19. I know my Redeemer lives and that I shall see him with these eyes I do wonder what a God men fancy to be seen with a fleshly eye I alwayes took God to be a Spirit invisible and that no created fleshly things was able to see him I cannot imagine then how Jobs eyes which were and should be in a visible form and shape should be capable of such a Divine invisible vision But yet if Job was so carnall to conceive that his fleshly eyes should see a spirituall God yet I am not And if any man shall say that Christ hath a Body in heaven which he lived in when he was upon the earth and that may be seen being visible and corporall for that when any man shall prove heaven a locall place and that God the Fathour sits there and receives petitions from his Son Christ as men do visibly here on earth then I shall give him an answer neither have I so learned Christ to make him to consist of flesh and bloud or bodily shape in heaven as men call it for though it be said that Steven saw the heaven opened and Christ sitting at the right hand of God yet am I not so carnall to believe That Stevens fleshly eyes might see up above the stars and skies and that the house top might be open where he was and so he bodily saw Christ sitting in a bodily shape at the right hand of God in heaven As a Diuine of Leicestershire did affirm to me in a private conference that he thought it might be so But his divinity being as little as his person I leave him as knowing that the man Christ left his fleshly being to live in the divine which is void of all forme and shape or to be seen visibly by any outward or corporeall substance and that no light can see him but his own and when men live in this light then they will agree with me till then I must leave men to their dark and carnall apprehensions In the meane time I am content to be nothing that God may be all and to let fall my thoughts of any glory or excellency hereafter as a creature as knowing that the fleshly man dies that the spirituall may be raised and that all creature or sensible enjoyment of God shall cease in eternall silence and it is fruit and joy enough in my spirit that God hath so discovered himself in me that I can willingly resolve all my comforts joy and peace into God who is that endlesse and infinite Ocean and rather desire to be comprehended of it then to comprehend it so that by all that hath bin alleadged I cannot see that there is any thing in that called Scripture to prove any fleshly living of the body after this life but that all things and Creatures below God perish and die and God onely lives and rises in more power and glorious appearance then ever be was in when he lived in the flesh which is that resurrection which is spirituall and which we have endeavoured to make out and so I leave it and come to the last Subject of my discourse which is that we call Scriptures and because men are as carnall about that as any of the former and because the ground of all the mistakes in the former is onely the mis-apprehension of the Scripture we shal insist upon that a little the more larger and so conclude Concerning the Scripture IF you take Scripture as it was written by the Prophets and Apostles It is a forme of wholesome words a perfect rule for all outward actions a true Guide for a mans outward conversatition among men The liveliest expression of the mind of God of all other books setting forth all conditions estates and enjoyments of all men in the world it is the word in flesh The word was made flesh it is the highest discovery of God in flesh the truest testimony of God in the world I do verily believe that what pitch soever any man hath or can attain unto but it is able to speak to him in it thus it is in the letter and the out-side of it But if you ask me what I make Scripture I look upon it to be spiritual and so it is the Law written in the heart and so it is spirit and life as Christ saith The words that I speak are spirit and life so that what Christ speaks spiritually that is Scripture and so it is the power of God for take Scripture as it is in the History it hath no more power in the inward man then any other writings of good men nor is it in that sense a discerner of the secrets as it is in the History so it is to be believed above all other writings in the world but as it is a mystery and God being the substance of it so I must believe it as God makes it out in me I must not build my Faith upon it or any saying of it because such and such men writ or speak so and so But from that divine manifestation in my own spirit for the Scripture as it is written outwardly is but an outward witnesse of that which is within and the spirituality of it wherein the life and being of it doth consist is made out by a spiritual discovery I do not go to the letter of Scripture to know the mind of God but I having the mind of God within I am able to see it witnessed and made out in the Letter for if I do a thing lawfull from the Letter yet if I be perswaded in my own spirit I should not do it I sinne Yea further that power and authority which the Scripture hatâ—â— is not because such and such men writ it but from that divine manifestation in them And so indeed if I have the same discovery that they had then I can say it is the word of God otherwise I lie for it is one thing to believe the Scripture because such and such write it as most men do and it is another thing to believe it because God saith so in me and so it is the spirituall speaking of God that is the Scripture and so that is true They that are of God hear Gods Word Now no man can hear God but as God speaks And it is as true that as God speaks spiritually so no man hears him but in a spirituall manner and so we hear Gods word And therefore it is said often in the 1. Rev. He that hath an eare let him hear what the spirit saith to the Churches Which cannot be understood of a carnall eare because every man hath that but as the Spirit speaks spiritually so it is the spirituall eare that hears the Spirit For all the outward speaking or hearing of men or Scripture cannot reach the Spirit Further the Scripture I do apprehend as it is written outwardly is God clothed in fleshly tearmes and expressions and speaks in the language of men as when he speaks of
the ground of them and as they are spirituall inward so those spirituall and inward acts or motions that fall below or tend to the crossing of this design of God they are unlawfull and yet in some respect these also tend to the glory of God and sin it self doth as well fall in compliance with the glory of God as well as that which we call grace and goodnesse for sinne abounds that grace may abound much more And however men speak of offending God by sin and the Scripture speaks of provoking God to wrath by the sins of a people yet indeed to me it is apparent that God is no more provoked by sin to wrath then he is allured to blessing by any holiness of a people or person And therefore Jeremiah saith The Lords hand is not shortned that he cannot save or his eares heavy that he cannot heare but it is their sins that hide his face from them In which I really see that it is not as men generally take it that sin causes God actually to withdraw himself or to alter his porpose of good to the Creature but the truth lies in this that there is that people are as near and ready to be helpt and saved of God when they sin as when they do good But onely this there is that in the nature of sin that guilt and condemnation to it that accusing power it is of in the Conscience that men mis-apprehend and do misconceive the face or countenance of God to them and sin it is that is that vaile or covering over the face glory of God that hinders the shining of it in the spirit For the Sun doth shine as clearly when the Cloudes interpose betwixt us and it as when it is a clear day onely it doth not so appear to us and so it is with God the sin is the Cloud that interposes betwixt God and us though God be the same and all one to us when we sin yet we do not so see it so that it is not a peoples sinning or doing good that is any cause in God of good or evill to the Creature for what absurdity would follow if God should hide his face and let out his love upon the Creatures sinning or doing that which we call good how mutable should we make God to be whereas we know that all accidents and occurrences are the manifestations of that supream Will and Power which is immutable and unalterable whether the Creature sin or do well And whereas some may say then men may live as they list because God is the same and all tends to his glory if we sin or if we do well I answer them in the words of the Apostle Men should not sin because grace abounds but yet if they do sin that shall turn to the prayse of God as well as when they do wel And so the wrath of man praises God as well as his love and meekness and God glorified in the one as well as the other And however this may seeme to countenance that God is the Authour of sin and wills sin yet to me it is plain that there is nothing that hath a Being but God and sin being a nullity God cannot be the Author of it and so falles not within the decree of God for so far as God was in man and made him so far he is God but it was the man the self-being that found out many Inventions And all things that God made were very good when he lookt upon them But sinne God could not behold because it was not Herein is God glorified in sinne as contraries set together illustrate one another and God is glorious and powerful in the destroying that fleshly Being which is exalting it self against the divine And therefore is God manifest in our flesh to destroy the workes of flesh in us and he is plucking down those principalities and powers and destroying that old man with his deceiveable lusts and forming the new man which is himself or the devine Being and new man in us Further I see that the reason why we cal some men wicked and some godly is not any thing in the men but as the divine Being appeares more gloriously in one then in another so we say the one is a Saint and godly and the other is wicked and profane and yet the one acts as he is carried forth by the Supreme power and so doth the other And if there be any difference it is not in respect of the creature of what it is or doth for the same divine Being is in the one as well as the other but onely it doth not so manifest it self in the one as the other And therefore as I dare call no man good because there is none good but God so I dare call no man wicked or ungodly because it is God only that makes the difference and who am I to judge another mans Servant And I see also that the same power that inables a man to do good the same power prevents a man from evill For neither the evill act or the good act are evill or good as they are acts and men can no more do evill then they can do good as they call it which may answer that common Objection that men make That if this be so men may drink swear and be profane and live as they list And I answer further the sin lies not in these outward acts for a man may do the self-same act and yet not sin that is that a man drinks to excess there is the sin that a man drinks for necessity or delight the same act and posture of body is put out in the one as the other And so I might instance in the rest so that the sin is from within The lust within and an inward lusting after the Creature beyond that end for which God hath designed it And further this I affirm that a man as man hath no more power or freedom of will to do evill then he hath to do good I think Joseph had as many opportunities to commit folly as any man could have and yet saith he How can I do this and sinne against God So that it was the power within which kept him though questionlesse he might have had a naturall inclination to have done the act as other men And I believe Esau had as much will and power as a man to do his brother Jacob a mischief and to take away his life but when God once appeared to him then instead of killing him he imbraces him so might be instance in divers other examples So that hence I conclude it is onely the powerfull presence of God in one man more then another that one man acts not as vilely as another Again I apprehend further that there is not two wills in God as men generally teach and affirm that is to say an active will and a permissive will and so a power to make a man to do good and another
kind of power to restraine a man from evill and so men confound the power and will of God when as indeed they are not distinct in God for Gods power and will are all one his will is his power and his power is his will and by the self same act that he wills things by the selfe same act he doth things and it is our weakenesse otherwise to apprehend for God being one and intire admitting of no distinction or division in himself he admits of no variations but all things are as that supreme will acts and brings them forth And I see according to the Councell of his will they did no more that crucified Christ then they that did imbrace him These things I write not to countenance any unseemly act or evill in any man And I know God being purity it self cannot behold uncleannesse and his Spirit in me doth condemn it wherever I see it and I cannot but reprove it where ever it is found Neither can I so close in society or fellowship with those that are in darkness or walk unbeseemingly not becoming the Gospel and yet I know that if the grace of God appeared in them it would as well teach them to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts as to live righteously and soberly in the World Onely I desire to open the nature of that which we call sin and to make it as spiritually vile as I can For I see my self to have been mistaken and I see others are in sin as well as in that we call grace goodnes For as I have made the formall and outward performance of a Duty the onely thing wherein grace and godliness did consist so have I made the outward doing or not doing of an act to be the sin But I really see that neither the one or the other as an act is either good or evill But as godliness is a mystery and inward and is within us so is sin likewise a mystery and also within us and therefore it is called a mystery of iniquity from whence proceeds murders adulteries and are they not from the lust within The inward lust and acting is the sin which is contrary or below God the outward acting or putting forth of that inward lust is the sin against man and is below a man and whether the thing or sinne be acted outwardly or no there is sin And therefore the spirituality of the Gospel is above the Letter the Letter onely forbiding the outward act of adultery but the spirituality forbids the very lust within and therefore he that looks on a woman with a secret and inward lust hath committed the sin in the Spirit and heart as if he had done the outward act and is in Gods account an adulterer And all the use I can make of the premisses duely considered it rather aggravates the nature of sin then extinuates or lessens it for I can seriously reflect upon my own spirit and see more sin within then all the world can do without I see that I have framed and fancied a God without me and have given him an outward Worship while I have seem'd to be very spirituall and so have been very far from that spirituall worship of him which is like himself and consists onely in Spirit and Truth for what a vaine thing is it to me for a man to put off his Hat or kneele and show an outward reverence to an invisible God and how carnall have I been and men are in setting dayes and times a part to expresse an outward humiliation for an inward and spirituall sacrifice whereas there is no humility but in the Spirit and there is no spirituall exaltation of God but when the Creature ceases from being or doing any thing and makes God All whereas men think to get pardon and peace from God by a self-humiliation prayers and duties and I know not what and so give that to a duty and a prayer which is the onely proper worke of God who subdues our sinnes and pardons them for his own Names sake And so I have done with that which we call sinne which we call a privation of God or the living below God you see we have made it something and nothing in respect of God it is nothing for he knowes no defect neither is he in darknesse but is all glory and light Again it is something in respect of the creature because it is in darknesse and lives not in the light and glory of that God and there is that in the Creature which as a vaile covers and hides the glory of God and so it is sinfull and yet here is God in all this for should the Creature share in the Deity God would not be so glorious and should the Deity partake of the Humanity and be one with it there would be no sin and therefore is God manifest in flesh but not to flesh and therefore doth the Divine Nature and Being live in the Humane but is not the Humane nor is the Humane capable of any conjunction or union with the Divine and therefore the Divine lives in it self and the Humane or fleshly Being lives in it self and as the fleshly Being is below the Divine so men living in it are sinfull and as that acts so they act sin which is all at present I see of that we call Sinne. Concerning Hell HAving spoken of the Devill and Sin Hell must needes follow for no sooner did Man leave to live in the Divine Being and so lived in himself but he was turned out of Paradise to digg for his living and to worke labour and toyle to maintaine a self-Being and to procure a self-happinesse and so presently he came to shame and misery he eating of the forbidden fruite which was his own holinesse righteousnesse all is cursed to him and so the man is in Hell so that our ceasing to live in God and living in the self-Being is the Hell For that Angelicall life in us being vailed and covered we live in the Diabolicall whence it is we are in Hell As soone as man ceast to live in the light but he would be knowing something and doing something so soone did he fall into a Chaos and all was darknesse and so that develish and self nature is in man and he is reserved in chaines of darknesse till the judgement of the great day of Gods appearing in his Spirit and till then he is in Hell untill God Judge and burne up that flesh and carnall knowing of him and reduce him to his first Being to live in God till then he suffers the fire of Hel in himself so that the Hell in a mans selfe and the condemnation is that a man is condemned of himself What adoe there is in the world to find Hell where it is how many have puzled and beat their braines to find it out as if it were a locall place and therefore some because they would make it contrary to Heaven and as they fancie that the highest
place so they will be sure to make Hell the lowest and therefore being as carnall in the one as the other make it to be the lowest part of the Earth Others because they find a place speaking of the Devill calling him the Prince of the Aire they will make Hell in the Ayre I know not where But as the Devill rules onely in Aierie and light spirits so I look upon this to be a Aierie fancy For as the Devill is and hath his Throne and Seat in every man so is his Hell truly for my part I think they cannot be separated and therefore I conceive any man that is in bondage to his own lust nay further he that is under the Law or in any formal or outward duty is so possessed with a spirit of bondage that he must be so and so do so and so or else he must be damned and in the doing of such and such things he shall be saved this man is in Hell and Hell in him and needes no other Devill to torment him but his own false and carnall apprehension of God for as the spirituall appearance of God doth necessarily and formally make Heaven and cause joy and peace in the spirit So the dark and carnall conceit or knowledge of God must needes cause sorrow and lamentation and makes Hell I do not much wonder at the carnall Papist no more then at the carnall Protestant the one fancying a carnall purgatory the other a carnall Hell And I think the one gets as much money for frighting men with the one and making them believe they can show them the way to avoid it and bring them to Heaven as the other doth in frighting them with purgatory and making the poor people believe they can keep them from that But I let that passe And however the Scripture speaks of Hell and expresses it by fire and brimstone and the worme dying not and many other expressions It speakes as in other cases after the manner of men not that there is such visible and material formes of punishment But that as fire and brimstone are the most fearful things to the nature of man so doth the Scripture set out the miserable and fearfull Estate of a carnall condition and what miseries and torments do accompany such an Estate And what consequences have followed the outward man from being in such darkness and what the absence of God hath caused in the spirit the Scriptures and many daily examples do abundantly testifie whose terrors and distractions in their spirits have been such as have been easeless and remediless and made them willing to become their own Butchers and all this hath been from a misapprehension and confused knowledge of God The truth is I shall speak from my own experience so long as I was in bondage to dayes times and set times that I must pray so often and do so much frequent such Ordinances so long I was in trouble and sorrow for I really saw there was this and that failing and miscarriage in every duty that I suffered torment in my spirit for fear I should never attain my end which was a carnall and sensible enjoyment of some happiness which I called Heaven and when I was inlarged in this and that duty I thought then all was well and that I should go to Heaven And so I was continually suffering the torment of Hell and tossed up and down being condemned of my self And this is all the condemnation that I see is come into the World that men love darkness rather then light because their deeds are evill That men live in love the dark and fleshly Being and not in the light in the divine being this is the condemnation not causally but formally And this is that I found til God appeared spiritually and shewed me that he was all the glory and happiness himself and that flesh was nothing and should enjoy nothing and then I could not but cease from my former fleshly actings which caused nothing but fear and trouble and saw God or rather God made out himself in me joy and peace and brought me into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God whereas I was before in bondage to sin law an accusing Conscience which is Hell And yet I cannot exclude God in all this for if we descend into Hell he is there He is in the dark though we see it not as well as in the light that we see He is in wrath and severity and we are wisht to behold him in both let there be never such confusions of spirit never such terrors and Hell let there be darkness and no light yet there God is there is some glimps of himself in as much as there is a secret going out of the spirit towards God and all the distractions the Creature lies under is because it cannot enjoy the presence love of God yet God is there amidst all that darkness and raignes in the midst of his enemies and so he descends into Hell and returnes with a glorious tryumph rising with abundance of joy and peace in the spirit So that though the Earth be moved and the great mountains which the Creature had made to it self be tumbled up and down and the Creature have no rest but is easeless and restless yet God is there as a Rock unshaken of any storme but is sweetly refreshing and delighting himself with himself and so enters into the strong mans house and disarmes him and bindes him hand and foote and casts him into utter darkness And to summe up all if there be any that think this is not Hell enough to be inwardly and spiritually tormented Let them but consult with those that have been under spirituall desertions as they are called and have cryed out as if their bones had been broken and would have chosen death rather then life and thought they could have indured many burnings to have been rid of such a condition And I think they will tell them there is no other or need be no other Hell and all this comes from a dark and carnall knowledg or rather ignorance of God for certain it is God condemns none But the condemnation is of a mans self and in a mans self If any shall say all this is nothing I care not if this be all the Hell and that it lasts no longer then this life But is there not a Hell hereafter that is the Hell to think of Eternity and that the Creat re shall be everlastingly tormented and indure the wrath of God to all Eternity For answer hereunto I must professe I do not know of any such thing nor do I conceive what should be thus tormented for that which men call a soule I had thought to have made it a particular of the present discourse but I shall referr it to further consideration onely to stay any mans appetite that desires my opinion of it I shall onely give him this morsell to chew upon and that is this I
do wonder how any man can make it to be capable of any torment when as it is well known it came immediately from God and is no other but of God and if I may say further without offence it is God for that which is of God is God because God cannot be divided All men grant it is immortall and came from God pure and undefiled And how then it should be impure I know not for this I really see that though it was infused into the body yet I am sure it was not of the body nor could the flesh be capable of such a thing as we call union with the spirit and so the soule is in the body but is not of the body or the body but really distinct and so it is in flesh but not flesh and so it is God manifest in flesh But not in union or conjunction with flesh but hath a distinct and formall difference both here and hereafter the one returning to nothing the other living to all Eternity And further how this soule as men speak of should be impure and sinfull I know not for how flesh should defile a spirit I cannot Imagine being that I am sure and as every man will grant That no effect can be produced beyond its cause but every effect hath its rise and originall from its proper cause And so hath God laid in nature the body proper to the seed and to every seed it s own body And a man may as well gather Grapes of Thornes and Figs of Thistles as to conceive it can be that a visible or fleshly substance can corrupt a spirituall and invisible substance But then you will say where is the sin all this while you will say then sin is nothing or that there is no sin To which I have partly answered in the foregoing Subject spoken of which because it is so faln in my way I shall speak a little further in answer to you First I shall grant and I think it is no lesse then blasphemy to affirm otherwise that God is not the Authour of sin or that any sin can be in him he being light and in him is no darkness at all and so the soule being of him it must needes be pure and holy not admitting any mixture of flesh or that which we call corrupted nature And yet againe Secondly I cannot conceive there should be sin untill God was pleased to let out himself in flesh But for before he lived in himself and so there could be no sin there being nothing but God Thirdly Inasmuch as this flesh is a vaile or covering wherein this soule or divine Being lives this God soule or divine nature call it what you will the glory and beauty the purity and excellency thereof being darkened and obscured there is the sin For whatever men conceive of things this I really apprehend That that which we call the soule that is as men generally make it The understanding reason judgement will and affections are not positively or actually infected with sin but onely are obscured and cannot be so gloriously manifested by reason of the flesh or fleshly Being and so God tooke flesh upon him and through the vaile that is the flesh did destroy and doth condemn sin in the flesh So that whosoever prays or prophesies with a vaile or covering upon his head Christ which is God in the Spirit such a one dishonoureth his head which is Christ because he suffers something to come betwixt God and him So that by this time I suppose you see what I conceive of sin and where it lies and what I conceive of that we call soul and of the body or fleshly part of man wherein I have been forced to make a little digression because things are mysterious And to come to the point in hand concerning a Hell hereafter what it should be or what should be tormented in it I do not as yet apprehend for the soul came pure and is of the essence of God could not be corrupted and the body not capable of any impressions of God and returns to its first principle of earth so that unlesse you will imagine a Hell in God which you would account Blasphemy to speak I cannot fancy or imagine any such Hell hereafter as men dreame off The truth is there is nothing lives to all eternity but God every thing below God perisheth and comes to nothing and as all things had their subsistance and Being in God before they were ever manifested in the world or Creatures so in the end whatsoever is of God or God in the world at the end of it they shall all be rapt up into God againe And so as God from all eternity lived in himself and all things in him so when he shall cease to live in flesh and creatures he will then live in himself unto all eternity and will gloriously triumph over Sin Hell and death and all Creatures shall give up their Power and Glory unto God backe againe from whence it Originally came and so God shall be All. However if any man can imagine that there will be any dark appearance of God hereafter or unto all eternity then may he conclude a Hell for as sin is the dark appearance of God so is Hell an inseperable companion of it but to imagine the one or the other hereafter or to all eternity would render me in my owne apprehension one of those whose property it is to believe every thing but I know whom I have believed Thus have I done with that part of my discourse which I call the dark side of God which I divide into three parts which we call Devill Sin and Hell In all which I have indeavoured to clear God and to make the Devill and sin as vile as I can but am far short of the one or the other wanting words to express my self in either onely what was upon my spirit thou hast in the Letter Concerning the Resurrection NOw let us come to deliver our selves about that which we call Resurrection and to express it as it is in me I see it also to be spirituall and inward and is also of that which is the inward man For though I know the inward man which is God or the divine Being admits of no degrees either is more or lesse but yet in as much as this God is more gloriously manifested at one time more then another in man Hence it is that we give this Title of resurrection of the Creature after this life is ended But truly for my part I am fully satisfied in my own spirit with those words of Christ where he saith I am the Resurrection and the life and I see it fully made out in me that Christ spiritually is that resurrection which I thought should be of the creature And I cannot tell what in the creature should rise or be capable of such glory and happinesse beside God and so I see that which I did expect to enjoy hereafter onely
himself and he uses such expressions as are highest in mens esteem and his commands threatnings and promises admonitions exhortations they are all as men speak to one another for I dare not believe God is this or that or can be named by any title or that he ever threatned any people or Nation or promised any that upon such and such terms they should have this or that or upon neglect of him they should suffer this or that for to me it plainly appears that there is neither wrath or anger love or hatred in God or that God was any thing more or lesse to a people upon their sinning or doing any good For then a thousand absurdities would follow But the truth is because men apprehend anger when they sin and God pleased when they do well therefore men speak as one to another and God so far condescends as to speak to men in their own language But that he is so in himselfe I should think blasphemy to affirme for I am confident there is never an error or tenent in the world as men maintaine but if men take that for Scripture which they call the Bible it doth fully and literally countenance and uphold and I know no other way in the world to uphold the authority of Scripture than to make it spirituall And whereas men speak that we deny Scripture I must confesse for my part tha◠I know no greater door opened to the denying it then for men to presse and urge men to do such and such things because the outward word saith so and so indeed so far I shall deny it as the Letter is inferiour to the Spirit so far I conceive the letter doth vaile and shadow the spirituality of it And if men have the Law in their hearts and be taught of God they need not run so often to a great Bible to relieve themselves in straights and doubts as men generally do never reflecting upon their spirits to see what God speaks there I do not speak it to condemn the practise neither is the fault in the Book but in mens carnall conceits of it and seeing men make an Idoll of it and think the reading and perusing the outward word is enough to cure all their wounds and to resolve their doubts so that as men look upon God outwardly and carnally so do they have recourse to an outward word to strengthen their carnall apprehensions Truly I must confesse ingeniously that as to my own spiritual enjoyment I see nothing of any concernment in it or in looking upon it but onely this I see and so it is some comfort to me to read that God hath discovered himself in others as well as in me and that the spirit speaks the same in me as it did in them But for any thing of God that I look to attaine unto by reading or looking upon it I do not care whether ever I look upon one again or no And yet this is no detracting from the glory or authority of Scripture because the Scripture is within and spirituall and the Law being writ in my spirit I care not much for beholding it in the Letter but as to the ends aforesaid And the truth is it is the Law in the spirit that is the true Bible the other is but a shadow or counterpart of it and therefore I do not expect to be taught by Bibles or Books but by God nay further I do not do any thing or abstain from any thing because the outward letter commands or forbids it but by reason of that commanding power which is God in me and his speaking is the power of God to salvation and it is in that by which I live and by which I act and so the Apostle speaks of the law outward that it was not made for the righteous but for whoremongers and such and such And so I see that if men were acted guided by that inward law of righteousnesse within there need be no laws of men to compel or restrain men and I could wish that such a spirit of righteousnesse would appear that men did not act or do things from externall rules but from an internall law within Again to speak a little further concerning the Scripture men generally speak that we must do nothing but what we have a rule for and are asking what warrant have you to do such a thing shew a rule from Scripture and then we will believe you or else it is but a whimsey and I know not what Truly it is true and I would those that talk most of a rule did see that rule for the safest and prime rule that I know for any man is that pure spirituall law and rule of righteousnesse which is within and so far as any man doth any thing beneath or beyond that so far he doth that which he hath no warrant for but who must judge of this rule whether this or that be according to the mind of God or no To this I answer in the words of Scripture because men will soonest believe me That it is the spirit which searches all things even the deep things of God and there is no knowing the spirit but in its own light which is spiritual therefore I think it not so safe to go to the Bible to see what others 〈◊〉 spoken and writ of the mind of God as to see what God speaks within me and to follow the ducture and leading of it in me I shall sooner and so others shall sooner mis-apprehend the mind of God in other men then in my self and the same law and rule being in me which was in those that writ the Bible and to which internall and spiritual rule within I must take a measure and scantling of all my actions I had rather measure them from or by a rule within then by any outward rule or word whatsoever for the one that is to say the Bible without is but a shadow of that Bible which is within which is the Law spiritual the safest and onely rule If any man shall say that I may be deceived and take that for a discovery of God which is but a fancie of my own Brain I answer I may mis-interpret the outward Scripture and so run as great a hazard that way and as soon fall into errour because it speakes of and to men in variety of Estates and conditions and so if I take that part of it which doth not speak to my condition I shall then make a false construction of it so that I conceive the farest and surest rule to walk by is that law of the spirit and as many as walk according to that spirituall rule peace shall be upon them and on the Israel which is of God but as many as walk according to a rule without them and so look for a God and Scripture without they shall be but at a losse and live in continuall trouble and disquietment and if I may speak my own experience without offence
faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Is not the Scripture and outward letter a meanes to convey the knowledge of God and meanes to ger Faith To which I answer it is true but what living is it to which hearing is annexed If an outward and carnall living and knowing of God then the outward Scripture contributes to it but if it be a spiritual living which is a living in God then that life must be enjoyed by a spirituall hearing for all the outward hearing in the world cannot reach to that so that to me it is plain that then men spiritually live when God spiritually speakes and so this spiritual life is attained by a spirituall speaking of God and when men heare that spiritual speaking then their soules live spiritually in that and so the word of Christ is verefied That 〈◊〉 an lives not by bread onely but by every word which proceedes out of the mouth of God that is it is not any outward or external way or meanes that supports the Spirit but 〈◊〉 is the divine and spiritual food that the divine and spiritual man lives upon and on that he feedes spiritually with 〈…〉 and satisfaction it being sutable to him and 〈…〉 onely blessed that eat bread in the Kingdom of 〈◊〉 for they never hunger or thirst after any externall or outward teaching or speaking of men and so it is true that faith comes by hearing But what do you make of Faith If it be a spiritual thing as it is then it must needes come by a spiritual meanes which is a spiritual hearing and so the following words explain it That hearing comes 〈◊〉 the word of God Now it is apparent that God speakes spiritually and so he is heard and believed spiritually and men cannot heare God speak but it must be by a spiritual hearing sutable to the speaking But men are still objecting and say did not Christ and the Apostles convince men of the truth of things by the Scripture shewing things must needs be so I answer it is true but the reasons plain which was that because men were not able to bear Christs spiritual speaking it being mysticall therefore he speaks to them in parables and in such a way as they could apprehend and so did condescend to their weaknesse and so Christ speakes of himself that he needed not Iohns Testimony he had 〈◊〉 sufficient proofe with himself and needed not any mans Testimony of him And besides as men did hasten their lief of things upon an outward letter therefore Christ the Apostle brought Scripture to prove things that he miâ—â— bear them with their own weapons And so alleadged Scâ—â—ture to the Devill to answer him in his own way Anâ—â— the Apostles brought Scripture to prove a Christ in the fâ—â— which some went about to deny And whereas sâ—â— alleadge that to the Law and the Testimony if any 〈◊〉 speak not according to that it is because there is no 〈◊〉 in him It is also true if any man speak not from that 〈◊〉 tuall Law in himself and hath not the inward Testimonâ—â— the spirit within in such a man there is no truth let speak what he will and this is the grand cause why meâ—â— dispute and jangle about things because men speak not 〈◊〉 the inward experience and spiritual teaching but from 〈◊〉 dition and the outward letter Nay I verily believe moâ—â— the Religion in the world is borne up because others 〈◊〉 held and done so before them and they think it â—â—ffâ—â—â— to walk in an outward conformity in duties and Ordâ—â—ces and never eye the goings of God in their own Spiâ—â—â— But this by the way and all I drive at in this and Iâ—â—â— no body will be offended that I would make Scripture 〈◊〉 is to be spiritual and not subject to the gross and carnaâ—â—â— prehensions and interpretations of any sort of men 〈◊〉 ever neither dô I lessen the Authority of it in so doing 〈◊〉 the reason of all the mistakes in and about the Scripture 〈◊〉 not in the Scripture but in mens carnall apprehensions 〈◊〉 For if men were spiritual they might judge it also 〈◊〉 spiritual as God himself iâ— And I would have men set 〈◊〉 upon a sure foundation which is God and that Divine 〈◊〉 within us which is pure and Divine Scripture FINIS