he is truth Unto this I answer There is more excellency in the Saints then in the Truth I will instance in some particulars Our Saviour in Matthew speaking concerning the doctrine of the Pharisees who taught that if any did swear by the Temple it was nothing but whosoever sware by the gold of the Temple offended ye fools saith he for whether is greater the gold or the temple which sanctifieth the gold So by this we see that the Saints are more excellent then the Truth they are the temples of the living God the sons and daughters of God Almighty who do partake of the same nature union love and glory as Christ our Saviour our Head and Elder Brother Joh. 17. from vers. 21. unto the end From the Scripture it doth clearly appear that the Saints are more excellent then the Truth it self But I would not be mistaken for I do not speak here of Truth as God is said to be Truth nor dare I speak of it as Christ is called the Word of God as in Joh. 1. 1. Joh. and Revel. But I speak of Truth as it is held forth by the ministery of man in Babylon which appeareth most glorious unto to the carnal sense being held forth by men of learning and parts which shall fall in the fall of Babylon So my dear friend I have followed God in making forth that which he is pleased to convey by me as his instrument to whom I acknowledge all for here is no flesh to glory in his presence for it is none of mine the Lord knows And with this I shall close up desiring the Lord will manifest himself unto you in discovering those things which are hidden from the world who when they think of peace and safety the day of the Lord comes upon them as a thief in the night But I may say of you as the Apostle did of the Thessâ—lonians You brethren are not in darknesse that so that day should come upon you as a thief you are the children of the day we are not of the night nor of darknesse therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober And that must we do to whom the Lord is pleased to discover himself in making us to know that which is hidden unto others we dare not sleep nor be silent but stand upon our watch-tower as to wait for further discovery so to make known that which God hath revealed already And so here I shall close up committing you to God and to the power of his grace who will manifest himself more then ever in making his to know that now which hath been hidden from the beginning of the world And so wishing all happinesse in the Lord I shall ever remain yours in the greatest engagements An Addition Now having spoken concerning the spiritual meaning of the feet and toes spoken of Dan. 2. and likewise as God hath enabled me I have answered to some Objections yet upon further consideration there remain others unto which by the help of God I shall give answer Object 1. In the first place then How I can make it appear that the feet and toes of the great Image is one State How can it be confined to that Parliament of England which is come to confusion for it is evident the Scripture speaks of divers Kings which are the feet and toes for it is said in the last days of these Kings speaking of the last powers which is the feet and toes that the God of heaven shall set up a Kingdom Unto this I answer that if we wrest the Prophesies to the Letter the feet and toes appear to be divers Kings even ten in number answering to the ten horns that support the beast Dan. 7. and Rev. 13. Howsoever we have no warrant from the Scripture for any such interpretation the Scripture being altogether silent there is an interpretation given of the rest of the four Monarchs but for the Monarchical power which is in the mixture of the feet and toes there is no interpretation given but its own acts which the Scripture mentions in Dan. 2. 7 8 11. Now in the Letter the four Monarchies spoken of Dan. 2. which was first the King of Babylon the head of gold and so the other three Monarchies successively as the Scripture speaketh it needs no interpretation because it is clear in the letter but howsoever all Prophecies must have a spiritual interpretation for if it should be confined to the letter there would follow great absurdities because when the feet of the great Image are broken the iron and clay brasse silver gold falls all together and becomes as the chaff of the summer-floor whereas it is well known that the Babylonian Monarchy and the other two following are fallen the last is fallen in good part before the feet and toes are broken which in the letter are said to be broken in the first place by the stone which is cut out of the mountain And so it is clear that the great Image spoken of Dan. 2. is to be understood otherwise then we have formerly and certainly it will appear to be that Image of Babel that the Lord will visit Jerem. 51. 47 52 Now the Image or Images of Babylon are not to be understood in the letter that is such things as we count Images for they are not capable of visiting or punishing but is to be understood in a spiritual sense and so whatsoever is spoken here in Dan. 2. concerning this great Image whose head was of gold and his brest and arms of silver is to be accomplished in mystical Babylon and so in the first place the head of this great Image which is of gold doth concern the spiritual excellencies which do appear in mystical Babylon in respect of the glorious truths which have been held forth by the Saints but in confusion which is Babylon Jer. 51. where it is said that Babylon hath been as a golden cup in the Lords hand the nations have drunken of her wine therefore do the nations rage and it is evident that Babylon in the Saints which is the head of gold is lifted up very high in respect of those unspeakable comforts that the Saints have in the apprehension of the truth which is held forth by Babylon in that it is said How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer son of the morning Isai. 14. Now having spoken of Babylon in the Saints which is the head of gold now I shall speak of Babylon in the Ordinance which may be very fitly compared to the brest and arms of the great Image which are of silver I speak of the Ordinances which are held forth in the purest manner even those which are most agreeable to the letter of the Word even that element that melts with fervent heat which is a degree below Babylon in the Saints which is the head of gold But now it may be objected How can the brest and arms which are of silver signifie
would not hide it from his chosen ones and certainly God would not suffer them to act as they do as to endeavour to build up the State that is fallen and shall the Saints build Babel sure this is a very preposterous thing and certainly this is not a truth hold Answer That the Saints shall endeavour with all their might to heal Babel according to the appointment of God as in Jerem. 51. 8 9. where it is said Babylon is suddenly fallen howl for Babylon take balm for her pain if so be she may be healed And when the Saints have endavoured what they can to heal her then they take up this sad expression We would have healed Babel but she is not healed let us leave her and depart every one to his own Country for her judgement reacheth unto heaven and is lifted up to the skies Now I shall give an Answer to some Questions and some Objections and so close up The first Question How it can be said that when the Saints depart out of the land of their nativity they go unto their own Country if it be to be understood of a local separation Unto this I answer The Land of our nativity is not their own Country to the Saints if in such a place they are in bondage for how was the land of Egypt the own Country to the children of Israel though it was the land of their nativity and so was Babylon to many of the people of God but the land of Canaan was the place of their rest and so God hath prepared a wildernesse for the Saints to depart into when he shall gather them from the land of their Captivity not a wildernesse where there is want of all things but where there shall be abundance both of spiritual and temporal enjoyments as can be proved by the Scriptures before quoted which is an undoubted truth as well in a literal sense as spiritual I say it may appear to be a wildernesse for the present to the carnal sense but it shall not be so long for the Scripture doth prefix a time Rev. 12. a time and half a time that is three yeers and a half and then when that time is accomplished as in Isai. 31. the solitary places and the wildernesse shall rejoyce for them and the desarts shall blossome like a rose The second Question What is the reason if God will gather his people out of their land he doth so hide it from the generality of the Saints for there is not one amongst a thousand of your judgement Unto this I answer that the Lord doth thus hide it from his Saints for divers Reasons First Because he will have them endeavour vi armis id est by force and might to heal Babel which if it were made known unto them that all their labour were in vain they would not trouble themselves any further but God will have it so because he will render his Saints a righteous people unto the whole world and that they shall acknowledge shortly when as they shall say in the words following The Lord hath brought forth our righteousnesse let us declare in Sion the works of the Lord our God The second Reason why it is thus hidden Because if it were revealed the people of God would be so impatient under these sufferings that they would make too much haste and be gone before that God have finished his work on mount Sion which he hath appointed for Babylon to do in the cruel using of the Saints unto the mortifying of the flesh in them And the onely and true reason that God doth reveal it to so few is because there is no considerable part of the Church in a capacity to apprehend such a mercy as to have a deliverance out of such bondage as we are in to whom the Lord is pleased to reveal these things unto our great consolation in the time of our greatest dolour and extremity Now I shall answer to some Objections First of all it may be objected How can it be made appear that there is more excellency in the feet and toes of the great Image then in the head of gold Unto this I answer that there is in divers particulars as it is held forth in the letter As first There is more excellency in the feet and toes then in the head of gold because the feet and toes which were partly of potters clay and partly of iron have mixt themselves with the seed of men and so upon this account the seed of men is more precious then the golden wedge of Ophir for none will deny but that the body of the meanest man in the world is more worth then raiment and so of gold and whatsoever we look on as excellent Now this is clear in the letter In a spiritual sense the feet and toes of the great Image is more excellent because they have mixed themselves with the seed of men Now the seed of men in this nature is the Saints Unto this it may be objected How can that be for the Saints are but men as others as it is spoken of Elias and Moses and all the faithful and so they have their infirmities as the Scriptures speak Unto this I answer It is true that the Saints are men and subject to infirmities none will deny but the Kings daughter is all glorious within the Saints do not appear to the world as yet but when the Witnesses Rev. 11. shall ascend in a cloud into heaven then the enemies shall behold them and then the Saints shall appear as they are unto the confusion of their enemies which shall be very shortly Now it may be objected If it be so as you say that the seed of men which are mixed in the State is the Saints as you call them yet sure they have done no good And are they not over-voted and accounted as the worst of men because they will not joyn with the rest of the body insomuch that they are the means to bring all to confusion which if they had held together it would have been otherwise It is true that though the State have mixt themselves with the seed of men thinking thereby to joyn themselves to the Iron which is the Monarchical power yet it cannot be so for iron and clay will not hold together insomuch that the stone that was cut out of the mountain hath but smote the Image upon his feet and hath broken them already Now here may arise a Question How it can be proved that there can be more in the seed of men then in the head of gold for if the seed of men be the Saints in a spiritual sense then the head of gold must needs be understood to be the Truth and so I say How can it be made appear that there is more excellency in the Saints who are but men then in that whereby they are sanctified for Christ prays the Father that he would sanctifie his by the Word and the Word says
the Ordinances whereas the Ordinance in it self is but a vail or shadow and silver is a pure metal though not so esteemed of as gold Unto this I answer Though the Ordinance in it self is but a shadow and so Babylon yet no question but that there are some glorious truths held forth which may be compared unto silver though the gold and silver it self shall fall in the fall of Babylon Now having spoken of the head of gold and the brest and arms which are silver next I shall speak of the belly and thiths which are of brasse that may very well signifie the counterfeit truths which were held forth in the National Church of England as touching Discipline I may very well say they are altogether counterfeit because they have no rule from the Word for what they practise neither for the calling of the Ministery nor the institution of such a Church Now having spoken concerning what is to be understood of the Image of Babel in reference to the Saints and the Ordinances and that counterfeit Church which was amongst us now I shall speak concerning those parts of the Image that concern the state in which Babylon hath begun to fall and in the first place I shall speak of the Monarchical power of this mixture of the feet and toes even that power which rules in the tenth part of the great City which is mystical Babylon But now some may object That Babylon is everywhere and so not to be confined unto any State Unto this I answer It is true that Babylon cannot be confined yet the Scripture is clear that whatsoever is spoken of that Babylon wherein the Witnesses are slain Rev. 11. Jer. 50 and 51 or where the Saints are in bondage c. now this Babylon spoken in these Scriptures is the tenth part of the great City which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt where our Lord was crucified as Rev. 11. which doth evidently appear to be this Island of Great Britain as I have formerly written Now as for the Monarchical power that hath been acted in the tenth part of the great City immediately before its fall it is well known to be before quoted Dan. 2 7 8 11 Chap. The Scripture will speak it forth to be an arbitrary power which hath evidently appeared to be in this Island which arbitrary power hath not onely been in the Monarchical Sâ—ate but in the foregoing Parliament of England which did in its special manner appear to be that glorious State spoken of Ezek. 28. and not onely have spiritual excellencies appeared in her but she hath appeared to be Babylon in special manner and in particular the violence done unto the Saints remember March and April Anno. Dom. 1647 and so accordingly the inhabitants of Caldea do go on to fill up the measure of their sin in the persecuting of the Saints to the hastening of the dreadful indignation of that God who is nothing but love in his own nature but consuming fire to his enemies Another Objection may arise Some may say What is the reason that you do give the spiritual meaning of the head of gold and the brest of silver and the belly of brasse and do onely give a literal signification of the legs of iron and the feet and toes of iron and clay Answ. As for the three former they have been accomplished already in the letter and the fourth almost though there is some of it remains behinde concerning which we must give literal interpretation before the spiritual meaning shall be made known Now as for the literal intepretation of the legs feet and toes of the great Image and the spiritual interpretation of the head brest and belly all this is to be accomplished in a spiritual and literal sense together and the spiritual meaning of the legs feet and toes shall be accomplished in the Kingdom of the Saints And with this I shall end this discourse The Second Letter Concerning the nature of the dissolving the heavens and the earth My dear Friends I Have cause to blesse God who causeth me to triumph in tribulation for sure I am most strong in God when I am weakest in my self and more enabled to act by the Spirit when I am most straightned in the flesh and having nothing in visible appearance in the enjoyment of the Saints or any other spiritual or temporal comforts yet I possesse all things in my God in whom I live and he in me and my joy and consolation is not in my self in that I live in God in mine own particular but my joy is the joy of you all for sure my soul is bound up with yours in the same bundle as the Apostle says I am alive if you stand fast in these terrible times wherein the powers of heaven are shaken and not onely the powers of heaven shaken in the Saints but heaven it self is passing away with a great noise and the element melts with fervent heat Now here I shall God assisting make forth that which I have formerly written which for the present I am deprived of howsoever I do here depend upon his help who I am sure will give it in again so far as it is spiritual enabling me to communicate it for the benefit of others so far as it shall stand with his glory which Writing did consist of divers particulars As First concerning the state of the Church of God in Babylon in respect of that wonderful tribulation before her deliverance out of Babylon and her being gathered out of Babylon and her being brought into the wildernesse after her deliverance and the glorious state of the Church which shall follow concerning all which particulars most of the Saints will joyn with me onely this wildernesse-condition is lookt on as most disconsolate insomuch that the Saints themselves may think as the children of Israel that it is best for them to continue still in Babylon especially those who do not onely live under the Ordinances but in them in abundance of sensible consolation which I am sure is not spiritual insomuch that it may well be compared to the flesh-pots of Egypt Now as for the former Writing so far as God shall enable me I shall here make it forth and so shew how far the Saints do joyn with me and where we differ Now all the people of God will agree in this that the Lord will gather his people out of Babylon in bringing them out of Darknesse and Errour they do likewise expect a glorious state of the Church but in contrariety of judgements one from another which is most in circumstances and not in substance Now the particular judgements of the Saints are as followeth In the first place and so in that they do most agree which is concerning this new heaven and earth that we do expect which is conceived shall not be till all these old things shall passe away And they do likewise expect an utter dissolution of this visible heaven and earth and