believeth in Jesus His righteousness consisteth in this in that he can remit sin and yet be faithful in that he can justifie the ungodly and yet be just or the righteousness of Faith is the righteousness of Christ for Faith is called Christ as I said before He is made of God unto us Wisdom Sanctification Justification Redemption Righteousness and the like But what is the righteousness of Christ or in what doth the matter of it consist In the Active and Passive obedience of Christ That is in what he hath done and suffered for us The third thing to be considered is What the voice of the righteousness of Faith is or what it speaketh It speaketh these following things that is to say Say not in thine heart That is Do not speak secretly It speaks this to us our readiness to speak that secretly which haply we would not speak openly that others may take notice of what we say Quest But what should I not say in my heart Answ. These two things following First Who shall ascend into heaven What is that That is to bring down Christ from above We are ready to speak it in our hearts though not in our mouthes Who shall ascend into heaven We want Christ he is not in our hearts surely he is in heaven and our souls are troubled with care for one to go up into heaven to fetch him down into our hearts O how we have endeavoured to fetch him down by prayer and striving As I my self have done O how I have gaped for him to come down from heaven into my mouth and heart when I was many times praying And when I could do no good this way I have been much inquisitive in my spirit for one to fetch him down from out of the skies and out of the deep into my heart Answ. 2. Say not in thine heart Who shall descend into the deep What is that That is to bring up Christ again from the dead For want of a feeling of Christ within us we are ready to say in our hearts though not with our mouthes Who shall descend into the deep We conclude many times in our spirits that either he is in the heavens or in the deep But first we are carried out with much care for one to fetch him from above And if Jesus Christ come not down from thence into our hearts then we conclude he is not there but in the deep and we are very inquisitive who shall fetch him from the dead We think that either he is above us or beneath us among the dead in the grave in hell Sometimes we think he is risen and ascended above and sometimes we think that he is not Thus much for that which the righteousness of faith would have us not say Now we are to speak of that which the righteousness of faith saith What is that First The righteousness of faith saith The Word is nigh thee But what word The word of faith which we preach What word is that Christ Why is he called the word of faith Because he it is that begets faith in souls The righteousness of faith saith That word is nigh thee Oh that God would give us ears to hear it is good news that the righteousness of faith speaks We will hear thee what thou sayst therefore speak Lord The Word is nigh Whom Thee us them him her all Friends Christ is nigh us he is on our right hand and on our left hand though we see him not Job 23. 9. The Word of God is nigh us But why is Christ called the Word of God in Scripture Because as the word of a man is that whereby a man expresseth himself his minde so Christ is called the Word of God in this respect he is the minde of the Father expressed That by which we know the minde of a man is his words that by which we know the minde of God is by his Word So that Christ is the minde of God discovered the Word is God made known revealed This Word was God and was with God Joh. 1. 1. Christ is called the Word of Truth likewise in Scripture Who hath begotten us to himself by the Word of Truth But why is he called the Word of Truth Because he begets Truth in the soul This Word is nigh thee How nigh me Very nigh thee Deut. 30. 14. For the Word is very nigh unto thee Where is it In thy mouth I do not finde him there Though you do not yet he is there Secondly He is in thine heart I do not feel him there and therefore he is not there That will not follow he is there though you feel him not that Jesus which you look for from above and beneath is exceeding nigh to thee even in thy mouth and in thine heart he is as nigh as possible can be he is not far from every one of us Acts 17. 27. We many times disquiet our selves for one to fetch him from above and from the deep whenas poor souls our Christ is within us We are carried out after more Sense then Faith and that is the reason that we no longer then we feel Christ to be in us do conclude him to be in our hearts The next thing to be enquired into is To whom the voice of the righteousness of faith speaketh That is to those who by reason of the want of feeling Jesus Christ within them are carried out to enquire who shall ascend into the heavens and who shall descend into the deep to fetch Christ from thence into their hearts which were the Jews Israel and in them the Saints And the words indeed are spoken to prevent all Objections in them and others against this truth Christ in them And there is not an Objection that they can make or that we and others can make but it is there answered The voice of the righteousness of faith speaks so fully to all Objections that I cannot but subscribe to the truth of what it saith That Christ is in me I am forced to do it by reason I have nothing to say against the truth though my base heart together with the devil is ready to question every truth of God though it be never so plain The words being explicated there will arise naturally this Corollary that is to say That there is an aptitude in the spirits of those who feel not the Lord Jesus within them to enquire who shall ascend into heaven or who shall descend into the deep to fetch Christ from thence into their spirits whenas Christ is within them This is clear from the words The grounds of this Doctrine are two 1. Ignorance 2. Unbelief First Ignorance We are ignorant of the Omnipresencie of Christ that he is present in every place and in our hearts as in every place I have heard many professors subscribe to this truth but yet have denied it a truth in their particular souls Secondly Unbelief We cannot believe that he is in our hearts we will give
him while Joseph made himself known to his brethren And he wept aloud and the Egyptians and house of Pharoah heard And Joseph said unto his brethren I am Joseph Doth my Father yet live And his brethren could not answer him for they were troubled at his presence And Joseph said to his brethren Come neer me I pray you And they came neer I am Joseph your brother whom ye sold into Egypt This Joseph is a Type of Christ and his discovering himself to his brethren is the manner that Christ takes to reveal himself to his brethren Christ cannot many times refrain himself he cannot forbear but discover and reveal himself to his brethren that have sold him into Egypt he must discover himself to his brethren as Joseph did as Joseph wept to see his brethren so doth Jesus Christ to see his brethren he weeps aloud to see us yea he weeps for joy to see his brethren before he discovers himself to them and afterwards he saith I am Ioseph I am your Ioseph one of your fellow-brethren Doth my Father yet live in you When Christ speaks thus to the soul the Soul cannot answer him because it is troubled at his presence And as Ioseph said to his brethren Come neer so Christ bids us come neer We are ready when we have a discovery of Christ to stand afar off and to be afraid of him and then Christ saith Come neer as if he should say Why stand you a loof off Come neer and to encourage them to come neer he speaks more plainly to them now I am Joseph your brother whom ye sold into Egypt but before he said I am Joseph onely and then the soul comes neer to Christ O how sweet this is Christ shall not no will not onely reveal himself but he can do no otherwise he cannot refrain himself and therefore Christ saith unto them Be not grieved nor angry with your selves that ye sold me into Egypt for God did send me before you to preserve life See how Christ endeavours to take away all grief and anger from his brethren by telling them that God sent him into Egypt to preserve life Selah So that confess him to be in you though you do not feel him within you yet if you believe he is in you you may confess him But what is it to confess him To confess him is to acknowledge him come in the flesh and come within you 1 Joh. 4. 2. Hereby know yee the Spirit of God every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God 1 Joh. 4. 15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God God dwels in him and he in God Confessing there is acknowledging Phil. 2. 11. And that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father There is the same word So that to confess him is to acknowledge him How Thus thou art within me I do subscribe to the truth of it that it is so even so But yet I cannot confess him saith the soul The word of faith is in thy mouth to make thee to confess that Christ is within thee and to say It is true Lord as I have believed thou art within me There is the acknowledgement of the soul There is not onely a confession of the mouth required of the soul but a belief of the heart likewise that God raised Christ from the dead which I do intend a little to speak to Dead here is to be understood grave hell that state that Jesus Christ was in of whom it was said Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thy holy One to see corruption Psal. 16. 10. It is not enough to confess Christ to be within us but to believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead if we would be saved our Faith must reach further then Christ in us it must reach to the Father also See 1 Pet. 1. 21. Who by him do believe in God that raised him from the dead and gave him glory that our faith and hope might be in God See further in Act. 13. 32 33 34. And we declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made to our Fathers God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children in that he hath raised up Iesus again as it is also written in the second Psalm Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead now no more to return to corruption he said I will give him the sure mercies of David A faith that saves that is a faith that is accompanyed with Salvation is in God as one that raised Christ from the dead for there is in Gods raising Christ Remission of sins and justification from all things as sin iniquity and the like from which we could not be justified by the Law of Moses Act. 13. 38 39. And besides to us there is an imputation of righteousness which was imputed to Abraham if we believe on him that raised up Iesus our Lord from the dead who for this very end was raised from the dead that is to say for our justification Rom. 4. 24 25. God would have us believe in him as one that raised Christ from the dead because in Gods raising Christ he raised us through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead and the uncircumcision of our flesh hath he quickened together with him having forgiven us all trespasses blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nayling it to the cross and having spoyled principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them all A glorious slaughter of all our enemies is to be seen in Gods raising Christ from the dead And then that in Eph. 2. 5 6. In Gods raising Christ we though we were dead in sins yet were quickened together with him and were raised up together with him and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Iesus which was Gods rich mercy and great love and his end in it was That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us in Christ Iesus Eph. 2. 4 7. Now God many times suffers us to have the sentence of death in our spirits he suffers us to be pressed out of measure beyond strength insomuch that we despair of life that we should not trust in our selves but in God that raised the dead Quest But you will ask me First How God raised Christ from the dead Secondly What it is to be believe it Answ. For the first how God raised Christ It was 1. By the glory of the Father Rom. 6. 4 9 2. By the Spirit Rom. 8. 11. 3. By his mighty power Eph. 1. 20. The second thing to be enquired into is What it is to believe that God
THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST in Us With the Mystery of the Father Word and holy Ghost or Spirit OPENED Also the Parable of the rich man's flocks and herds and the poor man's ewe-lamb Explicated Likewise the way that Christ takes to undo a man and take away his life Together with a discovery of the neerness of Christs coming and of those glorious things which are to be fulfilled in these later days Set forth and published by Ed. Hide jun. Rom. 10. 6 7 8 9. 2 Sam. 12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. 1 Joh. 5. 7 8. Psal. 87. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Isa. 6. 6 7. Zech. 14. 20 21. Zech. 5. 6 7 8 9. London Printed by Ja. Cottrel for Giles Calvert at the black Spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1651. To the Reader Christian Reader BEfore I was stirred up to set pen to paper in this following Treatise I found in my spirit such a contrariety to it that I resolved within my self I would write no more But within a little while after I found the Spirit of God to have such violent strong and powerful influence upon me that I could not withstand it but write And besides I had no peace and quietness in my spirit till I had unloadened my spirit and finished this Work for I had this dashed into my spirit Write But no sooner was it dashed in but I went and consulted with flesh and blood and so questioned it whether it was from the Lord or no And after some further clearings of it up by the Lord to my spirit I was forced to lie down under the truth power and authority of it Within a while after there were divers places of Scripture given in unto me with the minde interpretation and meaning thereof which I was to write and which I have in this Discourse inserted Two things therefore I do desire of you in the reading of this Discourse First That you would not pass censure upon it till you have thorowly examined and tried what is written lest you pass sentence upon the Truth and so be found an opposer of it The second is this That you would not judge nor take that for Error that doth not sute with your judgements or apprehensions this is the weakness of many Professors in our age if their judgments and lights cannot comprehend a thing they look upon that thing to be erroneous they measure Truth according to their capacity it is not Truth no further then they can reach it this very thing hath made many to withstand Truth As for example our Priests and others how often have they withstood Truth meerly upon this ground Weigh what is written ponder it in your heart and spirit if you cannot comprehend what is written be silent do not resist it it may be you may have a discoverie of that you never had before haply what is written may meet with some of your hearts and spirits Here are waters to the Ancles to the Knees to the Loyns a River that cannot be passed over a Fountain that will never be dry waters to wade in to swim in living waters waters of life healing waters pure waters waters to drown man in to bury man in do not despise these waters wait on them you know not but that an Angel from heaven may come down and put you into them and involve you in them there is one in this Discourse it may be may meet with you if he doth he will rob you of all your goods wit parts gifts understanding knowledge wisdom power he will quite undo you yea take away your life If you meet with one that doth this do not forget to return praises to him wait it may be you may have that great doubt resolved Christ in you whom you have so much expected from heaven from the deep if you have exalt the Lord not me It may be you may meet with some discoveries of the Father Word and Spirit or Water Blood and Holy Ghost and of their several testimonies if you do praise him that lives for ever and ever not me It may be God may meet with you in a parabolical way and manner as he did David and make you pass sentence upon your self in passing sentence upon another and condemn you out of your own mouth that you have sinned if he doth magnifie the Lord not me It may be Jesus Christ may steal like a theef into your hearts by this Discourse with greater power and glory then ever he hath done heretofore if he doth be sure to return praises unto him not to me It may be God may make mention of Rahab and Babylon to you in this Discourse it may be he may call you to behold Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia tell you that this man was born there if he doth admire the Lord not me It may be you may have a discoverie of that glory that is to be revealed in these latter days and is in this Discourse set down Who would resist and withstand therefore who would not wait seeing there is no safety in resisting but in patiently waiting Then resist rather say Ah Lord there may be Truth in this Discourse though I cannot comprehend it and it is madness in men to withstand and speak evil of that they know not nor are able to comprehend reveal it discover it that I may praise thee then he will discover it to thee Here is no need of the Sun Moon Stars Candle and Temple for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple thereof and the glory of God did lighten them and the Lamb is the light thereof and there shall be no night there and they need no Candle neither light of the Sun for the Lord God giveth them light I look for some to scoff laugh and jeer at me and that which I have written to slight and scorn me and what is written As I am sure the Priests and others will Do slight scorn laugh and jeer at me and what I have written see what you will get by it in the end see what will be the issue of it And I look for others to finde fault with me and speak evil and reproach me and be angry with me for what I have written Others I look should say that I go backward and forward in what I write and contradict my self I look that others haply should say that I write scatteringly meanly and not learnedly but poorly I care not what they say I weigh it not I desire to speak not in the eloquence of mans wisdom but in the plainness of the Spirit and as for their scoffs jeers laughters evil speakings and reproaches I weigh them not likewise they are my portion I rejoyce in them all if there were as many more of them I shall and do count them my Crown and shall and do not think my self worthy of them I know whom I have believed whose I am not Mens not Sins not Satans but the Lords In the
raised his Son from the dead There are divers sorts of faith spoken of in Scripture There is a believing from the relation of another Ioh. 4. 42. As the Samaritans did meerly upon the report of the woman but afterwards they believed because they had seen Christ and there is a believing as I said before that is not accompanied with salvation which Simon Magus had and there is a believing that is accompanied with salvation Heb. 10. 39. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul This is the belief that is intended here Now that faith that saves is the faith of Christ which consisteth in yeelding up hearty obedience and subjection to this truth that God raised Christ from the dead We have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that hath been delivered unto us Rom. 6. 17. This believing in God that he raised Christ from the dead is nothing but a souls lying down under the power and authority of it and saying It is so It is so Lord Lie down therefore under the power of this truth that God raised his Son say it is a truth and thou shalt be saved it is a truth Lord it is even so thou art saved Quest But you seem to make no difference between confession of the mouth and belief with the heart Answ. Yes but I do Faith in the heart believes this is a glorious truth that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and that Christ is within us Confession with the mouth declares and publisheth nothing but what saith in the heart believes is truth CHAP. II. The Parable of the rich man's flocks and herds and the poor man's ewe-lamb unfolded out of 2 Sam. 12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Vers 1 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David and he came unto him and said unto him There were two men in one city the one rich and the other poor 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds 3 But the poor man had nothing save one little ewe-lamb which he had bought and nourished up and it grew up together with him and with his children it did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter 4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him but took the poor mans lamb and dressed it for the man that was come to him 5 And Davids anger was greatly kindled against the man and he said to Nathan As the Lord liveth the man that hath done this thing shall surely die 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity 7 And Nathan said unto David Thou art the man IN the first verse of this Chapter there is the Lord sending Nathan unto David with a Parable in his mouth It was the Lord that sent him unto David and that put the Parable into his mouth to declare to David From part of the first verse to the fifth verse Nathan makes known the Parable A Parable you know is to be taken otherwise then is set down in the letter of it and is much like an Allegory The first words of the Parable are these There were two men in one city the one rich and the other poor The City are the Saints see Heb. 12. 22. But ye are come unto mount Sion and unto the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels And Eph. 2. 22. Matth. 27. 53. Rev. 21. 2 The rich man is David who had exceeding many flocks and herds The poor man is Christ see Eccles. 9. 15. There was a little citie and few men in it and there came a great king against it and besieged it and built great bulwarks against it Now there was found in it a poor man and he by his wisdom delivered the city See likewise 2 Cor. 8. 9. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for our sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be made rich See Psal. 34. 6. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles And in another place he is called The man Christ Jesus Now the rich man's and poor man's living in one city was their enjoying each other and having fellowship with each other in the city of God The rich man's flocks and herds are those exceeding many spiritual blessings that God had blessed David with which are those blessings that God blesseth many of his people with see Ephes. 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ The poor man's ewe-lamb is the beloved disciple of Christ as John was see Luke 13. 23. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosome one of his disciples which Jesus loved This ewe-lamb the poor man bought with a price even with that price he bought the rest of his people with 1 Cor. 6. 12. Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirits which are Gods And then that in 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men Jesus Christ did not onely buy this ewe-lamb but nourished it up himself with the milk of himself it grew up together with him that is Christ brought it up with himself as he was brought up with the Father see Prov. 8. 20. And it grew up with his children that is with Christ's children Who are those Such that are of faith and so are blessed with faithful Abraham and are Gal. 3 7 9. Those which are born of the free woman that is born after the Spirit or by promise It did not grow up with Christ alone but with the rest of his children who grew up with him And it did eat of the poor man 's own meat and of the poor man 's own drink which is Christ himself That which nourished the lamb and which the lamb fed upon was the meat and drink of Christ which is his flesh and blood See in Joh. 6. 53 54 55 56. Then Jesus said unto them Verily verily I say unto you Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwells in me and I in him That which Christ fed this Lamb with was Life and Spirit which is his flesh and blood O glorious food Friends it is the best food Christ hath or that he can feed a soul with Christ did not onely buy this
repentance This is clear from the Parable If it be so then this may serve to discover the truth of this How that God many times takes such a mystical way of speaking that he makes the poor creature condemn himself pass sentence upon himself in the person of another as he made David It makes me wonder at David's being caught by God and what he said when the Prophet said unto him Thou art the man Friends if you have committed adultery murder fornication or some secret sin or the like God hath a Parabolical way and manner to make you pass sentence upon your selves in passing sentence upon others if he intend good to you There is no hiding of your sins God will finde them out David little thought that he was the man the Prophet spoke to and that he passed sentence upon himself in the person of another God can catch us some way or other if he intend good to our souls he will shew us that we have sinned as he did David some way or other If it be so it speaks the wisdom of God O how wise is our God for our good Though haply we think him not to be so O the depth of the wisdom of God! his ways are past finding out in this thing in convincing of sin in such a parabolical way We many times speak against his wisdom and ways because we do not comprehend them there is no searching of his ways they are past finding out the more we search into them the more we lose our selves in them The fifth doctrine is this That that which convinceth a man of sin is Gods saying unto him Thou art the man This is cleer from the words If it be so Then you that take your fill of sin that commit sin with greediness when God comes to say to you souls You are the men and the women that have sinned against him what will you do then And you that are proud self-conceited high-minded and the like God will finde you out and discover to you that you are the men and women that have sinned against him and wronged your own souls To confirm this Doctrine consider that in Act. 2. 3 6. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ Whom they had crucified When God had said unto them that they were those which crucified Christ that they were the men which did it when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and cryed out What shall we do to be saved And in another place It was ye that denyed Christ in the presence of Pilate that denyed the holy One and just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you it was ye that killed the prince of life whom God raised from the dead Act. 3. 13 14 15. The God of our Fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins When they heard that they were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them Act. 5. 30 31 33. The Apostles saying unto them in the Spirit of Christ that they were those that slew Christ they were the men that did it that cuts them to the heart and makes them take counsel to slay them VVhen God speaks to a soul Thou art the man that hast sinned that hast slain Christ either he will cry out VVhat shall I do to be saved or else he will inrage and take counsel against the people of God The VVord of God is like a two edged sword and will cut one way or other If it be so Then O that God would say to you as he did to David you are the men and women that have killed the poor mans Lamb VVe are ready with the whorish woman to wipe our mouthes and say VVe have not sinned but when God comes to discover sin we shall see we have sinned been proud vaunted and gloried in our selves what we have been done or can do that we have spoken honourable of those that admired us and poor and base and contemptible of those that did not admire us and cry us up CHAP. III. The three Witnesses in heaven with their testimonies and the three Witnesses on earth with their testimonies explicated out of 1 Joh. 5. 7 8. Vers 7. For there are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth the Spirit and the Water and the Blood and these three agree in one IN the fifth verse of this chapter there is a Question propounded with an Answer annexed to it The Question is this Who is he that overcometh the world The answer is this But he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God this is he that came by water and bloud even Jesus Christ not by water onely but by water and blood And it is the Spirit that beareth witness of this The reason is because the Spirit is truth Now these two verses which we are to speak to are a reason of part of the sixth verse There are in the first verse of the words these things to be considered First Who the Witnesses are that bear record in Heaven Secondly What Heaven is in which they bear testimony Thirdly What the Witnesses Records are Fourthly What the Witnesses Oneness is There are in the second verse of the words these things likewise to be considered First What earth is Secondly Who they are that bear witness in earth Thirdly What their testimonies are Fourthly How the Witnesses agree in one The first thing to be considered in the first verse of the words is this Who the Witnesses are that bear record in Heaven They are three great mysteries the Father the Word and the Spirit the hugest mysteries that ever were which no natural eye can finde out all the parts learning and gifts of men are here lost And besides they are of such infinite vastness that they swallow up all other mysteries whatsoever The very marrow of Godliness and Christianity consists and lies hid in the knowledge of these Three it is the right understanding of these Three that makes the soul truly godly All happiness and glory lie involved in these Three the Father Word and holy Ghost Quest But you will ask me What is the Father what is the Son and what is the holy Ghost Answ. The Father is God the Son the same God and the holy Ghost the same God though in a different manner Quest But why is God called the Father why the Son and why the holy Ghost Answ. He is called the Father with respect to two Creations First the Old Creation Secondly the New Creation First he is called the Father with respect to the Old Creation he is the Former Begetter and Framer of the heavens
and of the earth and of the sea and of every thing in the earth and in the sea that belongs to the Old Creation for it is the proper work of God as he is the Father to Beget and Create Secondly He is called the Father with respect to the New Creation he is the Father as he is the begetter of Christ Psal. 2. 7. and as he is the begetter of souls to himself by the Word of truth in the New Creation James 1. 18. as he is the begetter of us to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 1 Pet. 1. 3. and as he is the begetter of us to himself by the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. 15. He is called the Word first with respect to the Old Creation likewise secondly with respect to the New Creation also First He is called the Word with respect to the Old Creation as he is the thing begotten in the heavens and in the earth and in the sea and in every thing in the heavens earth and sea for there is nothing in them but holds forth the power and wisdom of God which is Christ see 1 Cor. 1. 24. For it is the proper work of the Son to be begotten in the Old Creation Secondly He is called the Word with respect to the New Creation as he is the thing begotten in us in the New Creation as he is the life power and hope of glory within us Col. 1. 27. as he is our wisdom justification sanctification redemption and the like For it is the proper work of the Son to be begotten in us He is called the Spirit with respect to two things First as he is a discoverer and revealer of Truth and Glory to us and in us in the Old Creation there is abundance of Truth and Glory to be seen there which we see not nor know every thing of the Old Creation sets forth more or less glory The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy-work And the devil keeps us from looking after the glory of God that shines forth in the things of the world Now it is the onely work of God as he is the Spirit to discover and reveal that glory and truth that lies hid in every thing in the world Secondly he is the Spirit as he is the revealer and discoverer of truth and glory in the New Creation there is no glory to be seen without the Spirit and there is no knowing of truth and glory but by the Spirit We may seek to finde it out and labour and weary out our spirits and yet not finde it It is not the joyning of every mans Learning together can finde it out Truth indeed will put all learned Rabbies to a non-plus And so for the Glory of God it is unsearchable men cannot finde it out though they joyn all their heads together Where is the wise where is the scribe where is the disputer of this world Tell me what is glory of God and what is Truth You cannot tell me for no man knows the minde of God but God Now it is the onely work of God as he is the Spirit to reveal and make known Truth and Glory to us and in us Again he is called the Spirit as he is the leader of the poor creature into Truth and Glory in the Old Creation Though God as the Spirit discovers Truth and Glory to us in the Old Creation yet Friends we cannot be led into it but by the Spirit though we see never so much Truth and Glory shine forth in the Old Creation yet we cannot enjoy it without the Spirit the Spirit is that which leadeth us into the enjoyment of it which is sweeter then the seeing of it Howbeit when he the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come Joh. 16. 13. Secondly he is the Spirit as he is the guider of poor creatures into Truth and Glory in the New Creation Friends if there be any Truth and Glory that you possess the Spirit guided you into it for we are so ready to go out of the way of Truth and Glory though it be discovered to us that unless we had some one to guide us into Truth and Glory we should miss of the enjoyment of it though we see it The second thing to be spoken to in the first verse of the words is this What heaven is in which the Witnesses bear record Heaven here is the uncompounded and unmixt state of Saints it is such an estate of glory in which Saints shall be as shall not be mixed or compounded with flesh That state which we are now in it is a mixt state of Flesh and Spirit but that state which we shall be in in heaven is a pure state of Spirit and Glory The third thing to be enquired into is What the Witnesses record in heaven is In which we shall consider four things 1. What the Father's report is 2. What the Word's report is 3. What the holy Ghost's report is 4. How they witness For the first what the Father's report is The Father's report is somewhat concerning the Son What is that See in 1 Joh. 5. 9 10 11 12. If we receive the witness of men the witness of God is greater for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself and he that believeth not God hath made him a lyer because he believeth not the report that God gave of his Son And this is the report that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life See that in Joh. 5. 32. There is another that beareth witness of me and I know that the witness which he beareth of me is true See verse 37. And the Father himself which hath sent me hath born witness of me But what doth the Father witness of Christ See in Matth. 3. 16 17. And Jesus when he was baptized went up straightway out of the water and lo the heavens were opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him And lo a voice from heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased That which the Father testifies of Christ is That he is the Messiah the Son of God and that he is well pleased with his Son and so with us in his Son Then that in Joh. 8. 18. The Father that sent me beareth witness of me What is that See vers 12. Then spake Jesus again unto them saying I am the light of the world he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life God beareth record of Christ that he
that is the gift He that prayeth and he that offers up prayer are all but one incomprehensible being and therefore Christ saith of the Father and himself that they are one I and my Father are one Till we come to understand things thus we shall miss of the truth and run into a thousand errours Thus much for the first verse of the words The first thing to be considered in the second verse of the words is What earth is in which the Water Blood and Spirit witness Earth is the mixt and compounded state of Saints in which they live in this life which is an estate part of flesh and part of spirit part fleshly part spiritually in which state there is such a lusting and fighting of the spirit against flesh and flesh against the spirit that a Saint cannot do many times the things he would but is led captive into the law of sin The second thing to be considered in the second verse of the words is Who they are that bear witness on earth They are three the Spirit VVater and Blood But you will ask me VVhat the Spirit is what the VVater is and what the Blood is The Spirit is God and the Lord is that Spirit Now God is the Spirit as I said before in reference to the discovery of truth and leading into truth or he is called the Spirit in respect of his Omnipresency or because of its Invisibility a spirit cannot be seen The second thing to be spoken to is VVhat the VVater is It is that which came out of the side of Christ when one of the souldiers with a spear pierced his side The third thing to be spoken to is VVhat the Blood is that beareth witness in earth It was that likewise which issued out of Christ's side See both these in Joh. 19. 34. The next thing to be considered in the words is VVhat the VVitnesses testimonies in earth are and in this there are these three things to be considered 1 VVhat the witness of the Spirit is 2 VVhat the witness of VVater is 3 VVhat the witness of Blood is 4 How they witness The first thing to be inquired into is VVhat the witness of the Spirit is or what it testifieth It testifies of Christ See Joh. 15. 26. But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall testifie of me and make known me I say The Spirit testifies of Christ it witnesseth Christ to the soul 1 It testifies of the sufferings of Christ 2 Of the glory that should follow those sufferings First It testifieth the sufferings of Christ it witnesseth them to the soul it makes known what Christ hath suffered and the fruit of those sufferings and witnesseth the truth thereof to the soul 1 Pet. 1. 11. Secondly It testifies of that glory which should follow those sufferings VVhat is the glory That glory which Jesus Christ is in at the right hand of the Father VVhat is that See in Joh. 17. 5. And now O Father glorifie me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was which was with his own self Now the Spirit testifies of that glory and witnesseth it to the soul There is always glory following after affliction and the more affliction the more glory Our light afflictions which are but for a moment are not worthy to be compared with that glory which is to be revealed in us All which the Spirit testifies The next thing to be considered is VVhat VVater witnesseth It witnesseth mystically Sanctification Purity VVashing Cleansing doing away sin The third thing to be considered is VVhat Blood witnesseth It witnesseth Salvation Redemption Justification Life though in a mystical sence Object But may some say How can VVater witness Sanctification washing cleansing of the soul And how can Blood witness Salvation Justification and the like seeing the VVater and Blood of Christ was long since spilt upon the ground Answ. I shall answer this by asking another Question How did Abel being dead speak Rev. 11. 4. The fourth thing to be inquired into is How the Spirit VVater and Blood witness They witness mediately that is by means The last thing to be inquired into is How the Spirit VVater and Blood agree in one Thus They witness to one thing what the Spirit witnesseth that VVater witnesseth and what VVater witnesseth Blood witnesseth and what VVater and Blood witness that the Spirit witnesseth which is love If it be thus Then this may serve to inform us of this truth That God hath not left us without three VVitnesses in earth God would not have us be without three by reason that he tenders us so much he knows our frailties that we are ready to be set upon by Satan and to sink in our Spirits for want of VVitnesses he hath given us three to confirm us and establish us in our mixt state of flesh and blood lest we should be discouraged and so faint away in our spirits because of those corruptions and flesh which are within us he hath given us his own Spirit and his own VVater and Blood to bear witness to our souls of loving kindness and mercy sanctification pardon of sin righteousness and the like If it be thus Then do not say you shall not be Sanctified and made clean VVater witnesseth Sanctification and Purity to the soul Do not say you are not nor shall be justified that your sins are not pardoned Blood speaks it that your sins are pardoned and you justified If it be thus Then set to your seals to that which the Spirit VVater and Blood testifie the not receiving what they witness is the cause of abundance of trouble and sinkings of the spirit Listen therefore what VVater and Blood or rather the Spirit in water and blood witnesseth and it will force you to submit to its testimonies and those that have received their testimonies have set to their seals that God is true CHAP. IV. Some sweet Discoveries of those glorious things that are spoken of the city of God out of Psal. 87. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Vers 1. His foundation is in the holy mountains 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee O city of God Selah 4. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me Behold Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia this man was born there 5. And of Zion it shall be said This and that man was born in her and the Highest himself shall establish her 6. The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people that this man was born there Selah 7. As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there all my springs are in thee THere are in the first verse of this Psalm these things to be considered First what is meant by foundation here Secondly whose this foundation is Thirdly
the blood of the Sacrifice and of Sprinkling See 2 Chron. 4. 8. Exod. 29. 20. Levit. 4. 6. Levit. 9. 8 9. Or the Bowls in the letter were those in which they put fine flour mingled with oil for a meat-offering See Numb. 7. 13 19 25 31 37 43 49 55 61 67 73 79. The Bowls in the spiritual interpretation are the Saints in which the blood of sprinkling is The pots in the Lords house shall be like the Bowls before the Altar in this respect that is to say for multitude as it was in the letter see 2 Chron. 4. 8. He made also ten tables and placed them in the temple five on the right side and five on the left and he made an hundred basins that is bowls of gold Now the pots were not so many It speaks the manifold discoveries of God that shall be in the later days to his people Or it speaks this that is to say The multiplicity of spiritual services that shall be offered to God in the later days The things that are to be enquired into in the last verse of the words are these following First what Judah and Jerusalem are Secondly what every pot in Judah and Jerusalem is Thirdly how and in what sence it shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts Fourthly what is meant by the Canaanite Fifthly when these things shall come to pass The first thing to be spoken to is What Judah and Jerusalem are Judah was one of the twelve Tribes see Revel. 7. 5. Hierusalem is the Saints of the most High the Lambs wife The second thing to be spoken to is What every pot in Judah and Jerusalem is It is the same as the pots in the Lords house are Every pot that is every discovery of Christ that purifies every Sacrifice and makes it fit to be offered up to God The third thing to be spoken to is How and in what sence every pot in Judah and Jerusalem shall be Holiness to the Lord The meaning is It shall be of a holy use to the Lord of hosts that is of Armies But of what use To purifie and make fit Sacrifices to be put up to him Or it may be taken thus every discovery of Christ shall be holy to the Lord that is there shall be written upon every discovery Holiness for those are truest discoveries that have Holiness written upon them Sclah And all they that Sacrifice shall come and take of them that is of the discoveries and seethe therein they shall boyl their Sacrifices in the discoveries and manifestations of Christ and so make them pure Sacrifices to be offered up to God Mal. 1. 11. The fourth thing to be spoken to is What is meant by the Canaanite The Canaanite may be meant the Merchant he seems to have a special relation to the abuse of Merchandising and selling which was used in the Temple See Joh. 2 15. And when he had made a scourge of smallcords he drave them all out of the temple and the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers mony and overthrew the tables Mat. 21. 2. Or by the Canaanite may be meant the unclean person See Isa. 35. 6. And an high-way shall be there and a way and it shall be called the way of holiness the unclean shall not pase over it See Rev. 2. 27. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye God will so purifie his people that there shall be no unclean thing in them but they shall be holy and unblameable before him The last thing to be spoken to is When all these things shall come to pass and that is In that day What is meant by that day The day of Gods coming See Zech. 14. the latter part of vers 5. Then shall these Prophecies be fullfilled when Jesus Christ shall appear the second time without sin to salvation If it be thus Then this may discover what shall be in that day there shall be holiness written upon every thing we shall see somewhat of God in every thing even in the meanest things And those things that have been made use of against the Lord shall be turned into an holy use they shall be holiness unto the Lord The pots in the Lords house shall be like the bowls before the Altar there shall be multiplicities of discoveries of Christ that is abundance of discoveries of Christ in the latter days Every pot in Jerusalem shall be holiness unto the Lord there shall be holiness written upon every discovery of God they shall come and boyl their Sacrifices in these discoveries of God there shall no Merchant no unclean thing be in Zion in Jerusalem but all shall be pure and nothing shall hurt nor destroy in Gods holy mountain So that Zion shall be a peaceable and pure estate If it be so This may serve to discover what Zion the Lords house is It is not a Stonewalled house such as your meeting-places are the Lords house is his People in whom he dwells the the foundation of this house is Christ it is founded upon a sure Rock that the winds and storms of corruptions and temptations cannot shake it The Lords house is a spiritual building built by himself to be the habitation of himself by the Spirit If it be thus Then this may serve to inform us of those pure Sacrifices that shall be offered up to God in the latter days Now our Sacrifices are full of dross and mixture of somewhat of our own but then they shall be clean that which shall make them clean shall be those great and large discoveries of God that then will be Now we are troubled and perplexed that we cannot offer up better Sacrifices then we do to God that we cannot worship him as we would do in Spirit and in truth but then we shall worship in the pureness of the Spirit If it be so Then this may serve to discover true discoveries of Christ from false VVhat a many rotten pretended discoveries of Christ we and others have had O how we have entertained falshood instead of truth and lived upon it But a true discovery of Christ hath this Motto written upon it HOLINESS TO THE LORD If your discoveries of God bring not along with them holiness they are delusions of Satan if any discoveries of God come with holiness engravened upon them receive them If it be so Then this may serve to overthrow that doctrine that is newly sprung up which is that there shall not be Sacrifices offered up to God in the new Jerusalem-state That there shall be it is cleer from what I have said Onely there shall be this difference more purer Sacrifices shall be offered up then then now there are then shall the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be more pure and pleasant to the land And that the words here speak of the new Jerusalem-state it appears by the last verse There shall be no more the
the Name of the Lord Answer It is to walk in the power majesty wisdom knowledge light and life of God If it be thus that the light shall not be clear nor dark neither day nor night in the day and coming of Christ Then think it not strange if it fall out so as surely it will But in the evening it will be light When the night begins to approach and gross darkness to follow then light will break forth even the everlasting light of God himself A strange thing is Friends when a man is in spiritual blindness betwixt darkness and light sometimes he thinks he sees and sometimes he thinks he sees not he cannot tell In the evening it shall be light when a soul least looks for it Who would look for light to break forth in the evening But it is true that it shall therefore wait for it If it be so that living waters shall flow forth from Jerusalem half of them toward the former sea and half of them toward the hinder sea Then this may serve to discover the abundance of the Spirit that shall be poured forth in the later days A fountain of living waters shall flow forth from Jerusalem to water the world with The mountains shall drop down new wine and the hills shall flow with milk and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters The Church of Christ shall be so filled with the Spirit as it shall be in them as a Fountain and it shall come flowing sorth from them towards the former sea and later sea This shall be in Summer and in Winter it shall be always it shall constantly flow forth from them towards the world If it be so You that want the Spirit wait for it if you believe out of your belly shall flow rivers of waters a fountain of living waters shall flow forth from you to water the dry and parched ground If it be thus This may soon discover who shall reign in that day The Lord alone shall reign he shall be King then over all the earth then our Lord will be exalted Now men reign and are exalted but he will throw them down and exalt himself And his Name shall be one His Name is not one now there are other names besides his worshipped but God will throw them down and His alone shall be lifted up The POSTSCRIPT THere are three things which moved me to write this Postscript The first was To declare and make known that that which I have written against the Priests was intended onely against those that are base and vile and such as take Tythes and are proud ignorant idle blinde Priests such as are for Gain that feed Themselves and not the Flock that Go before they are Sent that teach for hire and the like The second thing was To take off those things that have been laid to my charge by Some concerning my first Book which are these First They affirm that I say in my Book that I take heaven to be the light and glory of God which is true and that Satan in heaven is Satan in the very light and glory of God which I deny For it is an impossible thing and cannot be Though this I cannot but subscribe to that is to say That he will administer to souls in that state and teach souls to make false applications and misapprehensions of things And besides if they would look diligently into my Book and search narrowly how things are spoken there they would finde that I speak a quite contrary thing for I say that Satan in heaven is Satan in glory and Satan in glory is Satan in an angel of light As in these words And there appeared another wonder in heaven the meaning is not that there appeared really a great Red Dragon in the light and glory of God but the meaning is John being taken up by the Spirit into heaven that is into the light and glory of God he saw the appearance of the great Red Dragon there but not really the Dragon in the very light and glory of God The second thing that they lay to my charge is the Title of my last Book which is A WONDER AND NO WONDER They admire how I can make that which Is a Wonder to be No Wonder This is a poor thing to give an Answer to But I will satissie them so far as to tell them I make A Wonder No Wonder thus It is a Wonder to those that are not acquainted with what Satan in heaven is for they stand and admire at the thing But it is not a Wonder to those that know what Satan in heaven is they do not admire neither do they at all wonder at it because they know it and are well acquainted with it And the reason wherefore John called it A Wonder was Because he knew not what Satan in heaven was he was not acquainted with Satan in an angel of light Consider that place in 2 Cor. 11. 14 And no marvel for Satan himself is changed into an angel of light The rest of the things they lay to my charge are words in my Book which are falsly printed for which the Printer indeed is to be blamed not I. The third thing that moved me to write this Postscript was To answer a poor weak saying of one whom I forbear to name which was this There are many that take upon them to write now a days but I know no warrant for any of them to write seeing there are so many learned able and godly men that do write unless they could write some New Truth that was never heard of before To the first I ask you this Is all Truth in learned godly men Have none but they a warrant to write May not a childe of God that hath no Learning at all be endued with the Spirit and power from on high and so be made as fit as they to preach and write Is not the same Spirit in one as in the other Certainly you have lost your Senses you seem to hold that which many ignorant Priests do that is to say That none are so able to deliver and write Truth as themselves are I am sure that godly learned men will not assume this to themselves but will esteem others above themselves There is that revealed many times to a poor ignorant weak Christian that learned Christians are ignorant of and I have seen that written by a Babe the like whereof I never saw come from learned Professors though they were godly I speak not this to discourage them or to set light by them but to take off partiality and my end in answering the foresaid saying was God knows That those that heard it might not be led aside by it but that they might see the vanity of it and that it proceeded either from Ignorance or Envie To the second I say There is no Truth new that is to be written but that which is written and shall be written is the old Truth It is true in one sence old Truth may be new as in that sence I write to you a new Commandment it was new to them because they had not practised it before but yet it was the old Commandment which was That they should love one another Now he that writes must write old Truth that was heretofore or else he must write a Lye There is nothing new under the sun There are many hidden old Truths which you and others know not though ye and others think ye know them and therefore they may write them and declare them if they be called to it of God And those that think themselves to know most know least yea are very fools nay a man may write those things that you and others haply know to be Truth for though you and others know them to be Truth yet haply others do not so that he writes the things he hath seen felt and handled but for any to write the things of another as he may which he hath not seen nor felt this is not lawful FINIS