theefe that cannot repent and thou art the other theefe that art repentant for what thou hast done and so findest mercy and in that day or light of mercy thou shalt enter into Paradise thy Masters joy for now you have suffered together you shall also rise and relgne together and enter into the joy together which joy lyes into thy inmost self in the cave of thy earth even there lyeth the most still and soft voice which was not in the great windes that did blow downe the rocks of sinne nor in that carthquake for sinne nor in that fire that consumeth sinne in which God is lost to the man for in that the man casteth the holy God from him is the very thing that doth condemne him and rise against him so that he can never be at rest nor quiet till he hath found God againe and even thus doth God appeare to the man that which he is not in himselfe even a consuming fire as he saith in Thessalon God sendeth them strong delusions that they should believe lies because they will not receive the love of the truth for man thinketh that God is angry with him and he neither can nor shall believe otherwise untill sinne be destroyed out of him for God doth seem to appeare in thy sinnes as an angry judge condemning thee till thou hast suffered under them and for them and so worketh feare in thy heart and all these angers that he seemeth to have against thee and those feares that he worketh in thy heart is for thy future good and for the great love he hath to thee recalling thee from thy sinfull life and when thou hast forsaken sinne then he doth appeare to thee in his glorious amiable and bright rayes full of sweet ravishing contents and then thy Judas Devill or sinnes hath condemned themselves in thee and with thee and hath arraigned themselves at the barre of Gods justice and then they hang themselves in thee and breake their owne necks and brust their bowells asunder and so there is an end of them to thee and an end of thee to them and then thou cryest to thy Father or God It is finished and so yeeldest up thy ghost or spirit into him and the vaile that is the flesh of Christ that divided betwixt the holy and most holy place is rent in twaine from the top to the bottome which vaile death or flesh is the long-sufferance and patience of Christ that rasteth in us till our sinnes are extinguished and blotted out and this standeth betwixt the holy place and the Sanctum Sanctorum and all that will be saved must taste of this flesh death patience long-sufferance bitter cup agony or bloudy sweat which stands before the holy of holies and when wee have tasted this bitter death or cup wee enter through this vaile flesh or death of Christ which is the new and living way into the holy of holies or Sanctum Sanctorum which is the Kingdome of Heaven that is within you and is peace righteousnesse and joy in the Holy Ghost Now when the flesh of Christ hath finished his course then is he taken out of the way and then cometh hee againe to thee the second time and is thy holy Ghost or Spirit which leadeth thee into all truth which truth is meekenesse lowsinesse of Spirit gentlenesse lovingnesse rejoycing in mind ravishing thoughts sweet contemplations singing Hymnes and Halelujahs praise and thanksgiving to the Holy Ghost for their victoriousnesse and this is thy ravishing joy and comfort eternally so that all the externall losses in this present world doth not trouble thee for thy mind is not below on these perishable things for thou art dead to them and livest here as if thou livedst not and useth all things here as if thou used them not and if thou had all the honours and riches of this world thou wouldest dispise them and think them but dung and drosse for thou hast farre more excellent honour and riches then this world can affoorde but if by chance the Godly have the riches of this world as it is but a chance seeing the Godly and ungodly oftentimes injoy them alike here he accounteth not the same his but distributeth as he seeth need or necessity as a faithfull steward but the ungodly thinketh all that hee getteth here is his and will suffer another to starve and perish by him and in this thou may perceive a difference betwixt the Godly and ungodly let them brag of their Christianity as much as they will their workes show what they bee but wee see what a Christian is and what a difficult thing it is to be one and how many difficulties he must runne through before he attain to the perfection to be a Christian Now to understand and read the history of the crucifying of Christ of his condemnation death and buriall what is this to thee or me if we feele not the mystery of his condemnation death and buriall his resurrection ascention and comming to judgement in me and with me for if we doe not suffer with him we shall not reigne with him therefore let us dye and bee buried with him that we may arise and ascend into the heaven with him and from thence come to judge the quick and the dead which dead is the sinnes that is dead and lost for ever out of us and the quicke is the living righteousnesse to raign in us for ever therefore unlesse I see the mystery of these things wrought in me the history thereof can do me no good for in the history of the death of Christ is shewed a great deale of weakenesse for it is said that hee was so mightily afraid of death that he did sweat drops of blood and all the wrath of his Father did but extend to the death of the externall manhood upon the Crosse but it seemeth strange to me that hee that had the power of heaven and earth should be so much afraid of an externall and bodily death when there hath beene many since that have dyed for their religion and for his sake more terrible deaths being drawn to peeces with wild horses fleyed burned alive broyled roasted boyled in lead and all the terrible deaths that could be devised by wicked and devillish men to put them to as is made mention of in the booke of Martyrs yet there was seene no such weaknesse in them but they went to their deaths cheerfully thinking themselves happy to suffer for his sake Wherefore you may easily perceive that there is a greater mystery in the same which few doe see or discerne For my part I do not deny the history of the Scripture but doe beleeve that those things were acted upon the Theater of this externall world to shew to us what is acted upon the Theater of our internall world but if we looke upon the hystory of Scripture as things acted by other men and take no more notice of it we deceive our selves for all the hystories points upon
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
and three nights in hell under the earthly man of sinne and in the heart of his earthly being and the first day he sheweth and discovereth unto man his sins and the night of the day doth terrifie and wound the conscience and doth feare the man which is the law of sin or the wrath of God upon the man that sinneth And the second day is the grace and power of God which giveth the true sorrow and repentance for thy sins and the night of that day is that bloudy fight in which is the sweat and agony of death in thee that crucifies and kills thee for thy sins And the third day is the power of Christ that gives thee victory over death devill hell and sins so that thou art dead unto sin and the night of this day is the patience and long sufferance of Christ in thee till thou hast overcome the evill one for in this day and night is the whole mystery of Christ finished and the Son of God is darkned in thee and thou becommest dead and buried in him and he in thee so the last day is comming on to thee which is the resurrection of Christ in thee and with thee which is the new creature or man of God Jesus Christ which was dead in thee and with thee and when you have suffered together you shall reigne together in perpetuall joyes with him in God for ever and for ever I beleeve that this Jesus or our Saviour is ascended up to his Father and doth carry them up that have suffered with him and hath cleansed them and prepared them a Kingdome for his Father that God may be all in all in us for he Christ after the flesh which is death and mortification must reigne in us till all sin be subdued and then he delivers us up to his Father for he saith except we eat his flesh and drinke his bloud there is no life in us therefore let us eat this flesh and drinke this blood of mortification and killing and crucifying our sins This was the flesh of Christ that St. Paul spake of saying though he knew Christ after the flesh yet now he knew him so no more O that we had all eaten this supper of Christ then were we happy but till then most unhappy for we must drinke this cup or passion and shew the Lords death till he come in his life and glory 7. I beleeve that Iesus shall come from the strength or right hand of God with all his Saints or Angels or the good motions which are thousands of them and they with Christ shall judge the quick and dead in us which quick is himselfe and all his Saints and holy Angells to live reigne and dwell in us and judge the dead sins never to live any more in us but be damned and lost for ever out of us so this is the last day or light or day of righteous judgement that shall last for ever in us O that it were so come to passe in all and that they might see this last and everlasting day or new day which shall last for ever and for ever 8. I beleeve in the Holy Ghost and that he is the ancient of dayes and is the love of the Father and of the Son which is the reciprocall love of singing one to one and this holy love or Holy Ghost hath joyned God and man together and hath pulled downe all partition walls that hindered their comming together and hath baptized or dipt or dyed the man in this his most holy life or holy spirit and hath made him a holy house Church or Temple for God to live and dwell in and Christ is the head stone or foundation of this most holy house O that all men were become this Temple or house of God to dwell in 9. I beleeve that there is one holy Church and this Church are all holy men that are without sinne spot or wrinckle for all holy men are the body of our Lord Iesus Christ that is cleansed by him and made pure for hee is the head of a pure body and there is no sin in his body or Church nor is he head of a sinfull body therefore looke to it you that are sinfull men for you are not the members of Christs body or Church of Christ as you may see in the fifth of the Ephesians where it is evident that he saith that his body or Church is without sin 10. I beleeve that all sinnes are forgiven in this Church for Christ hath forgiven them the sinnes that are past and hath covered them with his holy life so that those evills shall never rise against us more but wee shall live and reigne over devill death and hell with Christ for evermore and sit with him at Gods right hand for ever and for ever 11. I beleeve the resurrection of the flesh of Christ that is joyned to the humanity and this flesh or death of Christ with the humane nature shall arise into immortality and for this mortality of theirs shall put on immortality and all death shall be swallowed in victoriousnesse so happy art thou O man that hast put on the flesh or mortality of Christ for this flesh or mortality shall carry thee into everlasting immortality and into everlasting life and joy of holy minds 12. I beleeve that there is but this one holy and everlasting life and this life is the holy life of God and he hath chosen the man to live in it and to her one with him for ever Take it to heart for this is the reall truth and surely thou shalt finde it so if thou seekest for it thou shalt finde it and it shall bee so unto thee CHAP. II. A description of one spirit acting in all which some affirme is God NOw what a spirit is is to be considered for all things appearing to the man he gave them severall names according to their natures and as they appeared unto him for in Gen. it is said that Adam the man gave every thing and creature his name according as his nature was to the man and it was so and could bee no otherwayes for the genius and wisdome of God in man gave these severall names by his inspirations and lights which hee discovered to the man how the natures and qualities of things were and they are really so for they be named by the Spirit of God in man but there are many cavellers that dispute about it and would destroy all order and bring all into confusion for they say they cannot tell what a spirit is nor what man or beast is nor what fire water earth or aire is yet they themselves see all these severall things and their severall natures and operations in them and to them so that if these things had no name they must of necessity give them some name or else all the world would be dumbe and have no discourse for they could not discourse of these severall things and their natures unlesse they
which taketh away the sinnes of the world and so maketh amends for all Now when this ayreall or sanguine man returneth and is moved by the good instrument which is God and doth wholly follow him then doth God ravish his minde with his sweet contents and ravishing joyes so that his soule is taken off from all things below and is never at quiet but in this sweet contemplation for he sings in minde rejoycing in the spirit so that his soule is wrapt up in God and goodnesse and hee sheweth forth to all the world all love and goodnesse so that happy is that man that can injoy his company I doe earnestly wish that all ayreall or languine men or women may set their minde upon the holy God that they may injoy this good for their minde in this estate is carried up in such raptures in the holy God that they live here below in this world as if they lived not As for the phlegmaticke or spirituall watry man which hath a dull and grosse capacitie if he suffer his minde to be moved by the evill instrument hee is so strongly set on him that he will very difficultly leave him and he maketh him live so lazily that he is good for nothing and setteth his minde on all lasciviousnesse on evill surmisings and suspitions constrning all things in the worst sense so that he is never at quiet for one suspition or another being in continuall mistrust of every one because his capacity is shallow and the Devill hath blinded his eyes with these fallacies so that he thinketh every one to be his enemy and he doth a great deale of mischiefe in these his evill suspitions thinking to begin with others first and in his blindnesse of minde doth undoe himselfe and others and then riseth up the law of sinne in his minde tormenting him accusing him of what mischiefe he hath done to others without any other cause save only his owne wrong apprehensions and so this law of sinne condemnes and wounds him to the death till the death of Christ takes away this death and the cause of this death which is the devillish delusions and the evill surmisings which makes him do all this mischiefe to others without a cause And if this spirituall watry or phlegmatick man forsake the evill instrument with all his soule and minde and returne to the holy God or good instrument with his whole strength and minde to bee joyned to and ruled thereby then all his thoughts are set upon goodnesse and then doth hee construct all things in the best sense which is done to him and he seeth all things that fall crosse in this world to be good for him to wean and draw his love from earthly things which perish with the using and his minde is wholly swallowed up in God and goodnesse and all his thoughts and contemplations are upon God and hee she weth forth nothing in all his life but God and goodnesse to the whole world and to the sonnes of men for his life is swallowed up in the most holy Godhead if all the phlegmatick men and women were come to this estate then were they happy but till then most unhappy And for the spirituall earthly or melancholly man if hee joyne himselfe to the evill instrument the Devill to be ruled thereby he is wisest of all in doing mischiefe for he hatha vast capacity and can receive all suggestions and as was said formerly by him is acted the greatest cruelties and therefore hee hath the greater wounds of conscience for the law of sinne raiseth up all his cruell deeds against him so that his soule is heavily vexed unto the death and he hath such feare and dread in him that he wisheth that he had never been for he hath such fearfull and melancholy thoughts that every houre he feareth to be torne in peeces and this is in him till the death of Christ takes away the cause and then this wounding law of sin will cease but many love their sins too well to part with them to let Christ take them away and so they live and dye with them so that the Devill and they are together for ever and for ever in his world which is without end for the beginning of his world is the ending with the man for the beginning and ending is with the man one and the same for ever for as he was at first to him so hee is the last and the same for ever for he changeth not but continueth still evill therefore O man looke to it in time and whilst time doth last for after one time there is no time more and looke to it before the decree where of the Prophet speaketh come forth for after that decree is past there is no hope therefore looke to it whilst it is called to day and whilst this day doth last in thee which day is Jesus Christ that commeth to help and save thee but if thou dost not regard this day or Jesus Christ then the decree commeth forth to thee which is the eternall black night of death and darknesse which darknesse or night is the depriving thee of Gods grace and comfort for thou regardest it not when it was offered to thee and so in despising it thou shalt bee for ever without it thinke as much as thou wilt to the contrary for as sure as there is a God and as thou livest this will come to passe upon thee if thou dost not looke to it before all these things come to passe in thee so if this melancholy and earthly man forsake the Devill and evill one and turne to God and goodnesse to bee joyned to and guided by him he conceiveth more of the secret mysteries of God then all the rest for hee findeth out all the deepest mysteries and all things are opened unto him for as he hath suffered more so more is revealed to him and so God and he are joyned for ever in all love and he is in everlasting joy and comfort in God for ever and for ever I wish that all spirituall earthly and melancholy men and women may bee joyned to this everlasting joy and comfort Where as I have spoken of the delusive God in this Chapter I desire I may not be mistaken for the Scripture speaketh of two Gods the most holy God and the wicked God of this world that blindeth the eyes of mankinde one is the reall good and the other is the reall evill And the Scripture maketh mention of two Sathans Devills or evills and of two guiles or two delusions the one Sathan guile evill or delusion is for the good of the man and the other Sathan guile or delusion is for his utter destruction for the incestuous person was delivered to the good Sathan or evill for the destruction of his sin full flesh that his spirit or soule might be saved in the day of the Lord and St. Paul tooke his disciples with a good guile and made them grieve and mourne deceiving them by
that godly sorrow for their good And in the Thessa it is said that God did send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie because they would not receive the love of the truth Now all the delusions that God sends to the man is for his good and the delusion is that he worketh such a beliefe and perswasion in the mans heart for the sinnes cause that he seemeth to the man to bee nothing else to him but wrath fury and destruction and thus hee terrifieth man to make him forsake sinne for his good and to make him returne from his evill life for whatsoever God doth too or for the man it is for his reall good whatsoever the man thinketh to the contrary and it is just so as if a father should correct his childe for his good and future profit although for the present it seem contrary to him even so is man deluded by Gods fatherly discipline and law till sinne cease in him and then this rod discipline or delusion which kept him in a we or fear to offend God shall be taken away that is to say when sinne wholly ceaseth in him and when he ceaseth to offend God his Father any more and this is the evill which is spoken of by the Prophet saying Is there any evill in the city and I the Lord have not done it that is the evill of punishment And that lying spirit spoken of in the Kings that the Lord did send to be a deluder in the mouth of the false Prophess was sent for a punishment to them because they would not believe the truth and this is done to reclaime the man and to let him see his errors and that he may returne home againe to the reall truth And againe it is said hee created the destroyer to destroy and hath sent forth the evill Angells with flaming fire rendring vengeance to those that will not know God And it is said in the Psalmes by Davld and in Job That the arrows of the Almighty stucke fast in him all which evills wraths furies or delusions is the law of sinne which was added because of the mans transgression and they shall continue with him as I have formerly said till sin cease in him but God in himselfe is none of all these for he is a most pure and holy Spirit and is subject to no passions but is a reall essence full of goodnesse neither is there any thing can change or disturbe him but the evill one transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light to delude and deceive the man with his seeming goodnesse for his hurt losse and damnation So the most holy God by his ministering spirits assumes an Angell of darknesse or taketh upon him the body of sinne to destroy sinne and in the Scripture the Divinity is sometimes said to be Sathan in the destroying of sinne being evill with the evill and he is said to be Lucifer the sonne of the morning or that morning starre that is fallen in our hearts for hee could fall no where else and it must be hee that is that day or morning starre that shall arise in our hearts againe so wee must looke into the Scripture with a righteous eye and consider it rightly in its order and place how all things hang and depend one upon another or else we shall lose our selves and confound the Scriptures or forsake and neglost them as many doe because they see many seeming contradictions not having the spirit of unity to reconcile or unite them together for it speaketh sometimes and in some cases that man is passive and God active and that God is passive in some case and man the active and in some case it is said that the Divinity suffers for sinne and doth all in all and sometimes it is understood that the humanity suffers for sinne therefore if wee have not the spirit of the most holy Godhead we cannot finde out the intricacies and secret mysteries of the spirit and minde of the holy written word and how all things stand in their orders and places for some things seeme strange as that God which is all goodnes should destroy so many for Davids numbring the peoples and in one place of the Scripture it is said that God moved him to number the people and in another place it is said that Sathan moved him to number them and in the fifteenth of Jeremy it is said that he would destroy so many with severall deaths for the sinnes of Manasses so that the Prophet Jer. was troubled and said that the Lord seemed to him to be a liar because hee thought these things seemed strange to him to come forth of goodnesse but all these things are secret mysteries bidden from all sinfull flesh and bloud and none shall see them aright but those which have ceased from sinne for God and man have been for ever together and they both have appeared in time to each other and in this time there hath beene a partition wall let in by the man which hath parted their union of love so that the man seemeth to fight against God and goodnesse and God fighteth against man and his evilnesse and nothing can be discerned rightly by the man till the partition wall of sin be pulled downe so in the end of time that holy Jesus the Sonne of God pulleth down all partition walls that have made the divisions betwixt God and man and he uniteth them againe in all lovely unity CHAP. III. A description of the Scripture according to the history and mystery thereof MOSES hath spoken of the Creation of the World and certainly it cannot bee that he meaneth this externall world for I could never heare any true reasons that can bee given to prove the same for it stands at one stay and the Sunne Moone and Starres keepe one course and the Sea runs her race up and down and they still are one and the same in their orders and places neither doe they increase or decrease to or from what they first seemed to be unto man nor doe they wax old as a garment nor as the creatures which we see appeare that have a beginning and ending for we see every spirit that appeares here hath a created body which increaseth and is diminished and is gone againe and is seene no more but this externall world is one and the same for ever for any thing I could see or heare to the contrary The greatest multitude of men beleeve it to bee created of nothing but I cannot see nor heare any reason for the same because that of nothing can come nothing then what must it be made off for sure it cannot be made of the most holy God as some do imagine and say that there was nothing before but God and therefore of necessity if it be as they alleadge he must make all things of himselfe but it cannot stand with reason that out of one should come so many antipathies therefore without all question the most holy
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
in thee but kills and crucifies them as soone as they appeare in thee to give thee counsell for thy good and so the Lambe of God is slaine in the beginning of our first world or at the first appearance discovering and distinctions of things in us for in one infancie or nonage all things is in silence and we are a Chaos and God is in this silence and with us in this Chaos and in his time and when hee saw the ripenesse of this Chaos he set forth all things in us and made them appeare in their order and places to us and gave all things to us as our owne and in our owne power because we should be free to binde our selves or stand free according to our pleasure for there was life and death set before us so that we might binde our selves to either or stand free as we were and binde our selves to neither because that Man should not complaine nor grieve in his spirit that he should be tyed against his will to any thing therefore all men appear free to stand or fall or binde themselves to what they please but Man tyes himselfe to the brutiall passions of his mind and leaves God and goodnesse and so they be hidden and lost in him so thy passions rules domineers over thee and thy blinde wisdome or subtle serpent carries thee into all misthiefe and lies and deceives thee and makes thee have a hellish mind which is a cage of all unclean and hatefull birds for thou art the kingdome of hell and thou art full of hell-hounds dogs and swine wolfes and Tygers Lions and Beares Serpents and Cockatrices and all venomous things so that there is no good thing in thee in thy off-fallen estate for if God or goodnesse should appeare in thee thy beastly and divilish crew would destroy him out of thee so that thy God or goodnesse doth lye under thy earth or under thy hellish beeing which a mighty power holding forth a slickering sword which is the law of sin that cries vengeance and saith I will repay and saith thou must dye and all thy hellish crew for this law requires death for death eye for eye and tooth for tooth for thou hast killed God and goodnesse and these murthers flyeth in thy face by this mighty power with the sword of justice in his hand that stands to execute thee and kill thee for killing and this is the patience of the Saints which saith that they that killeth by the sword must dye by the sword for this is justice that the blood-thirsty might drinke blood and so Man thou shalt never bee happy till this justice is executed upon thee and upon all thy hellish crew and that thou art dead buried damned and lost with Christ and God and that thou and thy wicked crew is seen no more and thou art turned to thy dust and into thy old silence with God againe and art as if thou wert not and then God in his time will create thee a new world and renue all things againe in thee for there shall bee new heavens and a new earth wherein shall dwell righteousnesse in thee David saith Create in me a new heart O Lord and renue a right spirit within mee that is when thy old world or Adam is destroyed in thee that Man of sinne or that vessell of wrath that was borne for destruction or to be damned for our old world is to shew the glory and justice of God and his mighty power in the Man and to the Man and that the Man should see himselfe lost and damned and when he is come to this passe then shall he see his mighty power in saving him and creating him a new creature or new world for the first world was to shew the manhood and all her glory what she is and that all things were given into her hands to doe what seemed good in her own eyes and she let all things run disorderly and spoyled all things and that which she should have governed did governe her so that all things is turned upside down and Man sees his owne strength and wisdome is foolishnesse for God lets man alone with his first creation to shew him what he is in his own freedome and if man had not been left alone and free and had not had all things in his owne power he would have repined therefore he was left free to see his owne weaknesse and inability so he desired to be his owne God and ruler therefore God gave man all things in his power yea even himselfe also to see how he would use him for God saw mans covetous desires and so God put himselfe and all things else into his hands to do what seemed good in his own eyes and so nature or man appeared for that that is naturall is first and is the first Adam and that which is spirituall is last and last Adam or God for the first man Adam is earthly and the last Man or Adam is the heavenly or Godhead Man so man if he desres not to be changed or become the last Adam shall remain for ever in his first estate creation or first world for his first world is his misery because he desires to be his owne guide and his blinde wisdome is his owne destruction and because he disregards all good so hee shall bee with himselfe and his hellish crew till he is weary of himselfe for he hath given himselfe to pride which makes him thinke he is better then other men which is a lie and a deceit and he is given to covetousnesse of the riches of this world which all perish with the using and he is given to luxury gluttony and drunkennesse which makes him ready to starve another time for mispending the goods he getteth to maintaine his livelihood and he is given to seek honour and worldly estimation to wrath and furiousnesse about these things which are all lies and vanities and perish with the using and to backbyting and evill surmising one another to murder in secret and openly to hatred malice and hypocrisie with all uncharitablenesse about these lies which all perish with the using for here is nothing but howling crying sighing and mourning about these lies and deceiveable things for when pride hath exalted a man to honour and great estimation then he rejoyees and that is his heaven or God to him and straight envy in another man is troubled at this his honour and greatnesse and devises some plot to throw him downe and when he is throwne downe that is hell and death to him then hee sighs mourns and grieves for this deceiveable lie and the covetous man he covets the riches of this world and will cosen lie and cheat any man to make himself rich thereby and many times comes fire and destroyes his riches or one backbyter or slanderer or other devises some mischiefe against him and bringeth him under the penalty of some law of men that he pretendeth he hath broken whereby
free and might have stood or fell but he fell and all Adams knows this their owne conscience accusing them for hee made man upright and shewed himselfe to bee good but he sought out many inventions to destroy himselfe yet God hath mercy on him and hath brought forth his elected seed to save him which was Isaac or Jacob that wrastled with God in this darke night of man to save and blesse him for this Esau was faine to sell his birthright and was so hungry with hunting and killing the man of sinne that he had almost lost himselfe but his brothers pottage which is love and mercy and power was given him to strengthen him to overcome the man of sinne in himselfe yet he thought this pottage should not have taken away his birthright and destroyed his first creation which he wept for although it was too late for it was for his further good which is hid from his eyes for a time and whilst he is a hunting for Jacob puts on Esaus rough garment or flesh which is the law of sin which made the man of sin mad and hee thought to destroy this Jacob or this second creation which appeared in the man but in the end when sinne is destroyed they will be loving brothers and one man of God for this Jesus Christ or seed of promise the destroyer of sin will make all peace and quietnesse for this holy God is in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe in mortifying and cleansing this man and burnning up all the chaffe of sin with unquenshable fire that there might bee great love betwixt God and man againe for this Jesus was three dayes and three nights in the man of sinne and in the heart of the earth and was carried into his wildernessed land and was tempted of him the manner whereof shall afterwards be expressed for he shewed Man all his filthinesse and how wicked he was and regardlesse of God and goodnesse and this was the first day in him and the night of that day was the death and wrath of God that appeared in the Man which did teâ—rifie and feare him and was the wounds of conscience that told him what he deserved and he threw downe himselfe at Gods mercy and the second day or light God gave him true grace and sorrow for his sinnes and the night of that day is that bloody fight in heaven betweene the Man of sinne and God and that terrible agony and sweat of death was on the humanity and the third day or reigne of Christ is that day that Christ shall reigne a thousand yeares in Man with death which day is that power of patience and long sufferance that lasts till the Man of sinne is rooted out for a thousand yeares is but as one day with the Lord and one day in this suffering and reigne of Christ is as a thousand years to the man for he must reigne till all sinne is subdued and the night of that day all hell is broke loose to torment the Man for a short time but this Almighty power gives the Man a strong and victorious power that he fights with himselfe and overcomes himselfe and all his devillish crew and so the wicked world is ended and Man shall come into a happy condition There are many that think that Christ will come and reigne a thousand yeares here on earth personally but they will be deceived for they look and judge of the Scripture after the outward appearance which is not righteous judgement for we are to looke on it with a spirituall eye and then shall we see it as it is for the looking on it as a history and not as it is a sacred and holy mystery makes so many false Religions for the birth of Christ in this elementary world was after a extraordinary manner and not after the ordinary manner of men for he was not as the seed of man nor did the Virgin Mary feele any manner of paine in bringing him forth as the wise and learned hold nor doth the Scripture make mention of her paine as they doe of others as Rebeckah Isaacs wife and Rachel Jacobs wife for the Divinity is a spirit and the humanity is a spirit and the Divinity and the humanity joyned together in conjunction as man and wife is but one spirit and spirits bring forth a spirit and can doe no otherwise for this Jesus Christ is a Spirit and is the Spirit and life of God that is sowne in our hearts and spirits which makes us cry Abba Father for he was and is a Spirit comming forth of God and man that were and is spirits and that organicall body or figure that he seemed to be in and to eat and drinke and that he was like flesh and blood was as three Angells that appeared to Abraham which he did dresse a kid for who seemed to be men and did eat and drinke with them as they thought â— so Christ seemed to be in that figure and flesh of the man but he was a reall spirit for with that body he walked on the sea the which Peter could not doe with his heavy body but did sinke and Christ did hide himselfe many times and could not be found for he did walke in visibly and when they did leek him to destroy him they could not finde him till he pleased to give himself into their hands and he could come with his body into any roome the doores being shut as he did after the resurrection come to his Disciples saying Peace be unto you and he did eat a broyled fish and they knew him by eating and breaking of bread and there is surely some secret mystery in that for when hee walked like a gardener they knew him not but by breaking of bread and Thomas would not beleeve that it was the body that was crucified because he could come through a chinke of the doore as he thought till Christ shewed him the print of his nailes after which he said he beleeved because hee saw those things but Christ said to him they were more blessed that beleeved and saw not but beleeved and trusted in God without the death of Christ for if we had beleeved and trusted in God wee should not have fallen and sinned but have been more blessed for the whole had not had need of the Physitian but we all have fallen and need the death of Christ to make us whole againe and we cannot beleeve till wee see the print of his death and nailes in our hearts and spirits which he hath taken on him and is now his humane nature for his Godhead and humanity is in us if Christ be in us for he is whole Christ in us God and man nor can he be divided and be in part in us and if he had a corporall body of clay consisting of foure clements made up of flesh and blood as ours is it were impossible and against reason that he could be in us therefore looke into the Scripture with spirituall
had names to call them by that the one might understand the other and know what subject they speak of and what each would have another to do but these mad people love to confound themselves A spirit is that internall fire life and motion of all things as the spirit or fire and life of herbes and trees which is named the negative spirit that manifesteth it selfe to the world and all other spirits Now there is another spirit or sure that groweth and bloweth it selfe up into one organ and feeleth any thing that toucheth it and its name is the sensitative spirit There is another spirit eye light or fire that groweth and bloweth it selfe up into an organ whose name is called the rationall spirit or eye of capability and judgement which discerneth all things in their order and place and this is the man And there is another spirit eye light or fire that is a motion joyned to the man that discovers the reall truth of all things to him for his good or hurt and his name is called the spirit of wisdome or God and this is the light or right eye to the man that foreseeth all things for his good if he will regard his instructions And there is another spirit eye light or fire that is a motion that moves to the man that he feeleth in his intellectuall which is the spirit and eye of darknesse that looketh into all things for the mans harme the which if hee looke through leads him into all folly and blindnesse and worketh him into all mischiefe and this spirit is the destruction of the man and bringeth him to all misery and calamity and this spirits name is called the Devill the worker of mischiefe for these two spirits move to the man in his intellectuall and he feedeth seeth and heareth them internally and discourseth with them as two men discourse and talke one with another and these spirits are instrumentall to the man to perswade him to what he shall doe for he can do nothing but by these instruments the one for his good the other for his harm and he tasting of both he knowes the difference and how opposite the onces to the other and how they change him and make him good or evill for if any man doth good by the good instrument hee that is ruled by the evill instrument contradicts the good works of the good and the good instrument contradicts the man that is ruled by the evill instrument but there bee some that say the evill is good and the good evill which cannot be so for the good is good still to the man and is one and the same for ever and the evill is evill still to the man and is one and the same for ever for if thou dost evill to any man that evill is evill to thy selfe and if that man that thou doest evill to should retort the like backe on thy self then thou wouldst quickly be sensible that it is evill and not call that evill good falling upon thy selfe which falling upon another thou didst call good for if thou shouldst vassallize any man abuse or starve him or cut off his limbs and doe him all the harme thou couldst what good is this to thee surely thy conscience tells thee it is evill and not good to thee for thou dost not like to have those things done to thy selfe for retorting and falling backe upon thy selfe thou findest it evill So thou art evill and wicked O man whosonver thou art that dost those things and teachest another so to doe for thou teachest him lies that the evill is good and the good evill and thy owne conscience condemnes thee in doing the evill and so doth the conscience of the others whom thou teachest so to doe also defnding him with thy lies to deceive himselfe with for thou oughtest not to doe any thing to any man that thou dost not like to be done to thee nor must thou doe that which thou wouldest not have done backe againe for thou seest it is evill say what thou wilt to deceive thy selfe for thou dost cosen thy selfe with these vaine delusions Surely those that are of the minde that one spirit acts in all would if it were not for seare of the laws of men fall a cutting one anothers throats and doâ— all mischiefe being devills one to the other in their passion for they will admit of no law of goodnesse for their restraint If but one man had this evill power to execute his will upon all the world for pleasure then might it be thought to be good but you see in all men a desige to have their will therefore thou must expect and it is just and fight according to thy desert that thou shouldest be killed for killing and for stealing to restore double or be his servant to worke it out and make double satisfaction for his losse and troubling him for this is the law of sin and death for sin and this is in man and can be no other wife for the evill that hee doth to another man riseth up in judgement against him by the other whom he bath wronged to retort the like backe upon him for this law of sin in the man saith an eye for an eye tooth for tooth arme for arme c. and so with the froward to be froward and evill for evill saith the law of sinne in man which is just to reward every man according to his owne evill workes but thou caust not abide this law of sinne for thou wouldst doe a great deale of mischiefe and injury to other men and take pleasure in it but that this pleasure brings this sting of death and paine backe againe to thee which thou canst not abide so this thy God or pleasure perisheth with the using and change thy pleasure into pain by falling backe upon thee But thou wilt say that if thou murtherest a man in secret so that none be private thereto but thy selfe how can that murther be discovered or the law of sin be executed upon thee I answer that the law of sin is in thy self and riseth up in judgement against thee in condemning and wounding thy conscience so that thou art weary of thy life and in the and discovers thy selfe never being at quiet till the law of sinne be executed upon thee for we see few murthers that are long concealed another question may be demanded if this law of sinne which seemeth to be good or God and is executed upon thee is not murther and cruelty likewise I answer it is and is thy God and ruler in thy off-fallen estate that is a furious God and a consuming fire who will consume thee in his wrath and in his sore displeasure forthy sinnes have raised up this furious God that holdeth thee in with a rough bit and bridle whilst thou art a wilde asse colt that striveth to overthrow thy rider and this cruell God shall be thy Lord King and husband and will torment thee so long as thou
the most holy life is given thee to sound sweet harmony to thy harmonious soule for if thou sound on the evill instrument of ten strings which instrument is that which was founded in Daniel before the Image and made him be cast into the Lions den it raised up the most horrible sound of thunder lightning and violent fire so that if thy brutiall passions touch the mount where this sound comes forth he shall be shot through with a dart for thy touching of this evill ten stringed instrument hath raised up the most furious God that is a consuming fire who turnes thy joyes into sorrow and pain so that thy life is now a living death and a dying life which thou shalt finde by wofull experience for thou thinkest thou knowest not what of thy selfe that thou art something and that thou camest from nothing then by consequence thou art nothing and to nothing must returne so that thou art like a mad man that can give no reason of thy selfe from whence thou camest and whither thou goest and so doest what thou list and what seemeth best in thy owne eyes although it bee never so much hurt to another man O dost not thou thinke that he that is the cause of thy appearance will take account of thy life and of thy stewardship and what thou hast done here whether good or bad thy owne conscience tells thee he will therefore doe not deceive thy selfe with thy fallacies and deceits Thou art that one spirit that is or may be acted in all and thy spirit or eye is the great Abyss of eternity and thy eye doth or may looke in or through all eyes or worlds whether good or evill and if thou be joyned or looke through the evill eye and art guided by that evill instrument thou art most unhappy and all that evill that is said before falleth upon thee and thou shalt or mayest for ever be with that evill eye or world unlesse thou desire with all thy heart soule and minde to be changed and delivered out of this evill and wicked world for it is thy will that hath damned thee by the evill instrument and thy will saves thee by the good instrument for thou art passive and mayest be carried by thy will to give thy selfe to what thou pleasest to bee carried or ruled by the good or by the evill and thou canst not be joyned to both at once therefore thou must be dead to the evill and the evill to thee before thou canst be joyned to the good to bee moved thereby Now when thou art acted by the evill instrument thou callest evill good and good evill so that when thou thinkest it good and takest pleasure in doing wrong or mischiefe to another thou takest pleasure in a lie and thinkest that evill to be good because thou art not sensible nor feelest the truth of the thing acted but the fallacie lie and deceit which deceiveth all mankinde therefore all things are not to man as hee imagineth for many imagine themselves to be better then other men as Kings Lords and all others who thinke themselves great taking pleasure in the same although indeed and truth there is no such matter for all men are alike and made of one mould so that it may evidently appeare that they who doth thinke so take pleasure in a lie and this seemeth to them to be good this lie transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light to be like the reall God or good when indeed and truth it is but a delusion and a joy or pleasure which perisheth with the using for the reall God or good is one and the same for ever and no man or thing can take away that joy for it continueth still the same being no change but thou takest pleasure in that which is nothing to thee and grievest at that which is nothing to thee so thy griefe and joy is lies for when thou thinkest that to be to thee which is not reall indeed and in truth thou deceivest thy owne soule and none shall suffer for it but thy owne selfe when thou a busest any man the action falleth upon him and he it is that feeleth it and if the like action falleth upon thee thou feelest it in the same manner for all actions of one kinde falleth alike to all that are passive or suffers therefore deceive not thy selfe for thou that actest is one and he that suffers is another and thou that acteth is not the other that suffereth for that which is felt by the one is nothing to the other that feeleth not for the passive and active are two therefore doe not thou deceive thy selfe and take pleasure in that which is paine to another for in doing so thou joyest whereas thou wouldest grieve if it did fall upon thy selfe and if harme fall to any man we should participate of his griefe as if it did befall us and not rejoyce at anothers harme for this is the delusion of the Devill to rejoyce where is no cause of joy but is his own imagined joy which is a lie and perisheth with the using and to grieve where is no cause of griefe is a delusion and lie to torment our selves withall as some doe torment themselves that they have not so much means and riches as they would have and such honour and estimation as they would have or to be so well or better thought of then others and they grieve that they cannot doe as much mischiefe as they intended to doe and they grieve when any shews mercy or charity to another whom they hate although they see that other stand in need of his charity and doth say that this action of charity is a Devill to that man that hated him and God to him that received it so making an action to be God or the Devill canst not thou discerne the fallacie and the lie here is this charity any thing to thee seeing thou didst not receive it if it had been to thee and thou hadst received the same it had beene as good to thee as to him for all things fall alike to all as was said before therefore thou rejoycest at thou knowest not what till thou feelest the same and seest where the fallacie lyes wherefore when thou discernest the fallacie thou mayest see that thou oughtest to be glad when any good commeth to another as if it had come to thy selfe for nature tells us that we should make every mans case our owne and the Scripture speaketh without exception saying Rejoyce with them that rejoyce and receive good and grieve with them that grieve or receive hurt or harme but to grieve at another mans joy or good is the Devill that grieveth where no cause of griefe is for in grieving at the other mans joy hee imagineth a lie which is not the truth of that joy in the other man so tormenting himselfe with that which is not for if that joy of the other were in thee it could not be griefe but thou
deludest thy selfe when thou makest anothers griefe thy joy or his joy thy griefe and so thy faith or beleefe is that that is not but is a lie for joy is not griefe nor griefe joy but thou dost deceive thy selfe in saying anothers griefe is thy joy or his joy thy griefe for anothers joy or griefe can be nothing to thee in reallity but by participation and so it is thy joy or griefe and no otherwayes so that by participation we rejoyce with them that rejoyce and grieve with them that grieve and when wee doe the contrary as to grieve at anothers joy or joy at his griefe it is a delusion of the Devill that maketh joy seem griefe and griefe seem joy by his deceitfull fallacies and when thou shalt looke with a righteous and just eye then thou shalt see all these fallacies and deceits wherein thou hast so willingly coseâ—ed thy selfe to lose thy owne soule but thou thinkest thou canst not lose it for thou thinkest thou art something and nothing and it is no matter let every thing run which way it will all things will be well at last but thou art as greatly mistaken in this as thou art in the rest as thou shalt find by wofull experience when it falls upon thee and it is as true as thou art and that there is a God that thou must answer for all that thou hast done whether good or evill to him that is the cause of thy appearance think what thou wilt to deceive thy selfe So thou thinkest also that all things else is something and nothing when something is something still for there is no such thing as nothing neither is there any demonstration or words to expresse the same therefore in saying thou knowest nothing it is true so farre and in this manner thou canst not possibly know that that is not but canst know something and possibly all things if thou hast to doe with all or some for that that thou usest and hast to doe with all thou knowest its qualities for all things hath quallities and quantities and are to be knowne by the same and as their quallities be so are they called and named for every thing hath its severall quallity and so a severall name and thy owne eyes sees these severall things and their quallities for thou seest the quallity of fire that it will consume or burne any thing that is put in it and some things it will melt and harden others so thou seest really what fire is by these quallities and it is verily so and very true and is no other thing then it shews it selfe to be and the quallity of water is to moysten and cleanse or to quench thirst or fires and many other things that I need not expresse which is really so as it manifesteth it selfe to all the world and can be no other thing then as it is manifested And the aires quallity is manifested by many severall operations for it makes the fire burne and set forth his quallity and it deadneth and taketh away the life of many thing and reviveth and refresheth many things that walke in it and many other operations of life and death it hath which I cannot expresse And the earth hath divers setting forth of its quallities as to make all seeds set forth themselves in their shapes and formes making them appeare to all the world and all these seeds and herbes have their severall quallities and setting forthof themselves which those who study nature can set forth and shew the reall truth of by their effects for the least herbe tree or mettall or any other living creature hath his severall quallities as the Galenist Herbalist or those who study mineralls finde out and those Doctors and Physitians see the severall quallities of things with the antipathies and simpathies of their severall quallities and it is really so and they be the very same thing as they set themselves forth to be for their nature is really declared by these their quallities Now every man and woman hath severall quallities and is proper selfe and their quallities are either antipathies or simpathies one with another for the natures of some are so opposite and there is such antipathy that they cannot agree nor abide to live one with the other but in continuall opposition and there are others whose natures and quallities doe sympathize and those doe agree and live most happily together in sweet society now every mans nature is as his complexion is and is composed of the spirituall elements of earth water aire and fire which is the intellectuall and internall man I doe not meane the earth water aire and fire that is materiall and those lower elements which is a dead matter but the intellectuall internall and spirituall elements which are all spirit and life for some men and women are compounded most of the spirituall element of fire and they are more full of fury and wrath and another is more compounded of aire and hee is more amorous sweet and pleasantly disposed and given more to the act of generation then any other for his minde is full of spirits that would appeare by him for the spirits of men and women doe more animate the aire all man then any other to make them appeare in this lower elementary world the reason is because he is most flexible and more easie to be moved by their instigation to bring them forth and the flegmaticke man that is more compounded of the spirituall waters is more dull and his capacity cannot very soone reach or conceive any thing but when he receives he will hardly lose it againe whether good or bad therefore it is good for him to have his mind set upon the best object and the man that is more compounded of the spirituall earth he is of the most deep reaching minde of all for he hath all the elements more powerfully contracted together in him and he containes more of them then all the rest being more capatious and if his minde be set upon the evill object the Devill hee is the most wicked that is upon the earth and the Devill can worke more mischiefe by him then by all the rest for his capatious minde can sooner conceive mischiefe when it is shewed him then all the rest besides and the Devill by him doth most prodigious and horrid cruelties although hee doth enough and too much by all for this wicked spirit through and by them all sets Kingdomes together by the eares making one to kill another perswading them to take pleasure in doing such mischiefe but it is a mad pleasure and wickednesse so to doe and so it will be found in the end let them thinke as well as they will of it for the present sometimes they set Countries on fire consuming all their victualls and corne and this they take pleasure in but if rightly considered it is miserable paine and madnesse for they themselves come afterward to suffer such misery and want for their wastefull spoyling
Godhead that is one is of a more pure and excellent nature then these lower changeable elements of earth water ayre and fire of which this lower world is composed off for this lower world bringeth forth nothing but his owne nature as earth water aire and its spirit of fire from which all spirits have borrowed a body which they cannot keep for ever because its nature is changeable and runneth or whirling round never standing at one certaine stay for the Sunne which is soule fire or life of this world never standeth still but every yeare runneth his race round and in his running he melts hardens congeales withers and makes grow green so that there is a continuall death and resurrection every yeare of things under the Sunne for nothing stands at one stay but is in continuall motion and change and in this change is was and shall be one and the same for ever for no man can consume diminish or annihilate the least atom or dust or bring any thing that is to nothing neither can any man finde the beginning or end of things but thou hast borrowed a garment or body which did lye potentially in that matter and when thou makest it appeare it is said to be a beginning to thee and when thou leavest it as it was it is called an ending to thee As for the world whereof Moses speaketh that the most holy God made certaine it is some more excellent better or purer world for man to live in then this for hee hath no true content here in this world or body of clay for this world is the visible God or good that is in continuall change but in the invisible world or invisible God is no change nor shadow of turning but is one and the same for ever if thou borrow a body or garment of this internall and invisible world he never looketh for it again for he is the righteous that lendeth never looking for it againe O that all soules did keep this body or garment that was given them out of this internall world that they might see with those eyes the Sun Moon and all the glorious orders of Starres which glorious world is for thee O man therefore look for thy internall garment that is given thee for ever for the eyes or lights of this body shall never wax dimne but in those lights or eyes we shall see and behold the eternall eye or light from whence those our eyes or lights came which shall be our everlasting body that wee need not feare losing or changing for it continues one and the same for ever being the free gift of the internall God There is a time wherein it seemeth to us that we had a beginning to this internall and invisible body although indeed and in truth this body hath neither beginning nor ending because it lay potentially hid in God and in his essence for its beginning to us is its ending because the beginning reacheth unto eternity and we shall for ever have this body if we doe not lose and disregard it as I feare we all have done for wee have not remembred our Creator in these dayes of our youth before our evill dayes came wherein we have had no pleasure for our evill dayes is this when we disregrad this holy body and then those eyes begin to wax dim in us though in themselves they are one and the same for ever and those grinders cease from eating the internall life the food of our soules and the mourners shall carry this dead body about the streets and walks of our hearts mourning and grieving for us and for our great losse and this is the grieving of the holy Spirit by whom we are sealed made sonnes of God for we have quenched crucified and killed this holy body of the Lord which he gave us for a garment for ever to cover our nakednesse and so he returnes to that holy divine earth from whence he came and the soule spirit or life of that body returnes to him that gave it And now O man what shall we doe for our great losse for we see nothing but death on every side for this externall world is but a living death to us for wee are in continuall expectation to be called out of it and besides there is one that is worse then death that followes us to cloath us with his mortall garments or body of wickednesse for he prepareth a body which is a lie or delusion and shews us a body which is a lie or vanity to cloath us with so that this body is worse then death for it is a living death and dying life and we were better to bee dead and and if possible to be annihilated quite then to live in such a wicked body of sinne and death and it had beene better we had never beene borne or brought forth in it as Job saith cursing the houre of his birth and the day wherein he was borne and wisheth that he had dyed in the birth and that he had never been seen in this wicked world therefore we see many worlds yet cannot see what reason man hath to believe that this externall world was ever made as he imagineth seeing there will follow so many absurdities on it for what reason can be given that there was but one man and one woman at first seeing there is blackmores or men and white and it is contrary to nature and impossible for a man naturally black or blackmore to bring forth a white or a white to bring forth a blacke and we see it so by experience and when Cain killed Abel the Lord being angry with him said that he should be a vagabond and runnagate Cain answered that his punishment was greater then he could beare and if any man should meet him he should kill him when there was none to kill him for if there was but one man and woman created at first there was but his father and he in the world and afterward it is said that hee went into the land of Nod and tooke him a wife who did inhabit that land and what man was the father of his wife how can all these things bee made good by the letter of the Scripture or doe you thinke that there was a materiall garden or a tree whereon did grow the fruit of good and evill or that a Serpent did goe up in the same to speake to the woman sure it cannot stand with reason that it could be so for it is said that all the creatures did come to Adam and he gave them names according to their natures now it is contrary to the Serpents nature to speake after the manner of men unlesse you will alleadge that she understood the language of the beasts and thought them wiser then God and resolved to be ruled by them which to me seems altogether against reason that the woman should be so ignorant and irrationall who was created rationall after the image of God to be ruler of all creatures
for at this day if a Serpent went up into a tree and did speake from thence to men and women it would make them afraid in so much that they would not doe what he bid them or dost thou thinke that in Mesopotamia a great way off beyond the seas that there is a materiall garden wherein standeth the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and ill both in one place and an Angell standing with a slickering sword to keep the tree of life from the man and that Adam and Hevah were cast out of this garden for harkening to the Serpent to till the earth and that it should bring forth nothing but thorns and thistles all which in my judgement cannot stand with reason or truth for the Scripture saith that none shall be saved but those who shall eat of the tree that is in the paradise of God why then doe not all soules or men goe to looke for this paradise and garden of Eden to eat of this tree of life whereby they must be saved for none can be saved without it And why doe not all men and women goe to fight with this Angell that holdeth this sword which keepeth them from the tree of life and consequently from salvation I see none nor heard I ever any that went to seek out this garden Angell nor tree of life and so if the Scripture be to be understood according to the litterall sense or this a materiall garden none can be saved because the same hath never been found out by any since the fall of Adam and that earth which is said to bring forth nothing but thornes and thistles cannot be the externall earth for we see it bringeth forth very good herbes fruit and corne fit for the use of the externall manhood and but few thornes and thistles Therefore O man looke not thou on the history of the Scripture but upon the mystery which is hidden since thy wicked world began for these are all holy and sacred mysteries which are hid from all fleshly and sinfull hearts whose foreskin of sin is before them as a partition wall therefore O man let thy partition wall be pulled downe by the mighty power of God in thee and let the foreskin of thy sinfull flesh bee cut off and be thou plunged dipped dyed or baptised in the most holy and divine nature or in the most holy Godhead for if thou goest into this river of Jordan or judgement as red as bloud with thy sinnes thou shalt come forth as white as snow and then thou shalt see all these secret and holy mysteries which are revealed to perfect and just men and to no other for to the wicked and sinfull men it is a closed booke and a dead letter for S. Paul saith in the second chap. of the second to the Corinths that he speaketh the wisdome of God to them that are perfect for none can understand it but such as are perfect and without sinne for to the wise of this world the wisdome is foolishnes and they laugh it to scorne and thinke it meer madnesse as Felix did of Paul saying That too much learning had made him mad O that all soules had this foolishnesse and madnesse it would be more pretious to them then all the wisdomes and riches of this world for the wisdome of this world is earthly sensuall and divillish all which perish with the using and the foolishnesse and madnesse of God as men esteem is to us our right and perfect minde O that all men were baptised into the Father Son and Holy Ghost then should they see things cleerly and never have more trouble in soule then should they know all good things and all teares should be wiped from their eyes and be in everlasting ravishing joyes and sweet content of minde As for the seven Nations that the Scripture maketh mention of which should be destroyed when their sins were full as the Amorites Jebusites Hittites c. it cannot be meant the destruction and killing of men because it is contrary to the nature of God and goodnesse to be the cause of destruction for he is the author and cause of all goodnesse and preservation therefore wee should be like God to pray for them and doe them all the good we can and not destroy and kill them in their sins for we should deale with them by the spirit of meeknesse and not send them to hell headlong for wee know not how soon they may return to God goodnesse wherefore those seven are the seven deadly sinnes which have set themselves forth as Nations in us which when they are at the full in us the Israel of God Jesus Christ must come and destroy them out of us that the whole society of God with Saints and Angells may dwell in us and that our soule may be a land that floweth with milke and hony and till all those good things come to passe in us we are not saved And whereas it is said of Abrahams beeing commanded to kill his sonne Isaac which is contrary to the law of nature and to God and goodnesse to command him to kill his naturall son there is some secret sacred mystery in it for in this is set forth the whole passion of Christ or Isaac or Jesus Christ is the promised seed which is brought forth in the Ancient of dayes or in the end of time and is the sole and only joy of the man and God to trye the man would have this sole joy and life of the man to be brought to the sacrifice but the Divinity or holy life cannot dye but as it may seeme to the man but the ramme or humanity which was caught in the bush of sin he must dye and bee sacrificed for sin for all sacrifices are for sin and the soule that sinneth he must dye wherefore we should not looke on the Scripture as a history but as a holy and secret mystery for in Gal. 4.24 it is said that by Hagar and Sarah is signified the two Testaments and that their children are two seeds the one fleshly and the other spirituall and Jacob and Esau that wrestled in the womb are said to be two Nations the one spirituall the other carnall and the Scripture testifieth them to bee two worlds which is meant the first and second birth in man and not as most imagine that God ordained the one to damnation and the other to salvation and the Scripture witnesseth plainly that those are allegories and to be understood as mysteries or else we shall altogether disorder and confound the Scripture and this is the reason of so many Religions one fighting against the other for the Scripture in the letter seemeth to contradict it selfe so that if we have not the Spirit of God which is above the Scripture wee cannot understand one word or tittle thereof aright and none can have that Spirit but he that hath ceased from sin As for the drowning of the world and building
perfection with the crowne of glory which is holinesse to God and be cloathed in white linnen which is a most pure and innocent life and now you see that Priest people and sacrifice must be pure and unspotted without sinne having all perfection As for the holy Arke which was builded by the free will offering of the people and Moses going up into the mountaine to the Lord for a paterne to shew the people that it might be builded with all their pretious stones and fine silks for curtaines and the drinking pots of gold with the candlesticks snuffers and snuffing dishes and the mercy seat with the Cherubins that holdeth up the mercy seat and the holy and most holy place with the curtaine betwixt the holy and most holy and the Altar and hookes the table and shew-bread with Arons rod that budded and the pot of manna which to understand as a history that such a glorious building was made to look upon is nothing to me for to looke or judge of it so is to looke according to the outward appearance which is not righteous judgement for in this is to be seene the whole mystery of the Godhead and the humanity for in the holy place is the whole worke of the law with the death and sacrifices for sinne for a reconciliation which death and sacrifices is the Godhead and manhoed which lyeth upon the holy Alter fire wrath crosse or patience till the man of sinne be destroyed and rooted out of us And the golden candlesticks with the lights in the holy place is the law or grace that shineth from the morning till the evening or till sinne is extinguished and done away in us and is the lights of Gods grace which is true repentance for sinne with a broken and contrite heart and sorrowfull spirit which shineth till all things are finished and then giveth up the ghost unto the Father from whence he came and then the vaile or curtaine which standeth in the most holy place is rent in twaine from the top to the bottome which vaile is the flesh and death of Christ and is the new and living way through which all must enter or else they cannot be saved nor enter into the most holy or Sanctum Sanctorum where the mercy seat is held up by the Angells and Cherubins Now when the Priesthood which is the holy humanity hath fulfilled the whole worke of the Law the sacrifice for sinne in the holy place then they put on all their holy garments and attires and so enter into the most holy place with their bells or hymns that soundeth forth the praise of God internally to God and externally all good to men for in this holy attire must he enter in the most holy place with odours and sweet perfumes of a holy life and the smoke of these odours and perfumes of a holy life ascendeth to the mercies seat and ravisheth the most holy Godhead and then he imbraceth him in his armes saying Thou art my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and this is he that maketh us Kings and Priests to God and giveth us himselfe to be offered up for a sacrifice to God his Father for us O man how great is the love of God to thee that hee becommeth thee to save thee and makes thee himselfe for the great love he hath to thee for in thy first appearance he created himselfe in thee and then there appeared unto thee foure worlds first this externall world whereof thou hast borrowed a body or garment and knowest not how foone it shall be called for againe for the world whitleth about and calleth for her owne againe and there can be no certainty of any thing here because here is nothing but change and mortality for this world of it selfe is death but that the spirits that are in it is its life so that this world is not worthy so much as to bee thought off for it perisheth with the using as doth a garment only it is good in this respect because wee could not know light but by darknesse nor life but by death nor immortallity but by mortallity and the reason we were in obscurity or in silence before wee could come here is this that there is one eternall increase of the seed of man and they can but appeare in time here for this externall world is time and time is a running round and there is no new thing here but as it is to me for this materiall world doth neither increase nor decrease but is one and the same for ever in its turning round only it seemeth to me to increase and diminish and so it is finite and because the seed of man is an eternall increase and this world being one and the same may be called finite in this respect because there is not matter enough for all spirits to have bodies or garments of at one time and therefore some must goe before others can come for the spirits to come are infinite and this world is finite because of its materiall confine not increasing but running round so that which is called the body of one to day may be called the body of another to morrow for there is no certainty here and all soules must stay their time till they can come here and in their comming and being here is the time to see distinctions and all worlds and if thou doe not looke about thee and see them here in this world of time but be neglective of the time thou hadst better never have been born or brought forth in time for this time vanisheth away to thee and thou shalt bee seen no more for when man is in honour and knows it not he is like the brute beast that perisheth being without God in the world therefore whilst time doth last to us let us looke about us and redeeme our mispent time and seek the everlasting good or reall true world that is beyond all time or change and this is the divine world which God hath placed in thy heart as is said in Ecclesiastes the 3. and the world whereof Moses speaketh Gen. 1. and is the Angelicall world or paradise out of which the man had an Angelicall body which is but a part of Gods house for God shewed himselfe but in part and this part he lost and in that part he was that great Lucifer or Angell that was the Sunne of the morning or starre that fell and in falling fought against his Maker or him that gave him that Angelicall body or world in which the most holy world stood as a tree of life unseen or untouched by the man for he had more minde of the diabolicall world for all worlds being opened to the man he desires the evill and worst of worlds desiring to be free before his time because he could not abide the servanthood to till and dresse the garden of the Lord which servanthood is the angelicall body or world which is the servant of the Lord but desired to