A fountain of gardens Vol. II. Being a continuation of the process of a life according to faith, of the divinely magical knowledge, and of the new creation. In mutual entertainments betwixt the essential wisdom, and the soul in her progress through paradise, to Mount Sion, and to the new Jerusalem. By J. Lead.

February the 11th. 1676/7.

After this Call to Paradise, the Spirit presented that Scripture to me, Mark 10. 28, 29. and opened very powerfully to me, every Sentence of it, as shewing we both should sustain no Loss, by ac∣quitting all those Particulars there men∣tioned. The occasion of our Lord Jesus giving forth the assurance of a better exchange, upon the very fore-going, of what was in present view and possession. This Query was started, upon the coming

of the Young Man, who had as he thought, bid fair for the Kingdom of God, supposing none could go higher, then to observe and keep all the Com∣mandments: but our Lord had a more searching thing to try him withal, which he was not aware of, when he so confidently moved his question. The Answer to which brought great Anxious∣ness, that no doubt he repented him, that he urged such a Discourse, whereby as in a Glass, he might see the impossibi∣lity of inheriting Eternal Goods, till that he was stripped of all that, whereby he was inriched from this lower state of things. Which made our Lord to cry out of the great Hardship and Difficulty that would be to quit all to follow him, to come to be no more of the World, then he was, but as a Stranger not ha∣ving any dwelling place, but to pass through it, as a foreign Country, only bi∣ding so long, as to do the Lord's Message, and perform his Work, which ought to be our end and design. For the whole drift of our Jesus, in and by all his Life, Example and Doctrinal Admonition was still to wind us off, and ungraft us from, out of the strange degenerated Vine,

from whence we so readily suck that Life, from which a Death is to come upon. But to come to what was opened to me, from Peter's asking Christ so bluntly, what they should have, upon the ac∣count of forsaking of all for him: Which seemed to be a pretty selfish Que∣stion; but however our Lord overlook∣ed that, giving an high encouragement to whomsoever shall by forsaking of all, give proof of their Love to him, and esteem of the Heavenly Treasury above the Earthly. Now upon the Call and Cry, which I had follwed me to draw off, and come away from what would make a Prey of us. My Heart ecchoed back again, saying, Ah Lord how is it possible we should put off all so quickly, when so deeply engaged, and settled as House-keepers, amongst the Inhabitants here below, as not seeing our selves ca∣pable of passing into another Sphere, be∣cause we do bear gross Bodies. Upon which the Spirit brought those Words to me. As first, Whosoever shall forsake Houses, that Word in Particular, was thus interpreted. That by Houses, the Spirit that spake in Jesus, then did aim at a further thing, then an outward ma∣terial

Habitation. Houses for shelter are harmless and without Offences. But it is that Earthly House spoken of, which is the Body of Sin, which harboureth the whole Tribe and Family, who are from the fallen Birth. From which evil Seed a Corrupt Generation hath sprung, and sheltred themselves therein. There is Father and Mother, Husband and Wife, Brethren and Sisters, as the most Holy Spirit declared, saying, All these in a compact are, being of one Blood and Life, strong Animal, and mighty Rati∣onal, and all these do lawfully plead for their establishment, as in such who are refined from the more gross Pollutions, not considering their own Originality, that all do proceed from a corrupt Being, and it is not the suspending their Evil Properties at sometime, not suffering them to break forth, washing that over which beareth the stain of a Leopard Spot. This is too short, and defective: for to race the Foundation of the House and Linage, you are called upon to pull it down. The Incitement is to that supe∣riour Will upon whom all these Combi∣ning Powers have encroached. It there∣fore must act a Sampson part, resolving

to make a Battery, that so a final Con∣quest may appear upon the visible Stage, resolving to break the Brood, though you do with them sink down into Death. Call up your force, the mighty strength of Israel is at hand, yet once more to avenge you, by not only shaking, but by removing the Pillars of that House, which hath been a receptacle of all this Evil Fraternity, from which to go out, ye are commanded. Let not your Noble Will take any notice of their subtle and pre∣tended Abnegations, or upper Washings, which cannot change the Blackamore. It will be an Ishmaelite at best, though a faithful Abraham's Son part thereof may bear, yet because of a divided Seed, born from the Aegyptian, nothing of Wisdom's Inheritance it must ever share: all of that is reserved for her own true Heir, who hereupon will rid all of the Hagarites Offspring, not one shall dwell in Isaac's Court. Thus I was made to understand the scope and drift of the Spirit, what it was to forsake all, it is no less then to be dead to all, and to come so far in this Death, as to strike at the very moving cause, of what hath given Life unto these degenerated Plants,

at which very Root the Flaming Sword will pierce, that so the Original Matter may be throughly consumed. Ah blessed Lord, such a deep Wound in that hidden part, whereout all of this strange, earth∣ly brood begotten was, do thou now give us from thy great kindness, such a deadly stroke, that no more of Life may ever stir from that Center: and give un∣to us a release from that Ishmaelitish Fa∣mily to all Eternity, Ah dear Lord Jesus.