CHAP. I.

THe teachings of men, and the teachings of God, are much different: The former being but the light of the moon, which shines not of it self, but by the means, and through the help of the sun: The latter is the light of the sun, that gives light to all, not by means and helps from others, but imme­diately from himself.

Mens teachings are two fold, first, when men speak to others what they have heard or read of the Scriptures, or books of o­ther mens writings, and have seen no­thing from God themselves. And thus by natural industry, study, length of time in such an exercise, or education from childe­hood many men Preach, or teach others, and think, and so do others think of them, that they are sent of God; but Gods [Page 2] time is drawing neer, that he will make it appear that these men do run before they be sent:Eze. 34. 3. And that it is not the zeal of God which sets them to work, Jer. 31. 34. but the desire and sweetness of a temporal living; But this kinde of teaching and teachers must vanish: And though God hath suffered them, and yet awhile will suffer them; for he sits upon the throne, therefore let them a­lone, and wait upon God.

Secondly, Others speak from their own experience, of what they have heard and seen from God, Act. 4. 20. and of what great things God hath done for their souls, Ps. 66. 16. and this is from God: And it is that ministry of the Gospel which God hath put into the hands of men, whereby God doth migh­tily manifest himself; and if any man take up this trade of teaching, to get a living by (for preaching is now adayes become a trade) and speaks not from God by expe­rience what they speak;Jude 12. they are clouds without rain,Zach. 13. 4. 5. and such as meddle with ho­ly things, that as yet they have nothing to do withal. But this teaching in Gods time must vanish too; for this moon-light, that is, conveying knowledge to others by helps and means, is to be swallowed up into the light of the sun, and God shall [Page 3] become all in all,1 Iohn 2. 27. as it is said, ye shall be all taught of God, and you need not that any man teach you; for the anoint­ing which the Saints receive from the Fa­ther doth teach them all things.

And that prophesie of Ieremiah must be fulfilled,Ier. 31. 34. That the time shall come, Isa. 54. 13. that men shall not teach one another, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know him (by Gods own teaching) from the least of them to the greatest And when God and the Lamb are the light of the City, Rev. 21 23 there shall be no more need of the light of the sun, nor of the moon. By the mentioning of sun and moon in this place, God speaks to the capacity of men, and points out the whole creation of night and day, and that all creature-helps and means should fail, though they were, or are as glorious helps as the created sun that gives light to the day, or as the crea­ted moon that gives light to the night. And that the time shall come, nay, it is begun, that God himself will be the light of men, without creature-helps, or means. And so Paul, seeing that the indwel­ling of God in man, is, and would be a glorious sun shine light, said, That know­ledge (or rather this way of conveying verbal knowledge one to another) shall 1 Cor. 1. 8. [Page 4] cease, but love, which is God, endures for ever.

But thirdly, The teachings of God shall never cease;Isa. 54. 13. Gods teaching differs from men very much,Ioh. 6. 45. for men speak words to the ear, but God works out the serpent and works himself into a man, and so gives words of a feeling experi­ence to the heart, and causes the man to see light in Gods light; as thus, I have been proud envious and discontent, and I have heard words from men against these, yet in those dayes I thought I was good, and I knew not those evils; but when God came, and wrought humility, love, and contentedness in me, he then taught me to see, and know by experience what the strength of God in me is, which is humi­lity love, and patience, which hath thrown down the strength of the serpent, which was pride envy▪ and discontent: And this teaching of God I cannot for­get, Ioh. 6. 63. it sticks lively in me, though the [...]ords of men are forgotten by me: and thus God takes up the soul more and more into himself, and the soul findes much sweetness in feeling, seeing, and sensibly understanding the nature of God working, dwelling, and ruling in him; [Page 5] this is Gods teaching,Rom. 11. 29. in making men to know, and to enjoy God, & this shall conti­nue; for the soul shall ever be learning what God is, and shal be more & more fed with this his teaching; and as the divine beeing is infinite in all his attributes, so the teachings of God in a soul shall be in­finite,1 Thes. 4. 17. with [...]ut end; for God will still be leading the soul to know by experience the mysterie of God more and more: this I say is GODS teaching.

And without Gods teachings in this kinde,Ioh. 6. 45. all the teachings of men will do no good,Ier. 31. 34. for hence it is that there are so ma­ny Hypocrites amongst Professors,1 Iohn 2. 27. they know much in the letter,Ioh. 15. 5. as men teaches them; but they know nothing in spiritual power, which is the way that God teaches. And truly let me tell you, if this power of God be wanting, you will feel an inclina­bleness in you to give way to every evil action, when a temptation thereunto is be­fore you; for though a man know from the letter, that iniustice, covetousness, rash anger, hardness of heart toward others, and uncleanness of the flesh are evil; and that the wrath of God will break forth upon such as commit such and such evils.

And though he know likewise from the [Page 6] letter,Gal. 5. 22. that Justice, Faith, Meeknesse, and tendernesse of spirit, holinesse and chasti­tie are good, yet this very man will be rea­dy, 2 Tim. 2. 26. nay strongly drawn by the powers of his flesh to do the evill, and refuse the good, unlesse the powers of God be esta­blished in him, and be his keeper: As thus, The power of justice delivering him from the power of injustice; the power of a meek and patient spirit delivering him from the power of pettish froward­nesse; the power of chastitie delivering him from the power of uncleannesse: for this is the Anointing, or that Son of God ruling, a King of righteousnesse and peace within you, that sets you free.

And truly when God is pleased to set you free from the Serpent,Ephes. 3. 20. and to let you see and feel his divine power thus ruling in you, your heart and tongue cannot be silent, but you will with life, delight, and power be chearfully returning praises to your heavenly Father, that hath made your nature conformable to his son Je­sus Christ.

Another thing let me tell you, and tru­ly it is to let you see what danger you are in,Rom. 6. 14. if you only know the letter, and want the power of God, if you hear Paul speak, [Page 7] that Believers are not under the Law of works, but under the Law of love; and if you hear the Saints of God speak out of experience that Christ hath set them free:

Now observe, I say, you that only hear the letter, or outward report, and do ap­prehend, and can speak again what you hear,Rev. 3. 16, 17. you begin to think your selves some body; I speak to you that think you are free, and yet are not: Here is a self con­ceit presently arises in you, for knowledge in the letter only puffs up, and this is one danger, but this is not all.

For now this wise flesh will be yet pre­suming, and will argue thus within thy heart, God hath set us free from the Law of works, we shall neither be condemned nor saved by that, for we are under grace, that is, the the law of Christ, and therefore saith the flesh, thou mast take thy pleasure, that which was sin formerly, while thou wast under the law of works, is now no sin while thou art under the law of love: This is the temptation, and now thou art upon tryall.

But if the Son set thee free, he doth not only set thee free from the Law, but from the Serpent too; not only from Gods Law, of Do this and live, but from the Ser­pents law of works too; for thy proud [Page 8] flesh would be reconciled to God by his workings, but this is thy bondage, and it shall not.

And if thy thoughts run, that thou art freed from Gods condemning Law of works, and yet findest no power of God within, casting out the strong man, truly for the present the father of lies, the subtil flesh hath deceived thee.

This tickling delight of thy flesh, is the same Serpent that tempted Adam; if thou eat hereof, that is, if thou joyn hands, and take delight according to the whispe­rings thereof, as to be unjust, secretly to seek revenge, to be unclean, or adulte­rous, or the like, thou wilt finde that this is the father of lies, that promises much pleasure, but cannot perform, for it will throw thee into the fire, that is, under the lashes of Gods law, which thou thought thou wast freed from.

But if thou have such whisperings, and finde a strength to reject them, thou wilt then see by experience, that the strength of God is stronger then the flesh: I be­lieve the dear servants of God are much tempted; for my own particular, I can hardly hear a sin named, but I have been tempted to it, but I have found the teach­ings [Page 9] of God very, usefull, and the only power of the Father at such times hath kept me from wicked actions.

Well, if thou finde that the power of God in thee, which is sincerity and truth, treds the aspiring of injustice in thee un­der foot; and the power of God, which is chastitie,Ioh. 8. 36. treds adulterous, unclean en­ticements under foot; and the power of God, which is love, treds envy and heart­burning grudge under foot, and the like: This is the wisdom and power of God, even that Son of righteousnesse that sets you free;Psal. 133. 3. for this is the powerfull oyle that was poured upon the Head, Jesus Christ, and runs down to the lowest mem­ber.

This power of God within thee, an­swers the whisperings of that lyar the flesh within thee, and tels thee,Rom. 6. 14. it is true, thou art not under the law of works to be con­demned or saved by it, but thou art under the law of love and holinesse. The wis­dom and power of God is thy keeper; is God unrighteous, is God froward, is God envious, is God unclean, or doth he take delight in strange flesh, or in any creature without himself, or doth he not delight in himself, in whom there is all glory?

[Page 10] Indeed friends, minde what I tell you, The flesh alwayes delights in its self,Heb. 3. 3. 8. and in the enjoyment of creatures;1 Cor. 1. 31. but the power of God in thee alwayes glories, and delights in God, and findes rest in none but in God.

I speak this, because I know that this is the most subtil, most ensnaring, and most dangerous temptation of the professing flesh, of any I know: And if God appear to be your strength at this time of trial, you will then say feelingly, and with a re­joycing thankfull heart, O the mighty God indeed is my strength, I had been unjust, theevish, envious, proud, given to all uncleannesse of the flesh, but the pow­er of Gods truth, love, humility, and cha­stitie hath cast this strong man armed out;Luke 11. 22. and now I see what truth is, what chastitie is, what love to enemies is, what sincerity is; this is the power of God, this is the anointing, this is the King of righteous­nesse that rules in earth, this is the Son that hath set me free, will keep me free: every particular measure of this sweet power of God are so many particular Angels of light, or manifestations of love sent from the father, to be my keeper: Well, I only mention this experience, that [Page 11] men may prize Gods teachings more then they have, and to be afraid of mens teach­ings when Gods is wanting; for truly the most glorious Preacher, or professor of literal gospel, either are, or will prove the subtilest hypocrites, if this power of God be not their strength, and life, for without God we can do nothing, and by him, we are able to do all things.

Some truths I shall here write, which brought along with them much life and peace into my heart, when God sent them down into me, (or rather when he took me up into them) and caused me to behold, and feed upon the glory of them: But I do not write to teach any one my words to be their knowledge, for what I know, I speak, and leave it upon the spirit of the Reader,1 Ioh. 1. 14. that if he finde the same workings of God in him, his joy may be confirmed by a witnesse, and so fulfilled; that more hands may be lifted up together to set the Crown upon our God, and that more mouths may be o­pened, Rev. 5. 13. to sing Alleluia, and prayses of honour to our Father, and to the Lamb for evermore.

It is very possible, that a man may at­tain to the literal knowledge of the Scri­ptures [Page 12] of the Prophets and Apostles, and may speak largely of the History thereof, and draw conclusions, and raise many uses for the present support of a troubled soul, or for the restraining of lewd practises, or for the direction of a civill conversa­tion, and yet both they that speake, and they that hear, may be not only unac­quainted with, but enemies to that Spirit of truth, by which the Prophets and Apo­stles writ.

For it is not the Apostles writings, but the spirit that dwelt in them that did in­spire their hearts,1 Ioh. 5. 6. which gives life, and peace to us all: And therefore when the Prophets, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah spake what they saw from God, they spake, thus saith the Lord, out of experi­ence of what they saw, and felt, and they were called true Prophets.

But when others rise up, that spake their words and writings▪ and so apply­ing them to another age, and generation of men, saying, Thus saith the Lord, as the other did, yet they were called false Prophets, because they had seen nothing themselves from God, but walked by the legs, and saw by the eyes of the true Pro­phets; for God doth not threaten death [Page 13] to every City in every age of the world, as to Sodome and Gomorrah; neither cap­tivity to every people, as he did to Israel, under Nebuchadnezar in Babylon; 2 Chron. 20. 15▪ 16, 17. nei­ther doth he promise victory and delive­rance to every Army or people from e­nemies, as he did to Israel in Jehosaphats time.

Now if any man speak,Num. 23. 7. and assure others of victory, when God purposes destructi­on, or speaks of destruction, when God purposes a victory; these men speak at random, and though they speak the very words of the scriptures, yet they speak not the minde of him that gives life, or de­stroys, and so having seene nothing from him, they are to be reckoned among false Prophets, that run before they be sent▪ though their words be many and e­loquent.

A man may know the scriptures as they are written,John 5. 46. & yet a stranger, yea an op­posing enemie to the God of the Scrip­tures, as the Jews were, they knew the wri­tings of Moses, 1 Cor. 2. 8. who writ of Iesus Christ & yet they persecuted, and killed Iesus Christ, when he who was the great Prophet was come, because they knew him not; for if they had known him to have bin the great [Page 14] power and wisdom of God, they would not have killed him.

And so many now a dayes do, and may know the Scriptures of the Gospel, and yet may and do persecute the spirit of the Gospel through ignorance and unbelief; truly friends, it is not the knowledge of the Scriptures only,1 Cor. 8. 7. but the knowledge of the God of the Scripture, as God is plea­sed to make known himself by his Al­mighty working to you, that gives life and peace to you; if you know, or can speak of Scriptures, and have seen nothing of God, you are like Parats, that speak the words of another as you have been taught by humane education.

But if the same anointing, or power and wisdom of God dwell and rule in you,Ephes. 3. 5. as did appear in the Prophets and A­postles that writ, then you can see into that mysterie of the Scripture (which is God manifest in flesh) and so can speak the minde of the Scriptures, though you should never see, hear, nor reade the Scriptures from men.

If your peace and comfort in God should only remain with you while you are either hearing, or reading Scriptures, or while you have the society of such as [Page 15] can speak or discourse thereof, and then finde again that your comfort and peace is gone, when you are deprived by any occasion of that society of Saints; truly let me tell you, that though you prize and know the Scriptures, yet there is a great strangnesse between you and the God of the Scriptures.

It hath been such a time with me, and I see it is thus with others at this very day; let them enjoy outward hearing, reading, and liberty in prayer, and Saints commu­nion, and they are in peace, and they live in heaven as they conceive, and it is a sweet life, but it is not The life; for if the wis­dom of God hedge up all those enjoy­ments with Thornes, and leave these poor souls alone, as it was Christs case, all for­sook him and fled, and left him alone to stand in the midst of enemies; why truly here is your tryall for God hath denyed you the opportunities of hearing, reading, praying, & Saints fellowship▪ & doth not your heart now look after those helps, & mourn in their absence? If so, as I know it is with you, then where is your know­ledge, Isaiah 32. 12. and 28. 9. experience, and your peace in, and with God; it shews plainly that at such a time we sucked refreshment from the [Page 16] creatures breasts, but not from God.

Or further, when you have all oppor­tunities to hear, to read, to pray, and to communicate with Saints in their society, and yet if God deny you peace and life under all this enjoyment, then you begin to mourn, to see your barrennesse and condition, like a fruitlesse Fig-tree, or ru­inous Wildernesse; which is well it is thus with you, God will have you lie here for a while under this bondage, before he give you liberty; and if it be thus with you, as I know it is, then where is your rest and peace in God? for truly God will take up his people into such a height of glory, that he will make them lie down in rest and peace in him, when no visible help or means appear, when there is no Cows in the Stalls,Hab. 3. 16, 17. nor blossomes on the Vine▪ when no creature speaks peace, but every creature is barren of giving refresh­ment▪ then God will make his people to suck life from him, who is the God of their salvation.

Well, when I was under your bondage, my God, who is the best teacher of erring souls, let me see that I rested first upon out­ward helps and means, and such as you call Ordinances, though I thought not so, but [Page 17] was offended at any that told me I rested thereupon.

And when God gave me those enjoy­ments, and yet denyed me a heart to suck sweetnesse from them, or rather with­held their sweetnesse from my heart, then I was troubled to see my barrennesse; And if at any time God was plea­sed to let a beam of light and peace shine into me, and gave me enlargements of heart, then I thought my self to know God, but when this sun was clouded again, then I was in bondage again.

Well, here God taught me that I knew him not, but that I knew his gifts, and the beams of his presence that he sent down to refresh my drooping spirit, and that I rested in those beams, not in him that was the sun from whence those beams come; And this I know is your condition, who know the Scriptures it may be at your fin­gers ends, as we say, and that you are un­acquainted as yet with the God of the Scriptures. Be not offended with this ex­pression, for it is a truth, and your souls either do or will know it to be true▪

But when Gods time is to set you at li­berty from your bondage (for he works when he will,Ioh. 8. 36. not when you will) then [Page 18] you shall finde this frame of spirit in you, That if God deny you all outward means and helps,Heb. 4. 3. and Saints communion, yet you are content, and rest in him who is your portion, your teacher, and who you finde, see, and feel is present with you.

And if you finde an emptiness, that you cannot understand nor speak,Gal. 1. 15▪ 16. yet you are content (though you were not content formerly) and you rest in your Fathers will till he give you understanding of such and such mysteries, or till he give you power to speak or act; and you have as much peace to eye God,1 Cor. 1. 31. and to wait upon him, and rest in him, as if you were full of actings or enjoyed much of the Saints communion; so that you are taken off from either glorying in the presence, or mourning in the absence of any creature-help, or fruit. If you never see the faces of the Saints, but live in prison, in a wil­dernesse, or in some private place, yet you are at rest in God, you are satisfied in him, and you glory only in his presence;Luke 21. 13. &c. and if he seem to withdraw from you, by slack­ing his hand in giving discoveries, you know he is your Father still, he doth not withdraw in anger, but in wisdom and love, for your good, that he may teach [Page 19] you more experiences; for that soul that God purposes to give plentifull experien­ces unto, it is his will to cast that soul of­ten into straits; but yet you are content, and wait quietly in spirit, till he speak and appear in powerfull presence, both in you, and to you. Now in the midst of these Nationall hurly burlies, if you want riches, food, or clothing, if you want communi­on of good people, and such like creature-contentments, and yet for all that you can rest quiet in God, and be at peace in him, and you know he is your Father, and that it is his will to cast you into such straits: Why now you are able to say, That to rest and lie down in God alone is the sweetest rest that every you tasted of.

CHAP. II.

WEE see in these dayes the bot­tomlesse pit is opened, and the mysterie of iniquity is begun to be made manifest to men;1 Cor. 1. 24. That is, corrupt flesh is laid open to the view of such as God ma­nifests his wisdom and power in; and the secret workings of this wise, but corrupt flesh appears very plentifully by the [Page 20] spreading forth of unbelief, hypocrisie, envy, cruelty, slavish fear of men, and in shame to own God and his wayes, and by violent and subtil endeavouring to wear out the appearance of God in man, and to destroy the mighty and the holy people; first by slanders, lies, and bad names, and then threatening, and likewise endea­vouring to destroy them all by the sword.

By reason whereof, some through weak­nesse are troubled, and a slavish fear doth possesse them, that the sincere hearted ones shall suffer much in these trouble­some times. Indeed I believe God may suffer some few of his Saints to endure wasting in their estates, and may give up the liberty and lives of their bodies into the hands of wicked men: Yea, but the number of Saints are limited, and the length of their sufferings are limited; all the Saints shall not die, neither shall the sufferings of some be alwayes, for the de­vill must cast but some into prison (not all) and there shall be tribulation but ten dayes,Rev. 2. 10. a little while, not alwayes. And therefore you see, while Pharaoh did only oppresse Israel, God suffered Pharaoh to live, but when his malice rise so high (or rather his spirit fell so low from God­ward) [Page 21] as to destroy all Israel at the red Sea with open mouth, then God appeared to preserve his son,Exo. 14▪ 5. even to deliver Israel, and drowned Pharaoh and all the Host of those risers in the red Sea; and when this storm was over, God set Israel in a condition of greater liberty and freedom, from the oppression of enemies then ever he was in before. And in King Davids time,Psal. 83. 4. when the uncircumcised Nations en­deavoured to destroy not only here and there one, but began to strike at the root, and sought to destroy all Israel, that the name of Israel might be had no more in remembrance, then God appeared for their protection.

Even so, while the mysterie of iniquity, which rules in the unbelievers of our daies, have sought to wear out formerly some of his Saints by High Commission Courts, Sessions, Canon Laws, Whips, Prisons, and death, God let them alone, he had appointed some of his Lambs and Sheep for such a slaughter; as in the time of Mar­tyrdom, not all, but some were slain, here and there one, and God suffered it.

But when malice, and the hypocriticall subtil flesh strike at all; and not only one Mordecay, Ester 3. 6. that torments proud Hamon, [Page 22] must die, but all Mordecayes friends and people. Not only Christ must die, but La­zarus, or any that is Christs friend must be put to death, and suffer too; As in these dayes unbelief in men will destroy all Gods people; it is the generall lan­guage of all the scoffing sons of bondage, they will destroy all the free born Isaacs under those reprochfull names of Round­heads, Anabaptists, Independents; nay, there were some that were not ashamed to say, that when the Countries rise a­gainst the Parliaments Army, they would destroy men, women, and children of the Independent party, and root them all out. Alas poor creatures, God may suffer you to do something in this kinde, but you shall finde that God will hide his people under the shadow of his wings, and when you have killed all, yet those that you would kill shall be left alive.

For as God made the Nations formerly to kill one another while Israel looked on,Judg. [...]. 19 and were saved from their malice: Even so God can make an outside-professing-Service-book man, to kill an outside-pro­fessing Presbyter, and God may suffer an outside-professing Presbyter, to kill an hypocriticall Independent, and so make [Page 23] the seed of the Serpent to sheath their swords in one anothers bowels, while his sincere hearted ones, scattered abroad in the Kingdom shall stand and look on, and be preserved by Gods protecting care, from the danger.

For you hot spirited men, if you will beleeve Scripture, which you Idolize so much, for you prefer those writings be­fore the God of the Prophets and Apo­stles; Ezek. 38. 14, &c. you shall finde that God told Eze­kiell, That when Gog and Magog purpo­sed to destroy Gods People when they were at rest, and dwelt at ease, why saith God, when my people are at rest thou shalt not know it, but I will sanctifie my self upon thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

And so let these hot spirited people in these dayes do the worst they can, they shall never destroy all Gods people out of the Land,Rev. 11. 11, &c. God will have his witnesses to rise up, that shall torment these inha­bitants of the earth, for though God suf­fer persecution, scoffs, reproachful names and oppression, yet he will not suffer a small rooting out of his Saints.

For if the Nations of old could not root out Israel after the flesh, which were one single nation, visible among all the na­tions [Page 24] of the earth, though they did endea­vour it; neither can you now, you hot spirited people, root out all the Saints, much lesse, you will finde it now the more difficult, for now the Saints doe not live all in one Nation, but are scattered through all Nations, kindreds, tongues, and People; The appearence of God a­mong them is not altogether in out ward formall worship, and Temple service, as it was to the Jews, visible to the eye of the world.

But the appearance of God now,1 Joh. 3. 1. is in the Saints,Joh. 1. 10. that they worship the Father in spirit and truth, in such a secret manner as the eye of the world cannot, nor does not alwayes see; And therefore though the mysterie of iniquitie seek to kill all, as these unbeleevers that are the actors thereof do say they will, yet they cannot, because they cannot know them; And when they have killed all as they think, if God should suffer them to act their bloody intents and words, yet in con­clusion it will appear, that the enemies kill one another, and spirituall Israel will be preserved; Herod killed all the chil­dren about two yeres old.Mat. 2. 13. I, but the Child Jesus whom he sought chiefly to kill, was [Page 25] gone, sent by God far out of Herods reach; and when it shall appeare in conclusion, that they have killed their own hypocri­tical people, and the sincere hearted, whom they aymed at are escaped, their vexation wil increase, and they will dye with sor­row.

Therefore now Judge if God be not the chief sufferer, because they will not leave God a seed on earth; you Saints of God, be not troubled to hear that your neighbours will plunder and kill you, and root out all Israel out of the land,2 Chron. 20. 15, &c. they cannot do it, God will fight for you a­gainst them, the cause is Gods, not yours; And in seeking your ruine, they will pull their own ruine speedily upon themselves, Pharaoh thought to destroy Israel, and his own destruction, which he thought least upon, was accomplished.

Be not troubled at these threatnings, but stand still, waite with a quiet peaceable heart on God,Exo. 14. 13 and see what a deliverance he will work for you; Assure your selves I see God working a great deliverance for you, your number shall increase, the num­ber of bloody minded men shall de­crease, therefore do you meet God by faith, and honour him, by owning him in [Page 26] the middest of these stormes; the enjoy­ment of your riches, friends or bodily life doth not make you happie, nor the losse of these cannot make you miserable; if you have these, it is the enjoyment of God within that gives you a sweet use of them without; if all be taken from you, it is your Fathers will to suffer it, and he will be honoured by it, your oppressions and sufferings will bring glory to him; And if you lose your life, then your work in done, therefore stand still with com­fort, in the place and condition God hath put you in; And say, Father, do with my e­state, my body, my life, what thou wilt, honour thy selfe in me, and by me, and thy will be done. Now if once God hath brought your spirit to this frame, then God is glorified on your behalf, for now the glory of Christ, the King of righte­ousnesse hath subdued the Serpent,1 Pet. 4. 13, 14. and is revealed in you. But God is evil spoken of, and doth suffer on their behalf that per­secute.

Now know you weake ones, that it is not you, but God, who is the greatest long sufferer in these times; it is not men, but the appearance of God in men, which the mysterie of iniquity strives against,2 Thes. 2. 4, 5. for do [Page 27] you not see how the spirit of lies would root out the spirit of truth, the spirit of envy would root out the spirit of love,Rev. 13. 6, 7. the spirit of hypocrisie would root out the the spirit of sincerity, the spirit of pride, and self honouring, would root out the spirit of humility that honours God, the spirit of self-will would root out the spi­rit of meekness and patience, that waits upon the will of God, the spirit of unfaith­ful rashness & discontent, would root out the spirit of quietness that is at restin God, the spirit of greedy covetousness, injustice and oppression, would root out the spi­rit of justice and tenderness that depends upon God. And in one word, the mysterie of iniquitie, Beast, whorish spirit, or flesh, having a time given him of God, to act and shew its wisdome and power, strvies might and maine to root out all appea­rance of God out of mankinde. But alas poor Serpent, thou must die thy self, Gods time is neer expired that he gave thee, and he is rooting thee out of mankinde, and consuming in the fire of his wrath;Ier. 23. 9. for he will become the Lord our righteous­ness, and dwell in flesh himselfe; this is Gods mysterie, which he is in and about to make publikely manifest amongst men.

[Page 28] But as yet hypocrisie raignes, and would raigne as King; And sincerity, which is God, is laughed to scorne. The national peace and liberty is pretended (that is, the outward shew of love to God) but secretly most men, both of high and low degree, intend either to inrich themselves with the kingdomes monies & ruins, or else by their secret un­derhand working, endeavour to vent their malice upon the kingdomes friends, even the Saints. And alas poor blinde creature, you work your own ruine; take Lot out of Sodome, and the vengeance of Gods Law fals immediatly, therefore you weak ones that are troubled, take notice, That God is most persecuted, hated, and fought a­gainst in these dayes, for the plaine truth is, the mysterie of iniquity would not have the God of love to have any appea­rance in earth; So that God is the great­est sufferer.

And therefore that truth which my soul most drives at, is this which follows: that though God suffer most,Iob 1. 12. yet it is not against his will,Dan. 12. 7 but with his will; And that this spirit of darknesse, or mysterie of iniquity, that fights against God, hath no power to act like it self, till God limit [Page 29] him that power, and limit him a time to act that power in. And here I shall shew in my experience, what I see and know the Devill is; And what the power of the Devill is, and by what power he workes.

The Devill or father of lies, in the full body of him, is unrighteous flesh, and the imaginations thereof.Gen. 3. 15. He is that Belzebub that sat among the sonnes of God,Iob 1. 6. that is, among the five sences or spirituall lights which God hath set in the soul; for the imagination of flesh will not submit it self to God, but is found a chiefe enemy a­gainst him.

And the pride of the flesh, envy, slavish feare, distrust, hypocrisie, carnall thoughts, selfe love,Iam. 1. 14. and the like, are particular De­vils, that first intices the soule, and after­wards brings him to trouble; and every one of those have particular degrees, like legions of Devils, which holds the crea­ture man, in bondage.

While a man enjoyes his lusts, he hath a seeming peace within himself. But when the holy law appears to discover those lurking Devils, then begins the creatures torment and slaverie; And this lets me see what the enmity of nature is between God and me.

[Page 30] The enmity in flesh, it is the spirit of envy and darknesse, which is Gods op­posite, as darknesse is opposite to light, and heat opposite to cold. And this workes in the creature, man, to maintaine its unclean beeing,Luke 11. 22. in opposition to the beeing of God. And while it hath its li­berty, sinfull man is in peace. But when God pleases that the declaration of righ­teousnesse shall take hold upon that en­mity, it throws the sinner presently under sorrowes, and breakes his peace to pieces. And this is that which the scrip­tures in my experience calls the Devil or murtherer; Even the enmity that is in my nature against God,Ephes. 2. 15, 16. which threw me un­der the flashings of Gods righteous law, which was enmity against me, and this I shall endeavour to clear.

CHAP. III.

BUt first of all, what is the righteous Law here to be understood? I Answer; It is not the words of the letter, called the ten Commandements, and therein only bound up;Isa. 8. 20. But it is the manifestations of God in all, or any one of his Attributes, [Page 31] shining forth upon, and in his creature, endeavouring by his spirituall power to swallow up all the motions and imagina­tions of the flesh into God. And so burn­ing up, (by the spirit of burning) all the dross of the flesh, that the creature may ap­peare pure gold. As thus, the manifestati­on of Gods wisdom to the heart,2 Cor. 5. 4 is direct­ly opposite to the wisdome of the flesh, and declares it to be folly, which inward discoverie troubles and shames the man, though none see and know it but himselfe. The manifestations of Gods love, humili­tie & truth, is directly opposite to the carnal love, carnal humilitie, & unrighteousness of the flesh. The chastitie and holinesse of God lets a man see his uncleannesse and filthy lust.1 Cor. 15. 54. The sincerity of God, shining forth upon the heart, discovers its hypo­crisie, and so of all other manifestations of God, being darted into the heart by the father; He declares the creature his weak­nesse, and that every way he comes short of the glory of God, by reason whereof the creature is filled with horror and tor­ment, which the eye of other men sees not, but stands and admires.

So then (here lies the mysterie, though to me it is an unfolded truth, for I speak [Page 32] what I know.) The Serpent or proud flesh, in all the imaginations of it, endea­vours to maintain its corrupt self, and to swallow up the Law of God, which is the pure spirit. But the Law of God, which is the wisdome and power of God, manifested in all the branches of it, to, and in the heart, doth swallow up the other in­to himself, and destroys and consumes all the powers of the flesh,Jer. 23. 5. and becomes the King of righteousness, ruling and dwel­ling in flesh.

Secondly, what is the power of the De­vill, and by what power doth he work? I answer: This is not a power distinct from God,Rom 7. 9. &c. as I have thought, that the Devill is a middle power between God and me, but it is the power of my proud flesh, and the power of Gods holy Law, clo­sing together, the one fighting against the other, and so slew me, and held me under bondage, as thus;

God bids the heart trust in him by in­ward whisperings, the heart not knowing God, looks after the creature, and thinks it cannot live without money, lands, help of men and creatures; This is the Devill that tempts. Well, the pure spirit, or ho­ly law within tels the heart, he must be [Page 33] stript of all these, and trust providence for subsistence; the heart while it hath use and plenty of all these, saith, yes, I will trust God for every thing. Yea, but when riches fayle, friends frowne, men with­draw help, and begin to speak evil, and to hate, and the heart sees it must trust in God, or starve, and yet it cannot, he hath no power, slavish feare and unbeliefe is so storng in him, then it begins to sinck; And it reasons thus,

I have no riches,1 Cor. 4. 11. no certain dwelling place, no way to get a subsistence, I am crossed in all,Mat. 8. 20. I have no cordiall friend, no succour from men;Psal. 41 9. if any seem to suc­cour me, it is for their owne ends, and when they have got what they can from me, they leave me, and turne enemies; so that the heart sees he is left alone, and in this low estate,Psal. 38. 2. feare & distrust,Psal. 69 2. two strong divels buffets the poor creature, and squizes his spirit flat, for he sees nothing fulfilled to him, he feeles no power from God, and his spirit droops. So that here is depth of misery in the hearts appre­hension, it is hedged in with sorrows on every side.

Let him look to men and creatures, and there is no help, all hath forsaken [Page 34] him, and stands aloofe off; let him look within himselfe, and he sees nothing but slavish feare, and unbelief▪ questioning the truth and power of God, how can such things be? and so beating him off from quiet closing with God, but labouring to make a breach between God and him­selfe. Heb. 12 6. Well; thy spirit is full of languishing, this is a very low ebb, but thou art not for­saken of the father, though thy perswa­sion is much shaken; the reason of all is this, The pure law of the spirit is scorching and burning up the unbeliefe of thy flesh, to make thee know God, and to make thee bright in the eyes of God and men here­after. Now speake, if this be not true, you that have waded in,Isa. 12. 6. or through this fire, some are wading in this fire, few have waded through it, all must be burned here­in, more or lesse, before they lie down quietly in the lap of providence.

Well,Col. 1. 13. this is the power of darknesse and bondage, under which the divell, or troubles within, doth buffet you. The power of my unrighteous flesh strives to maintain the kingly power in me, and the righteous Law, or the pure spirit strives to maintain his owne righteous and king­ly power in me, by tredding the other un­der [Page 35] foot; If proud flesh stand, then the the King of glory in me must be destroy­ed, but if he keep the field, and raigne in me, then the head of my troubles, which is the Serpent, must be bruised; And this is the enmity of natures between God and me, this is the Divell; and the power of this Divell, or enmity, doth not worke without the will, but according to the will of God, in killing the disobe­dient creature; when the serpent in flesh kills, then the creature, man, dies from God: but when the law comes and kills, then the creature begins to live again to God.

The flesh and darknesse within me,Rev. 12. 9. is the Divell, that is, the father of lies, that never spoke truth. And the power of the perfect law taking hold thereupon, threw me under sorrow, and sealed up my miserie, and this is utter darknesse, for my soul lived below the life and na­ture of God in sin and disobedience, and while that strong man kept the house, I had peace, and I lived below the com­forts and joyes of God, in sorrowes and miserie, under the sence of Gods wrath for that sin, and then my sinfull peace was ta­ken from me: And this is Hell, yea, and [Page 36] extremitie of the power of darknesse.

But this Divell is not a middle power, distinct from God, between God and the creature, and so waits as a Gaoler to do his Office when the Judge condemns the sinner, as some say, and as I thought; but it is the power of proud flesh, and the power of the pure spirit mixing together; not as friends,Gen. 3. 24. but enemies, opposing each other, and so killing the weaker party, the creature, and taking peace from him. And though God suffer the Divell to act, and gives him a power sometimes over the creature, yet God doth suffer it, not to ruine his creature man,Eph 2 15. but to ruine the Divell, to bruise that serpents head, and to reconcile the creature to himselfe, and so to raise him up to enjoy the life of God, that is dead under the power of the Divell.

This proud flesh, or Divell, is called the wicked one, in his severall degrees, in mankinde, which is the serpent, which bends his bow, and makes ready his ar­rowes, that he may shoot privily at him that is upright in heart, that is, at the ap­pearance of God in the heart of man, in every degree and measure of it.

This is that envious, uncleane, and wick­ed [Page 37] man that gathers to himselfe, and that scatters from Christ; for let a man, in whom any measure of this serpent rules, preach, pray, beare rule, or do any thing, he gives not the honour to God, but he gathers up the honour to himselfe, for he is full of selfe-seeking, and selfe-praise, and this is the wicked one, whether he be little or big; And God is angrie with this wicked one every day: And this lordly power of the serpent must be killed, before the manifestations of the fathers love favour sweet to the creature.

This is the father of lies,Ioh. 8. 44. this is the tem­pter, 2 Thes. 2. 4. this is he that deceives the Nations; this proud flesh that would sit in Gods Temple,Rev. 17. 5. and be as God,Rev. 20. 7. 10. is the mysterie Babylon, the mother of all abominations, this is the first mover to all enmity against God, for it will not own the Father, the King of glory. But now it is the righte­ous Law that makes this appear to be en­mity; for light discovers darknesse, and the spirit of fire discovers coldnesse. Now the great mysterie of God is this, he will remove this great stone or mountain that lies between him and his creature; for he will swallow up his own dispensation of wrath, as the creature cals it, which is the [Page 38] Law of holinesse, proving the creature a sinner, and so casting him under sorrow, which is sense of wrath, and he will swal­low up the enmity of our natures into love,Eph. 2. 15. even into himself, and so to make of two, one, when this mixed murderer is cast out of heaven.

And this devil, or murderer appears, sometimes within a man, in troubling and filling the heart and flesh with sorrows and misery; and sometimes he appears without: when the spirit of proud flesh in other men envies me, God may, and many times gives way that that spirit of envy shall go forth and prosper, and en­joy his will; for if the envy, hypocrisie, and cruelty that breaths in others be acted upon me, it is not the will of that envious spirit for my ruine, but the will of God is done, in suffering that spirit to act for its own ruine, and my healing: And truly I have a great perswasion, that though God suffer this unclean spirit to run up and down, and range in this Kingdom of Eng­land, yet God will heal England in con­clusion, and cast this devil or unclean spirit into the lake of fire, and so consume him.

There is one Scripture that gives great light into this truth.Iob 1. 12. The devil, troubler, [Page 39] or spirit of darkness in other men did en­vy Job, (which indeed is but the imagina­tion of proud envious flesh, for this is Bel­zebub that devises mischief) and told God, that if he would lay his hand upon him, Job would curse him to his face. Imagina­tion thought (arising from envy) that af­flictions would be a means to make a breach between God and Job, as those wicked men did imagine in Wisdom 2. 21. Well, God said Amen to the request of that evill spirit, behold, saith God to the devil, Job is in thy hand, even under that very power of temptation and suffering as thou wouldst have him to be under, on­ly touch not his life; so that here is a pow­er limited to Satan, or to the envy of flesh in other men against Job; but this pow­er is not Satans power properly, distinct from God, but it is the very power of God, which the God of wisdom hath gi­ven and limited to Satan, whereby God will honour himself, and shame the de­vil, and bruise his head by Jobs sufferings.

The spirit of envy imagines, that if Jobs Cattle and goods should be taken away by robbery, it would vex him, and make him speak evill of God, therefore desires that such a crosse might befall Iob; and [Page 40] God said Amen, I grant thee thy desire, let that befall him.

The spirit of envy imagines, that if Iobs house was burned, and his children killed, it would make him blaspheme God, and therefore desires that power; God said Amen, I grant thee that power so to do to him.

The spirit of envy imagines another mischief, and would have Iob filled with diseases in his body, and would have his friends and kindred forsake him, and to be a bitter crosse to him; God said Amen, let it be so.

Now these evils are acted upon Iob, as if the devill did it by his power, distinct from God, but no, it is by Gods power, limited to the devil, at the devils request: not so much to gratifie the devil, as by this means to bruise his head; for God makes use of Satans malice, in desiring these mi­series to befall Iob, to do two things, first to try Iob, and to make him the more bright and faithfull to God, as he ap­peared afterward: And secondly to shame envy and the devil by his own wea­pon; Luk. 11. 22. for such means as the devil did ima­gine would make Iob to curse God, God uses the same, and thereby made Iob to [Page 41] worship him more experimentally.

The spirit of pride, covetousnesse, and envy desired to sit in Gods Temple (Man­kinde) and not only in the whole bulk of Mankinde, but in that part which is neerest and dearest to God, even the Spouse of Christ, or elect City, that thereby he might the more provoke God: Well, God said Amen, and grants him a power to sit there, and to rule and tred the holy City under foot forty two moneths,Dan. 7. 25. or for a time, times, and a half time; and now the devil raigns not by a power absolute of his own, but by a limited power, and a limited time too given him from God.

And truly all this time Satan hath made use of this power, and his malice hath ap­peared very violent, and not only the Saints, but God in the Saints especially hath suffered; for his wisdom, his love, his patience, his faithfulnesse and truth hath been tempted and tryed to purpose: I, but the King of righteousnesse is the same, he alters not, and therefore in conclusion, when the righteous Law takes away this limited power which this devil and wick­ed one desired and obtained, it will then appear it did him no good, but proves his utter shame and ruine, and declares God [Page 42] to be the only one infinite beeing, to the eternall glory of his own name.

And so in these dayes, we see and feel great troubles and temptations do com­passe men round, and it appears to the eye of man, as if envy hypocrisie, pride, and self-will ruled as it would himself, and as if there were no power to restrain this flood of ungodlinesse: I, but dear friends, know that all this power of tem­ptation which you see in the hand of ma­lice and hypocrisie, it is not their own power, but Gods power, or the dispensa­tion of visible wrath, which God hath put into the hand of that evil spirit for a time. It is not his own absolutely, but it is a li­mited power and time;Dan. 8. 23. and this speaks great comfort to the Saints, for God will bring good out of all this; God, our God and Father, stands and looks on, and the end of all this hurly-burly will bring ever­lasting glory to the Father, in and through his Saints, and everlasting shame and ruin to the devil.

Therefore be not troubled you Saints of the most high, though you be hated, re­proached, and persecuted, for if you would see Satans head bruised, you must first suf­fer your heel to be bruised by his tempta­tions; [Page 43] so that reason tells you, that there is a necessitie that the Divell should enjoy a limited time, and power.

Well, God himself suffers most in these times; for though Satan get a power to try and tempt the saints, and to trouble the world, yet the envy of the flesh prin­cipally strikes at God; for pride fights a­gainst humilitie, malice fights against love, falshood fights against sincerity, ig­norance fights against knowledge, self-will in flesh, fights against the King of glory, the pure spirit that dwels in flesh; So that God himself is the sufferer: But that Satan, or father of lies shoots at; and the Father suffers it thus to be, and limits him a pow­er thus to fight against him, that in con­clusion he may send forth the brightness of his Law, and bruise Satans head by his own weapons, and Judge, and condemne him by the words of his own mouth, and works of his own hands,Ier. 23. 36. and swallow up that spirit of envy and darkness into him­self, the spirit of love, which is the power of God, yea God himself, and so takes him out of the way that troubles his Saints, that they may rest and lie down sweetly in him, and to have no troubler at all to trouble them, when this accuser is once cast out of Heaven.

[Page 44] The Saints in all their afflictions look upon the hand of God that smites them,Iob 1. 21. as Iob did; but unbeleevers that live after the flesh, think it is the Devils power, and not God:

CHAP. III.

NOw this adverse power, which men readily think is the Devils power, distinct from Gods, as though God had no hand in it, appears to me, to be the very power of God in an immediate dispensation of wrath upon the sinner; and that which we call Devill, that terrifies, is but the declaration of the rigour of the righteous law of God, laying hold upon the corruption that is in the creature, which the sinner cannot look upon, and live; for if God look upon any creature through the righteous law, which the crea­ture, man, hath gone astray from, he can­not live. But when the law of love hath swallowed that law of works that requi­red perfection from the creature, then the brightness & power of that love shining upon the heart, and changing the man in to the same nature and glory, makes him [Page 45] able to behold God, and live; yea, and to live joyfully too, both in him, and before him; But let me not digress too far.

The adverse power spoken of, is the very dispensation of the wrath of God upon sinners, and there is one scripture doth countenance this;Gen. 2. 24. which is this, So he drove out the man, and placed at the East of the garden of Eden, Cherubins, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. By tree of life is meant God himself, in whom Adam dwelt; And Adam himself, was that living garden in whom God delighted; But since Adam began to delight in him­self, he went out of God, and God set this flaming sword to flash against Adam, that so he might come into God again, and taste, and eat, and delight himselfe in that tree of life, till it was the good plea­sure of God to take him in again. And so all sinners stand without the spirit, till God pull them into himself, in his own time and season; But that creature that is beginning to look in, by desires, and in­quirings, and precious delight towards God, is in the way of entrance, and when the spirit of burning is made manifest, he shall then enter in, and finde rest.

[Page 46] Well, Adam is gone out of God, and this flaming sword is set against him, that he shall not enter in again; but Adam sees not this mysterie, because the love of self had blinded his eyes; And Adam is hid from God among the trees and leaves of self-aspiring principles that rise up in him, to which he gave consent, to be a more knowing man then God had made him,2 Pet. 2. 2. and he could not see God through these, the love of selfe was so thick: This teaches every one to waite upon the Fa­ther for pure teaching, and to covet after no more knowledge, then what is freely given them.

Now the Father is beginning to work a great mysterie, and that is, to pull Adam out of selfish flesh again, and to plant him into the pure spirit, and so to bring him into the most fruitfull garden of Eden. But this God would not do presently, but in length of time; and Adam neither could, nor should come back again to de­ny self and flesh, and to acknowledge the Father his all in all, till the Father was pleased to appoint a time when he would manifest himselfe in Adam. And there­fore for the present, God hath set this fla­ming sword, which turns every way, to [Page 47] keep the way of the tree of life; Adam must not come in, to live in the pure spi­rit again,Zach. 3. 4. till he be changed, and his filthy garments taken from him by the fa­thers own hand, and in the fathers own time.

Now I conceive, and truly I finde in my own experience, that this flaming sword is the enmity of natures spoken of, w^ch is set in our hearts since the fall, being a mixture of opposite natures, & so a frighting, and killing the creature with terror; So that let me go or come, think or do, or turne any way, this enmity hath met with me, terrifing and troubling of me; for I could apprehend nothing from God but anger; And so long as I looked upon God as an angry God, I could not look upon him and live, but was as a stranger to the peace and rest of God, and I lay under bond­age.

Now all afflictions, crosses, troubles, straits, that I met withall, & the of death, or feare of dangers, or feares that some Devill, or spirit would take hold upon me if I were alone in any dark room, or in the night, I thought it was the Devill, some third power between God and me, that affrighted me; But alas, now I see it [Page 48] was but the dispensation of Gods wrath, the shinings forth of the righteous law up­on me, which, as fire, scorched & burned the enmity of my nature, & so became a tor­ment to me, though I saw it not, and that flamed, and flashed against me, which way so ever I went; So that this adverse pow­er that troubles the creature, is not a De­vill distinct from God, but it is the very power of Gods righteous law, or dispen­sation of his wrath, yea, the spirit of burn­ing, Ephes. 2. 14, 15. which appeares very terrible, by rea­son of the enmity of nature that is be­tween God and the sinner, for there is no agreement between God and the sinner, for sinners are at a distance from God in place and comfort, till there be a oneness wrought between God and them, by the power of the anointing, Christ. And then this Devill vanishes, the enmity dies, the flaming sword is taken away, and then the Father appeares in manifestations of love, peace, and oneness, to the joy, life, liberty, and peace of the creature, which way so­ever he goes. Then the creature looks not upon God as an angrie God, but a God of love to him, whatsoever befalls him. Let him meet with afflictions, crosses, pri­son, frownes of friends, sickness, death, [Page 49] any thing, still the poor redeemed soul can say, this is the good will of my loving Fa­ther, his will be done. Now the bondage, the enmity, the flaming sword, and Di­vell is taken away; and the creatures taste and eat daily of the tree of life, even live in God, and God in them; and here is li­berty. Now Adam is come into the gar­den again, and finds rest in God, and there is none to keep him out of this enioyment any longer.

The Apostle Paul cleares this,Eph 2. 15 when he speaks what Jesus Christ the Anoynting does for sinners, saith, he hath abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of Commandments, and so making peace; and that he might reconcile both Jews and Gentiles to God, in one body, by the cross, having slaine the enmity thereby.

So that now you see, for what reason God set the flaming sword in Adam, the living garden; that this Enmity might ap­peare, and work, till the time and season of the Father came; That the Anoynting, Christ, who is the wisdome and power of the Father, did come and take it away, and reconcile him, and his offending crea­ture, so making peace by uniting them into one spirit of love; throwing down all [Page 50] partition walls, taking away the dispen­sation of wrath, or Divell, and murtherer, and now shines in the bright beames of love in the soule.

Let God and man be made friends, and you never here of a Divell to trouble, or affright, or kill any more; therefore this Divell,2 Cor. 3. 6. &c. or adverse power, is no other, but the dispensation of wrath, through the strictness of a righteous Law, which the creature lies under, by reason of disobedi­ence; and when the Anoynting hath made God and the creature meet in love each to other, the enmity dies, and the murther­ing Divell vanishes away, and is cast in­to the lake of fire,Rev. 20. 15. and so consumed, and shall never affright, or terrifie the creature any more.

Indeed, while these enmities are in force, there is great flashings one against the o­ther, and sometimes there is troubles within a man, horror and trembling, and secret burning; and sometimes frightings, and apparisions of wrath without a man; but all these are but the effects of a righ­teous law, occasioned through enmity of natures, but I say, when the Anoynting hath made a oneness, so that God dwels, and rules in man, and man lives in God; then [Page 51] all those frightings are taken away.

But is there no divel that tempted Christ? or that opposes God? yes, it is the pow­er of darkness, or spirit of enmity, that was the first fruit that sprang up from man­kinde after he was made, and which does yet dwel and rule in disobedient flesh; untill Christ, the power of God, who is stronger, come and cast him out.

For as those whisperings of flesh, that rise up in Adam, wich was the serpent that inticed him to disobey; did move A­dam with a tickling desire to be more wise and honourable then God at present had set him in, to which Adam gave con­sent, and so eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evill, even his own selfe and imagination.

The same whisperings of flesh appeared in the humane nature Jesus Christ: for he was thereby inticed to dislike that condi­on his father had put him in; for first he was moved to murmur against the father, as though his father were carelesse of his son, in letting him fast forty dayes,Mat. 4. 3. and forty nights; and so the flesh would have had Christ to have waited no longer on his fa­ther, but to Command those stones to be­come bread. But Christ rejected that in­ticement.

[Page 52] Then the flesh begins to move him to presume upon his fathers protection, that is, to cast himselfe down from the pinacle of the Temple, upon this conceit, that he was the son of God, this is an unreasonable attempt, even mere confusion, as all the wisdome of the flesh is. But Christ rejects this likewise.

Then the flesh intices him to Convetous­ness, and vaine glory, after the things of the world; and told him, that if he would cease waiting upon the fathers providence, and follow the imaginations of the flesh, all the glory of the world should be his; for the imagination of the flesh thinks it can compasse any thing by its own wit and policy. But Christ rejects this likewise; and because he was the son, he delighted to obey, and to wait upon his father, and was content with his condition his fa­ther had put him in; so that here was whis­perings of unbelief, whisperings of pride, and whisperings of covetousness, and vaine glory, all which are the fruits of the flesh.

But Jesus Christ gave no consent there­unto, as Adam the first man did, but stil kept close to his father, & sinned not; so that here was the divell, the motions, and imagina­tions [Page 53] of the flesh, the father of lies that tempted Adam, and slew him; And here was the same divell that tempted Christ, for he did partake of flesh, and was temp­ted in all things like unto us; But Christ slew him, and cast him out of heaven, hu­mane flesh,Eph. 1. 14. and therefore this Anoynting, is said to be the earnest of our Inheri­tance, that as this power of God did dwell in Jesus, and trod the divell, the father of lies, the fleshy imagination under his feet, so that he killed him that killed Adam, and us in him; even so the same power in the fathers times and seasons will bruise the same Serpents head in every son and daughter of Adam, and tread them un­der his feet in them.

But till such time as Christ hath finished this great mysterie,Gen. 3. 24. there is, & will be trou­blers in this flesh, our bodies; for the ri­sings up of a mans own concupiscence will trouble him, and the flaming sword, the dispensations of the righteous law, laying hold thereupon, will affright and terrifie the enslaved creature, and raise mountains of miserie against him; and so from hence comes all those horrors within a man, and all those alterations, and hurly burlies in the world, upon, mens estates, families, [Page 54] and persons, as we see befell Iob, which losses and miseries to Iob, were the breakings forth of a righteous law up­on Iob, tempered by the wisdome of God, not for Iobs hurt, or the Devills good, but for Iobs liberty and peace with God, and for the devils utter shame and distruction.

Well, in all your troubles, I could wish you could look upon the hand of God that smites, and not upon the Devill at a distance from God, as I have done, and I know you do; for when God is pleased to open your eyes, as to see that it is he that smites, affrights, torments, shakes king­doms, families, estates, & persons, through the power of his righteous law, which all flesh have gone astray from, and which the power of darkness, even the imagination of your proud flesh stil flashes against. I say, if the father please to let you see this, then that which you call devill will appeare to be in you, & his power wil appear to your sight, & you will see that by the power of the Anointing, the law of love (and by no other power) you will & must be set free from the devil in short time. For first, the Father doth quicken and awake you, and then he takes away the flaming sword, & causes the creature that was lost, to come into him, and to taste, and eat of [Page 55] him, who is the tree of life, and so to wait upon him, and live for ever.

The Apostle Paul saith, it is the letter that kils, but the Spirit gives life; that is, the strictnesse of a righteous Law being broken by the creature, it kils the crea­ture; for this is the flaming sword that turns every way upon the thoughts, words, and actions of the sinner, present­ing nothing but wrath, misery, and death in the inward sight of the minde. But now the Spirit, the Law of love, this quickens, and unites the Father and his creature a­gain, and makes them one: This Spirit doth burn up, and cast away the flesh, and that enmity, and it casts the dispensation of wrath out of Gods hand, and so re­moves that enmity likewise.

And now God appears not in anger, as an enemy, and his Declarations are not in terms of killing, and bruising, and making the creature grone under mi­sery, affrightings, and death: But he ap­pears in manifestations of love, peace, and fatherly oneness:Rev. 12. 10. Now all the clouds and storms are blown over, and the love of the father shines bright and hot upon the soul, making it fruitfull in love, joy, and peace, in humility, obedience, and de­light [Page 56] in God, now the troubler, or devill is cast out, and goes; and there is a one­nesse of life, peace, liberty and joy be­tween God and his creature. Wel, this may be a burthen to some, to heare me thus speak, but to you that the son hath given liberty to, I am confident it will drop a pretious favour into your spirit.

CHAP. IV.

A poor soule that lies under bondage, before the father sets him free, is troubled in a two-fold sence; both which are the fruits or effects of the righteous law,2 Cor. 5. 4. which hath first slaine the creature, by taking advantage of disobedience, and then holds him under the bondage of that death, till the law of love swal­low up the murtherer, and set the creature free.

First, the poor enslaved creature is tos­sed with many troubles within his own spirit, which no man sees but himselfe, such as these; sometimes he cannot pray, then he is troubled; & when he doth pray, he either misplaces his words, or he hath [Page 57] been too long, or too short, or some self-praysing thoughts arise, and then he is trou­bled; he cannot understand, nor speak what is in his heart, and when he findes himself able to speake, then memory fayles him, and then he is troubled; when people do not regard him for his preaching and praying then he is trou­bled; when others tell him that he must cease praying, and preaching, and self-acting, and wait upon the Father for his pure teaching, for time is coming that e­very one must be taught of God, and this troubles him very much. Well, all these troubles, and such like, proceed from the shinings forth of the righteous law upon the proud heart, and he cannot bear it, because he seeks himselfe more then God; the unbelief of the heart lives by sence upon the creature; the law of God tels the heart, he must trust God, and not man, and though all sence fayl him from men and creatures, yet to waite upon God, but this troubles him, he cannot wait, and if he do wait, he questions whether he shall have such things he is bid to wait for; and the poor heart lies under great tossings.

Again, in his course of trading in the world, if he ask sometimes too little, or [Page 58] sometimes too much for his wares, then he is troubled, and do what he can, his heart is troubled, because he thinks he might have done better; when business goes cross to his minde, he is troubled; whether it be fair weather or fowl, if it be not just to his minde, he is troubled.

Then appears pride, covetousnesse, frowardness, uncleaness springing up in his heart, and these trouble him; if he cannot speak for God, when others speak against him, as he thinks, then he is trou­bled; if he do speak of the things of God, then his heart tels him he is an hypocrite, or self-lover, and then he is trobled; so that there arises not a thought in his heart, but there is some fretting, or trouble tyed to it.

And vvhat are all these, and such like, but even a legion of devils, or troublers, that holds the creature under bondage, and torments him thus in hell day and night. I call it a hell, for it is a condition of darkness, below the life, comfort, and peace of God. All these are wrought in the soul by the righteous Law; for the creature strives to be wise, and the Law proves him a fool; he would fain be righ­teous, and the light of the Law shews him [Page 59] he is a wicked hypocrite; he would fain have faith and holiness in him, and the Law shews him he is an unbelieving sinner; he would fain enjoy the peace of God, and yet enjoy himself too, the Law tels him, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily if he would enjoy God; he would fain be counted some body for wisdom, faith, prayer, preaching, the Law tels him, all is as good as nothing, because he goes forth in his own strength, and the power of the father is absent.

And thus the Law is that flaming sword, which turns every way upon the sinner, and scorches the poor imprisoned soul in every thought of his heart,Luke 4. 18. burning up his pride and self-conceit; so that the righte­ous Law raigns like a Tyrant in,Esa. 61. 1, 2. and over the poor prisoner; and while the soul is thus tormented by the dispensation of wrath, the envious spirit of darkness that rules in other men, delights to see this poor creature thus under bondage, and so casts jeers, slanders, reproaches, and hard usage upon him: Envy rejoyces in others misery, even as Love rejoyceth in the liberty and life of others. But poor soul, know this, that God is burning up thy dross, and ere long vvill set thee at li­berty, [Page 60] and the fire of love that burns in thee, will break forth to thy comfort, and then he will give thee power to rejoyce over the Devill,Heb. 1 13. and to set thy feet upon his neck as a conquered slave, even as he makes thee his slave now.

Then secondly, This same imprisoned creature that lies under the Law, being as yet not set free by the Son, meets with many troubles without, and these are but dispensations of wrath, as the other was likewise, as sicknesse, frowns of friends, hatred of men, losses of his estate by fire, water, being cheated by false spirited men, death of his cattle, or many such like casualties, whereby he becomes poor in the world, and meets with many straits, as hard language, hungry belly, to be de­spised, imprisoned, and abundance of such provocations in the vvorld.

And it may be meets with fearfull Appa­risions in the night or day, that terrifies him; as it was Jobs case, he was filled with terrors in the night; sometimes these trou­bles lie within a mans spirit in griefs, and sadpressures, & inward burnings of trouble and torment, which no man is sensible of but himself, and sometimes it breaks forth in bitter words and speeches, through op­pression [Page 61] of the spirit, to the disturbance of others, and this is called madness, or distraction, which grows upon a man, when the pure Law doth cross his carnall imagi­nation, wilfull will, pride, covetous; or lust­full desires, then doth the distemper of his troubled spirit break out.

But when Christ comes and sets him free,Luke. 21. 17. &c. then he comes to see, that whatsoever did befall him, must befall him, it was the will of the father, for the burning up of his dross, and pride of flesh, and shall be made to say, Father, thy will be done, and for ever, yea, infinitely for ever be thy name praised, that thou hast given me such a heart to be content, and submit in love and meekness to thee, and to take e­very thing in love from thee, this is thine own handiwork, it was not thus former­ly, but thou hast drawn me through a nip­ping,Heb. 4. 3. and pinching wilderness, into this land of Canaan, even to lie down in rest in thine own bosome, praysed be thy name.

Yea, but the poor troubled soul is of­fended at my words, and thinks, and saies, this cannot be, it is impossible that any man should have such a frame of spirit. Alas poor man, I have been as thou art, [Page 62] but if thou canst believe in Gods love and power, from the testimony of another, thou wilt believe this for a truth: But if thou cannot believe,Iohn 6. 45. but yet remain troubled, he that feels the sweetness of such a work of God, knows it to be a truth; wait upon God as thy fellow servant doth, for his pure teaching, and thou wilt finde him the same to thee as he is to another.

Paul writes of one that was in Christ be­fore him; and so, though thou wade through flames of fire, to imbrace God in thine armes, thy comforts will be the sweeter, thy experience the more, and thou wilt greatly rejoyce, in that thou hast been in so hot a fire, when the father causes thee to lie down in his bosom the liberty in this rest is now so sweet to thee.

And truly friends, let me tell you; that which hath been often of late whispered into my spirit, and I believe there is something in it; that this wrath, bit­ternesse, and discontent that appeares generally in mens spirits in England, one against another, upon the breakings forth of the truths of God, doth whisper in my spirit, that the Father hath cast England into the fire,Ier. 23. 5, 6. and is purging the drosse from the gold, that liberty is not far off, [Page 63] and that the plentifull pouring out of the Anoynting, even the spirit of love, truth, and onenesse is near at hand; and that England, Scotland, and Ireland, so set at liberty from the bondage of the ser­pent within, and the dispensation of wrath without, shall be the tenth part of the City Babylon that shall fall off first, and bow down at the feet of the Anoynting,Esa. 60. 14. which is the wisdom and power of God, that rules in flesh, as Esay prophesied, but whether God will manifest so great a work in this kingdome, or no, at this time, his will be done; but this I know, much may be said of the workings of Gods power in this kinde in particular mens ex­perience, and as the father enlarges his hand, this manifestation of his love will spread.

There is more hopes of a bitter storm­ing spirit to be brought into God,Rev. 21 8. as this kingdome is generally full of, then of a smooth,Rev. 22. 25. close, fawning, hypocriticall, self seeking, fearefull spirit, that playes of all sides, for self-ends sake. God received persecuting and bitter spirited Paul to mercy, when as he let hypocriticall, self­seeking Simon Magus go by, as it were not counting him worth the minding.

[Page 64] All that I shall say, is this; you Saints of God, that taste how sweet the love of the father is,Act. 9. 1. bear patiently with hot spirits, God doth beare with them, for he suffers more then you, he is called the great long sufferer;Esa. 61. 1. and when Gods love begins to shine forth upon them, he can, and it may be wil make some of them to out-strip you in experience of his love, good will, and power, and so fill them abundantly with the spirit of joy.

But some do object against what I have spoken, and say, are not those An­gels which fell, devils distinct from God, as man is distinct from God;Jud 6. as Jude speaks, And the Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in chaines of darkness, unto the Judgement of the great day.

To answer this: First I shall note; that as heaven is set before us in a two-fold glory; so are Angels.

As first,1 Cor 3. 17. every particular Saint is a true heaven, or place of glory; not only be­cause the Father dwels in him, but because he dwels in the Father likewise, as thus; the Father delights in him, and manifests himselfe to this his son, and his son by the clear sight, and feeling of this manifestati­on [Page 65] is filled with joy and glory in his Fa­ther; so that here is a mutuall fellowship of joy, and oneness of love between them. And this is Gods Kingdome, even for flesh to be filled with Gods glory, and indwel­ling presence in love; and this is heaven in a lesser sence.

Secondly, the whole City Sion is true heaven, or a place of the fathers glory, which is but the perfection of the former joy, for as the father dwels and rules as a King of righteousnesse and love, in one Saint, so he dwells in all, and all of them dwell in him;1 Cor. 1. 31. as he enjoyes them for his delight, so they enjoy him for their de­light.

And as all, and every one of them sees, enjoyes, and glories in the Father, so they see, enjoy and glory one in another, every one knowing, seeing, and sweetly rejoycing in the unity,1 Cor. 12. 31. and oneness of each others spirit it being the spirit of the father,Ephes. 4 6. nay, the father himself, who is the spirit that fills all in all; and knits them together into one body, treading down all oppressing powers of the flesh for ever, under their feet; and this is heaven in the largest sence, which every particu­lar son and daughter of the father shall [Page 66] enjoy hereafter, though they are now scattered abroad among the Sodomites of this unrighteous world, that vexes their pretious soules from day to day.

And as heaven, I say, is set before us in this two-fold glory, so the Angels are set before us in a two-fold glory likewise.

For first, the particular sparks of glory, or heavenly principles in man, which the father hath set as lights, to make known himselfe in his Saints; as love, humility, sincerity, content, and rest in God, and such like, these are Angels, and Angels of glory too; because they are sparks of glo­ry issued out of the father, into earthen vessels, and makes them to become the salt of the earth, and light of the world.

Then secondly, Men that are wholly ta­ken up into God, are called Angels, such as have all their sences spiritually exerci­sed in the father, that can see, hear, taste, smell, and handle the excellent and glorious father; and so Jesus Christ being a man so taken up into the father, for he was a man fully anointed, the God-head dwelt bodily in him;Col. 2. 9. he was called an Angel, the Arch-Angell, and Angel of his presence, for he was the glorious sparke, and light of the father.

[Page 67] And when men shall be, and are so ta­ken up into God, they are called Angels, and Angels of heaven too; because the father dwels, and glories in them, and they live, dwell, and glory in the father, and these are the Angels, which the father sends to do his will.

As first, the severall measures of his spi­rit are sparks of his glory; as love, joy, humility, sincerity, and peace in God, and such like; these are particular Angels, which the father sends down into humane flesh, to keep it in all his wayes, that it may not desperately blasphem God, and so dash against the rock; and such Angels as these every son and daughter of the father doth enjoy, more or lesse; and if it were not for these, temptations would presently overcome them, but these are spirituall powers from God, that keep them upright in all their wayes, and which makes them differ from the world.

And then, for men that are wholly ta­ken up into God, as Moses, and as Christ was, they are ministers or Angels, which the father sends forth to speake, and do his will before, and in the world; there­fore let the world in these dayes learne meeknesse, and wisdome, and lay aside [Page 68] their envy, lest in the day of account they be found beating and killing such as the father sends in his name.Ioh 5 43.

But now to answer to the objection: We are to note, that Angels in this latter sence, which are men taken up into God, and made perfect, can never fall from God, and so become Devils and enemies against God; for this is the work of re­demption, which is unchangable, and the father dwels and rules in them, and hath bruised the serpents head in them, never to revive again in them; and they likewise live, and dwell in God, whose power treads all enemies under their feet.

And they have the sparks of glory, or Angels of light within them; which are the severall measures of the fathers spirit poured into them, which remaines for ever; and they themselves are Angels of light, sent from the father, to do his will here in this low condition of weak flesh.

But now Angels in the former sence, which are divine sparks of glory, planted in humane nature, in its first creation, which was the habitation where they were seated; these are faln from their excellency, and are become Devils, or e­vill Angels, or spirituall powers of dark­nesse. [Page 69] I shall declare what I know by An­gels that fell; they were those glorious lights, and sparks of glory, shining An­gels of light, in their severall measures and degrees, which God had placed in the hu­mane nature, Adam, before his fall. As his love of God, delight in God, Peace and rest in God, humilitie before God, obedience and selfe deniall before God, and all such like; these all lived in God, for he was the Center from which they came, and to which they reflected back again, they being all alive within Adam, and Adam being alive within them.

But when Adam hearkened to the whispering of that a spiring selfishnesse, that was the serpent, which twisted it self round about the tree, Adam, and every glorious light that was in that humane creation; and when Adam (or indeed any man, or woman) doth give way to self, and eat of that fruit, that is, delight in self, above the King of righteousnesse in man then those glorious Angels left God their habitation, and took up their glory within the circle of humane de [...]ed flesh, and so become enmity against God.

For now the mans love is turned from living in the King of righteousnesse, to live [Page 70] in corrupted flesh,Isa. 59. 14. it is become a selfe love, and so envious against God; his delight and his joy is become self delight, he glo­ries in himself, which is his pride; his obe­dience doth live in himselfe, for he gives way to all the whisperings of the flesh, and lusts within himself; but disobeys the command of righteousnesse within him. And further, his sincerity is turned in­to hypocrisie, and his imagination works strongly, how to please the flesh, in the motions of it, not how to please the spirit of truth and holinesse,

And now those glorious sparkes which were Angels of light, while they lived in God, and reflected upon him, are become Angels of darknesse, or legions of devils, murtherers, or deceivers, according to their many degrees and measures, while they live in unrighteous flesh, and reflect upon the disobedient creature, to main­tain and to honour the being of the flesh, before the righteous God that governs in the flesh; thus they are faln.

And these devils or deceivers (for in­deed pride, covetousnesse, and the ima­gination of proud flesh doth deceive e­very man) they are reserved in chaines of darknesse, &c.

[Page 71] These chains are the dispensations of Gods wrath through his righteous Law; for upon every one, and upon all of these faln Angels, the righteous sparks, or brea­things forth of the righteous Law, like a flame of fire, turning every way, meets with them,Gen. 3. 24. bindes them, keeps them in, and restrains them within bonds: so that God hath these powers of self-seeking flesh at his command; they cannot appear, nor act but by his leave.

Pride, self-love, envy, hypocrisie, sub­tilty, cruelty, cannot act, but by his leave; and when he doth suffer them to act, then his righteous Law is presently made mani­fest, following their heels like fire, burning up the stubble.

For God never suffers these devils to appear, either within a man, or by some violent way to break forth of men for the hurt one of another; but he makes use thereof to ruine and destroy that power of darkness, even that poysonous power of covetous flesh.

And they are called chains of darkness, in opposition to the Law of perfect love and liberty; for while these Angels lived in God, they had no restraint, for love God, and thou art at liberty, thy whole [Page 72] soul is free, and no bondage lieth upon thee.

But when thou lovest self and flesh, then all thy powers run self-ward, and then the flaming sword, which is the righteous spirit of burning, doth flame upon thee, burns thee, and restrains thee, and holds thee under bondage: But how long?

Till the Judgement of the great day, that is, till the power of Christ do make it appear to the mans clear knowledge, that self and flesh is the devill and serpent,Rev. 20. 15. and by his power of righteousness, doth not only judge and condemn that ser­pent, but casts him into the lake of fire, and consumes him to nothing, as if his power had never been; and so sets the creature free, according to the mysterie of God.

And here note, that the restauration, or salvation which is pointed at in the letter of the Scripture, doth lie in the restoring of the creature, Mankinde, from the pow­er of these Angels of darkness; and Man­kindes redemption lieth in the breaking of those chains of darkness asunder, and so taking him into the life, liberty, and peace of the King of righteousness. As thus,

Whereas in this present poysoned e­state [Page 73] of Mankinde in which flesh glories it self, as in self will, delight, and self-love, subtile imagination, and the like, they do all work fleshward, and selfward; and the masculine powers that rule the soul, ap­pear to be envy, hypocrisie, pride, anger, self-seeking, subtilty, and such like. And the spirit of truth,Ro. 1. 18. who is the Father, by whom the creation, man, doth live, move, and hath his beeing, doth lie buried under that unrighteous fleshie power.

But now in the restored estate which the Father hath begun to work, and which his people wait for compleatness of. I say now, All the powers of the soul, as his love, delight, and peace, &c. run God­ward again, and is centured in the Father again.

And those powers of the flesh, as pride, covetousness, rash anger, love of self, and imagination working to advance all these, which are, as I said, the Angels of dark­ness in man: These are now in this day of judgement condemned and destroyed, trod under foot, and buried out of minde like a dead man, without beeing; And the Lord alone is exalted now in this day of restauration which is the day of his power.

This indeed is the mysterie of all, King [Page 74] flesh and self is dis-throned,Gen. 3. 15. and the King of righteousness in flesh hath begun to take the Kingdom, and doth raign, and will raign, and his dominion shall spread, and endure for ever and ever; for though he take the Kingdom by strength out of King flesh his hand,Dan. 7. 26. &c. yet none shall ever be able to take it out of his hand again, for of his Kingdom there shall be no end.

And seeing people are not yet taken off from looking upon other mens know­ledge, I shall mention this one Scripture, which if people did feelingly understand, the distemper of their spirits would pre­sently be healed.

It is this, Light is come into the world, and men love darknesse rather then light, because their deeds are evill.

The world is mankinde, and every par­ticular man and woman is a perfect crea­tion of himself,1 Iohn 2. 16. a perfect created world; that if a particular branch of mankinde de­sire to know what the nature of other men and women are, let him not look abroad, but into his own heart, and he shall see: so that I say, man is the world, a perfect creation, from whose poysoned flesh pro­ceeds the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life; these are not of the Father.

[Page 75] Now light is come into this world; that is,2 Cor. 5. 19. &c. the spirit of right understanding hath taken up his dwelling in this flesh;Joh. 17. 25. and from hence man is called a reasonable creature, which is a name given to no o­ther creature but man, because the spirit of reason appears, acting in him, which if men did submit themselves unto, they would act righteousness continually; and so man would become Lord of all other creatures in righteousness.

I, But men love darkness rather then light; men here spoken of, are the evill masculine powers of created man in his poysoned estate, as man pride, man cove­tousness, man hypocrisie, man self-love, and King imagination, that rules over all, and in all these; and this, or these, is the wicked man, spoken of in scripture; these I say, are called men, because they rule over the created flesh, which is the feminine part, and leads it captive in unrighteous­ness, and will not suffer it to obey the King of righteousness, which is called con­science likewise in the creation, man.

For I say, every particular man and wo­man is a perfect creation, or a world of him, or her self: And those powers are the men that live and raign in that poysoned, [Page 76] created world, for these will not submit to righteousness; and what is the reason?

VVhy, because their deeds are evill: Indeed covetousness is an evill man,Iohn 7. 7. and pride and envy are evill men, and all the rest of their imaginary companions in the soul, they are evill men, yea, the wicked man, and all their actions are evill like themselves, and they will not submit themselves to righteousness. That mightie man of truth, whose dwelling is in flesh likewise, he dwels in heaven and hell, that is, he dwels in cleansed flesh his Saints, where he is seen and known; he dwels in uncleansed flesh, the vile ones of the earth, where he is unknown, and unseen by them; though he, as he is the righteous Judge, doth check and condemn them, yet they smother his smitings within themselves, and will not submit; for which disobedi­ence sake, their spirit is filled with horror and bitterness, and they roar in hell. Speak thou wretched man, if thou hast not found terrible affrightings and tor­ments within thy self, when thou hast re­fused to act the righteous motion of con­science within, who indeed is the King of glory, though thou art ignorant of him, and submittest thy self to King flesh in all the beastly actings of it.

[Page 77] Well, these masculine powers of the poysoned flesh stand it out against the King of glory, till he cast them into the lake of fire, into his own spirit, by which they are tried, and being found but chaffe, and not able to endure, are burned, and consumed to nothing in the flame.

No man or woman needs to be trobled at this, for let every man cleanse himself of these wicked masculine powers that rule in him, and there will speedily be a har­mony of love in the great creation, even among all creatures.

Therefore let no man look without himself, and say, other men will not obey this light that is come into mankinde; but let him look into his own heart, and he shall finde that the powers of his heart are those very men of the world, that will not submit to that light of reason that is come into it.

But it is said,2 Chron. 32. 21. that God sent his Angell, and cut off by him all the mighty men of valour in the Assyrians army; therefore Angels are a mighty power between God and man, and distinct from both.

Answer, Angels in this sence are pow­ers sent by commission from God to do a particular work. As first, Good Angels [Page 78] are sent, and these are inward discoveries of God to, or within a soul, such as was sent to Jacob to awake him; for these ma­nifestations of the Fathers power within, do make the creature, man, watchfull, ei­ther to foresee & prevent a danger, or else to support the drooping soul in trouble, through the hope or expectation of some blessing, or deliverance, which was in­wardly spoken to the heart, and this the Father doth in a two-fold sence.

Sometimes speaking inwardly, as to E­liah, 1 King 19 6. the Angell of the Lord touched him, and bid him arise, and eat, this was a speaking to Eliahs heart, either by voice, vision, dream, or revelation.

And sometimes by the voice of a mate­riall man, standing before them, as the An­gell that brought the glad tidings to Sampson, the two Angels that came to A­braham and Lot; these were materiall men, taken up into the spirit of the Father, and sent by him to do such a work, and their vanishing away, as the interpreati­on is, it is no other but their departure from Sampson, Abraham, and Lot, when they had done the work they were sent about.

But now according to the Objection, [Page 79] such Angels as are sent to destroy, are called evill Angels, according to the crea­tures capacity, because they are ministers of such things as the creatures call evill, though in themselves, as being sent from God, and in the execution of their com­mission, they are good; but I say, they are called bad, because their work is of a dif­ferent nature to them that are called good Angels;Iob 1. 10, 11. Satan, that envious Angel did the will of God, in troubling Job, for the end of that trouble was good to him, his last dayes being his best dayes.

And these evill Angels are three-fold.

First, such as are sent into the soul, when the Justice of God goes forth upon a man, and strikes him with blindness of minde, and hardness of heart, as he smote Pharaoh; Rom 9. 17. and these are strong powers of darkness, that holds the creature in chains of bondage.

Secondly, when he sends the sword, pesti­lence, and famine, or the like, & gives them commission to waste & to destroy a rebel­lious people, these are Gods Angels, or mighty powers, to which he hath given a commission to go forth, and to perform such a work, and this you shall see in Scri­pture; that which was called the destroying [Page 80] Angell in one verse, is called the pestilence in ths next verse. 1 Chron. 21. 12, 13. &c.

Or thirdly, when wicked people are ruled by King envy, King covetousnesse, or King pride, that uncleane spirit that rules in the children of disobedience; and when these have a liberty given to them, to go on and prosper without re­straint; now they are mighty powers, or Angels sent by God, either to waste and destroy, or else to be a terrible warning to a sleepie people, to awake them, as the King of Assyria was sent to do a worke in that kinde,Isa. 10. that is, to whip the Nations, but to brighten Israel.

And when his work was done, then he himself was destroyed by another pow­er or Angel which God sent to take him off, for his cruell and unrighteous act­ings; like that of Gideons Army, when Is­rael began to obey the Lord; then the Lord sent an Angel, which was no other but a mighty spirit of feare and confusion of minde among the Midianites, Israels e­nemies; which made them to destroy one another, while Israel had the liberty to looke on.

CHAP. V.

LEt the Powers, Governours, and Ar­mies of the land learne to worship the Lord in righteousnesse, lest while the Lord hath made them Angels to destroy some, and to warne others; the Lord do not give out a Commission to others, to destroy and confound them, and so bring about his work by another power. For Assure your selves, you Kingly, Parlia­mentarie, and Army power, and know this, that all unrighteous powers and act­ings must be destroyed; the father is a­bout the work,Ier. 23. 5, 6. and his hand will not slack; this work is, and will be going on more powerfull then ever, till it be finish­ed, that all enemies to Christ be made his foot-stoole and he alone exalted, who is King of righteousnesse.

For now Jesus Christ is upon his rising from the dead, and will rule King of righ­teousnesse in flesh: And though King-flesh in every man and woman hath for many years past denyed him, and lifted up him­self against him; yet now is the time come that he will lift up himself, and tread the [Page 82] powers of the flesh under his feet.

And friends, doe not mistake the resur­rection of Christ?Mat. 24. 27 you expect he shall come in one single person, as he did when he came to suffer, and die, and thereby to answer the types of Moses law; let me tell you, if you look for him under the no­tion of one single man after the flesh, to be your Saviour, you shall never, never taste salvation by him.

But know, that the mighty power that dwelt in that humane flesh, that was cal­led by the name (Jesus Christ) he was the man, the mighty man of strength; the flesh was as the woman to the man, or the box that carryed that precious oynt­ment in; and this man is sat down at the right hand of the father, that is, he is the strength of the father, whereby he destroys King flesh, and he sits in the highest hea­vens, that is, in those Saints that are ta­ken up the highest into the father, and lives in him, treading the curse under foot.

And as the body of his flesh in his As­cension, so called, went out of the Apostles sight, in a cloud of the Skies, so shall the same mighty man rise up out of the earth, that is, from under the earthy imaginati­ons [Page 83] and lusts of the sons of men; for man­kinde is the earth that containes him buri­ed, and out of this earth he is to arise, and appeare in the clouds, that is, as he be­gins to shew himselfe in a man or a wo­man, the fleshy powers in those enslaved soules will, and do rise up to darken the light of that sun as long as he can, till he, the flesh, who is the wicked man, or the cursed thing that dwels within (man­kinde) be taken away.

And therefore if you expect,Col. 1. 27. or look for the resurrection of Jesus Christ,2 Cor 5. 16. you must know, that the spirit within the flesh is the Jesus Christ, and you must see, feel, and know from himself his own resur­rection within you, if you expect life and peace by him.

For he is the life of the world, that is, of every particular son and daughter of the father, who are every one of them a perfect created world of themselves, and need not to seek abroad after other crea­tures for teaching, for every one hath the light of the father within himself, which is the mighty man, Christ Iesus.

And he is now rising and spreading him­selfe in these his sons and daughters, and [Page 84] so rising from one to many persons,Iohn 1. 9. till he enlighten the whole creation (man­kinde) in every branch of it,1 Cor. 12. 13. and cover this earth with knowledge, as the waters cover the seas.

And this is the lightning that shall spread from East to West;Luk. 17. 21 this is the kingdome of heaven within you, dwelling and ruling in your flesh: therefore learne to know Jesus Christ, as the father knows him; that is, not after the flesh; but know, that the spirit within the flesh, is that mighty man (Jesus Christ) and the flesh takes it name from that mighty man of truth that dwels within it;Heb. 9. 14. he within governs the flesh, he within laid down the flesh, when he was said to die; he within is the wisdome and power of God, he within is to arise, not at a distance from men, but will rise up in men, and manifest himselfe to be the light and life of every man and woman that is saved by him.

For a meek spirit bears the name (Je­sus) And a man filled with the power of God, or a man taken up into God, to be­come one in spirit within; beares the name (Christ) & therefore you are not saved by believing there was such a man, that lived [Page 85] and died at Jerusalem, for though you be­lieve there was such a man, yet that is not saving faith to you,Ier. 23. 5. till you feel the pow­er of a meek spirit come into you, and raigne King, and tread all your envy, frowardnesse,Rom. 8. 9 and bitternesse of spirit un­der foot; and till you feel and see the power of the righteous spirit come into you, and raigne King, treading all un­righteousnesse of the flesh whatsoever, un­der foot, making a conquered slave of that wicked man in the flesh.

And so changing your vile bodies,Phil. 3. 21. and making them like his glorious body;Mat. 26. 39 that is, making the bodies of your flesh subject to the spirit of the father within it, as the bodie of the flesh of Jesus Christ was sub­ject to the spirit, his father, that dwelt within him in all things.

So that you do not look for a God now, as formerly you did, to be a place of glo­ry beyond the Sun, Moon and Stars, nor imagine a divine beeing you know not where, but you see him ruling within you; and not only in you, but you see and know him to be the spirit and power that dwels in every man and woman; yea, in e­very creature, according to his orbe, with­in the globe of the Creation.

[Page 86] So that now you see, and feel, and taste the sweetnesse of the spirit ruling in your flesh, who is the Lord and King of glory in the whole creation, and you have com­munity with him who is the father of all things. Now you are inlightened, now you are saved, and rises higher and high­er into life and peace, as this manifesta­tion of the father increases, and spreads within you.

And this is it,1 Cor 3. 16. to be saved by Jesus Christ, for that mighty man of spirit hath taken up his habitation within your body, and your body is his body, and now his spirit is your spirit, and so you are become one with him, and with the father; and this is the faith of Christ, when your flesh is subject to the spirit of righteousnesse, as the flesh of Christ was; and this is to be­lieve in Christ,Eph. 4. 13. when the actings & breath­ings of your soules is within the center of the same spirit, in which the man Jesus Christ lived, acted, and breathed.

If you live in the flesh, that is, if you be subject to the powers of the flesh within you, then you believe in the flesh, and bring forth the fruit of the flesh, which is self-conceit, covetousness, envy, pride, hy­pocrisie, and the like.

[Page 87] But if you live in Christ, that is, in that mighty and spirituall man of truth,Gal. 5. 22. then you believe in him, and bring forth the fruit of the spirit, which is love, joy peace, humilitie, obedience, sincerity, and the like: If Jesus Christ that mighty King rule in you, he will check, and condemne every unrighteous thought, as well as extrava­gant words, and loose actions, though no other man see and know your secret wick­ednesse but your selves; and he will speake peace, and Justifie you within, when your flesh in any things is subject to him, though you are hated, slandered, and mightily oppressed by the injustice of others.

But if King-flesh rule, then you go on in secret and open wayes of unrighteous­nesse with greediness and delight, and have no checks within at all: Now the strong man of sin keeps the house, your bodies, and every thing enjoyes a seeming peace within you: But this is not the peace, nor the liberty, but a fore runner of great torment in the day of Judgment; that is, when the Judge, the King of righteousness shall appeare to sit upon the throne with­in you, judging and condemning this serpent, or man of sin within you, and so bruising his head, that you who have been, [Page 88] and are pisoners thereunto, may live in the light & peace of the father, & so set at li­berty from bondage, & assure your selves, you that glory in flesh, you shall not go scot-free, you shall be cast into the ever­lasting burnings as well as others, and try­ed in that fire, as gold in the furnace.

And this fire is the father himself,Heb. 12. 29. into whom, when any creature fals, he burns up the drosse in the creature, which is the curse that came in through unrighteous­nesse, which is all the imaginary glory of the flesh, and so makes man to appeare and stand bright before him; you cannot burne away the drosse, but the gold must suffer the heat of the fire, the father cannot con­sume the serpent, the man of sin, out of my body, but I that have been incorpo­rated into that nature of the serpent, must needs suffer paine; this drosse and gold in man is so mixed together, that nothing can separate them but the fiery orb, which is the father himselfe, that tries all things.

And here likewise lies a great delusion within mankinde;Ioh. 8. 42. you call the father your God, and the word God is much in your mouths; but here you deceive your selves, for you know not the father to be your God, nor Lord, neither can you call [Page 89] him your God, till you see and feele by ex­perience that he rules and governs in you, and that your proud and coveteous flesh stoopes, and is made subject to him.

When the spirit within you doth com­mand your flesh in rightousnesse, and will not suffer frowardness, covetousness, pride, hypocrisie, and the like, to arise and act, but presently checks and condemns, and shames you; you can then speake in ex­perience, that the father, who is the migh­ty governour, is your God, and your Lord, for the powers of your poysoned flesh are made suctject to him.

But so long as King-flesh raignes,Ephes. 2. 2. & doth act pride, envy, covetousness, hypocrisie, unrighteousnesse within you; then he that you call God, is the devill, that cursed ser­pent, or poysoned flesh, even the power of darkness is your God; and you cannot say the father is your God, for if you do, you deceive your self, you are subject to the de­vill, you are not subject to the father.

He that looks for a God without himself,Isa. 8. 20. and worships God at a distance, he wor­ships he knows not what, but is led away, and deceived by the imaginations of his own heart, which is Belzebub the great Devill; but he that looks for a God within [Page 90] himself, and submits himselfe to the spi­rit of righteousnesse that shines within; this man knows whom he worships, for he is made subject to, and hath communitie with that spirit that made all flesh, that dwells in all flesh, and in every creature within the globe.

And this is the law and the testimony,Ier. 23 6. even the law of the spirit of righteousnesse within, and testimony of the spirit within a man, when a man can say, I see, feel, and know that my flesh is in part subject, and is daily subjecting to the great power that dwels in the whole creation; what I heare another man speak or write, it is nothing to me till I finde the same experience within my self; this is the law and testimo­ny of Jesus, and if any man speak not ac­cording to this rule, it is because there is no knowledge in him, not in the booke of scriptures, which is another mans testi­mony, and the testimony of others is known to be a truth by the testimony of the same spirit within your self, and no o­ther way whatsoever.

There is one scripture hath been often laid before me by others, and I knew not the meaning of it; if I went about to studie or imagine the meaning, I was lost pre­sently, [Page 91] and trouble took hold upon me. Well, after I found the spirit of con­tentednesse to come with power, and made me quiet within, so that I said with­in my self, let my father give me the know­ledge of this, or any other truth, or de­ny me the knowledge of it, his will be done; I can know nothing till he teach me, therefore I will lie down before him, and wait with a quiet spirit upon him; I say, I was no sooner brought into this waiting frame of spirit, not only this, but divers other truths was, and I can almost say, daily is given into me from the father, to the abundant satisfaction of my soul.

The scripture is this:Mat. 8. 28. Mat. 8. 28. where the two men that were possessed with de­vills, cryed out to Jesus, Art thou come to destroy us before the time?

I deny not the history; but that there were two men really filled and tormented with devils, or distempers, which is the curse in mankinde; and that at the Com­mand of Christ those troublers in them, went into the heard of swine, and the swine ran into the sea, and perished there.

But now the matter in this history settles peace within my spirit, as it is shewed un­to me; and that is this; [Page 92] By the two possessed, is pointed out to me, First, the earth (mankinde) by rea­son of his unrighteousnesse is filled with thornes and bryers, that is, with trou­blesome distempers of all sorts, which are called devills, or serpent, or the curse of the earth, or the wicked man that sowes tares in Gods vineyard (mankinde) so that here is mankinde, or flesh full of troublers, or devills distempering the creation; for do but crosse the imaginati­on of the flesh, and the man grows more or lesse distracted. This is pointed at by one of the two that were possessed.

Secondly, the righteous law of God, even the spirit which is full of love, righ­teousnesse and peace in it selfe, is enforced daily to be checking, condemning, and burning up that power of darkness, or devills in the flesh; to this end, that the flesh may be brought into a onenesse with the father, and be made subject to the spirit that made it, and that dwels in it, though the imaginarie powers of the flesh have trod down the spirit, and would not suffer him to appear and raign for many years past: I, but now the fullness of time is come for the spirituall appearance of Christ, and the spirit, who is the Lord our [Page 93] righteousnesse, is beginning to tread proud and covetous flesh under his feet, and will take the Kingdome, and raigne himself in man, yea in every man, for every man and woman, though they be as branches of the earth, yet they are every one a perfect creation of themselves and the spirit of the father dwells supremely in every man, as in the whole globe.

So that considering that mankinde (through unrighteousnesss) hath been cor­rupted, & stands in need of a restauration before he can see the father dwell suprem­ly in him; and that the spirit must be the cleanser & purger of this poysoned earth, for he is the everlasting fire that tries all things, and that seperates the dross from the gold; and this spirit, or father, is pure reason, which the unreasonableness of the flesh cannot stand before, but falls pre­sently; as chaffe cannot endure the flames of fire.

It appears plain, that the righteous law,Isa. 8. 20. the spirit, which though it be full of peace in it selfe; yet having so powerfull an enemy as the devill in flesh, that daily fights against him, he cannot be at rest, but is at work continually, though it be a work wherein he takes delight. As the fire [Page 94] never ceases burning, so long as there is fuell to work upon: so that the spirit of burning may be said to be full of trou­bles, in respect of the great and varietie of his work, for he is to deale with every man and woman in the creation of man­kinde, when I speak after the manner of men; for while two parties fight to ma­ster one another, there is a declaration of troubles on both sides, to the beholders; and yet the spirit is not full of troubles, because he kils and destroys the devill with delight, and works the restauration of mankinde with abundance of love and cheerfulness. And this spirit is pointed out to me, to be the other man possessed: For the scripture is to me but the declara­tion of a historicall truth, pointing out this higher mysterie.

And as the corrupt power in flesh de­lights to be acting,Ier. 31. 33. and shewing it self, so the holy Law, (which is not the letter of the scriptures) but the spirit, which is the law of righteousness, delights to be acting and shewing himselfe, in destroying that filthy power, or devill.

And as it is a torment to a man to be crossed of his humor or will, so it is here spoke after the manner of men: As to be [Page 95] a torment to the devill in mankinde, as indeed it is, to be quite destroyed; and as it were a torment to the righteous Law, as it is not, but his delight to be taken off his work of burning and consuming the de­vill.

For as it is the devills heaven to be act­ing unrighteousness, so it is the heaven to the law of the spirit to be flaming a­gainst, and burning up the devill.

Now the creature man looks upon these two as they fight one against the other within his heart and flesh, as a murtherer of him, for hereby his earthly peace is kil­led, so that, Art thou come to destroy us before the time, is a voice proceeding from the distempered man, but it doth ty­pically point out the voice of this com­pound murtherer in man; for when Christ, who is the mighty man of truth dwells bodily in his own house, the flesh of man­kinde, then all fightings within, and trou­blers in the flesh shall cease, and there shall be perfect peace; but two enemies that seek the death one of the other, are both to be parted, therefore the devill he would not be taken off vexing the flesh, because he would be King in the flesh: And the spirit of righteousness would not be taken [Page 96] off, till he hath quite subdued the devill under his feet, and made flesh subject to him, which shall and must be accomplish­ed at the restauration of all things.

And therefore there being much work to be done in mankinde, as well as in these two particular men; and the work of the devill will not cease, so long as he hath any power in flesh, and the work of the spirit wil not cease, til this serpents head be quite bruised, & the flesh of the whole creation (mankinde) be made subject to the spirit, the Lord that made it; therefore this voice, Art thou come to destroy us before the time, declares, that Christ is the Anointing, or power of the father, that shall end this quarrell, and that shall establish per­fect peace in every man as a branch, and in the whole creation it self (mankinde) when the time of the father is come, that the mysterie of the great governor, God, is finished.

So that this historie of the two men possessed with devills, which Christ Jesus made quiet, doth declare the great work of the anointing in the latter dayes, when he shall have finished his work, and deliver up the Kingdome to the father, that is, he will establish love, and peace, and one­nesse, [Page 97] between mankinde and the spirit of righteousnesse that made it, and the same anointing will destroy all this enmi­ty that is between the flesh and spirit, by reason of the curse that is in the flesh, which is to be burned up, that so peace may be made.

By the swine in the History are pointed out to me, to be men that live upon the earth, in the imaginary delights and glory of it, which is a life below God; as the life of a swine, snudling up his food from among the filth of the earth, is below the life of a man: And this swine runs down the hill, that is, these earthly minded men run lower and lower from God, who is called Sions hill; in hunting after cove­tousnesse, self-love, temporal glory, fleshy imaginations, and thoughts.

These, I say, run downwards, further and further from the life of the spirit; they do not run up the hill of self-denial, and love of righteousnesse, where God dwels. Now Gods dwelling is not in any locall place above the skies, as men fancie, and say, God dwels above the heavens.

But he is said to dwell above, in respect of the fleshes wisdom and power; as thus, Gods wisdom is above the wisdom of the [Page 96] [...] [Page 97] [...] [Page 98] flesh, Gods peace and life is above the peace and life of the flesh; for covetous­nesse, pride, lust, and envy feeds below, and licks the dust of the earth under bon­dage, and distemper: But the love, faith, hu­mility, and righteousness of the spirit lives above, in liberty, freedom, & perfect peace.

And God is said to live above the hea­vens, that is, the spirit that is the life and peace of all things, which is reason, is in­comprehensible, flesh cannot comprehend the largenesse of it; nay, the Saints them­selves, which are the heavens that live a­bove, cannot contain him, nor finde out the heigh, depth, length, and breadth of that pure spirit; therefore he is said not only to live above the earthy, and imaginary minded men, but above the heavens likewise; spirituall men that live in the spirit, and whose flesh is subject to the spirit, these are not able to reach the incomprehensiblenesse of him. And so he is said to be above all, to live in the hea­vens, the Saints, yea, and to live above the heavens in wisdom and power, yea, and to tread the earth under his feet, for the wisdom of the earth or flesh is foolish­nesse, not worthy the name of wisdom, when it stands before the spirit.

[Page 99] The swine ran into the waters and pe­rished there. By waters, are pointed out to me the wisdom of poysoned flesh, which is branched forth into established doctrines of the flesh, into formes, customs, and governments of the flesh, which de­ceived men conform unto for fear, and shame of others. And so the doctrine and practises of Rome, being altogether after the flesh, is called the sea of Rome, & some­times multitudes of people that are decei­ved by the flesh, and follow after the wis­dom & lust thereof, are called seas, or great waters, for these indeed are the waters whereupon the Whore, the disloyal flesh sits, & makes war against the spirit in them.

Now swinish men, that Iohn cals the in­habitants of the earth, that live in the flesh,Rev. 16. 3 4, &c. not in the spirit of the father, they are drowned, and they perish in this sea, into which they are run, that is, they live in this sea which the flesh hath made, glo­rying and delighting in that sea, and in those waters, as a fish doth in the materi­all water, his proper element; they are se­parated from the life of God, and are dead to him. But it is said, Suffer us to go into the swine, &c.

The meaning given to me is this, that [Page 100] all the distempers that trouble the crea­ture, Rev. 12. 9, 10. man, is hereby declared, that they shall be cast out of mankinde (the pure creation,) into the very body of the ser­pent, which is King flesh, a swinish nature, a herd of swine; for all the branches of it are like so many filthy swine snudling up­on the earth, as covetousnesse snuddles upon the earth, pride licks the dust of the earth, envy lives in the filth of the earth, hypocrisie and self-conceit, with the imaginary glory of the flesh, do tumble, and dwell, and live in the mire of the earth, that is, delight in nothing but the filth of mankinde, like so many swine as they are; they do not delight in God, they are en­mity against him.

And this corrupt power of darknesse, and swinish nature shall run into the sea, and confusion of his own invention, and imagination, and perish together, while as mankinde, by the power of the a­nointing shall sit down in peace in the father, the Lord our righteousnesse.

And where it is said, Christ suffered them to go, it points out this, that though King flesh rule vvith povver in mankinde, yet he is but suffered so to do for a time by the King of righteousnesse: and this [Page 101] sufferance is for his destruction, and mans deliverance from the bondage of the flesh; for the two men were made quiet by Jesus Christ, while the swine perished in the sea; that is, the creation, man, and the righteous Law, the spirit, sweetly em­braces each other, while the filthy powers, and wisdom of the flesh do perish in the sea of his own invention, forms, cu­stomes, governments, and imaginary glory.

So that the Devill is not a third power between God and man, but he is the curse in flesh; and the power of utter dark­nesse is this, when the father shines forth in man, and lets him see his curse, and so begins to condemn, and burn up the curse; now the poor creature not knowing the mysterie of the father, dieth presently under sorrow, beholding no way of comfort, but misery on every side; for the spirit of brightnesse hath so beset the power of darknesse within a man, that the poor heart sees there is no possibility of peace and comfort, till one side be subdued, or a reconciliation be made. By this means, which is a means, or work of the spirit within, not any outward means of preaching, &c. the Fa­ther [Page 102] kils, and destroyes the powers of dis­obedient flesh, and at length made the created flesh to submit to him, and live before him.

And for proof of this, I will appeal to the experience of any of you that have been sensible of your bondage, through the combate that hath been between flesh and spirit in you, whether you have look­ed upon your troubles, as inflicted upon you by the devill, and adverse power between God and you, or have not rather beheld the anger of God upon you through the bright shining Law of righteousnesse in you, shaming, condemning, and torment­ing of you for disobediences sake.

It may be the thought of the Law of God hath not been in your minde, but the sense of anger and wrath hath lien upon your spirit;1 Cor. 15. 56. and whence comes that wrath, but from the shining of the Law of the spirit within you? and wherefore through this Law? but because the princi­ples of the flesh in you seek to advance self above the spirit, or at least to be e­quall with him.

And so long as the powers of such aspi­ring, self-seeking lusts, and sin rules with­in you, so long will the power of the Law, [Page 103] in dispensations of wrath and anger,Col. 1. 12. in your apprehension, rule in you, and over you; so that this compound murtherer is of a mighty power, and may be well called a power of darknesse, for it holds you under darknesse and death, and you live far below both the comforts and life of God:Heb. 2. 15. As soon as disobedient flesh ap­pears against the Law of the spirit in you, the spirit appears presently against the powers of the flesh in you, and so holds you in fear of death all your life time.

For indeed your disobedient flesh,2 Cor. 4. 4. which rules powerfully in all the branches of it,Ephes. 2. 2. which you take pleasure in, as in pride, covetousnesse, uncleannesse, envy, self-conceipt, hypocrisie, in their severall mea­sures, till they rise up to a number of a le­gion of devils: You think this is your liber­ty, to have your filthy wils satisfied herein, and alas, this is your bondage, and it is that Devill that was a liar from the begin­ning, that never gave true peace to his children, though he promised much; he carries you away from God by his strong delusions, to believe his lies.

And this power of darkeesse in you casts you under a more powerfull bon­dage of the Law of the spirit within you, [Page 104] yea, in utter darknesse, wherein you stick fast, as in mire and clay, or, as in a deep pit, and cannot get out, it throws you under wrath, and makes God appear an­gry, which is the greatest darknesse the poor creature can lie under: What great­er darknesse can there be, then for a man never to see nor feel the light, heat, nor warmth of the sun, but alwaies to live in some dungeon, where the sun never ap­pears.

A meek and humble spirit fights against thy rashnesse, and self-conceit; and se­cret envy, and grudging opposes the ap­pearance of love; covetousness, and bond­age fights against freedom, and liberty of spirit; and chastitie fights against unclean­nesse; the Law of righteousnesse fights a­gainst unrighteousnesse of the flesh.

So that if at any time thy heart begins to devise any unrighteousnesse within thy self, the Law of the spirit of truth breakes forth in thee, and lets thee see it, and con­demns, and shames thee for it, and thy whole soul is filled with distemper and horror; And if at any time the power of unclean flesh begins to break forth in thee, the Law of chastitie appears, and shews thee thy filthinesse, and condemns [Page 105] thee for it, but gives thee no strength for the present against thy lust, so that the power of thy uncleane flesh, lusting after folly, is strong in thee; and the power of the law of chastitie shewing thee that A­bomination, is strong in thee likewise, which fills thee with torment.

And if at any time unrighteous thoughts and purposes rise up in thee, or unrigh­teous actions proceed out of thy hands, and thou delight therein; yet when the law of the spirit of truth appears in thee, and shews thee thy abominable practise, thy delight in the flesh dies, peace is ta­ken from thee, and thy spirit is filled with trouble. I could instance in every power of the flesh in this kinde.

And now presently thou concludest, That the devil, which thou thinkst is a third pow­er, distinct between God & thee, comes & torments thee. But no: for it is the very power of the spirit, which is pure reason, which governs the whole globe in righte­ousnesse, that shews thee thy wickednesse, & the light therof discovers thy darkness, and fills thee with shame and torment.

For if the spirit shine upon thy filthi­nesse, and trouble thee, it is not barely to trouble, but to burn up thy lusts, and [Page 106] to make thee bright, is the fathers end; but while thou liest between these two pow­ers, thy peace is gone, all feeling of life is taken away, and thou liest under dark­nesse, yea utter darknesse; for thou seest no light of peace of any side.

If thou follow the powers of thy flesh, as thy uncleanness, unrighteousness, envy, frowardness, pride, hypocrisie, and the like, thou hereby accknowledgest that the flesh is God, for thou maintainest the being of that wicked man, as though he were the only one beeing, that dwells in the globe; but if the father of all things, which is reason, be the only one beeing, that gave beeing to all, and that keeps all in peace; then certainly, while thou followest the way of King flesh,1 Cor. 12. 13. thou walkest unrea­sonably, for thou settest up another King, which makes division, which the creation knowes not, and thou deniest the King of righteousnesse, which unites the whole bo­dy of the creation into a oneness of spirit.

That spirit that knits all creatures to­gether in peace and sweet communion of love and meekness, must needs be King: And this doth reason, who is the essenti­all father: but that power that makes one creature a tyrant over another; nay, di­vides [Page 107] the creature man within himself, and so pulls the creation in pieces, breaking the bonds of peaceable love, and filling the creature with torment, and distraction, must needs be a divell, or troubler, and this doth that curse, that is in the flesh, and therefore no King, but a murtherer, a deceiver, a devill, the serpent that must be killed, and the wicked man, that must be taken out of the way.

Now such a condition of bondage doth this compound power cast you under; you are absent from the liberty, peace & life of heaven, & you lie tumbling in hell & dark­ness, to be incorporated into the power of the wicked one, & to act from his unclean principles, is the flesh and blood that shall never enter heaven; never enjoy union and peace with the spirit of righteousness; for light and darkness can never live together. This is the bond woman & her sonne, that shall never be heire, nor live in the house with the free woman. And whatsoever is of this nature, or under this bondage, less or more, doth not taste of heaven, which is perfect peace, for that which is bondage cannot be said to be liberty.

But for your comfort, poor enslaved soules: Christ, the wisdom and power of [Page 108] the Father is come to open the prison doors,Luk. 4. 18. to pull you up out of the earth of covetousness,Col. 1. 12. and self imagination, under which you have been, and are buried, and will set you even as a corne of wheate that lies buried under clods of earth, till the warme, cherishing, meeke, and loving spi­rit in the earth cause it to sprout, and spring, and shoot out, and so bring forth fruitlike himself in great abundance; therefore waite patiently, till you be able to sing Allaluia, and to say, The Lord God omnipotent raigneth, and assure your selves the vision will not stay long, for when your flesh is made subject to the spirit, he will speak peace to you, and in you.

Since unrighteousness was acted in hu­maine flesh against his maker, every son and daughter of that disobedient flesh is like a man, upon whom two fierce band-dogs hath laid hold, tearing, and pulling to pieces: And these two are first, the curse, or sin in flesh, which is called the serpent, the father of lies, the wicked man, the de­vill.

The second is the appearance of the righteous law, dwelling in that flesh like­wise; as a seed buried under the weight [Page 109] of that cursed earth; and his appearance is so terrible to the disobedient flesh, that it destroys at his appearing all the joy and peace thereof, and is called the severity of the Law.

So that first the curse, or sin, this hath fastened upon the man, and puls him from owning the spirit, and so makes created flesh to rebell against his maker.

And then the father (which the curse in the flesh hath despised) maintains his own prerogative in man, and destroys, and kils that rebellion, by reason where­of the creature, man, is filled with Tor­ment.

And this act of the spirit is called the de­claration of wrath,2 Cor. 3. 6, 7. or the Law, or the let­ter that kils; for indeed the disobedient man sees, and feels nothing but wrath on every side.

For let the creature look within him­self, he sees and feels no peace; for the appearance of the spirit of righteousnesse is like the offended Law of a King, that speaks death to the offender which way soever he turn himself; it flashes like the flaming sword every way, and so takes peace from that particular earth.

And if he look abroad, the same decla­ration [Page 110] of wrath follows the eye of the sin­ner, and flames out fire in every place, even as the father is pleased visibly to appear in outward manifestations of justice, to the terrifying of the disobedient, that he may know himself, and his works, that they have been unrighteous.

As in losses, sad accidents, death of friends, or cattell, casualties by fire, wa­ter, unseasonable weather, or the like, and so taking an outvvard peace from the earth, that is, from divers branches of disobedient earth, men and vvomen, ma­king them to sit dovvn in sorrow.

And poor sinners, when they feel, and see such inward and outward misery, they cry out, Oh, this is the devill that troubles them! And so look upon the Devill as a third powerfull beeing, distinct between God and them, working their misery.

Alas poor sinners, this is the devil indeed, a great troubler,Gen. 3. 24. but not such a devil as you fancie; for this Devill, or murtherer, that takes away your peace is within you, it is your sin, and the curse of your flesh, up­on which, the fury of the King of righ­teousnesse hath seised, and taken fast hold; and now expect no peace in earth, that is, in your flesh, till there be peace in heaven, [Page 111] that is, till your flesh be made subject to the spirit, and the Father and you become one.

For truly let me tell you, and you shall finde it true, That as the curse, or disobe­dient flesh in you doth rise up in rebelli­on against the spirit, by scoffing, ha­ting, self-loving, despising, expression of bitternesse and discontent against the way of the spirit, and so seeking to ad­vance your selves, or your fleshy lusting a­bove the spirit.

Even so the Law of the spirit will ap­pear, and the flashings of this flaming sword will spread the more, to advance the spirit, even the King of glory, and so will hedge in your way, and crosse you at every turning: And truly, if you see the fury of the Lord to appear more hot and fierce then formerly, then say, and say tru­ly, That the breakings out of sin and curse is more violent in these dayes then for­merly: And it must be so.

For now the bottomlesse pit is opened, that is, The curse, or serpent in humane flesh is let loose, to act, and shew it self in his own likenesse, and it makes himself manifest to be the power of darknesse, the father of lies, the enemies of the Fa­ther, [Page 112] and the Whore, the Beast, and mo­ther of all abominations.

And the four evill Angels, that is, Sub­tilty, Hypocrisie, Envy, and Cruelty, backed and strengthened with all the power of Hell, or Curse, are let loose, that is, the strength of these are manifest, and act powerfully in these dayes; and assure your selves that the dispensations of wrath do, and must increase to the view of creatures more then formerly.

But these sad apparisions of inward and outward wrath will not last long, the time shortens apace, and the work of the Father hastens apace; for righteousnesse and peace hath begun to take the King­dom, and to raign, whose dominion shall have no end.

When your eyes are opened, you shall see that it is the righteous Law, or rule of truth that thwarts, and crosses the sinfull and cursed principles that rule, and that still would rule a King in your flesh.

And this Law works sometimes within, condemning a man within his own con­science, without any outward means, but the light of the spirit within rises up, and declares the darknesse of the curse within the flesh; and sometimes it condemns the [Page 113] man within himself through the sight or hearing of other mens words and actions without, nay, the very actions of other creatures are made to be whips to tor­ment him.

Sometimes thou hast had vain glorious imaginations rising up within thee, puffing up thy mind with big thoughts of thy self, as if thou wert some great body for thy lear­ning, riches, parts, prayers, fasting, preach­ings, to whom every man must give respect.

Thou hast thoughts of covetousnesse, of injustice, of uncleanesse, and thinkest thou maiest take thy pleasure herein, and if any discover thy lewdnesse in these abomina­tions, which thou seest no evill in persent­ly thou hast thoughts of revenge arises in thee, to make such and such know what they do to crosse thee in that thou saiest and doest.

And thereupon pursues thy resolution to get a power, to put thy envious thoughts (which thou thinkest is zeal) in­to execution, but thou dost not do it, and why? because the opportunities of the earth will not give thee power: Well, all this is the swelling up of the curse within thee, which thou thinkest is the spirit of [Page 114] holinesse; a strong delusion.

But within a short time after, thy con­science (or rather the spirit) within, be­gins to trouble thee, and fils thy face with shame, and thy heart with a king distem­per; because thou that art a professor of a meek and loving spirit, which is true godlinesse, should have such exalting thoughts in thee against thy fellow crea­ture, and consent unto them.

Or it may be some others may cast out jeers against thy very thoughts, yet not knowing thy heart, and thereby thy di­stempers multiplie, and peace vanisheth from thy proud lifted up heart; and now thou concludest, that this is the devill that first put ill thoughts into thee, & now trou­bles thee for them.

It is true, it is the devill indeed, but not such a devill as thou thinkest of; for first, the father of lies, thy unclean flesh, that was he that inticed thee to envy; and now the righteous Law of the spirit within thee, shews thee thy evill, and shames, and troubles thy minde, and throws thee under vexation and sorrow of spirit, and kils all thy comforts, and dashes all thy contentednesse to pieces.

[Page 115] And no man knowes of these inward sorrowes, but thy own heart; this is the law and the testimony, even the perfect rule of holiness that appears in thee, & to thee, and hedges in the way of the flesh with thornes, & throws thee under bondage; this is the murtherer which thou callest the devill; he is a murtherer indeed of the curse, though thou, who art dead under the curse, maist be made alive in the spirit, and live in the father of peace.

And sometimes the Law works without, and opens the mouthes of others, to speak against thy selfe-conceit, in preaching, praying, or carnall use of scriptures, and against thy covetousness, and pride, that makes thee lift up thy self above thy fel­low creatures; and thou thinkst this is the devill that tempts thee to forsake God and goodness.

Alas friend, it is the righteous law that crosses thy fleshie hypocrisie, and that sends these messengers as dispensers of wrath to thee, to make thee not to looke after the letter, but the spirit of the scrip­tures, to burne up thy drosse, to consume the curse out of thee, to refine thee, and make thee pure gold; that is, to make [Page 116] thee live in, and after the spirit; and to pull thee out of the flesh; In which, and af­ter which thou livest.

By what hath been spoken. I question not but the father will let light shine into the spirits of his servants, that they may see what the devill or murtherer is; which is the serpent, sin, or curse, dwelling within a man, or the power of deceived flesh imbittered, and made a stinging Scorpion by the law of righteousnesss. The sting of sin is death, [...] Cor. 15. and the strength of sin is the Law.

Now there is none that can free the creature from this compound murtherer, or from these two band-dogs,Jer. 23. 5. but (Je­sus Christ) who is not a single man at a distance from you;Ioh. 8. 36. but who is the wis­dome and power of the father, who spi­rits the whole creation, dwelling and ru­ling King of righteousnesse in your very flesh. And he it is that comes and puls off these fierce devouring powers, & heals the creature that they were fastened upon, and sets him free.

And how doth he doe that? Why, first he destroyes the curse that is in man, and puls away that selfishness that was in [Page 117] him, which made him to prefer the flesh above the spirit, and so delivers the sinner from his envy, covetousnesse, discontent, pride, hypocrisie; and makes him patient, humble, content under Gods hand; makes him to love, to delight, and to glory only in God, and so makes the creature to advance God above all, and to set the crown of glory upon his head. And now that devouring band-dog sin, or curse, is pulled off.

And then secondly, when sin or serpent is thus pulled off, and the creature man is made one with the father,1 Cor. 15. 56. and reconciled in nature and spirit to him; then the other band-dog wrath, or offended law, which was the strength of sin, in working the creatures miserie, hath nothing left to fasten upon; But being a righteous law, now becomes the creatures friend, since the creature by Christ is made one with the righteous father; and thus Christ, who is the wisdome and power of God, hath set the sinner free; And if the son make us free, we are free indeed.

[Page 118] But what is to be understood by this power of God? Why, truly I conceive this; by the power of God, is not a power without us only, as it was in the man Christ Jesus, when he suffered death in his own single person, and thereby conquered hell and death, and overcame the de­vil, and cast the accuser out of hea­ven; that is, out of flesh, that the father might dwell bodily in flesh, and tread the curse under mans feet.

But the same Anointing,1 Ioh. 2. 20. &c. or power in-dwelling, and ruling whithin us, and thus the power of love in man, is the power of God in man; and this sets us free from envy; the pow­er of patience, and of a meeke spirit in man, is the power of God in man, and sets us free from discontent; the power of humilitie in us, is the pow­er of God in us, and sets us free from pride; the power of peace, joy, and sweet resting of heart in God, is the power of God in us, which sets us free from sorrows, and inward bondage of minde.

[Page 119] And thus the power, life, and peace of the father,Ier. 23. 5, 6. ruling as God, a migh­ty governor in us, and being esta­blished in us, which indeed is the A­nointing spoken of, or the Lord our righteousnesse,Isaiah 60. 10, 11, &c. that rules in us, is that power of God (or that Christ) that sets us free from sin, and death; for this is Christ in you, which is the hope of glory, or the earnest of the future in­heritance.

And truly these,Col. 1. 27. and such like pow­ers of God within a man, are those Glorious Angels, in their severall mea­sures, which the Father hath sent to guard his children, and to keep them in all their wayes, that they dash not their foot against the rock, even God himself.

For Love, Humility, Patience, Meek­nesse, Joy, and a sweet resting of heart in GOD, makes the creature submit cheerfully to God in every con­dition. Let a Son of the Father meet with Losses, Straights, and Op­pressious in the world, and his heart [Page 120] presently answers, Thy will be done Father, thou knowest I want necessa­ries, thou knowest what those neces­saries for me are, my heart waits upon thee, let times be peace or war, let weather be fair or fowl, still the poor believing soul saith, All this is good, because it is the will and pleasure of my Father, who will have it to be thus.

And thus the power of the Spirit, who is the King of righteousnesse within every man, treads down flesh, and sets the creature free from Hell, Death, and Devill.

And the wisdom of the Father is in all this likewise, for he doth this in wisdom, to make himself known, and that his crea­ture being delivered by such a strong hand, may, out of a feeling experience, own him, and magnifie his name.

Well, if you cast your eyes abroad a­mong the sons and daughters of men, you shall see very few that are saved, and very few in whom Christ dwels; [Page 121] And now the son of man comes to save, he findes no faith in earth, he findes righ­teousnesse ruling in no man, but King flesh ruling in every one.

But this is comfort to the earth, The son of righteousnesse is comming, and hath begun to heal the earth, he is tread­ing down the powers of the flesh, and he goes on mightily, conquering, and taking up sons and daughters out of their ima­ginary earth, under which they have lien buried, to enjoy the Father, and to live in the onenesse of that spirit that made all things, so that ere long, the sweet song that is sung in private, shall be sung publickly upon the house tops: Rejoyce, for the Lord God omnipotent raigns.

Yea, when this mighty power, Christ, is lifted up, he will draw all men after him, that is, when he is exalted, and known to be the only spirit that dwels in the cre­ation, and that knits every creature into the one spirit, himself, then is the time (which indeed is beginning in these dayes) that he will draw all men after him.

[Page 122] So that every one shall see themselves in a losse, and shall enquire the way to Sion, even to this spirit, the dwelling place of rest; they shall see that books are no­thing, mens words and teachings, studies, and imaginary thoughts and conjectures are nothing, but the Lord alone, even this spirit, is all in all, and shall be exalt­ed, honored, and lifted up by all in this day of his power.

And how is the spirit lifted up? Why truely, when the flesh is subject to the spirit. And how is that? VVhy thus, First, to know that this spirit which is cal­led God, or Father, or Lord, is Reason: for though men esteem this word Reason to bee too mean a name to set forth the Father by, yet it is the highest name that can be given him.

For it is Reason that made all things, and it is Reason that governs the whole Creation, and if flesh were but subject thereunto, that is, to the spirit of Reason within himself, it would ne­ver act unrighteousnesse; for if rash, froward, and mad anger rise up in a [Page 123] man, and makes him walk according to the hasty violence of that Devill, now he is said truly to be an unreasonable man, or a man that is not subject to Reason. But if Reason be King in a man, then he moderates the man both within and without, so that he may be truly said to be a reasonable man, or a man subject to reason, and so a pro­fitable man amongst his fellow crea­tures.

For let reason rule the man, and he dares not trespasse against his fellow creature, but will do as he would be done unto: For Reason tels him, is thy neighbour hungry, and naked to day,Mat. 25. 35. do thou feed him, and cloath him, it may be thy case to morrow, and then he will be ready to helpe thee.

VVhen the Curse in flesh moves a man to oppresse or deceive his neigh­bour, or to take away his rights, and liberties, to beat, or abuse him in any kinde, reason moderates this wicked flesh, and speaks within, Wouldest thou be dealt so by thy self? Wouldest [Page 124] thou have another to come and take away thy Goods, thy Liberties, thy Life? No, said the flesh, that I would not: Then saith Reason, Do as thou wouldest be done unto; and hereby the envious, and covetous, and proud flesh is killed, and the man is made very Mo­derate. And this spirit of Reason is not without a man,1 Ioh. 2. 27. but within every man, he needs not run after others, to tell him, or teach him, for this spirit is his maker, he dwels in him, and if the flesh were subject to him, he should finde daily teaching thereform, though he were alone, and saw the face of no man.

And truly let me tell you, That you cannot say the spirit is your God, till you feel, and see by experience that the spirit doth govern your flesh; for if Envy be your Lord that rules your flesh, if Pride and Covetousnesse rule your flesh, then is Envy, Covetousnesse, or Pride your God: If you fear men so greatly, that you dare not do righte­ously for fear of angering men, then slavish fear is your God: If rash anger govern [Page 125] your flesh, then is anger your God: If Uncleannesse rule in you, that is your God: Therefore deceive not your selves, but let reason work within you, and exa­mine, and see what your flesh is subject to; for whatsoever doth govern in you, that is your God: If the curse in the flesh govern you,Rom. 6. 16. then the devill is your God, and you are servants to him, for the curse is the devill: But if your flesh be subject to the spirit within it, which is Reason, and which made the flesh, then is the Fa­ther your God, and you may lawfully call him your God, for you know now what you speak, and that your words are words of experience; but if you act contrary to reason, you act like a beast, and not like a man, according to his creati­on; for by his creation he is made Lord of all creatures, and therefore the spirit dwels supreamly in him; but when he fol­lows the way of the flesh, then he acts like a beast, below the creation of a man, and so hath lost the honor of his creation.

CHAP. VI.

THere be three Scriptures that were brought to me, and the light that shined forth, gave much strength to my soul. I shall only mention them, and then conclude.

[Page 127] By green grasse, and trees that were not to be hurt, were shewed to me to be the tender sons and daughters that Christ hath newly called out of the earth, to grow up towards him: And likewise the tender plants of di­vine life, that Christ had planted in that tender earth.

As love branching out into hunger­ing and thirsting after righteousnesse; and this tender green grasse, nor the earth whereupon is grows, is not hurt; for in the midest of any trouble what­soever, the breathings of love after the father, in hungering and thirsting after him, is still kept alive in the ten­der soule.

And why must not these be hurt? Why? because these have the seal of the spirit upon them, as tender plants, as such as are dear unto him.

I, but pride, envy, covetousnesse, hy­pocrisie, and the earth upon which these, and such like weeds grow, are to be tormented; and why? because they [Page 128] have not the seal of the spirit upon their foreheads, and they are to be tor­mented five moneths, before such time as these weeds be burned up, and that poysoned earth become fruitfull for good seed.

I, but these are called men, not sinfull qualities that are to be tormented; it is true, but a man is called according to his qualitie and manners; take a proud, covetous, or envious man, and crosse any of these wicked qualities, and you torment the man.

For when envy raignes in a man, if it be crost, the whole man is crost; and if pride, or selfe will raigne in a man, and be crost, the man is tormented; so that the quality declares the man; and the man is declared what he is by his quality.

And therefore in the second Scripture, Rev. 20. 15. It is said,

Whosoever was not written in the Lambs book of life,Rev. 20. 15. was cast into the lake of fire.

[Page 129] By Lambs book of life, is shewed to me to be his very divine nature and spirit, wherein Love, Humility, Pati­ence, Peace, and such like are written, and these shall enter into life, and the men in whom this Spirit rules shall enter into heaven, and live in the Father.

For these fruits of the Spirit prove a man to be a son of light, and every son of light is known by these qualities that was engraven in the Lambs Nature, or Spirit.

But whatsoever was not written in the Lambs book, as Envy, Pride, Cove­tousnesse, Self-will, and the like, these shall be cast into the lake of fire, the spi­rit of burning, to be consumed, and the men in whom these cursed powers rule, shall be tormented, while that drosse is in burning up, and vexed day and night, and are restlesse, and cannot be quiet, but fretts, and are troubled conti­nually.

[Page 130] Therefore whatsoever is not writ­ten in the Lambs nature, shall never live in rest in the father; but envy, pride,1 Pet. 2. 22, &c. covetousnesse, self-will, and the like, were not written in the Lambs booke, or Spirit, for he was full of love, and patience, &c. Therefore those shall never live in the father, and never sit down in rest in the spirit; but the spirit will still be burning them, as chaffe in the fire, till they be consu­med

Another thing observe, that whatso­ever did appeare to dwell in the Lamb, is, nor shall never be tormented, as love, patience, humility, contentednesse, these are never tormented,1 Cor. 13. 7. though I have thought many times, that love, being crost grows angry. But I see by ex­perience it is improper, for love can­not be angrie, it beareth all things.

And as we see in our Lord Christ, in whom love, patience, humilitie, con­tentednesse, did dwell and rule; he was never tormented, nor troubled with any fretting or disquiet fit. For truly I [Page 131] speake what I have and do finde, it is only the flesh and serpent that is troubled and tormented, and the more a man is vex­ed and fretted, the more strength of flesh dwells and rules in him. But when the spirit of the Lamb is sent into the heart, he swallows up that froward pow­er of the flesh, and saves the man from distemper, as I said before.

The third scripture I shall mention, is that old pusling scripture, that hath tormented many a soule, which is this.

By sin here, is shewed to me, to be the ser­pent, or the curse in the flesh; branching himselfe forth into pride, covetousnesse, envy, uncleannesse, self-will, hypocri­sie, and all such like; and this serpent dwells in the flesh of every sonne and daughter of Adam, since the fall: ex­cept the man Christ Jesus; for though [Page 132] this serpent tempted him, and strived to rule in him, as he overcame and ruled in the first Adam, Heb. 2. 14. yet Christ trod him under foot, and cast him out of hea­ven: that is, out of humane flesh, that part of the creation,Rev. 12. 10. in whom the fa­ther dwelt bodily.

And by holy Ghost here, it is shew­ed to me, to be the Anointing, or the Spirit ruling in flesh,1 Ioh. 4. 2, 3. either in the flesh of Christ, or in the flesh of his Saints.

Now the serpent or curse, which is called the power of darknesse; this is the sinne against the holy Ghost; for the father made the humane flesh to be his house to dwell in;Luke 11. 22. And this ser­pent took possession, and fights against the spirit, and will not suffer him to ap­peare in flesh at all.

Therefore saith the father, this sin or curse shall never be pardoned; that is, the father will never reconcile that wick­ed one to him;Gen. 3 15. the father and the ser­pent will never become one, but will [Page 133] alwayes be fighting, till the serpents head be bruised; for this is that wicked one that the father is angrie with ever; he is not simply angry with his creature, but with this sinne or curse in the creature, with which the creature hath made a co­venant, and become one with it, and so fights against his maker.

I, but the father will bruise this head of Rebellion, and consume this sinne in the fire, that so be may reconcile his crea­ture to himselfe; but I say the sinne or curse shall never be reconciled; the fa­ther will ever be a consuming fire to that, and will be ever taking peace from that earth that gives this wicked one entertainment.

For the spirit will be still bruising the head of this sinne, till he hath destroyed it, and redeemed his creature from the power and bondage of it; and it is true, every man is guilty of this sinne against the spirit; and though the father will ne­ver make this sinne one with himself, yet he will make his creature man, one with [Page 134] him, when this curse is swallowed up of life.

And why will he not pardon this sin? because it was not written in the Lambs book, or nature, but is that power of darknesse that makes war against the Lamb, and will not have the spirit to dwell in flesh, but would cast him out. Therefore the spirit will cast him out, though he were a stronger power then he is. And so for this time I will con­clude.