THE WORK OF SIN in the Flesh Condemned and the Power of the Enemy in and over the Creature mankind by Spiritual Weapons resisted and Warred against In a Controle of the dark Reason and Imaginations and Conceivings of Fallen Man in and under the curse of the Law that was added because of transgression AND Wherein is opened and unfolded by and from the spirit of Truth the Mistery of much and many Truths contained in the holy Scriptures in these Several particulars of the Doctrine of holy Faith 1. Concerning New Wine put into old botles or a new peice of cloath into an old Garmenâ— c. 2. Concerning the Wedding garment which many in this day are found without c. 3. Concerning the fruitless Tree that cumbers the ground 4. Concerning the words of Christ fear not him that can kill the body c. In which hell death and judgement are treated on and such likewise discribed who are already in it And 5. Whereby the difference of the Creatures sining against the Judgement of â—od in a time of ignorance and against his mercy in a time of knowledge is discoursed Which is a precious warning and visitation of repentance to all the world but especialy to thee O England By one â—hat hath remained hidden in the retiredness of spirit in and with God a friend to all â—ouls and loveâ— of â—ruth and righteousness R. B London Printed in the Year 1663. Concerning New Wine put into old botles or a new peice of cloath into an old garment c. Wherein is discribed the difference between a man changed in heart and nature by the truth of Judgement in God and men changing their Judgements and opinions from one perswasion to another c. IN the begining of creation the creature was created changeable that is in a condition that might be changed or subject to vanity and change not willingly but by reason of him that subjected the same in hope this condition was not wholly subjected to the power of the enemy without but in the creature though as a creature he was subject to temptation and to be tempted by the power of the Enemy in the creaturely state of nature in and of his body and both body and spirits composure for yeilding or subjection was the creatures frame in which he had properties and qualities and faculties acting him and in that was he a subject to what did or should raign over him which was or should be his Lord for the enemy could not have entered the creation of God out by and in him whose place was without the creature and creation of God where he secretly and hiddenly wrought in the mistery of darkness and nothingness and emptiness which made for the exalting the name and Justice of â—od in what he was resolved to glory over the enemy and spirit of enmity that wrought its own torment in the dark unconceivable wombe and mistery of eternities sufferance Thus was the creature in the cause of his change from and in the condition he was first-placed and stated in and had and hath these conditions they bear in the fall from and transgression against God â—herein the work and power of changeablety is manifest And â—udgement was and is a condition in the creature whose pâ—operâ—y faculty and quality is alterâ—ble to and in him as to a state or â—â—ates he doth or may possess And it is become an easy thing o the creature to change his Judgement from one thing to an 〈◊〉 or from opinions and perswasions in the world as the world doth alter and change but this is but to put new wine into old botles or a new peice of cloth into an old garment for the proper work of trueth in God or God who is a spirit of trueth is to change the heart of the man whose nature is old and hath the old wayes and course of the enemyes road to walk in and so creat all things new then is the prayer and desire of the righteous and upright witnessed and fulfilled creat in me a clean heart O Lord and renew a right spirit within me and the heavens and earth are new created and every and all desires of the soul are new and after new things even in the Lord and of his Kingdom and thus may creatures and people see whether the work of the Judgement of God hath place in their hearts and whether Judgement be so set up in the earth that the inhabitants may learn righteousness for it is Gods work to Judge the earth in righteousness and they in whose heart the spirit of Judgement and burning doth work to the changing it and them in it are such in whom God is come to dwel and where he sitteth as a refiners fire and fullers sope to purefy the dross from the silver c. in that the heart is the true seat of â—udgement and the place where the spirit of truth in all creatures doth Judge for God and work its work first before any thing can be retained that will hold for where trueth or trueths are not held and retained in righteousness in the righteous part and heart its Judgement is against the man that thus treasures up or retains in the wrong part what works and makes against him and the man cannot hold and retain it to his lives end in any comfort or rejoycing therein that may appear and seem to be his strength in Judgement but it breaks him even the vessel or creature that strengthneth Judgement against self himself by his thus holding and retaining it in that part it is against him in for it is a very dangerous thing for the creature to hold or retain Judgement in that which makes against him though it be the Judgement of the spirit of trueth in that in this day is the wrath of God revealed from heaven against all them that hold the trueth in unrighteousness and such are children of wrath filled with the wrath and indignation of the almighty God which we were by a nature we were born and brought forth in as well as others yea those hate the Judgement of God that thus retain it in the wrong mind and nature the nature of hatred that is the hateful nature of enmity against God and his good spirit of trueth which God hates in referance to the enmety therein and thereof is retained against the work and workings and operation of such his good spirit where the truth is not received in the love thereof And this day is God come forth to work a mighty change in the creature and creation the earth and world which is the workmanship of his hands for behold he is creating all things new and Ephraime is come up before his remembrance that hath sought to rest and settle her self on the old lees and draggs of the worlds defilements and liberty and ease of the flesh and all fleshly motions and desires and God hath been emptying her from vessel to vessel untill she is
well nigh refined wine from the leese and the savour of the old nature and vessel is well nigh lost and the settlement left in the burning and inflaming body of nature to Gods praise and glory his Judgement hath wasted and consumed the evil in and of Oh that there was a heart for these things to enter and that men would receive and lay up wise sayings for where trueth is received in the love thereof the Judgement of trueth is seen not to be against but for the creature of God and he that is in and hath the love of the Judgement of the spirit of trueth posessing his heart and soul hath the love and charity of God there to inform the Judgement of the work and works of the enemy the spirit of trueth in Judgement in God first made and is still bent against for the creatures preservation out of hurt under the power of the enemy and so Judgement is kept on the work of the enemy that would destroy the creature or creation of God the workmanship of his hands in which a sence of the love of God should remain in this day Gods salvation and love is sprung up to the creature and creation which groans and waytes to be delivered and travils together in pain for the adoption to wit the redemption of the body that the persons and spirit of creatures might be saved alive and as the love of God is hereby come into and dwelt in where our brother that we see is loved ere God can be seen and loved and obeyed in the heart what remains but a ground for manefesting the same And hereby what would lead into the work of destruction the hurt and enmity of the creatures life is kept out of and not joyned to in the perticular or general and this is the way he is leading his creature in and by where the work of the enemy is wearied and tired out and the creature made weary of the weight and burden of sin and willing to set down and rest from his own labour with God and so hath rest and peace with â—od in the enemies destruction he is not joyned and united to in heart or spirit neither hath any love towards but hates the work and workings of the enemy and enmity to the creatures life and well being with a perfect hatred for the sake of God and his creature in whom the love of his trueth to raign ought to be respected for the comfort and rejoycing of whatever God is pleased to work and act in the earth and heart of such creatures for that which leads into the power of destruction and under its spirits guidance doth first lead and guide into destraction whereby that seeming zeal for God or the Lord is for a power of dominion that is God in and of the world of ungodly that vallues not the creatures good and preservation in an equal concern with the honor and glory of that God they have a zeal for and love to the way of So who is in the love of the trueth revealed in the heart and that they know and are acquainted with and the Judgement thereof respects in their own particulars loves that which shews the evil of all biterness of spirit and emnity against the work and will of God in which is an equall concern of his creatures good in that will and work but the biterness of spirit it loves not neither the enmity to the spirit of God which he learns by the evil of what he therein sees in it to come out of as that which is no friend to God nor his creature therefore should he be a friend to it he sees he should befriend the enemy of God and his own soul and strengthen the enmity and hatred of God against self himself in countenancing or loving what God hates and so make the Judgement of God intolerable and hard to be born as such work of the enemy is pitied at home which by loving that which discovers the evil and danger hereof he is thereby preserved from such evil danger prevented and so nothing is broken and distracted oâ— the work of God in th Judgement and understanding of the creature neither so comes forth in the world through a hastiness of spirit in such the creature in referance to self and the selfish favour of the minds passion in the predomenacy of any overflowing humour but the heart is made new from whence inordinacy of passion in such favours do arise and where the humors have had predomenaci and the cause hereof which is the creatures destruction in the particular or generall dyes from him and he from it and so is in and of a healing saving sound spirit sound and wholesome in and under Judgement being seperated from the old and the old nature and spirit of the world that had the old affections which are crucified to him as he is to the world in which the inordinaci of love and affâ—ction wrought in and after earthly things which should the work of the enemy be countenanced in the creature and a pity in the heart lurke and remain to it that may foster the evil then is Judgement strengthened against the creature in that work of countenancing the enemies power and so becomes intollerable to the creature and can not be born but leads into distraction and into a broken torn condition but the treasure being in heaven where all things are new made and created the baâ— is without holes for the heart is also there and the affections set on things above And this is that heart and minde that what hath been empted from vessel to vessel is now retained in and though it hath been the cause of braking â—in many vessels a heart is now felt and found that can retain the savour of its work to its lifes end and rejoyce in and speake well of the same that like the good housholder can bring out of its treasury things new and old for the heart being made new there is dayly new and fresh experience of Gods goodness and though old things are done away yet the remembrance of Gods goodness and glory who is the worker brings up all before the creature to exalt the goodness of God and to put the creature in a dayly remembrance of what he is as in and to himself And here is no more sea nor confused heaps of unstable waters and raging waves that foame up and out their own shame neither is the broken and torn brought before God and offered to him as a sacraâ—ice Yea And here is neither old wine in new bottles nor new wine in old botles whereby the botles should break and the wine be spilt on the ground but new wine is put in new botles and both are preserved and the garment is all new and so no rent which new cloath to the old garment might make the rent worse but a liquor is in the vessel that hath been powered and emptied from vessel to
in very like to see and behold the dainties of Gods house but he hath not power to touch thereof much less to taste but that is his torment to see that which he hath no appetite to that is not relishable to his taste And if so that is not prepared for him nor he for it But of this are all the upright in heart perswaded and that they have right to the tree of life to the paradice of God to the riches and dainties of his house notwithstanding all their failings and backsliding which God hath healed freely for his own name sake having him that all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom are hide in on their side whom God freely gave for us all and with him shall he not freely give us all things They have relish they have taste and savour cloathed they are on the right hand and left and do feel truth to be the garment and covering they are cloathed with and it warmes them without and refresheth them within to feel themselves in the life of truth professed Concerning the fruitless Tree that cumbers the ground c. The ground of this worlds essence and being the heart thereof that was an honest and upright heart in Gods creation was once good and the root of the tree also that God once planted a truly right noble seed and the body and branches that grew up from the good ground and root as it stood good and in innocency in like manner was good and brought forth the fruit of his praise and honor and as one man did Adam in innocency and uprightness in joy and possess the benefit of this good before nature degenerated into the plant of a strange vine then were sower grapes brought forth unto the Lord bitter and unpleasant to taste the grape of Sodom and apples of Gomorah And the servants of the Lord were beaten and cruelly used that were sent for the Lords own for he looked for grapes and behold vvild grapes and he had no benefit of his vine-yard wherefore he began to brake off the branches and to gather in others that might bring forth better fruit and from the East and West and North and South to call in and invite to come and sit down in the kingdome with Abraham Isaac and Jacob where chi dren of the kingdome are shut out yet were not the branches that were gathered in to boast themselves against them that were broken of and cast out but to remember and consider the root bares them and not them it And these thâ—ngs were seen and done in a green tree ere the body was thorough grown or any thing quite ripe and dry ready for the fire of unquenchable burnings and before the fruit of such works and actions could manifest the hidden works of darkness and fruitlessness of what is brought forth from the mistery of Iniquity against which the fury of Gods soul is bent And had he not longed for figgs to taste of the fruit of what his own right hand had planted never had the curse been felt And it was not so much the degenerate plant the unpleasant tasted tree and fruit that the curse was to or that drinks the dreggs of the fury of God and his wrath and indignation to the wicked so is its sin strengthened against the favour love and mercy of God that not onely lets see this state but a way to escape a further and greater danger is made known in and by the same discovery in reference to what is come forth against the dry tree for the fruit is already ripe and well nigh gathered in and the harvest of Gods favour iâ— the general near over as to and in many particulars the work hereof hath been manifested and witnessed in therefore hath this tree over stood its time that which hath no fruit to God in time of vintage and offends more then Gods Judgement for his favour and grace is hereby so abused and sinned against that it s well nigh wearied out as his Judgement had been offended whâ—â— sower grapes were brought forth this God bore for thy sake hiâ— creature and for thy weakness sake and want of knowledge of his mind and will and the counselings of his pure spirits work and workings because his servants were not altogether sent away empty but brought unto him such as the ground bore but where the servants of the Lord and last of all the son himself hath been sent away without fruit and evilly intreated and violent hands laid on them and the heir not owned to be Lord of and ever the inheritance the provocation is aggravated and the mans condemnation the more just in the wilful dispite of and against the spirit of grace and for his own name sake is he thus arisen that he may get himself a name and a praise in the salvation or destruction of such he comes to plead with in mercy and the free grace of his love wherein he begins as an enemy and as submition is found and witnessed under Judgement friendship and unity is witnessed and the breach made up and all still and quiet Yea and was it not a favour in God to bear with this tree beyond the time of his first gathering the time that Judgement was due to it and that God came forth in the Judgement of and against his creature in a state he is fallen in and under that passing by he should find it cumbring the ground and have no fruit to his praise or any thing from thence brought forth pleasant to his taste and is it not the favour grace and mercy of God is the ground of thy being and if it be not of thy well being is it not because of thy sin and offence against it for there was goodness in God in his forbearance and bearing with thee to this day but if he can have no more good from and in thee thereby say not he hath dealt hardly in this kinde for on Gods part there is goodness in the ground of thy being which honoreth his forbearance and if it be not answered on thy part this is the continual voice and cry of God in that soul that which is good is cumbered the feild is over grown with weeds netles and bryars and thorns and these choak the good seed but when the ground is seen bad either high-way ground or stony or thorny its nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burnt and this is a very sad state where mercy and favour hath left man to the second death of Judgements decreeing and that beares with the man waiting to honor and get God a name in its execution therefore ought the furrow ground to be ploughed up and no more to sowe among thornes So this tree is that the man that hath been sown to that which is of the flesh being flesh as that which is of the spirit is spirit which man lives in and reaps and injoyes that which he hath been sown to and in and if it