himself in John John was all in the spirit his flesh fell down as dead ver 17. as Isaiah and Daniel were both undone when they saw the Lord in glory appearing in them Isa 6. Dan. 10. But how comes the Lords day to be the first day of the week or the fourth Commandment speaking of the seventh day prove the sanctifying of the first day Who can prove the change of the day by Christ or that the Apostolick Churches kept holy the first day as God sanctified the seventh especially seeing the next succeeding Ages even the primitive Churches of the first 300 yeers kept the seventh day as the Sabbath yea celebrated the Lords day and Sabbath together for a long time for the Apostacie presently succeeded the Apostles departure Ignatius being but about 100 yeers after Christ sheweth the same After the Sabbath day saith he let every one that loveth Christ celebrate the Lords day the Queen of dayes for the Sabbath day was King or chief as one expounds Ignat. Epist ad Magnes The celebrating of the Lords day alone was first instituted by Constantine the Great Hosp cap. 9. pag. 27. anno 300. Afterward it was established by the Laodicean Councel an 364. commanding Christians not to Judaise in keeping the Sabbath but to work on that day and keep holy the Lords day Hosp Orig. Fest cap 9. pa. 27. In all this 't is observed that the Eastern Churches which were the most part of Christendom did celebrate the Sabbath as I said and the Lords day together Socrates cap. 8. lib. 6. and cap. 21. lib. 6. Mr. Brierwood on the Sabbath against Mr. Bifield pag. 77. Perk. 1 vol. on the fourth Commandment But the Romish or Western Churches would not have their Church-Assemblies on the Sabbath as in all other Churches of the world so the Centuries report Cent. 4. c. 6. p. 477. I am the more large in this that Independent Churches may see their Judaisme in their strict observance of an outward Sabbath their simplicity in sanctifying the first day of the week as the Lords day Their ignorance or connivance not cleering those things which are so certain Their conformity with Popish Churches Their carnal complying with the Protestant State Religion Their Laodicean condition thinking they are rich and have need of nothing that they need no Order nor Ordinance nor Officer whereas they are so poor blind and naked that they have no Gospel-Ordinances nor a Day at all but walking in the dark deceive themselves and others The observation of the Lords Day therefore depends much on Popish Churches and the command of Christian Princes to which the Independent Churches are as conformable as ever Prelates were What I conceive of the Sabbath I shall in a few words declare 1. That the fourth Commandment is mystical as wel as moral for there is a mystery in the four first commandments even the mystery of God is there manifest In the first Commandment God the One onely true God even the Father is acknowledged In the second Ephes 4.6 Col. 1.15 Heh 1.3 the same God and Father is known in the Son the expresse or graven image of his substance and no other graven image is to be made of God but the Man Christ In the third God even the Father so known in the Son cannot be acknowledged Ephes 2.18 nor worshiped in spirit and truth but by the Spirit without this whatever men think of God and Christ they take his name in vain The fourth Commandment holds forth mans spiritual rest in God alone so known in the Son by the Spirit And this indeed is the morality of the fourth Commandment the Ceremoniall part thereof being the sanctifying of the seventh day which was so commanded to the Jewish Church not as a law natural to all Nations as other commandments are written in every mans heart but as a positive law to that particular people now not a Sabbath or a seventh day but the Sabbath and the seventh day from the creation is that which the command speaks contrary to all our Protestant Interpreters who teach that the Christian Sabbath or Lords day is grounded on the fourth Commandment Now this Sabbath or the seventh day was meerly ceremonial as 't is called a signe between God and his people the Jewes that I the Lord sanctifie you and that you are a people sanctified and set apart onely for God Therefore that God is all in all to us and in us and that we are to rest in God onely and alone in the true mystery and morality of the Sabbath Prophets and Apostles witnesse The Prophet Isaiah speaking of the Sabbath saith thus Isa 58. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath doing thy pleasure on my holy day and shalt c all the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own wayes nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord c. Observe that the Sabbath indeed is nothing else but the Lord God rested on and rejoyced in by us when we turn away our foot from the Sabbath and turn to God onely else he had said rather If thou turn thy foot to the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy dâ—y but this last is not so read as we do from doing c. as if we were forbidden to do our pleasure on his holy day on the Sabbath Nay we are there commanded to do our pleasure as the words read For the Sabbath should be our delight the holy of the Lord honourable and we shall honour him For he himself is the Sabbath that is so honorable the holy day of the Lord is the Holy One the Lord himself only whom alone we are to honour in all our wayes workes and words for if God be all in all in us t is not our words that are spoken nor our workes that are done but as Christ saith The words that I speake I speak not of my self but the Father that dwelleth in me he does all the workes yea verily the sonne can do nothing of himself John 14.10 John 8.28 but as my Father hath taught me I speak these things this indeed is the sanctifying the Sabbath not to abstain from worldly thoughts and words and from working on the seventh day of the week but to sanctifie the Lord alone when he onely is our All when we are nothing but he is our Being and our being in Him when we do nothing but the Father dwelling in us doth all our works When we thus find not our own wayes nor speak our own words nor speak words as 't is in the Hebrew Man neither speaks nor does any thing indeed but God does all and is all in us This the Apostle holds forth to be the Rest or sabbath-keeping of the people of God Hebr. 4.9 not as if this were â—o rest to be entred into in this life ver 1. for we which
THE Great Earthquake REVEL 16.18 OR FALL Of all the CHURCHES Discovering the Apostasie of purest Churches not yet sensible of their spiritual Whoredoms Ezek. 43.9 10. OR The Great Whore made bare and naked before she be judged and her flesh burnt with fire Rev. 27.16 PROVING That none indeed deny the Ordinances of Christ but present Churches not being in a Gospel-order The Pastors are become brutish and have not sought the Lord therefore they shall not prosper and all their flocks shall be scattered Jer. 10.21 By William Erbery LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the black spread Eagle at-the West end of Pauls 1654. To the truly Christian Reader THe Author of this ensuing Discourse was a person raised up by the Lord to bear his testimony against all formal and traditional waies of Religion Ordinances and Government in the so called Christian world a designe though seemingly managed by him with some eagerness and severity of spirit if you abstract some passages in this and his other discourses yet in much love and oneness of spirit with the worshippers themselves that their persons might be saved but so as by fire 1 Cor. 3.15 The Doctrine of Persecution for Conscience sake though erronious was a stranger to his spirit and principles which owned no compulsion in matters of Religion but that Scriptural one viz. the energy and effectual working of the spirit of God overpowring the soul and leading it captive by an holy violence to those divine and heavenly discoveries which our Author bore witness to And indeed if we consider the judging and persecuting spirit we shall ordinarily find it to ascend i. The weak are most apt to judge the strong Rom. 13.3 though the strong hath another temptation before him viz. to despise the weak so he that is born after the flesh i. the weak legal Saint persecutes him that is born after the spirit Gal. 4.29 The reason I take to be this The higher a mans spirit is raised in the knowledg of God and of divine mysteries the more large and comprehensive it is as coming nearest to that state of love which beareth all things 1 Cor. 13.7 Hence it is that such men comprehend and embrace all weaker Saints though in different forms as to outward observations in one and the same spirit but on the other side when the spirit of a Christian is captivated to this or that particular rite as to a day meat c. in the narrowness of his heart secluding all others he is carried out with a zeal kindled from the outward letter to the censuring reproaching persecuting such Doctrines as he is not able to comprehend An experiment of this we have in Christ himself who coming forth in the glory of God and holding out higher discoveries then the Saints had formerly attained was opposed by none so much as the religious ones of his daies Scribes and Pharisees that sate in Moses Chair And as the Disciple is not above his Master so the Apostle Paul whose errand was to raise up the spirits of Saints to high and evangelical discoveries was thwarted by none so much as by devout women Acts 13.50 The same measure was meeted to this our Author who in simplicity of spirit and love to all the Saints bewailing the bondage of the whole creation did cast in his mite for the deliverance and relief thereof how was he scandalized by some professors of all sorts having various reproaches heaped upon him to render him the more unserviceable for the great work he was upon hence it is that we have heard the brand of a loose person or a Ranter an Apostate and Blasphemer an Antiscripturist Antiministrist an Antiordinancist an Antitrinitarian Vniversalist and what notinured upon him It will not be amiss for the removing of prejudices out of the minds of some and the renewing of the memory of this worthy labourer in the hearts of others to give a brief account of his spirit and Principles as to every one of the abovenamed particulars 1. He was no friend to loosness and prophaneness either in himself or others his own strict sober and Christian deportment in the whole course of his conversation is his sufficient compurgator against all the reproaches and calumnies of this rank and name yea he bore publique testimony against a licentious spirit in whatsoever appearance in several of his private and publique discourses 'T is true some weaker spirits misunderstanding the Doctrines of this Author concerning the restitution of all things the liberty of the creation and Saints oneness in Christ with God c. from these excellent premises drew forth such conclusions as were agreeable to their own private conceptions rather then the truth which conclusions being seconded by a practice agreable thereunto gave just occasion of offence to those without of bewailing and lamentation to them within amongst which this Author bore not the least share 'T is no new thing This when the Lord holds forth any eminent and remarkable truth which is likely to be of signal advantage to the people of God for Satan to raise up much dust about it to cloud its glory yea somtimes by spreading temptations before the pretenders to it unto personal infirmities to abate the edge of other mens spirits from entertaining that which seems accompanied with so horrid and hideous effects But such men would do well to consider whether such conclusions do necessarily follow from such principles or rather are not the principles wrested to what they never meant Have not other mens Doctrines of greatest affinity to the letter of the Scriptures been as much perverted and abused Was not the grace of God turned into wantonness even in the Apostles daies May not new Wine be put into old bottles even to the breaking distempering and overturning of mens spirits All which things do rather evince the world not ripe for such discoveries which our Author held forth then conclude against the discoveries themselves for when the Lord purposes an effectual manifestation of some eminent truth he adds also a ballanced spirit able to entertain it 2. He was rather a presser forward then an Apostate Forgetting those things that are behind c. 'T is true he was formerly as strict and zealous in all literal observations as any of his equals yea he might have boasted herein as the Apostle Paul if it had been worth his labour But it pleased God to raise him up from all fleshly rites to a more near and secret enjoyment which took him from some outward performances which many Christians please themselves in it were to be wished that such persons could give as good an account of their diligence in these things as he could of his omission of them And indeed the prayers of the Saints in the primitive times before the Apostasie began which even then was appearing seem to have been occasional only pro re nata and not limited to times hours or seasons either in their more publike meetings or
privater assemblings according to the rule of St. James Chap. 5. v. 13. Is any among you afflicted let him pray Is any merry let him sing Psalmes yea the prayer dictated by Christ to his disciples Mat. 6. Luke 11 2 3 4. seems to be of the same import there being some Petitions especially that v. 3. Give us day by day our daily bread squared to the particular condition of the Disciples themselves for they being to be sent out into the world without money or scrip c. and without ordinary accommodation for the relief of the natural man had need have their daily recourse to and dependance upon him for a supply of those things when as they who have tasted of the goodnesse of God in a plentifull provision of outward enjoyments have greater reason to rejoyce in and magnifie that goodness then to goe forth in desires after that which they already enjoy where by the way it may be queried whethere that prayer were intended for the body of the Saints or the Disciples only and for other Saints no otherwise then as their case suited with that of his Disciples Yet even near the Apostolick times the memory of the Jewish observations being fresh some of the Christian Doctors did lalour to reduce the Saints to the same yoke of bondage as to the strictness of time place and season which the Jews were under An instance of this we have in Clemens living in the very age of the Apostles Clem. 1.52 and who is said to have wrote Epistles to the Corinthians as Paul did in one of which he laies it as a duty upon Christians to perform their services and observations statutis Temporibus horis at set times and seasons and saies that God hath commanded it by his supreme will but where that command is to be found he determins not neither is it any where to be found in the New Testament but rather the contrary but from the practice of the Jews in the Old and so a late learned Critick expounds those words of Clemens that the force of the command lies in the Analogy between the old Testament and the new and not in any particular Text or Scripture under the Gospel As for Prayer he was led into the secret places of the Almighty to see that it was not to be limited as the Jews did to morning and evening tides that it was the least part of it to be vocal That all divine performances are to be managed within that it was proper only for Saints and not mixt multitudes upon which account he was not observed to be frequent in the external demonstration of this or other duties yet he prayed alwaies and in every thing gave thanks yea being afflicted with all the sufferings of all the Saints he managed within himself such groans as could not be uttered Rom. 8. How many now adaies do place all their duties in being seen and heard of men How many outward services do they perform one day after another which perish with the using How are we ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth If such men think they stand let them take heed lest they fall Yet our Author wanted not a clearer demonstration of the truth and power of his Religion then any seemingly religious and external rite could afford viz The works of righteousness and mercy amongst men which justified his faith and shewed his religion to be pure and undefiled Jam. 1. 3. He is a Blasphemer that speaks evil of dignities and of those things which he knows not Jude 8.10 If so let them take heed to themselves who are cloudes without water wandring stars c. That place seems to be understood of those that took upon them to be guides and teachers to others for a cloude guided Moses and a star the wise men who pretending to be divinely sent and commissioned yet speak evil of those dominions and dignities those higher discoveries which they cannot comprehend As for our Author his thoughts of God were raised together with his discoveries of him he owned truth in the power of it 't was only the traditional customs which many place their Religon in which our Author did decry upon which account Christ himself bore the brand of a Blasphemer before him 4. The Scriptures were owned by him as given by inspiraration yet the bare letter not rested in but the truth and power being the treasure hid in the field sought after Yea 't were well if men were single in their adhesion to the Scripture not respecting so much any formal or worldly interest as the equity of those rules and directions therein contained the Majesty of which is such that they have been admired even by Heathens an instance we have in our English Chronicle K. John sent Ambassadors to the King of Marocco in Africa proferring him to renounce Christianity and to receive the Mahumetan religion from him The King made answer that he had been lately reading St. Pauls Epistles where he found so many excellent things that if he himself had been without a Religion he would have chosen his and so dismissed the Ambassadors Math. Par. Yet 't is an usual artifice of Satan in all ages to set up the letter of a thing against the truth and power of it yea no opposition so fierce as that which is managed by the man of Form against the true spiritual worshipper 'T is not enough for men to urge the letter of the Scripture for such or such a practice lest they can shew the same spirit animating and enlivening their practice which was in the primitive times otherwise the practice is not the same but another from it because acted in another spirit the spirit being that which gives its true being and denomination to each part of spiritual worship and when the outward practice was abstracted from its primitive and original spirit and graffed on mens own spirits then came in the Antichrist and the deceivablenss of unrighteousness And though the letter of the word in some sense is a Skreen to secure Antichrist yet the spirit of the Lord in his more discerning servants will find him out 5. As is the Scripture such are the Ministers of it i such as act in the truth and power or in the form and notion only when Christ appeared he set himself in directest opposition against the Pharisee i. the Minister of the Law and was in that sense an Antiministrist as having a more excellent Ministry to hold forth to the world the first Ministry of the Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors was not denyed by our Author but how it could be continued during the Apostasit or how and when renewed are questions and cases not so clearly stated but that they may well admit of doubts and scruples especially since the gifts which accompanied the first Ministry are ceased and our Author was of this mind better no Ministry then a pretended one 6. After Ministry follow
set time or in a forme of words though Christ did use thus to pray being a Minister of the Circumcision and in the duyes of his flesh living under the Law yet I conceive that the private prayers of Gospel-saints was not in sound of voice or forme of words but waiting upon God in Christ for the supplyes of the Spirit and of all good things promised as may appeare Rom. 8.25 26. we know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit helpeth our infirmities with groanings which cannot be uttered We know what to utter what to pray for in our formall prayers yea we have the forme and patterne of all our petitions framed in ous heads before we utter them we know what to pray for besides we have our set times of our houres of prayers our duty times as we call it We pray morning and evening as David and Daniel did use to do under the Law Psa 58 17. Dan. 6.10 sure such duty times were never heard of in the Gospel times therefore praying in the Spirit scarce appeares in these times much lesse among those who are most zealous for it Fourthly There is no preaching in all the Churches no preaching of that they pretend no Gospel preaching for neither the doctrine of free grace nor discoursing of Christ after the flesh is the preaching of the Gospel Eph. 3.5 the Gospel is a Mystery hid from ages and generations before and under the Law not manifested to the sonnes of men till 't was to the Apostles and Prephets by the Spirit but the Covenant of Grace free-Grace the forgivenesse of sinne c. was fully manifested by Moses and the Prophets of old Againe Christ after the flesh is not the Gospel 2 Cor. 5.16 Col. 1.27 Mar. 1.14 for the Apostles would henceforth know Christ after the flesh no more not Christ without us but Christ in us is the mystery of Christ and of the Gospell also yea though Christ after the flesh did present the Gospell in part preaching peace to the Jewes the Kingdome of heaven being then at hand yet the Kingdom was not come nor the Gospel fully preached till Christ came againe and preached peace to them that were a farre off and to them that were high Ephe. 2.17 this comming of Christ was not in flesh for that was crucified before ver 16. but he came in spirit that is t was Christ in the Apostles that afterward preached seeing you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me saith Paul he knew Christ living in him 2 Cor. 13.3.5 Phil. 3.8 9. and himself crucified with Christ all his flesh and the goodlinesse thereof crucified his righteousnesse his gifts and graces as dung in respect of Christ in him that is God manifested in his flesh did slay all that flesh to himself that God alone might appear to live or Christ living in him and this is also Christ crucified in him I bear in my body the dyings of the Lord Jesus 2 Cor. 4.10 Phil. 3.11 we see Paul preached nothing but Christ in him Christ dying in him Christ â—ising in him not as if I had attained to the Resurrection of the dead Indeed the Apostles did mention Christ after the flesh but yet so as therby to manifest the Mysterie of Christ in spirit of Christ in us of God in our flesh Christ suffered for sins the just for the unjust to bring us to God So that all the Ministers of the Churches come too short in these three things which the ministers of the Gospel had First they had the manifestation of the spirit in manifold gifts enabling them to preach the Gospel purely 1 Tim. 1.12 and with power they preach the Gospel by the holy spirit sent down from heaven 1 Pet. 1.12 which none of of our Ministers have Secondly They could clearly manifest the mysterie of the Gospel and preach glad tydings to every creature under heaven to every man and woman in the world Col. 1.23.28 presenting every man in Christ and Christ in every man Know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be reprobate that is 2 Cor. 13.5 men void of judgement to discern your spirituall estate and being in Christ God being in every man and every mans being in God Act. 17.28 Thirdly the Ministers of the Gospel could not onely manifest the mystery by scripture but without scripture they could make it forth in the works of creation from the writings of poets the mysterie of God even the Father and of Christ For in him we live move and have our being and we are his off-spring we that is mankinde for the Poet means that and the Apostle also he is not farre from every one of us yea in every Creature the Apostle could manifest Christ Act. 17.27 therefore the Gospel is said to be preached in every creature under Heaven Col. 1.23 The Heavens declare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea day to day uttereth speech Psa 19.2 c. So the Sun Moon and Stars their sound is gone throughout all the world v. 4. That is the sound and speech of every creature and as the Gospel is called the witnesse of God 1 Cor. so the rain and fruitfull seasons doe fully witnesse God Thus the Apostles though to the Jews they spake from scriptures because the scriptures were owned by them Act. 14.17 yet to the Nations who denyed all scriptures of the prophets and knew no other then the poets and their own prophane authors the Apostle I say never preached to them out of scriptures for to what purpose was it to tell the heathen of Moses the prophets and the psalms or to preach of their sinnes as out New England Ministers doe to their Sagamoores very simply but as the mystery of the Gospell preached by the Apostles could not be read in Scriptures nor learnt by man at all but only as it was Revealed in them by the Spirit so they spake yea the Speakings of Christ out of Scripture was onely as a Minister of the Circumcision Luk. 4.17 First reading a Text out of the Law c. as all our Gospell-teachers can doe they cannot preach without a Text out of Scripture they have not the manifestation of the Spirit neither can they manifest the mystery of the Gospell the mystery of Christ in us of God manifested in our flesh they cannot present every man in Christ and every man living in God and God the Saviour in all men c. these glad-tydings there is no Minister can preach to any people much lesse to every creature to all Nations Ioh. 1.9 having no gifts of tongues or interpretation they cannot preach the Gospel to those who deny Scriptures Ioh. 4.12 they cannot convince any man by the light in them which is no other then Christ in them nor hold forth Christ from the appearance of God in the world from the light of the world that is in them from inward
eat abundantly but when they awake their soul is hungry for indeed their best food is but ashes the fire of the spirit having consumed all that was substance strength and life in the means For behold the Lord the Lord of Hosts doth take away from Judah and from Jerusalem the Stay and the Staff the whole Staff of bread and the whole stay of water Esay 3.1 Judah and Jerusalem are all the Churches the purest of them bread and water are the least and lowest means of sustenance as breaking of bread and baptism of water hath been the best support of Churches the stay and the staff upholding their fellōwships and some food they have found formerly in those means though far short of their primitive institution but now the Lord even the Lord of Hosts God appearing in wrath as a man of war against them takes away all their provisions even the whole staff of bread and stay of water there shall be nothing in any means of grace to do them good or give them strength and not only the means but the men of strength men of parts and arts yea all the gods of the earth shall be famished the Lord takes away the mighty man and the man of war the Judge and the Prophet and the prudent and the Ancient and the Captain and the Counceller and the cunning Artificer and the eloquent Orator and the honourable all shall be so famished that neither gift nor grace shall appear nor gift to govern or rule others for they shall be babes and children in knowledg v. 4. nor grace to govern themselves for they shall be oppressers one of another v. 5. This is the extremity of Famin when men oppress and feed one upon anothers flesh when such want of food when mens gifts shall fail that they shall swear to be no Officers nor bear any rule nor take upon them ony place of preferment yea though they be sought unto yet shall they swear I will not be a healer make me not a ruler over his people for in mine house is neither bread nor cloathing 'T is much that men judged fit to rule and bear sway in the world should be so poor and naked as not to have bread nor cloathing This famin and scarcity may come in the letter upon those who are in highest places who are fullest fed and walk in Scarlet but sure 't will be in the spirit fulfilled on all the Churches and upon all their ruling Elders who knowing that all Authority and Power and Rule is going down at the coming of Christ yet contend still about Government the government of the Church is the onely controversie among the Churches not the great Mystery of Godliness God manifest in flesh no matters of Doctrine or worship are questioned by them but the Government of the Church whether the Church or Elders shall rule This the Independant Churches deny though their ruling and teaching Elders be as proud as Presbyters but sure the time is come that men who are so much for Government and Rule shall swear they will be no Rulers nor Ruling Elders any more for I have neither bread nor cloathing in mine house that is they shall confesse that they have scarce enough for themselves scarce so much knowledg and spiritual understanding as to satisfie and instruct themselves muchless to convince and teach others And as there is a famin on their gifts so in grace they are so famished that they fall to oppresse one another that is to eat each others flesh That 's the extremity of famin which comes upon the Churches as another Prophet phraseth it they shall eat every one the flesh of his brother Zaoh. 13. this is spoken of the whole Church and of all the Pastors or Shepherds v. who are called three Shepherds for that was the number of those that were eminent Teachers in the Jewish Church as Junius shews and these three the Prelatick Presbyterian and Independaut Ministers are the only men that have been Teachers in this Church and Kingdom now God will cut off all three in one moneth How By setting them one against another to oppresse and vex and eat the flesh one of another for as the Prelates have formerly eaten up the Priests and all that maintenance for the Popish Church which was in the Land so the Presbyters have eaten up all the livings and livelihoods of Prelates The Independant Ministry are now the third that feed on the flesh of Presbyters whose Preferment Places Priviledges and Parsonages is now become food for Independant Churches Yet the Famin is soarer for not only mothers eat the flesh of their tender babes but the Fathers eat their children and the children their parents Ezek. That the fathers eat the children is plain in the Churches for whereas the Apostle saith that the fathers ought to provide for their children as he himself would rather work and labour night and day with his hands then that the Gospel should be chargeable to the Saints especially the weak now not only the weak but the world must be at charge to provide for the Fathers of the Church for our Preachers of the Gospel But how the children can eat the flesh of their fathers is very strange seeing the flesh of elder men is wrinkled with age and watry humours and worse for food then the flesh of children But so it is though not in the Church yet in the Kingdom there are men counted children who eat up the flesh of fathers Divines Doctors Pastors Teachers and the flesh of Elders all their forms of Doctrine and worship with their professed holy walking is but food for babes and young beginners in the Lord to feed upon but to consume as fire which is fed with the fuel that it devours For indeed there is none whom the Lord feeds with understanding and knowledg there is scarce a knowing Christian this day that grows in knowledg though he be small simple yet he sees the vanity of Churches the emptinesse of their Ordinances then in the fall of their Officers their famin appears For as the Lord before takes away the whole staff of bread and stay of water so they eat their bread by weight and their water by measure This is much that water which is so common should be drank by measure and the measure so small but the sixh part of a hin a hin being no more then a pint Yea the Prophet himself the only Minister of the Church must eat his bread baked with mans dung which must needs make the bread unsavory and unclean v. 12 13. and though the Prophet complains of this to the Lord as a hard thing for him to undergoe to eat bread leavened with mans dung yet nothing is granted to him but this that instead of mans dung he might prepare and leaven his bread with the dung of a beast this was but little better All this shews thus much that the reprobate Churches eat their bread and drink their
they need no order nor ordinance nor officers of the church they see and know all the truths of Christ therefore by the judgement of Christ they are blind and men shall shortly behold their nakednesse Fourthly Laodicea was neither hot nor cold these last churches are not so cold as National churches but they have not that heat and fire which was in the first churches of Christ therefore Christ will spew them out of his mouth and not take up their name into his lips any more nor love them as his church and spouse but loath them as the filth of the great Whore Now to returne to return to that we said before All the Ordinances in the church became defiled unclean and her forms the flesh of the whore not being salted with fire that is when the sacrifice was no more salted with salt which is of a fiery substance and keeps flesh from tainting When that holy fire was found wanting in the church all her flesh her forms and ordinances did stink and became defiled as those that touched an unclean thing or dead body for the manifestation of the spirit being departed from the church the church must needs be a dead body as those dry bones in Babylon signified the state of the church in the apostacy in spiritual Babylon where the church is not in the unity of the spirit and bond of peace but as those divided sticks in the Prophets hand the one for Judah and his companions the other stick for Joseph and his companions this is the dead divided state of the church in Babylon which is a city not in unity with it self as Jerusalem but divided into three parts so Babylon is and so the churches in Babylon are Presbytery Independant and baptized churches For though in the primitive times there were divisions between brother and brother in the churches yet never was there a division between church and church as at this day All the brethren walked in one church-way worshiping God with one consent one church-order ordinances and officers were all by the same spirit alike in all the churches who in this sense at least kept the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace for as there was one body among all so but one baptism but as the churches are now divided bodies so their baptisms are divers one church baptizeth the whole Nation another church baptized only the children of believers the third baptized only believers themselves Thus we may truly say the whore sits upon many waters many baptisms besides those rivers of living waters those manifold gifts of the spirit are dryed up in the churches much less doth the spirit shew them that pure river of life proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb in the new Jerusalem the churches being destitute both of fire and water having not that holy spirit given to the church of Christ must be but a dead body and he that toucheth them is unclean This the Prophet Haggai hinted at when he asked the Priests that if one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with his skirt do touch bread or pottage or wine or oyl or any meat shall it be holy and the Priests answered no. Then said Haggai If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these shall it be unclean and the Priests answered saying It shall be unclean So is this Nation before me saith rhe Lord and so is every work of their hands it is unclean Hagg. 2.12 13 14. Every Saint in the spirit freed from church-forms or not embondaged to partiality can easily interpret that text That though there be Saints by calling in the present church and she bear holy flesh in her skirt that cannot make any thing clean to her or them and if they touch a dead body as the church now is all that they touch therein it is unclean so is this people and so is this Nation before me saith the Lord and so is every work of their hands and every ordinance among them it is unclean If this be true as true it is that the forms of churchfellowship being defiled forms are become the flesh of the whore then must she be utterly burnt with fire yea those ten Kings which have received no kingdom as yet but receive power as kings one hour with the beast who with one mind give their power and strength to the beast who make war with the lamb that is with Christ in us with God in the Saints when the lamb shall overcome them and the power of God in the Saints appear above them then these shall hate the whore and make her desolate and naked and burn her flesh with fire If the honourable Parliament would but be pleased God so appearing in them to judge things in the spirit and see how dead and desolate the churches are of the gifts of the spirit how naked they are not adorned with one spiritual gift they would no more dote on the whores flesh though nevee so fair nor on any forms though never so oft reformed but burn her flesh with fire when thus the powerfull appearance of the great God shall be manifested in men and Magistrates the churches shall appear no more This is the second appearance of Christ of God in men in the first appearance of Christ the church appeared yet cloathed with all the gifts of the spirit that is God appeared in power in the midst of Saints but when God shall appear now the second time God dwelling among men which is the new Jerusalem then that church nor those first gifts of the spirit shall appear any more but the spirit even God himself shall minister in his own glory and power nothing but God shall appear in man and man shall appear no more no need of churches or ministers when God shall be our church and the house we live in when God in us shall minister all light unto us Thus in the new Jerusalem there is no Temple no churchstate nor ordinance and the city hath no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God shall lighten it and the lamb is the light thereof Sun and Moon are now the lights of the world these are the ordinances of heaven and have been the ordinary means of conveying light to the earth the sun the light of the day the moon and stars the light of the night so there has been a ministry by day and night in the day of Christ and the first appearing of God there was a ministry of Apostles Prophets Pastors and Teachers as the ordinary means of light to the world and to the church when the church came under the night of Apostacy and while the spirit of Antichrist was come in power darkning the sun and the air there was still a ministry of men as the means of light yet as the moon to the night ever changing in several fosms of Popery Episcopacy Presbytery
Independant and baptized Ministers here the ministry changed as the moon yet God in his free grace was pleased in all the times of the Apostacy still to appear enlightning the world by the ministry of men in some dark discoveries of himself But when Christ shall appear the second time when the day of Christ shall dawn after the night of Apostacy is ended when the day of God shall be again and God shall appear the second time binding up the breath of his people and healing the wound that was made by that spirit of Antichrist prevailing in the church then the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun and the light of the sun shall be as the light of seven daies that is there will be a perfect light for God shall appear to be the light of men as Christ was ever indeed the light of the world and God in truth was the light of men from the beginning shining in darkness though the darkness did not comprehend it and though men did not know God in them to be their only light but as I said God shall appear in the last daies to be the light of men then men and ministers shall be no more the means of light the sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory Thy sun shall no more go down neither shall thy moon withdraw it self but the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the daies of thy mourning shall be ended as mourning was Babylons plague the judgement of the great Whore so thou shalt never mourn for want of a minister for the Lord God in thee shall minister light unto thee men and ministers may go down yea the sun may set at noon-day and there may be a withdrawing of all light and all left in darkness but in darkness the Lord will be thy light as well as when thou art in clearest light when thy light shall be the Lord God in thee then God thy Sun shall not go down and God thy Moon shall not be withdrawn yea God shall appear not only thy light but the light of the world the light of every man and the light of every creature thou shalt then clearly see the invisible things of God even the eternal Power and Godhead in the whole creation ' and no more sun or moon shining in the heaven but God ' himself shining in both and his glory filling the earth also and every thing in heaven and earth as the appearance of God This is that fire that burns not only churches but every creature in heaven and earth God appearing in all This is the fire which all the Prophets and Apostles speak of to come in the last daies this fire came down at the first coming of Christ in spirit when the spirit when God in power first appeared in the Gospel-church then the church under the Law the Jewish church was burn up the sun was turned to darkness and the moon to bloud all the glory and light of the Law was darkned the Temple Priesthood Sacrifices and all their Ordinances were change and became as bloud So the same signes in heaven above and signes on the earth beneath shall be again in kingdoms and churches also bloud and vapour and smoak all this was in spirit then performed it shall again be so fulfilled with greater power when the appearance of the great God shall be this fire even God himself that consuming fire and everlasting burnings shall not only burn up churches and the flesh or the Whore but the purest flesh of men and pride of all glory when God our glory shal appear as the glory of heaven and his glory the fulness of the earth then all the works on the earth shall be burnt up with fire as all the works of man shall be burnt up in God that is as now we see the works of men and not God working all in all so now we see only the outward forms of the creation every creature being that form of God but when we shall see God all in all we shall never see no more forms of creatures or churches FINIS