BEcause the Days of my Mourning are not yet over, for my Beloved Lady, the Late Queen, therefore I must take leave to Asswage my Sorrow [...]nd Ease my Grief; which I can no ways [...]o, but by clearing my Conscience: For [...]t hath lain upon me as a great Burden, which I had hoped length of time would [...]ave Removed; but I find, by sorrowful Experience, the longer the time, the heavi­ [...]r the Burden; therefore I will declare it, [...]oping thereby to find Relief. Upon our Dear, the late Queen's fatal Death, ma­ny Sermons were Preached; some of them I perused, wherein I had some Sati [...]faction, especially one Preached in [...]he Tower, which I had great Unity with [Page 2]the most part of it: But after this I [...]a [...] another by one call'd a Doctor of Divin [...]

‘Thus I have briefly accounted [...] this Expression in my Text, of calli [...] Rulers, and those none of the best, [...] the Name of Gods and Angels, and t [...] by the Holy Ghost himself, whom no [...] can have the Blasphemous Impude [...] to Charge any with Flattery in so [...] ­ing: Thus saith the Doctor.’

Now I shall not dare to presume to sa [...] the Holy Ghost Flatters, in giving such [...] ­tles to Mortals: No, I thank God for [...] Grace that hath taught me other way but I may presume to say, this Doctor one of the greatest Flatterers, exce [...] that in the Gospel to Herod, that ever Read of in any History; and what [...] can Propose to himself, or any oth [...] more than Flattery, [...] deliver such thin [...] in such an Atheistical Age as this is a [...] ­stery to the Wise; but it's like his oth [...] Doctrine, where he saith, ‘The Que [...] taught them Virtue, those of the be [...] Quality of her own Sect, and She P [...] ­ctised it her self in a right manner, a [...] to the best advantage; not as a Su [...] Melancholy Humour, a piece of Pevi [...] ­ness [Page 3]and Moroseness, or a Superstitious Restraint from the Innocent Freedoms & Pleasures of Life which has affrighted so many from it.’

O what Scurrilous Names he gives the Practice and Absteinuous Life of our Blessed Saviour, the Holy Prophets and Apostles, and all the Primitive Christians, as well as those of latter A­ges: But did you ever hear of any that were true Christians, or the true People of God, that had not there times of pri­vate Retirements, as may be found throughout all the Holy Scriptures, the Book of Martyrs, and other Ancient Ec­clesiastical Histories which declares of their Retirements and Abstinences, as Fastings, Watchings, and deep Humili­ations▪ and for this End they did perform this [...] First, To Obey the Command of Go [...]; and Secondly, To get the Victory over themselves, their own Wills, Ways and Works; which this Man calls Innocent Freedoms and Piea­sures of Life; which were the very things the Christians were to deny themselves in; for what more Pernicious than the Pleasures of Life to a Soul that's fighting [Page 4]its Way through all the Snares of De [...] and Hell, to Obtain a Heavenly Inh [...] ­tance, an Immortal Crown of Glory, [...] the Joy of which the true Christians den [...] the Pleasures of Life, took up the Cross Christ, and Despised the Shame.

But the False Christians, who sa [...] They were Christians and were not; [...] were of the Synagogue of Satan, Th [...] Lived in the Pleasures of Life, whose G [...] was their Belly, whose Glory was th [...] Shame; for they minded Earthly thin [...] and so became Enemies to the Cross Christ, that Crucifies the Pleasures [...] Life, and Mortifies the Liberty of t [...] Flesh; with the Affections and L [...] thereof: A Woful Day was it to o [...] well Disposed Queen, when this M [...] ­came to be her Teacher, who Taug [...] the Pleasures of Life to be the right Ma [...] ­ner and the best Advantage; which, ha [...] she followed his Prescriptions, she h [...] never answered, in the least measure, t [...] End of the Lord in her coming into Eng­land: But, Blessed be God, sometimes s [...] had a better Teacher, who shewed h [...] that straight was the Gate and narro [...] was the Way that led to Eternal Hap­piness [Page 5]and Everlasting Blessing. Oh that she had thoroughly followed the Dictates of His Holy Spirit, then had her Days been Prolonged, and she Advanced to that Degree of Honour, that all her Predeces­sors never attained to: Again saith this Doctor, ‘She gave them Patterns of Vir­tue, not Uncouth or Fantastick, affected Unnatural, such as we meet with in the Legends; but what are agreeable to Civil Life; and to all the Stations of this World; what Christianity and the plain Laws of God require of us; and those things which they had not for­bidden, she did not think necessary to forbid her self: The undue Rigours and Severities of some Indiscreet Persons have done great harm to Religion, by Condemning those things, as absolutely Sinful, which are so only by Accident, but in themselves Innocent, such as Dancing, Playing at Cards, going to Plays, and the like; our Admirable Queen could di­stinguish here b [...]ween Duty and Pru­dence, between Unlawful and Inexpe­dient; she would not refuse those com­mon Diversions, nor use them too much; she would not wholly keep from Plays, [Page 6]as if they were utterly Unlawful, but went very rarely to shew she did not much approve them, and that sh [...] thought her time much better spent ano­ther way, in Reading, Prayer, and Me­ditation, and Private Devotion in he [...] Closet.’

No Thanks to this False Teacher that she thought her time much better spent another way, in much better things in Reading, Prayer, and Meditations. This was the Infinite Love and Mercy of God to her: For had she not bee [...] Visited with the Lord's Loving Kindnes [...] otherways, then through such as him, sh [...] had been Swallowed up in those Gulph of Vanities, which they had prepared fo [...] her common Diversion: But she w [...] withheld by a Secret Hand, tho' she kne [...] it not, from Running so much into th [...] Excess, as they had privily laid for [...] She being under them, and they over h [...] She had a great Spirit for God, and wo [...] have done Generous things: But she w [...] kept back by them; their Power was [...] bove hers; she, precious Soul, might w [...] say as David did, These Sons of Serv [...] are too hard for me: As the Doctor afo [...] ­said [Page 7]declares, for out of his own Mouth he shall be Judged, who taught our Inno­cent Queen, that the Cursed Abominati­ons of Plays, Cards, Dancing, and the Pleasures of Life are Innocent in them­selves; yet notwithstanding the predo­minency of his Bare-Fac'd Lies, the Spirit of God had that Influence, by stri­ving and wrestling with her, as to shew her she should not approve of them; and that she thought her time much better spent another way; what an Admirable Temper, and Excellent Inclination was here in her to be wrought upon; here was the good Ground indeed for the precious Seed of the Kingdom to be Sown in, had she had the Good Husbandmen about her, such as Paul and Apollos, and such as Bar­tholomew Tertian, Pastor to the Waldensian Churches of the Valley Pragela. I say, had she had such Faithful Labourers to Incourage her own Pious Inclinations; Oh what Excellent Fruit had she brought forth, both to God and Man; but alas she was Compast about with the Contrary, such as brought up new Doctrine, con­trary to the Doctrine of Christ, and all the Primitive Christians; who Preach'd [Page 8]the Cross of Christ, which is the Power of God to them that believe in the Suf­ficiency thereof, to give the Victory o­ver all Sin and Iniquity; if the Soul a­bides in it; that is, in the Cross, and goes not out from it. They that do thus, shall receive Power to become the Sons of God, for they shall Grow from one Degree of Grace to another, till they come to the per­fect Stature of the fulness of God in Christ Jesus their Lord and Lawgiver; this is the Reward of the Cross of Christ, which is the Power of God.

But if you follow your Blind Atheisti­cal Guides, who Teaches you to go from one Play-house to another, and from one Dancing-house to another, and from one Game of Cards to another, and from one Pleasure of Life to another; till you, Pro­digals, spend your Portion both External and Internal, and so have nothing to Feed on but Husks, you must expect the just Recompence of Reward, as our Saviour said: For the Blind Guides, and those that are led by them to fall into the Pi [...] of Destruction for Ever: But this Idle Shepherd, that hath Fed himself, and not the Flock; what do I say, not Fed the [Page 9]Flock; Yes he hath with Lies and De­ceit; or else what means his saying, ‘That the plain Laws of God do not forbid to go to Plays, Cards, Dancing, and the Pleasures of Life; and those things, saith he, that the plain Laws of God had not forbidden; the Queen did not think ne­cessary to forbid her self.’ O Behold this Doctor, what Pains and Advantage he takes to uphold the Kingdom of An­tichrist, and to throw down the King­dom of Christ: Wo and Alas, it's no wonder that our Sweet, Humble, Meek-Spirited Queen, did no more of this great Work of Reformation, before she went off, when she had such about her, that would say any thing for the Wages of Unrighteousness; any thing that the De­vil put into their Wicked Hearts for fil­thy Lucre Sake; as this Man of Belial can have the Impudence to bring forth his Works of Darkness, which he hath fetch'd out of the Bottomless Pit into the Face of the whole World: That when he had Hatch'd his Cockatrice Eggs to bring forth a Viper to destroy the Souls of all Mankind.

I'll call Heaven and Earth, and God [Page 10]the Judge of all, to Witness against his Lying Doctrine; and all the Spirits of just Men in all Ages, of all Sorts and Sects whatsoever, to be Judge, whether this is Doctrine fit to be Preach'd in this Atheistical Age, or among a Christian People? And he hath not only the Im­pudence to Justifie those Cursed Vices, but to Condemn those that Bear their Testimony, for the Lord, against all such Abominable and Hellish Practices: For, saith he, the undue Rigorous Severities of some Indiscreet Persons have done great harm to Religion and Virtue, by Condemning those things as Absolutely Sinful, which are so only by Accident, but in themselves Innocent; such as Dancing, Playing at Cards, going to Plays, and the like. Oh that it might be according to his saying, to have done great harm to that Devilish Religion that he is of, which is the Pleasures of Life, and his Vitious Virtue.

Oh LORD GOD Everlasting, Ho­ly, Just and True, VVhen wilt thou stop the Mouthes of these Lying Teachers, that Presumptuously take thy Ever Blessed Name into their Ʋngodly Mouths, and Hates thy Holy Pure Spirit, to reform their [Page 11]Vitious and Ʋngodly Lives.

But, pray take notice, how high this Spirit of Error, charges the Holy Prephets and our Blessed Lord and Saviour, and his Blessed Apostles, who followed His Hea­venly Doctrine of Self-denial with the Primitive Christians and the Blessed Mar­tyrs, who were Living Witnesses against all such false Doctrine, and sealed to the Crucifying and Self-denying Life of Jesus with their Blood; and those Blessed Pro­testants the Waldenses, whom the Pro­testants of our Age own to have been their Ancestors, and from them, you say, you have your Religion; but how much your Doctrine and Lives Resemble theirs, all their Histories fully declares, where they have writ whole Volumns against all your Ungodly Practises, as Dancing, Mu­sick, Singing, Cards, Dice, Plays, Pride Fantastical Dresses, your wicked Sports; and with a Burning Zeal declares against the very Houses, where such Cursed Abo­minations are Practised, which Houses in some Cases might be useful, viz. ‘The Tavern which, say they, is the Fountain of Sin, the School of the Devil; for when the Drunkard goes to the Tavern, [Page 12]he goes upright, but when he comes forth, he cannot go at all, he has lost his Sight, Speech and Hearing: The Lectures that are Read in this School of the Devil, are Gluttonies, Drunkenness, Oaths, Perjuries, Lyings, Blasphemies, Flatteries; and divers other wicked Vil­lanies, & pernicious Effects, by which the Heart is withdrawn further and further from God.’ So far these precious Wal­denses and first Reformers of the Prote­stant Church; and further, say they, of Dancing, Musick, and the like wicked Recreations, which this False Teacher saith, are Innocent.

‘Dancing, say they, is the Devils Pro­cession, and he that entereth into his Procession, the Devil is the Guide, the Middle and the End of the Dance. So many Paces as a Man maketh in Dan­cing, so many Paces doth he make to go to Hell; a Man Sinneth in Dancing di­vers ways in his Pace; for all his Steps are Numbred; in his Touch, in his Ornament, in his Hearing, Sight, Speech, and other Vanities; and therefore we will prove first, say they, by Scripture, [Page 13]and afterwards by several Reasons, how wicked a thing it is to Dance. The first Testimony we shall produce, say they, is in the Gospel, where it pleased that Heathen and Tyrant Herod so well, that it cost the great Prophet John Bap­tist his Life; the second is in Exodus, when Moses, coming near the Congrega­tion, saw the Calf, and the People Dancing, he cast the Table of the Law of the LORD from him, and brake it to pieces at the Foot of the Mountain, and afterwards it Cost Three and Twenty Thousand of their Lives:’ And again, say they, ‘Those that Dance break their Promise and Agreement they have made with GOD in Baptism, when their Godfathers promised for them, that they shall renounce the De­vil and all his Pomps, and Dancing is the Pomp of the Devil, and he that Danceth maintaineth his Pomp.’ And again, say they, ‘A Man breaks the Ten Commandments of God: As, 1. Thou shalt have no other Gods but me;’ and here they make out most fully what our Sa­viour said, ‘ His Servants ye are whom ye obey; and so saith Jerom, Every Man's [Page 14]God is that which he serves and loves best.’ And so these precious Waldenses goes o [...] most Excellently, making out at large to the end of that Discourse, the Breach of a [...] the Commandments, by the practice [...] that one Accursed Thing of Dancing which is too long for me to insert here. Bu [...] hear also what Augustine saith, ‘The Mi­serable Dancer knows not, that as many paces as he makes in Dancing, so many leaps he makes to Hell:’ And further this Famous Augustine for his Knowledg [...] in Church-Affairs, whose Sentences wer [...] Oracles, he saith, ‘That Plays, and a [...] such Recreations, are more Pernicio [...] and Abominable than those Idolatrou [...] Sacrifices, which were Offered in Ho [...] nour of the Pagan gods.’

I my self can Witness to the Truth [...] this Learned Man's Testimony; for ho [...] pleasant were those Vanities to my Sences And how did they Captivate my Min [...] from God, till the Lord, in his Infinit [...] Compassion, by the Light of his Hol [...] Spirit, shew'd me the wickedness there of? Yet after I was shew'd the Evil [...] such Vanities, how great was my Suffe [...] ­ings before I came fully off from deny in [Page 15]my self those Cursed Pleasures, as Plays, Dancing, Singing, and the like, where­in I my self have been one of the Chief Actors therein? And how often did the Lord follow men, in the Secret of my Soul, with the Reproofs of Instructions, say­ing, Why wilt thou do this, and sin against God? Oh then, as soon as I could get from my Company, I have gone out, as Peter did, into a private place, and wept most bitterly before the LORD, begging his Assisting Power, and Heavenly Strength, against the next Temptation, to resist it, promising by his Assistance never to do the like again. Thus the Lord follows his Creature, sometimes in the heat of Temptation, in the very Act; and some­times when it is over, in the cool of the Day, as he did to Adam, condescending so low as to lye knocking and calling at the Door of our Hearts (till his Locks are wet with the Dew) in the Night of our Apostacy, Wooing and Beseeching the Soul to receive his Love, saying, Open, open to me, my Beloved, and I will make an Everlasting Covenant with thee, even the sure Mercies of David: But alas! How should such give Entertainment to him, [Page 16]who have made a Covenant with Death and Hell, to disinher it him the true Heir and Subscribe themselves Servants to Sir for Term of Life, as their False Teachers tell them, That they may go to Plays, Cards, Dancing, and the Pleasures of Life, the Pomp and Glory of the World for Term of Life; these are the Guests that must he Entertained with Voluptuous Fare, with their whole Heart, Soul, Strength and Might; but their Saviour, the King of Eternal Glory, must lye in a Manger a­mong the wild Beasts, to be trod under­foot, to be spit upon, scoft and scorned at, to be beat and buffeted, to be Crown­ed with Thorns, to be Crucified afresh, and put to an open Shame; this do ye, ye Church and People of England, of all Sorts and Sects, who treads underfoot the Son of GOD, and counts the Blood of the Co­venant an unholy thing, by your often transgressing against his Righteous Laws, and Smothering, and Murdering his Ho­ly Witness in your Hearts, that would rise and bear witness against your ungod­ly Ways and Works: For is it not so, when the Priests of the Nation, whose Lips should preferve Knowledge, are the [Page 17]great Instruments to lead the People into all Error, Ignorance and Blindness; and trains them up with the highest Incou­ragement in the Broadest Way to utter Destruction; and the great Lamentation is, the People Love to have it so: Now, what think you will the LORD do in the End thereof? Why, saith he, I will Feed this People with Wormwood, and give them the Waters of Gall to Drink: O hea­vy Portion; but seeing you, Oh ye Priests, are the Fundamental Cause of this bitter Portion to the People, therefore Wo be unto you; Wo be to the Priest that Prea­ches Lies in the Name of the Lord; Wo be to the Priest that causes the People to Err, by their Lies and Flatteries, and the LORD never sent nor commanded them; but they have their Commission from the Devil, the Father of Lies, who was a Lier from the beginning, and the Works of their Father they will do; which is evidently seen by their Fruits; You shall know them, saith our Saviour, for a good Tree cannot bring forth Evil Fruit, neither can a corrupt Tree bring forth Good Fruit: Therefore, by their Fruits, you shall know them; for tho' they may [Page 18]Speak good Words, that is not to be the Touch-Stone; for the Devil himself can Speak good Words, as witness, what he said to Christ, We know thee, who thou art, the Holy One of God. Could there be a higher Confession than this; and further it is written, They may Speak with the Tongue of Men and Angels, and have not Charity; such Words are but as Sound­ing Brass: Even so, tho' these Priests may use their Tongues, by which they get their filthy Lucre, yet they have no Cha­rity, which is Love to GOD, and the Everlasting Good of their Neighbours, but instead thereof, they have Proclaimed upon the House Top Open Rebellion a­gainst the Lord, and against his Anoin­ted; saying, Let us break their Bonds, and cast away their Cords from us; let us Dance, Sing, Play at Cards, go to Plays, and Injoy all the Pleasures of Life; for who is the LORD, that we should Fear him; O ye Fools that hate knowledge, know ye not that he that is in the Heaven shall Laugh; the Lord shall have you in De­rision, he shall Speak to you in his Wrath, and Vex you in his sore Displeasure: Then shall you hear the Decree, Thou art my Son, [Page 19]this Day have I begotten thee: Ask of me, and I will give thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance, and the utmost Ends of the Earth for thy Possession; Thou shalt Crush them with a Scepter of Iron, and Break them to Pieces as a Potter's Vessel: Then shall you hear, O ye Treacherous Deceitful Priests, who are neither Faithful to GOD nor Man; tho' now your Lust makes such a Noise, your Cursed, Covetous, Earthly Self-Interest Cries so loud, Give, give, that, tho' the Charmer Charmes ne­ver so wisely, you are like the deaf Ad­der that will not hear: But then you shall hear, when the Righteous Judge of all the Earth shall Summon you to appear before his Tribunal, to give an Account of all the Souls that you have Slain by your Lies and Flatteries; so that none could turn from their Evil Ways, that received your daubing, sweet, deceitful Words; Crying, Peace, peace, when there was none but utter Destruction in the way that you have prescribed to them; therefore you shall give an account of all the Souls that you have Slain by your Lies and Dreams; and the Blood of all that hath not, nor do not, fear the LORD, [Page 20]and turn from their Evil ways, shall lye at your Door, except you speedily Re­pent; and turn from all your Abomina­tion which you have committed against the LORD and his People.

And further, in the Fear and Dread of the LORD, and in a Holy Zeal for his Glory, I must lay the Blood of our Ver­tuous, Dear, Innocent Queen, as heavy as Lead upon your Heads; because you Hea­led her VVound slightily, and Spoke Peace to her, when sudden Destruction was at the Door, as appears at this Day: For how great was the Loving Kindness of the LORD, in visiting her with his Mercy and Truth, declaring to her his Mind and Will; tho' through Con­temptible Vessels to Eyes of Proud Flesh, which hath ever been his Way, and for that End, to stain the Glory of all Flesh, that no Flesh might Glory in his Presence; As I my self, among the rest, had the Henour, though Unworthy to be his Mes­senger, to declare his Mind and Will to the late Queen, both in Print, and Pri­vate Writings, all which fully declares the Labour of the Spirit of the Lord with her, and that he would have Honoured [Page 21]her with the great Work of Reformation in these Kingdoms of her Dominions; and I see [...]ing so much of the Powerful Opera­tions of the Love of GOD in Visiting the Queen with his Will and Counsel: I expected some Excellent Work to be brought forth in answer to the LORD's Requiring: But when I waited, time af­ter time, and year after year, and saw so little Fruits of my Labour; I humbly Inquired of the Lord, what the Reason was, and why it was so; whereupon the LORD, in his Condescending Goodness, was pleased to answer my Request, by the Revelation of his Word by Day, and also by Dreams or Visions of the Night; which were so many that would sill up much Paper; therefore I shall only In­stance part of one sight, which I had a little before the Queen's Death, which is as followe [...]h: ‘I thought I saw my self in a large Room in White-Hall, where I saw my dearest Lady, the Queen, sit on a Seat a little higher than the People, with her Ladies, Priests, and Servants, round about her; some of them Reading to her. After a while I looked, and on a sudden the Queen was down upon the [Page 22]Ground, and all that sate about her, lay a top of her, as if they would have Crush'd her to Death; insomuch that I Cried out with a Vehement and Lamen­table Cry, The Queen will be Smothered, what shall I do; the Queen will be Smo­thered? After this she was gone from under them by an Invisible Hand, none of them knew how, nor whether; they Run to and fro, as Distracted, seeking her, but could not find her; nor is it to be Exprest the Distress I saw her Ladies, Priests and People, who had lain upon her, in Crying out one to the other for her, but all in vain; for, my thoughts, she was gone to be seen no more; I my self sought her with bitter Mourning, but could not find her.’

By the first of this sight, I was given to understand, she was under them, and them over her; and therefore could not do what her Pious Heart was Inclined to: The next was, her Removeal from under their Yoke.

Well is it, I hope, with her, that it is so; for the longer she had Continued under their Controuling Power, the worse it would have been for her, except she [Page 23]had had Strength to have Obeyed the LORD, rather than them; but to you, Oh ye Priests, it is the Judgment of GOD; for Just is the LORD in Removing her:

For you were unworthy of such an Ex­cellent Governess, who might have been an admirable Instrument in the Hand of the Lord, for the Reforming these Athe­istical Nations, and bringing back the People from their Idolatrous Ways, from Worshipping their Gods of Silver and Gold, and the Work of their own Hands; together with the rest of the Abominati­ons of this Age; as the like had not been in our Memory, had you but Assisted her with good Counsel, to have strength­ned her weak Hands, and you joyned with her in the Work.

But, instead of being Instruments, to put your helping Hand to this great and weighty Work of Reformation, to reco­ver the Children of Men out of their fal­len State into the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of GOD; some of you are, and have been the chiefest Instruments the Devil hath to bring them into Bondage, to sink them into the Pit of Destruction, to damn them into Hell Fire, which is prepared [Page 24]for the Devil and his Angels, and for all those that forget GOD, so as not to keep his Commandments: For is it not so, Oh ye Priests, when Christ our Saviour tells us, That straight is the Gate, and narrow is the Way that leads to Life, and few there be that find it; and that broad is the Way, and wide the Gate that leads to De­struction: And he that taketh not up his Cross, and followeth not me, is not worthy of me: Take my Yoak upon you, and Learn of me.

These are the Commands of CHRIST, Oh ye Priests, then what is his Cross? What is it to Learn of him? What is it to bear his Yoak? What is it to deny Self? Is it to go to Plays? Is it to Dance? Is it to Play at Cards? Is it the Pleasures of Life? Answer, Ye, False Teachers, are these the Cross of Christ, which is the Power of GOD against all such Works of Darkness, is this to Learn of him, to go to Cards: Do you follow him, when you go to Plays or Dancing? Or do you not follow your Father the Devil, whose Works ye will do?

Oh! ye Runagates, whether are you gone; what Hew and Cry shall be sent [Page 25]after you, to bring you back to the Primi­tive Church, from whence you are fallen, who are gone so far a Whoring from the LORD after your Idols and Inventi­ons, as to proclaim upon the House top, that the Devil's Works are Innocent.

Oh ye Adulterers, whom shall we be­bieve, our Saviour, or you? Our Saviour that Commands us to strive to enter in at the straight Gate; for, saith he, that's the Way to Life: Or you that tells us the Pleasures of Life, that leads to Destructi­on, are Innocent.

Ye, Foreheads of Brass, with what Face durst you presume to Preach such Doctrine in a Pulpit; shall Treason be Spoke against an Earthly Prince, and no notice taken thereof: But you have Spo­ken high Treason against the KING of Righteousness, and are stirrers up and proclaimers of open Rebellion against the Lord of Hosts, and against his Anointed Christ: You are bold indeed. Again, I say, shall any be so Presumptious to Speak Treason against an Earthly King, and not be call'd to an account: But this Preacher of Lies hath done worse against the King of Eternal Glory, than whatsoever could [Page 26]acted against all the Kings or Monarchs in the World; and yet none hath laid it to Heart, or so much as said, What hast thou done?

For, as it was in Jeremiah's time, so it is now; when the Roul was Burnt, saith the Text, Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their Garments; Neither the King, nor any of his Servants.

Therefore, O England, England, what Lamentable Lamentation shall be taken up for thee; there is not a Man to be found in thy populous Cities, or vast Coun­treys, that hath so much Zeal for the LORD of Hosts, as to take this matter in Hand, to Vindicate the Truth of the Everlasting GOD, with this Uncircum­cised Philistine, who hath defied the Power of the Living GOD; but every Man taking up his own Quarrel, to plead his own Interest; and their fierce Zeal is so hot for Self, that they are Sheathing their Swords in one anothers Bowels; which Swords should be turned every one against the Enemy of his own House; for that should be the Work of this Day: But contrary to this, here is Brother a­gainst Brother, and Friend against Friend, [Page 27]to the great Dishonour of GOD and Re­ligion; and being so busied in this Evil Work, they do not mind the Cry that's gone forth. viz. Who will be on the Lord's part; who, against the Man of Sin, Now Iniquity is filling up to the Brim? Who will come forth to help the LORD, against the Mighty? Who will be so Va­liant for GOD, as to throw Jesabel, with her painted Face and tyred Head, out of the Window, for the Doggs to Eat her Flesh and Drink her Blood? He sought for a Man, but could find none to take his Righteous Cause in Hand: Therefore his own Arm shall bring Salvation, no­thing shall hinder it; and seeing there was no Man, among all the wise Rabbies and Learned Doctors of our times, that hath so much Love or Zeal for the mighty GOD that gives them Breath and Being; therefore the LORD, who stains the Glory of all Flesh, in his VVisdom hath opened the Mouth of a silly Ass, to Re­buke the Malice, Lies and Madness of this false Prophet, as one just Recom­pence of his Reward: The next Recom­pence shall be that he, and whosoeve else Concerned, shall answer for all t [...] [Page 28]Neglect of our late hopeful Queen in he [...] Service and Dury to GOD, in the Act of Reformation, and for the Sins of all th [...] Souls that have been deceived under their false Ministry, except they speedily Re­pent with the deepest Humiliation and thorow Reformation to turn from all the Evil of their pernitious ways; Confessing their Sins, and Condemning themselves worthy to be cut off for ever from the Lord, and all his Heavenly Hosts, Saints, and People.

But if you will not thus give Glory to my Righteous Name; Then will I Rend you, by my strong Hand and my out-stretched Arm, from all the Delights of your Eyes: I will pull you out with Hooks, and your Posterity as with Fishbooks; for tho' you Build your Nests in the Stars, from thence will I pull you down, and I will get me a Name and a Fame in your Destruction: Therefore Re­pent and Forsake, that you may find Mercy, saith the LORD.

Upon these last Words I was Melted into Tears, and Cried out, O Lord God, wilt thou have Mercy upon such as have, not only themselves Rebelled against thee, the Holy GOD, and thy Righteous Laws, but [Page 29] [...]aused Multitudes to go out of thy Ways, unto the By-ways and Crooked Paths, till they wandred into the Dark Night of Apostacy, and so sate in the Region and Shadow of Death, and to this Day sees no way out! O LORD GOD wilt thou have Mercy on such: And here again my Heart was bro­ken to pieces before the LORD, Crying out, Oh who is like unto Thee! This makes good thy Word, which saith, Thou hast no Pleasure in the Death of a Sinner, but rather that he would turn from his Evil VVays and Live: And therefore hast thou sent thy Prophets Early and Late, and are still sending them; for thou art a God that art never weary of well doing; therefore, Oh who is like unto thee, Jehovah! Lord who is like unto thee, to be admired of all those that Loves thee, and keeps thy Command­ments: And they that know thee, will put their whole Trust and Considence in Thee, the Eternal Goodness: But thy Enemies shall lick the Dust, and shall be as the Chaff of the Summers [...]; but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall run in the Ways of thy Command­ments, and not be weary, and Walk in the Ways of the LORD, and not faint: This [Page 30]Honour, Power and Dignity, have all thos [...] that seek thy Face in Truth.

Wherefore, I beseech you, Friends Neighbours, and People, of all Sorts and Sects, under what Denomination soever [...] by the Mercies and Love of God, that you come out from among these Hireling Shepherds, who leave you to the Wolf to be devoured: I mean those false Teachers that give you the least Liberty to fulsill the Lusts of the Flesh: I beseech you, now at last, before it be too late, con­sider the ill Effects it doth produce for you to Live and Dye in your Sins: I be­seech you again and again, in the Bowels of Christ, Consider how much you are the better at the Years End, for all your Hearing, Preaching and Praying? How much of the World have you overcome? How much Pride have you overcome? How much Earthly-mindedness? How much Lies and Deceit? How much Couzning and Cheating? How much Malice and Hatred? Besides Drunkenness, VVhoredom, Gaming, Feasting, and all Sinful Delights; and are not many, that wear the Cloak of Religion, guilty of the most part of these Abominations?

Therefore, pray Consider, if you have not forsaken these Groser Evils, which are detestable, not only to the Pure and Holy God, but the very Heathens: How will you deny your selves in those things which are more Lawful in themselves, which is the Duty of every Christian, so far as GOD requires it of them.

Wherefore, seeing it is so, that you grow no better, but rather worse and worse; deceiving, and being deceived, under all your Church Discipline, Ordi­nances, and great Gatherings to Meet­ings: Seeing these outward Services bring you no further then to a Historical Faith, and only a bare outside Profession of God and Godliness; without having an inward Power and Life of Righteous­ness; it's high time for you all to sepa­rate your selves one from another, but more especially, You of the COME­LY ORDER, as you call it, and every one seek the LORD apart, every Family apart, every Individual apart, the Husband apart, and the Wife apart; and there to Prostrate your selves before the Lord, lying at his Footstool, never leaving Him, till you have Received the [Page 32]Blessing from on high; which Blessing to be Emptied of your selves; your o [...] Ways and VVorks, Gifts and Parts, [...] whatsoever else you hold out of the L [...] of Christ, for your Eyes have seen t [...] Dangerous Consequence of your goi [...] out of that Poverty of Spirit into th [...] Richness of Spirit, hath produced, Pride High-mindedness, Haughtiness of Spirit lifting up your selves above your fello [...] Creatures; and being so pust up in Pri [...] and Self, that nothing less will serve yo [...] than to Reign as Kings; and if th [...] cannot be obtained, to set your Feet [...] the Necks of your Friends, then you g [...] to War, and so Sheath your Swords [...] each others Bowels, and so make t [...] Name of God a Stink in the Nation and Religion a By-word of Reproach a [...] mongst the Heathen.

Just so it was with the Christians in th [...] Emperor Constantine's Reign, till the he [...] vy VVrath and Judgments of God bra [...] in upon them; and do you think to E­scape, being found in the same VVork No, you will surely Drink of the same Cup, except you speedily Repent; there fore Return from whence you are fallen [Page 33]and do your first VVorks; and say not in your Hearts; We are a Rich and a Mighty People: But consider with your selves how quickly the Lord can bring you down, even to the Ground.

Again, I must say, if these be the Fruits that are brought forth, by all your Preach­ing, Praying, and Hearing, to swell in Pride, to bite, tear, and devour one ano­ther; this is no comly Order, but great Iniquity, horrible Distraction, and mi­serable Confusion, to the Amazement of all the Beholders, that ever a Peo­ple, who pretend to so high a Dispen­sation as you have, should fall as Stars from Heaven to Earth, as it hath hap­pened among some of you; your Leaders, as well as others, being the cause thereof.

Wherefore, Wo and Alas! Seeing these Lamentable things are come to pass, is it not high time for all Tongues to be turn'd into Silence, and all Mouths to be in the Dust, and all Heads covered with Ashes, and Loins with Sack-Cloath: And from thence to come before the Lord with weeping and wailing, even as a Woman in the strongest Travail that ever was: Acknowledging your own Backslidings [Page 34]and great Unworthiness to lift up your Eyes to him: That thus, by bearing the Indignation of the Lord, you may, if pol­sible, appease his Wrath which is Kind­led against you; that so you, beyond all others, by your true and unfeigned Re­pentance, by Watchings and Fastings, and deep Humiliation; for that was the way by which some of you came to God in the beginning, when you were little in your own Eyes, and nothing in your own Sight; and that is the way now, by which you must come out of your fallen State to God again, by the suffering Life of Jesus; for he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and none can come to the Father but by him; by his Suffering Life, by his Death and Bloody Passion, both without and within in your Souls, you must know the bitter Agony he was in, when he Swet Drops of Blood for your Backsliding from him, or to speak more plain for your Crucifying of him afresh, and puting him to an open Shame; as witness the foresaid.

Therefore you, that are guilty of these things, come down from your exalted Spirits, and sit down in the Dust, and [Page 35]Mourn most bitterly, for the Miseries that is coming upon you, except you speedily Repent.

And now, to all People every where, both Old and Young, Rich and Poor, that would Inherit Eternal Life and Glory, End­less Joy, Everlasting Peace and Happiness to all Eternity, this is your way to obtain it, through the Agony of Christ's Internal Sufferings; this is Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and none can come to the Father but by this Way: He that goes another way, than through the Ago­ny of his Soul, is a Thief and a Robber, and comes but to Steal, as our Saviour saith.

Mark that, To take that which is none of his own; but he that feels it in his own Soul, it's his own, as the Samaritans wit­nessed, and said, John 4.42. unto the Woman, Now we Believe, not because of thy saying, but because we have heard him our selves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the World: And as he himself said to Thomas, Reach hither thy Hand, and thrust it into my Side.

So this Soul hath it not by bare hear­say, but he feels the Agony of his Suffer­ings [Page 36]in his own Soul, and so he comes [...] have the fellowship of his Sufferings, and to bear in his Body the Dyings of the Lord Jesus; and this is his Daily and Hourly Work, to Mortifie and Crucifie the Deeds of the Flesh, and to leave no­thing undone that God requires to be done: And, in order to this, he sets a Holy Watch over his own Soul, keeping his Heart and Mind close to the Lord, always in Communion with his Blessed Holy Spirit; and his Holy Exercise brings you into Acquaintance with him, as it is written, Aquaint thy self with the Lord, and be at Peace; and said our Saviour, A­gree with thine Adversary in the Way: And by this Agreement the Partition Wall is broken down, and then God and the Soul comes together, who were at such a di­stance one from the other, that the Lord said, As far as the Heavens are from the Earth, so far are my Thoughts from yours, my Ways from your Ways. But in this State of the Souls Union with God, it's quite contrary; for the Soul is so fill'd with the Love of Christ, that its whole Delight is to follow him in his Footsteps, and to keep his Commandments in all [Page 37]things; believing it to be the Sign or To­ken of her Love to him; as he himself said, If ye Love me, keep my Commandments; and she knows this to be the Living Faith which gives the Victory over all Sin, and brings the Soul into the Obedience of Christ actually, not in Conceit, which is the Fruits of the Dead Faith of those whose Fear towards God are taught by the Precepts of Men, who believes Christ to have taken away the Sins of Believers past present, and to come without actual Repentance, and actual Forsaking; al­though the Promise was upon no other ground than this, He that repents and for­sakes, shall find Mercy.

Alas for such, how they deceive and cheat their own Souls; for here they may make merry over the Witness of God, and so make Shipwrack of a good Con­science without Controul. Oh Fools that hates Knowledge, to believe that the Son of the Living Eternal God Emp­tied himself of all his Glory, in coming out of the Bosom of his Father, to take upon him an Ignominious Death, through Agonies of Sorrows and Griefs, bitter Death, and bloody Passion, strong Cries, [Page 38]Groans, Sighs and Sobs, Watchings and Fastings, cruel Mockings and Scourgings, Exposing himself to all the Malice that Men or Devils could invent, to save you in your Sins; what think you, Was this the End of his coming from Heaven to Earth, to secure you in your Sins? Alas, poor Mortals, how Ignorant are you of the End of his Office! How is he your Saviour, if he do not save you from your Sins; for otherways you have no Right to his Merits; you have no Right to his Sufferings, if you do not suffer with him: For you are to fill up that which is be­hind of the Sufferings of Christ in your Mortal Bodies, as the Apostle saith: And so his Sufferings comes to be your Sufferings; and thus you are Obedient to his Commands; who, by his mighty Power in you, Works both the Will and the Deed: For of your selves, you can do nothing; but by Him, through Him, and with Him, you can do all things, Destroy the Devil and all his Works: For, by believing in his Power, you come to receive Power, as it is written, To as many as Received him, to them he gave Power to become the Sons of God: But if [Page 39]you do not receive this Gift of God, which is his Son, you cannot receive Pow­er: You must receive him, in the Love of him, & believe, in his Power, that he is God All-sufficient to perfect the Work which he hath begun in your Souls; For without Faith it is Imposible to please God. There­fore this is your Work, to Pray and wait upon God for this Living Faith, for the Faith of the Son of God, which must give you the Victory over all Sin and Iniquity, as our Saviour said, If ye have [...] Faith as a Grain of Mustard Seed, you shall say unto this Mountain, Be thou Removed, and it shall be done. What Mountain? The Mountain of Sin. And again, said he, Oh Woman, great is thy Faith, be it done unto thee, as thou hast Believed: And in another place it's said, He could not do many mighty Works there, because of their Ʋnbelief: And in the Prophets it's writ­ten, If you do not Believe, you shall not be Established.

So you see the dangerous Consequence of Unbelief, the very cause why the Children of Israel could not enter the promised Land, because of their Unbe­lief; which Canaan, you know, was a [Page 40]Type or Figure of the Spiritual Canaan [...] the Eternal Rest of that Soul that Travels on to know the Lord, and never takes up a Rest by the way in no External things whatsoever; but Fights its way through all the Temptations, Trials, and Tribula­tions; and so runs the Race that is set be­fore it, to obtain the Price of the High Calling the Heavenly Jerusalem; if they hold out to the End, they come to an In­numerable Company of Angels, and the Spirits of Just Men made perfect; and [...] God the Judge of all, which the Li­ving Faith, the Faith of the Son of God leads to. But your dead Faith keeps you in Death and Destruction for ever: For said the Prophet, The Dead cannot Praise thee, nor those that go down to the Pit can­not Celebrate thy Praise: Yet you of this Generation are so presumptious, tho' you are Dead in Trespasses and Sins, to Sing the Praises and Hymns of those, who had born the heavy Wrath and Indignation of the Lord, for their Sins; and was resol­ved to bear, and would except of no De­liverance, but from God.

None of the false Teachers, deceitful daubing Flatterers, Crying Peace, when [Page 41]De [...]uction was at Hand; Crying, The [...]emple of the Lord! the Temple of the Lord! No, no, These Holy Ones knew what the Temple of the Lord was better than so: This is the Temple of the Lord, said they, if ye thoroughly amend your Ways and your Works, if you Execute Judgment between a Man and his Neighbour, and Op­press not the Stranger, the Fatherless and the Widow; shed no Innocent Blood, nor walk after other Gods to your own Destructi­on, Jer. 7. which Chapter gives a more full Relation of what God Requires of Mankind in general; and as was said, It was not their Blind and Lame Sacrifices would do their Work, whilst the Idol of their Imagination and Abomination stood in their Temple; they knew the small Scourge that was prepared to whip out the Buyers and Sellers, Money-Chang­ers, and those that made his House a Den of Thieves; I say, they knew the Work that God call'd them to, better than so; which made them Cry out, I will bear the Indignation of the Lord, until he arise and Plead my Cause: And another saith, I will wait upon the Lord all the Days of my ap­pointed time, until my Change come. What [Page 42]Change did Job wait so long for? To [...] Changed from the Power of Satan to the Power of God; he waited to be Changed from doing his own Will, from doing [...]is own Works, from speaking his own Words, from thinking his own Thoughts, and in this State he was partaker of the Rest of the People of God, and kept Holy the Sabbath Day: And thus David, he was a Man after God's own Heart, be­cause in this State, he answered the End of his Creation: For Man was Created for this very End and Purpose, to Love God and keep his Commandments; and here he hath Communion and Fellowship with his Creator and Maker: But out of this State, he is worse than the Beast that Perisheth.

So you see the Servants of the Lord could not be Satisfied with any thing less than Victory over all Sin and Iniquity: And that great Apostle Paul, after his strong Warfares and weary Travels, gives this account, that he had not been beat­ing the Air, but had so fought as to obtain the Crown: I thank God, saith he, thro' Christ, who hath given me the Victory. It was through Christ he obtained it, thro' [Page 43]his Suffering Life, which he was made partaker of, through his Holy Cross, wherein he places the Power of God to them that Believes in it; but as he said, A Rock of Offence to them that do not.

A Rock of Offence indeed to them that gets above it. This Holy Cross, which he Glorified so much in, that Crucified him to the World, and the World to him; that was his Glory, the Victory that he had got over the World, and he returns Thanks to God, who had given it him through Christ, through those Soul-Sufferings which Paul had so great a share in, and which was Christ in him the hope of Glory: So Paul was made One with Christ, by his Internal and Exter­nal Sufferings; and here our Blessed Lord's Prayer was answered, when he said, Father that they may be One, as we are One; I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in One: Father I will that they which thou hast given me, be with me, even where I am; that they may behold my Glory.

Now Observe, The place where he was then, was his Suffering Life; he was just going to Dye upon the Cross, and from thence into his Glory.

Oh the Height and Depth of this Love who can declare it, that our Saviour should Pray to the Father, That where he was, there we might be also; who, in his secret Wisdom, knew what State w [...] best, and safest for us, whilst we were on this side the Grave, to be kept in, to be partakers with him in his Suffering Life; this bespeaks more of his Endless Love to us, than if he had set Crowns of Di­amonds upon our Heads, and given us all the Glory of a Perishing World: For in this Soul-suffering we are made One in him, we Eat his Flesh and Drink his Blood; and so by the Vertue and Nou­rishment of his Life, we grow up in him, who is our Head, and our Immanuel in his Love and Faith, in his Chastity, in his Heavenly-mindedness, in his Humilty and Self-denial, Merciful Loving Kind­ness, and in the Power of all his Heaven­ly Vertues: If we abide in him, and go not out from him to the Creatures, to vain Man for help; for here you must cease from Man, whose Breath is in his Nostrils, wherein is he to be accounted of, not at all in this Work of the Souls perfecting; your Work here is with God, [Page 45]and not with Man; your Work is to keep in your strong Travel, with your Eye fixed on God, for his Power to bring forth what he begets in you, for other­ways all your work will prove but false Conceptions, if you do not see, of the Travel of your Souls: And being Faith­ful to God in this Work, you shall see the Will of the Holy ONE brought forth in you, in perfect Obedience, and then in this State you come to the Anointing, that Teacheth you all things; yea, the deep things of God: And you need not that any Man should teach you, but as the same Anointing teacheth you; so you shall abide in it. Here you come to the discerning of things that differ in Nature and Effect, by the Tasting and Handling of the Word of Life; here you shall come to the Law of the Spirit of Life, which shall set you free from the Law of Sin and Death, being fill'd with all Spi­ritual Life and Power, to do the Will of God in all things; and in this State you shall behold Christ's Glory, as he desired of the Father: And this take from one that, upon Trial, hath proved it; who­soever beholds his Glory, shall tread the [Page 46]Worlds Glory under their Feet, and scorn the Pomp and Effeminacy thereof, and values it no more than the Dirt they tread on, further than for them to serve the Lord, and his Creation therewitth and so far redeemed out of it, that i [...] would be their Joy to have no occasion to make use of the least part thereof; and so far off are they from coveting the In­comberances of it, although to procure great Riches, that they grudge the very time that is spent in serving the Necessi­ty of their outward Man. So pretious [...] time to them, and so great is their Love to God; that, if they had the Years o [...] Methusala added to their Days, they were all too few to attend and wait upon the Divine Majesty of the Eternal Good­ness.

Thus all the Children of God were found in this Holy Exercise, David wait­ed upon the Lord more than the Watch­man waited for the Morning; this is your Labouring in the Vineyard: And being Faithful in this Exercise, you are the wise Virgins who had Oyl in their Lamps who were ready to enter in with their Lord into the Marriage Chamber.

But I hope you understand, by the fore­going Directions, what I mean by the word Waiting, that it is not your bare going to Church, nor receiving the Sacra­ment, nor saying, Lord have Mercy upon us Miserable Sinners, and the rest of your Historical Service; for here you may stick till the Day of your Death, and be but Hypocrites, Mockers, Scoffers, and fill'd with Malice and Hatred against any ap­pearance of Good, which by sad Experi­ence is seen, that the most part of you are too guilty of to my knowledge; that your very Poor that receive Alms are so Proud and Malicious, that it is a Happiness to have nothing to do with them: This I speak to let you know what Fruit is brought forth by your Preaching, and their Hearing. What I say unto you, I say unto all the rest of the Churches, to examine themselves how far they are guilty of this Iniquity, to repent and for­sake with speed, that they may find Mer­cy: For it's not their outward Services will please God, tho' they are a little more finelier drest than yours, but it's Truth in the inward Parts that God re­quires: Neither at Jerusalem, nor in this [Page 48]or that Mountain will the Father be we shipt, but in the living, powerful Opera­tion of his own Spirit and Power.

I have told you the way God will be found in, which is to wait upon him [...] the Sence of your own Nothingness and Poverty, and in the silence of all Flesh for you have wearied him with your words, therefore will he turn you into Si­lence.

And now to you, who are not guilty o [...] these grosser Sins, but are Convinc'd o [...] the Truth of all this, yet come not in [...] Faithfulness, but climb up another wa [...] than through the Cross, by getting Eas [...] to your selves, in going to hear Men, by reading, by talking much of God Friends, this will not do your work, you do but waste your precious Time; altho [...] these things may be done in their time and season; But must it be with you as it is with the Ignorant, ever learning, and never come to the knowledge of the Truth? Do not you know, that it is only the Truth that can make you free? And have not you had some Experience, that one Day with the Lord is better than a Thousand elsewhere? To wait upon him in [Page 49]that Soul-searching Exercise as Jacob was in, when he received the Blessing: It's a fine pleasant way for you to go to hear Discourses of God, and to sit before him as his People; this is an easie way, but will this do your work any more than the rest? Deceive not your selves, for as you have more Knowledge than others, so more is required of you, which if not an­swered, then what unavoidably follows is this, He that knows the Will of his Ma­ster, and doth it not, must be beaten with many stripes; for if you go out of your Travail into Sloth and Ease, how do you think the Man-child should be Born that must Rule the Nations with a Rod of Iron, Rev. 12. For unto such as keeps in their strong Travail and Cries mighti­ly to God to be delivered, is a Child born and Son given, whose Government is up­on his Shoulders, whose Name is Wonder­ful Counsellor, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace; but if your Pains go off, there is no hopes of a living Child, which made the Prophet cry out so vehemently, saying, Wherefore do I see every Man with his Hands upon his Loins, as a Woman in Travail: But in the Old [Page 50]Translation it's thus, We have heard, terrible cry, fear and disquietness; for what else doth this signifie that I see [...] Namely, That all strong Men smite every Man his Hand upon his Loins, as a Woman in the pains of her Travail. Who ever saw a Man Travail with Child, inquire and see? their Faces are marvellous pale▪ alas for this Day which is so dreadful that none may be likened unto it! And alas for the time of Jacob's Trouble, from the which he shall yet be delivered, for in that Day, saith the Lord, I will take his Yoak from off thy Neck, and break thy Bonds; they shall no more serve strange Gods under him, but they shall do service unto God their Lord, and David their King, whom I will raise unto them: And as for thee, Oh my Servant Jacob, fear not, saith the Lord, be not afraid, Oh Israel, for lo I will help thee from far, from the Land of thy Captivity, and Ja­cob shall turn again, and shall be at Rest, and Prosperous in Life, and no Man shall make him afraid; for I am with thee to help thee, saith the Lord; and tho' I shall destroy all the People among whom I have scattered thee, yet will I not de­stroy [Page 51]thee, but correct thee with discre­tion. I am sorry for thy Hurt and Wounds, there is no Man to meddle with thy Cause, or to bind up thy Wounds; there may no Man help thee, all thy Lo­vers have forsaken thee, for I have given thee a Cruel stroke, and chast'ned thee roughly, for the multitude of thy Mis­deeds and Sins have I done this to thee; why makes thou moan for thy harm? I my self have pity of thy Sorrows, Jer. 30. Now you hear what the Lord saith, that the Work of Regeneration is not Man's Work, but God's Work, there shall no Man help thee, it is I that have wounded thee, and I will heal thee: Here you see Man is quite thrown aside, and none left together but God and the Soul; the next Work is, Man must be Born again, be­fore he can enter the Kingdom of God: and here the Prophet Jeremiah, Chap. 31. brings in Ephraim to this Work, saying, I heard Ephraim that was led away Cap­tive complain on this manner, O Lord, thou hast Corrected me, and thy Chast­ning have I received as an untamed Calf; Convert thou me, and I shall be Conver­ted, for thou art my Lord God; yea, as [Page 52]soon as thou turnest me, I shall refo [...] my self, and when I understand, I shal [...] smite upon my Thigh, for verily I have committed shameful things: Oh! let my Youth bear this Reproof and Confusion: Upon this complaint, saith the Lord, I thought thus by my self, Is not Ephraim my Dear Son? Is he not the Child with whom I have had all Mirth and Pastime? For since the time I first communed with him, I have him ever in remembrance, therefore my very Heart driveth me to him; gladly and lovingly will I have Mercy upon him, saith the Lord.

These two Chapters concerns the whole state of all Mankind, both in his Fall and Restoration, in his true Repentance, and God's Gracious Mercy. I call that true Re­pentance that repents and forsakes, as said the Prophet, Hast thou sinned? do so no more. But here you hear of the Infinite Goodness of God, how he waits for the Souls return, and how ready he is to re­ceive it into his Mercy: Is not Ephraim, saith he, my Dear Son? Is he not the Child with whom I have had all Mirth and Pastime, and so goes on parlying with the Soul: Here's Pastime for you [Page 53]the Christians of our Age, that knows not [...]ow to pass away your precious time, but in Cards, Dice, Cursed Plays, and the like, hear you what the Lord saith to the Penitent Sinner, for since the time, saith he, I first communed with him, I have had him ever in my remembrance, there­fore, saith he, my very Heart driveth me to him, gladly and lovingly will I have Mercy on him: Here you may know the Pastime that God delights in, and where­in his Communion and Fellowship stands, and what moves him to this indeared Mercy and Compassion, is a broken and contrite Heart, that trembles to offend him in any kind whatsoever, judging and condemning your selves for doing the least Sin, as well as the greatest that grieves his Holy Spirit in you: And as you read Ephraim's return in the History, pray try if you can read him within you, in your own Souls, without which, no Christi­ans,: And as I told you before, the next work after the return, is the New-birth: And shall I bring to the Birth, saith the Lord, and not cause to bring forth? Yes, I will cause to bring forth, if you wait upon me in that Heart-searching Exercise [Page 54]that Jacob was in when he received [...] Blessing, for there you are in the way [...] will be found in, and if I find you at what­soever time I come, whether in the second or third Watch, waiting upon me to re­ceive my Power, to do my Heavenly Will in all things, then will I come in, and sup with you, and cause you to eat of the Banquet which I have prepared with all manner of delicious Food, the Ravish­ing Enjoyments of my Heavenly Love: But you hear what state the Soul must be found in, not a state of worldly Plea­sures, or sinful Delights; no, no, but a state of Mourning, and deep Sorrow, as you hear of Ephraim, bitterly crying out against your selves for serving your Lusts in any kind whatsoever, tho' in things more just and lawful, if God forbids; and so laying the Axe to the Root of the corrupt Tree, cut it down, and cast it in the Fire of God's Wrath, and there Sa­crifice your Lusts and vile Affections, to­gether with your own Wills, that as you bear the Name of Christians, so you be living Witnesses of the unspotted, chaste, and undefiled Life of Christ Jesus: For as Adam through Lust fell from his Paradisi­cal [Page 55] [...]state into the Beastial Nature, by eat­ [...]g of that Forbidden Tree, and so brought the Curse, Death, and Destructi­on upon all Mankind; even so by Christ, in his pure, spotless, chaste, innocent, heavenly Life, shall all be restored out of the Curse into the Everlasting Blessing, and be brought out of their fallen state in­to Paradise again, where they have the Fellowship of Angels, by keeping chaste to him in Body and Soul, admitting of no other Lovers but himself alone; and this Men and Women may do, tho' in a Mar­ried state; for Marriage is honourable, and the Bed undefiled, but Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge: This Doctrine may seem strange to the World, but I have good ground for what I say on this account, which is our Saviour's own words to his Disciples, as I remember, in his Discoursing of the Resurrection, say­ing, There be some that be Born Eunuchs, and some that are made so by Men; but there is some who have made themselves so for the Kingdom of Heaven sake, yet all are not able to bear this saying, but his Disci­ples were able to bear it; To you, said he, it is given to know the Mysteries of the King­dom, [Page 56]but to the World in Parable [...] therefore to you, sincere Christians, [...] deliver this, and not unto the World.

And that great Apostle Paul was of his Royal Master's Mind, and followed him in his steps of Holiness and Chastity, wish­ing that all Men were as he was, to have power over their own Wills, to keep their Virgin pure, whether in Marriage, or out of Marriage, prophesying that the time should come, That they who had Wives should be as if they had none, and they that used this World, as if they used it not; and so in all things else, to witness God's Redeeming Power, as he said to Virgins, that they should be Holy in Body, Soul, and Spirit; for your Bodies, saith he, are the Temples of the Holy Ghost; and God hath said, I will dwell in them; shall I then take the Temple of God, saith he, and make it the Member of a Harlot, God forbid.

The Apostle Paul had to do with as unholy a People in his time as we have in ours, which made him sorely complain of some; he was fain to give them Milk in­stead of strong Meat, and as it were, par­lying with them of what inconvenience [Page 57] [...] the satisfying their inordinate [...], what incumbrance it brought upon [...]em; and it's certainly so, as it is to be seen daily with our Eyes, the Miseries and Sorrows the poorer sort brings upon themselves, who are under the Curse in­deed several ways, getting their Bread with the sweat of their Brows, being dri­ven out of Paradise into the Earth, and also bring poor Infants into the World to know an Ocean of Sorrows, which must lye heavy at their Doors who is the Cause, and as they grow up in Age, so in Sin and Wickedness, and then become the multiplying Brood of the Ungodly: And the Middle Sort and Rich are not with­out their Trials and Afflictions on this Account; for how many of their Chil­dren of all sorts, both of Professors and Profane, comes to utter Destruction? For how rare a thing it is to see any soberly inclin'd among a multitude? But not one in a Thousand comes so to fear God as to keep his Commandments; then see what Pains the Christians of our time take to increase the Devils Kingdom: But for the Elderly and Aged, whose length of Days should have taught them the Mor­tification [Page 58]of their Lusts, for them [...] Live in that Beastial Nature they [...] worse than the Beast that perisheth; who, once a Year for Propogation, but no further. Therefore, the Beast shall rise up in Judgment against all Mankind in that Nature; but it hath been said of Old, The Woman shall be saved in Child­bearing. Yes, verily so she shall, but what Birth is it that must bring Salvation to her? I hope none is so Ignorant as to Imagine it to be a Fleshly Birth; for then all the Women in the World that bear Children, Bastards or any, must be saved: Therefore it's plain, that that is not the Birth she is to be saved by; but the Bles­sed Babe that was Born in a Manger, is he which brings Salvation, which the Inn would not Entertain; it being so full of Guests, so full of Lusts to Satisfie, so full of Worldly Cares and Cumberances, how to be Rich, how to add House to House, Land to Land, and One Thousand Pound to another. So here's no room for the New Birth, the Babe of Life, the Im­mortal Babe, the Begotten of the Father that brings Salvation, to be Brought forth but among the wild Beasts, it must [Page 59] [...] till the Visitation from on High, and [...] the Seed of the Woman shall bruise [...]e Serpents Head; the holy Seed, whose Substance is in it, which is engendered in the holy Womb of the pure, chaste, un­defiled Virgin, which must Bring forth this Lamb of God that takes away the Sin; this Glorious Emanuel, who is appointed for this great Work, to Kill the Serpent and his Seed; and for that End hath he tasted Death for every Man, that we through his Death, by being partakers thereof, might have Everlasting Life. And here comes in the Restoration out of Adam's Fall, by being Baptized or Plung­ed into his Death, to Die with him upon the Cross, being fully resolved to suffer with him the Wrath and Anger of the Father: Here's the Faithful Spouse! Here's the Beloved Lady, who is so in­flamed with her Beautiful Lord, that if he who is the Chiefest of Thousands to her Die, she the Faithful will Die with him; if he is Wounded and Pierced, she'll be so too; if he go down into Hell, she'll take fast hold of him, and go down with him; for where his Presence is, there's her Heaven, as David said, If I go down [Page 60]into Hell, thou art there. Not unlike [...] was Pompeia Paulinas Love to Seneca [...] Noble Husband, whom Nero put [...] Death, that she refused to Live when he was Dead; as the History reports, he [...] Veins was cut as well as his; but Nero hearing thereof, fearing her Death would bring him great Reproach, because of her Noble Alliance in Rome, sent with all speed to have her Wounds stopt, that, if it were possible, to save her Life; which, tho' she being half dead, was done, and she, against her will, lived; but always with a pale hew, and wan complexion of Face, to declare how much of her Life was gone with Seneca her Dear Friend, Philosopher, and Husband.

And had this great Roman Lady so high a Value for an Earthly Husband, be­cause of his Worth and Goodness, as not to value her own Life for his sake? And shall we be shorter than she in our Duty and Affection to our Heavenly Husband? And set a higher Value upon the vain En­joyments of a sinking, perishing World, than not to give up our Lives to the Death of all that is in it, for his sake who Died for us; yet, said our Lord, he that [Page 61] [...] seek to save his Life shall lose it, but he that gives up his Life for my sake shall find it, and receive an hundred-fold of the Dear Enjoy [...]ents of his Ravishing Love, which out-ballances all the fiery Trials, Temptations, and Tribulations; for as they go through the Valley of Tears, they dig up Fountains, and as a Spring it all appears when thou fills their Pits; and if it were not so, the Soul would sink if it did not drink of the Brook by the way: They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: I will strengthen, saith he, the weak Hands, and feeble Knees: In this state the Soul is Heir to all the Promises; they are all Yea and Amen in Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, who sets free from the Law of Sin and Death.

And here the Soul is not kept in Bon­dage in things here below, but as it is called out of Egypt, so it's delivered out of the House of Bondage; and so the Bond-woman and her Son is cast out, and the Free-woman kept in; Jerusalem, from above the Mother of all the Faithful; and as you go through the Valley of Teats, this fiery Baptism, you shall be led down with him your Beloved Lord [Page 62]into the Pit; but fear not, for it is [...] him you must suffer, and with him you must obey, that in all things he may be with you, and you with him; for he is the Election, therefore make him sure to your selves, both in Life and Death, then shall you be changed with him; and tho' [...] go down in the lower parts of the Earth in the Carnal, he shall raise you Spiritual; tho' sowed Weak, yet raised in Power. If you rise not, but with him, as he raises you; if you cast not off the Yoke, nor fly the Cross, as [...]y have done, nor heal your own Wound; for tho' your Wound may be Mortal, yet the Cure is Immortal; and what tho' you go down in Shame and Reproach, as your Lord and Master did before you, yet shall you be raised in Glory, and covered with Immortal Honour, and Eternal Life, with Power and Strength to fulfil the Will of God, and the Answer of a good Conscience, which through this fiery Baptism, and holy Resurrection, you shall attain, as a Servant of God said, I must decrease, but he shall increase: I Bap­tize you w [...] Water, but he shall Baptize you with [...]ire, and the Holy Ghost, whose [Page 63] [...] is in his Hand; he shall thoroughly purg [...] his Floor, and gather his Wheat into th [...] Garner, but the Chaff he will burn up with unquenchable Fire: When this work is done, all the work of a Christian is [...].

Now comes in the first Resurrection of whom the second Death shall have no Power; for as you have gone forth weep­ing, carrying precious Seed, so now you must return with Joy, and bring your Sheaves with you; for here, in this Fiery Baptism, [...]ich hath been the Furnace wherein you have been melted and tryed, the Dross is left in the Furnace, and you are come forth as the Gold Seven times refined; wherefore now you are fitted for the Society of Angels, and the Spirits of Just Men made perfect; you are come to God the Judge of all, where you shall be attended with his Glorious Presence, and the Ravishing Enjoyments of his high­est Love; and here shall be given you the Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heavi­ness; your Fellowship and Communion shall be with the Father and the Son, Night and Day Visions and Revelations attend you here; for here the old Hea­vens [Page 64]and Earth are past away as a [...] and all things are become new; new Hea­vens, and new Earth, wherein dwell Righteousness, and wherein you shall see the Glory of God, and sing the Songs or Moses and the Lamb, Hallelujahs for Ever Amen. But still I hope you understand how you came by this Heavenly Mansion that it was through Christ the Way, tho rough the Humanity of Christ, and no to climb up to the Deity, before you have hardly entred into the Humanity, how much less than to go through the whole The perfect Death of the Body of Sin, such are Thieves and Robbers that climbs up another way than through the whole Humanity; these of all Sex, steals the Word from their Neighbour, and say, The Lord saith it, when he hath not spo­ken to them; these can prate like Parrots of the Death, Sufferings and Resurrecti­on of Christ, and pride themselves with their Tongues being covered with the Mantle of Christ, and so deceive the Peo­ple; therefore to you, who are here, of all Sorts and Sects, whether in Gather­ings, or out of Gatherings, without re­spect to Persons, who are guilty of this [Page 65]foregoing Iniquity, I have this to say to [...], the time is swiftly coming upon you in which it shall be said, Friend, how camest thou hither without thy Wedding­garment; that is, the Humanity of Christ, which makes the Soul ready: And you [...]o are got to the uppermost place with­ [...] bidding, shall with Shame and Con­ [...] of Face be brought down to the [...]; you shall be brought down [...] your high Places in that Day, and [...] Lord alone shall be exalted; and [...] vain shall you cry, Lord, we [...] at and drunk in thy presence, we [...] come to the highest State, to Perfe­ [...]on it self; the Answer will be, But [...] me you thither? Depart from me ye [...] iniquity, I know ye not; yet it's [...] Soul may have been once in [...] state as it boasts of before Christ; [...] is, to have eat and drunk in his Pre­sence, and cast out Devils; that is, over­come some of its Sins, Lusts, and Cor­ruptions; but here was its Misery, it look'd upon it self as something in this Work, and so fell to Loving and Admi­ring it self, thinking now I have done e­nough, now Soul take thy Ease, thou art [Page 66]increased with Goods; and thus in [...] of going on in a watchful state to incre [...] its Talent, it lays it up, or buries it; a [...] then Soul take thy Rest indeed, go [...] Sleep; and here it is in this state of Secu­rity, that the Enemy comes and sows [...] Tares, which is Pride, Arrogancy, a [...] Deceit; here the Soul looks upon it [...] to be something; I am Rich, and i [...] creased with Goods, I have Gifts, Part and Eloquence, I can use my Tongue, [...] will exalt my self by domineering au [...] throwing down others; I am above th [...] Law; nay, above Christ; what are t [...] Sufferings of Christ to me? I am abo [...] his Cross, in the Liberty, I am at my ow [...] Hands, out of his reach, I am got to th [...] Godhead, above the Manhood, I am Rich [...] I want nothing, This State a Per­son who lately came out of the Countrey to the City, declares her self to be in. I hav [...] attained to Perfection [...] self; but Oh! thou M [...] serable, Hear what th [...] Lord saith, I will reprov [...] thee, and set thy Sins in order before thee [...] and tho' thou exalt thy self above the Stars from thence will I bring thee down: Hast thou attained to Perfection, and goes up and down hearing Lies, entertaining false [Page 67] [...]ports, Backbiting and Slandering the In­nocent, Judging and Condemning the Just without Cause, and all this in Secret; also refusing to bring forth the Accusers; be­sides abundant more thou art Charg'd with, not fit to be mention'd here. Now if this be Perfection in thee, then what is Imperfection? Let the Righteous Princi­ple in all judge; where was thy discerning of those whispering Spirits? How great was thy mistake, to entertain Lies for Truth, Evil Spirits for Saints? This was gross Darkness, and horrible Wickedness: I could have born these Lies, knowing him that is True, whose Shoe-latchets I am not worthy to unloose, that went be­fore me through bad and good Report: But my end in reproving thee, in one re­spect is, if it were possible, to undeceive thee; the other is, the Glory of God; for it lessens his Omnipotency and Glory, to call that Perfection which is so great Imperfection: And further, I must be so plain as to tell thee, that it seems to me thou art so far short of Perfection, that thou dost not understand what Perfection is; Perfection doth not consist in speak­ing much of God, or in having a large [Page 68]Knowledge of God, so as to Dis [...] with great and big words, as with [...] Tongue of an Angel, thou maist be a L [...] ­cifer for all that, and so wholly Imperfect; but it consists in the deepest Humility Annihilating thy self to Nothing, in the midst of all thy Gifts, Vertues and Grace, which is unknown to me if thou hast any and take this for a Maxim, That the deeper thou art in Perfection, the less thou wilt boast of it, for it will declare it self, if thou art silent: Perfection seeks not it self in no kind whatsoever, but the Glory of God, and the Good of Souls; and there is no way for a Soul to accom­plish this, but by taking upon it the Hu­manity of Christ, his Passion, his Ago­nies of Soul in thy Soul; and not only to taste a little the Bitterness thereof, and then get into Sloth, and idle Carelesness, and so to take up a Rest by the way in the knowledge of that sight, and then to a­spire and climb up to the Godhead; dest thou think that small Taste, Glimpse, or Light was given thee for that End? No, but for thee to see more clearly to the end of the Mystery of the Godhead, in the Manhood, and not to climb up to his [Page 69] [...] alone, and leave his Manhood and [...] behind; this brings the greatest [...] chief that can befal the Soul; it will [...] just as if it lookt at the Sun in its full strength, to dazzle and blind thee quite, [...] that thou shalt neither see thy self, nor it, for its Glory: But if we humble our selves to his Manhood and Passion, there he hath promised to speak to us. Go down, saith the Lord to Jeremiah, to the Potters House, and there thou shalt see my Work, how I can make a Vessel, and mar it again, if it doth not please me: Yea, Lord, so thou canst, I am a Witness of thy Power, that thou art the Potter, and I was the Clay; and thou didst make me a Vessel of Honour, as I thought, but I was broken in thy Hand; so thou returned and made me another Vessel, as seemed good to thee the Holy ONE to make me, yet a Vessel for thy Praise, tho' of another Fashion: I must declare it, on this Occasi­on, without boasting, to the Glory of God.

There was a time in which, if ever any Enjoyed a Heaven upon Earth. I En­joyed it then; I was as it were shut up in God, and as the Prophet said, He saw Men like Trees, I saw them as Shadows; [Page 70]I was Dead to the World, and [...] Things in it, and only Alive to [...] refused to have Society, tho with [...] best of Men and Women, as I thoug [...] for my Fellowship and Communion was with the Father, and the Son, Day and Night, for which I withdrew my self out of the City and Towns, into the Fields and Woods, where I spent my time from Morning till Night, in Contemplating his Glorious Power in all the Works of his Hands, and singing Praises and Hallelu­jahs to his Ever Blessed Name; I could not touch with the World; I did but once in that time Discourse of God and his Kingdom, and it was as if I had commit­ted Adultery with the Creatures, and de­filed my pure Garments; altho' the Hea­rers so wonderfully affected, crying out, Oh what Service she might be to come forth in the World! Here you may see that God may condemn, when Man justifies.

I am not able to declare the state I was in at that time, Prayer was turned into Praise; for what I had Travailed in Pain for, I was now in the Possession and En­joyment of; I was in Unity with the whole Creation, my greatest Enemies [Page 71] [...] to me as my Dearest Friends; I was [...]eague with all the Beasts of the Field, [...]s, Bears, and Tygers; I sate in the [...] with the roaring Bulls as with Lambs, and with the Birds I sang Melo­dious Praises; I took Care for nothing, my whole Care was cast upon the Lord, believing He, whom I serv'd would take Care for me, for I had overcome the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, and had lost my self in God; Visions and Re­velations attended me Night and Day; I always saw in the Night what the next Day brought forth; the opening of the Scriptures was wonderful, but I could not write, being so fill'd with Ravishing Joy, yet kept in the deepest Humility be­fore the Lord; I was as Innocent in reality as a young Child, and it was impossible to move me to Anger; I could not re­prove for Sin, nor exhort to Righteous­ness, for all my Concern was with God, Praising and Admiring him in all the Wonders of his Glorious Works, Adoring him in such exalting Joys above a Mortal Tongue to express; my Sences were all shut up in him; the Ravishments of his Heavenly Life and Love was so great, [Page 72]that I was as it were ready to burst [...] vent, which was one occasion of go [...] remote into desolate Places; yet [...] this High Enjoyment, I never four [...] Trumpet, or ever declared to any one how it was with me; but, I do believe, had I remained in this state, it would have declared it self, for to me the Mar­riage of the Lamb was come, and his Wife had made her self ready, for now my Beloved was mine, and I was my Beloved's, under whose shadow I sate down with great Delight.

But I had not been in this Heavenly Man­sion half a Year, when the Enemy of Man's Eternal Peace, and Heavenly Felicity, that old Dragon, called Lucifer, cast his Floods af­ter the Woman to Devour the holy Child; but the Child was taken up to God, and the Woman left in the Wilderness, where she hath been tempted and tryed; for as I told you, whilst I was here Solacing in the Bosom of my Beloved Lord and only God, a false Report was raised of me, which through the earnest Desire and Over-perswasion of some Endeared Friends, I went to London to find out the Author, but in this thing I highly dis­pleased [Page 73] [...]d the Lord, tho' all my Enemies fell [...]e me with Shame and Confusion of [...], to the great Satisfaction of those my Friends, but to my unspeakable Loss: For, first, I disobeyed the Command of the Lord; and, secondly, I left that Great and Glorious VVork he had called me to, which was to have my Heavenly Com­munion and Fellowship with him the E­ver Blessed, to touch and defile my self with such Evil Creatures; and then the VVork which I thought was wholly done, I was then to begin again, as if I had never gone through it, which was the Travail of my Soul in Watching, Prayer and Fasting, which hath been my Exer­cise ever since, and must be till the second Restoration, which I wait for; and of the Trials, Temptations and Tribulations, that have attended me ever since, I could write a Volume, and not declare the one half; yet in all this, the Angel of his Presence hath been with me, to guide me in the Way, and to bring me to the Place which he hath prepared; yea, the Lord is with me as a Giant, or as a Mighty Man, who hath and shall make my Ene­mies moulder away as the Dust; for he [Page 74]is my Joy, and my Delight, his Glo [...] Presence is with me Day and Night; [...] hath led me down into the Deep, where I have beheld his VVonders, and by his strong Hand, and out stretched Arm, he drew me from the Pit, and hath set my Feet on him the Rock of Ages, so that I shall never be removed; he hath esta­blisht my going, wherefore will I praise him, because he is Good, and his Mercy endures for Ever; he gives me Songs in the Night, Praises for Ever, he hath put a new Song into my Mouth, and upon e­very Trial he renews his Praises; there­fore will I pour out my Heart and Soul into him, unto whom be Infinite Love, and Endless Obedience, Now, and for E­ver, Amen.

And as I was telling you how he was the Poster, and I the Clay; and how he was making me a Vessel of Honour, but I brake in his Hand, then he returned and made me another Vessel, as seemed good to the Glorious God, the Holy Potter, whose Works are deep, and his Ways past finding out; and now he hath made me a Vessel and is fitting it for his Praise; Glo­ry be to him for Ever.

[...] this I propose to the Reader, whe­ [...] his was not one Degree of Perfection was brought to by the Power of God; yet not such a Degree, but that I fell a [...] Adam did, tho' not in the same thing, but by disobedience to that Heavenly Com­mand, who had said to me at that time, I am God All-sufficient to Vindicate my own Name, walk thou before me, and be thou perfect, and I will make all thy Enemies thy Footstool; for the Tongue that is lifted up against thee shall never Prosper; which was fulfilled at that time, as I said, to my great loss. Therefore let all that Boast they stand, take heed least they fall; for if I had taken heed, as I ought to have done, to the precious Word of the Lord, I had not fell.

I did not think ever to have Publish'd this, but that it should have gone to the Grave with me in Silence; but because there are so many, running to and fro, Crying, [...]o here, and lo there: Wherefore I set down this for that End, to be a Sea-Mark to some, and a Touch Stone to o­thers; to try their State, how far they are entred into the State of Perfection: For who are fully Perfect, never falls more.

Therefore let no one Boast it [...] putting on his Harniss, as if they h [...] it off, for the Day will declare every O [...] Work, of what sort it is. And this, le [...] those be assured, whom it doth concern, the nearer to Perfection, the less they will Boast of it; for I say again, it will declare it self; And, had I stay'd a little longer, I was so Inflamed with the Burning Love of God to all Mankind, that I had Poured it forth in the Streets as I went along, not his Wrath and Indignation, but his Infla­ming, Melting, Dissolving Love, which had Issued it self forth in such a healing Life, that Miracles would have been wrought thereby: For Oh! the earning and melting Bowels that I have had to poor Orphans, as they have lain in the Streets, almost Eaten up of the Evil and other Distempers, which I have Cried to the Lord to heal them: I thought, if I had had a little more Faith, it would have been done. I have had numberless returns of Prayer, and I am sure, whoever comes to the State of Perfection, shall have the Pow­er attend them that Christ Jesus had to work Miracles; they shall also be healed themselves in Body, Soul and Spirit; no [Page 77]Sickness shall attend them, none of the [...] Diseases of the Land shall cleave un­ [...]em.

Although this is the Miracle of Mira­ [...]es, the Change of the whole Man, his Restoration out of his fallen State, to be Translated out of the Earthly into the Heavenly, where the Tempter can come no more. Wherefore let none deceive themselves, to think they are what they are not, but come down from your Exal­ted Imaginations into the low Valley, the Valley of Achor, where God will try your Works; and if you can abide Devouring Fire, and dwell with Everlasting Bar­ning, then are you Stones fit for God's Building, not else; for God's House must be Built with Tried Stones, and the Stone which the Wise Babel Builders have Re­jected, is now to be made the Head of the Corner, because it is a tried Stone Elect and Precious. Therefore try and prove your selves; for the nearer you come to God, the deeper in Humility; the more you Love God, the more you will Hate and Abhor your selves, and all Self­interest; the World, instead of being [...]our Delight and Pleasure, will be your [Page 78]greatest Burden; all things will be [...] besides the Injoyment of God alone: [...] as it is with those that are next to a Kin [...] so will your whole attendance be to th [...] Pure Divine Spirit within you, giving no admittance for any to go in or out, but what belongs to that Secret One, all wan­dring Thoughts and vain Imaginations will be resisted and put by for that End, to defend and preserve that Holy Spirit from all manner of Contumelies and In­juries; and if thou wilt have it to pre­serve and Honour thee, thou must give up thy whole Strength to Love, Serve and Obey him; for here the Soul must give up it self with all its Power and Strength into the Hands of God, for otherwise it's imposible to be Saved out of the Horrible Pit of Destruction, as it was shewed me in a Vision of the Night, For God Speaks, saith Job, to Man in Visions of the Night, when deep Sleep is upon him, and Man pre­ceives it not.

Thus it was with me, I saw my self stand over a deep and dangerous Pit, upon a very narrow slip of Wood which lay a cross the Pit; which, if I had stirr'd or mov'd, I had fallen in­to the Pi [...]; I Cried out aloud with a Ve­ [...]ment [Page 79]and Lamentable Cry for help, [...] none would come; although I look'd to the right Hand and to the left, where [...] Creatures; but at the last, tho it was long, and I could stand no longer, but just falling into the Pit, in the twink­ling of an Eye, there appeared a mighty Man of a wonderful Stature, I thought I never beheld the like for Height and Big­ness, neither in Form or Figure, with a bright Shining Light, Glorious to Behold, about him, and stood before me by the side of the Pit, and stretched out his Hand to me, and bid me give him my Hand, which I did; then he bid me give up my self to him with all my Strength, and with all my Might; and the Force, Might and Strength I gave up my self to him in, I cannot compare with any thing in this World, but a Woman in the strongest Travail and greatest Pain that ever was known, to bring forth a Child into the World; for, notwithstanding his strong Hand, and out-stretched Power­ful Arm in pulling me to him; yet was I fain to Labour with such unutterable Force and Strength, to give up my self to him, or else I could not have been sa­ved out of this horrible Pit.

This was a wonderful Discovery me of the Way of the Lord in M [...] Redemption, how he must work ou [...] Salvation with Fear and Trembling, [...] how Man must joyn with God in t [...] Work, and so to be Workers togethe [...] as the Apostle Paul saith, and this sig [...] fies the Labouring in the Vineyard, and In [...] proving the Talent, and helping the Lor [...] against the Mighty: Yet in all this gre [...] Work, the Creature must be nothing it self, and before the Lord; but th [...] Lord must be all, and the Creature n [...] thing: For it hath done nothing b [...] what was Commanded it, and this strip [...] it of all its own Works, Gifts and En [...] dowments, and so the Soul stands empty and naked before the Lord, waiting fo [...] his Mercy; for seeing the Creature with­out him can do nothing, what hath it to boast, that is, of its own, but its Infirmi­ties; for could I have help'd my self, when I was falling into the Pit, then it had not been the Lord; but I stood help­less, poor and miserable, Crying to the Creatures for help, but none came; tho' I looked to the left and right Hand, but no help whilst I sought it from Man; [Page 81] [...] when I Cried to the Lord, he appear­ [...] as a Mighty Man, which fulfils that promise, I have laid help on One that is Mighty: And again, Call upon me in the Day of Trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt Glorifie me. Then it's not unto [...]s that the Honour belongs; no, but to [...]hy Glorious Name be Endless Praises.

So here's nothing to the Creature, but Shame and Confusion of Face, when it comes before the Lord. Oh then, faith Jacob, I am not worthy of the least of all [...]hy Mercies: What am I, and what is my Fathers House, saith another. And here the Creature Nothinginsing it self, and entring into its own nothing, its first Original, and so sits in the lowest place, as the Master Commands, and as he him­self was their Example, who Humbled himself to the Death; and in this State were all the Prophets and Apostles kept [...]n; in all their Riches of Gifts and Gra­ [...]es, One Crying out, My Leanness, my [...]eanness! Another Cries out, I am like an Owl in a Desart: Another, Oh wretched Man that I am: Another, I am not worthy [...]o unty his Shooe Latche [...]: Again, I am [...]ot He: Another, Though a King, I am [Page 82]Poor and Needy. Now shall any pres [...] in their Proud, Exalted, Lordly, Luc [...] an Spirit to say, This is a feigned Humil [...] God will Silence that Tongue that sh [...] utter such Blasphemous Lies.

Wherefore go on, thou Soul, whoe [...] thou art, and be not discouraged; k [...] but in his Footsteps of Obedience, and Jesus Feet, as a second Mary Magd [...] and thou art safe enough; what, tho' [...] Enemy in a Scoffing Vaunting, Ish [...] Spirit say, What's She? What's her Wo [...] If a Fox go up the Wall, he shall break it d [...] Neh. 33. Let it be so, Lord, if the W [...] be of Man; but if it be of God, an [...] Glory, the Foundation thereof; then the Cunning Fox, with all his Craft [...] Subtilty, run to and fro, and try to th [...] it down.

Therefore, go on, Oh my Soul, and [...] you Holy Builders, whose Building [...] Foundation is God; lay but the St [...] which the wise cunning Master Build [...] have Refused, at the head of the Cor [...] of your Building, which is Christ, [...] Rock of Ages, the Elect and Prec [...] Stone; let him be the Beginning a [...] End of your Work, and then let [...] [Page 83] [...]ah's Rail, and Sanballat Mock, Tobiah the Ammonite Lye and Jear, the Lord shall be with you to the Disappointing and Confounding of all your Enemies: For did his Power, Wisdom and Strength at­tend an External House, whose Materials were all External, and Men the Builders; all which was but a Representation of the Internal Work, and will he not be with you in his Power, Wisdom and Strength, in the Building his House from above, the Heavenly Jerusalem, the Holy City of the Living God, whose Builder and Maker is God himself: And shall not his Powerful Presence be with you, if you Faithfully follow him, the Captain of your Salvation, with the Sword of the Spirit in the one Hand to keep off the Enemy, and the working Tool in the other to build the Temple of his Holi­ness, and repair the Breaches thereof; for are ye not the Temples of the Holy Ghost, and hath not God said, I'll Dwell in them; why are ye then so slack in bringing back the King to his Holy Habitation, I mean the King of Glory. Open therefore, ye Everlasting Doors, and let the King of Glory in, was Ezra, Nehemiah, and the [Page 84]rest of the Builders, so Vigilant and mirable Diligent in the External Build­ing, as to VVatch and VVard Night and Day, with their Swords Girded upon their Loyns, and so Builded, VVatching in the Night, and Labouring in the Day, not putting off their Cloaths, but for the VVashing: Notwithstanding the [...] publick and secret Enemies, who lay in a Bush, to Destroy them, that so the VVork might Cease; yet how did the Lord Discover their Enterprises, and de­livered them that served him, and how did the Enemy Serpentine Spirit try every way to put them into Frights and Fears, raising False and Scandelous Re­ports, and all to Accomplish their Ma­lice against God, that the VVork of the Lord might Cease; but notwithstanding all the Trials, Temptations, Mocks, Scoffs and Jears of their Malicious Adversaries, and the False Brethren that joyned with them; yet how Couragiously and Vali­antly did they go on, and never ceast, till the VVork was Finished, and then how was their Mouths fill'd with Prai­ses in such abundance, that in rapture of Joy they Cried out, Praise his Glorious [Page 85]Name, which Excels above all Thansgiving and Praise; this is a great Figure and Type, there is not a greater in all the Holy Scripture of the Internal Work of the Soul: And was the Lord thus with his Servants in the Outward Work, and will he not be with you in the great Work of Regeneration, and the new Birth; yea surely, he will certainly be with you, if it be in Deed and in Truth, then New, and not the Old under the Title of the New; for many Deceivers are gone out, Crying, Lo here, and Lo there; but go not you out after them, but keep you on your Watch-Tower in the Day, and in your Wards in the Night, and never rest till the House be Built, the Temple Finish­ed; that he may fill it with his Glory, and then your Eyes shall see how far the Glory of the latter House Exceeds the Glory of the former; and here you shall be ready to meet your Lord, as a Bride Adorned to meet her Husband in the purest Chastity of undefiled Souls: And this is the Glorious Day which all the Prophets Prophesied of to the pure in Heart, to them who are come forth of [Page 86]the Furnace Purer than the Gold Seven times Refined, to those Holy Ones who have followed their Lord through many Tribulations, and Wash'd their Long­suffering Robes, and made them White in the Blood of the Lamb; these are they to whom the Glorious Day shall appear, here's the joy of his Salvation; the Melt­ings, the Dissolvings, the Raptures, Ex­tacy, the Imbraces, the Melodious Prai­ses, the Heavenly Hallelujahs, the Com­munion of Saints, the Fellowship of An­gels, the giving up Body, Soul and Spi­rit; all into the Hand of this Supream Good to be Deiformed, being Raised a­bove Nature, to a State of Incorruption and Immortality; and by this means be­come Instruments of the Endless Glory of God, the Portion of all those who follows the Example of our Dearest Lord Jesus: But what is all this to the wick­ed and ungodly, who casteth his Law behind their Back, to what End is it for you to desire it; for the Day of the Lord shall be Darkness, and not Light, to you who will not part with your Sins, but hugs them in your Bosom, till the [Page 87]Day of your Death, and then to be Sum­mons'd up to the Bar of Judgment; and all you false Tongues, Whisperers, Back­biters, Slanderers, false Accusers, Judg­ers and Condemners of the Just, and Justifiers of the Wicked; you Proud in Heart, tho' not in Habit, who are cover­ed with the Mantle of Christ; to deceive, if it were possible, the very Elect. The Day of the Lord shall be Darkness, and not Light, to you, wherein you shall stumble and fall.

A Dark and Gloomy Day, a Day of Dread and Fear, Terrour, Horrour, and Amazement to you, luke-warm, of all sorts; and, tho' you run to the Rocks and Hills to cover you, yet in vain; for all Covering shall be too short, and you shall be stript Naked and Bare.

I have seen the Day of the Lord as Fire and Brimstone upon the Wicked; and I have seen the Heavens Open, like the two Leaves of a Door, and the Vials of God's Wrath, and fierce Indignation, Pour down upon the Earth, as Water out of a Mill-pond, when the Flood-gate is first Opened; and when I saw it, I fell upon my Knees, with my Eyes look­ing [Page 88]up to Heaven, wringing my Hands, and Crying out most Vehemently, say­ing, Mercy, Lord, Mercy! Oh Righteous God, be Merciful, for thy Mercy Sake: Stop it, Lord, stop it: Oh Mercy, Mercy, Mer­cy! For thy Infinite Compassion Sake, be thou Merciful: And thus I continued for the space of half an Hour; yet I saw it not stop'd; neither is this that I menti­oned in my last Book: Oh the Dreadful Sights I have had of the Judgment of God, which are to be Executed in the World, now in these latter Days; and also of the Glorious Reign of Christ in the Earth, of the many Revelations there­of; I shall mention one here, but I am not able to give you a Description as it was, for it is beyond my Tongue of ut­terance.

‘I, and a few more Women with me were in a Glorious Place, where there was a Bed, and in the Bed there was a Woman, and the Woman had Tra­vailed, and brought forth a Child, which was a Son: The Woman was All-Glory, the Child was All-Glory, the Bed All-Glorious, the place where we were was All-Glorious, far beyond the [Page 89]Sun in its full strength, far beyond the Polish'd Gold; and I, with the Woman that was with me, sitting a little from the Bed side; there is no Tongue can declare our State; we were Translated into a Glorious Shining Brightness, and new Angelical Bodies, fill'd with Un­utterable, Heavenly, Ravishing Joys, and Sounding Melodious Praises, in­wardly, in our most inward Parts; but no Sound, or Voice to be heard out­wardly: My Soul being so fill'd with this Ravishing Glory, that my Body, tho' new, was ready to burst, as a Ves­sel that's fill'd with New Wine, which wanted Vent, and being so fill'd with this unutterable Exalted Joy and Infi­nite Glory;’ I, bursting out, said, O my God, is it come, meaning the Glorious Day; ‘The immediate Answer was, Not yet:’ And this Appearance was about the time the Queen Died.

And thus, I have had the Manifestati­on of his Righteous Judgments, which are to be Executed in the Earth, in his appointed time: He hath also been pleased to give me the Revelation of his Mighty Appearance in the Earth, to Restore Man­kind [Page 90]out of his fallen State, and from the Tincture of his Love in my Soul, which hath been the Occasion of my great Travel and Labour, to put Souls in the way wherein God will be found, to at­tain this great Salvation; and which ought to be the VVork of all such as Pro­phesie or declare of the Kingdom of Christ entring into its Succession, to La­bour mightily with Mankind, to prepare for his coming; for they cannot but un­derstand how terrible a Day it will be to all the Workers of Iniquity; tho' to those that waits for his Appearance out of Sin, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with Healing in his Wings, and they shall go forth, and grow up as fat Calves in the Stall, and shall tread down the Wicked, as Dust under the Soles of their Feet, in the Day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of Host, Malachi, 4.2, 3. But to the VVick­ed (saith God) the Day cometh that shall burn as an Oven, and all the Proud; yea, and all that do Wickedly, shall be Stubble; and the Day that cometh shall burn them up, and shall leave neither Root nor Branch, saith the Lord of Host: So you hear what a Dreadful Determination there is against [Page 91] [...]he Wicked of all Sorts, without Respect to Person or Sect; to the Proud, and all that do VVickedly: Now what a won­derful Concern ought there to be upon you Ministers, of all sorts, that the People may be found in a Posture, suitable to meet the Lord; in this the Day of his most Ter­rible Appearance, wherein he will be as a Refiners Fire, to Purge the Sons of Le­vi, and to Refine them, as Gold is Re­fined: Now, whether this great VVork doth not lye on your part to be done, before the Day of his coming, that there may be found that in you, and them, that can stand in devouring Fire, and dwell with Everlasting Burning; which you know there is nothing can, but that which is pure, as the three Holy Children VValk'd in the midst of the fiery Fur­nace, Praising God, and not so much as their Cloaths Singed, or the smell of Fire upon them; but you know the same Fire Devoured their Adversaries; wherefore, I say, that this is the VVork of our Day, that there may be nothing found in us that the Judgment is to, that his Anger can take hold of, then happy shall we be, then, Come, ye Blessed of my Father, [Page 92]inherit the Kingdom prepared for you; ent [...] you into the Joy of your Lord. VVherefore, I say again, you Ministers have a great Charge lyes upon you, to perform your Duty to God and Man, to see that ye walk in all things like your Pattern, both in Life and Doctrine, that your Doctrine be such as to Kill Sin in the Birth, before it be brought forth; nay, in the Concep­tion, that the Root and Ground of Ini­quity may be removed, that the good Seed may be sown in the good Ground, that it may bring forth to God an Hun­dred fold.

And all you, who profess your selves the Ministers of Christ, ought to have a won­derful Care what Doctrine you deliver to the People, that it be sound, and with­out mixture, that it be the very same with the Doctrine of Christ, without E­quivocation, or private Meaning; for here hath been the Mischief to all Mankind, the Iniquity of their Teachers in this thing, which God himself heavily com­plains of; telling them, they gave for Do­ctrine the Precepts of Men. Wherefore, none ought to give out to the People any thing but what makes for God, and the [Page 93]increase of his Kingdom, which is the Doctrine and Life of Christ; and not to speak or write the Conceits and Imagina­tions of their own Brain: For is not this the Imagination of your own Brain, to imagine that Christ Died for your Sins, and you are to be Saved by his Merits, without the Power of his Life working you into the New, and out of the Old Na­ture of Sin and Iniquity.

That Great Apostle Paul, makes a di­stinction between his Words and the Lord's Word; for tho' he had to do with a People that would have slighted Christ, the Gift of God, and turned back again to magnifie the Law; altho' Christ was the End of the Law, for in him the Law was fulfilled; and now some of you are as much in the Extream as they, for you throw away the Law, which is Holy, Just, and Good, if not abused: For, say you, ‘God Justifies Sinners by the Righ­teousness of another, by the Obedience, and by the Sufferings, and by the Death of another this is Miracle,’ say you; but the Law of Righteousness that was given at first; that Law, Do this and live; be thou holy, be thou perfect, and thou shalt [Page 94]have the Reward of it; here is nothing answering to Miracle, say you, which is your great Mistake: For if Obedience to the Will of God is not Miracle, what is? Will Christ's Obedience to the Father perfect the Soul's Work, without the Soul's Obedience to Christ? The Law in it self made nothing perfect; but Christ, being the End of the Law, the Law was fulfill'd in him; be thou holy, Christ was holy; be thou perfect, Christ was per­fect; so he was the Perfection of the Law, in him the Law was perfected: Here Christ hath done the Will of God, Lo I come, as it is written of me, to do thy Will, O God: Now Christ hath fulfilled all that was commanded the Creature in the Law; is there nothing now for Man to do? Yes sure there is, to come to Christ; he calls, Come unto me all you that are weary (with toyling under the Law) and heavy laden, (still with your Sins) come unto me, and I will give you rest; take my Yoke upon you: What was Christ's Yoke, was it not his Fire-Baptism of Sufferings, Death, and Resurrection? You have toyled all Night but caught no­thing, while you were under the Law; [Page 95]but now, cast your Net on the right side of the Ship, and you shall find: Take my Yoke upon you: So you see here's a Yoke still, tho' you are from under the Law: Take up my Cross, deny your selves; but take notice, you must confess me before Men, or I will deny you be­fore my Heavenly Father: Confess thee, may some say, so we do daily externally; the Answer is, but that will not do your Work now with me, you have had e­nough of that under the Law; but what hath it profited you, now you are come to me, the Grace of God which teaches to deny all ungodliness and worldly Lusts, and to live Righteous and Holy in this present evil World; this is the Effect of this Grace; and then, if my Grace takes this Effect, it brings Salvation, but no other ways.

And thus by Grace ye are Saved, that works out the old, and works in the new, so here's works still, Works of Holiness and Righteousness, for the Grace of Christ doth not make void the Law, but hath fulfilled it; otherwise God would destroy his own Works, which he doth not; but only makes it of another Fashi­on; for in the Law the Power was want­ing; [Page 96]but in the Grace of God is the Pow [...] of God placed, which is Christ Jesus, [...] Grace, Wisdom, and Power of God, a [...] to as many as received him, (the Grace into their Souls) to them he gave Power to be­come the Sons of God: But to them tha [...] refuse this Gift of God to be their Teache [...] and Leader out of Sin, or turns this preci­ous Grace into Wantonness and Lascivi­ousness, Pride, Pleasures, and worldly Lusts, to them it is no Saviour, but a [...] Judger and Condemner; for do you thin [...] this Grace of God, which hath appeare [...] to all Men, is an idle Grace? You ar [...] grosly mistaken, it's a working Grace you must work with it, or else it will no [...] work with you; and what is your work▪ You must give your selves all up to God for him to work his own Will in you; and to this, you must Watch and Pray continu­ally against the Tempter, that when your Lord comes he may find you waiting upon him for his Power, to resist and overcome the Devil and all his Works, the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World, and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh, and to keep God's holy Will and Command­ments, and walk in the same all the Day [...] [Page 97]of your Lives, and this is a state of Per­ [...]ection: And is there no Reward for him that is found waiting? Oh yes, Blessed is that Servant, who when his Lord comes shall find him waiting, he will make him sit down at Table, and gird himself, and serve him, Luke 12. Again, and again, Well done thou good and faithful Servant, enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord: Saith another, Verily, there remains a Reward for the Righ­teous: And saith our Lord, He will make him Ruler over his Houshold, and over all that he hath.

Oh, what Precious Promises of Re­ward is here! He will not only make him Ruler over all the Land of Egypt, as Joseph was; but over the Egyptian Dark­ness which blinds the Soul, that it cannot see its way to God, over his own VVill, Desires, and Evil Inclinations: As the Divine Beggar, (if it be lawful to give that Title to a Mortal Man) it was to him, who said to S. Thaulerus, another Excellent Man, Titled a Famous Divine, who by the space of Eight Years had con­ [...]inually importuned the Lord by Prayer, conceiving he wanted the right Know­ [...]edge of the Truth, notwithstanding all [Page 98]his Humane Learning, and spent who Nights therein, begging of God to [...]f him know Him, and know himself, and to shew him any Man that might teach him the VVay of Truth; and, on a cer­tain time, when he was inflamed with a most vehement Desire thereof, a Voice, from Heaven thus spake unto him; Go forth, and there thou shalt find a Man that can teach thee the Way of Truth; and, go­ing forth, he found there a certain Beg­gar, with patcht and torn Apparel, and with dirty Feet; to whom, by way of Salutation, he said, God give thee a good Morning: The Beggar replied, I do not remember I ever had an evil one; and thus he Answers to all his Desires and Questi­ons, insomuch that this Learned Man was Astonished, and desired him, now at last, to speak more plainly, which [...] Beggar did, most Excellently unfolding the Mystery thereof, the whole being too [...]uch here to relate, I shall only mention the latter part: Then said the Beggar to Taulerus, Thou saist moreover, that God would be pleased to make me Happy; where­unto I answered, That I had never been un­happy; for I am fully resolved, through his [Page 99]Grace, to adhere, and only to cleave to the Wi [...] of God, as the best, and abandoning my own Will, into which I have so wholly poured out my own Will, that whatsoever he wills, that I will also; and for this Cause, as I said, I was never unhappy; seeing that I will cleave to his Will only, and have wholly resigned my own proper Will: To this Tau­lerus answered, This is very strange; but what, I pray thee, wouldst thou say, if the Lord of Majesty would Drown thee in the Bottomless Pit, wouldst thou then be con­tent with His Will? The Beggar said, Drown me in the Bottomless Pit! Why certainly, if he should, I have two Arms by which I would still embrace and clasp fast a­bout Him; the one is, True Humility, and that I lay under Him, and by it I am united to His most Sacred Humanity; the other, and that is the Right Arm, is Love; which is united to His Divinity; and by this Love given to me, from Himself, I hold Him so fast, that he would be forced to go down to Hell with me; and it were much better for me to be in Hell with God, than to be in Hea­ven without him.

By this Discourse Thaulerus learned, that the most Compendious VVay to God, is [Page 100]a true Resignation, with profound H [...] ­mility.

Hereupon, Thaulerus spake again to the Beggar, and asked him with Admiration, saying, Good Lord! whence camest thou? The Beggar said, From God. The Learn­ed Man, Where found'st thou God? Beg­gar, Even there, where I left all the Crea­tures. The Learned Man, But wher [...] didst thou leave Him? Beggar, In humble and clean Hearts, and in Men of good Will, which are His Temples and Dwelling-place. The Learned Man, I pray thee, Friend, who art thou? Beggar, Who am I? Surely I am a King; and Jesus himself hath Crowned me with Peace, Power, and Rest. The Learned Man, Art thou a King? But where is thy Kingdom? Beggar, The King­dom of Heaven is within me, in my Soul; and I can now, and do, by His Power in me, so govern and command all my inward and outward Senses, that all the Affections and Powers of the Old Man in my Soul, are con­quered, and are in subjection to the New Man in me, which Kingdom, no Man can doubt, but that it is better than all the Kingdoms, Scepters, Crowns and Glories of this World. The Learned Man, Lord! what brought [Page 101]thee to this Perfection? Beggar, My silence, subline Meditation; and, above all, my Ʋnion with the Everlasting God of Peace and Rest, which is my Kingdom; and, to say the Truth, I could rest in nothing which was less than God; and now, having found my God, I have forsaken the unquiet World, and, in Him, I have found Everlasting Peace and Rest.

Here are the words of Christ fulfill'd; here was a Man that was a Partaker of all his Precious Promises; here was he that was made Ruler over all that he had; here was Two that were gathered toge­ther in his Name, and he in the midst of them; here, were the Faithful Servants, who, when their Lord came, were found waiting, for Him to give them their Por­tion of Meat in due Season; the first had attained to Regeneration, and the New-Birth, to Perfection it self, he was come to the Power and Kingdom of God with­in him, by which Power in him, he could so govern and command all his inward and outward Senses, that all the Affecti­ons and Powers of the Old Man in his Soul, were conquered, and brought into subjection to the New Man in him: Here [Page 102]was a Man that witnessed to the Power of Christ actually in him, and not in Con­ceit as Formal Christians.

The second was John Thaulerus himself, (if we may believe the Ancient Copies) who, by the space of Eight Years, had continually importuned the Lord by Pray­er, conceiving he wanted the right Know­ledge of the Truth, notwithstanding all his Learning, and spent whole Nights therein, begging of God to let him know Him, and know himself.

If I may be so bold as to ask you, how many such Learned Divines comes out of your Schools of Oxford and Cambridge, that notwithstanding all their Learning, goes back again into their own Nothing, and becomes as a little Child to learn their A, B, C, crying, Father, shew me, teach me, the Way of Truth, which is to know Thee, and to know my self?

This Divine, as the History stiles him, did he go to Man for this Knowledge of God and himself? No; but to God only; for he had all the Learning Man could give; he had been at the Universities, from whence he had the Title, A Learn­ed Divine; yet, you see here, he was as [Page 103]Ignorant of the true Saving Knowledge, as he who was a Ruler in Israel was of the New-Birth; yet had a Belief of Christ that he was the Messiah; so it was with the Learned John Thaulerus, he had an out­ward Historical Faith of God in Christ, but that would not do with him now, when the Spirit in him was making search after the deep things of God, to know Him, and to know himself; which is a Key to open the Cabinet of Divine Myste­ries, the highest Knowledge Man can at­tain to in this Life; for to know God is Life Eternal: And that Soul who truly knows God, in and through Jesus Christ, shall quickly know it self, and be made to cry out, Wo is me, for I am undone; be­cause I am a Man of polluted Lips, and I dwell in the midst of a polluted People, for mine Eyes have seen the King, and Lord of Hosts.

But then again, Oh thou Soul, this is the very state, in the Sence of thy own Nothingness, where thy Lips shall be touched with a Coal from the Altar, which shall take away thy Iniquity, and then thou wilt be ready to go on the Lord's Errand, tho' dreadful, Go unto [Page 104]this People, and say unto them, ye shall hear indeed, but not understand; ye shall plainly see, and not perceive: Make the Heart of this People fat, make their Ears heavy, and shut their Eyes; least they see with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and understand with their Hearts, and Convert, and he heal them: Then, said the Prophet, For how long Lord? Then answered he, Ʋntil their Cities be waste, without Inhabitants, and the Houses without Man, and the Land be utter­ly Desolate.

Oh Amazing Message! What Destru­ction to come upon a People, when they are Blind and Deaf: Oh Astonishing Judg­ment! But how long doth the Lord bear, and wait upon a People for their Return, that he may shew Mercy to them before thy are thus Sealed up? Surely till his Locks are wet with the Dew of the Night, till his Holy Spirit is weary with Striving, and then the Breath ceaseth from before him, which he hath made; Then shall they Call, but I will not hear; for us I called, and they would not hear; so shall they call, and I will not hear them, saith the Lord; then shall their Seers be ashamed, and their Diviners confounded, when they shall have no [Page 105]Answer of God: But, saith the Lord, it shall be said unto them in that Day, Call upon your Gods of Silver and Gold, let them deliver you now that had your Hearts, Pride, Pleasures, wherein you spent your precious time; of which time you gave me a little to [...]ock me, when you came into your Idols Tem­ples, with your Abominations before my Eyes, to Provoke me to Destroy you, and your Idols, out of my sight; that so your Abominations may cease from before me.

But Oh! Ye false Shepherds, the Wo will be unto you, who are the cause of all these things, tho' the People Love to have it so; yet Wo will be unto you, who have bred them up in this Historical Way of outward Ceremonial Worship, as the poor Jaimaco Minister said, To keep up some Shew of Religion: But what good did their Bartholomew Shows do them, when the Plagues and Vengeance of God fell upon them, for mocking him with their Shows of Worship? Doth the Infinite, Unspeakable, Incomprehensible Glory want a Show to come before Him? Carry your Hearers to Bartholomew Fair, and to the rest of your Cursed Play-houses, the A­bomination of the Land, to see your Shows [Page 106]of Worship, where your Hearers brag and boast, they can Learn as much as at a Sermon; truth indeed, for the most of your Church-Sermons, and Play-House-Sermons are alike: For a Proud Lustful People Worships in the one, and a Proud Lustful People Worships in the other [...] for other ways, what means your Stage-Players Attire, and your wanton Carria­ges, Playing and Toying one with ano­ther, as you sit before your Priest: This I have seen with my Eyes many Years ago, with more of your Abominations too many to Insert here, to the Abhor­ring your Sacrifices; and the same Beha­viour is amongst some of you still, as I am Creditably Informed by some of your Hearers: So here's like Priest, like Peo­ple; Children of Belial, fat Kine of Ba­shon, Sons of Eli, every one Neighing after his Neighbours Wife: Oh ye Adul­terers and Adultresses! Have ye not Hou­ses to sport your selves in? Oh ye Presum­ptuous Ones! How is it ye are not afraid the Ground should Open and swallow up you, and your Idols Temple together? Which plainly Appears some of you are so much tinctured with an Atheistical [Page 107]Faith, as to believe there is neither God [...] Devil: VVo and Alas! VVhat La­mentable Lamentation shall be taken up for the People of these Nations, who have such Pastors as destroy and scatter the Sheep of his Pasture: Oh what shall I say? I have not VVords to declare my Grief, for my Heart breaketh within me, as Jeremiah's did, because of the Hireling Priests and False Prophets Filthiness, who commit Adultery, and walk in Lies; they strengthen the Hands of the VVicked, that none can return from his VVickedness; They are to me, saith the Lord, as So­dom and Comorrah: Therefore will I Feed them with Wormwood, and give them the Writers of Gall to Drink. For, from such Preachers in England is Prophaneness, and all manner of VVickedness gone forth in­to all the Land: I am a VVitness of this Truth, for what can I say of the VVick­edness of some Priests, from a Girl of Nine or Ten Years of Age; which I my self have been both Eye and Ear VVit­ness to; besides all their Abominations that I have heard from others; which is beyond my Tongue to Express; and when I was at London, I was in a place where a [Page 108]Priest, and Three Men more [...] (or Devils in the Shape of Men) were, [...] Backs were to me, and my Face to them so I saw them, and heard their Discourse The Men's Discourse was Lascivious, and I heard not one VVord, but either at the beginning or end thereof, was, God Dam [...] them! And, God Damn their Blood! their Priest Joaking Merrily with them, and Laughing out right Heartily at their un­clean, lascivious Discourse: I bore the Burthen of their VVickedness so long, whilst I could bear it no longer, and then I Reproved the Men and their Priest; the Priest Mockt and Scoft; but the lewd Men, as Surpris'd, were more moderate, and would have heard me longer; but the Priest pull'd and hurried them away; the People that heard, went away Sigh­ing and Lamenting at their own Conditi­on: Now, is not here cause of a Bleed­ing humiliation, that a People, that bears the Name of Christ, should have such Monstruous Beasts for their Teach­ers? It's no wonder our Land is over-run with the Spirit of Atheism: Is here not cause to make Proclamation of Fasting, Sackcloth, and Ashes; as I, unworthy [Page 109]Messenger, did in your Ears, a little be­fore my Dear Lady, Queen Mary's Death, when the Lord Commanded me to go to London, I knew not for what, for I had been there a little before, therefore had no Business of my own; but it lay upon [...] weightily, saying, Thou must go to [...]don; which I did, tho' in a great [...]ross to my own Will, and Landing at Queen-hive, I went directly into Cheapside, which was not my usual way; where I saw Multitudes of People in their Belco­nies and Windows, and the Sreets so fill'd with People, that it was very Trouble­some, either to stand or go: I enquired why it was so, the People Answered, The Ministers are going to their Feast; then I stood still, and humbly Inquired of the Lord what his Pleasure was with me, now I was come to London; his immedi­ate Answer was, Call them to Fasting. Then I continued there till they came by, and I went with them from the middle of Cheapside, till I came into Cornhill, and then, in the Dread and Power of the Lord, I opened my Mouth to them, and said, The Lord calls for Fasting, and you go to Feasting: He calls to Weeping and Mourn­ing, [Page 110]and Girding with Sackcloath; but [...] stead of this Exercise, behold you have Jo and Gladness, Slaying Oxen, and Killing Sheep, Eating Flesh, and Drinking Win [...] and so I went along with them, declaring the Word of the Lord throughout Corn­hill, and part of the next Street; [...] when I had finished my Testimony, Ind [...] them, and Returned that Day to Patney [...] Now, O ye Teachers, where was your Discerning? Where was your Divining, Revelation, Know­ledge and Sight; As some of you Titled the Queen. the Light of your Eyes, being taken from you; had you that Spirit of Revelation, from on High, that the Children of the Prophets had, when their Master Elijah was to be taken from them; when the Children of the Prophets came out to meet Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy Master from thine Head this Day: And Elisha said, Yea, I know it: So here was the Schollers Inspired with the Revelation thereof, as well as the Master: But where was your Discerning, from the Master to the Scholler, of so great a Change as our Dear Lady, the late Queen's, being taken away from your [Page 111]Head? Then is it not happened to you, as it was to your Forefathers, that Night is come upon you, that you have no Vision, and the Day is become dark that ye [...]annot Divine; And why? Because your Gifts and Rewards have blinded your Eyes, that ye could not see to reprove Sin in the Gate, your Lives of Ease and Plea­sures, as saith the Text, Ease slayeth the Foolish, and the Prosperity of Fools destroy them; your Hundreds and Thousands a Year, your Honours and Glories of the World have stood between, and with­held you from standing in the Gap, to keep back the Anger of God from destroy­ing the People; will not these be Spots in your Feasts, in that Day when the Lord shall say, You have fed your selves, and not the Flock, therefore will I feed you with Judgment; and in that Day, saith the Lord, you shall be ashamed of your Priest­hood; for you shall no longer wear a rough Garment to deceive; for in that Day, you shall say, I am no Prophet, but an Husband­man; for Man taught me to be an Herdsman from my Youth up: Then, Ch ye Priests, shall ye be made to speak Truth, that Man taught you from your Youth up, tho' [Page 112]hitherto ye have spoken Lies, and [...] The Lord taught you; and saith that Te [...] In that Day, saith the Lord, I will cut of the Names of the Idols out of the Land, and they shall no more be remembred; and I wil [...] cause the false Prophets, and the unclean Spi­rits, to depart out of the Land: And if any [...] should yet Prophesie, his Father and his Mother that begat him, shall say unto him thou shalt not live, for thou speakest Lies in the Name of the Lord, and his Father, and his Mother, that begat him, shall thrust him through when he Prophesieth: Oh wonder­ful! that the very Begetters of your Lies and Falshood should destroy you, and s [...] your Destruction comes to be of your selves, and not of the Lord; this also shall be the holy Zeal of the true Regenerated Soul, to destroy, without Mercy, all, both old and young of the Darlings, and dearly beloved Sins in its own Soul; for Agag must be hew'd to pieces, before the Lord in Gilgal; the very place where the Disobedient Offering was to have been offered, Samuel 15. But, said the Lord, I will cause the Prophets, and the unclean Spirits to depart out of the Land; meaning, saith the Margent, the false Prophets and [Page 113]Teachers, who are the Corrupters of all Reli­ [...]; whom, the Prophet here saith, the [...]rgent calls unclean Spirits: But this [...]phesie goes further, and, in all the [...]and, saith the Lord, two parts thereof shall be cut off and die; but the third part shall be left therein: And I will bring the third part through the Fire, and will fine th [...], as Silver is fined; and will try them, [...] [...]old is tried; they shall call upon my Name, and I will hear them; I will say it is my People, and they shall say, the Lord is my God, Zachariah 13. Hear, what must be done to the People of both sorts, the Reprobate Silver must be quite destroyed, the other must be tried in the Fire, and fined as Silver and Gold is fined, before God will own them to be his People, whereof you have one of the greatest Re­presentations hap'ned to you, that ever befel a People in this latter Age of the World; therefore observe, and take no­tice, I beseech you, for it is of great Mat­ter and Weight to you all, and not only to you, but to the whole Universe throughout the whole World; for as you have done to your Silver, so will God do to you; this is the Word of the Lord to [Page 114]you, of all Perswasions whatsoever, [...] out respect of Persons, who owns the ex [...] a God and Christ, who, in the sight [...] the Lord, are grown Corrupt, as [...] have done to your Idols of Silver and Go [...]d so will God do to you; he will melt yo [...] and try you, and purge you with Fir [...] and refine you with Coals, and so take [...] way your Dross by Fire: But, if you [...] all Tin, he will consume you wholly and the old, tho' never so good and larg [...] shall not pass but by weight; it will [...] weigh'd in the Balance of the Sanctuary [...] and, if it be found too light, it must [...] melted down, and new Coined, and so must be made all new; and then shall the Heavenly Image be stamped upon it, the Beauty of his Holiness; then shall be the new Heavens, and the new Earth, where [...] in dwells Righteousness; the old shall pass away as a Scrowl.

Oh! how the Lord hath punished you, with your Gods; your Gods hath been your Plagues, and shall be yet more your Whips and Scourges; for the Day is swiftly coming upon you, that you shall throw your Gods of Silver, and your Gods of Gold to the Bats, and to the [Page 115]Moles of the Earth; and ye, your selves, and run into the holes of the Rocks, for [...] the Lord, and from the Glory of [...] lajesty, when he shall rise, in the [...] of his Might, to destroy the Earth, and then the high look of Man shall be humbled, and the Proud Loftiness, and Haughtiness of Man shall be abased, and the Lord only, and alone shall be exalted in that Day; for the Day of the Lord of Hosts, shall be upon all the Proud and Houghty, and all that is Exalted, and they shall be brought low; upon all the tall Cedars, and all the strong and sturdy Oaks, and upon all that hath made Gold their Hope, and the Wedge of Gold their Confidence: For, as you have not an­swered the End of the Lord in your Trea­sures; neither will he Answer your End, in the Enjoyment of them; for he hath determined, in his Secret Counsel, to rend you from them, and them from you; and in that Day, which is even at your Doors, you shall know, that the Earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; and that you are but Servants or Stewards; and now his Day is come, to call you to an Ac­count of your Stewardship, and to require [Page 116]his Silver and and Gold, and his Ra [...] Treasures at your Hands; and ther [...] [...] shall know how you have Trespass [...] on the Lord's Lands; and Claimeds [...] priety to your selves, which you Go [...] Right to, further than for Food and Rai­ment, which the God of the whole Earth allows to all Liberally; for so it was [...] the beginning, till the Fall, till [...] Lusted after that that was forbidden; and so it was after Christ's Departure, whe [...] the Power of God bore Rule; they ha [...] all things Common, when the Church o [...] Christ was in its Lusture; and so it will be again in the Restoration; there shall be no more Thine and Mine, but all the Lord's; and he shall be served therewith and the Glory shall be to him for E [...] ver.

The next is to the Shepherds of Israel, Wo be unto you that Feed your selves, ye Eat the Fat, and Cloath you with the Wool; ye kill them that are Fed, but ye Feed not the Sheer the Weak have ye not Strengthened, the Sick have ye not Healed, neither have ye bound up the Broken, nor brought again that which was driven away; neither have ye sought [Page 117]that which was lost, but with Cruelty and with Rigor have ye Ruled them, and they were scattered without a Shepherd; and when they were Dispersed, they were devoured of all the Beasts of the Field.

Wherefore, Oh ye Shepherds of Israel, [...]ear ye the Word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord God, because my Flock hath been spoiled, and my Sheep devoured; therefore, thus saith the Lord, Behold I come against the Shepherds, and will Require my Sheep at their Hands, and I will cause them to Cease from Feeding my Sheep; neither shall the Shepherds Feed themselves any more; for I, the Lord, will search my Sheep, and seek them out; for as the Shepherd searcheth out his Flock, so will I seek out my Sheep, where they have been scattered in this Cloudy and Dark Day; and, I will feed my Sheep, and bring them to their Rest, saith the Lord God. I, the Lord, will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen the weak: But, I will destroy the Fat and the Strong, and I will Feed them with Judgment; for, because you have thrust with Side, and with Shoulder, and pusht all [Page 118]the weak with your Horns, till ye have scat­tered them abroad; therefore will I help, and they shall no more be spoiled, and I will Judge between Sheep and Sheep; beween the Fat Sheep, and the Lean; between the Rams and Goats; and you, my Sheep, shall know, in that Day, that I am the Lord, when I have broken the Cords of their Yoke, and delivered you out of the Hands of them, that that served themselves of you; and I, the Lord, will be your God; and I will make an Everlasting Covenant with you, a Covenant of Peace; I will cause the Evil Beasts to Cease out the Land, I will be your God, and my Servant David shall be Prince over you. Now, you know that that David was a Type and Figure of Christ, and David was a Man of War from his Youth, I mean the Spiritual VVar, of which the outward War was but a Figure; and how deeply he was Ingaged in the Internal War, the History of his Life fully De­clares; and this is he who was a Man after God's own Heart, in bearing his Righteous Judgments for Sin, and so it runs in the Line, till it come to Christ, the Lord's David, who is to be Prince over you for Ever.

And here I take occasion to say to the [...]ishops, who are now in Power, that they ought not to suffer such Doctrine (as was by the forementioned Doctor of Di­vinity) to be Preach'd in a Christian Nation, as gives the least Toleration for any liberty to Sin; for otherwise what fignifies a change of the Old Bishops to you New, if there is no Reformation in Religion thereby? For not only is the Practical part neglected by this Man's Do­ctrine, but Toleration proclaim'd upon the House-top, for the Door to be open that lets in all manner of Ungodliness, which is the very thing that destroys Nations and Kingdoms; for what need we fear all the Enemies in the World, if it were not for our Sins? It's the Sins of a People that draws down the Wrath and Vengeance of GOD upon Nations and Kingdoms; and ought not you to be the Persons to stand in the Gap, to keep back the Judgments of God, by your holy and self-denying Lives in your several Stati­ons, by your Watchings, Fastings, and deep Humiliation, Preaching in Doctrine the Sufferings of our Lord Jesus, to bring the same to be the Duty of every true [Page 120]Christian, to suffer with him in his Se [...] sufferings, that as he suffered both in So [...] and Body, who had no Sin, for us Sin­ners, and so made his Soul an Offering for Sin, to Redeem us by his Precious Blood from all Iniquity, so we may, by the same Power in him, be partakers with him of the same Sufferings in Soul and Bo­dy, as he, our Lord, by his Power and Strength shall enable us; that so, in our own Souls, we come to feel for him a share of those unmeasurable Sufferings he, our Saviour, felt for our sakes, and to this Day feels the same, if we Rebel a­gainst his holy Laws; he suffers in us, and we Crucifie him afresh; therefore our Sufferings are never to be at an end, whilst he suffers in us; whilst we do the least thing that grieves his Holy Spirit in us; and this is the only Sacrifice that is acceptable to him, your suffering with him; for this is more than all your Preach­ing, Praying, and Hearing, out of this Life; for what cares he for all your mul­titude of words, which hath nothing but Self-interest at the bottom, they are as great Abomination to him as the Jews and Pharisees of old were, who wearied [Page 121]him with their words so long, till they [...]ought his Long-suffering to an end. The same is your Case, Oh! ye Bishops, and Priests, and Teachers, of all Sorts, who seek your selves more than the things of Christ, which is the very reason why you do not profit the People, to turn them from their evil ways, because you your selves are out of the Way, out of Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life; for it's plain his Ways are not your Ways, nor his Works your Works; your Voluptuous Life of Fleshly-liberty being witness: But if there be any among you, Bishops, Priests, and Teachers, who are otherwise minded, which I hope and be­lieve there is some, why come ye not forth to help the Lord against the Mighty, now in this Day wherein the measure of Ini­quity is filling up to the brim? Where is your Ensign hung forth, to shew that you are on the LORD's part? What sig­nal Testimony do you give, that you are for the LORD's Christ? There be many Talkers of him in high Notions, which he values no [...]; for his Day is at hand that shall try both Words and Works: How many of these great Talkers, and [Page 122]high Pretenders to his Religion, g [...] with him to suffer? How many of these are his Companions, in his Soul-sufferings, and are willing to be Crucified with him? No, no; here all forsake him; but it may be some may stand afar off, bewail­ing him, and crying, Alas! Alas! But what good doth that Alas do to him; Doth it mitigate his Pain, or asswage his Grief? No; but add to his Burden: Weep not for me, saith he, but weep for your selves, for the Miseries that are coming upon you: So you hear what Christ saith, Weep for your selves, for the Miseries that are coming upon you, humble your selves under the Mighty Hand of God, suffer for your own Sins; be grieved, in the very innermost parts of your Souls, for all your Rebellion against my holy Laws, and there suffer in Heart-breaking Sor­row, in Watching, Fasting, and great Tribulation: And the deeper your Exer­cise is here in barring the Indignation of the LORD, the more you please him; for when you suffer most, he suffers least, and this pleases him, for us to bear the burden of our own Iniquities; for it was his time, when he was on the Earth, in [Page 123]his Body of Flesh, to bear the burthen of our Sins; but now it's our time to dis­tharge him, and bear our own burthen, so long as the Root and Ground of Iniqui­ty remains in us; and then when we are washed, purified and cleansed from all the filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit, by his Righteous Judgments, then will he arise and plead our Cause: So, ye Teach­ers of all Sorts and Sects, this should be your Work, to bring People to this work of Regeneration; first, by your own Example, and Life of Holiness; and then labouring with them in Doctrine: But if neither your Life, nor Doctrine will Re­form them from their Pride and Life of Vanities, then it's time for you to turn in­to Silence, and stand Dumb before them, with your Loins girded in Sackcloth, and Heads covered with Ashes; and thus, by your Faithful Obedience to GOD, you may be instruments to Convert them, and save your own Souls: And how can you quit your selves before the Lord, o­therways than to mourn in Sackcloth and Ashes, seeing no other Fruits are brought forth [by your Ministry] than Pride, Envy, Worldly-mindedness, and all the [Page 124]Sins of Sodom, and other Nations, wh [...] GOD destroyed from off the Ear [...] reigns here: What became of the Old World? What became of the Jews, who trusted in their Service as much as you? How often were they, and their Temple destroyed, till at last they were swept a­way as a Refuge of Lies? And, do you think to escape, who are guilty of the same Iniquity? Yet, they thought them­selves secure in their Ways and Works, whereof they proudly boasted; for when the Prophet pronounced the heavy Wrath of GOD against them, their Answer was, Why? Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great Plague against us? Or, what is our Iniquity, and what is our Sin, that we have committed against the LORD our GOD? The Answer was, Because your Fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other Gods, and have served and worshipped them, and forsaken me, and have not kept my Law, and ye have done worse than your Fathers, for behold you walk every one after the stub­bornness of his own wicked Heart, and will not hear me.

Here you may see how they fill'd up [...]e measure of their Fathers Iniquity; for although they did not worship other Gods, it may be judg'd by us, because they had a sight of their Fathers Wicked­ness; yet God Charges their Sins upon them to be greater than their Fathers, to walk after the stubbornness of their wick­ed Hearts, and not to hear him, and obey his Commands, all which are the very Sins of the People of our Nations, and this Generation who walks after the stubborn­ness of their wicked Hearts, and will not fear the LORD, though he sends his Messengers early and late, as he did to them.

I humbly intreat you, that Read this Book, to Read the foregoing Plagues and Judgments that are pronounced in the foregoing Verses: For this great Sin, in walking every one after the stubbornness of their wicked Hearts; this Scripture hath often been prest upon my Mind, when I have been writing to this People, and now I think it my Duty to impart it to them, that every Soul amongst you, of all Sorts and Sects, might seriously and weightily consider, how far they are [Page 126]guilty of this great Sin, to walk [...] the stubbornness of their evil Heart [...] and not to hear HIM, that they ma [...] Repent and Forsake before it be to [...] late; and think not that your outward Services, and Duties, though Comely Orders, will do your work any more than it did theirs, whilst you keep back the One Offering, which is Self, that Accursed Thing which is to be Offered up once for all, which was our Saviour's Offering, who Offered up him­self Once for all, who was Accepted of GOD, and this is the only Offering Ac­ceptable to GOD, to offer up Self. Self in all its Appearances, whether in the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eye, or the Pride of Life: It must be Offered up, and Self in every Respect; whether the Love of the Word, Honour, Name, or Fame; all must be brought to the Cross of Christ, and Die there; for, as in your first State, you were Dead in Trespasses and Sin; So now you must be Dead to Sin, and Alive to Righteousness; other­ways no Christian; For, as in Adam all Died, so in Christ all are made Alive: In Him, Mark that; Not out of Him: Oh [Page 127] [...] Reverence that is in my Soul to Him, [...] the writing of this Word, In Him; for [...] of Him there is no Salvation; in his [...]ure unspotted Life, in his Humility, in his Patience, Meekness, and Long-suffer­ing; in his Universal Love to all Man­kind, in his Soul-sufferings and bitter A­gony: For, as he knew all this in his Righteous Soul and Holy Body, so must we in our Sinful Bodies; for as our High Priest, and Aaron bore the Breast-plate of Judgment upon his Heart before the LORD, so must we bear the Judgments of the LORD upon our Hearts; because we have Sinned against him, as it is writ­ten, Sion shall be Redeemed through Judg­ment; for Christ did not come to Destroy the Law, but fulfil it; for, said he to John, Suffer us to fulfil all Righteousness: So our Righteous Aaron fulfilled the Law, when he had tasted Death for every Man; that we, through him, might do the same, through is Death, and through his Resurrection without the Gate of Jerusa­lem, that we might be partakers thereof, by our Death to Sin, and the Resurrection of his most Holy Life in us; for that was the End of the Spilling of his Precious [Page 128]Blood, to Redeem us from all Iniqui [...] ▪ And thus we are made Partakers of t [...] Benefit of his Death and Resurrection. [...] we Die to Sin, and Rise to Righteou [...] [...] For GOD so Loved the World, that [...] his only Begotten Son, that through [...] might have Life. Here the Love [...] Extended to all; but he, or she, th [...] [...] not accept this Gift of GOD, [...] his Son, hath no benefit of his D [...] [...] Resurrection; I say, Accept him [...] Souls, to be your Teacher, Lea [...] [...] ­vernour and King over all in [...] you to yield your selves, to [...] to the Guidance of his Holy Spi [...] [...] not doing your own Will, spea [...] [...] own Words, nor thinking [...] Thoughts; but doing the Wi [...] [...] Heavenly Father in all things, [...] him above all things, and not your [...] but for his sake. In this State yo [...] [...] all the benefit of his Death and [...] ­rection, but otherways, out of th [...] [...] you do but deceive your Souls, to [...] he Died for you, without being [...] ­kers of this his Holy and Incor [...] [...] Life; and your Dead Faith is the [...] why you remain still in your Sins, be­cause [Page 129]you do not believe in Him, you be­ [...], but not in HIM; you believe [...] his Death outwardly, that the Love of God was such, to send his Son [...]o Die for Sinners, which is Everlasting­ [...]y True; let that Mouth be stopt, and [...] for ever put to Silence that de­ [...]; but what is this to you, who [...] believe in his Power to Redeem, [...] [...]ood to Cleanse, VVash, and Pu­ [...] [...] from your Sins, whilst you are [...] [...]de the Grave, in this Life; this [...] your Faith; but your Faith is to [...] [...]ie in your Sins, and so it comes [...] recording to your Faith, as Christ [...] [...]he Pharisees, If ye do not believe [...] He, you shall Die in your Sins. [...]oy wont He? He the Blessed Saviour, [...] [...]ove to Mankind induced him to [...] [...]imself of all his Glory, and took [...] an Ignominous Death: Oh ye [...]hriscians! Here's your Pattern; what do you do for him? Do you forsake [...] Pride and Lusts for him; your [...] and Pleasure for him; your Self­ [...] in all Respects for him? He hath one all this for you; but wherein is your Love to HIM? In what; In do­ing [Page 130]worse than your Fathers the [...] in Crucifying afresh, the Son of [...] and and putting him Daily and Hou [...] to Shame: Your Fathers, the Jews, Cr [...] ­cified but once his Body; but y [...] Crucifie both Body and Soul, you a [...] Daily Piercing him, with your Spe [...] of Pride, Avarice, and Self-interest; yo [...] are Hourly Pricking his Head with [...] Thorns of your Lusts, and Pleasure [...] Malice and Envy; you hate the [...] Appearance and Image of him in his [...] ­vants, and them that fears him; [...] hate him that Reproves Sin in the [...] you do all this to your Saviour; whe [...] fore, how many Thousand times wor [...] are you than the Jews, who did not o [...] him for their Saviour? Oh! How y [...] Dishonour the Lord! To call him yo [...] Saviour, when you can give no Eviden [...] thereof? How many of the Numberle [...] Sins you are guilty of, are you save [...] from? for if you commit Sin, Sin is o [...] the Devil, and his VVorks you do, bu [...] Christ came to destroy the Works of th [...] Devil; hath he destroyed them in you [...] Then is he your Saviour, but no further [...] wherefore, in vain do you believe hi [...] [Page 131]outward Death and Resurrection to be [...] Benefit to your Salvation, who do not witness his Blood in your Souls to cleanse you from all Sin and Iniquity; for, by the Law all things were purged with Blood, which was a Type of the Blood of the Immaculate Lamb of GOD, which was spilt to Redeem us from all Iniquity, and from dead Works, to serve the Living GOD; so then it's neither your dead Faith, nor dead Works will save you from Damnation; no, but you [...]ust Eat his Flesh, and drink his Blood; [...] so said our Saviour, Except ye eat my Fles [...], and drink my Blood, you can have no Life in you.

The Blood is the Life which runs into the Veins and Vital Parts, and nourisheth, causing to grow.

It's an easie way to believe Traditio­nally in the Righteousness of another, but what will that avail me, if I am not made Partaker of his Righteousness by Faith and good Works? For otherwise it's just as much as to say, Thou shalt eat Food to nourish thy Body, and I will live by what thou eatest; even so is this sort of Imputed Righteousness; for, Faith with­out [Page 132]Works is dead, as the Apostle [...] saith, Shew me thy Faith without [...] and I will shew thee my Faith by my Works I believe there was some in this Blind Conceit in the Apostle's time, that were High Talkers and Vain Bablers of the Righteousness of Christ, who were little Possessors thereof, which was the Cause of his so great and severe Reproof, as you may Read, from the beginning of his general Epistle to the end, wherein he exhorteth them to Patience and Prayer, and not to boast of an idle Faith, but to declare a true Faith by lively Fruits, and to this, saith he, But wilt thou un­derstand, Oh thou vain Man! that Faith which is without Works is dead: And fur­ther, saith the Apostle, What availeth it, my Brethren, tho' a Man, saith he, hath Faith, when he hath no Works, can that. Faith save him? This question is answer­ed but vainly, by some who have the Form of Godliness, but denies the Power. Yes, say they, ‘By Faith we are saved, without the Works of Love; no Hu­mane Work is of any avail in this case, only by the Faith in his Blood shed­ding, for the manifesting and declaring [Page 133] [...] righteousness;’ whence follows, say [...], that nothing is more needful for [...]; than to exercise our selves in the [...] Faith. To which I Answer, That no Humane Work of the Creature is avail­able; but was not Abraham's Work, a Work of Christ, when he Offered up Isaac? And was not his Work the Work of Love, which so highly pleased the Lord, that the Everlasting Blessing was placed to him, and in his Seed for ever? That is, to them that would follow his Steps in Faith and Obedience, to the Holy Seed Christ Jesus; who, although he was a Son, yet learned he Obedience by the Things that he suffered: And so it is with all the Faithful, who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit; such take him for their Pattern, with their whole Souls, Strength, and Might; they fol­low him in his Holiness of Life and Con­versation, to be Conformable to him both in his Life and Death, and so of his Resurrection, believing in his Power, that he is GOD All-sufficient to slay the Serpent, and his Seed, humbly waiting in the deep sense of their own Nothing­ness upon him, for his Strength to over­come [Page 134]the Enemy of their Souls, in [...] Temptations, that so, by the pow [...] [...] Operation of his Holy Spirit in th [...], they may work out their Salvation with fear and trembling, and so to be made more than Conquerors, through his Eter­nal Love; who, by his powerful work­ings in us, works out the old leaven, th [...] so we may be made a new lump in him, Holy as he is Holy; that as he who hath called us to this Heavenly Work is Holy, even so we may be Holy in all manner of Life and Conversation; so you see here is Works, and not vain Words; here th [...] Law comes to be fulfilled, as our Saviour said, Not one jot or tittle of the Law should go unfulfilled: for, said he, I am not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfil it: And a­gain, saith he, Suffer us to fulfil all Righ­teousness. And did Christ Jesus fulfil the Law? So must we; and then, when we have fulfilled it, we are no more under the Law, but under Grace; for the End of the Law is Grace, The Grace of GOD that teacheth to deny all Ʋngodliness and worldly Lust, and to live Righteously, and Holily, in this present evil World. But you, who are not come to witness this [Page 135]Life brought forth in you, you deny the [...]ace of God, and turns it into Wanton­ness; wherefore the Law takes hold of you, as Transgressors of it, and will bring you under it; though you boast against it, as if you were got above it, yet it hath power to bring you down under it, and [...]ke you pay the utmost Farthing; for the Law is our School-master to bring us to Christ, therefore Holy, Just, and Good: Then how dare any speak slightingly of that, wherein there is so great Service, as to be a Preparative for a more Glorious Manifestation? Is it not Excellent to be a Faithful Servant? And is not the Joy of the LORD prepared for such? Then, who is he or she that presumes to call the Obedience barely Legal, and slightingly call it the Servant state, to such, I say, you are so far from fulfilling every jot and tittle of the Law, that I question whether ever you came to fulfil one jot or tittle thereof; then, if so, how far are you off Christ Jesus, in whom the Love of the Godhead was perfected, and Man­hood also, who laid down his Precious [...]ife for Sinners? Are you come to this point, you that boast of a more Glorious [Page 136]Ministration than the Law? Do you [...] the Everlasting God, with all your Hear and Soul, Strength and Might? Do you admit of no other Lovers but him alone? Do you love your Neighbour as your selves? VVhere's your proof of it, you vain Bablers, who love your selves more than all? How much of your Pride, Lusts, Earthly-mindedness, Self-interests, Honour and Glory of a perishing VVorld have you forsaken for his Sake, who for­sook all for yours; yet, you vain Talk­ers, together with all Christendom, as it were, are heaping up your Hay, Straw, and Stubble upon this Foundation, of the Death of Christ, and you to live and dye in your Sins, as if this was the End of the Suffering and Death of Christ to secure you in your Sins; you, vain Boasters of the Blood of Christ, who pleads more for your Sins than any Malefactor pleads for his Life before a Judge at the Bar; here your Love to Christ is manifest, in your loving and hugging your Beloved Sins, and secret Lusts in your Bosoms, and then pleading so strongly for them; for what a Man loves most, he pleads most for; wherefore, see what manner [Page 137]of [...]hristians you are, who instead of be­ [...] obedient to Christ's Commands, to [...]ge and condemn Sin, and your selves, or sinning, you vindicate your selves, and justifie your Sins; and thus, instead of being Christ's Friends, you are his great­est Enemies, who profess him with your Mouths, and in Works deny him; and so Blasphemes his Holy Reverend Name among the Heathen, which GOD will certainly call you to an Account for, who are calling him, Lord, Lord, but do not the things that he Commands; and here you are proved to be no Christians; but as Jews, under the Law, whilst Sin hath Dominion, and not under Grace, for all your proud Boasting; you that live in Pride, Luxury, Wantonness, Pleasures, Covetousness of any sort, as Self-interest, Self-love, in any Concern whatsoever, wherein the Glory of GOD is not the End thereof, ye deny the Grace of GOD that brings Salvation; and you that hates the Innocent without Cause, you deny the Grace of God; you Envious Ones of all Sorts, but especially you that makes a Profession of Religion above all others, who separate your selves from all, yet [Page 138]you are guilty of their Abominatio [...] shall you be counted the People of GO [...] who goes up and down secretly slande­ing the Innocent? Ye Whisperers, Back­biters, and Notorious Liars, is not the Poyson of Asps in your Mouths, and your Envious Tongues sharper than a Two­edged Sword, to slay the Innocent? Al­tho' the LORD hath commanded in his Holy Law, saying, The Innocent and Righteous thou shalt not slay; yet dare you in your Actions presumptuously say, Who is the Lord that we should obey him? You Instruments of Cruelty, I must say to you as Christ said to your Forefathers the Pharisees, I have done many good Acts a­mong you, for which of them do ye stone me? How often have I forgiven your Iniquity, and returned you Good for all your Evils, and done what hath lain in me to stop some from uncovering your secret Parts, and publishing your Abominations on the House-top? But it was beyond my Pow­er, for the Just GOD had decreed it so to be, that the same measure you had me­ted to others, should be measured to you again; yet all this hath not humbled you, but you are as Proud, Stiff-necked and [Page 139]Rebellious as ever; wherefore, GOD himself will yet humble you, and in that [...]ay your Hypocrites covering shall be too short; you, lukewarm Professors, GOD will spew you out: Dare you pre­tend to so high a Dispensation, and walk in the Blackness of Darkness, wherein some of you are fallen, as was Prophesied of you Years ago.

I shall speak no more here, for the ten­der regard I have to some among you, but declare the rest to you in Writing, and shall expect you to prove your Lies, or o­therwise take what they will produce up­on your own Heads, for I value not my own Name, but the Precious Name of the LORD, which I profess, whose Ho­nour and Glory is more to me than Ten Thousand times Ten Thousand Lives; and so consider these things, you, whose Malice is your Laws, and whose Religion is vain, that knows not a Bridle to your False, Envious Tongues, how easily may you be proved to be no Christians? For, by their Fruits you shall know them, saith Christ; so your Fruits makes you mani­fest whose Servants you are; for accord­ing as your Fruits are, so shall your Judg­ment [Page 140]be; and you above others who pre­tend to the highest Knowledge of GOD shall be Condemned, For if the Light the is in you be Darkness, how great is that Dark­ness?

The next I am to speak to, are such who please themselves with the Passion, Death, and Satisfaction of Christ, and do apply and impute the same to them­selves, as a Pardon or Gift of Favour, and yet remains still Unregenerated, World­ly, and Sensual; such a Christian is every ungodly Man; and to those, I say, the Devil would be an Angel again upon such tearms as Grace applied from without; but to forsake his Craft, Subtilty, Pride, Deceit, Self-love, with all the rest of his Serpent's Nature, to be Born again, and to become as a little Child in Innocency, Humility, and God's Heavenly Love, this pleases him not, neither doth it please the Titular Christian, who would put upon himself the covering of Christ's Grace, and apply his Merits unto himself, by an Hi­storical laying Claim to a Promise, and yet will not enter into the Adoption and New birth, altho' Christ saith, He that goes another way, is a Thief and a Robber, [Page 141]and shall never enter the Kingdom of God. For what is Born of the Flesh is Flesh, saith Christ; and, to be Fleshly-minded, saith the Apostle, is Enmity against God: But to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace. And with this Spiritual Mind the Ser­vants of the LORD ever served their LORD and Master, and do still serve him with all their might, and with all their strength; yea, with all their might they give up their Hearts, according as he requires, saying, Son give me thy Heart; and so they give it him, with Body, Soul and Spirit, for Him to dispose of, as seems good in His sight, and as may be most for His Glory; they offer up all to Him as a whole Burnt offering in His own Flaming Love, which he hath sh [...] abroad in their Hearts, that fills them to the brim, so that their Cup over-flows; and therefore cannot but Invite all to taste and see how good the LORD [...]s; for the Love of Christ constrains us to keep his Commandments, who said, When thou art Converted, Strengthen thy Brethren; and thus he calls us to the Hea­venly Banquet of his Love, to Eat and Drink with Him at His Table, whose [Page 142]Meat was to do the Will of His Heav [...] ly Father, as He said, Sacrifices and Off [...] ings thou wouldst not; then said I, Lo I com [...] in the Volume of the Book, as it is writt [...] of me, to do thy Will, Oh my GOD, my Body as thou hast prepared. And to us, sai [...] he, Learn of me to do the Will of God, a [...] I have done the Will of GOD, and forsake your selves, as I have forsook my self of [...] my Glory, both Heavenly and Earthly, a [...] betook my self to Watching, Prayer, an [...] Fasting, for a defence against all the Assault and Temptations of the Devil, and all Ev [...] Spirits, their Lies, Revilings, Mocking [...] Envy, and Slanders; and to be willing [...] bear and indure all things for my Name Sa [...] as I indured my FATHERS Anger an [...] Wrath for your Sakes; and here you an­swer the End of my Sufferings, and a [...] workers together with me, and not a­gainst me, if you forsake the Devil and all his Works, as you have vowed in Bap­tism, which are the Pride, Pomps, Plea­sures, and Vanities of this World, Co­vetousness, and all Self, desiring nothing but the Glory of God, and that his W [...] may be done in your Earth as it is in Hea­ven; if you do these things, then are yo [...] [Page 143]my Disciples, saith Christ; but not other­wise: No, true Christians, Please your selves with your Historical Faith, and Feed thereon; but you shall starve in the End, as the Swine-herd did when h [...] went from his Fathers House to Feed upon Husks; for this know, to believe [...]arely in the outward Sufferings and [...]eath of Christ, without having an in­ [...]ard Life and Power of Faith, to give [...]e Victory over Sin and Iniquity, is Tabel and Confusion: And an External [...]mputed Righteousness, and the External Assumed Adoption, and Particular Ele­ [...]tion and Rejection, or Reprobation from [...]ternity, is without Foundation; for Christ said, You must be born again, or [...]lse you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. [...]o you may see, if your Eyes were open, where He hath placed the Election, that [...]t is in the New Birth, and the Resurrecti­ [...]n in the Old: Jacob and Esau, who were [...]s Types or Figures of this; in Jacob was [...]laced the Election, for he was a Type [...]nd Figure of Christ, in his Obedience, Humility, Sufferings, and Self-denying [...]afe, and loved the Election, so as to [...]uy it with a Price; in Esau the Rejecti­on, [Page 144]for he Rejected his Election, a [...] Despised it, so as to sell his Birth-rig [...] for a Mess of Pottage, and so was R [...] jected, but not that he was Personal [...] and wholly from all Eternity, Predest [...] nated to Damnation; this is a great mi­stake from a False Faith, for whatsoever was Evil in Jacob was Rejected of God, as well as in Esau; but here was the Figure, as indeed most the Old Testa­ment is a Figure of the New, till [...] comes to Christ, the End of all Types Figures and Shadows of good things t [...] come, and in Him the Figure stands i [...] the Divine Power, who is the Holy Seed to which all the Promises are made, wh [...] doth bruise the Head of the Serpent [...] us, if we yield up our Bodies, Souls an [...] Spirits to Him, to work in us all hi [...] good Pleasure; For to as many as receive [...] him, to them he gave Power to become th [...] Sons of God. For, as I said before, Go [...] placed his Love, or hatred, in two Seeds wherein is the Election or Reprobation; that is, Jacob and Esau, who was a Typ [...] or Figure of the declared Will of God in the refusing the one, and chusing th [...] other. Now, pray observe, that tho [...] [Page 145]these two came out of one Womb, yet [...]ere they of contrary Natures, the one as a cunning Hunter; that is, Crafty, [...]tle, Self-ended, Wild-man, and so a Reprobate; therefore God hated him, or that Spirit in him: But Jacob was a plain, innocent, self-denying Man; therefore God Loved him, as Christ said of Natha­niel, Behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no Guile: So, in these two are placed the Election or Reprobation; in the Good the Election; and in the Evil the Reprobation; and not that GOD Or­dered it so in the beginning: No, no; for then how is Man's Destruction of himself? Or, how shall the LORD be clear of his Blood? For, shall not the Judge [...] all the Earth do Justice? Yea, let GOD [...]e True, and every Man a Liar, Perfect [...]s the Work of the Mighty GOD, for all His Ways are Judgment. GOD is True [...]nd without Wickedness, Just and Righte­ [...]us is he; but they have corrupted them­selves towards Him, by their Vices, not be­ [...]ng his Children, but a froward and crooked Generation, Deut. 23. Wherefore Men [...]ught to Dread and Fear before the migh­ [...] GOD, in putting such Conclusions [Page 146]concerning the Children of GOD, a [...] God had, out of his own purpose, beg [...] ten Condemnation to One, and hardn [...] him, that he could not come to the [...] doption; and chosen to himself another that he could not be Lost: This is a [...] groundless Fiction, there is no Founda­tion from Nature, or from the Holy Scripture for it: It proceeds from the Darkness of the Bottomless Pit; this ha [...] been one great Cause why so many ha [...] run to Disperation; for, instead of de­stroying Sin in them, they have destro [...] ­ed themselves; this makes void the [...] ­ferings and Death of Christ for all Man­kind; then where is the Universal L [...] of GOD to all? Oh do not have su [...] hard thoughts of GOD, as that he wou [...] have but a few Saved, for his Will [...] That all should be Saved, but Man will no [...] You will not come to me, saith Christ, th [...] you may have Life; all the Holy Father and Patriarchs, as Adam, Noah, Abraha [...] Isaac and Jacob, were Figures, there a [...] always two Figures Represented; Chri [...] and Adam, a Good and a Evil Man: A [...] so Cain, Ham, Ishmael, and Esau, we [...] Tyes of the Corrupt Man; and A [...] [Page 147] [...] Isaac and Jacob, were Types of [...], who opened himself in the Di­ [...] Covenant, and set himself forth [...]ough these Holy Men: Before the [...]rrupt Children of Adam, as a Light [...]feshew them the Evil of their Ways, and a Preacher to Convert them: For God did not send His Son into the World, to Condemn and Destroy the World; Poor miserable corrupt Man! But he sent Him into the World, among the Godless Crew of Evil Men of all sorts, Professors and Prophane, to call them from their E­vil Ways, that they, through doing his Will, might be saved from their Sins, is it is written, The Willing and the Obe­lient shall eat the good of the Land. So we see it's not only the Will, but the O­bedience that GOD requires; and by this GOD will not accept the Will without [...]he Deed: No, for then he must do more [...]or Man than he did for his Son Jesus Christ, who humbled himself to the Death, to satisfie his Fathers Wrath, and [...]ve must do the same that He did, hum­ble our Souls to the Death of all Sin and [...]niquity; this is the Duty of every true Christian, to go through that Agony of [Page 148]Soul our Saviour went through, or [...] [...] ­ceptance with God; we must brin [...] [...] our Honour, Glory, Name, Fame, the interest, Pride, Deceit, worldly P [...] ­sures, Worldly-mindedness, Malici [...] Envy against the Innocent, Justifying [...] Wicked, and Condemning the Righte­ous, or whatever else is Abominable in the sight of God, all which must he brought to the Cross of Christ, to he Crucified and Slain to us, and we dead [...] such Works of Darkness, and after a full Redemption from all Sin and Iniquity then to live in the deepest Humility [...] looking upon our selves to be what we are, that is, just nothing, and God to be all; giving him the Glory of al [...] his own Works, who works all ou [...] Works in us, and for us, unto whom be Thanks, Honour, and Glory, Now, and for Ever; and thus to be Bapti­zed into his Death, and to have the Fellowship of his Sufferings, other­wise no satisfying the Wrath, or appea­sing the Anger of God, without which no [...] Remission of Sins; for it is with the un­converted Soul as it was with Hagar when she fled from her Mistress Sarah, the An­gel [Page 149] [...] of the Lord met with her by the way, [...]bid her return and humble her self to [...] Mistress; this Hagar, and Ishmael, [...] in her Womb, was a Type of the inregenerated state of all Mankind in their First Birth, who are Mockers, Scof­fers, and Runagates from God; for the Rebellious Self-will of Nature was in Ishmael, which he received from his Mo­ther Hagar, which was a Mocker of the New birth, out of which stock Esau took his Wives in contempt, disdain, and spight to his Father and Mother; the Ish­maelites who were of the Line of Mocke­ry, which was great grief of Heart, and anxiety of Soul to Isaac and Rebeccah, and the same Spirit rules to this Day in the Children of Disobedience of all sorts, but especially many of the Church of England, who are the greatest Mockers, Scoffers, and Revilers of all sorts, but their own Sect, that this Age can produce, inso­much, that a Man or Woman who fears God, can hardly pass along the Streets, without being branded with Nick-names, as Presbyter, Quaker, or such like; but especially if they are not in the same Ex­cess of Pride in Habit that they are in, [Page 150]then they are made a Scorn and a Deri [...] to Fools; or as an Owl among spec [...] Birds, and that by those of Older Ye [...] as well as Children, who profess, [...] preach Christ in Words, but in Works deny him; who commanded them that professed him, to follow him in his Foot­steps; and his Apostle Peter, who saw his Glory and Transfiguration in the Mount, commanded also, that those that professed the Gospel of Christ, should not Adorn themselves as they did in the time of their Ignorance of Christ, naming in particularly, not in broidring the Hair, not in Rich and Costly Attire, Gold and Sil­ver, and such like; but alas! How do the Babylonish Dresses of our Age, fitter for Stage players than Christians, as you might view your selves in Bartholomew Fair, exceeding all former Ages of the World; and those that do not run in the same Excess with you, are made an Abo­mination to you, crying out against them as Hereticks, for not worshipping your Idol-gods, your Heathen-dresses; is this to follow Christ in his Footsteps, to be Adorned with the hidden Man of the Heart, which is Christ in you, the Hope of Glory; [Page 151]and to be Adorned in Modest Apparel, as be­ [...]s the Gospel of Christ, that, as he who [...] called you is Holy, so for you to be [...]oly in all manner of your Life and Con­ [...]ersation, seeing, that without Holiness none shall see GOD: But perhaps you will think of your selves, we are Holy, we keep close to the Church, or we keep close to Meetings; Friends, I must tell you, that is as great an Abomination as the other, for you to appear before the Lord as his People, when your Hearts goes a Whoring from him after your I­dols, and Cursed Inventions; this is to mock God, and abuse your Liberty; is this to VVorship God as Christ com­mands? Is this to follow the Examples of good Old Jacob, the Type and Figure of Christ, who buried all his Idols under the Oak at Sechem, before he went up to Be­thel to Build an Altar to worship the Lord God, who appeared to him when he fled from his Brother Esau, as he himself said, when he commanded his Houshold, and all that were with him, saying, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and cleanse your selves, and change your Gar­ments, for we will rise from hence, and go up [Page 152]to Bethel, and I will make an Altar the [...] unto God, which heard me in the Day of [...] Tribulation, and was with me in the W [...] which I went; and then they gave unto [...] cob all the strange gods which were in their Hands, and all their Ear-rings that were in their Ears; and Jacob hid them under the Oak at Sechem; then they went on their Journey, and the fear of God was upon the Cities that were round about them, so that they did not follow after the Sons of Jacob, for their Cruel Murder at Sechem, which was the high Favour of GOD to preserve them from their Enemies: You may also see what Acceptance they had with GOD for this great VVork of Reformation; you may also read in the History, how the severe Hand of GOD followed Jacob whilst their strange gods were amongst them, from his departing from Laban to Bethel; first, how Laban pursued him, then Esau came against him; Rachel's Nurse died by the way, Dinah's Ravish­ment, the Murder at Sechem, and his Be­loved Rachel died by the way.

Oh England! England! And thou Lon­don, the City of Abominations, this is thy state at this time; therefore put away [Page 153]your strange gods from among you, and [...] your Idols out of the sight of the Ho­ [...] GOD; cleanse your selves of all your [...]olatrous VVays and VVorships, change your filthy Garments, both of Flesh and Spirit, which the Idols of your Abomina­tions have polluted, and come to Judg­ment; Repent, and come to Judgment; Judge your selves, Abhor your Sins, and your selves for sinning thus out the Day of your Precious Visitation, and GOD's Long Forbearance, casting all your Abo­minations out of his sight; and, every one with their Hands upon their Loins, mourning for your Iniquities, as a VVo­man in strong Travail, and bitter Pains, for your so often offending so Gracious a GOD, piercing and grieving the Holy Spirit of so Dear, Merciful, and Loving a FATHER, who waits to be Gracious, and hath no pleasure in the Death of a Sin­ner, but would have him turn from his evil Ways and live; wherefore, he in his Boundless Love, hath set before them Life and Death for them to chuse, only here it is stated, he that will have Life, must go through Death for it, through the Flaming Sword that turns every way, [Page 154]which must separate you from your L [...] ­vers and Lust; I say, the Flaming Swor [...] which he hath placed at the Garden [...] Eden, to keep the way of the Tree of Life, which Flaming Sword is the Suffer­ing Life of Jesus, the Son of GOD, which he hath ordained for Man's Redemption, that is, to be Baptized into his Death, and to Suffer with him, as he hath appointed, both in Soul and Body, Internal and Ex­ternal, which the Soul is called to it, in our own Souls, to know that bitter Ago­ny for our sinning against him, that he knew for our Sins against his Heavenly Father; and thus the Wrath of GOD is Satisfied, and his Anger Appeased, by treading into his Son's Steps, by working with him, and not without him; without him we can do nothing, but in him, and through him, in the powerful working of his Holy Spirit in us, we can do all things, destroy the Devil and all his Works, in him Victoriously Triumphing over Death, Hell, and the Grave, and all this by his Divine Power working in us, which Glorious Power must be always waited for as at the Pool of Bethsaida, in the deepest Poverty of Spirit, in that Po­verty [Page 155]of Spirit which Christ gave the [...]lessing to, in his Blessed Sermon which [...]e preached upon the Mount, in the deep­est Sense of our Impotency, waiting upon GOD in the Living Faith which gives the Victory; for without the Faith of the Son of God, it is impossible to please God; but by believing in his Power, and setting a holy Watch over our own Souls, continually praying, intentively waiting to receive what we pray for, and this is his way which he will be found in, and where­in he himself walked, when he was upon the Earth; and thus you are workers with him in his Vineyard; and, abiding in him the Vine, you shall receive Power to bring forth Fruit, both to God and Man; for he is the Power and the Glory, and if you abide in him, and he in you, you shall receive an Unction from the Holy One, that shall teach you all things, and you shall have no need for any Man to teach you, but as the same Anointing teacheth you, so shall you abide in it: Here is the Teacher of Teachers, as Mo­ses, the Man of GOD, said, None like GOD, Oh Righteous People, who Rideth upon the Heavens for thy help, and on the [Page 156]Clouds in his Glory; the Everlasting God thy Refuge, and under his Arm thou art p [...] served for Ever; he shall cast out the Ene before thee; and, by the Word of his Powe [...] destroy them; then the Beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety, in a Land of Wheat and Wine, and his Heaven shall drop with Dew. Here you may see what shall be done to the Man whom the King delighteth to Honour; for the Man that comes to the Unction of the Holy One, to the Anoint­ing Power, he ceaseth from Man, whose Breath is in his Nostrils: Oh! What an Eternal Good would it be to all Mankind, to come to the Teaching of God's Holy Spirit in himself; and then, from the be­ginning of the stirring Motions thereof, to keep close to God in that frame of Spi­rit, which Christ Commands; to Watch and Pray-continually, and whatever the Soul wants ask it of God, who gives liberal­ly, and upbraideth none; and not to go out to the Creatures, to no Man or Woman upon the Earth, except God requires, but to keep close to GOD in this diligent, watchful state, in close Communion with the Lord; let the inspeakings of your Souls be to GOD, seeing it is, as Christ [Page 157]said, That whatsoever is to be known of GOD, it is manifest within you; therefore keep within, go not out, for without you shall find Dogs, VVolves, and Tygers, which will tear and devour the Precious Food of Christ's Flesh and Blood from you; but within you shall find Christ, the Hope of Glory, who by his Heavenly Manna, and Vertuous Power, shall Heal your wounded Souls, and Redeem you, by his Precious Blood, from all your Sins, VVeaknesses, Frailties, and Backslidings; but then you must come to him, and not run away from him to the broken Ci­sterns, and will not come to him the Fountain, when he Invites you to him, saying, Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you Rest; and you shall find Rest for your Souls: And, Dear Friends and People, this is the very reason why you do not find Rest, because you do not come to Him, who is the True and Everlasting Rest to the Peo­ple of GOD, but runs away from Him, the Power of GOD, to the Creatures, from Man to Man, from Mountain to Hill, and so you weary your selves in the Fire, and brings forth nothing but your [Page 158]own Works, which must be burnt up [...] for, when he comes to call you to an Account for the Tallent he gave you, and finds it not Improved, then his Wrath is kindled against you, and then in vain you may call to the Mountains and Hills, in whom ye trusted, to cover you from the Wrath of the Lamb.

For Christ himself positively said, Nei­ther in this Mountain, nor that Mountain, will the Father be Worshipped, but in Spirit and in Truth: Wherefore, in vain is all your Worship, from the highest to the lowest out of the Spirit of Christ, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the Sin: But, Oh the Love of Christ! How Un­declareable is it in calling the Soul to him; Come unto me; come off from the barren Mountains, and the exalted Hills, down, down, into the low Valley; Learn of me, for I am Meek and Lowly, and you shall find rest unto your Souls: But did he bid them go to this Man, or that Man: No; but, quite contrary, commands to Cease from Man, whose Breath is in his Nostrils; For wherein, saith the Prophet, is he to be accounted of: Indeed Christ, in his Com­plaint, sent them to the Scripture, saying, [Page 159] Search the Scripture, for in them you think [...] have Eternal Life; and them are they [...] Testifie of me; but you will not come to [...], that you may have Life: [...]or, being they were so Ignorant of the Internal, and their Wills so strong for the External, he sends them to the Scriptures, which is as much as to say, there you have the Li­teral Knowledge of me; but what will that avail you, seeing that is but the Shell, and my Life the Kernel: Will the Shell [...]ourish you without the Meat: No more will the External Knowledge of me and [...]y Sufferings, declared in the Scriptures [...]f Truth, avail you, without the Power­ful Operation of my Holy Spirit working in you, out of the Old Nature of Sin and Iniquity, into the New Life of Holiness and Righteousness; but the Husk will serve the Prodigal to feed on, whilst his time is out, and then he shall be called to an Account for his running away from his Fathers House; for the Complaint is, You will not come to him that you may have Life: Not but that the Holy Scriptures are of most excellent Use, to them who are upright in Heart and Soul, who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Ever­lasting [Page 160]Truth, more than their Pernicio [...] Ways; such are as the labouring Bees t [...] suck Sweetness out of every thing, [...] turns all to a right and good Use; but [...] idle Droan, devours all, and no Fruit [...] be seen of the Bees Labour, but turns all into its Droanish Nature; so doth all that Reads the Precious Scriptures, that treat of the Life and Death of Christ; with their dark Lights, as Christ saith, If the Light that is in you, be Darkness, how great is that Darkness: If they come not to the Spirit of God, that gave forth the Scrip­tures to Interpret, and give them the right Understanding of them.