it be God discovering yet it is no ground for any soul to Rest satisfied with or to be any evidence at all of enjoying of God because that it is a dispensation which passeth away when a higher dispensation of God appeares then would mans Rest be disolved and not be an everlasting Rest But Saints Rest is that which cannot be dissolved but it is an everlasting Rest to him that that is Centred in it The Seventh false Rest THe next Rest is that which many live upon is the Notion of Free-grace though they have no manifestation of it in particular to their own spirits and here the very apprehensions of it being formerly opposed by it now being convinced of the truth of the same not from any enjoyment or powring sorth of the Spirit only he hath his understanding enlight ned and his judgement convinced either by seeing it to be a truth in Scripture or from hearing it preached by others or from the undeniablenesse of the truth of it in it self he is made to assent unto it as a truth and never matters nor understands it must bee particularly witnessed to be his truth from the same Revealed within him But he not understanding this he sees not only the emptinesse of mans doing and the vanity of putting the creature to act to get Love or Life from God And so that only now all the creatures acting to God must be from Gods acting in the creature so that now he is an enemy to that before he was a speciall friend of viz. his own righteousnesse and that he is now gon as far in an extreame on the other hand to Rest satisfied only with a Notionary knowledge of this said truth Also he sees in this that nothing but a Christ can or will do good to spirits and yet knows not this Christ within himself Now some times man only getting a Nation of this Truth in the head comes in the end to much loosness and fleshly walking 2. Gal. 17. and can put it off with a very fair slight First God is free in his dispensation man can doe nothing unlesse power be given unto him I did such and such a particular because of the Woman this is by reason of such weaknesse I am yoked withall or if God did intend I should not have committed these sins he would have given me power against them and I shal admire free grace the more and I shall love the more the more is forgiven me So though he hath no manifestation of God at all for the pardon of sin yet he lives continually in this stream believing free grace is a Truth this is to have it manifest when the creature sinnes to believe it is freely pardoned upon the Cross when indeed now it sleeps in security and loosnesse And the reason partly of its loosnesse and yet of its security is First he hath got but the light of it that is to say such a light as doth discover a truth in this to him yet he wants the life being of the thing made manifest So it comes to passe he professes this particular yet he doth not possesse the same in the nature of it so he hath a name that he liveth and yet is dead so that he hath it in the head but wants it in the heart he hath got a form of it in his understanding whereby he can discourse of it and declare it to others yet he wants the power of this said truth in the heart within him and when a man hath the forme figure or likenesse of a thing and wants the dower glory or being of the thing no marvell then if a soul in a time of straits come to fall short of what he doth professe in his parctise he not being able to stand wanting the foundation that he should be formed upon and the power of the same which should keepe him upon that being or foundation Also it may be he hath this truth taught him by man and not from the teachings of God within Now grace in the heart appearing doth Teach man to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and Godly in this present world But there is a cunning deceit in the heart that in some doth if possible can be prevent the same and it reasons thus I see this Truth is spoken against by most and that those that are for Free-grace are such men as walk very loosly and as soon as ever they believe this that they are no more like the men they were before but walke they care not how but saith the soule that would make it a peaceable and honourble Rest least they should say so of me I will walke a little more wisely then they doe And here before men he walks very like Truth though there be a heart within him not upright in what he doth and partly it is to get a good name amongst men for such as walk loosly that profess God they are hardly esteemed of any the world hates them for their judgement the other cannot favour them for their loose practise Here they will labour to apply a remedy to this disease in reference to one party and that is the Saints They will amongst Saints I say carry themselves like them and resemble them in their practise as the Magicians did Moses Yet this is not from a divine principle of love but for some other end or from another principle Againe Some walk like Truth because they make it a Testimony of Gods dwelling in them for saith the Scriptures He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked 1 John 2 6. Now saith the creature if I should walk loosly it would appear to my selfe and all That God dwelt not in me but now â—y my outward and he thinks inward though he be deceived conformity to Truth I may make it an evidence of my dwelling in truth and such a man as this must needs curb himself of those things thaâ— another swallows because it is his ground of peace and Rest Again A man may shun loosnesse that hath but the notions of free grace because it is the way to make Disciples and get the affections of men to applaude and admire what flowes from him so as he is mightily esteemed yea instrumental to dispense those truths that dwell not in him so as it may be hee is an instrument of begetting sons like unto himselfe that is to believe Free grace is a truth and to be convinced of it and dispise working which is opposite to it and here they both sit down and Rest Not knowing the manner of Gods dealings with the creature which is most commonly to enlighten or convince man of a truth and set the heart a waiting for it before hee gives him an enjoyment of it As for instance He first convinces man of a Divine fulnesse in God and a supply given from God to bee dispensed by Christ to the sonnes of men wherupon
in a mystery what Eternall life is And because the Scriptures say that weary soules are to come to Christ for ease and Rest therefore every soul who in his own fancy and imaginations doth judge himself to be weary may come to Christ and so by his being weary there is way opened for his coming to him For First It may be the heart may be weary of sin because it brings judgement or condemnation Or Secondly It may be weary because of his long travel to and waiting for Christ Thirdly It may be weary because it can no longer abide in these dispensations of Gods leading Fourthly It may be wearâ— because God comes not in his time and rewards it for its breathing after and working to attaine God or Christ Now the soul being falsly led out by his own heart he instead of coming to Christ onely Rests upon his bare apprehension of this in the letter from his sutability to it in his own spirit and here he feeds and remaines with ease comfort and peace in his own spirit and this he makes his Tabernacle Though it be true that Scriptures were given to be a visible testimony or declaration of God or Christ according to which God workes in man yet they were never given to be an inward Testimony or a Rest unto man but the Truth of the letter must be both revealed known and Judged of by the Spirit and not the Spirit especially in Internalls by the Externall letter neither qualifications in man sutable to the letter in mans apprehension is a ground of faith or rest without an inward Testimony and Manifestation by the Spirit of the Truth of these qualifications The eleventh false Rest. THE Next Rest in order to this upon which men Center their spirits and make their Tabernacles is the use and application of the conceived and imagined extent of Christs death which being so fully declared in the letter without any more they believe it upon this Testimony and here is the ground of their joy peace assurance and rest Now I shall not go about to speake evil of any point of judgement in reference to any particular sactions but to come to lay open my own experience and false Rests which in so doing I may come to lay open a way whereby more that are led by the same deceite may come to see it in themselves and so may from sad experience seale to the Truth of what we are saying for many who have gone through this dispensation and have beleeved this to be a Truth when now alas they see that they were both ignorant of what this Christ was or what was meant by his death wanting the knowledge of it in themselves now the terrors of death have or do seise upon them and instead of being joy and peace unto them it hath produced death and sorrow in them But first of all This soul who is thus resting upon Christs dying for all he sees the Scripture saith He gave himself a ransome for all The conclusion is this of such a spirit if for all then for me and this he beleeves and this saith he is the ground of true faith when he is altogether deceived For the ground of faith is something out of the Creature in God before time revealed and made manifest from God to the soule in time upon which the soule builds his faith rests upon it and is kept unto all time in the glory and splendor of it but the soul wanting this in a particular way of discovery he makes the other the ground of his confidence for refreshment peace safety and happinesse and he concludes First That no true faith can be but this Secondly that none have any gtound to believe but upon this ground When the poor heart is altogether ignorant in his own breast of the manner of Gods coming to reveal truth yea himself in his Son by his Spirit whereas now mans ground of his happinesse lyes not in a misunderstood Scripture without him but in a right discerned revealed and known God within him Thirdly This soul daily encreaseth in the assurance of this his rest by his daily study pains and diligence wherein he fils his head with so much of the Scriptures as indeed he makes it so glorious as it Conquers his spirits and many more into a solacing himself in this very particular when indeed he is missing the chiefest good which is the life of him who puts an end of all controversie to all such disputes when he comes to appear in the Spirit But alas before no marvell though the poore Soule be running from mountaine to hill though he forgets him who is the Resting place of Zion Therefore soul thou that makest thy habitation amongst the briers and thorns and barren mountains Arise these are not thy Rest they are from a corrupted judgement and therefore are corrupted and if thou stay here they shall destroy thee with an utter destruction all are not proper Rests which are dispensations and manners of Gods leadings but the pure promise of rest is neither in any thing before in Death and Resurrection but in the ascendings of the heart and spirit of a Creature into God by the descendings of God into the Creature which did raise him from death and the grave and now have opened the heavens to him by receiving of him into glory for as Christ did not make his rest and abode in any carnall or fleshly dispensation though in the same he did enjoy the Father so no heart is to make that his rest which Christ did not make Every heart so long as it lives below the glory of God so as it is not glorified with God is a heart centring himself in a dispensation which shall be dissolved For both man in he dispensation of Christ in the flesh or in a crucified buried or raised Soule is not to abide but in a glorified ascended Soule into God where the life is the unchangeable glory and splendor of God dwelling in man glorifying of man in which is the life and center of man truly and unchangeably centred The Twelfth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is a closing with and drawing comfort from the promises expressed in the letter of the Scriptures This closing thus with and applying the benefit of promises the whole life center comfort cause of joy peace duties diligence what not to many a soul and from hence when many come to declare their manifestation of God all they have to say is at such a time a promise was made forth unto them or cast into their thoughts by which they apprehended God and closed with it and from thence did draw comfort and peace from it and this is all the experience of God that is manifested to them or that they have This causes abundance of rest and security to many a heart and luls them a sleep which is most commonly Satans way to apply himselfe to such a cuâ—e for to cause a soul
Being which is Christ in God 2 Cor. 5. 19. so as now it acts in God and lives by God and is iaken up with God and cannot live in any thing else not as a Saint So that the truest comparison that can be made of such a spirit is the Needle and the Dove which truly holds out this to us First That Christ the Arke is the center and the sure being of the spirits of Saints Secondly There is no safety or true Rest for the beleeving spirit but in this Christ Thirdly That it is impossible for any spirit who knowes Christ truly to be his Rest being once touched by the divine and holy being of Saints to Rest below the same though many things may transform themselves within the Creature like unto it yet upon them he cannot Rest no more then can the Needle towards the East and West but it is truly known by such a spirit not to be his first being and originall and so disclaims it as Christ did Satan in his temptation but is carried forth the more in veheâ—ency of spirit flying continually without Rest untill he be got into the Arke which was the place from whence it came and in truth it is of usch a latitude as all the world is not able either to give Rest unto it or produce true or full contentment in it The fifth description of true Rest. FIftly It is the centering up of a spirituall man in a spirituall place not made nor created but a being of himselfe stands by himselfe having his dependency upon none else 1. Here is the subject matter of Rest and that is the spirituall part of man which is created again and born of the Spirit Iohn 3 3 for fiâ—st of all no uncleane spirit or thing shall come there Rev. 21. 27. nothing shall enter into it but that which is become sutable to it That which is borne of the Spirit is that which must enter into this Kingdome of Rest and peace Secondly This spirituality which is made in the Creature is produced by God possessed in the Creaure for as a carnall heart cannot live in God no more can God manifest himselfe in any unpure spirit so as God before he manifest himselfe to a Spirit he makes it sutable to that glory which shall in measure be revealed unto it So also before God give man rest in himselfe he sets man of himself to live in himselfe for no carnall minde or will can attain God before by God it be attained and before God manifest to the heart the Creature is attained by him he workes a glorious worke of the New Birth in him so that if man were carried up into God which is impossible before he be born of God there is such a disproportion betwixt the purity and holynesse of God and the corruption and carnalnesse of mens spirits that the Rest of the soul could be no Rest for there would be nothing but war and enmity so that God alwaies puls down mountains of flesh pride and self and makes the crooked waies of the heart plain Luke 3. 5 6. and brings down those false Rests and Christs in the Creature and so after makes known a glorious Center to the creature Now the spirit being made spirituall by being born again it is made spiritually to judge receive and discern the Truth of this glorious and spirituall Place 1 Cor. 2. 15. which no man in the flesh or by the flesh can attain to 1 Tim. 6. 16. whom never any man in the carnall mind hath seen nor can see So that mans Resting place together with the subject Resting in it must be spirituall and out of himself Now secondly This place of Rest is spirituall so that man if he be in any true Rest it is not carnall formes or ordinances which shall cease Neither is it the rarest Qualifications or expressions of creatures neither is it glorious apprehensions or puffings up of flesh no our Rest is beyond these as far as the light of the Sun is from the Candle He is an unexpressible spiritual being One who makes all things spirituall that are spirituall by that spirituality in the fulnesse of it that dwels in him He is the expresse Image of God Heb. 1. 3. yea he is God equall in Nature though inferiour in place operation or expression He is One in all things He is above all things and in him all things confist Col. 1. 17. So he being the fulnesse and the cause of spirituality he himselfe must needs be spiâ—ituall So that any soul centred up in him lives above all carnall Formes Ordinances Qualifications common holinesse or fleshly puffings up either in false apprehensions or in inward delusions He is none of these but is above these which is the spirituall mans Rest And this spirituall Rest is nothing but God who is all and none besides him who enjoyes all in himself and we in him and by virtue of our being made born and begotten of him we become one with him and of him So that now being borne of him it is impossible that the Nature of God in us can Best or be fatisfied but alone in him and by him it being of an everlasting and infinite nature but now as it is infinite and of God in us so it throws off all below God and wholly and alone returnes to him and Rests in him Now thirdly This Rest is not any thing Created or depending upon any other power but its own Christ as he was in the flesh is none of the Rest of Saints He is a Rest of them as he becomes one with them in the Spirit so as he is one with God and we with him One in God and we in him 1 Cor. 6. 17. Joh. 17. 21 22 23. Yea very God and we by him 1 Cor. 8. 6. 15. 45. So that he is a Spirit not made nor created but making and creating all things for and of himselfe Col. 1. 16. Rom. 11. 36. And all by him was created not as he was in any form or shape in the flesh without us not so to be a Rest but as he is God made manifest in the Spirit within us However men deem of him yet he is the Eternal Spirit and the Father of all spirits Heb. 9. 14. Though distinguished from the Father in divers acts shapes or formes yet he dwels substantially in the God-head and in whom dwels all the power and fulnesse thereof Col. 1. 19. 2. 9. And though he might be in the form of flesh as man yet then he was in the power and fulnesse of God as God So that he is in and of Himself and he that knows him aright knows that saying And he that is experienced in that spirituall union and conjunction will say That his Motion Glory Dependency and all others that can be spoke of dwels substantially in him and that by him now all things are both preserved and kept Heb. 1. 3. So as all other rests below this
Christ who in name is called the Manifestation of Love is unchangeable in reference to the being and cause of this manifested Love which is Christ for if we consider him as the bosome love of God He is not so Christ to us or in us but as this comes to be manifest to us which manifestation or the thing manifest is onely Christ for I look thus that not onely Christ as he was in the flesh was Christ only in that form and no more but what ever was manifest either by or in that form was in Name the Christ and in Nature Christ in God now Saints Rest is not in Christ as manifested only in distinction but Christ is the Rest of Saints as God hath designed him for that purpose and so comes by God in Saints to be made manifest carrying up Saints to live in the full glory power and splendor of that God who did make manifest himself in this manifestation which is Christ And no other way come soules truly to know the Father either in love or mercy but as the Father doth manifest himself in this very particular Christ revealed in mens hearts in which men may see God clearly and for the want of which Philip was ignorant when he said to Christ Joh. 14. 8. Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth us They were ignorant what the Father and Christ were in the spirit though Christ were with them in the flesh and the reason was because Christ within them was not by God made manifest to them therefore would they have been making Tabernacles in such a low fleshly knowledge where in truth they knew nothing of him in relation to the spirit nor of that conjunction betwixt him and the Father that whensoever Christ spiritually was made manifest there the Father was manifest also because there was one undevideable nature and being in such cases betwixt the Father and the Son so that the Saints Rest is in this clearly manifested God within us who in tearm and Truth is called Christ so that now as Christs center was in the Father and now is to dwell in the fulnesse of his Glory so Saints being in him are carried by him to live with him in the same glory and love and to conclude this when we can say from experience that which Paul said in the Gal. 1. 16. That when it pleased the Father to reveal his Christ in him â—hen shall we know that the manifestation of God to us is the Revelation of Christ in us 3. Christ spiritually discovered in men and so knowne by them and so becoming Rest to them is a clear light of God in the Creature which light and glory is onely Christ and thus he is often described in Scripture not onely as he was a light in the flesh without us prescribing rules of light to us but chiefly as he shall become the light and glory of God within us for as he was in the forme oâ— flesh he was a mystery unknowne yea he was not such a light so as God intended him because he was then but in the figure holding forth what he would worke and what he should be when he was to come in the glory of the spirit within men for his being in the flesh was a very dark dispensation For even the Apostles who were the most conversant with him did know little and were very ignorant of the truth So as indeed they thought he was come to set up a Kingdome in the flesh and that he would advance them in some great place as appeares So that it was Gods great design which was held forth in that forme of flesh which is the sum of that Scipture where he is declared to be the light of the Gentiles and to be the glory of the people Israel Luk. 2. 32. Now to prove it by Scripture that this Christ is in the spirituall coming and advancing in the soule a glorious and Divine light We see it very clear from that Scripture in the 60. of Isa 1. 2. Where the Lord declares the manner of Christs spirituall appearing in the soule Arise shine for thy Light is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee This same Scripture though men do labour to deny it to be meant of Christs appearance in any particular soule yet he that hath found the appearance of Christ within him hath found him fully making good these sayings The matter however that here is promised at the raising up of distressed spirits is Light and Glory which light is God appearing in a dispensation of light and glory the which dispensation is Christ in us for he is both the light and glory of God and all things that are either spirituall light or glory discovered is Christ for according to that Scripture Rev. 21. 23. The glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof As if he should say when the Lord comes to dwell spiritually in the manifestation of glory within the spirit of man and so set up a Temple in the creature according to the 22. verse Then shall all those lights which before the soul hath been guided by whether they were flashes or resembled light now there shall be no need of the same but the glory of God now shall there be to enlighten the same yea Christ shall be the light thereof so that he shall be filled with true light whoever hath the glorious appearance of Christ within him he stall become a compleat light unto that soul So as he shall not stand in need of any inferiour light but they shall be dissolved when the glory of the Sun appeareth so that in such a soule to whom Christ is become in this manner a light unto he shall have no night there according to that in the 22. of Rev. 5. verse But the Lord shall fill such a soule with light yea he shall give to such spirits Him in whom there is no darknesse as in a spirituall dispensation and as he is termed in Iohn 1. 9. verse He is here called The true Light which lighteneth everyman that cometh into the world He is here called true in opposition to fallacy as if he should lay open many false lights in the world and within men yet he was come as a true light to distinguish betwixt true and false and so he is a distinguishing light in every spirit who hath received him for though Satan hath transformed himselfe into an Angel of light in deceiving a creature yet notwithstanding when his true light appears in any heart it doth both discover it and destroy it according to that in the 2 Thes 2. 7 8 9 10. That though the mystery of iniquity and anti-Christ be never so deceiveable and glorious in their workings and transformings both within and without the creature yet Christ shall reveale and destroy it with the spirit of his mouth and the brightnesse of his coming And true it is that Satan both in matter of formes
THE SAINTS TRAVEL To the Land of CANAAN WHEREIN IS DISCOVERED Seventeen false Rests below the spiritual Coming of Christ in the Saints Together with a brief Discovery of what the Coming of Christ in the spirit is who is the alone Rest and Center of Spirits By R. WILKINSON A Member of the Army Arise ye and depart for this is not your Rest because it is poluted it shall destroy you with a sore destruction Mic. 2. 10. There remaineth therefore a Rest to the People of God Heb. 4. 9. London printed for Giles Calvert at the black spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1650. To the Reader FRiend and Christian Reader it is the property of divine truth after it is manifested in the spirit to inflame a soul with it and to swallow up the spirit in the glory of it so as it is as impossible for a soul to enjoy truth and not to declare it as for a man to carry fire in his bosome or mouth and not be burned Saints are mightily constrained after they enjoy Truth from the fire of Love to declare it Now I have had sad experienâ—e of the waies of my own heart how I have constantly Rested below God and so have fallen short of his glory This being my condition for a long time though in every particular seeming to be God and of God and in it my condition happy where I was continually running from mountain to hill because I knew not the true Rest But at last it pleased the Father of spirits to reveal himself and by the same to make them manifest Whereupon I have had much wrastling in my own spirit about putting the same out to publique view but at last was forced to break through much opposition in my own heart and to put it out in his imperfect Form That if it be the wisdome of God in the same others by me may learn to beware yet I would not have bin without the experience of the same seeing it is the will of God now to dessolve it Wherefore Christian Reader I shall commend these ensuing particulars to thee and thee to the wisdome of the Spirit whereby thou mayest judge of the same in love First If thou canst close with the substance of my discourse and after finding some circumstances which are either contrary to thee or obstruct to thy principles yet do not flye out into bitternesse of spirit against what thou judgest truth neither against that which thou judgest no truth but receive the one and let the other alone untill God reveal tbe same unto thee lest thou be found calling light darknesse and darknesse light and speaking evil of things thou knowest not but in meeknesse judge and Rest Secondly If thou hast not passed through these or all these Rests or Dispensations or hast not as yet attained to many things herein expressed yet let them have thy charitable thoughts and do not as most do fly out against them as Errors because they are not either within their reach as to high for them or because they are contrary to their present principles and sâ— would unbottom them or because they are not according to what they have been taught or is experienced in them But judge of them in love and where any thing is above thy experience I wish thou mayest be silent in it and waite to know it if it be of God and if it be too low for thee let it receive encouragement from thee as thou hast passed to thy estate through these Administrations Thirdly Christian Reader passe by any infirmity thou seest either in expression form or method look upon them to be a discourse of experience more to edify then to please the fancy by curiosity of words in mans wisdome 1 Cor. 2. 4. Fourthly Do not judge me to deny any thing which I do not here affirm because I am speaking spiritual things within But look upon it as a spirituall and inward discourse holding out the two great Mysteries viz. The Mystery of Christ made manifest in the Spirit within man and the Mystery of the creature to himselfe Do not think I am going about to destroy the low workings of God I am not Neither be much daunted if God hereby lets thee behold the face of self false Rests so as it brings thee to a losse But beleeve it thy greatest losse may in time become thy greatest gain For that which moves me to write these few lines is that if it be the will of God Creatures may see the many false waies and Rests below God That Creatures may not live short of his glory as I have done Therefore I shall desire that I may not be mistaken either in my intentions or expressions and therefore shall commend this farther to the Reader First to take off a scruple which may lye upon many whether I do deny these seventeen Rests to be dispensations of God and the way God leades men into their spirituall Rest which is Christs coming in the Spirit That I may clear this and make farther way I acknowledge it is Gods way to lead creatures through these particulars But the corruption of self and the deceivablenesse thereof will resemble the leadings of God and so will labour to live and keep the soul to rest short of God man in going after the wayes of his own heart may seem to be led by God But in these particulars I labor to drive on two things the first to discover unto meÌ„ what the way of mans heart is when it will deceive and what glory it will appear to the Creature in untill God undeceive it so that I am first to undeceive Creatures in their unsound confidence concluding their estates to be so high that they are at Rest in God when they are covered with a covering but not of the spirit And though the heart be putting God in the forefront of its actings yet it is but Jehues deceit and treachery of spirit Secondly I labour to undeceive it that though it hath attained any or all these seventeen and have not had an appearance of Christ spiritually in them so that they know when and how and what Christ infallibly was that still that soul is but yet in a changable condition And it may as well be Satans transformings in him as any dispensation of God to him and to let the creature know that though he have passed through all this yet he wants on thing to be his rest and center which when it comes will discover the truth of all these dispensations and if they be of God they shall be dissolved if they be of self or Satan they shall be destroyed So that to unbottom Creatures that they live not upoÌ„ vaÌ„ity lyes that they may not rest before the true appearance of Christ in the spirit I have set forth these imperfect lines Farther I would not have any think that I deny Scriptures Ordinances Christs coming in the flesh Kingdome after death or
creature in due time When a man kindles a fire and Warmes himself in the sparkes thereof God upbraids the creature thus by telling him his end should be to lye downe in sorrow That is When God comes to appeare upon any soul in love he burns up all these false Rests the creature hath been making for it self That is What the creature drawes comfort from to himself if it be from the glory of any action that is for a man to kindle a fire and warme himself in the sparkes or fire he himself hath kindled Isai 50. 10 11. Now God at last brings the creature to see the vanity of all his own actions and upon this there is nothing but death to what he hath been living upon and sorrow annexed for his thus living upon it and Resting in it Therefore consider No acting forth of the creature to God before the creature receive a divine power from God is acceptable with God for God accepts of no obedience but either that which he did by Christ for us or by Christ in us Now a man may doe great things by a power of Nature Which I call a power of God in its dispensation Which power or from which power a man acts in a way to God that is seemingly to God and for God but in conclusion proves not so now God approving of no action by us unlesse it be from the fountaine of himselfe in us And seeing our actings to God are changable and may seem to perish though never so rare It is no sure Rest for any soul onely he who is unchangable in us must be revealed to us before any true Rest can be received by us Now the condition of a Soul in these low dispensations is like unto a man affrighted by an enemy and being so he labours to preserve himselfe from death by him he runs to secure himself at last he findes to his apprehension a place of Rest and safety he being almost weary afterwards it appears not so to be but his adversary pursues him so that he is not safe and so from place to place he runs to get shelter he finding none he is forced to yield himself up to the mercy of his adversary So it is with a Soul seeing God to be his enemy he flyes as Adam did thinking to secure himselfe and cover himself but God pursues the Soul and findes him out where the Soule not finding any safe Rest yields himself freely with trembling and feare up unto God to be at the mercy of God God as I may say pursues a Soule and when it would be Resting upon any thing below himselfe he drives it from its station and so man runs from Rest to Rest and every Rest he makes is more glorious then another But God speaks unto the Soule as he did to the Apostles Arise let us go hence John 14. 31. as if he should say You would be Resting in this condition but it is nor a condition of Rest and safety I will bring you higher and that shall be when I will discover my self in the Spirit that you shall not Rest upon my flesh as I am in a shape but upon me as I will be transfigured before you or rather in you in the Spirit So as now Arise and go up that is higher So also is God most commonly saying to such Soules Arise this is not Yours Rest Mic 2. 10. if thou stay here it shall destroy thee with an utter destruction Therefore to conclude This man runs from mountain to hill and forgets his Resting place untill God hedgeth up his waies and makes the soul at length Rest in himself The third false Rest THe next Rest of a Soul below the true Rest is The excellency of Gifts which do so mightily adorne the Creature as thereby the Creature is led into high conceits of the glory and excellency of its condition The first part or Gift we shall speak of is Knowledge Multiplicity of Knowledge is such a rare Part as makes a man seem much like a Saint not carnall in the matters of the world but spirituall conceived in the matters of God and this doth mightily puffe up the Creature And indeed much knowledge attained in the notion unlesse it be experimentall there is an impossibility to keep the soul from Resting in it or being puft up with it And. First of all I shall discover how most commonly the Soul attains this The first is from a quick apprehension in the understanding of things which is a common gift in nature which is a ready way to attaine much knowledge together with an enlaged capacity that he can receive and keep what he apprehends so as he comes to gather in knowledge a pace into the notion so as the Soule glorieth the most in the improvement of that gift or part in which he doth the most excel This Creature he is very fluent in discoursing of the best things and will be alwaies delighting most in arguing of those things that he hath the most knowledge in and he being very gallant in discourse gathers knowledge in every thing he undertakes and here he glories to overcome any with argument Or. Secondly To be adored or had in high estimation for this his knowledge And this applauding of him makes his estimation of the glory of his own condition to be heightened here he looks upon himselfe to be a Saint in glory he having these parts of knowledge makes him as often argue against truth as for it that others may see the wit and knowledge he hath by strength of wit be able to speak of higher things then those who sweetly enjoy God Yea for parts of knowledge goes beyond by all is preferred before them Now having thus attained knowledge in the head though he doe not experience the same he Rests satisfied in his condition Secondly Knowledge which man Rests upon is a knowledge got by paines diligence of things without him That which is got by much paines the Creature is more apt to Rest upon so as for the notionary knowledge of the Scripture he exceeds He is mightily fluent in the letter and is able to speak much from the same and this doth furnish him so as now he makes it his glory to speak of and know much of the letter though it is without him and not experienced in him But alas what is it for any man to know much in this nature and there Rest This is but the shell of Truth the Substance is Truth in us experienced by us To reade Truth in the letter without me and to know it there is a dispensation but to know it by the Spirit within me must be a higher dispensation and the Dispensation of Rest For what is it for any man to get all the Scriptures into memory to furnish him with knowledge able to dispute or preach yet unlesse he know the same within himself it 's but a poor Rest yet thus it is men by
a bundance of paines and diligence in the Scriptures and in books doe get abundance of knowledge and after it is gotten they Rest upon the same as though it were to enjoy the manifestation of God to enjoy much knowledge here they abuse a dispensation of God and transform it into another use then ever God ordained it for So that though a man have never so much knowledge yea though his knowledge be according to or attained in the Scriptures if he Rest there before he hath got it in the heart by expersence as he hath got it in the head for discourse his Rest is much below the substance of Truth For no man is to Rest in any thing without him so known untill it be within him and then he Rests not in God because declared in Scripture but upon God because revealed and experienced in him and so is fully known by him The third way whereby this Knowledge comes to be attained is from the declarings of the experiences of others he by the same stores himself with points of experience as well as points of Judgement and here he can speak all manner of Languages as well as those that enjoy truth in them so that he can speak of points of judgement with those that are for that discourse and points of experience with those that are for that having a form of both in his understanding and from that is able to make out himself as those who sweetly in the power of Truth enjoy God But for this latter he hath but stolne the word from his Neighbour hee hath got his experience to discourse of And this is the great deceit of mens spirits in our daies for when they hear of a precious high Truth of God which they never heard of before they either oppose it or else they get the form of it into their notion or understanding and the next upportunity they have they declare it as their own whereas though they were convinced of the truth of it yet they were to waite for the enjoyment of the power of it in themselves and that it might be sealed by the Spirit in them 1 Cor. 4. 19 20. But many conceive if they can but remember a truth though they have it not in the power of it in themselves that the very believing of it and assenting to it is the experience of it Bud these are those who have a form of God or the truth in their understandings and want the power of that truth in their Spirits And so many a soul rests in this very part of knowledge Now the Reasons of a souls resting here are partly these following First From a comparison made in his own spirit with others that are in lower dispensâ—tions or weaker in knowledge or discourse then himself but especially Professors who live in high thoughts of their estates and he thus comparing his condition with theirs and seeing it so far excell theirs makes his conclusion if their condition be happy then mine is much more in respect of what I have enjoyed more then they I am not any way inferiour to any almost surely I am in a happy estate if any The second Reason followes from the high estimation others have of him especially men of the rarest abilities and solidest judgements and this addes fuel to his fire of conceipt and makes his rest the more glorious And this is the reason that if at any time the approbation of those cease to be what it was that it occasions much distraction and want of peace within himselfe for when part of a mans cause of rest and peace is taken away no marvel then if part of his rest and peace go along with it Whereas he that rests in God is freed in the Spirit and is as Mount Zion which can not be moved Psalm 125. 2. Let mans apprehensions cease or encrease he is not lifted up by the one or cast down by the other but he hath a continuall testimony within himself which abides for ever The third Cause or reason of his resting upon the gifts of knowledge is from want of a right infâ—rmation of judgement in the difference betwixt a form of truth in the understanding and the power of truth in the heart not opposite to the other for though mans knowing God in generall or from heresay be a dispenâ—â—tion of God and good in its place yet it is not to be rested upon as though the soul had in this a reall enjoyment of God Now a man may know a thing in generall and may believe in it assent to it and obey it and make a large profession of it yet if he enjoy not God in that very thing it is but a dispensation below the power of Truth So that we see here that men may get things into the head before they be in the life and power of them in the heart which if rested upon brings with it a dangerous consequence As 1. It is the way to high security and such a security being but carnall as being without ground It is the way in the second place to a self-glorying and creature exalting and to the displeasing of God Thirdly It is the way to fall into all manner of loosnesse under pretence of freedome and knowledge of truth and that is no sinne though â—t do this or that For no marvel when a man hath no more then a form of God in the head and wants the power of God in the heart then that soul fals into a carnal loosnesse whereby truth is evil spoken of and the party thus doing justifying his action by his hardnesse of spirit which by it he is brought into And this is the reason why many when they have received high notioÌ„s and do hold them forth do walk very unlike truth is because they have it but in the head and want the power of it in the heart They have it from others or some other way and not from God and so they cannot stand in the day of temptation and so return like a Sowe to the wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2. 22. Again a Soul is further established in this condition from his dayly growth and encrease in knowledge he dayly growing in knowledge daily more established on his own bottomes though not so thought by himself This dayly encrease of knowldge in himself the benefit that sometimes is redounded to others by that doth increase the flame and ads fuel to the fire of this false rest The second excellent Part or Gift upon which men Rest is Prayer and this is made an Idol of by such parties who Rest upon it But first of all when a man sets his face towards God it would gladly pray but wanting this proper Gift it useth formes but after it sees the vanity of that dispensation and the emptines of it it now would gladly pray in the spirit and continually is complaining for want of matter to expresse In conclusion it attains matter to expresse and
the two consider the effects that follow as namely Security or luke warmnes or fulnesse and self conceitednesse and so false Restings are of as dangerous a consequence as the other Thirdly Humility is by resembling of such property of words and actions in an other as is most lovely in the eyes of himself and others and here lies a sad deceit when men doe only resemble the words or carriages of another which it may be in that party flowes from a principle or power of God in him and by a resembling of him and getting into his form think their condition is the happier and so glory in it more then before so that though his Humility flow from a divine work in him yet the others is but shaped out of what is expressed by or from him and here lies much danger especially if man Rest in the same The forth way whereby humility comes most commonly to be attained And the way indeed is from the enjoyment of God thereby man comes not only to have the effects or branches cut off but the cause or root of the same taken away So as now man hath it not in the form or shape but in power and substance and now man is truly what he seems to be but not before whereby as the Creature is humbled so God is exalted and this is the Creatures joy though not his Rest wholly This humility now is the effect of God enjoyed whereby man is made to partake of Gods natrue and this nature breaks out into these particular effects but now this very effects of humility though it be from the enjoyment of God yet it is not the Rest of a Saint but the cause which is God The next part is the gift of Utterance which is that many have that knows not God and many have not which sweetly enjoy him So that man who is freely carried forth to utter or make known any thing he conceives is truth yet there is neither cause of trusting to it or Resting in it neither is there cause why a Soul should the more glory in the enjoyment of it or be troubled in the want of it The last part or Gift we shall speak of is Memory This part of Memory is that which doth most sweetly adorn man in the visible making of it forth and it makes man much adored for it it is 1. Away to grow very profitable in respect of him that hath it and beneficiall to them for whom he imployes it as namely In that dispensation of hearing after which the party which enjoyes this Part is able to repeat or declare almost verbatim what he hath heard this makes him very profitable in what he hears in respect of gathering knowledge and benificiall to others from the improvement of the same This is the reason why two Ministers so professing of themselves studying their matter the one brings it in a peece of paper and the other in the same method or forme though in his understanding becaus the one excels the otther in this Part of Memory and this makes the one more esteemed then the other and the one to appear more weake then the other But alas though all these were in one man in a higher strain then I have declared yet they all were but a poor Rest or cause of joy or contentment to any heart and truly when God appears so as to manifest himself the Soul shall see the weaknesse and foolly of his spirit to be satisfied in the whole not to be any cause of Rest though they were dispensations of God and were freely given by God For all these may be in a very hipocrite or in a meer naturall man First of all to conclude this Rest 1. It is an abuse of a Gift and an affornt put upon the Giver to make it either cause of Rest or an evidence of a true enjoyment of God 2. That soul most commonly who is not led in the Spirit either to behold God or enjoy him to be the Rests of spirits is most usuall it can hardly be prevented to Rest upon such Rests as we have declared but consider that must be the Rest of any who sees or enjoys not one manifested to him to be above it Man must have some Rest either true or false But that must be the safe Rest the which no hipocrite doth at tain nor can enjoy which is God manifested in the Spirit further why should any man place his Rest upon any thing which will come to nothing or is given to change Or why should we make that the ground of our happinesse which is but a tallent given to be improved which may be taken away at the Owners pleasure being given onely to bee improved and then mans Rest and peace ceaseth and in this particular doth â—he folly of mans heart appear in abusing the end of every dispensation as of this of Parts As. First The abuse of Parts lyes in the boasting and glorying in the gift and not in him that gives it And also in this to make them his Rest 2. For a man so to glory in them as to make again of them improve in them for to get honour and preferment and glory in the World This I fear was partly the end of Simon Magus in desiring the gifts of God Alas all gifts are empty without God be Manifested in them and poore contentment do they afford to him that Rests in them And here men are setting them in Gods place and labouring to dispossesse God who is or ought to be the satisfaction of the heart And this is another abuse of Parts A world of deceit lyes in mans heart about gifts or parts if abused First They will not make forth themselves unlesse it be where they be honoured or else they labour for the same by the improvement of them being the most free where it 's the most applauded and the most straitned and wary of that place where it is not adored and exalted and set up above the proper station of the creature being much cheered when exalted and much cast downe when rejected or at least not so applauded as he requires or expect here is man much abusing Parts and setting them in Gods stead in the which man shall be brought to a losse when God doth â—â—â—ifest himself in that heart The fourth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is Zeal for the truth Zeal in the matters of God is that which the most go through before the manifestations of God yet though it be good in its place and a dispensation to be owned yet it is but a deceitfull Rest We know the cry of him in the Scripture who was Resting and glorying in his Zeal for God when he cryed come see my Zeal for the Lord of hosts So we know many mens Zeal goes before their knowledge of God in the spirit We hear of a zealous Saul who was mad of Zeal in persecuting the Church Act. 22. 3 and
which is any way done by or acted from me but something in the which I am a passive and no active in which must be something of God coming in from God which doth give a testimony of truth to me and reveales the true rest in me And if I rest otherwise my rest is not that which I take it to be So that it 's alone the power or glory of something coming to me and not the actings of that to God from me which is all the hearts rest of a Saint But there lies so much deceit in the heart Jer. 17. 9 10. that the truth most be known by undeniable testimony in man before the makings of it forth can in truth be discerned but as I said before man lies in darknesse until there be something in the soule which is a cleare light giving the creature to know truth from truths Testimony for any action of deceit from the heart to God as so pretended will not be without reason and ground yea and Evidence proved to be true by the heart but still this Light which is God within is that which discovers man to himself yea the winding deceits in the heart though never so cunningly acted by the heart The Sixt false Rest THe next Rest is deep Humiliations and strange castings down of Spirit wherein the creature is made to goe through sad torments of spirit and hath gone through a hell in his own conscience he having passed through many sad dangers and having bin ready to destroy himself or lay violent hands upoÌ„ himself and daily mourning under the apprehension of these particulars following First Under the apprehension of an angry and revenging God looking upon him as one ready to destroy him and altogether unsatisfied concerning him but expects the speedy execution of vengeance and wrath to be powred down upon him without measure here the soul lies tortured continually ready to despaire of any hopes of recovery yet trying if he can get such a measure of humiliation as will answer the greatnesse of the evils committed against God which did procure it Secondly He lies mourning under the apprehension of a condemning Conscience Looking upon himselfe thus That if his heart condemne him how much more will God who knoweth all things Thirdly under the view of those grosse evils committed against God wherein sin flowes in apace in the view of it and they are laid in order before the soulâ— eyes Psalm 50. 21. which are so loathsome to him under this consideration that they have brought him into a condition of misery damnation wrath and slavery for ever unlesse he can get so much deep afflictings of spirit he looks upon himself as altogether uncapable of enjoying mercy Whereupon he fals a mouâ—ning and greeving fearing continually destruction until it be got into such an estate of breakings of spirit as it thinks answers the greatnes of its evils and wheÌ„ it hath done thus it makes a rest upon it and counts it an evidence of its acceptance with God not knowing that its heart may deceive it and though it pretends thus to do yet it may be out of fear and for false ends to get salvation and not from love or salvation revealed to it but only it is broken because it hath brought misery upon it selfe Secondly If it be of God then it is made to see the vanity of its rest here and to wait for the enjoyment of him alone who can apply a remedy to its wounded spirit but if false it looks upon such deepe humiliation to be a cure to it or an assured Testimony of the love of God towards it here it 's put upon fasting and starving the body taking revenge upon it self Who bath been a cause of bringing it into this extreame misery untill it hath almost destroyed it's body with pining and afflicting of it When indeed this is not Sacrifice which God much delights in if man rest in it For to afflict a mans soul and to houl upon his Bed and to fast yet may all this be Hypocritical and forced from the creature under the notion of destruction without it or a way to attaine grace and favour by it Now true Soul breakings flowes from Love meltings The Love Majesty and Glory of God being discovered to man do truly break man so that he doth not Rest upon his brokennesse but upon him who by love brake it The proud Pharisees did exceed in this and many others who made it their Rest and blessed themselves in so doing and said they fasted so often and wept so much and were so and so afflicted when indeed they lived upon it and gloryed and Rested in the same I know though it might be confessed this is the way of God yet it is not to be a Rest to any man For man is not able to judge of any Truth until the Light break in upon him which makes all things manifest and then shall man judge righteous judgement The heart will perswade man he acts from love when he doth not so and he humbles not himself to be seen of man or to get salvation or the removall of a condemning conscience or to stop the mouth of conscience or to get a frame of spirit that God might manifest mercy when indeed the heart is altogether it may be deceived of it and yet not able to judge of the same by reason of that night of darknesse that lyes upon it wherein it is kept in the clouds Now the cause of the creatures Rest in this particular lyes here First In those many deliverances wrought out of him in this condition as if the Children of Israel should have been satisfied and Rested after God had brought them out of the Land of Egypt or that after they were brought through the Red Sea they should have made that their Rest evidencing thereby that God would bring them into the Land of Canaan when though God had delivered them yet afterwards he did destroy them So with many which God hath wrought strangely with in this particular in delivering them from strong temptations and making them to see much of power yet afterwards they do not wait for th◠〈◊〉 ment of the promise but murmer against God and fall at last upon making a God to themselves of the glory of their wisdome and strength and naturall parts and light and they fall down and worship the same as though this was that God who did deliver them and so Rest satisfied believing they were worshipping and enjoying the true God Secondly The creature reasons thus Surely it is God who doth discover sin unto me for if Satan should discover it it were the way to destroy his owne kingdome therefore my sight of sin and my sorrow and mourning for it and those deepe afflictions which I have had for sin must needs be of God and surely it is both love from God and love to God and doth thus break my heart I may be so and not so but though
the creatures spirit is set a waiting for it and at last comes to enjoy it So in Free grace when God represents this truth to let man see he is Free in all his dispensations man being thereby convinced of it his heart is set a waiting for the enjoyment of the same within him which he sees in God above him that is above his reach of enjoying and so he doth not let him Rest though he see a truth until he comes to have the manifestation of it within him and in the power and life of it enjoyed by him So as the generall knowledge of Free grace before it be known particularly in the Creature by the manifestation of it from God will be no secure Rest or satisfaction for any soul First The creature in this condition may receive it with much joy as witnesse them Mat. 13. 20. yet be short of having the power This truth is very pleasant to many especially to those that have been the greatest workers for Grace whereupon their delight is much taken up either in hearing reading or discourse that tendeth to the declaring of this truth and it is a dispensation of God in some men but not a Rest unto them Now men who are made to Rest here may have high notions of this truth and may be more able to speak of it then those who have enjoyed it in a general manner but come to the particular workings of it in the soul and many prove shallow there only they declare it as they see it to be a Scripture truth But he that Enjoyes sees it to be an Experimentall and a Scripture Truth Now some men have learned what he beleeves and Rests upon it only from report or men declaring their experiences or what the Scripture doth relate of others but have not any Teachings of God what it saith according to the Scriptures in them by Experience And here sometimes man is not compleatly furnished to declare this Truth But one who doth enjoy truth within doth a little discerne where such a soul is to wit have heard and from hearing do declare and yet not brought into the Kingdome of Truth to see and experience it within himself Further Man may daily increase in the Notionary knowledge of this Truth wherein he may appear a Tall Cedar in his own eies and in the eyes of others and grow up into high Notions and Light and is able to speak of very high and glorious light yet if he here Rest it may prove in conclusion but a feeding upon winde and husks Furthermore In this knowledge of Truth may man solace and refresh his spirits continually in the apprehension of the same and yet it is but seeming not reall satisfaction or refreshment if he there Rest trusting to it to be God himself for want of information of the difference betwixt what is a Truth in it self seen so by me and a Truth mine manifested within me not knowing the foot-steps of truth without man from the foot-steps of truth within man not knowing a difference betwixt the deceipt of the heart in its deceivable workings making glorious Rests of that which is none and Truth nakedly discovered from or by God in the heart with its End and Testimony so as the creature is not satisfied with any thing though it be a truth without him until he finde the very being of that Truth within him Therefore whosoever he bee that reads these few lines Let him beware of these things following First that he judge not that to be a place of Rest to his spirits which is but in shew not enjoyed in substance nor absolutely passe sentence of any thing untill there be a Divine light within which makes it manifest Yea though they may come so far as to be convinced of truth of Free grace and for the transcendent Excellency of Christ in God yet Rest not until thou finde it in thy soul manifest from God then shalt thou seal it to be a truth yea thou shalt have it sealed up for Truths by the Spirit of GOD within thee Also to take notice I do not despise nor condemne this dispensation not to be of God first to see by Scriptures these to be Truths But There labour to unbottom and to un center any soul who meerly rests in the notion of them Thirdly To beware of condemning these things because they have no experience of them or because they come nigh them or because if they be Truths they have nothing left them but wait untill they see a Light within to discover the truth or fallacy of them to them Jer. 17. 9. and if so be they see not the deceite of their hearts or those false Rests in them we are speaking of yet do not condemn them who have both seen and known them as though they sought to destroy the foundation of God in Saints but look upon me as one owning any dispensation of God in its place proper to it The Eight false Rest THE Next Rest we desire to speake of in order to this is the Knowledge of Christ in the flesh Eithar considered as he is declared in Types and Figures under the Law or as he assumed nature upon him and so consequently dyed at Jerusalem Now for the first In reference to Types and Figures which at this time are the dispensation of Ordinances either practised before or since his Coming How many in our daies are they that meerly rests upon such shadows some practising of such Types as held forth Christ to come some in those that were practised after his Coming and here they satisfie themselves As instance the cry of most Wee enjoy the pure Ordinances of Christ wee are members of the Church of Christ we are partakers of those outward priviledges purchased by Christ Instance the peace and comfort they enjoy in them the glorying and the high conceite they have of themselves above others that do not practise with or enjoy them witnesse their deadnesse flatnesse when they want them and their life and peace in the enjoying of them witnesse their binding up in them and their whole Experience contained in this particular When I was imployed in such an Ordinance I was fil'd with joy or I was made to be satisfied with the seeing of God in it when the poor Creatuer it may be knowes not what God in all or any thing is but if it be enlarged or have some particular flashes of comfort it makes that to bee the presence of God and meerly under these fleshly parctises or carnall relations do many Rest satified But Secondly To Rest upon Christ come in the flesh is to Rest upon the beleeving the report the Scripture gives concerning him as being born of a Virgin and suffering and being buried and the like and if they beleeve this and can but heare enough of the Letter preached to this purpose they Rest as beleeving such a particular to be true and that is all that is required of them to
salvation and indeed so it is and something more But thirdly To Rest upon Christ come in the flesh is to beleeve from the Letter of the Scripture without any powerfull manifestation of the spirit that this Christ who did according to Scripture dye at Ierusalem dyed for them And here many satisfie themselves with very high conceits of their condition and here alone men Rest upon the bare Figure As if men under the Law should have made Circumcision and the enjoying of Sacrifices in that common manner they were performed to be a ground of Rest and so contented themselves in the use thereof as conceiving themselves to be made happy by the Type and Figure and not by that which was Typified out in the same So concerning Christs dying at Jerusalem it is a Figure of the spirituall death of the creature with Christ and also of this resurrection Now when we come to be buried with him into his death Rom. 6. 4. 5 and also come to be with him raised up from death that is into the clear enjoyments of God where we are made to live in the God-hrad from it living in us Iohn 14. 17. then do we fully understand and know this Christ and this eternal Life and not meerly for a man to conceive because the Scriptures dâ—e declare that this Christ is come and the Creature assenting to the whole history and believing of it that this is the knowledge of Christ which is eternal life for unlesse the Creature know him so to be to him that this eternal life to him Col 3. 3. 4. that as the Scriptures do declare him so to be in the knowledge of him so the creature findes it true within himself from the experience of him in his own soul his knowledge is but carnall not living spirituall knowledg for that man that Rests upon him as he is declared in Scripture before he be revealed within his soul both that mans Rest and knowledge is but carnall and fleshly for we see that all men almost in England or in any place where the Gospel is but published doe believe that he is crucified and is risen and this they know from the testimony of Scripture but doth every man know the minde and mystery of truth Doth God reveal it to every one Can any know the minde of God in these particulars either by the History or any other way but by the Spirit of God then it must he that before this Christ come to be spiritually known hee must be spiritually revealed within mans hearts 1 Cor. 2. 10. Gal. 1. 16. So that to hear of Christ and not to enjoy him from being revealed within is but very unsafe and unsound knowledge to Rest upon and that which brings not along with it eternal Life as witnesse 1 Iohn 1. 1 21 He clearly expresses that this Christ which is eternall life was made manifest unto them and as their knowledge of from which knowledge they had fellowship and communion with him 1 Iohn 1. 3. This knowledge is spirituall and according to Scripture spiritually revealed before it be truly and experimentally known now the Scriptures do not reveale Christ within any man neither doe they say to any particular soule thou such a one Christ died for thee but it is the same spirit which did declare the Scriptures which must reveal what this Christ is Secondly what the mistery of God in his so coming or what mystery God did hold out in the figure which was his fleshly coming too and for thee in particular And lastly Thou must doe as he did passe from death to life and from being buried with him before thou live in the Kingdome of heaven with him or indeed know what the Kingdome or place is which men carnally conceive to be above the Skyes though the spirituall knower of him knowes it in another place Now what is it for a man to fill his head full of the history concerning the birth and death of Christ unlesse this Jesus a Saviour or this Christ which is the light and glory of God be discovered and revealed within him suitable to that precious Testimony of Pauls knowledge of this Christ Gal. 1. 16. where he speaks of this Christ to be revealed within him for Christ as he was in the flesh cannot be revealed but Christ as he is in the Spirit or Christ as he is the great design of God typified out in the flesh and revealed in the spirit either as a light or as a life or as he is the breath of God or as he is the clear manifestation of God wherein man comes to know him to be his Jesus that is his Saviour or inward deliverer or wherein man cleatly beholds the Father in him and he in the Father John 24. 11. Which cannot be discerned as he was in the flesh but as he is in the spirit 1 Pet. 3. 8. that being a figure thereof we see this knowledge the Apostles wanted when they said Lord shew us the Father John 14. 8. they having no more knowledge of Christ but as he was in the flesh they knew not that the Father was in him and he in the Father John 14. 11. upon this knowledge were they resting when they said Lord it is good for us to be here Mat. 17. 4. when they would have been making Tabernacles of Rest before Christ did transfigure himself within but Christ bids them Arise let us goe hence as if he should say This is not a proper rest for you John 14. 31. It is a very low dispensation goe I will discover my glory to you by transfiguring my self within you then shall you see partly the mystery of my selfe then shall you more spiritually understand and know me And also sometimes the carnall and fleshly knowledge the Apostles had then put them upon carnal conceptions as in these phrases expressed when wilt thou restore the Kingdome to Israel And many more expressions as desiring fire might come from above where Christ tels them they knew not of what spirit they were the one place tels them they looked upon him as to be one who was to have a great power in the World namely To be an earthly King to live in outward pomp and glory the other doth signifie they understood not the great design of God in his coming so as they in this dispensation were very low as many are in our daies and would gladly have been resting in the knowledge they had which was Christ in the flesh that was known by them and declared and preached by them also but still they remaining under the clouds and ignorant of the mystery of Christ in reverence to his coming in the Spirit yet God was daily leading them to behold their ignorance and more into the mystery of Jesus So that though men pretend to escape the common pollutions of the world by such a knowledge of Christ in the flesh yet it is not a secure estate but a low dispensation which will
left and that is That they be not living upon an imaginary God and not the true for it is the way of the Creature to give so much way to his fancy and imagination that whatevet it proposeth to be God it lives upon and rejoyceth in and brings the Soul into deep and carnall security with high imaginations of himself being able to apprehend and discourse of deep and high things and yet want the life and power of any one of them 3 Beware of Judging if thou be broke off from formes those that thou hast left behind thee in the use thereof Considering that God is in all formes of his own appointment and that their dispensations may be of God and that they shall there abide but their appointed season And therefore let thy carriage to them and thy judgement of them be as much as possible may be without offence unto them and for the winning of them and that when God sees a higher dispensation fit for them he will lead them into it onely my soul desires they may not be so glued to them as to live in them and not to waite for a higher dispensation from God onely in the want thereof they are in the use thereof God owning and appearing unto them in them so that I could wish the wisdome of God may appear so in the hearts of those who do pretend thus high to live in God that it may truly appear to themselves and to others God led them into the same not themselves I have experienced both the contrary evils and therefore I speak so that if God be love as in his dispensation God is so to him that knowes it not then it must break forth from us if it be living in us to look upon Children and babes with a tender eye and respect so as judgement may passe away and the spirit of burning which is Love may appear amongst us Thirdly As others are under mens Teachings so look thou be under the Teachings of the Vision of God Hab. 2. 3. and that thou speak or pretend to enioy no more then is taught within thee by the Vision of God for in the want thereof sad experiences testifies we Peecing and patching Religion and high notions together â—nd make it their delight and joy Oh the teachings of God do open the very heart and the secrets of the sealed Book and beleeve it to live wholly above all in God It is to live such a transcendent life as is better and sooner spoken then enjoyed and known in truth for there must be such a death within men and a passing from death to life by man that indeed men may hear of the thing and get it into their imaginations but to enjoy it in the true and reall manifestations thereof many in this shall in their conceits be brought to losse for to have the Seales of the Eternall brightnesse and glory of God opened in the appearance of the Vision in a mans heart to have the very splendor and glory of the divine Being revealed within man and to be wholly caught up in the whole ouâ— of all things so as the soul is wholly swallowed up with God in all things so that now neither eye hath seen nor eare hath heard neither by mans heart can be imagined the depths of the life glory and enjoyment of such a heart yet it iâ— his common meate and teaching of the Spirit within him so that no maâ—s teaching can reveal the life and center of such a heart but it is better experienced then can be declared it is so transcendent a life and being Yea further for any man to live so in God as he enjoyes God in all and seeth God the life and being of all yea it is not his judgement but he findes all these things effectually within him For a man may be of the judgement concerning living wholly in God to be the only Life and yet not to know this from the experience of the Visions teaching within himself Now it is no benefit for any to be of this and that judgement unlesse he live in the clear enjoyment of the truth he is convinced of in his judgement and understanding here is the glory of a Saint indeed not to know a truth because it is the judgement of any neither because it is his own judgment but that he hath within him the truth teaching of it to him from the life and power of it in him So he knowes the Sun to be the Sun not from hear says but he seeth the life and glory of it having his eyes opened to behold it and findeâ— by experience the heâ—t and powerfull operation of the same upon him as well as upon the earth So with Saints they do not receive their life light or experienco of God living in a Saint from hearing of it but God breakes forth in their spirit and so gives them the sight of the glory light and splendor of God within themselves So soul beware thou be not overcome so with hear-saies as to rest satisfied with the meer notion of God and truths and yet be at this time but a blazing starre who shall fall and cease to be what thou art present boâ—h to thy selfe and others seemest to be onely for a time thou may by this notionary light in thy understanding and judgement be a blazing star to discover what thou hast for the deceit of thy self and others and yet it is not the light of the being of truth in thee but a borrowed light got from others or in thy imagination or conception which shall suddenly perish and then thou shalt be left in the dark as a man in the Clouds reserved for the great day Oh to be Taught of God is a Jewel it will teach Truth and not lye Therefore in the last place It is worth waiting for though thou waite in silence and in death untill thou do enjoy it lest thou pretend to have that thou hast not and to enjoy that thou enjoyest not for in so doing thou shalt go with a ly in thy Right hand and shelter thy self under vanities and lies Yet I would not be mistaken that either I am against formes in their time and place and mâ—nner neither that I deny that a soul may attain to suâ—h a glorious enjoyment of God as must yea all formes and shacowes may fly a way and be dissolved though not destroyed and the person forme and use thereof shall be swallowed up with glory But I desire to compose the great difference that lyes in mens attainments when they all cannot speake one thing or enjoy God in one dispensation then they fall one condemning another so as they cannot make ouâ— for good of each other that which theâ— enjoy of God in their preâ—ent dispensations Secondly to unbottom the one of Resting in and living upon or making his everlasting Tabernacle in those shadowes and the other to be thâ—t in an especiall manner which both in word
to Rest below God as is sutable to a Soules condition so he brought in a promise to Christ He hath given his Angels charge over thee c. Mat. 4. 6. Here he came to apply himself sutable to the condition of Christ O when once a soul is brought into a Pinacle-condition wherein he is brought to see the glory of much then Satan labours to cause the heart to fall down and worship him he coming smoothly and bringing he promises of God along with him to back the truth of what he doth and here after the soul is betrayed by represented glory in a promise meerly cast in from Satan wherein the soul falls down and worships the very cunning working and the high exalting of Satan and in this condition he is brought to see and apprehend high things and is brought into a Pinacle to behold almost the glory of every thing made over by Satan to the Creature in a promise upon the Soules submitting to him and upon this Pinacle he sets him that is he causes him to Rest and so the poor heart being not wise in the Spirit is deceived and betrayed though the actions knowledge light joy Rest of this soul be glorious and for God in his own eyes yet it is but Satans transforming himself into an Angel of light resembling or coming in and working in the Creatures heart in the gloriousest manner and shape God works in But Secondly Others being wounded in Spirit and weary in soule for the want of any glimpse of God leaving no means un-attained to get his soul cured and unburthened and having rested upon many false props before and being unbottomed of them he tries this particular it being of a higher nature and more likely to speak peace unto him viz. a running to Scripture to finde out some particular promises sutable to his condition and having found out some sutable Promises either presently seems to speak to him from a sutablenesse in him so it may be being a conditionall Promise or else the soul meditates a while upon it and it runs much in his thoughts and at last he closes with it strikes this load and burthen at his spirit here he drawes comfort and peace from it yea it may be so much as indeed the soul is mightily overcome in his spirits with joy and can do nothing but rejoyce upon which he Rests builds his faith as he cals it and so concludes it to be a maniâ—estation of God I will nor deny but God may make these waies if in truth cause of support unto a soul in his travelling towards his Rest But for a Soul to strike sail cast Anchor and have all the waves in his heart stayed and his very wearinesse of spirit at this present put to a period is as if the children of Israel had stayed either beyond the red Sea or when God gave them Manna before they came to enjoy a reall possession of the land of promise though God did this either to refresh their spirits and so to under-prop them or else to give them it at the desire and repining of their spirits to see how they would use it or abuse it Now this being a description of a Saints spirituall travell though God should cause a glimps of glory or heavenly Manna to refresh a heart to be given to a soul in the view of a promise yet for a soul to Rest in this and make it his habitation it smels too much of mans deceite and abuse of every dispensation and a daubing up his spirit with untempered morter and so hatches Cockatrice Egs and weaves the Spiders Webbe so that it is but a kindling of a fire and manwarming himself in his own sparks whose conclusion shall be death and sortow and before ever the creature knows what true rest is by sweet experience he must be brought to a death in all these But from my own experience of the fallacy of my own heart and the contrariety of the false Rests that I have gone thorow I make bold to propose these ensuing particulars to such a heart not intending to weaken the workings of God in any poor heart though under low Administration but only to discover the nakednes of man in the way of his own heart And First of all When did the Lord manifest himself to thy soul and give thee a particular right unto and interest in this promise the application of which thou makest thy Rest Secondly How was God revealed to thy heart in this promise Or whether is it not the great necessity thou hast of it that makes thee fly to the promise and suck sweetnesse life comfort and Rest from it Or is it God in Christ clearly Revealed unto thee in the same For it was necessity that made many run to the Ark and hang upon the outsides thereof though none but those that were within were saved Scribes and Pharisees did challenge a propriety in God and all externall priviledges but it was but from a sutablenesse of holinesse they had to the promise and not Revelation of God in them discovering the truth of God in them Thirdly What inward Testimony of God hast thou for thy great joy peace rest And what is thy inward evidence that witnesseth the truth of what thou enjoyest For every one that beleeveth hath a Testimony within himself 1 John 5. 10. And every heart that hath ever seen the appearance of God within him hath found a lively Testimony coming along with that Manifestation of God which is the only proofe of the truth of what he enjoyeth and not any Qualification nor outward Testimony either of man or from man 1 Joh. 3. 24. Fourthly How was peace in this particular enjoyed by thee Was it from some inward voyce of God or discovery of the same Or was it from such a sutable form of words to thy condition either cast in or found out in searching Or was it from a clear Manifestation of the glory of God in thee sutable to those forms of words in the Scriptures without thee whereby the forme of words came to be made good to thee so that thy comfort peace satisfaction or rest do not flow from the forme of words as thou seest them in Scripture without thee but from the enjoyments of God within thee sutable to that without thee Fiftly What glorious power of God was made out in thy spirit in thy thus closing with promises Thy thus closing may seem to be done in power but the spirituall Coming of Christ in the manifestation of his glory is so great as indeed it is not ordinary but extraordinary in the heart of him that knows his coming A promise Closed with before Christ come in the Spirit may seem to be done in glory and power by reason it may be he could not before beleeve nor live in that freedome or joy he now lives in but the coming of Christ in the spirit doth so farre surmount that as indeed the other appears nothing
pleased to appear in to us is to be no Rest or habitation of us but to be led into higher enjoyments or after higher enjoyments of God by the sight and appearance of him though in a low or very meane manner in the forme discovered For the end partly why Christ appeared in divers formes to his Apostles and so to many now is because he would not have any â—est in or upon his forme or appearance but that they might be as he was dying to all these and waiting for his ascending into God where be might be for ever swallowed up with the light and glory of God and there to make his and all Saints habitation and Rest The fifteenth false Rest THe next Rest which I shall speak of iâ— The Gospel Faith of Jesus Christ as men call it which indeed hath some ground of Rest both from Scripture and reason as they think Men in our daies have given distinctions of Faith as namely Historicall Temporall and Saving But leaving the two former I come to the latter and shall un-bosome my sad experience of deceit in the same 1. Concerning this Saving Gospell-Faith I owne there is a Faith which in Scriptures is termed Saving yet that which men call both beleeving and saving I find not to be so And first of all man cals true Faith A dependence upon Christ or beleeving Christ dyed for them according to the Scripture Now Faith is neither a dependancy upon Christ or beleeving according to our common exposition that Christ dyed for us these if they be so in the heart as a Creature doth conceive yet they are but the effects and fruits of Faith in its spirituall act upon or towards God but this many make their Rest and shelter that if they can but beleeve Christ dyed for them at Jerusalem and that thus beleeving they can go out of themselves that is onely deny their own righteousnesse and beleeve that Christ is theirs and that he dyed for them this is a Rest sufficient when indeed the poor heart is both ignorant what Faith is and what going out of himselfe is For never can a Creature go out of himself to Christ or God before there be a cleere â—aâ—ifestation of God in the heart Now the Creature who is thus Resting upon his beleeving in Christ is altogether ignorant of any manifestation of God to him or â—n him For Faith is a supernaturall and divine light of God communicated to the soul by the Spirit of God which after this manifestation of light the creature comes to see and behold the glory of God by which Faith he is made to beleeve yea which beleeving is an effect or act of the said Faith upon or towards the same God which is revealed Now in the first place Beleeving is not Faith but an effect thereof Secondly Beleeving is an act of God in us to himselfe and so no Rest Thirdly Nothing which flowes forth from man to God is to be a Rest No act whatsoever is to be a Rest as it is purely exercised in man though of God but mans Rest is to be one who acts all in man who is God Many men are thinking highly of themselves because the Scriptures declare a Christ crucified for man and they are made to beleeve he was so for them and so are made to deny their own works or doings and to depend onely upon this Christ which indeed the poor hearts be ignorant of and know him not neither have any manifestation of Jesus Christ in them in any particular way but only from their own imaginations and fancies they stil confidently beleeve that this Christ is theirs and he dyed for them and here they Rest and make their habitation concluding this to be Faith and the knowledge of Christ which indeed if such a Spirit knew what Faith were or the knowledge of Christ were this would be dissolved if not destroyed and it would finde it's faith and knowledge to be an un sound and un safe Rest to be centred upon So that I say that that is not Faith or beleeving which men so call and if so it were no ground to Rest upon For in the first place A man must truly know within himselfe what is Faith is before aman can truely beleeve Secondly He must also know what this Christ is he beleeves in before he can depend upon him and beleeve truly in him Thirdly There must be a clear manifestation of God or Christ in man before there can be any true knowledge particularly of him by man Fourthly Christs dying at Jerusalem shall then be known to the heart in a more spirituall manner then ever And the workings of that death shall be found in that heart to be such as formerly it did not conceive of Fiftly He shall know that dependency upon Christ and his former beleeving in Christ the truth of which he hath formerly tryed by visible signes and marks is now made to be a fancy not Faith and an effect of darknesse not of light And now he findes another dependency and beleeving in him flowing from another ground then before he knew and that the matter he Rested upon in hes own imagination which he before called a Christ dying for him is now changed being it was but his carnall conceptions and fleshly teachings and actings and now he is made to see the spirituall sense and so to judge of the truth of an ever-dying yet ever living transfigured glorified Christ so as now he is making his habitation not amongst the beasts of the field in his former fancies and fleshly teachings but in the spirituall heavens where live all Just men made perfect and all perfect men made to live by or in the life of God or Christ so as he is changed into glory and his Rest is made glorious Sixtly When this is come to passe men shall know really the Mystery of Faith and why it is called a Mystery and that same spirit shall know a difference betwixt the Mystery of Faith discovered to the Conscience coming as it were from God and the keeping and exercising of the Mystery of that Faith in a pure Conscience to God and that beleeving is not Faith as it purely comes from God discovering it self and the Mystery thereof to the Conscience but it is the exercise of that said Mystery of Faith by God in Conscience to God So that the Mystery of faith in it self is one thing and beleeving and dependency upon Christ if true is another thing But the effect or exercise of the Mysteriousnesse of faith in a conscience which is pure to or upon a God that is pure Seventhly Men may beleeve Christ died for them and from this beleeving may practise such things as are required by him yea may have such peace joy in the same And in this his own works he may abhorre and detest not setting them up with Christ and this he may do from a Scripture notionary knowledge onely got in the