for Abraham sprang from him and all Abrahamits are but a tree or vine that did spring from that one seed for indeed the spirit of life lies in the bottom which lifted up both Abraham and his children and is the one seed of righteousnesse and life from which every one springs what name soever any righteous body is called Now this seed doth promise himself to be the blessing of all Nations and the restorer of all things from bondage but the Nations of the earth since that report was made never yet enjoyed the benefit of it for the curse hath still rested upon the Creation and hath been rather multiplied from year to year so that at this very day those in whom the first fruits of restauration appears do see darknesse nay thick darknesse do cover man-kind And the curse doth rest mightily in the fire water earth and air all places stinks with the abomination of the curse So that a man can go into no place but he shall see the curse and enmity is that power that rules the creatures that makes them jar one against another Likewise miserry breaks forth upon man-kind from these four Elements of which his body is made and the curse rests within him and the curse dwels round about him But Abrahams seed is and must be the blessing of all Nations and shall spread as far as the curse hatâ— spread to take it off And this seed Dear Brethren hath lien hid in you all the time appointed and now is breaking forth And the Nations shall know That salvation or restauration rather is of the Jews that King of righteousnesse and Prince of peace that removes the curse and becomes himself the blessing arises up in you and from you and fils and will fill the earth both man-kind and the whole Creation Fire Water Earth and Air for the blessing shall be every where And though the seed of the flesh have cast you out for evil and you have been the despised ones of the earth and the children of the flesh refuses to buy and sell with you yet now your glory is rising And the ancient prophesie of Zecharie shall be fulfilled That ten men shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying Let us go with you for we have heard that God is with you This new Law of righteousnesse and peace which is rising up is David your King which you have been seeking a long time and now shall find him coming again the second time in the personall appearance of sons and daughters he will be a true Davider indeed between flesh and spirit between bondage and libertie between oppressours and the oppressed he is and will be the righteous Judge he will lead your captivitie captive and set you down in peace He is now coming to raign and the Isles and Nations of the earth shall all come in unto him he will rest every where for this blessing will fill all places All parts of the Creation in whom the curse remains shall be shaken and moved and the seed of the flesh shall find peace no where He will throw down the mountaines of the flesh fill up the low valleys of the spirit he will make rough wayes smooth and crooked wayes strait he will make the earth fruitfull and the winds and the weather seasonable he will throw all the powers of the earth at your feet and himself will be your governour and teacher and your habitations on earth shall be in peace that so you that are the Citie of the Lord New Jerusalem the place of his rest may be the praise of the whole earth If any one say The glory of Jerusalem is to be seen hereafter after the â—ody is laid in the dust it matters not to me what they say they speak their imagination they know not what I know that the glory of the Lord shall be seen and known within the Creation and the blessing shall spread in all Nations and Jerusalem indeed which is Abrahams children sprituall Israel gathered together shall be the praise and glory of the whole earth and the restauration of all things is to be seen within the Creation of Fire Water Earth and Air And all bodies that are made of the compound of these four Elements are to be purged and delivered from the curse and all shall know that this almighty King of righteousnesse is our Saviour and besides hiâ—â— there is none The swords and counsels of flesh shall not be seen in this work the arm of the Lord onely shall bring these mighty things to passe in this day of his power and the hearts of men shall tremble and fail them with fear to see the misery that is coming upon the world for the glory and riches of men shall be brought low and the Lord alone shall be exalted Therefore all that I shall say is this Though the world even the seed of the flesh despise you and call you by reprochfull names at their pleasure yet wait patiently upon your King he is coming he is rising the Son is up and his glory will fill the earth And when you see the Doves flock to the windows not to your Church-windows but to the teachings of the Father for his discoveries are the windows that lets the light of the Father shine into the soul and these are dreams voices and revelations immediatly from the Father himself his own inward teaching without which the soul is hungry and flocks unto the inward discoveries and teaching of the Father for satisfaction forsaking all other in point of inward rest When you see or hear of the risings up of Israel like the noise of mighty waters carrying all before them then rejoyce and say Your redemption draws near and the reports from the Lord are true wait with a meek and quiet spirit for the consolation of Israel even the coming forth of the deliverer That shall turn ungodlinesse from Jacob Then shall Jacob rejoyce and Israel shall be glad So I rest January 26. 1648. A waiter for the consolation of Israel JERRARD WINSTANLEY The New Law OF RIGHTEOVSNES Budding forth to restore the whole Creation from bondage of the curse CHAP. I. THere is nothing more sweet and satisfactory to a man then this to know and feel that spirituall power of righteousnesse to rule in him which he cals God For while the flesh through hasty and violent lusts doth rebell against the spirit it hath no true peace but is still pulling misery upon himself But when the created flesh is made subject to the law of righteousnesse and walks uprightly in the Creation in the light of that spirit then it lies down in rest In other writings I have declared what I know That Almighty power ever living Spirit is which rules and preserves the whole Creation fire water earth and air and of every creature in these elements or that is made up of all these in a compound matter as all flesh is And something I shall
bread the Priests must have the tenths of his encrease or else some oppressing impropriatour that shares the tithes between himself and the Priest which Law was brought in by the Pope and still upheld by such as call themselves the Christian Protestants All which is high treason and mighty dishonourable to Christ the great Prophet whom they seem to shew love to here the earth stinks because this hath been established by a compulsive binding power whereby the Creation is held under bondage this is the fruit of imagination Secondly For matter of buying and selling the earth stinks with such unrighteousnesse that for my part though I was bred a tradesmen yet it is so hard a thing to pick out a poor living that a man shall sooner be cheated of his bread then get bread by trading among men if by plain dealing he put trust in any And truly the whole earth of trading is generally become the neat art of thieving and oppressing fellow-creatures and so laies burdens upon the Creation but when the earth becomes a common treasury this burden will be taken off Thirdly For Justices and Officers of State that should relieve people in their wrongs and preserve peace they multiply wrongs and many if not most times oppresses the poor and lets the effending rich go free by laying aside the letter of their laws as the Priests doth the Scriptures and acts by subtil covetousnesse and smooth words to get money or else ruling by their own wills through envy to imprison and oppresse others letting poor people lie in prison half a year many times and never bring them to trial at all And thus the people have been and are oppressed by false imprisonments and punishments not for the breach of any known law but to satisfie the will of the Justice Bailiffs or Officer against all reason and equity as if the people made Officers to be their Aegyrtian task-masters Nay let all men speak openly as they find and I am sure they will say that the Justices and most state Officers doth more oppresse then deliver from oppression And thus I see that the whole earth stinks by the first Adams corrupt Government therefore it is the fulness of time for Jacob to arise extream necessity cals for the great work of restoration and when the restorer of the earth hath a little more manifested himself he wiâ— make the earth a common treasury and sweep away all the refuge of lies and All oppressions by making all people to be of one heart and one minde and then the Law of Righteousnesse and peace shal be the King that shal rule in every man and over every man who indeed is the Lord himself who is and wil be all and in all And now seeing there is nothing found but complainings and tears under his oppressions it is the fulnesse or fittest time now for Iacob to arise restore all things who indeed is Christ And for David to raigne who indeed is Christ the great devider between flesh and spirit the great law-giver of peace and truth For besides him there is no Saviour He indeed is the blessing of all Nations and the joy of the whole earth Therefore tremble thou Lord Esau thou proud and covetous flesh thou art condemned to die the sentence is begun to be put in execution for the poor begins to receive the Gospel thou shalt wast decay and grow weaker and weaker til thy place be no where found in earth and Christ the blessing of the Creation shal rise up and spread and fil the earth and all creatures shall rejoyce under his shadow Therefore you Tribes of Israel that are now in sackcloth every man with his hands upon his loins like a woman in travel stand stil and see the salvation of David your King this is called the time of Iacobs trouble for indeed the Spirit that is in you is oppressed under the burden of cursed flesh But he shall be delivered the time of his resurrection is come and his rising shal be your glory his light shal desperse your darknesse and cover the earth with the knowledge of himself for the blessing shal be every where Iacobs troubles formerly was two-fold First His kindred and friends endeavoured to hinder him of his temporal lively-hood and to make the earth to become a burden to him by changing his cattell and taking those earthly blessings from him which the Lord had given him Secondly when Iacob had a liberty to take wives children and cattell and to goe live free of himself his kindred runs after him and tels him he had stolen away their gods and for that begins a fresh to trouble him And the same troubles are the portion of those in whom Iacobs spirit rests For First Their kindred and neighbours endeavours to make them poor in the world and to oppresse them with the burden of poverty and straits Secondly Now the Father is drawing Iacob out of Babylon and makes his children to forsake the forms and customs of the National worship to worship the Father in Spirit and Truth Now kindred and neighbours in the flesh cries our O these men steals away our gods and by reproaches imprisonments or wrong dealing seeks to oppresse and suppresse them Wel this is but stil the time of Iacobs troubles but he shall be delivered out Wel let the lordly flesh scoffe and laugh and cry O when shal this be and say with the Lord of Samaria it is impossible for it is madnesse thus to speak wel such may live to see it but shal not enjoyne the blessing for when Iacob arises that is now very low and be must rise then Esau shal be his servant The elder shall serve the younger and thy portion shal be wraped up in Jacobs lap for all is his For now he Father is raissing up a people to himself out of the dust and of the stones that is poor despised people that are trod upon like dust and stones shal be now raised up and be made the blessing of the earth and the high mountaines shall be laid low the lofty looks of men shal be pulled down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in this day of his power CHAP. VIII AS I was in a trance not long since divers matters were present to my sight which here must not be related Likewise I heard these words Worke together Eat bread together declare this all abroad Likewise I heard these words Whosoever it is that labours in the earth for any person or persons that lifts up themselves as Lords Rulers over others and that doth not look upon themselves equal to others in the Creation The hand of the Lord shall be upon that labouror I the Lord have spoke it and I will do it Declare this all abroad After I was raised up I was made to remember very fresh what I had seen and heard did declare al things to them that were with me and I was filled with abundance of quiet
in man And the powers of the flesh which is the Serpent or curse shall be subdued under him and man-kind shall be made onely subject to this one Spirit which shall dwell bodily in every one as he dwelt bodily in the man Christ Jesus who was the Son of man Now as Moses declared That the Lamb Jesus Christ should be that great Prophet to whom every one should give ear delivered it in general termes leaving the particular discoveries of his new doctrine to the Lamb himself when he came and so did not go about to imagine matters that was above his circle and we see the Doctrine of Jesus Christ when he came far exceeded the Doctrine of Moses the one being the substance of the other and so moâ—â— spiritual makings forth then the other Even so the man Christ Jesus the great Prophet declared in general termes what should be in later times leaving it to every son and daughter to declare their particular experiences when the Spirit doth rise up in them and manifests himself to them For they that believe saith he out of their bellies shall flow rivers or plentifull discoveries of the water of life Therefore as Moses gave way to Christ for when Christ appeared in flesh Moses administration began to be silent and drew back and set Jesus Christ in the chair to be the great Prophet that should be the teacher in types after him And the ministration of these discoveries were to raign in the world their appointed times Even so the Lamb Christ Jesus or that single body gives way to the holy Ghost or spreading Spirit If I go not away the Comforter cannot come to you for he that dwels bodily in me is to spread himself in you that as the Father in me and I in him are one even so I in you and you in me may become one witâ— the Father And the testimony of the Apostles declares as much Though we have known Christ after the flesh in one single body yet now henceforth know we him no more so but we look after that mystery which hath been kept secret from ages and generations past which is Christ in you the hope of glory And therefore I must tell you that yet live in dipping in water and observation of Gospel-forms and types you live yet under the ministration of Jesus Christ after the flesh declaring the Lamb Christ to remain as yet in one single person But know you that as the ministration of Moses gave way to this so this ministration is to give way to the inward teachings of Christ and the spreading of the Spirit in sons and daughters which will more excellently declare the glory of the mystery The man Christ Jesus himself told the woman of Samaria Woman the time is coming that neither in Jerusalem nor in this mountain shall men worship the Father but they that worship him shall worship him in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeks such to worship him By these words The Son of man declares that both outward forms customs and types of Moses worship under that ministration at Jerusalem likewise all forms and customs and types of this ministration of himself as the Lamb held forth at a distance to be our Mediatour should all cease and give way to the spirituall worship of the Father in the latter dayes or to the spreading of the Divine power in men the one Law of Righteousnesse being the teacher of all So that upon the rising up of Christ in sons and daughters which is his second comming the ministration of Christ in one single person is to be silent and draw back and set the spreading power of Righteousnesse and wisdom in the chair of whose Kingdom there shall be no end So as all things were gone out from the Spirit and were gone astray and corrupted The Spirit in this great mystery of truth being manifested in flesh burns up that drosse out of the Creation and draws in all things back again into himself and declares himself to be the alone wisdom and power of Righteousnesse that rules dwels that governs and preserves both in and over the whole Creation And now the Son delivers up the Kingdom unto the Father And he that is the spreading power not one single person become all in all in every person that is the one King of Righteousnesse in every one Here we may see what the dividing of time is which is the last period in which the Beast is to reignâ— for now every ministration pleads his priviledge till the Law of Righteousnesse drown up all in himself Moses yet pleads a priviledge in the practice of the Jews after the flesh The Son of man or Christ in one single person pleâ—ds a priviledge and not onely the true ministration of the Son of man according to the Apostles declaration But likewise many false forms customs and observations of Divine worship are raised up through a wrong understanding of those Scriptures all plead a priviledge And lastly the ministration of the Spirit forsaking all types and â—ormes worshipping the Father in the substance of truth This now pleads his priviledge as his due right by course So that you see here is the dividing of time But this last ministration is the sufferer for the present as being denied his right by the former that ought to give way And as the worshippers in Moses ministration envied and killed such as worshipped the Son of man the Lamb So now those that worship Christ at a distance in their severall Congregations and forms and are most zealous therein are in these dayes the most bitterest enemies to the ministration of Christ in Spirit and in truth But when this ministration of the Spirit spreads himself he will make the greatest separation that ever was For though Israels separation out of Egypt amazed the world and the separation of gathered Congregations out of Parish Churches so called did trouble the earth though it is no more but going out of one form into another not into the unitie of the one Spirit Yet this ministration of the Spirit now rising up by right of inheritance will take peace from the world much more for he hath begun and he will and shall go on to gather the scattered of Isreal together out of all Aegytian bondages and self-seeking oppressing government and out of all forms and customes of the Beast to worship the Father in spirit and truth being made to be all of one heart and one minde And this shall more and more appear as the earth grows up to be a common treasury for all Therefore let me tell you That all your enmity will not uphold your â—orms your imprisoning and reviving and making law to suppresse such as â—â—e contrary to you will never work your will but pull miseries and shame upon your selves as the zealous Scribes and Pharisees did in killing of Christ the Sonne of
and tyrant-ruling flesh seek to imprison you and kill you so they dealt with him and it is still the righteous man in you that is opposed If you be made to joy in the Father the Spirit of truth it is he within you that rejoyces in himself if you feel a waiting meek spirit in you it is still Christ in you who is meek and lowly If you feel the power of love dwell within you leading you to love enimies and to do as you would be done unto it is Christ in you who is the law of love and Righteousnesse And in every condition you are in this law of the Spirit meets with the powers of your own flesh fâ—etting and fighting against him For envy frowardnesse self-love covetousnesse are the power of darknesse in you that fights against the Spirit that sweetly seeks the preservation and peace of all But that opposing power in you is the devil serpent and power of darknesse which Christ the power of light rising up in you will destroy and so mortality shall be swallowed up of life And Christ will not sit down in peace rejoycing in you till he hath subdued all these inward and outward enemies under his feet and himself become the alone King of Righteousnesse in you for he is that mighty King that shall be established upon the holy hill of Sion that is He shall be only King unto whom every man woman shal be made a subject This King shall raigne for ever and ever And this is he you would call God but indeed the power of darknesse is the god that rules in most men and women both professours and others and they will subject to this their god of darknesse till the power of light Christ take him away So that whatsoever estate a son or daughter is in it is still but Christ combating with his enemies in that estate drawing all into himself and destroying all oppsing powers that himself may remain to be the one alone Almighty power spread forth every where and so doing the will of the Father brusing the Sarpents head in you and that he himself who is the divine may grow up flourish remaine and bring â—orth aboundance of fruit in you when your created flesh is purged from bondage and made subject to him But if Christ and the Father be all one power and wisdome why do you make a distinction as if they were two I answer The Father is the universall power that hath spread himself in the whole globe The Sonne is the same power drawn into and appearing in one single person making that person subject to the one Spirit and to know him that dwels every where There is not a person or creature within the compasse of the globe but he is a sonne of the of the Father or the breakings forth of that power in one body now every small creature is the light of the Faâ—her though it be a dark one but man living in the light of the Father is called The wel-beloved Sonne because that one power of Rigteousnesse dwels bodily in him and the whole Creation is drawn up into that one centre man And now the Lord a lone is exalted in this day of his power for now the Serpent is cast out of heaven aâ—l powers of darknesse are subdued and the Spirit remaines conquerour in man yet in single man and so filling the living earth man-kinde in all his branches with himself the one Spirit This spreading power is the Fathers house in which there are many mansions or dwelling places every crerture lives herein for in and by him every one lives and moves and hath his being This is to speak truth as it is in Jesus This is Sion that is above where the Father dwels in his glory Sinai is the mountaine of flesh that is to be burned with fire that is the Spirit of Righteousnesse is the fire that will burn-up all unrighteous powers in the flesh And to see this power of Righteousnesse spreading himself every where destroying death and preserving the Creation is to see him you would call God with open face and you can never see him plainly and nakedly till you come thus to see him therefore you Priests and zealous ptofessors learne hereafter ro know what power it is you call God for the word God signifies a Governour and it may as well be attributed to the devil as to the law of Righteousnesse for assure your selves if covetousnesse pride and bitter envy doe rule you as it is apparent this dark power rules most of you then the devil is that god you worship and you are strangers and enemies to the Spirit of Truth that dwels every where which you seem to call your God or Ruler CHAP. III. ANd this is no new Gospel but the old one It is the same report that the Pen-men of Scriptures gave for the everlasting Gospel God with us or God manifest in flesh The Father exalted above all and in all for the Prophets and Apostles declare these two things First the Spirit spreads himself abroad in sacrifices and types as in Moses time and then takes all into himself againe the Spirit manifest in one person as in the son of man For all the writings of old and new Testament are all centered in Christ and are swallowed up into him And this Christ is not only confined to the Lamb Jesus anointed but is the enlarging of the same anointing in the particular persons of sonnes and daughters in whom the same spirit of truth the comforter is to be manifest in after times And this power shall not only fill man-kinde and be all in all therein but all other creatures of all kinde according to their severall degrees shall be filled with this one spirit anointing As Pauls testimony reports that the whole Creation of all kindes of creatures in whom the curse is spread through mans unrighteousnesse doth all groan and travell waiting for the manifestation of the sonnes of God When man-kinde shall be restored and delivered from the curse and all spirited with this one power then other creatures shall be restored likewise and freed from their burdens as the Earth from thorns and briars and barrennesse the Air and winds from unseasonable storms and distempers the Cattle from bitternesse and rage one against another And the law of righteousnesse and love shall be seated in the whole Creatton from the lowest to the highest creature And this is the work of restoration So that all the glory and content that man takes in other creatures of the earth it is but a rejoycing in himself or that spirit that is within him being more and more filled with peace to see feel taste smell and hear the power of the whole Creation to have a sweet complyancy of love in him and with him For now all jarring rashnesse violent storms barrennesse of the earth corruption in fire and water enmity in cattles oppressing principles in one man over
another are all kept and swept away like locusts by this strong East winde the Lord himself at his coming And every creature in his kinde sings in Righteousnesse and man lives and rules in the strength of that Law by reason whereof all teares and are wiped away And when this glory is finished as it must be for it is begun to be made manifest for the poor they doe receive the Gospel and it is yet hid from the learned ones the teachers and the rulers of the world Then those writings are made good That all enemies are subdued under the â—eet of the anointing who is this spreading power of Righteousnesse and there is no opposite power remaining For the power that shall now appear is no other but the Lord himself dwelling every where And the whole Creation is his gaâ—den wherein he walks and delights himself And now the Kingdome is delivered up inâ—o the Fathers hand the one Spirit that fils all and is in all And the distinction of dominion in one single person over all shall cease and no distinction shall be owned but King of Righteousnesse dwelling in every one and in the whole body of the Creation all being sweetly and quietly subject to him and he sweetly and quietly ruling in them And this shall be that City Sion of which glorious things are spoken And now in this new heaven and new earth he himself who is the King of Righteousnesse doth dwel and rule and this is the excellency of the work when a man shall be made to see Christ in other creatures as well as in himself every one rejoycing each in other and all rejoycing in their King O ye hear say Preachers deceive not the poeple any longer by telling them that this glory shal not be known and seen til the body is laid in the dust I tel you this great mystery is begun to appear and it must be seen by the material eyes of the flesh And those five senses that is in man shall partake of this glory This is Christ rising up and drawing al things into himself This is the Spirits entrance into the Father which is heavenly glory which rises and shal rise higher and higer in Israel He that hath part in the first Resurrection the second death of the bodies laying down in the dust shal have no power to break their peace or hinder their glory but shall further the increase of it But now that power of unrighteousnesse that rules and fights in man kinde against this shall be destroyed subdued and shall never be reconciled to nor partake of this glory My â—eaning is this The power of pride and the power of humility shal never dwel quietly in one heart together The power of love tendernesse and righteousnesse and the power of envy hardnesse of heart and covetous unrighteousnesse shall never dwel quietly in one heart together Uncleannesse and chasticy shal not dwel in peace together The son of the bond-woman rebellious flesh shal not be heir with the son of the free-woman flesh made subject to the Law of Righteousnesse within himself There is no quiet peace in a man til the Kingdome of darknesse be conquered and the Serpent be cast out and so the heart made a fit temple or house for the Spirit to dwel bodily in A man is not counted a man from the bulk of his body of flesh but the power that dwels in that body of flesh is the man either the righteous man or the wicked And if the wicked power rule in the body of the flesh this is he that must be burned up subdued destroyed and never enter into rest This is Christs enemy But if the righteous power doe rule or being weak and so is kept under by the other dark power doth hunger and thirst after righteotsnesse that he might be King This power is to be redeemed from bondage and set at libety and sit down in rest and peace This is Christ rising out of the dust and hee shall wholly be raised up to live and dwel in the Father and the Father in him and all opposite powers of bondage that now afflicts shal be trod under his feet Therefore now yon zealous Preachers and Professors in al forms if you have eyes look within your selves and see what power rules within the bodies of your flesh If you finde that the inward power is envy rash anger covetousnesse self-honouring secret pride uncleannesse of flesh close dissimulation and the like know you that that power is your self your very self a devil the serpent the subtil and yet strong power of darknesse that would fain be counted an Angle of Light And though you be called by the name of such a man or such a woman yet you are but the father of lies and of the power of bondage that must be destroyed and perish And that humane flesh that you dwell in being part of the Creation shall be cleansed off you by the spirit of burning till it be freed from you that are the curse the bondage of it under whom it groans And when you are cast out who is the serpent it shall be a temple for the Father himself to dwell in a garden wherein he himself will take delight For it is thou O thou wicked power that is the curse I say The thorns and briars that troubles the Creation and thou must be rooted out and sorrow and everlasting weeping shall be thy poâ—tion for thou shalt never find the prince of peace Well I know you that would be Angels of light and are not will count this which I speak madnesse but you shall find these words true For all powers that are opposite to the power of Righteousnesse must and shall be dâ—stroyed and the Lord alone shall be exalted in this day of his power and this power of Righteousnesse shall be exalted in flesh as well as over flesh Who was it that put the Son of man to death Was it the humane flesh or the power of darkness that ruled in flesh Surely that power of darknesse in the flesh did it and that cursed power was the Scribes and Pharisees And so now that power of enmity that rules in those bodies of yours making your bodies of the flesh slaves to its lusts and will is still the Scribes and Pharisees or devil that fights against Christ and would not suffer him to rise up in flesh but cals his power blasphemy because he crosses you for if he rise flesh you must fall in flesh If he be King as he must be you must be his foot stool Well mind what power rules in you whether it be a particular confining selfish power which is the Devil the Scribes and Pharisees Or whether it be a universall spreading power that delights in the liberty of the whole Creation which is Christ in you The particular selfish power when it is either crossed or shamed it grows mad and bitter spirited and endeavours
either to kill that body it dwels in or some others that angers it But the Power of Christ the Law of Righteousnesse ruling within is not moved to any such rashnesse it is patient meek and loving and doth act righteously both to his own body and to others though they be his enemies CHAP. IV. ANd truly here lies the chiefest knowledge of a man to know these two powers which strives for government in him and to see and know them distinctly one from the other that he may be able to say This is the name and power of the flesh and this is the name and power of the Lord For these two powers are the two Adams in man-kind they are Iacob and Esau striving who shall rule in the Kingdom the flesh first Or these are the Son of the bond-woman viz. The powers of the flesh which is the serpent Devil or power of darknesse Or the Son of the free woman which is Christ the wisdom and power of Righteousnesse ruling in flesh and making it free from the others bondage And here I shall declare what I know the first Adam or son of bondage is And secondly What the second Adam or son of the free-woman is both which Powers I have seen and felt manifested in this body of my flesh First I shall shew how the first Adam in his time of rule hath suppressed and kept under the second man the anointing And then secondly how this second man in the time appointed of his rising doth kill and crucifie the first Adam daily with all his lusts and freeth me from that slavery The first Adam kils and crucifies Christ in me when I consent and make provision to satisfie my pride over humility covetousnesse over contentednesse envy over love lust before chasticy esteeming the power of an humble loving and righteous spirit towards the poorest creatute but a low and contemptible thing or the like Now Christ is crucified in me he rules not he acts not in a lively power but the first man of the flesh he governs the Kingdom my body in unrighteousnesse And Christ lies buried in this earthly tabernacle under those cursed powers in my enslaved body But then secondly When the fulnesse of time comes that it is the Fathers will that Christ the spirit of truth shal arise above the power of unrighteousnesse in me that is humility arises above pride love above envy a meek and quiet spirit above hasty rash anger chastity above unclean lusts and light above darknesse Now the second Adam Christ hath taken the Kingdom my body and rules in it He makes it a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwels Righteousnesse I shall explain these two Adams a little more First then The first Adam or man of the flesh branches himself forth into divers particulars to fetch peace into himself from objects without himself As for example covetousnesse is a branch of the flesh or first man that seeks after creature enjoyment or riches to have peace from them Pride looks abroad for honour Envy seeks the revenge of such as crosses his fleshy ends by reproch oppression or murder Unclean lusts seeks to embrace strange flesh Imagination flies abroad to devise wayes to satisfie the flesh in these desires Hypocrisie turns himself into divers shapes ye sometimes into an Angel of light a zealous Professour to compasse these ends And self-love which is ignorant of the universal power lies couching in the bottom sending those six several powers of darknesse abroad to fetch in peace to delight self that lies at home in the fleshy heart And all these powers make up but one perfect body of sin and death one Devil or one compleat power of darknesse or that whorish power called the Beast with seven heads And it is called the Beast because all those seven discoveries are of the flesh and flesh is no other but a beast and the wise flesh of man is said to be the beast the King of beasts that was to raign fourty two moâ—ths or for a time times and dividing of time and then he should be destroyed by the man of Righteousnesse Christ And truly upon every head there is ten horns that is there are many branchings forth of powers from every head to satisfie self which are Kings indeed And they are called ten horns every head encountering against the five senses of the left hand man and against the five senses of the right hand man of righteousnesse and so fights against every particular spreading forth of Christ So that these Kings are not to be restrained to the Kings of the Nations though that is true such powers are enemies to Christ and they must yield up their Kingdoms unto him and those that are angry against Christ are to be destroyed But these ten horns are Kingly powers of the flesh that rules within every man leading him captive under the body of the power of darknesse for there is not the branching forth of evil in any kind to delight self but it springs forth from one or other of those seven heads all joyning to honour and advance the Beast The man of Righteousnesse Christ he is the second Adam and he spreads himself as far as the other to undermine him and to take the Kingdom that is the created flesh or the living earth man-kind out of that Devils hand For Christ is the spreading power of Righteousnesse and therefore he is called The anointing which was poured upon that humane body called by the name Iesus the Son of man and dwelt bodily there for a time but afterward was to spread in sons and daughters many bodies As the oyl upon Aarons head ranne down to the skirts of his garments if any one find rest and peace in this precious Alabaster which is the wisdome and power of the spirit he finds it not by looking upon him at a distance from him but by seeing and feeling that power ruling within the body of his flesh As thus contentednesse in all straits or poverty to live upon providence is this second Adam in thee killing thy discontented covetousnesse Humility and meeknesse is the same anointing which kils pride and loftines Love to enemies yea the law of love flowing forth to every creature is Christ in you which kils envy and rash anger Chastitie in the flesh kils uncleannesse wisdom that is pure and plain down right kils a subtil over-reaching Imagination Sincerity and singlenesse of heart the same anointing kils hypocrisie and love to others doing as a man would be done unto and so respecting the publick preservation of all creatures doth kill self-love And all these seven branchings forth of the pure spirit makes but one body Christ or one Almighty power or Mercie and Justice the holy breathing or Emanuel God in us And every one of these seven eyes or seven attributes of the Divine branches themselves forth into several horns of power to destroy the man of the flesh and to
libertie When slaverie began to creep in upon the Creation the Spirit might wel cry out in Lamentation Ah-dam A-dam which draws together a head of corrupted waters of covetous proud and imaginary flesh to stop the streams of the waters of life and libertie But saith the Spirit our Maker The seed from whence the Creation sprang shall bruise that Serpents head and open the dam againe and cause the waters of the Spirit which is Life and Libertie to run free againe without any stoppage This A-dam stops up the waters or Life and Libertie in a two-fold way Firâ—â— he ties up the Creation man in chains of darknesse within it self For there is not a man and womon â—ound since Adam's rise but the man Christ Jesus in whom the seed ruled in power but they were bound up in bondage to coveteousnesse pride imagination and to all the powers of the flesh So that the free running streams of the Spirit of life were stopped that they could not run which hath made every one cry O wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from this body of sin or death Here you see that knowledge libertie and comfort hath been stopped or dammed up within the Câ—eation maâ— Secondly this A-dam being the power of coveâ—ous proud flesh he sets up one part of the Creation man to rule over another and makes Laws to kil and hang thal part of the Creation that wil not submit to the ruling part And so he is become a God ruling in the spirits own house not preserving the Creation but does set the Creation together by the ears to kâ—l it self to the mighty dishonour of our Maker Therefore when the people would have Saul to rule them the Spirit declared that that outward ruling power was the curse and he set him up in his wrath to be a scourge not a blessing Now whereas the Creation man should live in equalitie one towards another this A-dam hath lifted up mountaines and hils of oppressing powers and there by that dammed and stopped up that universal communitie Therefore at the first rising up of this serpentine power to enslave the Creation he might wel be declared by way of Lamenattion A-dam Adam Covetousnesse or self-love is the dam the letter A before declares that he is a preparer to miserie and is delivered by way of Lamentation Ah or A-dam Dovetousnesse or self-love is the man of sin that appears first The imagination arising from that couetous power is the woman or Eve which like the Ivie clings about the tree and so covetousnesse and imagination does beget between them a supposed joy pleasure and delight but it proves a lie These two Covetousnesse and Imagination the man and the woman of sin or A-dam and his Eve or Ivie does beget fruit or children like both Father and Mother as pride and envy hypocrisie crueltie and all unclean lusts pleasing the flesh And now the dam-head is made up strong to stop the streams of waters of life and universal libertie But in the fulnesse of time the Spirit wil break down this dam-head againe and cause the waters of the Spirit of life to flow again plentifully And herein you may see how the publique Preachers have cheated the whole world by telling us of a single man called Adam that kiled us al by eating a single fruit called an Apple Alas this Adam is the dam that hath stopped up the freedome of the Spirit within and without so that while he rules a man can have no community with the spirit within himself nor community of love with fellow creatures he does so puff them up with covetousnesse and pride and desire of Lordly rule one over another Do but look into every mean and woman and into al the actions of the world and tel me whether that first Adam be one single man as the publique Preachers tel you or is not more truly that covetous proud and imginary power in flesh that hath dammed and stopped up the way of the spirit of life and universal libertie and so he is that Father of lies and Satan that holds the Creation under bondage til the Son which is the light in the Creation shine forth and sets us at libertie And if the Son set you free you are free indeed This Son is the second Adam which is A-dam indeed that stops the streams of bondage from runing and sets the Creation at libertie again CHAP. IX WHat I have spoken I have not received from books nor study but freely I have received and freely I have declared what I have received And the Declarations of the Lord through his servant shal not be in vain The beholding and feeling of the Law of righteousnesse within me fils my whole soul with precious peace the favour of the sweet ointment and I know as this power of love spreads in al mens hearts as it wil spread for Jacob must rise Then there shall be no begger no tears no complaining no oppression but the blessing of the Lord shal fil the earth Then our swords shall be beaten into plow irons add our spears into pruning hooks and then shall the Lord be known to be the salvation of Israel and the restoration of the whole Creation Iâ— any man be offended here let him know I have obeyed my Maker herein and I have peace in him When the Man Jesus Christ was one earth there was a sweet communitie of love between all the members of that humane body For the spirit that was within made every member a servant to the other and so preserved the whole body in peace one member did not raign over another in tyraâ—nie Even so when the humane body was laid in the earth the Spirit which indeed is Christ came again the second time upon the Apostles and Brethren while they were waiting for that promise at Jerusalem And as Christ then began to spread himself in sons and daughters which are members of his mystical body they did not rule in slavery one over another neither did the rich suffer the poor to beg and starve and imprison them as now they do But the rich sold their possessions and gave equality to the poor and no man said that any thing that he possessed was his own for they had all things common But this community was a vexation to Esau the covetous proud flesh and he strove to suppresse this commnuity And the Lord he gives this Beast a toleration to rule 42 months or a time times and dividing of time and in that time to kil the two Witnesses that is Christ in one body and Christ in many bodies or Christ in his first and second comming in flesh which is Justice and Jugement ruling in man I but now the 42 months are expiring we are under the half day of the Beast or the dividing of time and Christ or the two Witnesses are arising and spreading himself again in the earth And when he hath spread
and more righteous acting The voice of mourning shall be heard no more the birds shall sing merrily on every bough O rejoyce rejoyce for the time that the Lord God omnipotent wil raign in al the earth is beginning and he wil be servant to the Dragon Beast and man of the flesh no longer but wil tread down that murdering power and make him his footstool This is the work of the Lord that wil stop the the mouths of all hearsay and imaginary Preachers All mouths shall be silent and not dare to speak till the power of the Lord within give words to the mouth to utter And when men that are ful of wast words are made to see they speak they know not what when they shal see they speak other mens words like Parots not their own and sometimes they speak words from their imagination which may be false as wel as true for ought they know for they have had neither voice vision nor revelation to warrant their words when they see this Then they shal be ashamed and confounded in themselves For now lip service is to be judged to death and every one shal be fetched in to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth or else they shal perish for mens words shal grow fewer and fewer their actions of Righteousness one to another more and more and there shal no love be esteemed of but what is manifest in righteous actions And this shal be the ruler that every one shal observe to walk righteously in the Creation towards all Creatures according to the Law of equity and Reason and this Law shal be writ in every ones heart and he that hath this law in his heart is marked for a son or daughter they that have it not are marked for enemies and rebels to the Father And such a one is a Cain The Kingdoms of the whole world must become the Kingdoms of the Lord Christ and this the Nations are angry at Therefore count it no strang thing to see wars and rumours of wars to see men that are put in trust to act for publike good to prove fals to see commotions of people every where like flouds of water stirred up raedy to devour and overflow one another To see Kings storm against the people To see rich men and gentry most violent against the poor oppressing the and treading them like mire in the street Why is all this anger But because the man of the flesh is to die his day of judgment is come he must give up the Kingdom and Government of the earth man-kind into the hand of his neighbour that is more righteous then he For Jacob now must have the blessing he is blessed yea and shal be blessed and Esau shal become his servant The poor shal inherit the earth CHAP. X. ANd here now is made plain That the first shall be last and the last first The powers of the flesh or Adam in me he appeared first and trampled the man-child the power of righteousnesse and peace under foot I but when the man-child begins to rise up to rule the other fals and becomes the tail the last nay must be destroyed Two Kings that claimes interest in one Kingdom can never live quietly together Light and darknesse will be fighting till the one be conquered And surely the man of Righteousnesse or that last man that appears shal be the first that shal be honoured and become the preserving and restoring power the great Law-giver that shall rule in the new heaven and in the new earth in righteousnesse Of further The first that is the worshipping of God in types ceremonies formes and customs in set times and places which are the invention of the first man which doth slight and loath the way of inward Righteousnesse for they that live in established forms are filled with dislike and willingly would â—either buy nor sell with those whom the Lord hath drawn up to live in him they cannot indure the way of the Spirit let them say and professe what they wil for he that is strict in a formal customarily way of worship knows not what it is to worship in spirit and truth or to walk righteously in the Creation but is bitter spirited and merely selfish And this power appears first in a man and makes people very zealous professours of God and Christ in preaching praying and hearing But without knowledge what God and Christ is and they know not what they do nor the end wherefore they do so And their teachers in the same forms are blind guides and poor hearts both shall fall into the ditch and be mired in their own inventions most pittifully And when you come to see your selves stick in confusion and disorder and knowing that your teachers have deceived you Then you will remember these words That the first must be last Moses though he was a good man yet he was not to enter into the laâ—d of Canaan which types out this to me That the first man of the flesh shall never enter into the Fathers rest Then likewise you shall see that your zeal was but zeal without knowledge and that heat in you did but carry you along to advance self not to advance the Lord And that covetousness was the Lord chief Ruler in you which being crossed grew impatient and that impatiency you called it The zeal of the Lord when experience teacheth you silence you will not be offended at these words but ashamed of your self And here likewise you may see what it is to make a Sermon for a Sermon is a speech made from the man-seer which is Chaist within for this anointing sees the Father in every thing And therefore Christ in that one body The Lamb was called a great Prophet or Seer Now that man or woman that sees the Spirit within themselves how he enlightens how he kils the motions of the flesh and makes the flesh subject to Righteousnesse and so can see light in his light this man or woman is able to make a Sermon because they can speak by experience of the light and power of Christ within them who is indeed the man Seer But now he that speaks from imagination or from tradition and not from experience of what he sees cannot make a Sermon as the publike Preachers generally do and so he is a deceiver or false Christ and false Prophet that runs before he be sent put forward by secret pride and covetousnes to get a temporal living Therfore let none speak so discontentedly against Adam the first man by Creation that they say lived on earth about 6000 years ago as though he brought in the misery upon all for the Scriptures seem to declare that there were men in the world before that time For when Cain had killed his brother Abel which in one verse Moses seems to say was the third man in the world yet in a few verses following writing of Cains punishment declares Cains own
to life And hence it is that many a poor despised man and woman that are counted blasphemers by the understanding Pharisees of our age as the learned Pharisees of old called Christ and people are afraid to buy and sell them but casts out their names for evil yet these have more sweet peace more true experience of the Father and walks more righteously in the Creation in spirit and truth then those that cal themselves teachers and zealous Professours And why Because these single hearted ones are made to look into themselves wherein they can read the work of the whole Creation and see that History seated within themselves they can see the mystery of Righteousnesse and are acquainted every one according to his measure with that spirit of truth that is to be the blessing of the whole earth and that enlightens al that come into the world these are the dust and stones so the earth that are trod under foot But out of this Sion whom no man regards shal the Deliverer come But now those that are called Preachers and great professours that runs a hearing seeks for knowledge abroad in Sermons in books and Uuniversities and buyes it for money as Simon Magus would have done and than delivers it out again for money for a 100 l. or 200 l. a year And those men that speak from an inward testimony of what they have seen and heard from the Lord are celled by these buyers and sellers Locusts â—actions blasphemers and what not as the language of Pulpits runs but the Lord wil whip such traders out of his Temple And truly the whole world wanders after the Beast and though the people many of them doe see that their Prheachers are blinde guides bitter spirited proud and covetous yet they are ashamed and afraid to disown them O great bondage under the devils And hence it is that they think they are wise and learned and the only men sent of God to preach the Gospel til the power of Righteousnesse come and declare before all the world that they are enemies to the Gospel and knows him not for the anointing is the glad tidings which are manifest within the heart not a distance from men And so Christ takes these wise and learned in their own crafty covetousnes and pride and declares them to be very silly men the most ignorant of all blinde guides painted sepulchers Prophets that run before they be sent and the great fooles of the world and troublers of Israel and the Scribes and Pharisees that stand up to hinder Christ from rising or to cast reproachfull dirt upon him where he rises as much as they can to keep him down and hold him under as a servant still and this they will doe till they be swept away amongst the refuge of lies as part of that treasure for that must be your portion Nay let me tel you That the poorest man that sees his maker and lives in the light though he could never read a letter in the book dares throw the glove to al the humane learning in the world and declare the deceit of it how it doth bewitch delude man-kinde in spiritual things yet it is that great Dragon that hath deceived all the world for it draws men from knowing the Spirit to own bare letters words and histories for spirit The light and life of Christ within the heart discovers all darknesse and delivers mankind from bondage And besides him there is no Saviour CHAP. XI WEll in the next place I must declare to you that all that which you call the history and have doted upon it and made it your idol is all to be seen and felt witin you before you cast oft true peace Adam and Christ you have heard are both to be seen within the heart Cain and Abel is to be seen within Abraham a power that prefers the honour of Righteousnesse before a beloved Isaac is to be seen within Meek spirited Moses that rules your bodies by an outward Law of Righteousnesse is to be seen within you killing of Sacrifices and offering them up is to be seen within you Israel or one that is a wrestler is to be seen within you And this is Christ the elect one that fights against your lusts The Canaanites Amalekites Philistines and all those armies of the Nations even troops of untighteous powers one following another are to be seen within you making war with Israel Christ within you The Land of Canaan the habitation of rest is to be seen within you travelling and drudging in the wildernesse and then comming to rest upon the seventh day is to be seen within you Judas a treacherous self-loving and covetous spirit The Commanders of the Jews the chief powers that are within the flesh first condemning then killing then buying Christ is to be seen within you Christ lieing in the grave like a corn of wheat buried under the clods of the earth for a time and Christ rising up from the powers of your flesh above that corruption and above those clouds treading the curse under his feet is to be seen within The stone that lies at the mouth of the sepulcher your unbelief the removing of that stone setting you at libertie is to be seen withing you Heaven and hell light and darknesse sorrow and comforts is all to be seen within the power of darknesse and the power of light and life is to be seen within you Good Angels which are divine discoveries or sparks of that glory And bad Angels which are the powers of the flesh let loose out of the bottomlesse pitâ—selfishnesse and so working its own miserie are to be seen within For man-kind is that Creation in which the great Creatour of all things wil declare and manifest himself Therefore it was said That God was in Christ That one anointed humane body reconciling or drawing all things into himself and so making peace For while al things are out of that one power of Righteousnesse jarring and flashing against him there is no peace in the Creation but sorrow tears and vexation but when all things are made to lie down quiet in him and acknowledge him in all and are subject to him the alone King of Righteousnesse now there is rest and peace every where Therefore if you look for heaven or for manifestation the Fathers love in you in any place but within your selves you are deceived for what glory soever you shal be capable of to see with your eyes or hear with your ears it is but the breakings forth of that glorious power that is seated within for the glory of the Father is not without him but it is all within himself or rises up from within is manifested abroad The Kings daughter is all glorious within All that glory which declares heaven is seen within that spirit that rules within the Creation man-kind And further if you look for any other hell or sorrows in any other place then what shall be made manifest within
is the spreadinq power of righteousnesse which is Christ that filleth the whole Creation with himself And he is called a tree or a vine because he doth not lie in one single person but spreads himself in mankind and every single body in whom he breaths is but a bough or bud of the vine So that look upon all together in whom Christ is spread and they make up but one vine knit together by that one spirit into one body whether they be poor or rich learned or unlearned and therefore those rich men that despise the poor and those learned University men that despise the unlearned are pricks of the thorn-bush not branches of the vine they be the curse that is now near to burning And every single one alone in whom Christ breaths is but a parcel of the vine in whom the divine power dwels and rests Even as every branch of an Apple-tree is filled with the sap which is the life of the whole tree Christ is said to be the divine because he grows and flourishes in the time of light he is the Sonne himself he is a vine or tree that grows by day in the heat of light and so brings forth abundance of fruit to the glory of the Father Trees that grow in the heat of the Sun bring sorth pleasant fruit So those that are branches of this vine that grows in the heat and life of one spirit the King of Righteousnesse bring forth abundance of the fruit of Righteousnesse according to the nature of the vine they grow from Therefore the Saints are called Children of the day not of the night for they speak what they know in experience and what they have received feelingly from the Lord and their actions and words are not at random for they act Righteousness within the Creation from the law of Reason and Righteousnesse which they feel seated within Every one that doth act or speak from the light and power of the day-vine within himself can give an account of his words and actions But this is the glory that Adam the man of the flesh hides himself from This is the Law of Righteousnesse which fleshly Israel could not behold This is the new Covenant which our Clergie is unacquainted with Now opposite to this Divine which is Christ there is a night-vine which is the power of selfishnesse or the bottom esse pit spread abroad in mankind And every man and woman that is guided by this selfish power of darknesse are but branches of the night-vine And this nigt-vine which I called Lord Esau or fleshly man hath filled the whole earth with darknesse under pretence of his learning and fleshly Government so that he is a spread tree But he is called by the Spirit the Thorn-bush The fruit that he brings forth is sour and bitter and good for nothing but the dunghill for trees that grow alwayes in the shade or place of darknesse where the heat and light of the Sun doth not cooperate brings forth unpleasant fruit Now this night-vine but rather Thorn-bush is the branching forth of the wisdom and power of selfish flesh every bud from it is a sharp prickle treacherous covetous Judas is one branch from that root and he hath risen up to a mighty great tree for every treacherous and covetous heart is but the buddings forth of Judas So envious Scribes Pharisees are other branches from the same root these have risen up into mighty spreading trees for every one that is zealous without knowledge making a profession of the spirit of righteousnesse yet grudging and â—aring the way of the spirit are but the buddings forth of the Scribes Pharisees that killed Christ after the flesh and now is spread in every Land and Family to hinder Christ from rising or else to suppresse and kill him againe if they could after he is risen up in sons and daughters So covetous Demas proud Simon Mugus froward Nabal unrighteous Elimas and such like are all the buddings forth of the thorn-bush and have covered the earth with their branches to keep it in darknesse and to hide the Sun of Righteousnesse from it And all these are centred in the Clergy the Universities are the standing ponds of stinking waters that make those trees grow the curse of ignorance confusion and bondage spreads from hence all the Nations over The paying of tythes the greatest sin of oppression is upheld by them pride covetousnesse idlenesse bitternesse of spirit despising and treading all under-foot in whom the spirit of the Lamb appears is upheld by them these are the standing enemies against Christ Their Churches are the successours of the Jews Synagogues and are houses of bondage their Universiâ—ies are successours of the Scribes and Pharisees houses of learning And though they persecuted Christ and the Apostles and would own none of their Doctrines yet when they found that Christs Doctrines began to fill the earth and to make the way of the Law odious and their trade began to fail Then did those houses of learning begin to take in and own the writings of the Apostles and to own that doctrine prevailing with the Magistracy through the deceit of their subtilety to establish tythes in their hands still for their maintainance though Christs doctrine threw down that oppression And then from legall Sacrificers they became hearsay-Preachers of the Gospel not from any testimony of light within themselves but from the writings of the Apostles which they professe great love to and keep charily for their tythes sake and by the one they deceive the souls of people for they preach the letter for the Spirit and by the other they pick their purses And this is very manifest by their carriage for though those writings which they live by were not writings that proceeded from any Schollars according to humane art but from Fishermen Shepherds Husband men and the Carpenters son who spake and writ as the Spirit gave them utterance from an inward testimony Yet now these learned schollars have got the writings of these inferior men of the world so called do now slight despise and trample them under feet pressing upon the powers of the earth to make laws to hold them under bondage and that lay-people trades-men and such as are not bred in schools may have no liberty to speak or write of the Spirit And why so Because out of these despised ones doth the spirit rise up more and more to clearer light making them to speak from experience and every fresh discovery of the Father shines more glorious then the old till at last the creature is made to see the Father face to face in his own light But now the learned schollars having no inward testimony of their own to uphold their trade by a customary practice they hold fast the old letter getting their living by telling the people the meanings of those trades-mens words and writings but alas they mightily corrupt their meaning by their multitude of
here add to the rest which I only hold â—orth to my fellow creature man not customarily to make a trade of it for fleshly ends but occasionally as the Light is pleased to manifest himself in me that others from me and I from them may be witnesses each to other of our Maker how he shines forth in his own light through each other to the profit of the Creation In the beginning of time the whole Creation lived in man and man lived in his Maker the spirit of Righteousnesse and peace for every creature walked evenly with man and delighted in man and was ruled by him there was no opposition between him and the beast sowls fishes or any creature in the earth so that it is truely said The whole Creation was in man one within and walked even with him for no creature appeared to be a visible enemy to him for every creature gave forth it self either for pleasure or profit of man who was Lord of all And man lived in his Maker the Spirit and delighted in no other there was an evennes between man and all creatures and an evennesse between man and his Maker the Lord the Spirit But when man began to â—all out of his Maker and to leave his joy and rest which he had in the spirit of Righteousnesse and sought content from creatures and outward objects then he lost his dominion and the creature fell out of him and became enemies and apposers of him and then rise up mountaines and valleys and hils and all unevennesse both in mans heart and in mans actions And as the man is become selfish so are all the beasts and creatures become selfish and man and beast act like each other by pushing with their horns of power and devouring one another to preserve self And truly as man might see all creatures lived at rest in him in the beginning so he may see all creatures in him now but in a rest-lesse condition groaning under bondage waiting for a restauration The covetousnesse the subtilty the cruelty the pride the envy the devouring power that is in the flesh of man are the very distempers that are in such and such beasts and fowls So that while man is ruled by such powers and declares no other actions but what is in the beast he indeed goes in the shape of a man but properly he is a beast of such and such a ravenous principle And this now is the Curse Man is gone out of his Maker to live upon objects and the creatures are gone out of man to seek delight in pushing and devouring one another and the whole Creation of fire and water earth and air and all bodies made of these are put out of order through mans rejecting the Spirit to live upon objects But now the time is come that the Spirit will draw all things into man againe to live and be at rest in him as their Governour as their Lord and man and the Creation shall become even againe and so man returning to his Maker to rest in peace in none but him The whole Creation shall be governed preserved comforted by the one spirit the King of Righteousnesse and all bondage curse and tears shall be done away And this is that I wait for being assured it shall be accomplished having received a taste But as the state of the world is in the generality I am made to see That in times past and times present the branches of man-kind have acted like the beast or swine And though they have called one another men and women yet they have been but the shadows of men and women As the Moone is the shadow of the Sun in regard they have been led by the powers of the curse in flesh which is the Feminine part not by the power of the righteous Spirit which is Christ the Masculine power But when they come to see the spirituall Light that is in every ceature and in that power and light do walk righteously towards other creatures as well beasts as man-kinde that the creation as much as in them lies one by one may be upheld and preserved in its glory then they begin to appear and act like men and rise up from the low earth of a beastly and swinish nature to acknowledge and honour their Maker in the light of himself Experience shews us That every beast doth act in oppression and cruelty towards such creatures as he can master at advantage And thus doth the flesh of man which is the King of beast For when the wisdome and power of the flesh raigns which in deed is Adam that man that appeared first to rule the earth man-kinde and by his unrighteousnesse makes it a land of barrennesse For this first Adam is such a selfish power that he seeks to compasse all the creatures of the earth into his own covetous hands to make himself a lord and all other his slaves And though he gets lands moneys honours government into his hands yet he gives the King of righteousnesse but a company of sawning words of love and obedience for he makes unrighteousnesse to dwell in heaven and earth that is in the whole Creation by his unrighteous government and so he becomes the chief Rebell the Serpent the Devil the Murderer oppressing the Creation setting himself above all in tyranny And this power is the curse which the whole Creation groans under waiting for a restoration by Christ the King and law of rigteousnesse who is the restorer of all things And here first I shall declare what Adam the first man is who to me appears to be the wisdome and power of the flesh carrying along the Creation man to live upon creature objects and to loath and despise the Spirit that made all and that dwels in all things according to the capacity of every single creature and all that Adam doth is to advance himself to be The one power he gets riches and goverment into his hands that he may lift up himself and suppresse the universall liberty which is Christ And if he preach or pray or performe any service relating to the Spirit it is for this end that he may get peace thereby and so seeks to honour flesh by procuring his own peace by his own wit and pollicy if that would doe So that this Adam appears first in every man and woman but he sits down in the chair of Magistracy in some above others for though this climbing power of self-love be in all yet it rises not to its height in all but every one that gets an authority into his hands tyrannizes over others as many husbands parents masters magistrates that lives after the flesh doe carry themselves like oppressing Lords over such as are under them not knowing that their wives children servants subjects are their fellow creatures and hath an equall priviledge to share with them in the blessing of liberty And this first Adam is to be seen and known in a
two-fold sense First He is the wisdome and power of the flesh in every man who indeed is the beast and he spreads himself within the Creation man into divers branches As into ignorance of the Creatour of all things into covetousnesse after objects into pride and envy lifting up himself above others and seeking revenge upon all that crosses his selfish honours and into hypocrisie subtilty lying imagination self-love from whence proceeds all unrighteous outward acting This is the first Adam lying ruling and dwelling within man-kinde And this is he within every man and woman which makes whole man-kinde being a prisoner to him to wonder after the beast which is no other but self or upon every thing whereupon self is sâ—amped Secondly The first Adam is the wisdome and power of flesh broke out and sate down in the chair of rule and dominion in one part of man-kind over another And this is the beginner of particular interest buying and selling the earth from one particular hand to another saying This is mine upholding this particular propriety by a law of government of his own making and thereby restraining other fellow creatures from seeking nourishment from their mother earth So that though a man was bred up in a Land yet he must not worke for himself where he would sit down But from Adam that is for such a one that had bought part of the Land or came to it by inheritance of his deceased parents and called it his own Land So that he that had no Land was to work for those for small wages that called the Land theirs and thereby some are lifted up into the chair of tyranny and others trod under the foot-stool of misery as if the earth were made for a few noâ— for all men For truly the common-people by their labours from the first rise of Adam this particular imterest upheld by the fleshes law to this day they have lifted up their Land-lords and others to rule in tyranny and oppression over them And let all men say what they will so long as such are Rulers as cals the Land theirs upholding this particular propriety of Mine and Thine the common-people shall never have their liberty nor the Land ever freed from troubles oppressions and complainings by reason whereof the Creatour of all things is continually provoked O thou proud selfish governing Adam in this Land called England Know that the cries of the poor whom thou laieth heavy oppressions upon is heaâ—d This is unrighteous Adam that dammed up the water springs of universall liberty and brought the Creation under the curse of bondage sorrow and tears But when the earth becomes a common treasury as it was in the beginning and the King of Righteousnesse comes to rule in every ones heart then he kils the first Adam for covetousnesse thereby is killed A man shall have meat and drinke and clothes by his labour in freedome and what can be desired more in earth Pride and envy likewise is killed thereby for every one shall look upon each other as equall in the Creation every man indeed being a parfect Creation of himself And so this second Adam Christ the restorer stops or dammes up the runnings of those stinking waters of self-interest and causes the waters of life and liberty to run plentifully in and through the Creation making the earth one store-house and every man and woman to live in the law of Righteousnesse and peace as members of one houshold And in the next place I shall declare the mystery of the Spirit in a two-fold way First he makes the Creation man-kinde to see loaâ—h and forsake this Adam this fleshly man This devil or power of darknesse that rules in the creatures and leads them into waies that brings misery pain and death which is hell a condition of uncomfortable darknesse of the curse Secondly He makes man-kinde to see to love and delight in the Spirit Reason which is the law of Righteousnesse that made them and sâ—tles them in peace when in the light and power thereof they are made to forsake the flesh with all his wayes of bondage for truly when the flesh is made subject to Reason that light that inlightens every thing then it hath peace and liberty and is freed from those heart-aking pressures and sorrows which the flesh puls upon himself by his violent rash unrighteous and unreasonable actings The Almighty hath declared three methods in discovering this mystery in the compasse of six dayes or 6000 years near hand expired in every one of which he draws man-kind higher and higher into himself out of the power of the Serpent or bondage And when he alone is advanced he draws all men after him which is the finishing up of the mystery The first Method is this He was pleased to call forth Moses to be his servant and in by and through him he reveals himself to lie under types shadows sacrifices that man-kind by them might be led to see his Maker And this was the Covenant of an outward testimony which Moses a man that was mixed with flesh and spirit was Mediatour of And this Secondly did point out the Apostolical testimony which was to be manifested in aftertimes and that was to acknowledge honour and bear witnesse of the Lamb Jesus Christ that was the substance of Moses For the Apostles declare themselves to be witnesses of Christ the great Prophet that Moses said should come after him to whom every man should hearken and then leave the teachings of shadows which they receive from him Therefore say they We eat and drank in his presence we heard him speak and saw his miracles and bear testimony to the world that the Rulers of the Jews slew him and that he was raised from the dead by the Almighty power And this single appearance of the man Christ Jesus for herein the righteous Law dwelt bodily was a more spirituall declaration then the former And this types out The third Method of Divine discovery which indeed doth finish the mystery and herein the Lord takes up all into himself even into the Spirit that governs the Creation for he is in all and acts through all And all power of righteousnesse that appears in any subject is still but the Lord in such or such a discovery for as the man Christ Jesus swallowed up Moses and so the Spirit dwelt bodily in that Lamb which was spread abroad in the types And man-kind is to behold the Law of Righteousnesse in none but in that his wel-beloved Son Even so that single body is a type That the same Spirit that filled every member of that one body should in these last dayes be sent into whole man-kind and every branch shall be a joint or member of the mysticall body or severall spreadings forth of the vine being all filled with the one Spirit Christ the anointing who fils all with himself and so he becomes the alone King of Righteousnesse and peace that rules
man Therefore be patient look up for teaching in this dividing of time when the Law of Righteousnesse arises up and makes himself more manifest he will reconcile all make every one to be of one heart and one minde and no other power must be the restorer but this King of Righteousnesse and Peace for this is he that makes men doe as they would be done unto And then envie and bitternes dies Now search the Scriptnres you that stand up to be Teachers that say I deny the Scriptures and let them judge me whether I deny them or no but one thing you shall finde to your shame that those Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles which you seeme to preserve with such love and zealous tendernesse shall cast the first stone at you to stone you out of your Pulpits for you doe not professe those Scriptures in love to them but in zealous covetousnesse to uphold your trade For now when Christ begins to arise up in sons and daughters whereby the Scriptures are honoured and proved true Prophecies Promises Visions and Revelations you deny their testimony and cry out Visions and Revelations are ceased and so you will ever have people to be hearing you speak the declaration because you live by it but if any receive the power from on high you cry out upon it It is self-conceit errour and blasphemy Well he is at worke that will discover your shame Wickednes shall slay the wicked though no mans hand be upon him CHAP. II. THere are three more discoveries of Christ to make the mystery of the Spirit shine in its excellency As Frst The great world wherein are variety of creatures as Sunne Moon Stars Earth Grasse Plants Cattle Fish Fowl and Man the Lord over the lower Creatures all sweetly conjoyned to preserve each other is no other but Christ spread forth in the Creation and so upholding the Creation by hiâ— own wisdome and power for he is the maker the preserver and restoring Spirit Therefore his name is called I and I am The Lord and besides me there is no Saviour But this is Christ very remote for though he rule in the whole Creation yet no single creature could discern oâ— spie him out he is in every one and yet that single one knew him not And therefore this one Almighty power began to make forth himself in visible descriptions before the creatureâ— causing every creature to hold forth the light and power that is in them that so the mighty Creatour may at length be known in the clear sighted experience of one single creature man by seeing hearing tasting smelling feeling This one power of Righteousnesse as he rests in the Creation that man may be the mouth that shall make a clear discovery of Christ to others from the testimony that is in himself for hee is to see Christ within himself before hee can see him in other creatures And therefore Secondly The Sripture in their severall declaration types prophecies visions voyces revelations actings of men in patient doing and suffering in righteousnesse is no other but Christ in the letter lying under the experimentall words of those Pen-men setting forth the one Almighty in his severall actings and his severall conditions wherein he hath appeared to the view of the whole Creation but seen and known only by the one creature man in whom hee is purposed to dwell bodily But still here is a large distance between Christ and the bulk of man kinde for though some few particular ones have seen him and could declare him yet others are ignorant of him So that the universalitie of man-kinde may see these two discriptions of Christ that is in the Creation and in the Scriptures both without themselves And when any attains to see Christ in these outward discoveries it is full of sweet delight but this settles no true peace for that delight that is fetching in from things at a distance from us may be lost againe and return into its proper seat againe As the pleasant beames is of the Sun which refreshes the outward man may be lost for when the Clouds come between the beames returne into the Sun again which is their proper seat and men loseth the refreshing warmth and hear And therefore Thirdly Christ or the spreading power of light is drawing the knowledge of himself as he lies in all things into the clear experience of man into whole man yea into every brench of man-kinde and he the Sonne of Righteousnesse will not only shine into but fix hinself in every one So that perfect man shall be no other but God manifest in flesh for every manifestation of this power in any creature shall be seen known rejoyced in and be declared of by man The light and heat and Spirit of the Sunne shall be declared by the Sonne of Righteousnesse in man The sweet compliance of love in one creature towards another as the clouds to waâ—er the earth the earth to send forth the fruits to preserve the living creatures that feeds thereupon shall be declared by that living power Love and Righteousnesse that is seated in man towards any creature So that though this one Almighty power be spread in the whole Creation yet it will appear to have his chief residence in man that in by and through man that one spirit may rule and govern the works of his own hands in Righteousnesse Every declaration of Christ in the Scriptures shal be seen and known in the clear experience of every sonne and daughter when this mystery is finished for Christ who indeed is the anointing shall fill all and all shall be the fulnesse of the anointing So that whatsoever a condition a man is in it is one or other condition that the childe Jesus was in growing upwards towards man-hood there is child hood youth and oldâ—age in the anointing For the wisdome and power of truth that was poured upon the head of the Son of man grows upwards towards perfection in sons and daughters Even as wee see any tree corn or cattell grows up in the eye of man by degrees for as these creatures doe not attaine to perfectson on a sudden neither doth the spirit of Righteousnesse rise up on a sudden perfection but by degrees And therefore He that beleeves makes not hast The hastie flesh would have all content on a sudden but the spirit is moderate and rises up patiently its powerfull and quick and yet slow its slow but yet sure it will sit down in peace in a man though it run thorow many thorns and briars first Yea I say whatsoever condition you are in Christ or the anointing being in you appears in that condition in you If you be in a condition of poverty so was Christ the Son of man he had not whereon to lay his head If you be hated for Rigteousnesse sake so was he nay it is the anointing in you that is hated If angry proud
deliver man-kind from his bondage For let the first Adam run out in what shape he will the second Adam follows after to trip up his heels to subdue him and to take the Kingdom from him that so when all enemies are subdued the Almighty power of righteousnesse which is the Father may become all in all And this now declares the meaning of that speech That Christ saves his people from their sins not only in pardoning evil Actions and removing the evil of sorrow from them but principally to kill and subdue the powers of the flesh and to make a man subject to the spirit and now a man is saved from his sins and not till now And this is to be made a new creature in whom old corrupt lusts are passed away and every power in him is a new power Now there is no man or woman needs go to Rome nor hell below ground as some talke to find the Pope Devil Beast or Power of darknesse neither to go up into heaven above the skies to find Christ the word of life For both these powers are to be felt within a man fighting against each other And in that soul wherein Christ prevails they know that this is truth for they find peace hi the salvation that comes out of Sion CHAP. V. THis first man is he by whose disobedience many are made sinners or by whom the whole Creation is corrupred Therefore you Preachers do not you tell the people any more That a man called Adam that disobeyed about 6000 years ago was the man that filled every man with sin and filth by eating an apple For assure your selves this Adam is within every man and woman and it is the first power that appears to act and rule in every man It is the Lord Esau that stepped before Iacob and got the birth-right by the Law of equity was more properly Iacobs Though Iacob who is the power and wisdom that made flesh did draw back and gave way that the wisdom and power of flesh should possesse the Kingdom and rule first till Esau by delighting in unrighteous pleasures lost both birth-right and blessing and left both in the hand of Iacob the King that rules in righteousnesse that is to rise up next The Apple that the first man eats is not a single fruit called an Apple or such like fruit but it is the objects of the Creation which is the fruit that came out of the Seed which is the Spirit himself that made all things As riches honours pleasures upon which the powers of the flesh feeds to delight himself And this is the messe of pottage which he prefers before righteousnesse or before righteous walking in the Creation towards every creature which is Christ that power that appears in the fulnesse of time to take the Kingdom and rule next Therefore when a man fals let him not blame a man that died 6000 years ago but blame himself even the powers of his own flesh which lead him astray for this is Adam that brings a man to misery which is the man flesh or the strong man within that keeps the house till the man of Righteousnesse arise and cast him out who is the second Adam And this second man is he By whose obedience many are made righteous that is by the power of Christ man-kind is purged from its drosse and this second man I say which is the righteous power doth cast the other man which is the unrighteous power out of the house even the heart and makes it a temple for himself to dwell in Now these two powers did the Father ordain should have their course to rule in the earth man-kinde And this is that day and night the light and darknesse Winter and Summer heat and cold Moon and Sun that is typed out by the Fabrick of the great world for within these two powers is the mystery of all divine workings wrapped up The first power that is of darknesse or the Chaos of confusion proves selfish and hurtfull to others tearing its own and the orher mans children especially to pieces by cruelty covetousnesse and oppression For he that is after the flesh persecutes him that is born after the spirit And in the fulnesse of time that is When the first man hath filled the Creation full of his filthinesse and all places stinks with unrighteousnesse as it doth at this day then it pleaseth the Father that his own wisdome and power should arise up next to rule in man-kind in rigteousnesse and take the Kingdome out of the others hand and restore all things and establish the Creation in peace and declare himself to be the alone Saviour of the world and to be the most excellent nay the almighty power The first man Adam is called The Son of God a power that the Almighty was pleased should be manifest but this is the son of disobedience the son that goes astray a son causing sorrow and shame and so becomes the serpent the Devil the power of darknesse the Beast the Whore the father of lies the murder of man-kind and the bottomlesse pit out of which all unrighteousnesse and misery rises up But the second Adam is called His wel-beloved Son the Son of his delight the Son bringing honour and peace Why Because by him the opposing power is cast out and the wisdome and power of Righteousnesse which is the Lord is that wisdom and power that rules in and over man-kind and the flesh is made subject hereunto without grumbling and so all things becomes the Lords And this Son or second Adam is called The Lord The King of righteousnesse The Prince of Peace The Saviour The mighty God The Restorer of all things The Salvation The Consolation of Israel The Blessing of all Nations of the Earth The Power of Light or Reason And thus we see the Father hath ordained that the powers of dark flesh should rule over him that made him for a time and he who is the Father of all things would be a servant and that dark flesh should be the mystery of iniquity or Antichrist that should oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God till by the other greater power the Father himself arising up in the Creation he be taken out of the way This teaches every son and daughter to wait with patience and quietnesse of spirit under all temptations till the Fathers turn come according to his own appointment to rule in flesh And then their sorrows shall be turned into joy and their mourning into laughter All tears shall be wiped away and they shall be delivered from the bondage and live in freedom and peace These two powers I say are typed out by Iacob and Esau Iacob put forth his arm first and it is marked by the midwife and then he draws if in again then Esau comes fully forth and is called the elder brother Iacob is Christ the elect or chosen one or the
words Thou hast set a mark upon me and every one that sees me wil kil me And yet by the story before there were no more men in the world but his Father Adam and he now Abel being dead Therefore certainly this Adam or first man that is spoken of is he that is within as I have spoke of which kils or surpresses Abel who is the anointing I am sure I have sound him the cause of my misery and I can lay the blame of no man but my self The first power that appears and draws my body into disobedience And this is he that is the causer of all your sorrow and tears he is Adam within it is your self your very fleshly self be angry at none but your self The Self is the first Adam that fals from the Spirit he is those branching powers in created flesh that leads you from your maker therfore blame not Adam without you but blame Adam the first man within you he within hath disobeyed and forsaken Reasons Law of Righteousnesse You are the man and woman that hath eaten the forbidden fruit by delighting your self more in the objects of the Creation then in the Spirit for the Spirit is the seed the Creation is the fruit As the Apple is the fruit from the root of the Apple-tree so selfishnesse is the fruit of the fruit it arises up not from the Spirit but from the Creation And this is the Serpent whose head must be briused that so the great maker of all things may delight in the worke of his own hands when all the branchings forth of selfishnesse is destroyed and the Creation made subject only to the will of the Creatour And this wil be the winding up of the great mystery spoken of God manifest in the flesh nor selfishnesse manifested in flesh for this I say is the Serpent whose head must be bruised Now if you delight more in the objects of the earth to please selfe then in the spirit that made all things then you eat of the forbidden fruit you take the Apple and become naked and ashamed and is made afraid to own the spirit least you despise fellow creatures And likewise being ashamed and afraid of the law of righteousnesse because it doth restifie of you that your deeds are evil and so begets sorrow and trouble in your heart you presently run and hide your self from him amongst the creatures runs preaching and praying and sheltering your self in a Congregation as a member and so doth sow the figge-leaves of your own observing forms and customary invented Righteousnesse together to hide your soul from the face of displeasure that you may not see your self for the sight of your self is your hell Whereas indeed you should flie to the Law of Righteousnesse and act righteously within the Creation and so honour the Spirit by owning of him and wait upon him til he speak peace For nothing wil hide you from his presence Reasons Law wil shine forth torment your unrighteous self-seeking power and bruise that Serpents head all his hidings wil not save himself for you must come to the fire and that drosse must be burned up before a Reconciliation can be wrought between him and his Creation Adams innocency is the time of child-hood and there is a time in the entering in of the understanding age wherein every branch of man-kinde is put to his choice whether he wil follow the Law of Righteousnesse according to the Creation to honour the Spirit Or whether he wil delight self in glorying in the objects of the earth unrighteously Now if he chuse to satisfie his lusts and his self-wil and forsake Reasons Law he shal fal downwards into bondage and lie under the powers of darknesse and live no higher then within the circle of dark flesh that hath no peace within it self but what he fetches from creatures without him But if he chuse the way of Righteousnesse and follow the light of Reasons Law then he shal partake of rest peace and libertie of the Spirit as if there were no creature objects at all for he that hath peace within uses the world as though he used it not and hath content and joy though he have no creature to have communion with But seeing that the man of the flesh wil and must appear to rule in the Kingdome of man-kinde first All men are gone astray and all flesh have corrupted their waies and the curse is spread abroad thorow the Creation And therefore the whole Creation wait for a Restoration or for the rising up of Christ the second man the blessing who must bruise the head of bondage and reconcile al men to peace and liberty And as the curse is seen and felt within so the blessing of freedom and life must rise up and be seen and felt within Therefore let not your blind guides deceive you any longer Doe not look beyond your selves to Adam a man that died 6000 years agoe though they bid you but look upon Adam within your-self who hath wrought your woe And for the time to come wait upon the rising of the second Adam the Law of Righteousnesse within you to deliver you from the bondage of the first power And here you may see the deceit of imagination and fleshly wisdom and learning it teaches you to look altogether upon a history without you of things that were done 6000 years agoe and of things that were done 1649 years agoe of the carriage of the Scribes and Pharisees then against the son of man And so carrying you first to one age of the world then to another age of the world travelling Sea and Land to find rest and the more that human learning and his professours travels abroad the further off from rest they are for they meet with nothing but confusion and starits and no true peace And why Because that which a man seeks for whereby he might have peace is within the heart not without The word of life Christ the restoring spirit is to be found within you even in your mouth and in your heart The Kingdome of heaven which is Christ is within you and disobedient Adam is within you for this is Esau that strives with Jacob in the womb of your heart to come forth first And this let me tel you and you shal find it true Goe read all the books in your Universitie that tels you what hath been formerly and though you can make speeches of a day long from those readings yet you shall have no peace but your hearts still shal be a barren wildernesse and encrease in sorrow till your eyes return into your selves and the spirit come from on high to make you read in your own book your heart Wherein you shall find the mystery of iniquity The man of sinne that first Adam that made you a sinner And the mystery of godlinesse the second Adam Christ who when he arises up therein he makes you righteous and restores you again
rise up to kill and destroy light but in the end the flesh destroyes it self Let the power of humility and Righteousnesse appear to a proud unrighteous covetous man and shew him his evil as in these dayes it doth he swels presently and rises up to make war to maintain himself to be an Angel of light and pride being dispersed into divers bodies cannot yield one to another to preserve one another but rise up to destroy each other in the light of the Sun The Sun shines and the dunghill casts up his stinking smell The Lord he shines and proud flesh kils one another flesh kils but it self And truly I must tell you That all these wars and killing one another are but the rising up of the curse destroying Armies of men are but the curse the burden which the Creation groans under For in the beginning all was very good and the Creation at first was made to preserve it self and this rising up to destroy the Creation is the curse And the Spirit of the Father that dwels in any humane body that is killed doth run into the Ocean of life and purifies the Creation from the curse But did not God send the Chaldeans and Sabeans to punish Job Yes the god Devil did but not the God or Righteousnesse For the Devil desired a libertie to try Iob and the righteous power Reason gave him leave onely told him he should not touch his life and then the Devil sends these enemies and burns his house and kils his children give but libertie to the curse and he doth much mischief Who was it that the god Devil did afflict Not an enemy to the King of Righteousnesse but a body in whom he dwelt Yea the Father did but suffer himself to be persecuted by the Devil in that humane body Iob That at last that power of darknesse which is the Accuser of the Brethren and the bondage of the Creation might be made manifest in the light of the Sun and so be cast out justly Now the end of all is this that unrighteous flesh that thinks himself an Angel of light and the onely power may be proved to be a Devil and so be cast out of the Creation and perish That Jacob the King of Righteousnesse the blessing of peace might arise up and reign for ever in the Creation when all enemies are subdued under his feet There is a time appointed of the righteous Judge that all flesh shall see it self in its own colours and when the flesh doth see it self in his own beastly shapes he will appear so deformed so piteous a confused Chaos of miserie and shame that the sight thereof shall be a great torment to himself Therefore take notice of this you proud envious covetous bitter-spirited and unrighteous men and women this self-satisfying glory in which you live and seem to have rest shall become your hell-torment when you are made to see your unrighteous treacherous self as you must when the Judge sits upon the Throne You that are now ashamed to own the righteous spirit and fear to offend men lest they should either reproch you or injure you And so will do any thing thoâ—gh unrighteous to preserve the good words of devilish men you shall then see you are not men not Saints but Devils and cursed enemies even the Serpents power that must be burned CHAP. XII ALl these declare the half hours silence that is to be in Heaven for all mouths are to be stopped by the power of Reasons Law shining within the heart And this abundance of talk that is amongst people by Arguments by disputes by declaring expositions upon others word and writing by long discourse called preaching shall all cease Some shal not be able to speak they shal be struck silent wit shame by seeing themselves in a losse and in confusion Neither shal they dare to speak til they know by experience within themselves what to speak but wait with a quiet silence upon the Lord til he break forth within their hearts and give them words and power to speak And this shal be a mark of a covetous proud and close Hypocrite to be ful of words preaching by arguments and expositions putting a meaning upon other mens words and writings telling stories by hear-say of what they have read and heard from men as the fashion is now in publique work For none shal dare to speak unlesse it be those that are sealed to destruction but what they understand in pure experience every one speaking his own words not another mans as the Preachers do to make a trade of it for he that speaks from tradition and imagination and makes a trade of his preaching to others to get a living by is a child of the curse and covetousnesse is his Lord Men must leave off teaching one another and the eies of all shal look upwards to the Father to be taught of him And at this time silence shal be a mans rest and libertie it is the gathering time the souls receiving time it is the forerunner of pure language None shal be offended at this but the covetous and proud Serpent and he wil vex and fret if the people wil not heare him preach and think he hath much wrong done him if he be slighted Wel Judas thou must be slighted thy preaching stinks before the Father and he wil draw his people out of thy confusion and leave thee naked and bare and thy shame shall be made manifest to the whole Creation for indeed thou art the curse While a man is buying his head in studying what hath been done in Moses time in the Prophets time in the Apostles and in the Son of mans time called Jesus the Anointed and doth not wait to find light and power of righteousnesse to arise up within his heart This man is a pireous barren creature though he have all the learning of Arts and Sciences under the Sun for the knowledge of Arts is but to speak methodically of what hath been and conjecture what shal be both which are uncertain to the Speaker But he that speaks from the original light within can truly say I know what I say and I know whom I worship This silence shal be both particular in every son and daughter and general in the practice of all before their eies and loâ—king upwards and waiting for teaching from the great and only Teacher Christ the great Prophet for truly the time is come that all flesh shal be made silent and leave off multiplying of words without knowledge before the Lord both in pâ—eaching and praying And your Preachers shal be all the objects of the Creation through wich the Father wil convey himself into you and manifest himself before you these shal be your outward Preachers And the same word of power speaking in and to your hearts causing your hearts to open to his voyce shall be your Teacher within And that mouth that stands up to teach others and doth not
declare the Lord in a pure language shall bear his shame who soever he be None shall need to turn over books and writings for indeed all these shal cease too to get knowledge but every one shal be taken off from seeking knowledge from without and with an humble quiet heart wait upon the Lord til he manifest himself for he is a great king and worthy to be waited upon His testimony within fils the soul with joy and singing he gives first experience and then power to speak forth those experiences And hence you shal speak to the rejoycing one of another and to the praise of him that declares his power in you he that speaks his thoughts studies and imagination and stands up to be a Teacher of others shal be judged for his unrighteousnesse because he seeks to honour flesh and does not honour the Lord Behold the Anointing that is to teach all things is comming to create new Heavens and new Earth wherein Righteousness dwels and there shal not be a vessel of humane earth but it shal be filled with Christ If you were possible to have so many buckets as would contain the whole Ocean every one is filled with the Ocean and perfect water is in all and being put all together make up the perfect Ocean which filled them all Even so Christ who is the spreading power is now beginning to fil every man and woman with himself he wil dwel and rule in every one and the law of reason equitie shal be Christ in them every single body is a star shining forth of him or rather a body in and out of whom he shines and he is the Ocean of power that fils all And so the words are true the Creation mankinde shal be the fulnesse of him that fils all in all This is the Church the great Congregation that when the mysterie is compleated shal be the mystical body of Christ all set at libertie from inward and outward straits and bondage And this is called the holy breathing that hath made all new by himself and for himself Before this truth be believed in by mankinde you shal see much troubles in the great world the first Adam wil strive mightily before he loose his Kingdom he can pretty quietly hear that Christ will role in sons and daughters that are scattered abroad But to hear that the Kingdoms of the world shal be Christ's Dominions likewise and that the material earth shall be his possession as well as the earth mankind O this cuâ—s Adam to the heart all the world will storm and be angry when this is made known Wars and rumours of wars will multiply Father will be against Son and Son against Father the love of many shall wax cold and zealous professours that live without the spirit shall become the most bitter enemies to Christ and prove very treacherous self-seeking self-loving ful of subtil policy to waste and wear out every one that seeks to advance Christ by their bitternesse and oppression But all in vain for Christ must rise and the powers of the flesh must fall CHAP. XIII FRom what hath been hitherto spoken if there were no experience to prove it it appears that the first Adam or fleshly man seeks life peace and glory to himself from creatures and things that are without him As first he seeks content and peace from wife children friends riches places of dominion over others and from such like But that peace that is built upon such hay and stubble-foundations will fall and come to nothing Secondly the fleshly man seeks content and peace from Sermons Prayers Studies Books Church-fellowship and from outward Forms and Customs in Divine Worship But that peace that is built upon this foundation of gold silver and pretious stones will fall and come to nothing likewise All creatures teats are to be dried up that the soul can suck no refreshing milk from them before the Lord teach it knowledge Some there are nay almost every one wonders after the Beast or fleshly man they seek for new Jerusalem the City of Sion or Heaven to be above the skies in a locall place wherein there is all glory and the beholding of all excellent beauty like the seeing of a show or a mask before a man And this not to be seen neither by the eies of the body till the body be dead A strange conceit But poor Creatures you are deceived this expectation of glory without you will vanish you shall never see it this outward heaven is not the durable Heaven this is a fancy which your false Teachers put into your heads to please you with while they pick your purses and betray your Christ into the hands of flesh and hold Jacob under to be a servant still to Lord Esau Wel what a man sees or hears to day may be gone to morrow all outward glory that is at a distance from the five senses and taken in by a representation is of a transient nature and so is the Heaven that your Preachers tell you of But when the second Adam rises up in the heart he makes a man to see Heaven within himself and to judge all things that are below him He makes many bodies to be the declarers of him who is the one power of righteousnesse that rules therein And this is Heaven that will not fail us endurable riches treasures that shall not wax old and where moth and rust cannot corrupt nor thieves break through and steal This Christ is within you your everlasting rest and glory And as the man of the flesh fetches in comforts from without seeking content in and from Creatures and Creature-objects so he envies every one that crosses his desires crosse him in his pride covetousnesse and uncleannesse and he grows extream angry at every body tell him that his formall and customary preaching and praying is but self-seeking not setting up the Lord and he is filled with rage against those that tel him so But he never looks within to check himself he takes no remedy there at all and lets those Devils lie quiet within and if any be sent I say from the Lord to disturb those his lusts he will disturb that messenger if he can but he will cherish himself within He thinks that whatsoever he doth is good and that whatsoever crosses that power that is in his heart doth crosse the Lord But truly it is no other but the Serpents power which must be destroyed he fetches in content from the Creatures that are without him and his envy and discontent runs after things and Creatures that are without which crosses his fleshly desires But now the man of righteousnesse Christ when he rises up in the heart he loves all that are without him and he envies none but the Serpent within which troubles the Creation and so is quite different to the other For as soon as Christ is rose up in a man the first thing he doth he takes
revenge of the pride lust envy covetousnesse which ruled within the flesh and casts that Serpent and Dragon out of Heaven That is out of that part of the Creation and makes a man to cry out upon himself and to hate and abhor his cursed lusts which lead him captive He makes a man to look abroad with the eie of pitty and compassion to fellow-Creatures but to look with the eie of hatred and loathing upon the Serpent his unclean lusts desiring nothing so much as the death of the body of sin within So that the law of righteousnesse may reigne in peace in his soul O thou cursed envy cursed rash anger cursed uncleannesse O cursed Devil cursed Father of lies that will not suffer Christ to rise up and reign O thou enemy of all rightousnesse thou wicked one thou curse thou power of darknesse thou fleshly power thou shalt be destroyed and subdued under Christ's feet whom thou fightest against The greatest combate is within a man when the King sits upon the Throne judging unrighteous flesh and bruising that Serpents head And though this be trouble and torment for a time to the Creature yet Christ at last will sit down in him who is Prince of peace and King of righteousnesse The created flesh of man is the Beast the King of Beasts the same principles as are in other Creatures are in humane flesh The difference between man and other beasts is this The flesh of man is made an understanding Soul capable to know Reason and to walk in his light Other beasts cannot Now the wise flesh is meerly selfish he seeks himself in every thing he doth and would be a Lord and Ruler not only over the Beasts of the field but over creatures of his own kind whom his Maker made equall to himself and so strives to fetch in all other Creatures to advance his content though it be to the losse and misery of other men This is the Beast Lord Esau the wise and covetous self-seeking flesh that hath sold his birth-right and blessing to Jacob for the pleasure of unrighteousnesse a small time And now he must be turned out and deliver all up to Jacob and he is extreamly vext and will not yield quier possession but stand out stifly till he be cast out by the universall power of Reasons law Now the rule and dominion of Jacob doth not bring losse and misery to any his law is so established in love that the whole Creation finds peace under it sorrow and tears beggary and oppression shall be done away and the blessing of the Lord Jacob shall fill the earth So then we see that the great battell of God Almighty is between thi selfish power the Beast and fleshy man and the universall power Christ the man of righteousnesse for the flesh would be wiser then its Maker for though his Maker would have the whole Creation and every creature to enjoy the benefit of their Creation and no live free from straits comfortably Yet the wise and converous flesh seeks to live free in honour and quiet in himself makes laws to imprison kill and waste every one that will not conforme to his selfish Government Now the Father wil destroy the Beast in the open field by fair play and hath given him all advantages as may be for he hath given the Beast thedominion and himself is a Servant under his dominion and will undermine the wise and covetous Beast by righteous sufferings and action as a Servant And the Father encounters with the Beast or Dragon in a three-fold posture of war As First by the Sacrifices under the Law the Spirit thereby declared the destruction of the Beast and the Spirit lay hid under those types and shadows fighting against the Beast and the wise flesh in those daies sought against his Maker This is a distance of Cannon shot Secondly In the prison of Jesus Christ the Lamb the Father fought against the Beast and killed him for the Dragon was cast out of that Heaven or Creation in whom the Father dwelt bodily for that flesh was wholly made subject to the Spitit this was at a closer distance closing in the Front But the wise flesh hath many strong holds even the multitudes of men and women which he fortifies against the Spirit And therefore in the third posture which is now begun the Father encounters and wil encounter with the Beast every where that is with the wise but covetous unrighteous flesh in every son and daughter and so bruise that Serpents head in the whole body of his Army And before he hath done he wil fire all the strong-holds of this murder so that he shall not have a place to keep garrison in for the Father will subdue the whole bulk of man-kind and make all that living earth subject to him self and all with holy breathing This is the spreading of the Anointing This is the glory of the Elect One glorious things are spoken of thee O though City of God This holy breathing is the Kingdom of Heaven within you when he rules within you and the Kingdom of Heaven without you likewise when you see the same glory rule in others in which you rejoyce And this is the last encounter the Father wil have with the Dragon This is the great day of Judgment judging and condemning and putting the Serpent to death every where This is the day of Christ power in which he wil subdue all his enemies under his feet deliver up the Kingdom to his Father Therefore marvel not to see the people turn from one way of worship to another for the Father is driving this people through al the waies and forms and customs and reformation and governments of the Beast to weary them out in all that so they may find rest for the soles of their feet no where in no outward form of worship til they come to lye down in him forsaking all forms to worship the Father in spirit and trurh that is to walk righteously in the Creation And this restlesnesse of people running from one form and custome to another meeting with confusion and curse every where is no other but the dividing of time the half day or image of the Beast which is the last period of his time Then faith the Angel It is done time to the Beast shal be no more And while it is thus poor Creatures they are in bondage within for they know not what to do the way to Sion is not yet cleare and they are filled with sighings and secret mournings to see themselves in confussion and losses to stick in the mire but cannot come out This is inward slaverie under which they lie Then poor Creatures they are under an outward bondage under the hand of Tyrant flesh that rules the Kingdom and that divises the several fleshy forms and waies of government to which if any refuse to conform then they must be imprisoned reproached or tortured by punishments in what kind
or other by the hands of fellow Creatures that are the oppressing Task masters under the Tyrant flesh so that weak spirits are kept under in awe either by fear or shame And thus Iacob hath been very low but he must rise For the Antichristian Captivitie is expiring many have attained to inward freedom already they wait upon the Lord for outward freedom that the yoke may be taken off their backs Israel's Captivitie in the 70 years in the Bahylon was but a type of this Antichristian slavery under L. Esau the powers of the flesh that compasses mankind about with many straits dangers for acknowledging his Maker But as every thing hath his growth his raign and end so must this slavery have an end The proud and covetous hearts cry what slavery is this we know not what he speaks It is true you do not know but they who have lesse or more attained to the resurrection of the dead know what I say and shall rejoyce in the declaration of this power waiting the Lords leisure with a calm silence til he hath gathered together our brethren that must partake of the blessing with us CHAP. XIV TO see the Divine power in the Creation-objects is sweet but to see him ruling in the heart is sweeter The first sight is at distance far off as to see him in mear drink cloaths friends victories riches prosperity to see him in the Sun Moon Stars Clouds Grasse Trees Cattle and all the Earth how he hath sweetly cause every one of these to give in assistance to preserve each other Creature Or rather how he himself in these gives forth preservation and protection from one another and so unites the whole Creation together by the unity of himself Or further to see the Divine power in prayer in Discourse in Communion of Saints in Reading in every sweet and refreshnigs that a man meets within all these is the Almightly Comforter But this is to behold that glory abroad to see and meet him from home to behold him in Creatures without us which sight and enjoyment is often and may be totally lost and the soul left alone again and so filled with mourning in his absence O when shall I see my beloved whom my soul loves The Spouse had seen Christ in the manner aforesaid but she had lost him again for if she had never seen him she could not have called him her Beloved and mourn in his absence Let a man eat never so hearty a dinner yet within a few hours he wil be empty again and ready to languish and thus all comforts that are taken in from any creature without us may be nay wil be must be lost that so a man may come to know the Lord But now to see the King sitting in his banqueting-houses to see the Law of Righteousnesse and peace ruling and dwelling in the heart and to be refreshed with thoâ—e sweet smelling spices the discoveries of the Fathers love within This is the Word of God This is sweeter then the honey or the honey-comb for this is to see him near at hand even within the heart ruling and resting there This is the Kingdome of heaven within you This is the city of refuge that wil not sail a man This is the Rock of defence and offence This the power that makes a man bold as a Lion If a man be cast into any straits his heart dies not like Nabals the man of the flesh but he feels peace and content within and so is at rest Let come what wil come the man knows it is the wil of the Father it shal be so and he feels a quiet peace compasse his heart so that he seeth and feeleth peace within and rejoyceth in the excellency of it he seeth and feeleth love and patience within and rejoyceth in the glory of that sweet ointment that doth cast a delightful favour all his soul over Now though this man be in prison be in straits be forsaken of all his friends in the flesh none wil buy nor sell with him because they count him a man of strange opinions and blasphemies call him an Atheist a sot a Papist a blasphemer that hath forsaken God and goodnesse because he wil neither preach nor pray nor say grace when he sitteth down to meat as the custome of Professours are Yet this man is not alone for his Father is with him The Father lives in him and he lives in the Father The Father wil have his people whom he draws up to worship him in spirit and truth to be secret and silent to be flow of speech for a little season yet quick-sighted and Eagle-eyed though they be silent they are not sottish drones they shall discern and judge others righteously though others shall not discern and judge them but by rash censure which is not righteous The righteous actions and patient silence of those that are drawn up to wait upon the Lord shall be the greatest shame and condemnation to the ignorant professours and talking people that ever broke out The wise flesh that would be an Angel of light is full of towords but dead to the Law of Righteousnesse The Saints must die to waste words but he made alive to Righteousnesse walking uprightly in the Creation to the glory of the Maker of all things hereby Lord Esau will be under-mined and his house and Kingdon wil fall about his ears For though the man of the flesh be altogether for outward preaching praying observation of forms and customs and knows not how to worship if these be taken away he hath no peace if these be gone But now the man of Righteousnesse sees death in all outward forms if the inward power be wanting therfore his eye is stil inward to see the Law of Righteousnesse ruling there and guiding the body to be a profitable member in the Creation And this is the most excellent sight to see the divine power in ones self ruling dwelling and living within which if it doe that body wherein it dwels shal be wholly subject in al his to that Law of Rightenesse They that know what the power of love and the Law of Righteousnesse is they know what I say and can understand me but to others these reports sound strangely and may draw words of reproach and slander from them but it matters not they cannot hurt They that live in the light they see the Lord abroad and they see him at home they see him in other creatures and they see and feel him in their own hearts in patient and quiet submitting to what is his will so that there is a sweet agreement between the disposing hand of God without and his power within He that thus sees the Lord the antient of daies the one Almighty power doth mightily honour him when nothing can be done abroad either in adversity or prosparity but the divine power that rules in the heart consents rejoices and grudges not And now the Lord is one and his name
or power one every where The sight of the King of Glory within lies not in the strength of memory calling to mind what a man hath read and heard being able by a humane capacity to joyn things together into a method through the power of free utterance to hold it forth before others as the fashion of Students are in their Sermon work which a plough man that was never bread in their Universities may do as much nay they do more in kind as experience shews us then they that take Tyshes to tell a story But the sight of the King within lies in the beholding of light arising up from an inward power of seeling experience filling the soul with the glory of the Law of Righteousnesse which doth not vanish like the taking in of words and comfort from the mouth of a hear say Preacher or strength of memory But it continues like the Sunne in the firmament shining forth from that established power of the divine within and the enlivened heart shall as soon be seperated from glorying in the Law of Righteousnesse that dwels in him then the heat and light of the Sunne can be seperated from the Sunne And truly let me tell you That as a man finds abundance of sweet peace in his heart when he is made to live in the Kingdome of heaven So the words hat this man speaks from this power within are very profitable to others are good seed wheresoever they are sown they will spring up and bring forth fruit for words spoken from the light of experience have a two-fold operation upon the heart of the hearers For first if I lie under straits and bondage in my spirit by reason of some inward and outward troubles but especially by reason of the enthraldome to my own lusts that over powers me so that I cannot do what I would Then the words of experience from the mouth of one that hath been in that condition and is passed thorow it sounds liberty and life to my weary soul I speak what I have felt in this particular Secondly If I delight in any way of the flesh as to seek peace in creatures abroad without me or to seek satisfaction to my envy self-will and lust and in the midst of this my folly I do occasionally hear the words of experience from some other declaring such actions and motions to be the powers of the flesh and devil and not of the spirit of righteousnesse Presently those words take peace from the earth that is from proud flesh and fill the whole soul with anger distemper grudging and torment And this is another operation that pure language produces which is a launcing of the dead flesh that the disease may be cured For this wounding is nor to the mine of the creature but it is a medicine sent from the Lord to heal him to take away the evil peace from the flesh that so the created part may lie down in rest and be at peace in Christ which cannot be moved For every comfort that is of the flesh shall be shaken and removed but Christ the one power of Righteousnesse and peace shall not be shaken nor moved but stand firm for ever And by this you may see the difference between the kingdom of the flesh and devil which must be shaken to pieces and fall And the kingdom of heaven or of God that endures for ever and is that Rock due cannot be moved CHAP. XV WHat do you mean by the kingdom devil or flesh I answer Covetousnesse the selfish power ruling in a man is the kingdome of darknesse in that man And as this power hath corrupted the Creation mankind so it rules or hath ruled in every single one more or lesse but is the curse And every one that hath lain under the bondage of this selfish power and is in any measure delivered he can from that experience declare what the power of darknesse is in whole mankind as I have shewed how secretly and closely this selfish power branches himself forth in every one till by the right of Reasons Law shining within he is discovered and cast out But what is it for a man to live in the kingdom of hell devil or darknesse I answer when a man takes delight in nothing but in satisfying of the lusts of his own heart when the way of the flesh is pleasing and the way of the spirit of Righteousnesse is a burden to him when he glories in himself and feeds with delight upon his covetousnesse pride envy lust self-will and in every thing that pleaseth flesh And if he can but overcome that power that checks or crosses his will O then this man is in his Kingdome he rejoyecs and is very well pleased but it is the kingdome of the flesh that must be shaken and removed This is no other but the glorying in that which is a mans shame What is the kingdom of Heaven or of Christ Answ. The Law of Righteousnesse and peace ruling and dwelling in mankind is the kingdom of heaven this is the universall power bearing rule treading the flesh-power under his feet What is it for a man to live in the kingdom of heaven Ans. When mankind or any single person is so made subject to the King of righteousnesse that all his delight is to walk according to that law towards every creature in the Creation through love to the Fathers honour that made al He glories in that law of righteousness which he finds seated in his heart finds content no where else and when the Spirit is honoured this man is in his kingdom he hath what he would have While the kingdom of darknesse rules in a man if he knows it not his sin is the lesse but when he comes to know the lusts of his flesh and delight therein in opposition to the righteous Law which he sees some light in also this makes the man exceeding sinfull for now he sins against the law of light shining in him and causing him to see himself Even so when the divine power rules in a man and he knows it nor as it may be in some measure this mans joy is but small for a man may act from the power of love and righteousnesse and yet not see nor know the excellency of that power which guides ◠him But when a man is made to see and know the law of love and righteousnesse within him and delights to act from that power of life and liberty which he seeth and feeleth seated in him Now this man is carried on with much joy and sweet calmness meeknesse and moderation and is full of glory This is the excellency of the work of Christ not onely to make flesh subject to rigeteousnesse but to know himself made subject to rejoyce in the sweet enjoyment of that prince of peace to make a man rejoyce to know the groun 〈◊〉 of his joy is unmovebale What do you mean by divine and divine power I anwer The divine
false expositions and interpretations for no man knows the meaning of the spirit but he that hath the spirit And if the Father send forth any of these tradesmen to declare the testimony which is in them as in these dayes he sends forth many And these true labourers shall encrease let the Universitie men do the worst they can yet the Schollars seek to suppresse them calling them new-lights factious erroneouâ— blasphemers and the like And why do they all this Because the light of truth that springs up out of this earth which the schollars tread under feet will shine so clear as it will put out the candle of those wicked learned deceivers And therefore many of them that are more ingennous or subtile then the rest seeing light arises much amongst the people begin to comply with the people and give people their liberty to speak as well as they and denie the tithes upon this condition the people will give them a free contribution and own them as the chief Preachers and Prophets sent of God and to look upon themselves as underlings to the schollars And therefore stir up people to gather into Congregations and to make choice of one man to be their Preacher though they shall have a liberty to speak in the Congregation as well as he But all this is but deceit of the flesh to draw people under a new bondage and to uphold the hearsay-preaching that in time matters may be wheeled about again to advance the schollars and give them the supremacy in teaching And what is the end of all this but onely to hinder Christ the great Prophet from rising and whereas people should all look up to him for teaching and acknowledge no other teacher and ruler but Christ the Law of Righteousnesse dwelling in every mans heart the schollars would have the people to look up to them for teaching and truly let me speak what I find the more that you look upon them or any men for teaching the more you shall be wrapped up in confusion and bondage And therefore the upshot of all your Universities and publick Preachers and men-teachers is onely to hinder Christ from rising and to keep Jacob under and make him a servant and a slave to the man of the flesh So that all this do in the world about hear-say preaching and setled forms of worship is no other but the spreadings forth of the thorn-bush the fleshly man to hinder the worship of the Father in spirit and truth And all those strict and zealous Preachers and Professours of other mens words and writings and upholders of forms and customs are no other but the Scribes Pharisees and Judas that still pursue Christ in enmity And this is the Reason why man-kind are so ignorant and cold-spirited in the acknowledgment of the Father because the night-Vine or blanches of the Thorn-bush are so mighty great and thick that they hide the light and heat of the Sun of Righteousnesse from it This is the man of sin the mysterie of iniquity that lets and must let till he be taken out of the way Indeed this Thorn-bush doth so prick that none dares meddle with it unlesse he be well cloathed with Christ This Thorn-bush or night-Vine grows in the cold time of the night while the Sun of Righteousnesse is under the Clouds and the fruit it brings forth is unpleasant as pride covetousnesse envy self-love hypocrisie confusion bondage and all the misery under the power of darknesse to make Lord Esau a compleat Tyrant and they that act from this Vine are called children of the night Now from hence it appears what horrible proud men the Clergie are that call themselves Divines or Christ that grows in the light of the Father when alas their light is but a candle stoln from the Apostles and Prophets writings it is not their own light it is but hear-say in them Surely their pride and covetousnesse declares them to be the false Christs and false Prophers and that they are branches of the Thorn-bush that are full of sharp pricks in regard they endeavour to uphold a forced maintenance from the people whether they will or no and force the people to be silent to hear them preach hear-say and not to gainsay or question what they say under pain of punishment or being counted factious or sowers of sedition This is the bondage the people are under by these publique Preachers First they are filled with confusion by their saying and unsaying for they know not what they say they darken knowledge by their words Secondly they are like to be crushed in their estates by the power of corrupt Magistrates if they oppose these Preachers Doth not their shame almost appear to all men â—f it do not it will do ere long assure yourselve you Priests you must fall and be turned out as ludas Simon Magus and the Scribes and Pharisees that are the greatest enemies to Christ the spreading power of righteousnesse The Father doth not send hear-say men to be Labourers in his Vineyard but such as he first fils with the Divine power and then sends them to work in his Vineyard So that still it is but Christ in them that is the one man that is sent of the Father for the Father sends none but his beloved Son who is the law of righteousnesse and peace the spreading power And you shall find you proud and covetous Priests ere long that poor despised ones of the world that have this law in their hearts are the labourers than are sent forth and you that call your selves Divines and Labourers you are Traitors and Enemies to the spirit you have had warning enough you are left without excuse you are the men whose mouths must be stopped not by the hand of Tyrannicall humane power as you have stopped the mouths of others I abhor it for the Lord himself whom you dishonour by your hypocrasie will stop your mouth with shame and sorrow when he makes you to see your selves to be Devils Deceivers Scribes and Pharisees Simon Magaus's Demas's and Judas's that are Traitors to the spirit But if you say you do not assume the name of Day-vines but of Divines as you whrite your selves you are as bad under this description of Divines or Diviners are witches sorcerers deceivers as Balaam was and as the maid that got her Masters much gain by divination Suerly you are no other but Witches and Deceivers for you hold forth letter for spirit make people believe that your words of hear-say are the testimony and experience of the spirit within you and you pick their purses extremly by this divination and sorcerie Well your word Divinity darkens knowledge you talk of a body of Divinity and of Anatomyzing Divinity O fine languague But when it comes to triall it is but a husk without the kernall words without life the spirit is in the hearts of the people vvhom you despise and tread under foot You go on selling vvords for money to the