rest with a sober and chaste mind as to be preserved from touching any thing that defiles or wherein the soul feels not the pure love meek motion and heavenly life of Jesus Christ above all outward appearances likenesses or forms of words and as it is contrary to and envyed of all natural selfishness VII In the next place truely to know this one Lord Jesus Christ come in the flesh as the new and living way to the Father the Immanuel God with us making the atonement by the blood of his Cross to have all things subject unto him his servants in him and he in them which is the great mysterie of godliness hid from Ages and Generations until the fulness of time and then manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit believed on in the world and received up into glory which none of the wise men of this world ever knew or can know by all their learned skill of earthly wisdom nor any man that lives after the flesh or satisfieth himself with hearing reading telling or talking of him or concerning what he or his Apostles did said or suffered as those that vainly take his Name into their mouths on most occasions of their invented ways but know him not neither by his divine Nature nor Name nor how God and man became one Christ Jesus how that which may be known of God is manifest in man how he is the wonderful counsellor The mighty God The Prince of peace The Author and Finisher of our faith how he saves his people from their sins is the Reconciler without imputation of sin how he is formed in his servants and cleanseth them by his blood from all sin and unrighteousness how they take up the cross and follow him or what the cross is how the body becomes dead because of sin and the spirit alive for righteousness sake how they are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones how he is their Leader and captain of salvation made perfect through sufferings how they are baptised into his death and saved by his life how the Union is perfected in all the parts and members of his body the Church what the Church is or how his Body or what it is to eat his flesh and drink his blood without which as himself said we have no life in us how every knee shall bow to him of things in heaven in earth and under the earth and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father how he is that blessed and onely Potentate King of kings and Lord of lords The head of all thrones and dominions and every name that is named c. And therefore not knowing him cannot worship him accordingly Neither are such willing to become obedient to him in his light that maketh all things manifest naked and bare whereby he brings every secret thing to light and passeth judgement upon the transgressing nature and bruiseth the branches of it with every lust of the flesh lust of the eyes and pride of life that are not of the Father but of the world nor to know him the Healer and Maker up of the breach the Repairer of the ancient path to walk in by cleansing mens souls that are full filthy while they remain ignorant of him or have any fleshly appetite lust or like desire alive in them whereby the fair pearl is blemished and much more filthy when their souls are taken up with a full love and liking of this world and wholly overcome by the sensual and fleshly part that they chuse it and delight therein as the full rest of their hearts so that they feel no liquor of life or sweetness of grace stirring them to loath what their flesh liketh nor to desire that heavenly food of their souls so they do not bear the image of sin but are born and carryed with it and of it and feel no strength but in it nor no will to leave it but yeild thereto with all ready forwardness But Jesus Christ is the food of all hungry souls and through him in him and by him are such souls reformed and restored into their first and fair likeness of God in righteousness and true holiness and so is the new man created in Christ Jesus to good works to walk in them by the Divine will and quickning Spirit whereby the flaming sword comes to be removed and the everlasting gate opened to all willing and watchful souls to enter thereat into the heavenly and endless life where Jesus Christ is the Door the Porter and Receiver always waiting ready to imbrace the souls that so watch pray wait and attend to be here in this life reformed by his Spirit into his likeness and love to live by the words of his mouth as swallowed up of the Divine will of inexpressible sweetness and so walk in the Spirit of love and meekness with sober and chaste minds as the Lords free-men without handling or touching any unclean thing that defiles or where in their souls feel not the pure love meek motion and holy life of Jesus Christ above all shadows types figures forms or fleshly things c. There be many that think they love Jesus Christ and know him to whom he may truly say I know you not depart from me ye are workers of iniquity Though they may have attained to a fleshly knowledge of him by imagining thinking and fashioning him in themselves with their minds thoughts affections desires cares and bodily wits and so suppose they love fear serve and worship him as a man like themselves yet without sin that God is wroth with them as a man that is offended that Christ died for their sins and therefore they fall down at his feet with sorrow of heart crying for mercy and pardon and like the five foolish Virgins suppose they are ready for him have good trust in his mercy and so reverence him and fear before him and thereupon do verily believe they so know and worship him because they feel their hearts moved and stirred with love to him and desire of him But this is not the worship in spirit and truth which he expects and accepts for all this while these worshippers know not their own souls nor God in Christ Jesus reconciling them to himself nor have they any Oyl in their lamps or sweet liquor of life suppling their souls for the Lord Jesus is not seen much less known and worshipped by mens imaginations for the earthly nature cannot receive retain or bear this heavenly new wine So there was a time when Christ Jesus told his Disciples he had many things to say unto them but they could not then bear them and yet being upright in hearts to the Lord he is pleased so to temper strengthen and comfort them with such an inward beholding that they forsake sins and the great love of this world whereby the invisible light of his Godhead is somewhat shadowed to the inner eye of their souls under the bedily
was rejected and also man cast out of Paradice from the sweet presence of God into this visible world to take his portion where his proud heart had chosen it in the knowledge of good and evil inventions and lusts without and contrary to God and how this begot in him an evil opinion of God trouble of Mind and condemnation in himself whereby sorrow of soul seised on him love meekness and humanity was lost and he was dead unto God and all good but alive to every lust and fleshly delight inwardly as a devil and outwardly as a beast by his so abusing his trust insomuch that he then esteemed God who before was his life and delight as his enemy and became affraid of him and could in no wise change his mind to love and trust God again though the Lord God changed not but covered himself with outward things as Fig-leaves and hid himself from the presence of God amongst the trees when he heard his voice there in the cool of the day Or how Adam excused himself concerning his nakedness his fear or the prevalency of the temptation by reason of his light or loose-mindedness how he was driven out of the Garden and Cherubims with a flaming sword set up to turn every way and keep the way of the tree of life or what was figured out thereby concerning mans having his chosen portion in this world of his own will selfish wisdom and earthly glory by which sin entred and death by sin came over all men inasmuch as all have sinned and come short of the glory of God by turning his truth into a lye worshipping and serving the Creature instead of the Creator who is God over all and rich unto all that call upon him and so are become enemies in their minds through evil works and to every good work reprobares and no way to be recovered but through the love and tender mercy of the Lord God so much abused in the then promised seed to bruise the Serpents head destroy his sinful will and wisdom in mans mortal body and restore him again to God from whom by transgression he fell by turning his mind into the eternal counsel will and thereby bringing in an everlasting righteousness in the new man created in Christ Jesus by the spirit of holiness to good works and walk in them to the restauration of all things c. But of these things briefly that I may be more large touching the end of mans Creation and his duty in relation thereto in which Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice Snoch walked with God pleased him was translated and not found by any tentation for God took him into the eternal heavenly hearing seeing tasting feeling of love and firm obedience wherein the Lord GOD accepts every man that so comes unto him in Christ Jesus the same unchangeable way truth and life as babes and sucklings and so receive his kingdom as little children and in the new spiritual birth and by the sincere milk of the word grow up in him and become wholly his and for him in his eternal counsel and will and have their conversations in heaven hating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God and partaking of his holiness and glory wherein the Tempter cannot find them though he may contend as he did about the body of Moses But though Enoch so walked with God and after him Noah was singular in his generation yet as it is written The wickedness of man was great in the earth the imaginations and thoughts of his hears onely evil continually for all flesh had corrupted their way the earth was filled with violence insomuch that the Lord repented that he had made man on the earth but man by his Deed causing this repented not to give glory to God in any general way yet for all this the Lords love and long suffering waited in the days of Noah and afterwards suffered the evil manners of his people the natural seed of Abraham in the wilderness and endured as now he doth the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction by unbelief hardness of heart and rebellion against him that spend their times and weary their wits about eating drinking revelling dancin and serving their lusts of all kinds with violence in vicious living as if that were the very end of mans Creation The Lords love in tendering redemption his outward chastisements inward smitings and sufferings in his beloved servants whereby he warneth all men to repentance and to take heed how they allow or plead for their sins as most do saying They must have their sins while their souls are in their bodies or as some speak until their last gasp but it were better said by such men That they may but will not come to Christ to be led otherwise by his light and spirit of holiness to be cleansed from all unrighteousness were they but willing to follow him in his blessed footsteps before the Lords jealousie and wrath be yet farther kindled against them that so wax old in their evil ways by custom therein specially in these times of tryal while he is working wonders in the earth and delivering his chosen ones avenging his elect that cry to him executing the judgement written as well for the rebellious as for proving and purging his own houshold-servants or think the time not near when he shall say They are turned to their idols let them alone They that are filthy let them be filthy still Why should they be smitten any more Let them go to the gods they have served Give them their portion c. As ignorance is ever the mother of Devotion in erroneous principles Opinions and Practises so consequently it is of Divisions in those erroneous-paths whereby wilful ignorance is turned into immodest Zeal and hasty frowardness to make by-ways with gaudy and guilded shews for others to fall down before and worship but my business being here specially to give some directions to weary Travellers that are going out of their way and yet would know and enter the door of mercy and hope to find refreshment for their souls and likewise to the rebellious that are in bondage that the Lord God might dwell amongst them and bring them also into his fold and freedom of glorious liberty with the sons of God and therefore briefly touch and pass over the many by-ways that lead to and thorow Presumption into Despair and thence into endless misery as the way of Cain Nimrod the old world Jannes and Jambres Ishmael Esau Core and his company Nadab and Abibu Balaam and sundry other false Prophets Apostates and Persecutors as recorded in holy Scripture over-many here to mention and at this time too manifestly in use to be now hid III. The covetous prophane worldly men in their several ways chuse their portions in this world their great desires hopes fears and cares being to get save and possess an earthly inheritance which is their portion and their hearts there also some taking
in his own light and spiritual leading in every mans conscience there to arise and his enemies be scattered as he transformeth and reneweth the mind according to his blessed will of heavenly love and the contrary thereto is onely unreasonable unrighteous intolerable and abominable to God as that which enforceth men of corrupt and unstable minds to formalities and hypocrisie whereof ensueth condemnation in themselves to their souls besides the many other mischiefs and miseries to mankinde for what is out of faith is sin both in the commander and actor and if the heart condema God is greater and knoweth all and who shall justifie where he condemns and as it is written Blessed and happy is he that condemns not himself in the thing that he alloweth and contrarily which ought to be well heeded and warily observed by all men and is by those that are willing to know and perform the great trust reposed in them concerning their own souls as knowing that they must give an account of themselves to God and ought not to trust their souls with others that have other ends then for the Lords service and learned Arts whereby to call good evil and evil good put darkness for light and light for darkness as blind men or with their eyes shut and unwilling to know the light of life and leading of the holy Spirit of truth as if as the fool said in his heart there were no God or not desiring the knowledge of his way and yet concerning the things of this world cry Give give more more when they have not rightly learned how to use that they have V. You that are strict and zealous Professors in your ways should study to be quiet in your selves and with others you have a zeal as for God but not according to knowledge of him as a fire of love in you kindled by the holy Ghost and therefore you are such and so diversly opinionated without unity or order amongst your selves but one fort contending for the Monster Uniformity another for their new-made Faith a third for their dead dumb and empty ordinances and each impleading others and employing your selves like Nadab and Abibu or Core and his company in kindling and offering strange fires before the Lord and resisting the truth taught in the light of Christ by his blessed Spirit which leads into all truth as Jannes and Jambres sometime withstood Moses but your deeds are so manifest and you stopt and reproved in your inward and outward parts so as not like much farther to prevail are again in love as heretofore warned to turn in your minds to him that there smiteth for amendment that a remnant of you forsaking the sparks of their own kindling may be purged purished and brought forth as gold tryed and saved by that consuming fire which burns and wasts all sin our of obedient souls with the fleshly loves and lovers thereof so as there may be no more mis-judging by private and perverse spirits of ignorance weakness or thick darkness that cannot comprehend the deep things of God but do turn the minds out of the true light of Jesus Christ wherein his servants see light to walk that pure path of holiness in him to glory in words emptiness and vanity of your wills bodily wits and works as did the former persecuters of Christ Jesus not wisely heeding the Lords hand whereby he is restoring all things into the glorious liberty of his sons and daughters and how he therefore now shakes the earth and heavens also which should abate the edge of mens earthly appetites accompanied with such strange and hideous effects and would if they knew any thing of the Lords pure and powerful workings or of the times and seasons or were but near ripe for truth and apt to the kingdom of God and would take such off from expecting greater signes and wonders or acting another thing by another spirit of private interpretation different from the Lords purpose so many ways manifested and therefore it is evident that such men are sick weak or fallen asleep so that they cannot discern the Lords body his truth and true worshippers nor other things that differ And though you may not be competent Judges in spiritual matters yet consider is it righteous or reasonable that those who are either meerly carnal or have not yet received so much as the bare presence of the holy Spirit in grace should judge others that are sealed with the Spirit of promise baptised and made to drink into that one Spirit which judgeth all things and so are partakers of the divine nature of the immortal and invisible God Have you never read how the Lords praise is perfected in the mouths of his babes and sucklings and that whosoever doth not receive the kingdom of God as a little Childe shall in no wise enter therein or how the mysteries of that kingdom are hid from the wise and prudent and revealed to such babes or how the halt lame and blind whom you despise do enter while you your selves and others art shut out and the rich sent empty away Remember that Exhortation of Christ Jesus to men of your sort saying Wash the inside that the out may be clean also It is high time for you to be willing to put away the evil of your doings and yeild to his light and leading of his Spirit that your souls may be prepared and fitted to feel and know him as God equal with the Father spiritually to clense you from all unrighteousness and then you will not suppose that any good thing of him can make you happy but what is so revealed and wrought in you or be ignorant of the danger of resisting or neglecting such divine stirrings in your souls by any your exquisite Arts natural Reasons or bodily Wits as some do who are so much thereby deceived that they think they are not deceived You may read likewise of some that had travelled pretty far in outward Ordinances been baptised with water c. and yet not heard that there is an holy Ghost and such in those days are not a few that have their cars stopped with dumb and deadly sounds of words or thereby become so dull of hearing that they hearken not to the voice of the Charmer though he charm never so wisely nor are gotten one step farther then those that had not heard of an holy Ghost though they can talk much of him by what they have read or others told them and how then should they believe on him of whom they have not heard specially while they are so willingly led by such ignorant talking that so dulls them and hinders their heeding of the true light and hearing what the holy Spirit saith and how he revealeth the deep things of God to all watchful and willing souls so that such have their loves to and their faith and lives in mans wisdom and seldom or never come to the love of God indeed and in truth but remain vain and unruly
likeness of Christs fleshly holiness and may be in so great love that it slayeth all wicked love in their souls and strengthens them to suffer freely for him and yet this over-shadowing of their souls whereby they are kept from the great love of the world is onely as a shadow of the invisible light of the Godhead and manhood united and lightly touching the serious and devour soul whereof the Prophet spake as being under the shadow of his spiritual wings or manhood and yet this is but Christs love received intomens dark minds and imaginations though it be that condition whereunto thousands professing Christianity have not yet attained though they pretend much and seem to teach others also But it is faith and spiritual feeling of Jesus Christ which purifieth the heart and whereby the soul comes to understand his spiritual love in the Godhead as Christ said I in them and thou in me and to be made perfect in one c. to which all bodily beholdings are but as means directing mens minds to the light and thereby their souls to a serious consideration of the wonderful love goodness power and wisdom manifested in the manhood of Christ spiritually And so it is like Martha loved him and laboured in outward service for him and that with hearty affections but Mary chose the better part she received and embraced him with more pure affections and retained him in her bea rt Mary Magdalen loved Christ well before his passion of bodily death but her love was much bodily and little spiritually for she loved him not as God before though her thoughts and affections were set upon him in which affections or actions expressing her love Christ condemns her not in that time so far as we find but after when he was risen from death and appeared unto her she would have reverenced him with such a manner of love as she did before and then Christ forbad her saying Touch me not as look not on me with a fleshly eye to rest therein for so I am not ascended to my Father nor equal to the Father so but now love me as I am one with the Father in the form of the Godhead know love and worship me as God and man like God so to be with me love and worship me onely for that I am God that took the nature of man and therefore receive and embrace me as God in thine heart and in thy love of me and worship me in the enlightned understanding of thy soul as Jesus Christ God and man the saving truth goodness and light of blessed life and spiritual joy and so Christ Jesus promised to come unto his Disciples and be with them by his holy Spirit after given them with power from on high to teach them all things and lead them into all truth the which heavenly gift of holiness and glory few have yet attained to in these latter times since the Apostacy and therefore those souls that have not attained to this spiritual understanding of him through his grace are to wait in his light with pure affections of fervent love until more grace be freely given unto them and not to over-run the conditions wherein they are but stay therein until they shall respectively feel a better revealed in them still minding that all spiritual gifts are felt and tasted in the powers of the souls chiefly in love and spiritual understanding but not in imaginations through the strength of the body or bodily wits which are not spiritual feelings and at most but outward tokens of spiritual inward feelings in the powers of their souls where the holy Ghost hath lighted their reasons and kindled their affections with his blessed Presence so clearly in fervent love that they immediately thereby received the knowledge of spiritual truth and perfect love with an outward shewing of of the inward feeling of spiritual grace And as it was in the former Disciples so it is now in other like-perfect souls visited and lighted within by the holy Ghost whereby there is an outward feeling of the inward grace and the body made obedient thereby to the Spirits moving and leading without fainedness or fancie of imagination And he is no spiritual man that hath not thus learned Christ or is taught his lesson by him in like spiritual wise nor any way qualified to judge of spiritual matters but must consequently erre in his understanding and mar all he meddles with and not know how or wherein he so erreth much less how to amend his own crrours and how then shall he reform others but as a blind man may judge of colours because these spiritual things are above the sight of his carnal eye so that he perceiveth them not that hath not the spiritual eye of his understanding opened and how then should he open the Scriptures that as Christ said neither knows them nor the power of God or be skill'd in the use of his spiritual Weapons his warfare or work to be done in his Vineyard or know the kingdom power or glory of God whereto all true service tends For as it is written The natural man understands not the things of the Spirit of God but they are foolishness to him for it is the spiritual man that judgeth all things and is judged of no man because his life is hid with God in Christ as taken from the earth and unknown to the world but well known to God and is so reformed in soul that he feels the least fleshly stirring in him and condemns it and loaths it in his heart and ever fleeth to God for strength against all such motions and loves not his life to attain the life eternal but is passive in every thing a man of sorrows and sufferings as his Lord Jesus was and left him an ensample to follow him therein Seeing the business in hand is of soul-concernment it is absolutely necessary that the soul should know it self with the facultie vertues and powers thereof by its turning into and watchful keeping in its pure principle of the light of Christ Jesus in the Conscience to love that light and observe its motions as it shall be led by the holy Spirit into all truth and thereby restored into its primitive purity fit to enjoy the sweet presence of God as Adam did before his disobedience For a miserable and wretched man is he that knoweth not the workings worth and worthiness of his own soul the first lesson to be learned in Christs school as the trade of his youth it being the most excellent Creature that the Lord God formed for his service and glory whereto nothing can give true content satisfaction or rest but God onely and therefore neither to love nor desire any thing but him for otherwise he cannot come to know the Spirit of God and what it willeth worketh or would work in him how it striveth how it is grieved how quenched how he searcheth all things even the deep things of God how he dwelleth in man how
he witnesseth with mans spirit or how he baptiseth into the one body how the excellent mysteries of divine love are revealed to the obedient and clean soul by the holy Ghost or how so to live and walk in the Spirit as not to fulfil the lusts of the flesh This living soul is not any corporeal substance but a life invisible as God is invisible for it is of the breath of God and so is Gods in an especial manner that by its vertue beareth up the body and quickneth it and so the Spirit formed in man is said to be the candle of the Lord useful there in searching the inner parts and knowing the hearts secrets This soul consisteth of reason mind will and other faculties fit to receive and retain God in its understanding and knowledge without forgetting him or being distracted by any Creature or creaturely thing and as the Reason is enlightned and becomes clear and bright free from errour and darkness and the will and affections turned into the light and love of Christ Jesus the promised seed and endless wisdom of God and is free from all beastly love of the flesh or any Creature by his blessed love meer mercy and soveraign goodness of his holy Spirit The soul becomes as Adams was in Paradise an innocent Life of conversing with God and as Enochs that walked with God pleased him and was not found c. But this soul cannot be found or known while man hath any thing molesting it that is of his own body or bodily wits wherewith the senses may be exercised so he that will save his lise must loose it for the reasonable soul is a life immortal as well as invisible and hath a power and pure light of Christ in it self to see know and love the truth and true good which is God onely and he that truely feels and knows this and is sensible of the touches thereof feels and knows somewhat of the reasonable soul and the kindly workings of it and the more he becomes acquainted therewith in this manner the better he seeth and knoweth himself and others also and the more meek humble lowly loving tender and compassionate will he be towards all men and creatures And this was the highestate and condition the heavenly and excellent dignity that Adam lost when he became in love with himself and selfish things taking delight in earthly knowledge and worldly glory whereby he fell into a dark feeble and wretched estate like the beast that perisheth by which the love that before was clean savory and sweet in the holy Ghost was so turned into a filthy beastly love and liking of himself and the creatures wherein he sought content but found it not as it now is with all that remain in that degenerated nature and therefore the soul to be brought back to know it self and be fitted for the service whereunto it was ordained by its being gathered up into its self and fully departed from beholding all creaturely things or selfish use of bodily wits arts wisdom or knowledge of man gotten by any natural means study labour or exercise so that the soul feel it self in its own kind in being as it were without a body for as the eye of the soul is opened to Jesus Christ in his pure light and the love turned to him it is received up above all bodily creatures from beholding liking thinking on and using them and ever disdaining to be obedient to any worldly thought or earthly thing that perisheth with the using And while the soul is so kept therein cometh no errour nor deceit of its enemy because it then seeth Jesus Christ above and in him and holds the mystery of faith in a pure conscience and all created things below under his feet as not in him nor of him So David waited upon God for salvation and his heart hearkned and indited of that good matter and so became very ready in it and saw the beauty of the Lord and when the soul is brought into this heavenly harmony it truly loves God and all creatures spiritually not fleshly and carnally as in its former ignorance and is overcome with the sweetness of Christs words of love clearly revealed and spoken into the ear of the heart which that soul heareth and obeyeth with good savour and true joy in him alone and so his secrets are with his saims but not with the blind world for the ignorant soul is so over-laid with worldly love that it is all common as the high-way so that every stirring of the flesh and the Devil sinketh into it resteth therein and passeth through it as it pleaseth without controule and so if any good seed fall therein it withereth for want of earth it is choaked or these fewls of the air steal it away and devour it there being onely the degenerate nature of old Adam while that which became a living soul wants the quickning spirit to form the new man settle and establish the soul not according to the carnal commandment but after the power of the endless life But how hard and difficult this is for the rude soul so unacquainted with it self and accustomed to receive tentations make provision for the flesh and fulfil its lusts and be stirring much in filth and fleshly things to enter this strait gate to the knowledge of its self in its true light is evident by the ignorance of most and the small numbers of those that find it for most men that would finde entrance and know their souls in stead of turning in into the light of Christ turn their thoughts with imaginations into their bodies to seek for their souls and to feel them as though they were hid within their hearts as their hearts are holden and hid within their bodies Now if a man should covet to know his soul and that never so earnestly and seek for it in that manner in his body he may not possibly so find it in its self but the more he seeketh to feel and know it by studiousness as he would know or learn tongues arts or other bodily things the farther shall he be from it by that seeking and therefore so many weary themselves in vain by seeking the door in a wrong way and contrary nature whereby it is hid from the wise and prudent and revealed onely to babes and sucklings at the breasts of consolation in the pure light of Christ who is this Door and by whom the diligent soul comes truely and quickly to enter understand and know what its self is with its true Teacher and Guide while the other soul falleth suddenly into imaginations of bodily things and words supposing thereby to have or gain the light of its self and so of God and spiritual things which as I said before can never be so attained by imagination or bodily wit as the mind may see sensibly what is just between man and man by its understanding thereof for then the soul might see it self in understanding
heaven that Christ said is within the heritage of heavenly love is found and repossessed in mans soul for it is not so easily found as many usually suppose nor is it a work of one day onely but attained by much waiting in the light sweeping searching watching praying and silent mourning before the Lord and as the heart and conscience becomes purified then he shall finde that homely and peaceable presence of Jesus Christ the pearl of great price in the glimmering shadow of pure shining brightness in his soul But though Jesus Christ is so hid in the soul yet no man is any whit the better thereby that doth not there finde him and feel his operations spiritually but remains as it is written a reprobate whatsoever he may be otherwise And a great mercy it is to man that this Jewel was lost where it may be found again by the light in the scarching and watchful soul where Jesus Christ full oft calleth and knocketh by his privy voice stirring reproving and inviting the soul to a diligent search and withal to abandon other lovers vanities and entanglements that hinder the hearing of his voice for as it is said this daughter must consider and forget her own people and her fathers house of worldly thoughts loves cares and fears which hinder the soul that it can neither see him nor hear him and therefore all troublesome thoughts restless noise and imaginations are to be put away as Hagar the bond-woman that may not be heir with the son of the free woman for while the soul is in the bondage of corruption there is nothing within but black clouds and spiritual blindness with fleshly thoughts and desires crying against it in the dark conscience but as the inner eye of the soul is opened in the light which is of Jesus Christ in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily there is that pure sight and sweet love of endless vertue and blessed rest which is found within the soul by the great and burning desires for him whereby all other loves and lovers are cast out and not suffered to rest in the heart which is a right seeking for him this hid Treasure And as this stirring and waiting in the light waxeth firm stable and unmoveable it will be holpen and comforted by inward and spiritual strength of love and sweet savour in the soul with light of continual springing faithfulness and assured knowledge of him and the powers of the thoughts onely upon him and freed from every other affection to rest in the sweet anointing which is the shadow and taste of Jesus Christ and the better any soul finds him the more it will desire him in cleanness of heart and pureness of conscience to meet him more singly in the same way he appeareth and wherein it hath seen and found him at first and other times since most savourly And though thou art altogether blind and seest nothing rightly in thy self or of the Godhead of Christ yet consider seriously what thou wantest and what thou hast lost for thy soul can have no true content or sure satisfaction but in God from whence it is and if thy heart say I want and would have Jesus Christ and nothing but him onely wait therein for him as not satisfied with that appearance and follow him as he leadeth thee and more and more press forward to know him and the power of his resurrection and fellowship of his sufferings and to be made conformable to his death and so grow up in him as he moves and grows in thee and yet know that when thou hast found the most of him in the highest ravishments of spirit as Peter and Iohn in the mount or as Paul mentioned thou hast not therein fully attained to him as he is in his joy for he is still above that any soul feeleth as the fountain of all joy and sweetness but thou art ever to know and feel a spiritual longing after him and a loathing of all things else and then thou wilt find him more worth then all things even then all visions and revelations though not without visions and revelations then all joy in heaven and earth if it might be had without him for thou wilt then say in thy soul as David whom have I in heaven but thee and I desire nothing in the earth besides thee as feeling and finding that his pure presence onely gives understanding to the simple he teacheth fools knowledge whereat the Nations are angry the people and their teachers rage and imagine a vain thing against him and his holy One as not willing to know him for fear of the Cross and the shame which he despised for the joy set before him and are therefore grieved that any others should Conversion is properly a turning from evil to good from lust to pure love which is God and this conversion is ever accompanied with repentance from dead works that are past and out of that nature love and liking wherein they were wrought to serve the living and true God and therefore it is not every turning of mans body and mind from one outward form or practice to another as it were thereby to serve and worship God for then the divers Political turnings of former and latter times would be conversion to him which he may not so accept because he changeth not but is the same at all times even the unerring Father of spirits and so to be worshipped in spirit and in truth and these are outward turnings from one act of mans will to another or from evil to worse as the Proselytes that the Pharisees made sevenfold worse then before whilst the ground of sin with its branches remain standing uncut down or toucht from whence such traditional turnings arise to oppose that one truth and good way of the Lord wherein all obedient souls are made free from such shifts and changes but while men have either not know the fear of the Lord or are departed from it left and lost the power of godliness and simple truth in themselves so that their salt is without savour their minds run abroad and their hearts are filled with fleshly desires loves and fears wherein they labour night and day to gain and keep the love and friendship of this world which is enmity to God with the profits and pleasures thereof and therein serve themselves like the beasts that perish and have their hearts oft filled with wrath and revenge like unreasonable beasts against others of their own kind when they are hindred of any their desired ends and likewise against such as so hinder them not therein unless by standing in their way as the Angel before Balaam and so touching their more quick and tender parts and that onely in love to bring them back into the light and fear of the Lord that their blind and dead souls might be lighted and enlivened to have regard to the honest principle of God in themselves and others that would rule all
but grace giveth ability in spirituall manner as it cometh into the pure mind and this opening of the understanding is by the working of the holy Ghost in the pâ—esence of Jesus Christ whereby the soul is enabled to expound the Scriptures one after another be they never so hard or secret and the harder they be and the farther from mans reason and understanding the more delightfull is the true shewing of them whether it be Literal as concerning the outward man Moral to inform of vertues to be followed and vices to be eschewed Mystical to see the words and works of Jesus Christ spiritually or Spirituall as longing after him and his works to do them in like love and live in them as his friends so said he and this last truly understanding Scriptures savours well and very sweetly in the Lords taste for so the spirit of life giveth understanding of what was formerly by himself directed and from him written and so of no private interpretation quickning the thoughts of the soul therein with great sweetness savour and delight in special sad and serious waiting on Jesus Ghrist to understand Scriptures in his will and his testimonies of love therein through divers inward discernings sweet movings and sudden touchings of the holy Ghost whereby the soul is taught and enabled thereto without other helps and he that thus is given to understand the Scriptures values not the knowledge of men gotten by learning arts and sciâ—nces though of never so great worldly cunning and skill for the end of the true knowledge thereof taught by Jesus Christ is that the soul may see and enjoy him and attain salvation to life eternall and therein glorifie him as God equall with the Father c. whereas the other way of knowledge is for self-ends worldly vanities and fleshly delights When the servants of Jesus Christ are well skilled concerning their hearing the voyce of Christ they truly hearken know and follow him and then neither feignedness by transformings nor otherwise can deceive them for therein is no fainedness fancy pride nor hypocrisie but soundness meekness peace and charity full of life love and grace so that when it soundeth in the soul it so aboundeth with strength and vertue that it causeth the soul to leave all to wait upon it to listen hearken perceive rest in and love the sweet breathing of his spirituall voyce according as he sheweth himself whether as a Master a Father a Husband c. keeping the soul in a wonderfull reverence and lively beholding of him with much liking and delight to the soul that it may become a true and faithfull Spouse to him in the fulness of fellowship and light of love and this is in great power and glory a state of perfection in the way to as full communion with God as Adam had in innocency and Enoch by walking with him but the sight strength and comforts of some are therein more then others though all in this state are growing into the love and life of God in Christ Jesus so as the eye of heaven is opened to all such clean souls whereof holy men have diversly written as they were moved by the holy Ghost as of a life above all appearances likenesses bodily creatures or things even as in heaven beholding the Lord Jesus spiritually and loving him faithfully and therein knowing God the holy Ghost as love uncreated and the love formed in the affections of the soul to be of and by him through the sight and knowledge of the unchangable light and truth which is of God placed and seated in all meek souls wherein the spirit of holiness resteth and pleasantly walketh pet this formed love in the soul is not God himself but the love which the soul feeleth in Jesus Christ and to him neither is this the cause of coming to Jesus Christ but pure love which is God himself is the true cause of this knowing and drawing to himself for he sheweth and giveth of this love which is the holy Ghost to teach and lead therein so that God is both the giver and the gift as Christ Jesus said I give my life c. whereby mans soul comes to know this uncreated love and to know and love Jesus Christ as the free gift of God whereby he toucheth the heart with the invisible light to know him and receive his love and to love him again as in and with the same love so freely given and received but all in his own time by more quick or flow gracious feelings imparted into such souls as are cloathed with the new light of righteousness and true holiness which is a right reforming in this spirituall savour love and meekness but he is not so lighted and led by the holy Spirit that thinks he can do any good thing of himself or otherwise then by such working in him spiritually To you my dear friends that are of the holy brethren partakers of the heavenly vocation I salute you in the pure light of unchangable and endless love in Christ Jesus our Lord according to the spirit of holiness and undefiled liberty wherewith he hath made us free to serve him in spirit and truth have you born the indignation of the Lord in your own particulars are you purged from the pollutions of the world cleansed from the filthiness of flesh and spirit and thereby departed from the shadowes of this world and received glorious garments of the Lord put off the mortall and put on the immortall cloathing and sweetly confessed and meekly suffered for the name and testimony of our Lord Jesus who is our life and who of very faithfulness and pure love hath caused us to be troubled and is near at hand to succour you and give you rest in him purifie and prepare you for further trials to your spirituall profit and advantage in filling up the measure of his sufferings in your flesh and overcoming by the blood of the Lamb the word of his testimony and not loving your lives unto the death wherein the eternall God will be your refuge and underneath his everlasting arm for your defence and therefore all to be faithfull and diligent that truth suffer not by any faint or feeble owning of it for we are not called onely to believe but to suffer also for him in whom we believe and you be here onely as pilgrims and strangers that have freely parted with your owne wills desires fleshly affections and worldly delights that the eternall will of God may be done in you and by you and now bear the Cross quietly and patiently in clean vessels as Temples of the living God for his worship in the beauty of holiness and what have you here more that is worthy your minding that man can take from you or how may you withhold any other thing from our Lord or his service wherein you know that your loss or labour will not be in vain And therefore gird up the loyns of your minds stand fast quit you