News from the new-Jerusalem sent by letters from severall parts, relating some hints and observations of that citty, all conspiring in a testimony that renders it exceeding glorious.

7. Letter.

Dear Friend,

SOme glimmerings presented, to the children of love, clothed with darknesse, bewildernessed in their spirits, passing through the fiery tryall, or crucifyings of flesh, or things of the first Creation, unto the the Ca∣naan of rest, or to a more higher, fuller, and excellent glory.

First considering the severall dispensations of the eternall God: how hee hath severall wayes and in divers manners, made out him∣selfe to a creature, as Genesis Chap. I. and 2. the law, or righteousnesse of the first creation, in which God had communion with man, and man with God, yet rather with a Creator, then with a Father, and that in the outward court, or first creation, not in the inmost, or holiest; and Paradice it selfe being but an image, of the excellency, of this first Creation.

Man being fallen, or deprived of this per∣fection, which was accomplished through the

temptation of the Serpent, or fleshly wisdome, or the espousals of the woman, or weaknesse of this creation, there was the first law of righteousnesse, presented in a new ministra∣tion of letter by Moses in tables of stone from God; in which the first glory or perfection and excellency, was ministred to man in his fallen and apostated condition, and because the law, or first righteousnesse, was weake through the flesh, after the departing of the power sup∣porting, or unanswerablenesse, of the aposta∣tised state, to the first uprightnesse there was given (or God appearing to the refreshing and comforting of the creature) an administratiou of Angels, by visions and dreams, as also a Priest-hood with Ʋrim and Thummim, Sa∣crifices, Ceremonies, Tabernacle, Temple, and Prophets, speaking forth immediate revelati∣ons, &c. by which man might have accesse to God and speake with him, but in the out∣ward court, or through the flesh, or of this creation, though he filled these with another glory, a higher and more excellenter discovery of his love in the promised seed: the substance and excellency of that, with all the former were but shadowes.

There was another ministration added of war, and peace, and tryals, crucifyings, or

baptismes in the flesh as flying before Phara∣oh and following a cloud of fire and black∣nesse, through or betwixt the wales of b••l∣lowing waves, in terror and feare, the long marching through a wildernesse, by the waters of Meriba, and rock of strife, skirmishing with Amalekites, by the terrour of Mount Sinai, cutting their way through Ogg King of Ba∣shan, and passing through the dividings of Jordan into Canaan, another ministration was given of Canaanites in the land, warre with the Nations, captivity, destruction of the Temple, Gods departing, the apostacy over∣spreading, or God gathering up that glory which appeared in the Tabernacle and Tem∣ple, and that of Priest and Prophet, ceasing; there then followed a night of darknesse or an apostasie upon all that administration, and when God no longer filled the Tabernacle with a cloud, and the Temple with glory, they became a place of solitarynesse or desolation, as all other ministrations 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and places for the Satire and the Scrich-Owle to dwell, and sing in, that is, for the Spirit of Apostasie or Antichrist, or of Iniquity to possesse, and act in.

Another ministration somewhat clearer and briter then that of the Law; and that was of

John, as in Matthew, A greater had not rissen, he was a burning and shining light, as Luke 1. the Law and Prophets were till John, he was the Prophet of the highest, in respect of what went before, and was sent to make Christ ma∣nifest to Saints, by word and water, and this was a ministration in order to one more spi∣rituall, the one ministration was to decrease, the other to increase, and that of fire or of spi∣rit, was to burne up that of water or of flesh, or that which consisted of things of this Cre∣ation.

Another and more glorious ministration was that appearance of Christ, or the Gospel in flesh, or glad tydings manifested to sinners, or the apostatised creation, Heb. 1. or God ap∣pearing in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and familiarest rela∣tion of this creation to man, even in flesh in which hee taught, and did miracles, and was circumcised, and baptized, and acted to fulfill all righteousnesse, in which there was a cleare draught of that ministration of gifts and ordi∣nances, which was as perfect as the first crea∣tion in its glory, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 higher and nearer to God comming forth in nearer relation of an Emmanuel or God with us. Another Administration also of Christ in the flesh of Saints, Col. 1. 27. Christ in you the hope of

glory, and that by graces, and operations, and fruits of spirit, as of faith, repentance, love, selfe-denyall, humiliation, meeknesse, also in∣fallible gifts of spirit, viz. to speake with tongues, workmiracles and act infallibly & ad∣ministration, even the height of the glorious Gospel, or God shining in the face of Jesus Christ: Now the spirit of God foreseeing Gods purpose, to leave this ministration of Gospel glory to the world, (or flesh, or Anti∣christ) and to bring a night of darknesse upon all the day and brightnesse of his Sunne; pro∣phesied of a departing first before the man of sinne, fleshly wisdome, or Antichrist, could be revealed, or Gods departing from that Admi∣nistration as hee did from the Tabernacle and Temple, and whilst Antichrist, or the power of the flesh, or the spirt of iniquity reigns in the christian world, or amongst such as pro∣fesse a Christ, all this while the Lord of glory or Jesus Christ in spirit is crucified in spiritu∣all Sodom, Aegypt, or Babylon, or the King∣domes of the flesh, and the powers of dark∣nesse; so that there is no mention of any re∣storation of the first ministry of gifts and ordi∣nances which was in the Apostles dayes: but is the state and persecution of the Lord

Jesus in spirit, and all those appearances of the Lord Jesus in many glorious Saints in perticular ages, was but the appearance of him who is that faithfull and true witnesse, or the prophesings of spirit in sack-cloath, against the power of the man of sinne, and were but drops of the Vials, sounding of the Trumpet, open∣ing of the Seales before the battell of the great day, when God shall appeare in flames of spirit and glory against and to confound Antichrist, or fleshly powers, or things of this creation. So that there is not (as I know of at present) any word in all the Scriptures, that the first ministry by gifts and ordinances, shall in any measure be continued or restored, in whole or in part. As if that were the great worke the Lord intended, viz. to set up the former mi∣nistry, or the restoring some legall ordinances, &c. as if all the glory of the last times should be the bringing these, or recovering them out of the hands of Antichrist, that is, not my pre∣sent apprehensions: but that the next ministra∣tion wil be the fiery tryal, or a state and power of God, put forth upon the severall admini∣strations that Christians are under, in order to higher discoveries of God, which will pro∣duce torment in the flesh (with blacknesse, and darknesse, and tempest) or upon fleshly

wisdome, and powers, or things of this crea∣tion. viz. in some, in passing from legall mini∣strations to a more evangelicall, of grace and love; there will bee torment and tempest up∣on that administration or selfe righteousnesse in the consumption thereof.

In that more Gospel state of a Christian, whereby he injoyes God in graces, gifts and contemplations, with sweet tastes and imbra∣ces of divine glory; there will bee a fiery try∣all, or the clouds of fire and darknesse, or cru∣cifyings in the flesh and upon that ministrati∣on of gifts and graces, insomuch that there will bee a scorching up of the streames, or of Euphrates, & the pleasant vallies turned into a parched wildernesse, and all in order to a more higher, fuller and excellenter glory; this is prophesied of in the Scripture, The Sunne shall bee turned into darknesse and the Moone into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come; that is not onely the Lord Jesus will be darknesse unto the world (which I deny not) but all that which was the glory, and light of a Christian, and high-way of com∣munion with God, his Sunne, Moone, and Starres shall be darkned, &c. before that no∣table day or that more excellent revelation of God in glory, and 1 Pet. 3. 10. The heavens

shall passe away with a great noise; and the Element shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt up: which is not onely at the last judge∣ment, but upon perticular administration, which is figured out in the heavens, earth and elements; or those more, or lesse glorious ad∣ministrations: and the fire shall try every mans work, of what sort it is; 1 Cor. 3. 13. 15. And as Christ crucified all that glorious administration in the flesh, in which he was, and it all dyed to a more glorious life: so eve∣ry Christian, is to take up his crosse, or to bring his highest and cheifest administrations to this crosse, and to leave them all crucified, to more higher, & excellenter discoveries: and this is the knowledge of Christ crucified: now many Christians who are sadded, darkned, and in much tribulation, as to the administration they are under; and in looking into the wil∣dernesse, seeing nothing but mount Sinai, with blacknesse, and darknes, and tempest: they take it for desertions, and withdrawings of God, when as indeed, it is the presence of God, darkning, withering, and consuming such administrations and the bringing in a more fuller and transcendent glory.

The next ministration will be the appearing

of Christ in brightnesse and glory of Spirit, destroying Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth, and brightnes of his comming; this shall be a glory without Sun, or Moon, or Star, or any such low appearance, as gift or ordinance: but the Lord shall be there everla∣sting light, and God the glory, and light shall cover the earth, as waters cover the Sea, that is it shall not sparkle, or be in bright beams, as in a Gift or Ordinance; but it shall slow out from the Lord swallowing up and overflowing all earthly administrations, that expectation of him in externall admini∣strations as Gifts or Ordinances, &c. is but to expect Christ in a fleshly way or appea∣rance, and not as he is in his own height, spirit, and glory in himselfe, in his Saints, their ful∣nesse and hope of glory, Col. 1. 27. And there∣fore this is that which is to be expected, an estate of spirit, love, meeknes, self-denyall, overcoming evill with good, conquering by receiving in the wrath and enmity of the world, into which estate God will gather up his people by times and degrees, from all worldy and fleshly interests and ingagements, wherein they shall be carried up into a more full injoy∣ment of God, and conformity to Christ in all his sufferings, death, and resurrection, where

God will be to all his, s•• glorified, as broad ri∣vers and streams, where shall goe no Ship with sailes, nor Gally with Ores.

And then it shall be, as much apostacy, in the Saints to go back, to the first ministery of the Gospel times, or first patterne which was the first discovery of that mystery, hid from ages, as would have been in them in the A∣postles dayes to have gone back to the Jewish Tabernacle, Temple, and Priest-hood, &c. out of which God had departed, as he also hath, out of these late administrations.

Furnell.