he fell and we in him and what Christ was is and will be and what the Saints were are and will be in him also 14. The first Adam sinned in him all fell but all are not eternally lost The second Adam suffered in him all were raised or made alive as Paul saith but all are not saved therefore God elected some in the first and rejected others in the second O the depth of the immense operations or rather looks of the nature of eternity The Eagles of the heavenly rock are allowed to see more in the Sun of Righteousnesse then they may lawfully utter among men as long as men continue dogs and swine But this is is safe and common that God made Adam an upright man changeable if himselfe pleased but man found out innumerable inventions the flame of Adams candle was wholly put out in Paradise by the Fall but some fire of that same candle still remaineth in the wick unextinguished capable of flaming again by a new birth in this life and such the devils and damned souls have not for they are passed out of time and life yet such is that fire in a natural man that it cannot re-kindle nor the spirit of the mind and understanding which is darkened be renewed without the inspiration of the Almighty upon that spirit or candle in Man which Elihu and Solomon mention And that spirit of life in his sevenfold breathings floweth with force on what spirits he listeth and yet its gale from heaven is upon all spirits more or lesse in this life He that yieldeth to Gods wind is renewed the other shuts it out of himselfe by his own wilfulnesse or negligence O ye Freewillers and ye Anti-freewillers so called look into that glasse cease from endlesse disputes and vain janglings Use to the uttermost the will and power God giveth you in time for mans spirit or will in this life remaineth so proxime and neighbouring to the essence and nature of God as Princes before the Monarch that a free choice is left him but such a one as is worse then nothing if the eternal spirit of grace overshadow him not for it is not of him that willeth or runneth but of God that holdeth the scales and ballance in his mighty hand and weigheth the spirits and in man preponderateth as he pleaseth The soules eternal estate is at his beck Feare him therefore and please him as far as by him thou art enabled which as yet thou mayst see thou hast neglected but in so doing thou shalt know the mystery of his Will in thy own selfe otherwise thou shalt reprobate reject or neglect thy own soul and life for ever 15. The only way to inward order is to follow the uttermost light God hath given man of his will and he that will doe his Will shall know of the Doctrine This spiritual regularity shall also lead to the outward and set Adams posterity in their due places Now as I have spoken for a righteous impartial Magistrate who is the image of God the father so I plead in God for a right Minister of the Gospel who is also the image of Christ the Son loving knowing condiscending pure wise deep diligent weaned trained tryed tempted and watered every moment and such as have by Christs order the vanguard in knowledge humblenesse and power Such Ministers Pastors Elders and Teachers as these are such as the Son of God and his Apostles owned and will confesse before the father as co-workers not against Christ but for him at least as willing Nethinims and hewers of wood and drawers of water and the true Preacher is well content with the lowest office in Christ Such as turne many to righteousnesse and obedience of the just in their hearts not to a private lane of mans opinion they shall shine for ever and ever as the stars of God in the invisible world Now ye may know such Teachers as these by this they are like Christ they doe what they teach and teach what Christ doth in them They are Innocents they hurt none by word by example or by mental influence They seat not themselves in this world in Palaces Gardens Pleasures Sports Preferments and such vanitie of vanities for the true Preacher findeth no time to be trifled away in this life because he beholdeth and eyeth the pleasures at Gods right hand and so forgetteth these delights of goats on his left hand Such Shepherds of the sheep overlook great livings on earth and are ravished with the living immortal in God Now such as approve themselves thus the servants of the living God receive them and scorn them not though they use not your tone words and gesture for who art thou that wilt bear but with one branch on one tree Thou spirit proud spirit ignorantly boasting of thy light must one tree eternally bear but one branch one leaf one apple Silence thou proud flesh that wouldst silence all flesh but thy own and seek not to stop the mouth of truth though an Asse speak it But for the Scribes and Pharisees that love in their hearts the highest seats which are not alwayes counted the pulpits in the Synagogues they love to judge all and be judged of none that 's the high Pew In that judgement the spirit of truth fitteth as Judge but not any other forerunner nor did John Baptist nor John Evangelist dare sit in that high seat in the Christian Synagogue yet in them he that sits on the circle of the earth is sternman there Now all such Priests all such Ministers Bishops Pastors Rulers and Administrators as are proud covetous dormous lustful men pleasers false accusers living-lovers belly-grooms time vain spenders idle loytering recreators State-contriving Foxes unjust wrangling suing neighbours and the like such as these whoever they be are all dogs barking and swine tumbling themselves in the dirt how then can they save them that hear them A whip of Gods making shall drive all these dogs out of the Church They are the sons of Eli and of Balaam of Aaron and of Levi in their wickedness These follow not the good but the evill of their Predecessors therefore shall they wither and suddenly come to nothing Note also that so long as any continueth and abideth in that most excellent spirit of God so long he is a Minister of Christ in God and no longer for who is he that is a Minister of Christ to day may not speak for Antichrist to morrow As Peter spake from heaven and from hell too in the same houre saying Lord thou art the Son of the living God but Master spare thy selfe Now so long as the two natures are competitors within man so long he shall and must necessarily be in doubts But when the new nature is aloft and uppermost and as long as it keeps under the vain spirit so long he hath joy and assurance and no longer for to be spiritually minded is life and peace Therefore the Lord Christ doth call and cry to
in your self and your self in God and in his Son and Word who is his Love and his all how long must the children of men run on as beasts they know not where nor yet whence nor yet in what they move and breath and subsist Lord God Almighty put a stop to their minds by the flaming sword of Truth in the hand of thy Covenant-Angel whom the Asse seeth and the Oxe knoweth O that the thousands of Israel and millions of the Gentils might now all at length under thy fifth sixth and seventh Seal Trumpet and Vial know and understand thy own Personal Being and appearance in the glasse-windows of their own spirits for thou art not far from any of them But many are far from thee so as that they neither see thee nor hear thee nor feel thee nor smell thee nor taste thee the Only God who fillest all And I poor worm am naturally as senselesse as any man living and as dark as black as unworthy as any child of Adam according to this outward Man But the new Adam within which is thy new creature and thy child waiteth on thee daily and silently to heare what thou Lord sayst and commandest to be spoken or written 2. My heart is boiling in sorrow and fear yea in indignation and love when I am made to see my brethren and sisters according to nature sunk into the deep pit of corruption And there is scarce above water as much as the crown of the head the haire yea their breath is stopped The spirit of crying to God is gone and but a form of prayer left for a carcasse of Religion and a wave of some filthy worldly lust or another comes one in the neck of another over the head of the conscience and over the crown of the learning of the souls of the people My spirit within me is baked and parched in the furnace of my secret sorrows and fears crying out Woe is me I cannot help any I my self want help of God as much as any I am scarce above water yet I am swimming towards the shore by believing in Jesus to the obedience of the eternal will But O how gastly is it to see all about so many hairy scalps floating on the top of the great deep as so many sure symptomes of dead souls dead hearts toward God and yet immortal spirits All such are the men women or children drowned in selfe and flesh O ye friends that are perfect in Christ Jesus pity pity and help both them and me I am almost arrived and landed and sometimes allowed to stand on a bank in Sion 3. Now when in spirit I am helped to stand on Mount Sion above out of the waters and deluge of Babylon I see the dead world generally and the people of divers opinions particularly burying themselves in blood and warring one with another and persecuting their brethren and yet making truce and peace with sin it self in their own closets Every one in the common rode of nature crying out Here is Truth follow me and my judgement for it is solid it is according to the rule the word of God the Scriptures the Orthodox best Interpretation My Ware is the best Ware Buy it of me or else it is just with God to leave you to errours and then it is also fit that men should make war upon you O my fellow-friend say not so not so the treasures of Truth are wonderfull God is good There is but love in him though there be wrath eternal by him Do not kindle up a fiery flame by working up a whirlwind in thy own spirit towards any Look about How many millions of lives perished in a blinde War How few follow Peace and pursue it in God Where be Gods children like Him that requite good for evill love for hatred peace for war How easily mast thou slip into this malicious or passionate pit But when thou art once in and hel-fire is kindled into flames canst thou tell when thou shalt come out of this wickednesse cruelty and evill surmisings of heart Also O ye stern austere people that are so zealously hot and rigidly censorious be warned lest ye be swallowed up in this gulfe this dark womb principle of wrath John the Baptist the morning star must give way to the pleasant Sun Terror trembling shaking is indeed the end of flesh but not of Godlinesse But while ye are afraid of the invisible one ye know not fully of what spirit ye are Howbeit others in the interim live in boastings mockings and scoldings and scufflings about outward things They project and undermine and deceive and war to to gain a name to get Scepters and Nations gold and silver pleasures and preferments and care not who they kill that stand in their way 4. Man setteth up his own mind and judgement And when he saith the Scripture is the word of God he himselfe takes upon him to judge the sense of that word and so he will needs judge his own Judge And if any other mans conscience strikes not saile to his opinion he passionately gives him a broad side and desireth to have him sunk as an heretick or formalist and so send him quick to hell And all that while the children of Adam thus violently act and dispute they are as divers sorts of birds fighting on the top of the same tree and not understand nor revere that one root of this tree which bears them all up O ye opinionists goe up to this Ramoth Gilead and prosper The false Prophets in your hearts have deceived you But they that feed onely on the true bread and water and are meek in heart have told you the truth but ye will not hear them till the arrow from God strike through your harnesse and the end will be this The dogs shall lick up your blood that was shed amongst you by one another Yet we say God is one Truth is one Love is the chief grace there should be but one Church The holy Scriptures are venerable and to be admired But who shall interpret the Scriptures and say This is the meaning You will say the Church or rather the holy spirit in the true holy Church But your neighbours ask you what Church doe you mean Is it the Baptised or Independent or Prosbyterial or Shaken or Episcopal or Lutheran or Popish or Eastern or Western Church The answer from God in ye is There is none of these righteous there is none of these perfect no not one The Baptised are narrow thoughted The Independent is corrupted the Presbyter and Episcopal are dead and swollen up the shaken too much mistaken in their censures and justifications the Lutheran too sparing in the Doctrine of the New Birth the Papal people Jewish looking out too much through the spectacles of corrupt Reason to dote on vain glosses in Divine worship the Eastern and Western both named Christian not yielding to one another the time of the day devoured the one the
am a Magistrate too and a ruler over men and over Angels and properties of nature Be thou as I am and we shall gloriously sit on one bench Keep up thy pomp gallantly oppresse these silly moneyless wretches and widows Thunder out by thy Warrants and apprehend all those Fanatiques that walk by the spirit as they say but are unmannerly unworthy ideots Then shalt thou be my fellow-Magistrate doe as I doe I shall be at thy elbow I shall instruct thee in all gallantry and Magistratical devices excesses and bravery of spirit in oppression drunkennesse sloth and neglect of what is good But let Satan be told though he knoweth it already and that with gnashing of teeth that the Lord Jesus is fashioning to himself Magistrates that fear God and hate covetousness partiality and pomp 13. There is no trade occupation calling imployment or manufacture whereinto Satan hath not not crept and is become Master of the trade and Lord of the tradesmen also for the generality of them And while the trade their spirits is sinning and their practice deceit and falshood he takes them for his fellow-tradesmen and they that make a trade of any creature in this life to let their lusts live thereby have for their companion the enemy that trades in the heavenly firmamental astral and earthy nature O ye tradesmen let your conversations be in the Heavens let Christ be your treasure and your hearts thereon 14. But besides all this it behoves the children of men and the sons God also to remember and know that Satans fort is never stormed and taken by the chafed quickned or superlatived spirits of nature neither are this serpents scales pierced or he offended or awakened by all or any of the penetrations of mans wit reason learning writing preaching threatning praying or procking of him in all the strength of nature He laughs at those bullets and scorns the arrows of such bowes of men But the true bow of steel striketh him through That bow is the word or spirit of God in man and in mans doings prayers preachings and writings Thus the Prophets Apostles and Servants of the Lord both small and great have wounded the dragon and he that bendeth this bow denieth himself blusheth at the weaknesse of his endeavours and yet trusteth in God that whatsoever he doth it shall prosper 15. The comfort and conquest lieth in this that a great chain in the great Angels hand is now preparing with all her links to bind this old Drgaon in the dungeon of the bottomlesse pit O ye Sons of Sion and Inhabitants of Heaven and earth sing Hallelujah and praise God and the Lamb for the burning of Beelzebub and Babylon his Whore is to your joy And it may work upon Satan somewhat to hear such songs And as he is hopelesse for himself so he may despair of your souls condemnation But whatever he thinks he must shortly be bound and when he is loosened it is for his woe Therefore pray earnestly in faith and hasten that blessed time that long-looked for day of God wherein righteousnesse shall bud forth and mercy take her throne wherein the everlasting Gospel that discovereth eternity shal be heard by the Trump of God and the dead spirit released Hasten that day wherein all Saints shal be united when all truths shall be believed that day wherein all shall be judged within and without by one spirit of holinesse power of love for that day of the Spirit of the Lords mouth discovereth all darknesses and hasteneth to chase all clouds and tempests off from all Saints speedily Amen Amen 16. In the mean while until Satan this Achitophel hath erected his owne gallowes high enough let the poore soule be skilfull in resisting him in faith He comes to thee through thy owne thoughts and saith Thou wretch art guilty as well as I read over the booke of all thy guilts turn over the leaves of thy wofull conscience Dost thou not remember how beastial devillish vain wicked and unworthy thy conversation hath been yea thou art more guilty then I because the Messiah hath taken the nature of man not of Angels upon him Come then away with me and thou shalt lie under me for my ease in the bottomless pit Now when the accuser thus chargeth thee what wilt thou poor soul do Tell him I do read over my guilts and unworthinesse I am naturally the foulest of all wretches in the world I do confesse it notwithstanding the blood of Jesus washeth me from all sin But now I will no more live in sin because it is pardoned I throw it away from me and that thou canst not do Therefore it shall be thine and Christs Righteousnesse and Holinesse too shall be mine I excommunicate for ever from me that vile nature which I had that was the mother as thou wert the father of my corruptions Take thou that Bride and then what is left in me but the life and love of my Lord Jesus what canst thou say to this I am clothed with change of raiment I will have nothing to do with sin any more It is not mine I will have fellowship with Jesus for he is my portion and potentate 17. Now when thou hast thus answered the devil watch over thy will Never give thy consent to any sin keep thy will pure and earnest to God slack it not expect and draw within thee the mighty Power of God to carry thee every minute beyond and above thy own lusts Thy spirit is like a bowle The byas is thy naturall corrupt disposition If thy course in good things be slacked then thy own byas will turn thee round as it fareth with a bowle in bowling but while thou givest all diligence to finish thy course with mighty energy in all good thy corruptions are contemned crucified over-born to the land of oblivion for to be spiritually minded is life and peace but to be carnally minded is death Therefore whilst soule and body are together there remaines not one spare minute of time to be carelesse loos-hearted or diffident in Christ 18. This also is added to encourage thee the world is full of books on this subject but not of soules that wrestle against the devill howbeit whereever Christs souldiers are they have heavenly provision made for them food armour and pay And if by reading of this whoever and wherever thou art thou be in the least measure refreshed of God in the great campe of Israel Praise the great Generall the living sweet Eternall and Almighty Word of God and I shall rejoyce with thee farewell N. D. A Chapter to this People and to the World written in 1655. printed in 1656. 1. O Ye children of Adam in all the corners and habitations of the Earth upon whom the end of this World and the Day of God is dawning and hastening to discover and judge all Natures and Nations Hearken and awake and look about you yea look into your self that you may behold God
that drunkennesse fornications idlenesse turbulences oppressions wrongs slanders thefts Murthers riots Rantismes Prophane-oaths Cursings Tiplings yea and prophanations of the first day and imposing peremptorily a worship upon others and blasphemy also are all judged and condemned by the light of the very law of nature And a Magistrate need not yea he may not take cognisance qua Magistrate of any other law to judge and punish by Hereby he becomes all things to all men for good but convicts them of evils out of their own mouths out of their owne consciences if he himselfe be ingenious comprehensive and blamelesse But where can be found a Magistrate as yet that doth not himselfe transgresse in many things even the law of nature Now when Ministers as spirituall men take this naturall law into their hands they are truely Antichrist and deale with wrong weapons for the spirituall armour on the right and left hand is sufficient for them in God so when the Magistrate so presumes on spiritual to drive on and impose as a Magistrate his judgement of religion upon others consciences though as a Christian he may do it and ought to the uttermost he also fights against Christ and intermeddles in that which belongs not to him as Magistrate to his danger or ruine 9. Now though there be six sorts of Magistrates according to Isaiah the Prophet in the world The golden Magistrate the silver the brazen the iron the wooden and the stony Magistrate and also lawful for a man sent of God to tell the Magistrate his condition as also for him to deale with such a man againe in love with seriousnesse and as men and brethren not incroaching but speaking to the mans conscience so let both endeavour in the faith and love of Christ to get out of the iron or wooden or stony state to that which is more excellent in their generation But still bear in mind that untill both these act distinctly and apart in their proper sphears well acknowledge that each hath taske enough imposed on him by his owne proper law there shall I say againe there may be no true lasting settlement in any nation of the world For while the State boweth to the Church so called or the Church representative to curry favour with the state in flattery and much hypocrisie the family of the whole earth will be tossed as a ship in a tempest Not that the one is to be superiour to the other but both are good in the sight of God as far as they keep their place and well use their talents Wherefore O ye Magistrates Ministers and people as yee love your soules and peace with truth and righteousnesse lay this one distinction to heart that you may no further feel yoaks of miseries upon your necks nor confusions differences desolations calamities for no peace everlasting is there til yee come to the bottome of peace in God the root of all Study therefore your selves and how that Christ is in you unlesse ye be reprobates a light of Heaven that sheweth man what is good Hee doth not say that a Magistrate should forbeare to take his liberty as a knowing Christian man as before asserted to convince mens consciences to promote and zealously promulgate the truth as far as he knowes it by the force of the spirit of the holy Scriptures and by that only This he must doe if he be a Sanctified one as a Saint but as a Magistrate he must act only by that law that accuseth man of his evill and commendeth him for good or may and should convince him in his owne cogitations Again therefore I say let Magistrates as men study the law of men and fulfill it too and they shall be blessed in their work 10. Also beyond and besides this many thousands cry out that the Christians are divided among themselves more then the Turks Indians or Jewes The Christened Papists are almost in three hundred pieces in their opinions amongst their learned The common Catholique Protestant whose Religion is to run far enough from Papistry in some particular Articles is all to shivers in his own Episcopal reformed doctrine as he calls it government and discipline as abundantly it appears in the Nations Also the Reformers of these Reformadoes are scorned and laughed at by men that are called learned as meer fools both in naturals and spirituals Enquire and finde where is there any sort of people that are not more or lesse to flitters among themselves if their secret discourses and lives were manifested I could mention many names persons opinions Churches interests parties engagements and particular books treatises and contemplations of men mixed in self but I forbear I feel and find almost every one hath bad thoughts of some evil in his Neighbour and is gnawing some bone or other in his reserved thoughts None of all these Sects and factions in Christendome doth good all and alwaies no not one Therefore should all their mouths be stopped before the face of the Throne of God and their lips also stayed from uttering words against others But every man excepting a few forgets the great mountain of his own fins that is alwaies before the door as the dunghil of his own house and as before is said almost every childling of Adam would be pulling out either the mote or eye of his brother many wise men are yet to learn to reconcile these differences neither know they much of the deep ground nor yet the end for many study the middles in the Alphabet but the Alpha and Omega is hid from their eyes 11. Many of them also that are called Preachers of the Gospel and Ministers of Christ that should be peace makers men comprehending all things in Christ and in the true wisedome should come to the people as the woman at Abel came to Joab Captain of Davids Hoast and so end all the matter of stir and strife and nor be behind a woman that composod all differences at Abel Many I say of these Preachers rather kindle a blind and an evill fire they speak evil of what they know not busie their brains to build high Towers in Babel envenome and exasperate one party against another under pretence of zeale for Christ and bring upon themselves a swift witnesse a heavy judgement at the day of God when all the blood of such as they packed on to wars and slaughters or evill-speakings shall stare them in the face and make them then starers also Their excuse then which will not serve will be Lord I thought I contended for thy truth and for a right Religion as much as against Errours Heresies and Atheism and oppressions of Adams children But what will the Judge say O thou blind guide thou hast led the poor eternal people in the dark and hast made them leap out of this world they knew not whither Thou mightest have known that I loved peace patience and overcoming all evill by love but when the Bible and my Spirit commanded love