The dawnings of the gospel-day and its light and glory discovered by Francis Howgil.

The Kingdom of God and of his Christ declared in some Measure, as it is reveal∣ed, what it is, and where it is to be waited for, and how it cometh to be re∣vealed to them and in them that believe, that all who are waiting for it may know wherein it consists, and so receive the End of their Hope, and the End of their Expectation, and know the Dominion which hath no End.

THE Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens, and his King∣dom ruleth over all; his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, and without End; God is a Spirit, his Kingdom is spiritual, his Habita∣tion is sutable to his own Nature; he is immortal, his Kingdom is so▪ he is Light, his dwelling Place is so, a pure Situation in which there is no Uncleanness, nor ever shall be; It's eternal Dignity, it is an immu∣table Being, that remaineth alwayes in its Purity and Pleasantness, Eter∣nally glorious; it consists in Power, in Righteousness, in Purity, in Joy, in Hope, in Peace, in Life, in Vertue eternal, in Quietness; it's a quiet Habitation, it is a incomprehensible, unsearchable, and indeclarable; Words are too short, they are but as Sounds, as Vails; It is unexpressible, in its is the Treasure-House of Wisdom, out of which all that believe in him, (who is the King of eternal and immortal Glory) come to receive of his Wisdom, of his Life, of his Power, Vertue, Righteousness, and come to enjoy him, who is the Fulness that filleth all things, whether visible or invisible, whether terrestrial, or coelestial; his Power is over all, his Dominion is over all, who is eternally Blessedness it self, and Felicity it self, who makes all that believe in him to partake of his Kingdom, of his Grace, of his Power, of his Dignity, of his Dominion, and of his Glory caelestiall; but these things are hid from the World, who are not re∣deemed from the Earth, neither never look to be while they are in the Body; Unto such I say, God's Kingdom you shall never see nor enjoy, while you are in that Faith which is reprobate, but may be truly called Unbelief, although you imagine a Glory, and a Kingdom in your earthly Minds, and dream of a thing to come, sutable unto that wherein your Glory now standeth; but that will all fail, and those Imaginations will be confounded, and dissolved into nothing, because they are centered in that which is out of the Truth, Christ, and so are without Ground or Bottom, and are out of that which should give you the Sight and Know∣ledge of God in your selves and his Kingdom.

Christ when he taught them that followed him, exhorted them, that first of all they might seek the Kingdom of God, even while they were in the Body, Mat. 6. and 39. the Pharisees were gazing abroad in their earthly

Knowledge, although they had the Scripture, that declared of Gods Kingdom, yet they knew it not; and this Generation is the same, who are in the same Nature, and in the same Wisdom, which is earthly and litteral, and they are imagining, as the Jews were, and are lo here, and lo there, in this Observation and the other, and look to see it there; Nay, Christ said, The Kingdom of God is within you, to the Pharisees; And he bad them and others seek it first; what strange Doctrine was this, might the Pharisees say; he saith, The Kingdom of God is within us, and yet bids us seek it? Need we seek that which is in us, may Professors say? Yea, it's like a Pearl hid in the Field; it's like a Grain of Mustard-seed among many great Seeds, which is not easily found; it's like a Piece of Silver lost in the House among much Rubbish, till that be swept away thou wilt not find it; thou must dig deep, sweep clean, search narrowly before thou find it; although he said to the Pharisees, The Kingdom of God is within you, he did not say, they were Possessors of it, or that it was theirs; but to the Disciples, whom he taught to pray in Faith, thy kingdom come; and they came to find it, that which they prayed for, that Pearl, that Groat, that Grain of Mustard-seed, which it was like: and having found it, and believed in it, he said unto them, Mat. 5.3. Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God. And in Luk. 6.20. And he lift up his Eyes on his Disciples, and said, blessed be ye poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God: They had seen it, and were Possessors of it, it was theirs: And Christ said unto his Disciples, There are some of you standing that shall not taste of Death, till ye see the Kingdom of God come in Power: And his Words were fulfilled; they declared what they had felt and seen; and some of them say, The Kingdom of God is not in Word, but in Power: And Paul to the Romans writes, Rom. 14.17. who were also made Partakers of the same Power and the same Kingdom, he spoke his Knowledge of, and said, Its not Meat nor Drink, but Righteousness, and Peace, and Joy in the holy Ghost. And the Colossians, who had waited for it, and believed in that through which it was revealed; the Apostle was in the same Faith, Colos. 1.12. and 13. Who hath made us meet Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light; who hath delivered us from the Power of Darkness, and hath transformed us into the Kingdom of his dear Son; and those things were seen in the Body, and witnessed in the Body: And the Apostle to the Hebrews saith, He that believes in entred into the Rest. And this and all these things were feeled within by the Seed immortal, the Birth immortal, and they that witness the Birth immortal to live in them: One said, Who hath made us joynt-heirs with Christ, who is the Kingdom of eternal Glory, and they were Joynt-heirs with him of the Kingdom that fades not away: And all that ever come to see the Kingdom of God in the Spirit, which is spiritual, must wait in the Spirit, and in its Manifestation, that so God, and his Kingdom, and the things of God's Kingdom, may be felt, and seen, and enjoyed in the Spirit which is Glorious.

Object. All this which thou hast spoken, may some say, is the Kingdom of Grace; and that we hold there is a two-fold Kingdom, the one of Grace here, the other of Glory hereafter, which none comes to enjoy Glory nor any Part of it in this Life, or in the Body.

Answ. People have long been blinded with confused Distinctions about Names; and being full of imaginary Thoughts and Conceptions, have

brought forth foolish and unlearned Distinctions; and that which God hath joyned together, they would separate: Grace is glorious, and Glory is gracious; he that can receive it let him; the Kingdom of God, which was like a Grain of Mustard seed, afterwards it became a great Tree; the tree in its Strength, and Glory, and Height is more glorious then when it's in the Seed, yet the Seed and the Tree are in Nature, and Quality, and Kind one; if the Kingdom be in Dominion, in Purity, and Power, and Glory, is not here Unity? yet a greater Measure, yet still the Dominion is one, the Power one, the Glory one, and the Thing one, wherein Grace standeth, and Glory standeth, wherein the Kingdom stand∣eth; grace is glorious, Eph. 1.6, 7. Having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children, to the Praise and Glory of his Grace, wherein he hath made us accep∣ted in the beloved: In the Father's house there are many Mansions, Places in the Kingdom of God, there are many heavenly Places; and they that walked to the Praise of his Grace, came to sit also in heavenly Places, Eph. 2.9. through Grace, Salvation, through Grace Glory comes to be reveal∣ed in the Earth, Isa. 6.3. The Earth is full of his Glory; he that makes Hea∣ven and Earth glorious, is Glory it self, from whence Grace and every Degree of Glory receives its Being; the least Measure of God's Strength and Powers is glorious, and to be gloried in, in the Lord, by all that have seen it; things might be declared which God hath revealed, which are not lawful for me now to utter; for as one Star differs from another in Glory, yet all glorious, even so is it with the Children of the Resurrection, who are quickened, and made alive, and raised from the Dead, and fashioned like unto his glorious Body, Partakers of the Glory of God, of his Kingdom, of his Power; the power is his, in which the Kingdom stands, the king∣dom his wherein Glory stands, the Kingdom, Power and Glory stand all in him who is the glorious God, and the God of eternal Glory, who is revealing his Power, his Kingdom and his Grace, and his Glory unto all that patiently wait upon him, in that which yet is as a Grain of Mustard-seed; they will come to feel his Presence, his Power and Glory revealed in their Hearts, through the Spirit, and enjoy God in his Kingdom, in his Power, and in his Glory, and through Faith shall see the Weight of Glory, which the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will reveal unto all that patiently wait for his Appearance, and in his Appearance.

Object. But some will cry out, Grievous Blasphemy and Error; what, I think you look for no other glory but in this Life, nor for no other Kingdom, but what you Enjoy in this Life; (thus I know dark Spirits Reason.)

Answ. The Saints looked not after any other glory but that which stood in eternal Life; and in the immortal Life, and in the uncorruptible Life; and the Country they sought after, was that which God was the Maker and the Builder of, and they looked and waited to receive of his Power, in which the Kingdom standeth, and did in this Life (I do not say the full Weight of Glory) and to know and injoy, and to be made Partakers of his eternal Dominion and Authority, is that which all his Saints in Measure witness, and in due time, came to enjoy through Faith; for by Faith they saw him who was invisible, and the things of his Kingdom, which are invisible, spiritual and eternal; but to speak of the carnal corruptible Life in the Flesh, who are dead while they live there, that Life, neither the Kingdom, nor the Power, nor the glory of God is revealed to them,

not till after the Death of that Life, and till after the Death of him who hath the Power of Death, which is the Devil, which ruleth in the Hearts of the Children of Disobedience, whom all the Mystery of God's Kingdom is hid from, their Eyes, and ever shall while in that state; and so let the Serpent be blind; and they that have an Ear to hear, blessed is that Ear; for the Kingdom of God is come nigh unto many, and the Salvation of God, and the Power of his Christ is seen by many, Honour and Praise unto him everlastingly, who is the only Potentate, that puts down all Au∣thority under his Feet, that God may be all in all; but first every one must come to feel in himself the Kingdom, which is as a little Grain, in himself, and in it believe, before any can come to know the Kingdom, or wherein it consists, and after it be known in its Measure, yet this is far short of glory in the Fulness; so many may come to be partakers of the power in some measure, yet this is far short of the eternal Weight of Glory; He that believes is entered into the Rest, and made Partaker of the heavenly Gift, and of the heavenly Power, and of the heavenly Grace, which is glori∣ous, and doth witness a heavenly Place in Christ Jesus, and yet many Enemies to be subdued, and much of the heavenly Habitation, which they see not, which comes to be revealed, as there is an abiding in the Faith, which stands in God's Power, in which the Kingdom stands, the Myste∣ries of God and of his Kingdom, come in due time to be revealed; through Death they come to be known, (that is to say) through the Death of Death; for Israel, the true Type, after they passed over Jordan, and had taken Jericho and Aie, and had made an Enterance into the land, yet there were many Enemies to be subdued, and much Land and possessi∣ons, which they were not made Partakers of long after, even so after there be of the true Rest enjoyed and possessed, and an Enterance made into, yet there are many Enemies to be subdued, and much of the heavenly In∣heritance to be enjoyed by them that stand in the Power which giveth Dominion over Sin, the Devil, Hell and the Grave, and they come to be made Partakers of God; and so the Enmity being slain, man comes to enjoy God, who is eternal Life, and comes to receive the Crown immortal, which God the eternal Power and Strength giveth in due time to them that wait in Patience and in Faith, through which the immortal Inheri∣tance comes to be revealed to all the Children of Light.

And so to conclude in few Words, this I say unto all, who are longing after God, and waiting to feel his Power, keep in your Minds to the pure Measure of God's holy Spirit, and therein wait to see his Kingdom, and his Dominion, and to be made Partakers of it, which brings the World to an End; and will let you see to the End of it too, before it was, and him who is now glorified with the Father in the Kingdom of God, with the same glory he had with the Father before the World began; and whoso comes to the End of the World, and to the Beginning again, comes to see him and his glory, and the Kingdom of glory which fades not away, which whoso come to enjoy, are eternally happy.