers who doe read this booke and all to whose hands it shall come that you will looke into it rightly and not construe it amisse but as it is really intended for the good of all and where I speak of the death of God and Christ in man I doe not meane that the Almighty and powerfull Godhead can dye or be lost but as he is dead and lost to the man that despises truth and treads it under foot and so I meane that God is dead and lost and the truth lyeth in the streets of his heart which is God who is that truth and the two witnesses lye dead in the street of his heart unregarded which is mercy and righteous judgement and is God which we should have shewed forth to all the world even mercy and righteous judgement but we have hid these witnesses So I desire that the most holy and righteous God may be your guide and director to lead you into all truth The true Articles of the Christian Faith 1. I Beleeve in God the Father Almighty maker of the holy Heaven and earth in the man I confesse and acknowledge that the same is a true holy living God or good and that he is a mighty Spirit and a perfect clear light that discovers to the man the reall truth of things and how all things are in their places and in or to the Man and he is the reall beeing the truth light life and love to the Man and this is his name light life and love for he is all this to the man for the love of God to the man was such that he brought him under the law of discipline and correction instructing him what to doe for his good and convincing his conscience for what hee hath done to himselfe and against God or goodnesse so he raiseth up all our sinnes as judges to condemne us for what we have done and they correct or punish us for God or goodnesse hath put it in them to doe it and God hath opened our eyes with his power to see it which makes us hate and condemne our selves for what we have done his holy power or light hath perswaded our hearts to have true sorrow and reall repentance for our sins with a broken and a contrite heart and sorrowfull spirit and so we begin to hate our selves and our sins and doe really forsake them and doe confesse that we doe deserve to bee for ever lost and damned and be deprived of God and goodnesse for ever because we have chosen hell death and devill and joyned our selves unto it but Gods mercy and goodnesse hath inlightned our hearts with his law and hath really corrected 〈◊〉 for our sin and hath brought us to the beleefe of Jesus Christ by his law or fatherly correction for he receiveth no sonne but whom he correcteth and none comes to Jesus Christ but whom the Father drawea to him and this drawing to Jesus Christ is by the law of discipline and this law is the river Jordan or judgement and Iohn the Baptist or the light of Gods grace that doth dip or dye us in the river Iordan or Iudgement of Gods glacious goodnesse and this his judgement doth cleanse us from all our sinnes that were as red as searled and we come out as white as snow and this is the first Baptisme in the Fathers Name 2. I beleeve in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God or good and that he is the reall substance of God and that he is the goodnesse that proceedeth from God or good And I beleeve that all good things are made in the man by him and through him and that all goodnesse doth consist in him and proceedeth forth of him into the man for his goodnesse in us beareth in us our sinnes by his mighty power of patience and long sufferance with grievous sufferings and agonies which hee hath for our sinnes and there hee lyes or reignes in us till our sinnes bee vanquished or rooted out by this mighty power of patience and long sufferance and when all our evill is overcome by this power of his goodnesse then he delivers us which is the Kingdome of God to his Father that God may be all in all 3. I beleeve the Son of God or Righteousnesse is borne of the holy virgin Mary which virgine is the pure humanity and this pure humanity is overshadowed by the Angell Gabriell or the power of the most highest God and this Son or righteousnesse of God is begotten upon the humanity and is the promised seed to the man which is borne for a blessing to all generations of man as was promised 4. I beleeve that this holy seed of blessing the Sonne of God Jesus Christ the Saviour of us hath suffered death under Pontius Pilate the law of sinne in us and that he dyeth for and to sinne in us and is dead and buried and in hell under our earthly beeing and man of sin and he suffers for our sin in this hell for they be all upon him and he is nailed to the crosse of patience to endure all the reproaches and blasphemies contempts and false defamations or accusations for our sinnes cause on him and for the love of God and to us hath taken us upon him that we should suffer with him all our own reproaches contempts and sinnes to condemne us for doing them and that wee should condemne and forsake them and be dead to them and they to us by the power of Iesus Christ that saveth us in us and this is the baptisme of the Sonne and is the fiery tryalls or the baptisme of fire with which he saveth his owne body or us which is the humane nature that he hath taken on him to suffer for and with and that it might be saved through him and by his power in us and whosoever doth not suffer this death with Christ for their sinnes that is to suffer under the law of sinne death for sinne and to sinne the death of the crosse which is the patience and long sufferance of Christ to the killing of sinne in us he is no Christian let him brag how much he will of his Christianity till he hath tasted the death and life of Christ and that all this is come to passe in him for they must all taste of this cup or passion and be baptised with his baptisme for if we doe not suffer and dye with him we shall never rise and reigne with him 5. I beleeve that the holy God hath raised up his Sonne Jesus from the dead and that he was three dayes
stones are joyned to him and made a spirituall house and an holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifices to God by this holy Iesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour that hath called us from death to life and hath made us sit with him in his holy place that is in the most holy Father therefore O man seeke after this holy building and let it be built in thee for all the hystories of the Scripture is concerning thy selfe thy falling rising or something that concerns thee or the holy Godhead therefore thou oughtest to looke into the scripture with a vigilant eye and with due respect for it is the true looking glasse which showes thee in what condition thou art and therefore read it not as thou dost other hystories but read it and take it to heart and esteeme it as it is the most holy and sacred mysteries concerning the great and most powerfull Godhead and thy selfe O man And as for the Hystory of Iesus Christ that he was borne in an Inn and in a stable betwixt an Oxe and an Asse and laid in a Crach and that the Inn was full and no roome in it but the stable is a great mystery for this Inn is thy selfe O man and the chambers of thy heart is full of thy sinnes the great Kings of thy earthly being which is pride vaine glory hypocrisie lust vanitie wrath and selfe will so that the chambers and roomes of thy heart are full of such guests as these and there was nor is no roome for the most holy life but in the worst place of thy house and thy Herod or bloody mind will not let him ly there but seeketh to destroy and kill him and so hee is carried away and hid in thee till those be dead that seeke his life Now when Christ the holy divine nature comes into our earthly Man of sinne hee hath not a place to lay or rest his head on but is sought for by our sinnes to bee destroyed for he sayeth the foxes that are our worldly Passions have holes and the birds that are our vain Phantasies have nests but bee hath not whereon to lay his head Doest thou not see O vain man that the most holy and divine world or divine life is neglected of thee and kept under thy earthly being and he is in the most lowest parts of thy earth and under thy sinfull manhood hee is that most glorious and holy light that commeth into thy wicked world of sinne but thou art ashamed of him because hee discovers thy deeds of darkenesse so thou putst out this light and quenchest this spirit for thou lovest the deeds of darknesse more then the works of light therefore this light or holy life is carryed away by Ioseph and Marie the perfection and fountaine of Love to the holy light from whence he came till all thy sinne and iniquity which sought his life is dead in thee for the holy life cannot live in thee till sinne be dead and rooted out of thee Now to looke upon Christ comming into this externall world in such a mean manner his birth so low and his condition so poore and dispised and sought out by the Kings of the earth to bee destroyed was because they thought scorne that one of so poore and mean birth should bee King of all the earth And thou mayest see the mystery of his comming into this world in so poore and dispised manner which is to shew thee how hee is in thy selfe and in thy internall world dispised and sought for to bee destroyed by thy finnes the great Kings of thy earthly being therefore O man if thou readst the history of the birth of Christ and not look into the mystery how much it concerns thee thou art never the better for his comming for his externall comming to the sight of the world shall vanish away like a tale that is told or a dreame that is seene no more therefore O man looke into the Scripture and into the holy writ with a diligent and circumspect eye and into thy selfe where is written the holy word to thy condemnation or to thy salvation compare thy selfe and the scripture together and thou shalt see thy selfe there for it is the true reall lookeing glasse wherein thou mayest behold thy selfe and thy owne soule or spirit is a witnesse to thee that it relates to thee thy selfe and it speaks the reall truth to thee in condemning or justifying thee wherefore O man take it to heart for thou needst not no other witnesse of the truth thereof but thy selfe As for Christs being led aside by the spirit into the Wildernesse to bee tempted of the Devill and that he fasted fourty dayes and fourty nights and that he was set upon a Pinacle of the Temple shewing him from thence all the Kingdoms of the earth in the twinckling of an eye and that hee told him all the Kingdoms of the earth were his for they were given him and if hee would fall down and worship him they should bee his certainly this cannot be meant of the externall for no mortall creature taking on this elementary body of clay can subsist without foode so long nor could it be that all the Kingdomes of the world were the Devills for who did give them to him nor can there bee any reason given why or how hee could possible see all the Kingdomes of this world with his externall eyes at one time for this world being imagined round high and low it is impossible that any externall eye should see it at once therefore O man looke to the mystery thereof for when this holy Jesus is borne into us this wicked spirit commeth to him and seeing him cloathed with our fraile and weake nature thinking to overcome him shewing him our barren and wildernessed nature wherein is no good thing for foode for him so that hee must bee starved if hee lived in it therefore hee would have him obedient unto him and hee should have all his honour kingdome and riches but he did forsake them all as abhominable and brought his owne foode or kingdome with him for he liveth by the power and life of the Godhead from whence he came and by this mighty power he makes this stony and barren ground of mans nature food for him to live of and with for hee participates and liveth of both natures the Godhead and the manhoode and this Godhead and manhood being joyned together by a conjunction or reciprocall union have betwixt them both brought forth Jesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sonne of man who is both God and man and being in the wombe of the humanity is nourished and fed by the same as of his mother for all children live of the mothers life and nature and are fed by it so this Iesus Christ comes into our barren ground and by his mighty power maketh it fertill and fruitfull bringing forth himselfe in us to live of us and we by him for our barren ground is plowed