workings motions and ends their ground and off-spring whence they coâ—e and whither they return that thereby the Creature may know who it is that exercises his mind and members and to what spirit he yeilds himself in his obedience and service and so may come to know the use and end of all his works what to chuse and what to refuse what to justifie and what to condemn in its first motion before it be brought forth or formed in the womb that judgment may be kept on the head of transgression and liberty proclaimed to the just And for want of faith and feeling of this Way of Christ it is that so many perish in sin and yet seem to strive against sin even because they cannot believe that to be sufficient to save from sin which manifests sin in the ground and condemns it in its first motion which if they did but in faith joyn with him to condemn sin in the ground temptation and motion it would die and wither and not be able long to live or prevail and if it for a time should prevail in the members yet not to comdemnation for I have found a great difference between sin condemned in the Creature though not yet wholly dead and sin lived in and pleaded for for if thy life and judgment be in that alone which condemns sin then art thou dead to sin and alive to Christ and it is no more thou that sins but sin that yet remains in thee to which thou art dead to which thou dost not consent like nor approve of nor any way add any strength thereto but thy faith and love delight and strength is in him which condemns it he that truly is in this faith and love by the working thereof shall all his Enemies perish and by that Faith and Love shall the just live in that Creature and he in him condemning and killing sin till it all be done away and the Creature of God found alive in him alone who without spot will present him to the Father for this I have found that that which manifests sin in its first motion judges it there and condemns it there hath the only power to kill sin ere it be committed and so hath only power to save from condemnation for this you shall find that as Christ doth not live to Justification where he is not believed and justified loved followed and confessed so sin doth not live to condemnation where it is hated condemned and denyed for where that spirit of wickedness is seen in the light and separated from and judged apart from the creature the creature joyning in judgment with the just there sin will wither and Satan flee for there he hath no kingdom nor a hiding Habitation for the light being minded and judgment having free passage and consent it searcheth out his hidden things and judgment passeth upon all his deceit root and ground with his fruits so is the strong man spoiled and his stuff by faith in Christ and not by strength of the creature by believing the just and denying the unjust For according to every mans faith so shall he receive from God now he that believes salvation and that cleaves to and lives in some sin and pleads for it and believes he must do so his faith stands in an unclean thing and an unclean thing will live by that faith and be justified by that creature and in his justifying any thing that is unclean therein is the just condemned and the just being condemned which should give dominion over the unlean the wild Plant hath itâ— liberty to grow until it overspread the Plant of God and cover the man wholly stop the ear and blind the eye and hardens the heart against every motion to good or check for evil and let not this man look for good fruit but after his faith who so believes Also on the contrary He that feels a strife in himself between the clean and the unclean and seas the one reprove for sin and the other plead for sin and believes in that which is pure clean and just which condemns the unjust and unclean that faith stands in that which is pure and the mystery of it is held in a pure conscience and that pure faith being followed will purifie the heart and cleanse the hands from unjust actions and by that faith the just lives and grows and springs and brings forth and the pure Plant spreads and covers the Earth with the Knowledge of God his holiness and purity and all grace in the heart which becomes as a working leaven till it hath a wrought out the unclean nature and conformed the whole man to himself and this is a work of the holy Faith which none can receive but who believes in holiness for none can bring clean fruit out of an unclean Faith And this further for the incouragement of such as honestly indeed would be rid of their sin and set free to serve God in holiness without deceit thou feeling in thee the moving of that which is holy bearing witness against that which is contrary to holiness and condemning it and thee for joyning with it in all thy conversation I say in that believe for that is all thou knows of Christ in thee and believing and following it thou wilt feel it making a separation in thy inward man betwixt that which Christ comes to save and that which he comes to destroy for this is he that comes from above to set before thee Life and Death divided that thou joyning to the Life and believing may be saved from Death and as thou art faithfull to this Spirit which condemns sin in the flesh so thou wilt feel warring against and working out sin daily to which if thou clearly joyn denying that which it condemns then art thou one spirit with him in his work and art no longer in the flesh nor to be condemned with that sin remaining in the flesh but art one in him that condemns sin and self in sinning till sin become exceeding sinfull in thy eyes as it is in the eyes of God and as thou growst in love and liking with that pure Spirit its Law and Leadings so thou wilt become dead to the Law of Sin and it will lose its power in thee not being minded loved and served thy mind love and fear being exercised in that which condemns it and here that Faith that works by love takes the victory and not thy striving in thy own strength only from a sight of sin by the Law for by the works of the Law thou canst not be justified but by the working of Faith in Christ Jesus that Spirit and as thou feelest his working in thee and thou one with him therein in his work thou art justified and by beholding of him in this Faith thou wilt be changed into his likeness and power by his mighty working in thee even by that Spirit to which thou art turned and as he grows in thee and thou in him thou wilt
HOW Sin is strengthened And how it is OVERCOME THat sin is in the world and that all are thereby become children of wrath is generally believed and confessed by all but how sin is strengthened in men and women against God and their own souls or how it is overcome few there be that have learned or mind to know yet for their sakes that doth I do here declare somewhat of that which I have received from him who is faithful and true in all his testimony And this I find that as sin got rooting at first through lust so till this day it hath its strength by the desires going forth to affect or lust after something whether spiritual or carnal above before or besides what that eternal Spirit by which man was created doth communicate to him or beget in him for the eye of the Lilly being blinded by the god of this world which eye should look unto God for all there is an eye of unbelief open which looks into the visibles and gives occasion for the lust to conceive in the mind affections and desires after something which the Spirit of God leads not to for the obtaining whereof all the power and wisdom that is in man is set on work and this becomes sin both in the desires and actions and the more it is followed the stronger it is for whatever is hereby obtained becomes a treasure of wickedness laid up in the Habitation of the Wicked one whereby the lust is increased and the Seed of God burthened and buried whereby the Creature becomes daily more unsensible of the Will of God and the movings of that pure Spirit which should keep the Creature alive to the Creator and drew the mind wholly up to the Father on him alone to wait for a supply in all things both for soul and body And every desire that springs from this root being suffered to go forth defiles the man and brings in that which oppresseth the Just until by continuance man grows into the nature of the enmity and the imaginations of the heart be wholly evil and that which should give the knowledge of God wholly buried and in many that which should give the knowledge of sin also whereby man becomes past feeling utterly dead in sins and trespasses heaped upon the just against the day of Judgment which becomes by custom as natural to commit as to the Ox to drink water yea with greediness doth man in this condition hunt after his own destruction having dawn'd up the way of Life in himself by often transgressing it and is become degenerate from the nature of God having received in and willingly joyned to that nature of Satan which as a leaven hath and doth work into its own nature all that receive it or yield unto it whom as they grow therein there springs up fruits of the same root and nature which they bring forth in his time and opportunity with liking and delight being furnished with all subtilty to colour them over and plead for them being in Covenant and agreement with sin some in one thing and some in another every one pleading the allowance of that sin with God which most suits their lusts pride profit or pleasure credit or esteem in the World or some self-end and at these they take counsel and not at the Spirit of the Lord what is sin and what is no sin but none will believe that they can be set free from all sin by him who testifies against all sin in spirit and in all this the Man of sin hath his Kingdom by consent for they being willing to keep Covenant with him in one evil are guilty of all Now the way to overcome all this and him that hath his power therein is by Faith in Christ Jesus the Light and Life and Way to the Father for without believing there can be no victory but in the faithfull following of him and patient bearing his Cross and enduring his sufferings comes the enmity to be slain and captivity led captive and man set at liberty in the holy Seed to serve the Father in Spirit and Life again And first Christ as he is the Light of the World must be believed for so he comes to manifest and reprove the deeds of darkness and to make a separation between the works of God and the works of the Devil in the mind and spirit of the Creature and to let them see what spirit doth exercise their minds and affections and the fruits of each spirit and the moving and working of each spirit severally without which none can rightly know what is to be destroyed and what saved what to joyn to and what to war against for by this Light alone comes man to the knowledge of sin in himself in the ground and root of it and every motion thereof for though the Letter or something without may shew what is sin by its fruits when it is brought forth yet it is the work of the Spirit to discover spiritual wickedness in its first motion which is the only place to kill it ere it become sin and this Light must be believed and diligently minded all along for such is the subtilty of the Enemy having got power over the will and senses of man that he will set them to war against the Creature and destroy the Creation rather then that of his which defiles the Creature and this cannot be avoided any other way but by minding the Light of Christ to separate that which is but to be cleansed from that which is to be destroyed and this man cannot do without the Spirit being a spiritual work though he never so much seeks after it And here is the cause why many are kept at hard labour all their time and never come clear out of sin and uncleanness even not believing in that which hath the power to separate and lead out of the evil but without the single eye are at work in the dark and sees not a clear separation in the body And hence it is that some destroy themselves in seeking to destroy sin not minding the Light of the Saviour is led by the Destroyer fighting against that which Christ comes to save whilst he that comes to destroy lies hid in the dark But he that believes in that which manifests all things reproves all things and judges all things with that Eye shall be led what to war against and what to joyn with all along in the work for he alone is the Covenant of Light and given for a Leader which whosoever believes and follows shall not err in judgment or practice but unbelief therein is the cause why there are so many blind Guides and many people dye in their sins And thus he is the Way of God and is to be believed in to wit as he manifests the works of the Devil apart from the work of God condemning the one in the flesh and justifying the other in the Spirit and as he manifests every spirit with its
feel that power arising which will make thee able to answer a good conscience and give lasting peace and so by his resurrection shall be saved from condemnation from which thy own works will not save thee and this work will go on with joy if thy heart be honest for seeing him that is holy set before thee condemning sin and his holiness and beauty in all his motions doth so delight the honest heart to see such a glory and beauty near thee that it makes the way easie after him for the joy that is set before thee for in all thy tribulations trials and temptations this Faith will present him before thee and this made the Saints of old indure the Cross and despise the shame and bear the reproach after him joy fully following the Lamb in all his leadings So thou that lovest holiness it is near thee power over sin and Satan is near thee Salvation is at hand go not forth to seek that abroad which thou hast lost in thy own House he is thy salvation that condemn sin in thy bosom he that reproves the wicked is with thee he that is pure is thy peace he that never consented to sin but stands a witness against it if thou have such a spirit in thee thou hast the Spirit of Christ the Saviour So take heed unto him to believe him and to mind his leading and to follow him if thou part not from him he will be thy everlasting peace and over-ruling power to subdue thy sins and by him shalt thou tread down strength with ease and delight and shalt be able to say with such as was come to the same spirit Greater is he that is in thee then he that is in the World and only that Faith that sees him hath power to overcome the World for he that beholds his glory treads the Worlds glory under his feet for whatsoever is seen in him doth so far exceed all other things that it takes the mind out of all other delight and leaves them empty so that things in Heaven and things in Earth Principalities nor Powers are able to separate from the love of him how much more wilt thou leave thy delight in sin when thou comest to delight in him his love will constrain thee who loves purity and hath found it for this is joy indeed and love unspeakable when the soul finds that treasure in his own House freely given which he hath long been seeking abroad and could never purchase neither with life nor estate And the more thou beholdest him the more will his Glory and Love appear for as thou in the Light beholdest the pure motions of the Holy One thou wilt come to see what thou art without him and what thy wants is without which thou canst not be happy and that thou canst not have a lasting peace till with his vertue thou be filled and with his glory covered and with his power armed against every temptation all which he will make thee heir of with him as thou mindest to be faithfull and hearkens to his movings to obey them in all things who thereby will lead thee his Way by which he obtained all this Glory and Power and this Inheritance from the Father in which way thou wilt find a cross to all thy own wayes and to the worlds spirit in all things which will be easie if thou keep thy eye single to him who is set before thee therein his glory and the gaining thereof but if thou look back into the World thou lookest into temptation without him and there the spirit of the World presents thee with loss and not with gain setting before thee what thou must forgo with all the hardships and impossibilities that may be but no power to bear it but keeping the eye to him thou hast alwayes power and peace before thee in thy Way the Hope thereof will be as an Anchor and the Faith a Shield and the Love will give thee Life to undergo all the trials for his sake bearing his Cross daily which must part thee and thy sins and crucifie the worldly spirit with the lust thereof and kill all that wars against thy Soul and keeps thee from thy inheritance wherefore it is called The great Power of God unto Salvation And as thou becomes faithfull thereto thou wilt feel the fruit of that holy One springing in thee moving to be brought forth in thee towards God and man thy Faith will grow and prayers with strong cries to the Father as the Spirit sees thy wants thy love will spring and move in thee and bring forth towards God and man upon all occasions which if thou willingly serve in its smallest motion it will increase but if thou quench it in its movings and refuse to bring it forth iâ— will wither and dry in the not being exercised And it is the like of gentleness meekness patience and all other vertues which are of a springing and spreading nature where they are not quenched but suffered to come forth to his praise in his will and time who is the Begetter thereof and to the comfort of his own Seed and cross to the World And if thou be faithfull daily to offer up the body as a Sacrifice to bring forth his Image Name and Power before his Enemies then what he moves thee to bring forth shall be thy inheritance and will daily encrease with using but if thou wilt not give up for his Name same but would hold the treasure and escape the reproach then will it be taken from thee and given to him who will yield the Lord of the Vineyard his Fruit in due season for that which the Father freely begets he will have freely brought forth that the shining thereof in the dark World may praise him what a glory it is to see peace shine in the midst of war love in the midst of hatred meekness in the midst of strife righteous judgement in the midst of wickedness innocency in the midst of violence and oppression as a Lilly amongst thorns so is that of God amongst the men of the world and therein doth his nature and beauty appear in his Temple to which all must confess and praise him therein This is the glorious day which many have talked on and those onely are the children of it in whom the brightness shines forth that which God begets in thee is his Son confess him in the midst of his Enemies and thereby is the Father glorified and his Son crowned but if thou deniest him the body to testifie against the World he will deny thee his Life to Redeem thee from the evil of it the breaking forth of the Son is the beginning of the good day when that which so long hath condemned thee for sin comes to shine forth freely in acts of righteousness then shall thy darkness be turned into light thy condemnation into Peace thy sorrow for sin to rejoyce in holiness and this will be a good day to thee even the day