An epistle of the prophet Reeve. Written in the year, 1656.

An EPISTLE of the Prophet REEVE.

Written in the Year, 1656.

BLESSED are all those that shall read, or hear this Epistle with a meek Soul, and are kept from judging Things that seem strange at first Appearance, but by sober searching of the Scriptures, compare Spiritual Things with Spiritual, as those noble born did in the Apostles Time, being made patient to wait the Lord's Leisure, who reveals his Secrets to such only who with a pure Conscience hearken to his Spirit; He that believeth maketh not Hast.

IN the 6th Chapter of St. John 36th Verse, are these Words, The Words that I speak unto you, are Spirit and Life; and in the 10th, 17th, and 18th Verse, it is thus written, I lay down my Life that I may take it again: No Man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my self I have Power to lay it down, and Power to take it again. There∣fore, that you may increase in your most Holy Faith unto your Eternal Glory, which are appointed to believe in that distinct glo∣rified Body of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only God and everlasting Father, from the Holy Spirit, I shall shew you wherein that Pow∣er did consist of Christ dying and living again.

THIS his Power was secretly hid in the Truth of his Word speaking. Why? because the Nature of Christ's Soul within his blessed Body was only one Voice of spiritual Faith and Truth. Therefore, you may understand, whatever he spoke in that Word speaking, was all Power to effect the Thing spoken of. The Words that I speak unto you are Spirit and Life, that is, as if Christ should have said,

My Words tend not to Joy in Carnal Things that pe∣rish, but in the rejoycing in Spiritual Things which are eternal;

or, as if the Lord should have said,

My Word is all Spiritual Light and Love, Meekness, Patience, with all Variety of immor∣tal Glorious Joys beyond the Comprehension of the Spirit of Men and Angels.

AGAIN, Christ's Words are said to be Spirit and Life, because all Spirits in the Creation were made by his Word speaking only: Fur∣thermore, because his Word only, is the Original Cause of all Light, Life and Glory in Heaven and Earth, and in Men and An∣gels; I have Power, saith Christ, to lay down my Life, and Power to take it again. I declare from the Holy Spirit, none in Heaven and Earth could ever truly speak those Words, but that Man Christ only.

AGAIN, it is as if Christ should have said,

I only have all Power within my Soul, by a Word speaking, to die and live again.

MOREOVER, Christ Jesus being Lord of Life and Death, did believe without any Motion of doubting in him, that whatsoever he spake should come to pass, and that gave a Being to the Thing spoken of, and that made him to say in the 24th of St. Matthew, ver. 25. Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my Word shall not pass away.

So that Christ being the only God of all Truth, you may un∣derstand that it was his Faith in that living Truth, or Vertue of his Word speaking, which gave him Power to lay down that Di∣vine Soul, or Spiritual Godhead Life in the Hell of the Grave, and to quicken his Spiritual Life again from Death, to reign in immor∣tal Glory to Eternity, in that very Body of Flesh wherein he suf∣fered Death. For I declare, from the Holy Spirit, from that ever∣living Vertue continually flowing from the former Suffering of God on this Earth, in the Body of Christ, the Tongue of Men nor Angels can never express the Variety of new glorious Joys, the Eternal Spirit of God the Father hath in that glorious Garment of Flesh he hath clothed himself withal.

AGAIN, that Divine Faith of Christ in that living Truth and Virtue of his Word speaking gave him Power over Life and Death, that by his precious Blood shedding, he might purchase from him∣self the Lordship of the Dead and Quick.

AGAIN, if God had not been able to have made his Soul to die in his Body, and by the living Vertue of that Almighty Word of Truth, spoken through his Holy Mouth, to quicken a new and glo∣rious

Life again, O then would it be impossible for him at the last Day, by the Power of his Word to quicken and make alive, all the Souls and Bodies of Mankind that are dead asleep, and buried in the Grave.

YOU may understand, that living Vertue of his Divine Word of Truth, spoken before he died, was that God, which raised the ever∣living God from Death to Life again.

THEREFORE, because the Lord your God liveth, ye which are to live eternally with him with astonishing Wonder and Admi∣ration behold your God, that was absolutely dead and alive at one and the same Time.

THEREFORE Christ spoke those Words to his Apostles of the Power of Faith, Mat. xxi. 21. and Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, if ye have Faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what I have done to the Figg-tree, but also if you say to this Mountain, take thy self away, and cast thy self into the Sea it shall be done; and in Mat. 19. and 26. But with God all things are possible, and in Gen. 14. Is any thing hard to the Lord.

WOE, WOE, WOE therefore, to all that are left under the Power of Carnal Reason, that they may ever War against that in∣comprehensible Power of Spiritual Faith and Truth essentially reign∣ing in the glorious Body of the only wise God, your alone Redeemer, which long for his Appearance, which by the Almighty Power of his Word speaking of that Substance of Earth and Water, created both Worlds, and all living Forms that in them are, into that Or∣der they appear now to be, whether for a Time, or for Eternity, which also twice changed the Condition of his glorious Form by that Almighty Power of the Spirit of Faith and Truth speaking thro' his Heavenly Mouth.

MOREOVER, his Divine Godhead dyed in the Flesh and quick∣ned in the Spirit, not only to redeem his Elect lost Sheep of the House of Israel, from the bitter Cup of Eternal Death, but also to prove his infinite Power and Wisdom of Truth speaking, and for the dis∣proving of all lying Reprobates, which always either in Heart or Tongue, speak against that glorious Power of their Creator.

YOU know, that it is a common Thing for them to say, that it is Blasphemy for any Man to say, that God could possibly die, with many such like cursed Speeches against incomprehensible Power. And why do Atheistical Hypocrites say, that God could not die, be∣cause

of their lying Imagination they cannot comprehend by wh•••• Means God should possible live again if he were dead.

THUS they measure that incomprehensible Power of Divin•• Faith or Heavenly Truth, by the narrow Compass of their blin•• Reason, and Bottomless Pit of lying Imagination, which under∣stands nothing of that Spiritual Power of true Faith.

AND because they are not able to comprehend the Spiritua•• Ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, they hate both him and his Elect and call him a Liar to his Face, both in his Person and in his Word and in his Prophet, and in his People.

MOREOVER, because they see no Power in themselves, neithe•• to live nor to slie presumptuously, they take upon them to judg•• the God of all Power over Life and Death, by their no Power at all.

AGAIN, if that God that said, I have Power to lay down my Life and Power to take it again, did not die, and was buried both Soul and Body in the Grave, and after the decreed Time of three Days and three Nights, by a quickning Spirit revive a new and glorious Life again in Despite of Death's Power, then (Angelical Reprobate) the following Scriptures were Words of Truth, spoken from the Spiritu∣al Mouth of the everlasting God, that sent me to declare this Se∣cret, who did die, but cannot possibly lie; for lying is of a Mortal Man, like unto thy self. In the Words of Isa. 55. and the last Verse, Because he poured out his Soul unto Death. In Psal. 16. ver. 11. For thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see Corruption. In Acts ii. 27, 31. Because thou wilt not leave my Soul in the Grave; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see Cor∣ruption; he knowing that he before spoke of the Resurrection of Christ, that his Soul should not be left in the Grave, neither should his Flesh see Corruption. Rom. xiv. 9, For Christ therefore died and rose again, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the Dead and Quick. In Rev. i. 17, 18. Saying unto me, Fear not, I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for ever∣more, Amen; and have the Keys of Hell and Death. And Rev. ii. 8. These Things saith the first, and the last, which was dead and is alive.

IF this Truth be not sufficiently cleared by the Letter of the Scriptures concerning Christ's Soul and Body being both dead and buried in the Grave, and living again by his own Power, I would it were. This I am certain of, that they that deny this Truth, are not only naturally blind, but wilfully also do shut their Eyes, and

stop their Fars, and call the Scriptures Lies, because of the Cross of Christ, without which there is no Crown of Glory.

AGAIN, if the everlasting God for a Moment could not have died, and left himself void of all Light or Life, Spiritual or Natural, (as the Condition of all Mankind is, which are dead asleep in the Dust of the Earth) then he could not possibly have experimentally known the State of the Dead, whether Elect or Reprobate. More∣over, neither could he possibly, in his Creatureship Condition, be capable of entring into the Immortal Glory of his Creator-ship again, but by his entring into Death, that he might live again, and upon his glorious Head instead of a Crown of Throns, wear a double Crown of eternal Glory.

AGAIN, that he might also show unto his Elect Men and An∣gels, his Almighty Power and unsearchable Wisdom, by quickning an Immortal transcendent glorious Life out of Death it self.

THUS the Lord of Life and Death, by suffering all Conditions in his innocent Soul and Body, did purchase at a dear Rate from him∣self a Prerogative Power of being Lord and King over all Conditi∣ons whatsoever; and from hence he experimentally knows what Immortal Crowns of Glory are most suitable for all suffering Conditi∣ons his blessed ones undergo: And by Virtue of his unspeakable Suf∣ferings at the Hands of Jewish Canaanitish Devils, he knoweth what Measure of eternal Death in utter Darkness is most meet for the Souls and Bodies of all the Sons and Daughters proceeding from the Bowels of cursed bloody Cain, that Reprobate Angelical Old wise Serpent Devil and Father of all the Damned, which thro' the Decree of God was cast out of Heaven into this World, that he might bring forth his Generation of proud envious scoffing persecuting wise Ser∣pent Devils, not only to war against the Lord of Life and the Truth of Holy Scriptures, but also against his Holy Spirit of Di∣vine Faith or Truth in all the Elect lost Sons and Daughters pro∣ceeding from the Loins of Adam; so that their Eternal perishing by the secret Decree of God being hid from them, by his Wisdom, they might justly be damned in themselves from the everlasting Remembrance, not only of all their Actions of vain-glorious Hypo∣crisy, but unmerciful Cruelties.

THIS will be that gnawing Worm of Conscience which never dieth, and that fiery Curse of the Law of the Wrath of God in Mens Souls that never goeth out.

AND so much concerning that everlasting Word of Truth that was spoken by the glorious Mouth of the everlasting God, that Man Christ Jesus upon the Throne of all Immortal Crowns of Glory and Majesty far above all Heavens, Angels and Men.

Yours which love the Lord Jesus more than this perishing World.JOHN REEVE.