stand without the spirit till God pull them into himself in his own time and season But that creature that is beginning to look in by desires and inquirings and precious delight towards God is in the way of entrance and when the spirit of burning is made manifest he shall then enter in and finde rest Well Adam is gone out of God and this flaming sword is set against him that he shall not enter in again but Adam sees not this mysterie because the love of self had blinded his eyes And Adam is hid from God among the trees and leaves of self-aspiring principles that rise up in him to which he gave consent to be a more knowing man then God had made him and he could not see God through these the love of selfe was so thick This teaches every one to waite upon the Father for pure teaching and to covet after no more knowledge then what is freely given them Now the Father is beginning to work a great mysterie and that is to pull Adam out of selfish flesh again and to plant him into the pure spirit and so to bring him into the most fruitfull garden of Eden But this God would not do presently but in length of time and Adam neither could nor should come back again to deny self and flesh and to acknowledge the Father his all in all till the Father was pleased to appoint a time when he would manifest himselfe in Adam And therefore for the present God hath set this flaming sword which turns every way to keep the way of the tree of life Adam must not come in to live in the pure spirit again till he be changed and his filthy garments taken from him by the fathers own hand and in the fathers own time Now I conceive and truly I finde in my own experience that this flaming sword is the enmity of natures spoken of wch is set in our hearts since the fall being a mixture of opposite natures so a frighting and killing the creature with terror So that let me go or come think or do or turne any way this enmity hath met with me terrifing and troubling of me for I could apprehend nothing from God but anger And so long as I looked upon God as an angry God I could not look upon him and live but was as a stranger to the peace and rest of God and I lay under bondage Now all afflictions crosses troubles straits that I met withall the of death or feare of dangers or feares that some Devill or spirit would take hold upon me if I were alone in any dark room or in the night I thought it was the Devill some third power between God and me that affrighted me But alas now I see it was but the dispensation of Gods wrath the shinings forth of the righteous law upon me which as fire scorched burned the enmity of my nature so became a torment to me though I saw it not and that flamed and flashed against me which way so ever I went So that this adverse power that troubles the creature is not a Devill distinct from God but it is the very power of Gods righteous law or dispensation of his wrath yea the spirit of burning which appeares very terrible by reason of the enmity of nature that is between God and the sinner for there is no agreement between God and the sinner for sinners are at a distance from God in place and comfort till there be a oneness wrought between God and them by the power of the anointing Christ And then this Devill vanishes the enmity dies the flaming sword is taken away and then the Father appeares in manifestations of love peace and oneness to the joy life liberty and peace of the creature which way soever he goes Then the creature looks not upon God as an angrie God but a God of love to him whatsoever befalls him Let him meet with afflictions crosses prison frownes of friends sickness death any thing still the poor redeemed soul can say this is the good will of my loving Father his will be done Now the bondage the enmity the flaming sword and Divell is taken away and the creatures taste and eat daily of the tree of life even live in God and God in them and here is liberty Now Adam is come into the garden again and finds rest in God and there is none to keep him out of this enioyment any longer The Apostle Paul cleares this when he speaks what Jesus Christ the Anoynting does for sinners saith he hath abolished in his flesh the enmity even the law of Commandments and so making peace and that he might reconcile both Jews and Gentiles to God in one body by the cross having slaine the enmity thereby So that now you see for what reason God set the flaming sword in Adam the living garden that this Enmity might appeare and work till the time and season of the Father came That the Anoynting Christ who is the wisdome and power of the Father did come and take it away and reconcile him and his offending creature so making peace by uniting them into one spirit of love throwing down all partition walls taking away the dispensation of wrath or Divell and murtherer and now shines in the bright beames of love in the soule Let God and man be made friends and you never here of a Divell to trouble or affright or kill any more therefore this Divell or adverse power is no other but the dispensation of wrath through the strictness of a righteous Law which the creature lies under by reason of disobedience and when the Anoynting hath made God and the creature meet in love each to other the enmity dies and the murthering Divell vanishes away and is cast into the lake of fire and so consumed and shall never affright or terrifie the creature any more Indeed while these enmities are in force there is great flashings one against the other and sometimes there is troubles within a man horror and trembling and secret burning and sometimes frightings and apparisions of wrath without a man but all these are but the effects of a righteous law occasioned through enmity of natures but I say when the Anoynting hath made a oneness so that God dwels and rules in man and man lives in God then all those frightings are taken away But is there no divel that tempted Christ or that opposes God yes it is the power of darkness or spirit of enmity that was the first fruit that sprang up from mankinde after he was made and which does yet dwel and rule in disobedient flesh untill Christ the power of God who is stronger come and cast him out For as those whisperings of flesh that rise up in Adam wich was the serpent that inticed him to disobey did move Adam with a tickling desire to be more wise and honourable then God at present had set him in to which Adam
gave consent and so eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evill even his own selfe and imagination The same whisperings of flesh appeared in the humane nature Jesus Christ for he was thereby inticed to dislike that condion his father had put him in for first he was moved to murmur against the father as though his father were carelesse of his son in letting him fast forty dayes and forty nights and so the flesh would have had Christ to have waited no longer on his father but to Command those stones to become bread But Christ rejected that inticement Then the flesh begins to move him to presume upon his fathers protection that is to cast himselfe down from the pinacle of the Temple upon this conceit that he was the son of God this is an unreasonable attempt even mere confusion as all the wisdome of the flesh is But Christ rejects this likewise Then the flesh intices him to Convetousness and vaine glory after the things of the world and told him that if he would cease waiting upon the fathers providence and follow the imaginations of the flesh all the glory of the world should be his for the imagination of the flesh thinks it can compasse any thing by its own wit and policy But Christ rejects this likewise and because he was the son he delighted to obey and to wait upon his father and was content with his condition his father had put him in so that here was whisperings of unbelief whisperings of pride and whisperings of covetousness and vaine glory all which are the fruits of the flesh But Jesus Christ gave no consent thereunto as Adam the first man did but stil kept close to his father sinned not so that here was the divell the motions and imaginations of the flesh the father of lies that tempted Adam and slew him And here was the same divell that tempted Christ for he did partake of flesh and was tempted in all things like unto us But Christ slew him and cast him out of heaven humane flesh and therefore this Anoynting is said to be the earnest of our Inheritance that as this power of God did dwell in Jesus and trod the divell the father of lies the fleshy imagination under his feet so that he killed him that killed Adam and us in him even so the same power in the fathers times and seasons will bruise the same Serpents head in every son and daughter of Adam and tread them under his feet in them But till such time as Christ hath finished this great mysterie there is will be troublers in this flesh our bodies for the risings up of a mans own concupiscence will trouble him and the flaming sword the dispensations of the righteous law laying hold thereupon will affright and terrifie the enslaved creature and raise mountains of miserie against him and so from hence comes all those horrors within a man and all those alterations and hurly burlies in the world upon mens estates families and persons as we see befell Iob which losses and miseries to Iob were the breakings forth of a righteous law upon Iob tempered by the wisdome of God not for Iobs hurt or the Devills good but for Iobs liberty and peace with God and for the devils utter shame and distruction Well in all your troubles I could wish you could look upon the hand of God that smites and not upon the Devill at a distance from God as I have done and I know you do for when God is pleased to open your eyes as to see that it is he that smites affrights torments shakes kingdoms families estates persons through the power of his righteous law which all flesh have gone astray from and which the power of darkness even the imagination of your proud flesh stil flashes against I say if the father please to let you see this then that which you call devill will appeare to be in you his power wil appear to your sight you will see that by the power of the Anointing the law of love and by no other power you will must be set free from the devil in short time For first the Father doth quicken and awake you and then he takes away the flaming sword causes the creature that was lost to come into him and to taste and eat of him who is the tree of life and so to wait upon him and live for ever The Apostle Paul saith it is the letter that kils but the Spirit gives life that is the strictnesse of a righteous Law being broken by the creature it kils the creature for this is the flaming sword that turns every way upon the thoughts words and actions of the sinner presenting nothing but wrath misery and death in the inward sight of the minde But now the Spirit the Law of love this quickens and unites the Father and his creature again and makes them one This Spirit doth burn up and cast away the flesh and that enmity and it casts the dispensation of wrath out of Gods hand and so removes that enmity likewise And now God appears not in anger as an enemy and his Declarations are not in terms of killing and bruising and making the creature grone under misery affrightings and death But he appears in manifestations of love peace and fatherly oneness Now all the clouds and storms are blown over and the love of the father shines bright and hot upon the soul making it fruitfull in love joy and peace in humility obedience and delight in God now the troubler or devill is cast out and goes and there is a onenesse of life peace liberty and joy between God and his creature Wel this may be a burthen to some to heare me thus speak but to you that the son hath given liberty to I am confident it will drop a pretious favour into your spirit CHAP. IV. A poor soule that lies under bondage before the father sets him free is troubled in a two-fold sence both which are the fruits or effects of the righteous law which hath first slaine the creature by taking advantage of disobedience and then holds him under the bondage of that death till the law of love swallow up the murtherer and set the creature free First the poor enslaved creature is tossed with many troubles within his own spirit which no man sees but himselfe such as these sometimes he cannot pray then he is troubled when he doth pray he either misplaces his words or he hath been too long or too short or some self-praysing thoughts arise and then he is troubled he cannot understand nor speak what is in his heart and when he findes himself able to speake then memory fayles him and then he is troubled when people do not regard him for his preaching and praying then he is troubled when others tell him that he must cease praying and preaching and self-acting and wait upon the Father for his pure teaching
THE SAINTS PARADISE OR The Fathers Teaching the only satisfaction to waiting SOULS WHEREIN Many Experiences are Recorded for the comfort of such as are under spirituall BURNING The inward Testimony is the Souls strength By Jerrard Winstanley Jer. 31. 34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord 1 John 2. 27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you But as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth London Printed for G. Calvert and are to be sold at the black-spred-Eagle at the West end of Pauls To my beloved friends whose souls hunger after sincere Milk Dear friends IT hath been the universall condition of the Earth Mankinde to be overspread with a black Cloud of darknesse and the knowledge of the King of righteousnesse hath been manifested but in some few scattered ones which as they haue had the spring in themselves so they have been as lights in the dark world and others have walked in their light and rested content to drink of their streams as if their declaration of truth had been the very Fountain it self I my self have known nothing but what I received by tradition from the mouths and pen of others I worshipped a God but I neither knew who he was nor where he was so that I lived in the dark being blinded by the imagination of my flesh and by the imagination of such as stand up to teach the people to know the Lord and yet have no knowledge of the Lord themselves but as they have received by hearsay from their books and other mens words I spoke of the name of God and Lord and Christ but I knew not this Lord God and Christ I prayed to a God but I knew not where he was nor what he was and so walking by imagination I worshipped that devill and called him God by reason whereof my comforts were often shaken to pieces and at last it was shewed to me That while I builded upon any words or writings of other men or while I looked after a God without me I did but build upon the sand and as yet I knew not the Rock And now know friends That this ignorant unsettled condition is yours at this time though I know that the proud King flesh that is in you will be ready to speak within you and tell you that you do know God and Christ and be offended with me because I say you know him not I do not write any thing as to be a teacher of you for I know you have a teacher within your selves which is the Spirit and when your â—â—esh is made subject to him he will teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance so that you shall not need to run after men for instruction for your eyes being opened you shall see the King of righteousnesse sit upon the throne within your selves judging and condemning the unrighteousnesse of the flesh filling your face with shame and your soul with horror though no man see or be acquainted with your actions or thoughts but your selves and justifying your righteous thoughts and actions and lead you into all wayes of truth And this is the Spirit or Father which as he made the Globe and every creature so he dwels in every creature but supreamly in Man and he it is by whom every one lives and moves and hath his being perfect man is the eye and face that sees and declares the Father and he is perfect when he is taken up into this spirit and lives in the light of reason and there is no man or woman can say that the Father doth not dwell in him for he is every where there is no a creature in the compasse of the creation but he is in that creature but disobedient man knows him not and why Because flesh is not subject to the spirit within it his covetous flesh hath deceived him for he either looks abroad for a God and so doth imagine and fancie a God to be in some particular place of glory beyond the skies or some where he knows not or in some place of glory that cannot be known till the body be laid in the dust Or else if men do look for a God within them according as the Record speaks God is within you yet they are led by the motions and commands of King flesh within them and not by King spirit and here they are at a losse not being able to distinguish between flesh and spirit by reason that covetousnesse and self-will blindes their eyes Truly friends King flesh is very covetous self-loving and self-honouring it likes them that say as it saith but it would imprison kill and hang every one that differs from him he is full of heart-burning either of open envy and bitter distemper or else carries himself in a smooth quiet way of hypocrisie walking in a shew of truth like an Angell of light but when he gets an opportune power he turns to be a tyrant against the way of the spirit And so all his love was but for by-ends to satisfie self in some particular or other But now the King of righteousnesse within you is a meek patient and quiet spirit and full of love and sincerity he burns up the proud and hasty flesh he loves truth and hates a lie if the creature acts unrighteously he checks and shames him if he act righteously according to the creation of a man he speaks peace within and so makes the man to walk sincerely and warily And when you come to know feel and see that the spirit of righteousness governs your flesh then you begin to know your God to fear your God to love your God and to walk humbly before your God and so to rejoyce in him and therefore if you would have the peace of God as you call it you must know what God it is you serve which is not a God without you visible among bodies but the spirit within you invisible in every body to the eye of flesh yet discernable to the eye of the spirit and when souls are made to have community with that spirit then they have peace and not till then For this let me tell you that if you subject your flesh to this mighty governour the spirit of righteousness within your selves he will bring you into community with the whole Globe so that in time you shall come to know as you are known and you shall not need to run after others to learn of them what God is for as you are a perfect creation every one of himself so you shall see and feel that this spirit is the great governour in you in righteousness and when you come thus to know the truth the truth shall make you free from the bondage of covetous and proud flesh
the Serpent that held you under slavery all your life time Well as darkness hath overspread the Earth Mankinde so now is the time come that knowledge shall abound and cover the earth Mankinde light begins to arise the spirit begins to appear in flesh he spreads himself in his sons and daughters so that as the Sun shines from East to West so shall the appearing of this Son of righteousness he he comes not now in corners but openly the poor receive the Gospel which is this everlasting spirit wise men in the flesh are made fools fools are made wise scholars are declared to be ignorant the ignorant ones in mens learning become abundantly learned in the experimentall knowledge of Christ I do not write to teach I only declare what I know you may teach me for you have the fountain of life in you as well as I and therefore he is called the Lord because he rules not in one but in everyone through the globe and so we being many are knit together into one body are to be made all of one heart and one minde by that one spirit that enlightens every man I have yeelded to let these few experiences come abroad and partly unwilling because I see more clearly into these secrets then before I writ them which teaches me to rejoyce in silence to see the Father so abundantly at work and it shall cease speedily for men to stand up as they do to teach one another for every one shall be taught of him and I shall be as ready to hear as to speak and to give as to receive and every one delighting to do as they would be done unto This is the King of righteousness that shall raign in the earth this is the spirit that is now pouring out upon sons and daughters though it yet seem small it shall speedily increase and the Father will not despise that day of small things proud flesh shall die and raign King and governour in man no longer they that have understanding know what I say others may reproach and be offended but after they have been tryed in the fire which is the spirit they will acknowledge a truth herein and he made to speak as a friend to truth Your friend whose peace liberty and life lies in the spirit that governs within the Globe Jerrard Winstanley THE FATHERS TEACHING is the only satisfaction to WAITING SOVLS CHAP. I. THe teachings of men and the teachings of God are much different The former being but the light of the moon which shines not of it self but by the means and through the help of the sun The latter is the light of the sun that gives light to all not by means and helps from others but immediately from himself Mens teachings are two fold first when men speak to others what they have heard or read of the Scriptures or books of other mens writings and have seen nothing from God themselves And thus by natural industry study length of time in such an exercise or education from childehood many men Preach or teach others and think and so do others think of them that they are sent of God but Gods time is drawing neer that he will make it appear that these men do run before they be sent And that it is not the zeal of God which sets them to work but the desire and sweetness of a temporal living But this kinde of teaching and teachers must vanish And though God hath suffered them and yet awhile will suffer them for he sits upon the throne therefore let them alone and wait upon God Secondly Others speak from their own experience of what they have heard and seen from God and of what great things God hath done for their souls and this is from God And it is that ministry of the Gospel which God hath put into the hands of men whereby God doth mightily manifest himself and if any man take up this trade of teaching to get a living by for preaching is now adayes become a trade and speaks not from God by experience what they speak they are clouds without rain and such as meddle with holy things that as yet they have nothing to do withal But this teaching in Gods time must vanish too for this moon-light that is conveying knowledge to others by helps and means is to be swallowed up into the light of the sun and God shall become all in all as it is said ye shall be all taught of God and you need not that any man teach you for the anointing which the Saints receive from the Father doth teach them all things And that prophesie of Ieremiah must be fulfilled That the time shall come that men shall not teach one another saying Know the Lord for all shall know him by Gods own teaching from the least of them to the greatest And when God and the Lamb are the light of the City there shall be no more need of the light of the sun nor of the moon By the mentioning of sun and moon in this place God speaks to the capacity of men and points out the whole creation of night and day and that all creature-helps and means should fail though they were or are as glorious helps as the created sun that gives light to the day or as the created moon that gives light to the night And that the time shall come nay it is begun that God himself will be the light of men without creature-helps or means And so Paul seeing that the indwelling of God in man is and would be a glorious sun shine light said That knowledge or rather this way of conveying verbal knowledge one to another shall cease but love which is God endures for ever But thirdly The teachings of God shall never cease Gods teaching differs from men very much for men speak words to the ear but God works out the serpent and works himself into a man and so gives words of a feeling experience to the heart and causes the man to see light in Gods light as thus I have been proud envious and discontent and I have heard words from men against these yet in those dayes I thought I was good and I knew not those evils but when God came and wrought humility love and contentedness in me he then taught me to see and know by experience what the strength of God in me is which is humility love and patience which hath thrown down the strength of the serpent which was pride envy and discontent And this teaching of God I cannot forget it sticks lively in me though the â—…ords of men are forgotten by me and thus God takes up the soul more and more into himself and the soul findes much sweetness in feeling seeing and sensibly understanding the nature of God working dwelling and ruling in him this is Gods teaching in making men to know and to enjoy God this shall continue for the
actings breathings of your soules is within the center of the same spirit in which the man Jesus Christ lived acted and breathed If you live in the flesh that is if you be subject to the powers of the flesh within you then you believe in the flesh and bring forth the fruit of the flesh which is self-conceit covetousness envy pride hypocrisie and the like But if you live in Christ that is in that mighty and spirituall man of truth then you believe in him and bring forth the fruit of the spirit which is love joy peace humilitie obedience sincerity and the like If Jesus Christ that mighty King rule in you he will check and condemne every unrighteous thought as well as extravagant words and loose actions though no other man see and know your secret wickednesse but your selves and he will speake peace and Justifie you within when your flesh in any things is subject to him though you are hated slandered and mightily oppressed by the injustice of others But if King-flesh rule then you go on in secret and open wayes of unrighteousnesse with greediness and delight and have no checks within at all Now the strong man of sin keeps the house your bodies and every thing enjoyes a seeming peace within you But this is not the peace nor the liberty but a fore runner of great torment in the day of Judgment that is when the Judge the King of righteousness shall appeare to sit upon the throne within you judging and condemning this serpent or man of sin within you and so bruising his head that you who have been and are pisoners thereunto may live in the light peace of the father so set at liberty from bondage assure your selves you that glory in flesh you shall not go scot-free you shall be cast into the everlasting burnings as well as others and tryed in that fire as gold in the furnace And this fire is the father himself into whom when any creature fals he burns up the drosse in the creature which is the curse that came in through unrighteousnesse which is all the imaginary glory of the flesh and so makes man to appeare and stand bright before him you cannot burne away the drosse but the gold must suffer the heat of the fire the father cannot consume the serpent the man of sin out of my body but I that have been incorporated into that nature of the serpent must needs suffer paine this drosse and gold in man is so mixed together that nothing can separate them but the fiery orb which is the father himselfe that tries all things And here likewise lies a great delusion within mankinde you call the father your God and the word God is much in your mouths but here you deceive your selves for you know not the father to be your God nor Lord neither can you call him your God till you see and feele by experience that he rules and governs in you and that your proud and coveteous flesh stoopes and is made subject to him When the spirit within you doth command your flesh in rightousnesse and will not suffer frowardness covetousness pride hypocrisie and the like to arise and act but presently checks and condemns and shames you you can then speake in experience that the father who is the mighty governour is your God and your Lord for the powers of your poysoned flesh are made suctject to him But so long as King-flesh raignes doth act pride envy covetousness hypocrisie unrighteousnesse within you then he that you call God is the devill that cursed serpent or poysoned flesh even the power of darkness is your God and you cannot say the father is your God for if you do you deceive your self you are subject to the devill you are not subject to the father He that looks for a God without himself and worships God at a distance he worships he knows not what but is led away and deceived by the imaginations of his own heart which is Belzebub the great Devill but he that looks for a God within himself and submits himselfe to the spirit of righteousnesse that shines within this man knows whom he worships for he is made subject to and hath communitie with that spirit that made all flesh that dwells in all flesh and in every creature within the globe And this is the law and the testimony even the law of the spirit of righteousnesse within and testimony of the spirit within a man when a man can say I see feel and know that my flesh is in part subject and is daily subjecting to the great power that dwels in the whole creation what I heare another man speak or write it is nothing to me till I finde the same experience within my self this is the law and testimony of Jesus and if any man speak not according to this rule it is because there is no knowledge in him not in the booke of scriptures which is another mans testimony and the testimony of others is known to be a truth by the testimony of the same spirit within your self and no other way whatsoever There is one scripture hath been often laid before me by others and I knew not the meaning of it if I went about to studie or imagine the meaning I was lost presently and trouble took hold upon me Well after I found the spirit of contentednesse to come with power and made me quiet within so that I said within my self let my father give me the knowledge of this or any other truth or deny me the knowledge of it his will be done I can know nothing till he teach me therefore I will lie down before him and wait with a quiet spirit upon him I say I was no sooner brought into this waiting frame of spirit not only this but divers other truths was and I can almost say daily is given into me from the father to the abundant satisfaction of my soul The scripture is this Mat. 8. 28. where the two men that were possessed with devills cryed out to Jesus Art thou come to destroy us before the time I deny not the history but that there were two men really filled and tormented with devils or distempers which is the curse in mankinde and that at the Command of Christ those troublers in them went into the heard of swine and the swine ran into the sea and perished there But now the matter in this history settles peace within my spirit as it is shewed unto me and that is this By the two possessed is pointed out to me First the earth mankinde by reason of his unrighteousnesse is filled with thornes and bryers that is with troublesome distempers of all sorts which are called devills or serpent or the curse of the earth or the wicked man that sowes tares in Gods vineyard mankinde so that here is mankinde or flesh full of troublers or devills distempering the creation for do but crosse
covetousnesse pride lust and envy feeds below and licks the dust of the earth under bondage and distemper But the love faith humility and righteousness of the spirit lives above in liberty freedom perfect peace And God is said to live above the heavens that is the spirit that is the life and peace of all things which is reason is incomprehensible flesh cannot comprehend the largenesse of it nay the Saints themselves which are the heavens that live above cannot contain him nor finde out the heigh depth length and breadth of that pure spirit therefore he is said not only to live above the earthy and imaginary minded men but above the heavens likewise spirituall men that live in the spirit and whose flesh is subject to the spirit these are not able to reach the incomprehensiblenesse of him And so he is said to be above all to live in the heavens the Saints yea and to live above the heavens in wisdom and power yea and to tread the earth under his feet for the wisdom of the earth or flesh is foolishnesse not worthy the name of wisdom when it stands before the spirit The swine ran into the waters and perished there By waters are pointed out to me the wisdom of poysoned flesh which is branched forth into established doctrines of the flesh into formes customs and governments of the flesh which deceived men conform unto for fear and shame of others And so the doctrine and practises of Rome being altogether after the flesh is called the sea of Rome sometimes multitudes of people that are deceived by the flesh and follow after the wisdom lust thereof are called seas or great waters for these indeed are the waters whereupon the Whore the disloyal flesh sits makes war against the spirit in them Now swinish men that Iohn cals the inhabitants of the earth that live in the flesh not in the spirit of the father they are drowned and they perish in this sea into which they are run that is they live in this sea which the flesh hath made glorying and delighting in that sea and in those waters as a fish doth in the materiall water his proper element they are separated from the life of God and are dead to him But it is said Suffer us to go into the swine c. The meaning given to me is this that all the distempers that trouble the creature man is hereby declared that they shall be cast out of mankinde the pure creation into the very body of the serpent which is King flesh a swinish nature a herd of swine for all the branches of it are like so many filthy swine snudling upon the earth as covetousnesse snuddles upon the earth pride licks the dust of the earth envy lives in the filth of the earth hypocrisie and self-conceit with the imaginary glory of the flesh do tumble and dwell and live in the mire of the earth that is delight in nothing but the filth of mankinde like so many swine as they are they do not delight in God they are enmity against him And this corrupt power of darknesse and swinish nature shall run into the sea and confusion of his own invention and imagination and perish together while as mankinde by the power of the anointing shall sit down in peace in the father the Lord our righteousnesse And where it is said Christ suffered them to go it points out this that though King flesh rule vvith povver in mankinde yet he is but suffered so to do for a time by the King of righteousnesse and this sufferance is for his destruction and mans deliverance from the bondage of the flesh for the two men were made quiet by Jesus Christ while the swine perished in the sea that is the creation man and the righteous Law the spirit sweetly embraces each other while the filthy powers and wisdom of the flesh do perish in the sea of his own invention forms customes governments and imaginary glory So that the Devill is not a third power between God and man but he is the curse in flesh and the power of utter darknesse is this when the father shines forth in man and lets him see his curse and so begins to condemn and burn up the curse now the poor creature not knowing the mysterie of the father dieth presently under sorrow beholding no way of comfort but misery on every side for the spirit of brightnesse hath so beset the power of darknesse within a man that the poor heart sees there is no possibility of peace and comfort till one side be subdued or a reconciliation be made By this means which is a means or work of the spirit within not any outward means of preaching c. the Father kils and destroyes the powers of disobedient flesh and at length made the created flesh to submit to him and live before him And for proof of this I will appeal to the experience of any of you that have been sensible of your bondage through the combate that hath been between flesh and spirit in you whether you have looked upon your troubles as inflicted upon you by the devill and adverse power between God and you or have not rather beheld the anger of God upon you through the bright shining Law of righteousnesse in you shaming condemning and tormenting of you for disobediences sake It may be the thought of the Law of God hath not been in your minde but the sense of anger and wrath hath lien upon your spirit and whence comes that wrath but from the shining of the Law of the spirit within you and wherefore through this Law but because the principles of the flesh in you seek to advance self above the spirit or at least to be equall with him And so long as the powers of such aspiring self-seeking lusts and sin rules within you so long will the power of the Law in dispensations of wrath and anger in your apprehension rule in you and over you so that this compound murtherer is of a mighty power and may be well called a power of darknesse for it holds you under darknesse and death and you live far below both the comforts and life of God As soon as disobedient flesh appears against the Law of the spirit in you the spirit appears presently against the powers of the flesh in you and so holds you in fear of death all your life time For indeed your disobedient flesh which rules powerfully in all the branches of it which you take pleasure in as in pride covetousnesse uncleannesse envy self-conceipt hypocrisie in their severall measures till they rise up to a number of a legion of devils You think this is your liberty to have your filthy wils satisfied herein and alas this is your bondage and it is that Devill that was a liar from the beginning that never gave true peace to his children though he promised much he carries you away from God by
his strong delusions to believe his lies And this power of darkeesse in you casts you under a more powerfull bondage of the Law of the spirit within you yea in utter darknesse wherein you stick fast as in mire and clay or as in a deep pit and cannot get out it throws you under wrath and makes God appear angry which is the greatest darknesse the poor creature can lie under What greater darknesse can there be then for a man never to see nor feel the light heat nor warmth of the sun but alwaies to live in some dungeon where the sun never appears A meek and humble spirit fights against thy rashnesse and self-conceit and secret envy and grudging opposes the appearance of love covetousness and bondage fights against freedom and liberty of spirit and chastitie fights against uncleannesse the Law of righteousnesse fights against unrighteousnesse of the flesh So that if at any time thy heart begins to devise any unrighteousnesse within thy self the Law of the spirit of truth breakes forth in thee and lets thee see it and condemns and shames thee for it and thy whole soul is filled with distemper and horror And if at any time the power of unclean flesh begins to break forth in thee the Law of chastitie appears and shews thee thy filthinesse and condemns thee for it but gives thee no strength for the present against thy lust so that the power of thy uncleane flesh lusting after folly is strong in thee and the power of the law of chastitie shewing thee that Abomination is strong in thee likewise which fills thee with torment And if at any time unrighteous thoughts and purposes rise up in thee or unrighteous actions proceed out of thy hands and thou delight therein yet when the law of the spirit of truth appears in thee and shews thee thy abominable practise thy delight in the flesh dies peace is taken from thee and thy spirit is filled with trouble I could instance in every power of the flesh in this kinde And now presently thou concludest That the devil which thou thinkst is a third power distinct between God thee comes torments thee But no for it is the very power of the spirit which is pure reason which governs the whole globe in righteousnesse that shews thee thy wickednesse the light therof discovers thy darkness and fills thee with shame and torment For if the spirit shine upon thy filthinesse and trouble thee it is not barely to trouble but to burn up thy lusts and to make thee bright is the fathers end but while thou liest between these two powers thy peace is gone all feeling of life is taken away and thou liest under darknesse yea utter darknesse for thou seest no light of peace of any side If thou follow the powers of thy flesh as thy uncleanness unrighteousness envy frowardness pride hypocrisie and the like thou hereby accknowledgest that the flesh is God for thou maintainest the being of that wicked man as though he were the only one beeing that dwells in the globe but if the father of all things which is reason be the only one beeing that gave beeing to all and that keeps all in peace then certainly while thou followest the way of King flesh thou walkest unreasonably for thou settest up another King which makes division which the creation knowes not and thou deniest the King of righteousnesse which unites the whole body of the creation into a oneness of spirit That spirit that knits all creatures together in peace and sweet communion of love and meekness must needs be King And this doth reason who is the essentiall father but that power that makes one creature a tyrant over another nay divides the creature man within himself and so pulls the creation in pieces breaking the bonds of peaceable love and filling the creature with torment and distraction must needs be a divell or troubler and this doth that curse that is in the flesh and therefore no King but a murtherer a deceiver a devill the serpent that must be killed and the wicked man that must be taken out of the way Now such a condition of bondage doth this compound power cast you under you are absent from the liberty peace life of heaven you lie tumbling in hell darkness to be incorporated into the power of the wicked one to act from his unclean principles is the flesh and blood that shall never enter heaven never enjoy union and peace with the spirit of righteousness for light and darkness can never live together This is the bond woman her sonne that shall never be heire nor live in the house with the free woman And whatsoever is of this nature or under this bondage less or more doth not taste of heaven which is perfect peace for that which is bondage cannot be said to be liberty But for your comfort poor enslaved soules Christ the wisdom and power of the Father is come to open the prison doors to pull you up out of the earth of covetousness and self imagination under which you have been and are buried and will set you even as a corne of wheate that lies buried under clods of earth till the warme cherishing meeke and loving spirit in the earth cause it to sprout and spring and shoot out and so bring forth fruitlike himself in great abundance therefore waite patiently till you be able to sing Allaluia and to say The Lord God omnipotent raigneth and assure your selves the vision will not stay long for when your flesh is made subject to the spirit he will speak peace to you and in you Since unrighteousness was acted in humaine flesh against his maker every son and daughter of that disobedient flesh is like a man upon whom two fierce band-dogs hath laid hold tearing and pulling to pieces And these two are first the curse or sin in flesh which is called the serpent the father of lies the wicked man the devill The second is the appearance of the righteous law dwelling in that flesh likewise as a seed buried under the weight of that cursed earth and his appearance is so terrible to the disobedient flesh that it destroys at his appearing all the joy and peace thereof and is called the severity of the Law So that first the curse or sin this hath fastened upon the man and puls him from owning the spirit and so makes created flesh to rebell against his maker And then the father which the curse in the flesh hath despised maintains his own prerogative in man and destroys and kils that rebellion by reason whereof the creature man is filled with Torment And this act of the spirit is called the declaration of wrath or the Law or the letter that kils for indeed the disobedient man sees and feels nothing but wrath on every side For let the creature look within himself he sees and feels no peace for the appearance of the
that can be given him For it is Reason that made all things and it is Reason that governs the whole Creation and if flesh were but subject thereunto that is to the spirit of Reason within himself it would never act unrighteousnesse for if rash froward and mad anger rise up in a man and makes him walk according to the hasty violence of that Devill now he is said truly to be an unreasonable man or a man that is not subject to Reason But if Reason be King in a man then he moderates the man both within and without so that he may be truly said to be a reasonable man or a man subject to reason and so a profitable man amongst his fellow creatures For let reason rule the man and he dares not trespasse against his fellow creature but will do as he would be done unto For Reason tels him is thy neighbour hungry and naked to day do thou feed him and cloath him it may be thy case to morrow and then he will be ready to helpe thee VVhen the Curse in flesh moves a man to oppresse or deceive his neighbour or to take away his rights and liberties to beat or abuse him in any kinde reason moderates this wicked flesh and speaks within Wouldest thou be dealt so by thy self Wouldest thou have another to come and take away thy Goods thy Liberties thy Life No said the flesh that I would not Then saith Reason Do as thou wouldest be done unto and hereby the envious and covetous and proud flesh is killed and the man is made very Moderate And this spirit of Reason is not without a man but within every man he needs not run after others to tell him or teach him for this spirit is his maker he dwels in him and if the flesh were subject to him he should finde daily teaching thereform though he were alone and saw the face of no man And truly let me tell you That you cannot say the spirit is your God till you feel and see by experience that the spirit doth govern your flesh for if Envy be your Lord that rules your flesh if Pride and Covetousnesse rule your flesh then is Envy Covetousnesse or Pride your God If you fear men so greatly that you dare not do righteously for fear of angering men then slavish fear is your God If rash anger govern your flesh then is anger your God If Uncleannesse rule in you that is your God Therefore deceive not your selves but let reason work within you and examine and see what your flesh is subject to for whatsoever doth govern in you that is your God If the curse in the flesh govern you then the devill is your God and you are servants to him for the curse is the devill But if your flesh be subject to the spirit within it which is Reason and which made the flesh then is the Father your God and you may lawfully call him your God for you know now what you speak and that your words are words of experience but if you act contrary to reason you act like a beast and not like a man according to his creation for by his creation he is made Lord of all creatures and therefore the spirit dwels supreamly in him but when he follows the way of the flesh then he acts like a beast below the creation of a man and so hath lost the honor of his creation CHAP. VI THere be three Scriptures that were brought to me and the light that shined forth gave much strength to my soul I shall only mention them and then conclude The first is Rev. 9. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the green grasse of the earth neither any green thing neither any tree but only those men that have not the seal of God upon their fore-heads and these were not to be killed neither but that they should be tormented five moneths by those Locusts that came out of the smoke that rise up out of the bottomlesse pit that was now opened or made manifest what it is By green grasse and trees that were not to be hurt were shewed to me to be the tender sons and daughters that Christ hath newly called out of the earth to grow up towards him And likewise the tender plants of divine life that Christ had planted in that tender earth As love branching out into hungering and thirsting after righteousnesse and this tender green grasse nor the earth whereupon is grows is not hurt for in the midest of any trouble whatsoever the breathings of love after the father in hungering and thirsting after him is still kept alive in the tender soule And why must not these be hurt Why because these have the seal of the spirit upon them as tender plants as such as are dear unto him I but pride envy covetousnesse hypocrisie and the earth upon which these and such like weeds grow are to be tormented and why because they have not the seal of the spirit upon their foreheads and they are to be tormented five moneths before such time as these weeds be burned up and that poysoned earth become fruitfull for good seed I but these are called men not sinfull qualities that are to be tormented it is true but a man is called according to his qualitie and manners take a proud covetous or envious man and crosse any of these wicked qualities and you torment the man For when envy raignes in a man if it be crost the whole man is crost and if pride or selfe will raigne in a man and be crost the man is tormented so that the quality declares the man and the man is declared what he is by his quality And therefore in the second Scripture Rev. 20. 15. It is said Whosoever was not written in the Lambs book of life was cast into the lake of fire By Lambs book of life is shewed to me to be his very divine nature and spirit wherein Love Humility Patience Peace and such like are written and these shall enter into life and the men in whom this Spirit rules shall enter into heaven and live in the Father For these fruits of the Spirit prove a man to be a son of light and every son of light is known by these qualities that was engraven in the Lambs Nature or Spirit But whatsoever was not written in the Lambs book as Envy Pride Covetousnesse Self-will and the like these shall be cast into the lake of fire the spirit of burning to be consumed and the men in whom these cursed powers rule shall be tormented while that drosse is in burning up and vexed day and night and are restlesse and cannot be quiet but fretts and are troubled continually Therefore whatsoever is not written in the Lambs nature shall never live in rest in the father but envy pride covetousnesse self-will and the like were not written in the Lambs booke or Spirit for he was full of love and
patience c. Therefore those shall never live in the father and never sit down in rest in the spirit but the spirit will still be burning them as chaffe in the fire till they be consumed Another thing observe that whatsoever did appeare to dwell in the Lamb is nor shall never be tormented as love patience humility contentednesse these are never tormented though I have thought many times that love being crost grows angry But I see by experience it is improper for love cannot be angrie it beareth all things And as we see in our Lord Christ in whom love patience humilitie contentednesse did dwell and rule he was never tormented nor troubled with any fretting or disquiet fit For truly I speake what I have and do finde it is only the flesh and serpent that is troubled and tormented and the more a man is vexed and fretted the more strength of flesh dwells and rules in him But when the spirit of the Lamb is sent into the heart he swallows up that froward power of the flesh and saves the man from distemper as I said before The third scripture I shall mention is that old pusling scripture that hath tormented many a soule which is this Mat. 12. 31. He that sins against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come By sin here is shewed to me to be the serpent or the curse in the flesh branching himselfe forth into pride covetousnesse envy uncleannesse self-will hypocrisie and all such like and this serpent dwells in the flesh of every sonne and daughter of Adam since the fall except the man Christ Jesus for though this serpent tempted him and strived to rule in him as he overcame and ruled in the first Adam yet Christ trod him under foot and cast him out of heaven that is out of humane flesh that part of the creation in whom the father dwelt bodily And by holy Ghost here it is shewed to me to be the Anointing or the Spirit ruling in flesh either in the flesh of Christ or in the flesh of his Saints Now the serpent or curse which is called the power of darknesse this is the sinne against the holy Ghost for the father made the humane flesh to be his house to dwell in And this serpent took possession and fights against the spirit and will not suffer him to appeare in flesh at all Therefore saith the father this sin or curse shall never be pardoned that is the father will never reconcile that wicked one to him the father and the serpent will never become one but will alwayes be fighting till the serpents head be bruised for this is that wicked one that the father is angrie with ever he is not simply angry with his creature but with this sinne or curse in the creature with which the creature hath made a covenant and become one with it and so fights against his maker I but the father will bruise this head of Rebellion and consume this sinne in the fire that so be may reconcile his creature to himselfe but I say the sinne or curse shall never be reconciled the father will ever be a consuming fire to that and will be ever taking peace from that earth that gives this wicked one entertainment For the spirit will be still bruising the head of this sinne till he hath destroyed it and redeemed his creature from the power and bondage of it and it is true every man is guilty of this sinne against the spirit and though the father will never make this sinne one with himself yet he will make his creature man one with him when this curse is swallowed up of life And why will he not pardon this sin because it was not written in the Lambs book or nature but is that power of darknesse that makes war against the Lamb and will not have the spirit to dwell in flesh but would cast him out Therefore the spirit will cast him out though he were a stronger power then he is And so for this time I will conclude FINIS Eze. 34. 3. Jer. 31. 34. Act. 4. 20. Ps. 66. 16. Jude 12. Zach. 13. 4. 5. 1 Iohn 2. 27. Ier. 31. 34. Isa. 54. 13. Rev. 21 23 1 Cor. 1. 8. Isa. 54. 13. Ioh. 6. 45. Ioh. 6. 63. Rom. 11. 29. 1 Thes. 4. 17. Ioh. 6. 45. Ier. 31. 34. 1 Iohn 2. 27. Ioh. 15. 5. Gal. 5. 22. 2 Tim. 2. 26. Ephes. 3. 20. Rom. 6. 14. Rev. 3. 16 17. Ioh. 8. 36. Psal. 133. 3. Rom. 6. 14. Heb. 3. 3. 8. 1 Cor. 1. 31. Luke 11. 22. 1 Ioh. 1. 14. Rev. 5. 13. 1 Ioh. 5. 6. 2 Chron. 20. 15 16 17. Num. 23. 7. John 5. 46. 1 Cor. 2. 8. 1 Cor. 8. 7. Ephes. 3. 5. Isaiah 32. 12. and 28. 9. Hab. 3. 16 17. Ioh. 8. 36. Heb. 4. 3. Gal. 1. 15 16. 1 Cor. 1. 31. Luke 21. 13. c. 1 Cor. 1. 24. Rev. 2. 10. Exo. 14 5. Psal. 83. 4. Ester 3. 6. Judg. â— 19 Ezek. 38. 14 c. Rev. 11. 11 c. 1 Joh. 3. 1. Joh. 1. 10. Mat. 2. 13. 2 Chron. 20. 15 c. Exo. 14. 13 1 Pet. 4. 13 14. 2 Thes. 2. 4 5. Rev. 13. 6 7. Ier. 23. 9. Iob 1. 12. Dan. 12. 7 Gen. 3. 15. Iob 1. 6. Iam. 1. 14. Luke 11. 22. Ephes. 2. 15 16. Isa. 8. 20. 2 Cor. 5. 4 1 Cor. 15. 54. Jer. 23. 5. Rom 7. 9. c. 1 Cor. 4. 11. Mat. 8. 20. Psal. 41 9. Psal. 38. 2. Psal. 69 2. Heb. 12 6. Isa. 12. 6. Col. 1. 13. Rev. 12. 9. Gen. 3. 24. Eph 2 15. Ioh. 8. 44. 2 Thes. 2. 4. Rev. 17. 5. Rev. 20. 7. 10. Eph. 2. 15. Iob 1. 12. Luk. 11. 22. Dan. 7. 25. Dan. 8. 23. Ier. 23. 36. Iob 1. 21. Gen. 2. 24. 2 Pet. 2. 2. Zach. 3. 4. Ephes. 2. 14 15. Eph 2. 15 2 Cor. 3. 6. c. Rev. 20. 15. Mat. 4. 3. Eph. 1. 14. Gen. 3. 24. Rev. 12. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 4. Luke 4. 18. Esa. 61. 1 2. Heb. 1 13. Luke 21. 17. c. Heb. 4. 3. Iohn 6. 45. Ier. 23. 5 6. Esa. 60. 14. Rev. 21 8. Rev. 22. 25. Act. 9. 1. Esa. 61. 1. Jud 6. 1 Cor 3. 17. 1 Cor. 1. 31. 1 Cor. 12. 31. Ephes. 4 6. Col. 2. 9. Ioh 5 43. Isa. 59. 14. Gen. 3. 24. Rev. 20. 15. Ro. 1. 18. Gen. 3. 15. Dan. 7. 26. c. 1 Iohn 2. 16. 2 Cor. 5. 19. c. Joh. 17. 25. Iohn 7. 7. 2 Chron. 32. 21. 1 King 19 6. Iob 1. 10 11. Rom 9. 17. Isa. 10. Ier. 23. 5 6. Mat. 24. 27 Col. 1. 27. 2 Cor 5. 16. Iohn 1. 9. 1 Cor. 12. 13. Luk. 17. 21 Heb. 9. 14. Ier. 23. 5. Rom. 8. 9 Phil. 3. 21. Mat. 26. 39 1 Cor 3. 16. Eph. 4. 13. Gal. 5. 22. Heb. 12. 29. Ioh. 8. 42. Ephes. 2. 2. Isa. 8. 20. Ier. 23 6. Mat. 8. 28. Isa. 8. 20. Ier. 31. 33. Rev. 16. 3 4 c. Rev. 12. 9 10. 1 Cor. 15. 56. Col. 1. 12. Heb. 2. 15. 2 Cor. 4. 4. Ephes. 2. 2. 1 Cor. 12. 13. Luk. 4. 18. Col. 1. 12. 2 Cor. 3. 6 7. Gen. 3. 24. â— Cor. 15. Jer. 23. 5. Ioh. 8. 36. 1 Cor. 15. 56. 1 Ioh. 2. 20. c. Ier. 23. 5 6. Isaiah 60. 10 11 c. Col. 1. 27. Mat. 25. 35. 1 Ioh. 2. 27. Rom. 6. 16. Rev. 9. 4. Rev. 20. 15. 1 Pet. 2. 22 c. 1 Cor. 13. 7. Heb. 2. 14. Rev. 12. 10. 1 Ioh. 4. 2 3. Luke 11. 22. Gen. 3 15.
and children of the Independent party and root them all out Alas poor creatures God may suffer you to do something in this kinde but you shall finde that God will hide his people under the shadow of his wings and when you have killed all yet those that you would kill shall be left alive For as God made the Nations formerly to kill one another while Israel looked on and were saved from their malice Even so God can make an outside-professing-Service-book man to kill an outside-professing Presbyter and God may suffer an outside-professing Presbyter to kill an hypocriticall Independent and so make the seed of the Serpent to sheath their swords in one anothers bowels while his sincere hearted ones scattered abroad in the Kingdom shall stand and look on and be preserved by Gods protecting care from the danger For you hot spirited men if you will beleeve Scripture which you Idolize so much for you prefer those writings before the God of the Prophets and Apostles you shall finde that God told Ezekiell That when Gog and Magog purposed to destroy Gods People when they were at rest and dwelt at ease why saith God when my people are at rest thou shalt not know it but I will sanctifie my self upon thee O Gog before their eyes And so let these hot spirited people in these dayes do the worst they can they shall never destroy all Gods people out of the Land God will have his witnesses to rise up that shall torment these inhabitants of the earth for though God suffer persecution scoffs reproachful names and oppression yet he will not suffer a small rooting out of his Saints For if the Nations of old could not root out Israel after the flesh which were one single nation visible among all the nations of the earth though they did endeavour it neither can you now you hot spirited people root out all the Saints much lesse you will finde it now the more difficult for now the Saints doe not live all in one Nation but are scattered through all Nations kindreds tongues and People The appearence of God among them is not altogether in out ward formall worship and Temple service as it was to the Jews visible to the eye of the world But the appearance of God now is in the Saints that they worship the Father in spirit and truth in such a secret manner as the eye of the world cannot nor does not alwayes see And therefore though the mysterie of iniquitie seek to kill all as these unbeleevers that are the actors thereof do say they will yet they cannot because they cannot know them And when they have killed all as they think if God should suffer them to act their bloody intents and words yet in conclusion it will appear that the enemies kill one another and spirituall Israel will be preserved Herod killed all the children about two yeres old I but the Child Jesus whom he sought chiefly to kill was gone sent by God far out of Herods reach and when it shall appeare in conclusion that they have killed their own hypocritical people and the sincere hearted whom they aymed at are escaped their vexation wil increase and they will dye with sorrow Therefore now Judge if God be not the chief sufferer because they will not leave God a seed on earth you Saints of God be not troubled to hear that your neighbours will plunder and kill you and root out all Israel out of the land they cannot do it God will fight for you against them the cause is Gods not yours And in seeking your ruine they will pull their own ruine speedily upon themselves Pharaoh thought to destroy Israel and his own destruction which he thought least upon was accomplished Be not troubled at these threatnings but stand still waite with a quiet peaceable heart on God and see what a deliverance he will work for you Assure your selves I see God working a great deliverance for you your number shall increase the number of bloody minded men shall decrease therefore do you meet God by faith and honour him by owning him in the middest of these stormes the enjoyment of your riches friends or bodily life doth not make you happie nor the losse of these cannot make you miserable if you have these it is the enjoyment of God within that gives you a sweet use of them without if all be taken from you it is your Fathers will to suffer it and he will be honoured by it your oppressions and sufferings will bring glory to him And if you lose your life then your work in done therefore stand still with comfort in the place and condition God hath put you in And say Father do with my estate my body my life what thou wilt honour thy selfe in me and by me and thy will be done Now if once God hath brought your spirit to this frame then God is glorified on your behalf for now the glory of Christ the King of righteousnesse hath subdued the Serpent and is revealed in you But God is evil spoken of and doth suffer on their behalf that persecute Now know you weake ones that it is not you but God who is the greatest long sufferer in these times it is not men but the appearance of God in men which the mysterie of iniquity strives against for do you not see how the spirit of lies would root out the spirit of truth the spirit of envy would root out the spirit of love the spirit of hypocrisie would root out the the spirit of sincerity the spirit of pride and self honouring would root out the spirit of humility that honours God the spirit of self-will would root out the spirit of meekness and patience that waits upon the will of God the spirit of unfaithful rashness discontent would root out the spirit of quietness that is at restin God the spirit of greedy covetousness injustice and oppression would root out the spirit of justice and tenderness that depends upon God And in one word the mysterie of iniquitie Beast whorish spirit or flesh having a time given him of God to act and shew its wisdome and power strvies might and maine to root out all appearance of God out of mankinde But alas poor Serpent thou must die thy self Gods time is neer expired that he gave thee and he is rooting thee out of mankinde and consuming in the fire of his wrath for he will become the Lord our righteousness and dwell in flesh himselfe this is Gods mysterie which he is in and about to make publikely manifest amongst men But as yet hypocrisie raignes and would raigne as King And sincerity which is God is laughed to scorne The national peace and liberty is pretended that is the outward shew of love to God but secretly most men both of high and low degree intend either to inrich themselves with the kingdomes monies ruins or else by their secret
for time is coming that every one must be taught of God and this troubles him very much Well all these troubles and such like proceed from the shinings forth of the righteous law upon the proud heart and he cannot bear it because he seeks himselfe more then God the unbelief of the heart lives by sence upon the creature the law of God tels the heart he must trust God and not man and though all sence fayl him from men and creatures yet to waite upon God but this troubles him he cannot wait and if he do wait he questions whether he shall have such things he is bid to wait for and the poor heart lies under great tossings Again in his course of trading in the world if he ask sometimes too little or sometimes too much for his wares then he is troubled and do what he can his heart is troubled because he thinks he might have done better when business goes cross to his minde he is troubled whether it be fair weather or fowl if it be not just to his minde he is troubled Then appears pride covetousnesse frowardness uncleaness springing up in his heart and these trouble him if he cannot speak for God when others speak against him as he thinks then he is troubled if he do speak of the things of God then his heart tels him he is an hypocrite or self-lover and then he is trobled so that there arises not a thought in his heart but there is some fretting or trouble tyed to it And vvhat are all these and such like but even a legion of devils or troublers that holds the creature under bondage and torments him thus in hell day and night I call it a hell for it is a condition of darkness below the life comfort and peace of God All these are wrought in the soul by the righteous Law for the creature strives to be wise and the Law proves him a fool he would fain be righteous and the light of the Law shews him he is a wicked hypocrite he would fain have faith and holiness in him and the Law shews him he is an unbelieving sinner he would fain enjoy the peace of God and yet enjoy himself too the Law tels him he must deny himself and take up his cross daily if he would enjoy God he would fain be counted some body for wisdom faith prayer preaching the Law tels him all is as good as nothing because he goes forth in his own strength and the power of the father is absent And thus the Law is that flaming sword which turns every way upon the sinner and scorches the poor imprisoned soul in every thought of his heart burning up his pride and self-conceit so that the righteous Law raigns like a Tyrant in and over the poor prisoner and while the soul is thus tormented by the dispensation of wrath the envious spirit of darkness that rules in other men delights to see this poor creature thus under bondage and so casts jeers slanders reproaches and hard usage upon him Envy rejoyces in others misery even as Love rejoyceth in the liberty and life of others But poor soul know this that God is burning up thy dross and ere long vvill set thee at liberty and the fire of love that burns in thee will break forth to thy comfort and then he will give thee power to rejoyce over the Devill and to set thy feet upon his neck as a conquered slave even as he makes thee his slave now Then secondly This same imprisoned creature that lies under the Law being as yet not set free by the Son meets with many troubles without and these are but dispensations of wrath as the other was likewise as sicknesse frowns of friends hatred of men losses of his estate by fire water being cheated by false spirited men death of his cattle or many such like casualties whereby he becomes poor in the world and meets with many straits as hard language hungry belly to be despised imprisoned and abundance of such provocations in the vvorld And it may be meets with fearfull Apparisions in the night or day that terrifies him as it was Jobs case he was filled with terrors in the night sometimes these troubles lie within a mans spirit in griefs and sadpressures inward burnings of trouble and torment which no man is sensible of but himself and sometimes it breaks forth in bitter words and speeches through oppression of the spirit to the disturbance of others and this is called madness or distraction which grows upon a man when the pure Law doth cross his carnall imagination wilfull will pride covetous or lustfull desires then doth the distemper of his troubled spirit break out But when Christ comes and sets him free then he comes to see that whatsoever did befall him must befall him it was the will of the father for the burning up of his dross and pride of flesh and shall be made to say Father thy will be done and for ever yea infinitely for ever be thy name praised that thou hast given me such a heart to be content and submit in love and meekness to thee and to take every thing in love from thee this is thine own handiwork it was not thus formerly but thou hast drawn me through a nipping and pinching wilderness into this land of Canaan even to lie down in rest in thine own bosome praysed be thy name Yea but the poor troubled soul is offended at my words and thinks and saies this cannot be it is impossible that any man should have such a frame of spirit Alas poor man I have been as thou art but if thou canst believe in Gods love and power from the testimony of another thou wilt believe this for a truth But if thou cannot believe but yet remain troubled he that feels the sweetness of such a work of God knows it to be a truth wait upon God as thy fellow servant doth for his pure teaching and thou wilt finde him the same to thee as he is to another Paul writes of one that was in Christ before him and so though thou wade through flames of fire to imbrace God in thine armes thy comforts will be the sweeter thy experience the more and thou wilt greatly rejoyce in that thou hast been in so hot a fire when the father causes thee to lie down in his bosom the liberty in this rest is now so sweet to thee And truly friends let me tell you that which hath been often of late whispered into my spirit and I believe there is something in it that this wrath bitternesse and discontent that appeares generally in mens spirits in England one against another upon the breakings forth of the truths of God doth whisper in my spirit that the Father hath cast England into the fire and is purging the drosse from the gold that liberty is not far off and that the plentifull pouring out of the Anoynting even the spirit
say man is the world a perfect creation from whose poysoned flesh proceeds the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh and the pride of life these are not of the Father Now light is come into this world that is the spirit of right understanding hath taken up his dwelling in this flesh and from hence man is called a reasonable creature which is a name given to no other creature but man because the spirit of reason appears acting in him which if men did submit themselves unto they would act righteousness continually and so man would become Lord of all other creatures in righteousness I But men love darkness rather then light men here spoken of are the evill masculine powers of created man in his poysoned estate as man pride man covetousness man hypocrisie man self-love and King imagination that rules over all and in all these and this or these is the wicked man spoken of in scripture these I say are called men because they rule over the created flesh which is the feminine part and leads it captive in unrighteousness and will not suffer it to obey the King of righteousness which is called conscience likewise in the creation man For I say every particular man and woman is a perfect creation or a world of him or her self And those powers are the men that live and raign in that poysoned created world for these will not submit to righteousness and what is the reason VVhy because their deeds are evill Indeed covetousness is an evill man and pride and envy are evill men and all the rest of their imaginary companions in the soul they are evill men yea the wicked man and all their actions are evill like themselves and they will not submit themselves to righteousness That mightie man of truth whose dwelling is in flesh likewise he dwels in heaven and hell that is he dwels in cleansed flesh his Saints where he is seen and known he dwels in uncleansed flesh the vile ones of the earth where he is unknown and unseen by them though he as he is the righteous Judge doth check and condemn them yet they smother his smitings within themselves and will not submit for which disobedience sake their spirit is filled with horror and bitterness and they roar in hell Speak thou wretched man if thou hast not found terrible affrightings and torments within thy self when thou hast refused to act the righteous motion of conscience within who indeed is the King of glory though thou art ignorant of him and submittest thy self to King flesh in all the beastly actings of it Well these masculine powers of the poysoned flesh stand it out against the King of glory till he cast them into the lake of fire into his own spirit by which they are tried and being found but chaffe and not able to endure are burned and consumed to nothing in the flame No man or woman needs to be trobled at this for let every man cleanse himself of these wicked masculine powers that rule in him and there will speedily be a harmony of love in the great creation even among all creatures Therefore let no man look without himself and say other men will not obey this light that is come into mankinde but let him look into his own heart and he shall finde that the powers of his heart are those very men of the world that will not submit to that light of reason that is come into it But it is said that God sent his Angell and cut off by him all the mighty men of valour in the Assyrians army therefore Angels are a mighty power between God and man and distinct from both Answer Angels in this sence are powers sent by commission from God to do a particular work As first Good Angels are sent and these are inward discoveries of God to or within a soul such as was sent to Jacob to awake him for these manifestations of the Fathers power within do make the creature man watchfull either to foresee prevent a danger or else to support the drooping soul in trouble through the hope or expectation of some blessing or deliverance which was inwardly spoken to the heart and this the Father doth in a two-fold sence Sometimes speaking inwardly as to Eliah the Angell of the Lord touched him and bid him arise and eat this was a speaking to Eliahs heart either by voice vision dream or revelation And sometimes by the voice of a materiall man standing before them as the Angell that brought the glad tidings to Sampson the two Angels that came to Abraham and Lot these were materiall men taken up into the spirit of the Father and sent by him to do such a work and their vanishing away as the interpreation is it is no other but their departure from Sampson Abraham and Lot when they had done the work they were sent about But now according to the Objection such Angels as are sent to destroy are called evill Angels according to the creatures capacity because they are ministers of such things as the creatures call evill though in themselves as being sent from God and in the execution of their commission they are good but I say they are called bad because their work is of a different nature to them that are called good Angels Satan that envious Angel did the will of God in troubling Job for the end of that trouble was good to him his last dayes being his best dayes And these evill Angels are three-fold First such as are sent into the soul when the Justice of God goes forth upon a man and strikes him with blindness of minde and hardness of heart as he smote Pharaoh and these are strong powers of darkness that holds the creature in chains of bondage Secondly when he sends the sword pestilence and famine or the like gives them commission to waste to destroy a rebellious people these are Gods Angels or mighty powers to which he hath given a commission to go forth and to perform such a work and this you shall see in Scripture that which was called the destroying Angell in one verse is called the pestilence in ths next verse 1 Chron. 21. 12 13. c. Or thirdly when wicked people are ruled by King envy King covetousnesse or King pride that uncleane spirit that rules in the children of disobedience and when these have a liberty given to them to go on and prosper without restraint now they are mighty powers or Angels sent by God either to waste and destroy or else to be a terrible warning to a sleepie people to awake them as the King of Assyria was sent to do a worke in that kinde that is to whip the Nations but to brighten Israel And when his work was done then he himself was destroyed by another power or Angel which God sent to take him off for his cruell and unrighteous actings like that of Gideons Army when Israel
began to obey the Lord then the Lord sent an Angel which was no other but a mighty spirit of feare and confusion of minde among the Midianites Israels enemies which made them to destroy one another while Israel had the liberty to looke on CHAP. V. LEt the Powers Governours and Armies of the land learne to worship the Lord in righteousnesse lest while the Lord hath made them Angels to destroy some and to warne others the Lord do not give out a Commission to others to destroy and confound them and so bring about his work by another power For Assure your selves you Kingly Parliamentarie and Army power and know this that all unrighteous powers and actings must be destroyed the father is about the work and his hand will not slack this work is and will be going on more powerfull then ever till it be finished that all enemies to Christ be made his foot-stoole and he alone exalted who is King of righteousnesse For now Jesus Christ is upon his rising from the dead and will rule King of righteousnesse in flesh And though King-flesh in every man and woman hath for many years past denyed him and lifted up himself against him yet now is the time come that he will lift up himself and tread the powers of the flesh under his feet And friends doe not mistake the resurrection of Christ you expect he shall come in one single person as he did when he came to suffer and die and thereby to answer the types of Moses law let me tell you if you look for him under the notion of one single man after the flesh to be your Saviour you shall never never taste salvation by him But know that the mighty power that dwelt in that humane flesh that was called by the name Jesus Christ he was the man the mighty man of strength the flesh was as the woman to the man or the box that carryed that precious oyntment in and this man is sat down at the right hand of the father that is he is the strength of the father whereby he destroys King flesh and he sits in the highest heavens that is in those Saints that are taken up the highest into the father and lives in him treading the curse under foot And as the body of his flesh in his Ascension so called went out of the Apostles sight in a cloud of the Skies so shall the same mighty man rise up out of the earth that is from under the earthy imaginations and lusts of the sons of men for mankinde is the earth that containes him buried and out of this earth he is to arise and appeare in the clouds that is as he begins to shew himselfe in a man or a woman the fleshy powers in those enslaved soules will and do rise up to darken the light of that sun as long as he can till he the flesh who is the wicked man or the cursed thing that dwels within mankinde be taken away And therefore if you expect or look for the resurrection of Jesus Christ you must know that the spirit within the flesh is the Jesus Christ and you must see feel and know from himself his own resurrection within you if you expect life and peace by him For he is the life of the world that is of every particular son and daughter of the father who are every one of them a perfect created world of themselves and need not to seek abroad after other creatures for teaching for every one hath the light of the father within himself which is the mighty man Christ Iesus And he is now rising and spreading himselfe in these his sons and daughters and so rising from one to many persons till he enlighten the whole creation mankinde in every branch of it and cover this earth with knowledge as the waters cover the seas And this is the lightning that shall spread from East to West this is the kingdome of heaven within you dwelling and ruling in your flesh therefore learne to know Jesus Christ as the father knows him that is not after the flesh but know that the spirit within the flesh is that mighty man Jesus Christ and the flesh takes it name from that mighty man of truth that dwels within it he within governs the flesh he within laid down the flesh when he was said to die he within is the wisdome and power of God he within is to arise not at a distance from men but will rise up in men and manifest himselfe to be the light and life of every man and woman that is saved by him For a meek spirit bears the name Jesus And a man filled with the power of God or a man taken up into God to become one in spirit within beares the name Christ therefore you are not saved by believing there was such a man that lived and died at Jerusalem for though you believe there was such a man yet that is not saving faith to you till you feel the power of a meek spirit come into you and raigne King and tread all your envy frowardnesse and bitternesse of spirit under foot and till you feel and see the power of the righteous spirit come into you and raigne King treading all unrighteousnesse of the flesh whatsoever under foot making a conquered slave of that wicked man in the flesh And so changing your vile bodies and making them like his glorious body that is making the bodies of your flesh subject to the spirit of the father within it as the bodie of the flesh of Jesus Christ was subject to the spirit his father that dwelt within him in all things So that you do not look for a God now as formerly you did to be a place of glory beyond the Sun Moon and Stars nor imagine a divine beeing you know not where but you see him ruling within you and not only in you but you see and know him to be the spirit and power that dwels in every man and woman yea in every creature according to his orbe within the globe of the Creation So that now you see and feel and taste the sweetnesse of the spirit ruling in your flesh who is the Lord and King of glory in the whole creation and you have community with him who is the father of all things Now you are inlightened now you are saved and rises higher and higher into life and peace as this manifestation of the father increases and spreads within you And this is it to be saved by Jesus Christ for that mighty man of spirit hath taken up his habitation within your body and your body is his body and now his spirit is your spirit and so you are become one with him and with the father and this is the faith of Christ when your flesh is subject to the spirit of righteousnesse as the flesh of Christ was and this is to believe in Christ when the
the imagination of the flesh and the man grows more or lesse distracted This is pointed at by one of the two that were possessed Secondly the righteous law of God even the spirit which is full of love righteousnesse and peace in it selfe is enforced daily to be checking condemning and burning up that power of darkness or devills in the flesh to this end that the flesh may be brought into a onenesse with the father and be made subject to the spirit that made it and that dwels in it though the imaginarie powers of the flesh have trod down the spirit and would not suffer him to appear and raign for many years past I but now the fullness of time is come for the spirituall appearance of Christ and the spirit who is the Lord our righteousnesse is beginning to tread proud and covetous flesh under his feet and will take the Kingdome and raigne himself in man yea in every man for every man and woman though they be as branches of the earth yet they are every one a perfect creation of themselves and the spirit of the father dwells supremely in every man as in the whole globe So that considering that mankinde through unrighteousnesss hath been corrupted stands in need of a restauration before he can see the father dwell supremly in him and that the spirit must be the cleanser purger of this poysoned earth for he is the everlasting fire that tries all things and that seperates the dross from the gold and this spirit or father is pure reason which the unreasonableness of the flesh cannot stand before but falls presently as chaffe cannot endure the flames of fire It appears plain that the righteous law the spirit which though it be full of peace in it selfe yet having so powerfull an enemy as the devill in flesh that daily fights against him he cannot be at rest but is at work continually though it be a work wherein he takes delight As the fire never ceases burning so long as there is fuell to work upon so that the spirit of burning may be said to be full of troubles in respect of the great and varietie of his work for he is to deale with every man and woman in the creation of mankinde when I speak after the manner of men for while two parties fight to master one another there is a declaration of troubles on both sides to the beholders and yet the spirit is not full of troubles because he kils and destroys the devill with delight and works the restauration of mankinde with abundance of love and cheerfulness And this spirit is pointed out to me to be the other man possessed For the scripture is to me but the declaration of a historicall truth pointing out this higher mysterie And as the corrupt power in flesh delights to be acting and shewing it self so the holy Law which is not the letter of the scriptures but the spirit which is the law of righteousness delights to be acting and shewing himselfe in destroying that filthy power or devill And as it is a torment to a man to be crossed of his humor or will so it is here spoke after the manner of men As to be a torment to the devill in mankinde as indeed it is to be quite destroyed and as it were a torment to the righteous Law as it is not but his delight to be taken off his work of burning and consuming the devill For as it is the devills heaven to be acting unrighteousness so it is the heaven to the law of the spirit to be flaming against and burning up the devill Now the creature man looks upon these two as they fight one against the other within his heart and flesh as a murtherer of him for hereby his earthly peace is killed so that Art thou come to destroy us before the time is a voice proceeding from the distempered man but it doth typically point out the voice of this compound murtherer in man for when Christ who is the mighty man of truth dwells bodily in his own house the flesh of mankinde then all fightings within and troublers in the flesh shall cease and there shall be perfect peace but two enemies that seek the death one of the other are both to be parted therefore the devill he would not be taken off vexing the flesh because he would be King in the flesh And the spirit of righteousness would not be taken off till he hath quite subdued the devill under his feet and made flesh subject to him which shall and must be accomplished at the restauration of all things And therefore there being much work to be done in mankinde as well as in these two particular men and the work of the devill will not cease so long as he hath any power in flesh and the work of the spirit wil not cease til this serpents head be quite bruised the flesh of the whole creation mankinde be made subject to the spirit the Lord that made it therefore this voice Art thou come to destroy us before the time declares that Christ is the Anointing or power of the father that shall end this quarrell and that shall establish perfect peace in every man as a branch and in the whole creation it self mankinde when the time of the father is come that the mysterie of the great governor God is finished So that this historie of the two men possessed with devills which Christ Jesus made quiet doth declare the great work of the anointing in the latter dayes when he shall have finished his work and deliver up the Kingdome to the father that is he will establish love and peace and onenesse between mankinde and the spirit of righteousnesse that made it and the same anointing will destroy all this enmity that is between the flesh and spirit by reason of the curse that is in the flesh which is to be burned up that so peace may be made By the swine in the History are pointed out to me to be men that live upon the earth in the imaginary delights and glory of it which is a life below God as the life of a swine snudling up his food from among the filth of the earth is below the life of a man And this swine runs down the hill that is these earthly minded men run lower and lower from God who is called Sions hill in hunting after covetousnesse self-love temporal glory fleshy imaginations and thoughts These I say run downwards further and further from the life of the spirit they do not run up the hill of self-denial and love of righteousnesse where God dwels Now Gods dwelling is not in any locall place above the skies as men fancie and say God dwels above the heavens But he is said to dwell above in respect of the fleshes wisdom and power as thus Gods wisdom is above the wisdom of the flesh Gods peace and life is above the peace and life of the flesh for
it would vex him and make him speak evill of God therefore desires that such a crosse might befall Iob and God said Amen I grant thee thy desire let that befall him The spirit of envy imagines that if Iobs house was burned and his children killed it would make him blaspheme God and therefore desires that power God said Amen I grant thee that power so to do to him The spirit of envy imagines another mischief and would have Iob filled with diseases in his body and would have his friends and kindred forsake him and to be a bitter crosse to him God said Amen let it be so Now these evils are acted upon Iob as if the devill did it by his power distinct from God but no it is by Gods power limited to the devil at the devils request not so much to gratifie the devil as by this means to bruise his head for God makes use of Satans malice in desiring these miseries to befall Iob to do two things first to try Iob and to make him the more bright and faithfull to God as he appeared afterward And secondly to shame envy and the devil by his own weapon for such means as the devil did imagine would make Iob to curse God God uses the same and thereby made Iob to worship him more experimentally The spirit of pride covetousnesse and envy desired to sit in Gods Temple Mankinde and not only in the whole bulk of Mankinde but in that part which is neerest and dearest to God even the Spouse of Christ or elect City that thereby he might the more provoke God Well God said Amen and grants him a power to sit there and to rule and tred the holy City under foot forty two moneths or for a time times and a half time and now the devil raigns not by a power absolute of his own but by a limited power and a limited time too given him from God And truly all this time Satan hath made use of this power and his malice hath appeared very violent and not only the Saints but God in the Saints especially hath suffered for his wisdom his love his patience his faithfulnesse and truth hath been tempted and tryed to purpose I but the King of righteousnesse is the same he alters not and therefore in conclusion when the righteous Law takes away this limited power which this devil and wicked one desired and obtained it will then appear it did him no good but proves his utter shame and ruine and declares God to be the only one infinite beeing to the eternall glory of his own name And so in these dayes we see and feel great troubles and temptations do compasse men round and it appears to the eye of man as if envy hypocrisie pride and self-will ruled as it would himself and as if there were no power to restrain this flood of ungodlinesse I but dear friends know that all this power of temptation which you see in the hand of malice and hypocrisie it is not their own power but Gods power or the dispensation of visible wrath which God hath put into the hand of that evil spirit for a time It is not his own absolutely but it is a limited power and time and this speaks great comfort to the Saints for God will bring good out of all this God our God and Father stands and looks on and the end of all this hurly-burly will bring everlasting glory to the Father in and through his Saints and everlasting shame and ruin to the devil Therefore be not troubled you Saints of the most high though you be hated reproached and persecuted for if you would see Satans head bruised you must first suffer your heel to be bruised by his temptations so that reason tells you that there is a necessitie that the Divell should enjoy a limited time and power Well God himself suffers most in these times for though Satan get a power to try and tempt the saints and to trouble the world yet the envy of the flesh principally strikes at God for pride fights against humilitie malice fights against love falshood fights against sincerity ignorance fights against knowledge self-will in flesh fights against the King of glory the pure spirit that dwels in flesh So that God himself is the sufferer But that Satan or father of lies shoots at and the Father suffers it thus to be and limits him a power thus to fight against him that in conclusion he may send forth the brightness of his Law and bruise Satans head by his own weapons and Judge and condemne him by the words of his own mouth and works of his own hands and swallow up that spirit of envy and darkness into himself the spirit of love which is the power of God yea God himself and so takes him out of the way that troubles his Saints that they may rest and lie down sweetly in him and to have no troubler at all to trouble them when this accuser is once cast out of Heaven The Saints in all their afflictions look upon the hand of God that smites them as Iob did but unbeleevers that live after the flesh think it is the Devils power and not God CHAP. III. NOw this adverse power which men readily think is the Devils power distinct from Gods as though God had no hand in it appears to me to be the very power of God in an immediate dispensation of wrath upon the sinner and that which we call Devill that terrifies is but the declaration of the rigour of the righteous law of God laying hold upon the corruption that is in the creature which the sinner cannot look upon and live for if God look upon any creature through the righteous law which the creature man hath gone astray from he cannot live But when the law of love hath swallowed that law of works that required perfection from the creature then the brightness power of that love shining upon the heart and changing the man in to the same nature and glory makes him able to behold God and live yea and to live joyfully too both in him and before him But let me not digress too far The adverse power spoken of is the very dispensation of the wrath of God upon sinners and there is one scripture doth countenance this which is this So he drove out the man and placed at the East of the garden of Eden Cherubins and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life By tree of life is meant God himself in whom Adam dwelt And Adam himself was that living garden in whom God delighted But since Adam began to delight in himself he went out of God and God set this flaming sword to flash against Adam that so he might come into God again and taste and eat and delight himselfe in that tree of life till it was the good pleasure of God to take him in again And so all sinners