A divine looking-glass, or, The third and last testament of Our Lord Jesus Christ whose personal residence is seated on his throne of eternal glory in another world : being the commission of the spirit, agreeing with, and explaining of the two former commissions of the law and Gospel, differing only in point of worship : set forth for the tryal of all sorts of supposed spiritual lights in the world, until the ever-lasting true Jesus, the onely high and mighty God, pesonally appear in the air with his saints and angels / by John Reeve and Lodowick Muggleton ...

CHAP. XIII.

1 Of the language and conditions of two sorts of men and women. 2 The one elected unto Glory, the other rejected unto shame. 3 The Prophets declaration thereupon.

IN the next place I shall speak of two sorts of men and women, the one elected unto glory, the other rejected unto shame; or which have committed the unpardonable sin against the holy Spirit through reprobation, and which hath not through election, yet both of them may continue under despair to their lives end, for the manifestation of the prerogative will or pleasure of the Creator over his creatures, and who art thou that dares dispute against it?

2 My spiritual brethren, if an elect vessel hath been left to com∣mit adultery, buggery, murder, or such like, and lyeth under de∣spair, and if he hath not fallen under these serpentine stinging evils, but is wounded in spirit, through a continual fear of being overcome through temptation, to commit it one time or other;

3 Or suppose he is full of blasphemous thoughts against the Crea∣tor, through which there is a continual fear in him of eternal dam∣nation, yet there is so much light of life in him secretly upholding his bleeding spirit, that if you discourse with him concerning his con∣dition, he will usually utter these, or such like words:

I know God is able to pass by all my rebellions against him, but I fear he will not: Or he will say, Do you think that if God did purpose to shew mercy unto me, or had ever any thoughts of love unto my poor soul, that he would suffer me to do those detestable evils against nature it self, be∣side my inward dreadful temptations against himself? Again they wil say, I cannot believe that ever any of the beloved of the Lord were ever under any such strange temptations, or desperate thoughts against the Lord, or against my self, my wife, my children, or relations, as I am? Again they will say, When I finde any motion of deep sorrow in me for all my re∣bellions,

and a full resolution by the power of the Lord to forsake them, and a desire to love the Lord in hope of his mercy, or to praise him for his preserving me under all past dangers, then immediately I am subject to the most firiest temptations of all; therefore what hopes can there be for such a one as I am? I fear hopes or desires concerning me is but vain, sure my condition is as bad, if not worse than Cain, Balaam, Judas, or any such like.

4 Notwithstanding these and such like hopeless expressions, yet if they finde a man that experimentally understands the sadness of their condition, they are apt to desire that man to intreat the Lord for them.

5 Again, what ever befalls them, they have this property abiding in them, that if you speak of the Creator, you shall never hear them speak evil of his most glorious person, nor endure to hear any one blaspheme his holy Name; but on the contrary, in the very depth of their despairings, they will speak honorably of the Holy One of Israel, and justifie him in all his proceedings towards them or any other of his creatures.

6 The truth is, this is that repentance or godly sorrow in them, proceeding from the Holy Spirit, and that most acceptable spiritual sacrifice that can be offered up unto him, if the wounded spirit did but know it.

7 An elect vessel under fear of the wrath to come, hath this pro∣perty in it also, that it is both ready and willing, if it be perswaded that the Lord will speak peace through the mouth of any man or wo∣man unto its poor soul, even to walk unto the ends of the earth, to hear the voice of the Lord in that creature.

8 Another true testimony in a chosen vessel is this, notwithstan∣ding his present hopelesness of mercy in reference to his former re∣bellions, yet his soul through the secret love of God by his own light in him, is not onely fearful of further temptation unto evil, but it doth also abhor all kinde of iniquity whatsoever, upon the account of its contrariety against the Divine Majesty, and is full of longing af∣ter perfection, whether it be through life or death.

9 Again, another infallible testimony of an experimental wound∣ed spirit is this, if out of bitterness of spirit they open their sorrows unto their supposed or real friends, they will oftentimes say these, or such like words:

O wretched creature that I am, sure never any one rebelled against such

light as I have done; I have been so ravisht sometimes with the presence of the divine Glory shining into my poor soul, that I thought I had been unmsveable for ever, and yet in a little season through remembrance of former iniquities committed against so glorious a Ma••esty, or ••ew temp∣tations against so gracious a Father, I am so full of burning horror of con∣fused darkness, as if never any true light of life had appeared in me:

10 Again, through a strong desire of knowing of the secret pur∣pose of the Creator towards them, they will say:

O that I never had been born, or that I had been a toad, or any other created being, but a man; or that, that God which gave me a being, would finish my intollerable sorrows through my everlasting dissolution: Or if I must perish, O that I were in it, that I might know what I must trust unto, for I think I should finde more ease then now I do: or if it be thy pleasure neither to let me know it, nor know it not, O give me strength to bear it, and leave me under the hottest wrath that thy fury can admi∣nister unto me.

11 These and such like bitter lamentations, are the elect beloved of the most high God subject unto, which are left under a despairing condition upon what account soever: A man may bear any natural sufferings whatsoever, because he knoweth they will have an end; but a wounded spirit who can bear, not knowing any end thereof?

12 It is thou, O Lord Jesus Christ, which wounds the souls of thy redeemed ones, through thy spiritual absence, and it is thou alone must heal them with thy glorious presence.

13 It is not in the power of men or angels, if they could weep rivers of blood, or could submit for a season to bear the same wrath in their own spirits, that can move thee in the least to release that wounded soul whom thou lovest as thine own self, until the fixed time thereof, which is onely known to thy self, that thou alone mayst have the glory of all thy love tryals.

14 O empty vain men, who ever you are, which measure the un∣searchable wisdom of the Holy One of Israel, by your own lying imaginations, and by your blinde reason think to perswade the un∣changeable God with goodly words to walk out of his own way.

15 And because your vain spirits are upon any occasion subject to change, you think the unchangeable God is like unto your selves, and may change also, and so either for silver, or honor, or both, you com∣bine together as one man to publick or private meetings, to cheat one another with flattering speeches, and call it the pure worship of God,

being ready to condemn all that come not to it, as ungodly men or∣hereticks, though in their dealings be ween man and man, they are seven times more righteous than your selves; and in obedience unto the Lord Jesus Christ, are subject to all civil Authority for conscience sake, by suffering under them, leaving all vengeance unto the Lord, who hath said, Vengeance is mine, and I will repay it.