The little Bible of the man or the Book of God opened in man by the power of the Lamb. Wherein God is the spirit or inside of the book, and man the letter or out-side of it. In whom, as in a glass, you may both behold the spirit and letter of the holy Scriptures in the new man; fulfilled and explained from Genesis to Jeremiah. This is the first volume of Gods Book in man. Written by a weak instrument of the Lords, Capt. T. Butler.

THE Sealed Book of GOD, opened in MAN.

The Mystery of the holy Scriptures, the Vo∣lume of Gods Book written in mans heart in the Spirit, and to be read in his life in the Letter.

HEB. chap. 8. vers. 10.

For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes saith the Lord, I will put my Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.

CHAP. I. [§. 1] Christ the Sum of all Things.

NOw of the things which we have spoken and write (saith the Apo∣stle in the beginning of the chapter) this is the sum, Christ is the sum of it; all the Figures, Types, Priest-hoods, Sacrifices, Temples, Tabernacles, Pro∣phets,

and Prophesies, in their severall parts, Christ is their totall sum: Let them be all numbred together they all make up but one Christ, who is such an High Priest, as is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majestie in the heavens; they all give him. 1. The right Hand. 2. The Throne. 3. The Majestie. 4. The heavenly Thing, in the Priest-hood, and in all things else▪ hath this preheminence.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The true Ministry.

A Minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man; Christ is the sum of all the Ministry: there is no other Ministry but Christ and Chri∣stians; who make but one Spirit; he the male, they the female, whom God the Father hath joyned together, his Spirit poured out, and married to their flesh; the Divine Nature, the Male, & our Hu∣mane, the Female, making one Emma∣nuel, God with us; so that as the two witnesses agree in one, so be these.

SECT. III. [§. 3] Christ the true Temple-Sanctuary.

CHrist was also the Sanctuary, the Temple of God; upon the Altar of which Temple he offered himself a Sacrifice to God, Soul and Body, so are Christians.

SECT. IV. Christ the true Tabernacle. [§. 4]

CHrist also is the Sum of the Taber∣nacle, God dwelling so richly in him, the Tabernacle of God was then with men, the life was manifested, the true Tabernacle the Lord pitched, and not man, so are Christians.

SECT. V. Christ is the heavenly Thing in Christians. [§. 5]

ALL which serve for the example and shadow of h••avenly things, as Moses, when he was admonished of God about making the Tabernacle; See, saith God, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed thee in

the Mount. Now the truth and sub∣stance, the heavenly Thing, and the good Thing to come, is Christ and the Christian; this is the Tabernacle that God pitches, even the man Christ, there he will dwell, that is his House: Now Christ brings forth more excel∣lent things then any in the Mount, you have seen them all, the Ministry, Ta∣bernacles, Sanctuary, Sacrifice, the whole Worship, the Law and Cove∣nant also, they all wax old, & vanish a∣way from the Mount; but not the other

SECT. VI. [§. 6] Christ is the new Covenant in the new Creature.

BUt now Christ hath obtained a more excellent Ministry, by how much also he is the Mediator of a bet∣ter Covenant, which was established upon better promises: It is a Mini∣stry in Spirit, a Covenant in Spirit, making intercession in our spirits, an establishing in Spirit, and precious

promises written in our spirits, so that if the first Covenant, Pro∣mises, Ministry, Tabernacle had been faultless, pure or perfect, there had been no need of the second; but the Lord finding fault with the first, and the Worship and Worshippers there∣of; He saith, Behold the days come, that I will make a new Covenant, a new Pro∣mise, a new Tabernacle, a new Ministry, and all things new; a new Heaven and Earth, with the House of Israel, and the House of Judah. In those days, saith the Lord, all old things shall then pass away, and all things become new, and all things shall be of God, who hath reconciled us to himself in Jesus Christ.

SECT. VII. [§. 7] What is that Covenant he will write in us; first what it is not, then what it is.

ANd this Covenant shall not be ac∣cording to the Covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out

of the Land of Egypt, because they conti∣nued not in my Covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord God. No, no, that was in Letter, outward, dead, in tables of stone, read, seen, heard, but fat from the heart and spirits.

SECT. VIII. [§. 8] How this Covenant differs from all others, it being in Spirit.

BUt this is the Covenant: 1. That was with their Fathers; This with the Children: 2. That was for a day; This for many days: 3. That was to take them by the Hand; This is to take them by the Heart: 4. That was to lead them; This to write in them: 5. That was to lead them out of Egypt; This is to lead them from Flesh to Spirit, from Earth to Heaven, from this world to that to come: 6. That was to forsake them, if they forsake me; This is never to forsake them, nor they me; I will be their God, and they shall be my people; that I will be

their God, if they be my people: 7. That was to be taught of Men; This is to be taught of God; they shall all know me: 8. That was without Mercy to their Sins, it was all for Sa∣crifice: but now I will have mercy, I will be merciful to their sins: 9. That was to take notice of, and remember sin, to break the Covenant; This re∣members sin no more, but to forgive and forget, though we offend him seventy times seven in a moment: 10. That made us faulty and guilty; This makes us faultless and guiltless: 11. That made us old Creatures; This makes us new Creatures: 12. That made us happy in the Flesh; This makes us happy in the Spirit. Thus Christ Jesus is become the sum of all things, Gods true Ministry, true Tabernacle, Sacrifice, Gods true and new Covenant made with Man; All was compleat in him, and so Christians.

SECT. IX. [§. 9] Christ is in us Gods Dwelling, and his Writing.

NOw if any man be in Christ, or Christ be in him, he is a new Crea∣ture in Christ, or Christ a new Crea∣ture in him; Then as Christ was and is, so shall he be the true Tabernacle in whom God shall dwell; the Priest∣hood, the Sacrifice, the Covenant of God written in him: In the volume of his heart shall be written, Lo I come to do thy will, O God: Yea, thy Law is written within my heart: So that whatsoever is applyed to Christ, shall be also to the Christian. What great things are spoken of the beloved City of God? how are they called Gods Heaven and Earth, Gods Throne and Footstool, Gods Paradise, His Rivers, His Lands, and Being, his Inhe∣ritance, Psal. 2. His Husbandry, His Building, His City and Temple, His Birds and Beasts, His Sons and Heirs, His Jewels and Treasures, yea, all

that is or can be named. But amongst all, I would speak of two, and shew you how the Saints are a houshold of Faith, how they are Gods dwelling House, which I must refer to some o∣ther providence, to bring forth what God hath put into my heart, concerning that House, and the building thereof, and now wholy address my self to the other, which is this, How the Saints may be called, and how they are made, the Bible or Book of God; the Book of Life, God living in them; they are made the very Oracles of God, speaking as moved by the holy Ghost, whose hearts are Gods Closets and Study where he keeps his Library, all his Writings, Inditings, Laws, Decrees, Purposes, Counsels, Pre∣cepts, Promises, Prophesies, all this, and their very lives, preach their hearts and apply their texts, their outward man the Commentary or Exposition, a very Sermon of the inward grace, and word of Life there: What shall I say to speak nothing of the Temple, Altar,

Shew-bread, Candlestick, Laver, In∣cense, Mercy-seat, nor of the Ark, but only of the Tables in the Ark; nothing of the House, Houshold-goods, Treasures, only a little of the Writing of God there in letters of gold.

For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel in those days, saith the Lord.

SECT. X. [§. 10] What this new Covenant is further to us.

IT is not the old Covenant renewed, but a new one, made not out of us, but in us; not in letter, but in Spirit; not in word, but in deed and in truth; wherein God doth bind himself under hand and seal, to make good what he promises and what he will perform to us, the Oath sworn to our forefather Abraham that he would give us, that he would deliver us from the hands of all our enemies, within and without. And secondly, That he would make

us a people fit to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness, in love, all the days of our life, and in him all we should be blessed.

SECT. XI. The high excellency and vertue of it in us; [§. 11] what it doth for us, and is to us.

THis new Covenant makes men new Creatures, that have it writ∣ten in them; It gives them a new Na∣ture, and new names accordingly.

2. It is the very gate that enters in∣to the City, the new Jerusalem; All that enter therein go through this gate, which is the gate of Heaven.

3. All things in this Covenant are of God, nothing at all of Man; God makes it, keeps it, and performs every thing in it that concerns us.

4. This Covenant is our marriage with the Lamb, our Union and our Communion with God, and that in Spirit; It is the very uniting in spi∣rits, and keeping the bond of peace.

5. This Covenant is the life of all

the old; they were but the shadows of this, were all fulfilled in it; and this must be, that the Scriptures may be fulfilled, which prophesied long since of it; and we are waiting for it, hav∣ing received the first fruits of it, some Lines and Precepts.

6. This Covenant is the Liberty of the Sons of God, by this they are made free from Sin to do Righteous∣ness; and free, being enlarged and re∣leased out of bondage by the spirit of truth, in Christ Jesus; Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ Jesus hath made you free, and be not entangled with worldly rudi∣ments any more.

7. It is a free Covenant, as well as a full or a new one, freely made, free∣ly promised, freely wrought of God.

8. And it is a sure one, being Gods, and everlasting also; It doth also a∣gree in one, and makes all one, whe∣ther male or female, bond or free, high or low, rich or poor, we are all made one in this Covenant, in the Spirit.

SECT. XII. [§. 12] The Lord setting forth a book to the world.

I will put my Laws in their minds; this is the heavenly resolution, to set up his Press in our Hearts, and print in us whole volumes, and from thence it shall be published to the world, what God hath done in the secret printing-house of the heart; and whatsoever comes out to the world, that is not of his printing and licensing, shall be suppressed by the Spirit, as not having the hand-writing that makes free; and none shall buy or sell but those that have his mark.

SECT. XIII. [§. 13] What be the things God makes use of in writing this Book Man.

ANd when the Lord God doth thus, he will make our hearts his table-books, washing them clean and pure, fit and prepared to receive any im∣pression; his letters shall be all Spirit, and his words life, his Precepts and

Commandments perfect Liberty; as for the Lords Pen, it shall be the Fin∣ger of the Spirit of God, the Inditer God himself; the Ink, it shall be the pure Christal waters of Life and Grace, that proceeds from the Throne of God, and of the Lamb, the everlast∣ing Fountains of Love, the Writings and Printings shall never perish, it shall be for a perpetual Memorial to all generations, the Lords Hand and Seal shall be set to the Book, he will not be ashamed of his workmanship, nor his writing therein; it shall be also dedicated to all the world, Angels and men, for all to read, his Name shall be to it, and the Title shall be this, The Book of Life, Printed in the year of our Lord, the fulness of time.

SECT. XIV. Gods making mans heart plain and fair for it [§. 14] as paper.

I Will put my Laws in their minds: this is the mind of God, to have them of one minde with himself, minding the same things: His mind

in their minds; God would fain put his new wine into the new vessels of their minds, knowing full well how much vanity, for the most part, lodges there, like the Inn that was full of guests, that there was no room for Christ to lay his head, so it is in most minds; enough of every thing, but little enough of this love of the Spirit of Life. What said the Lord, Now I will come into the temple of mans mind, and cast out the buyers and sellers, over∣throw the tables of the money-chang∣ers, drive out the beasts and birds; and the house that was full of murderers, aden of theeves, I will make a house of prayer before I leave them.

SECT. XV. [§. 15] What God minds and loves, it is to live with us, and in us.

BY this we may see the mind of God, what he minds most amongst men, what he loves best where he de∣sires to live; it is the minds of men. Again, we see all those Sacrifices un∣der

the Law that were commanded to be offered to God must be of the best, the male in the flock, not the sick, blind, lean or lame, all which was abo∣minable to God: so here, this is the male in the flock God will have offe∣red to him; his Laws put into our minds, and if this be not, all is nothing: Thus it was with David surely when he said, Oh how do I love thy Law, it is my meditation day and night, and again, Psal. 1. 2. Blessed is the man whose de∣light is in the Laws of the Lord, surely, it was because God had put his Laws in his mind. As it was in the Temple of God which was a shaddow of good things to come; there was, we read, in the most holy place, the Ark of the Covenant, surely this Ark was a kind of figure of what God would do in these last dayes, in our Temples in the most holy place of our hearts, even in the Ark of our minds, he would place his Covenants and put his Laws in that Arke.

SECT. XVI. [§. 16] What is, shall be of the Lords Will, and Law, and nothing else.

ANd in that it is said (my Laws) it shall be a living Law, a holy, hea∣venly, wise, gracious, good, Law. God himself shall be our Law and our Ex∣ample, in all things follow him: the Governments shall be upon his shoul∣ders, he will Rule in us and over us, and be our King, Priest and Prophet; Happy art thou, O Israel, a people go∣verned by the Lord: He is your Law∣giver, and it is given to the spirits and hearts of men; where he rules and sits, brings al things into subjection to him∣self. I will break every other Law of man, all your Laws, either in Church or in State, either in the inward man that convinces, or in the outward that restrains, that are not mine, shall be rooted up, those yokes and burdens you shall no longer bear, but take my yoke it's easie, my burden and Laws are light, and in them you shall find rest.

SECT. XVII. [§. 17] His own Laws he keeps, and them he will have us keep, one Law for both.

ANd in that he saith my Laws, see how good and gracious God is, he will lay no other burden then what he bears himself; live by one Law, one Mind, one Life, one Spirit, one Truth, one Peace, one Righteousness, one Kingdom; the Law God walks by, lives in, the way he goes, that which is his own very heart and nature; the same he would give us, that we may be as God is, holy as he is holy, just as he is just, that we may be the children of our Father which is in Heaven.

SECT. XVIII. [§. 18] All Gods Laws a whole volum within us.

ANd it is observable, he doth not say, my Law, though all his Laws agree in one, and are as one, but shews us further, that how the Word of the Lord shall dwell in us richly, and not sparingly, we shall not abound in some

grace, but in every grace, nor in some knowledg, but in all wisdom & know∣ledg, not doing some of the Will of God, but instructed in the whole Counsel of the Lord; we shall have Laws in us of all sorts, the Law of Faith, the Law of Love, the Law of Truth, the Law of Life, the Law of Righteousness, the Law of Meekness, the Law of Contentedness; nay, there is not a Law in Heaven, nor a Law in the Heart of God, but he will put it in our hearts, for we shall be men after his own heart. And this we must know, God is the searcher of heart and mind; it must be such an eye, and such an arm as must be stretched out to reach the bottom and depth of our minds; all that is in the world is too short: we may speak to them, present the forms and patterns of things given to us in the Mount, to the eyes, ears, and out∣ward view, and hearing of men in the world, and there we must leave it; then comes God and gives the in∣crease, he puts it farther, he doth the

work powerfully; We can but, John the Baptist like, say, I indeed baptize with water, but he that comes after me, it is he that must do all, without him all is nothing, so here, unless Christ come after, as here he hath promised, and put his Laws in our minds, we shall heare, pray, and do all in vain.

SECT. XIX. [§. 19]

WHerefore my dearly beloved, what is Paul? or what is Apollo? or ••ephas? It is the Lord alone that wil be exalted; he will put his Law there, where all the devils in hell, all the pow∣ers of flesh and spirit cannot prevail against it; if he put it there what shall be able to separate, remove, or pull it out of his hands, or out of our hearts?

SECT. XX. [§. 20] Mans blessing or curse is within himself.

ANd I will write it in their hearts: It is the heart of man that God ayms at, and therein are the issues of

death or life, there is every mans Heaven or Hell, his blessing or his cursing: for if our own hearts condemn us, shall not God much more? If this Tree be good, then all the fruits are good, but if it be bad, then all is corrupt; look to your hearts then, for from thence is discovered your weal or woe.

SECT. XXI. [§. 21] What God writes in us, is such writing as no∣thing can blot it out.

ANd here see how the phrase is changed to enlarge the sense, what before he called his putting into our minds, he enlarges it to the wri∣ting, or rather explains the manner how he will put his Laws in our hearts, and that is by writing them in our hearts; or else what he will do after he hath put his Laws in our minds, how he will preserve and keep it there, that it may never be for∣gotten, but abide in us for ever, by an eternal written character that shall never be blotted out, Sin may, but

Grace cannot; and when it is thus printed in us, no theeves can steal it, nor rust corrupt it, nor fowls gather it, but it's safe, under Hand and Seal, and we never have sure comfort till then; we may then say, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and I see him, and I know whom I have trusted: I am perswaded fully, that nothing is able to separate me from his love, nor blot me out of his Book; I was in much doubt of his word and promise, before I had this Hand writing; but now I thank God I have obtained the victory by the Lord.

SECT. XXII. [§. 22] Where God begins to write, he perfects it in us.

NOw be assured of this all you that know any thing of God, that when the Lord puts his hand to the pen, and the pen to the paper, which are the ta∣bles of our minds, it will not be in vain, he stays not there; it is for this very end, to write something therein; either a protection to keep thee, I wil be with

thee; or else a warrant, to do something in his name, and he will deliver thee; or a Commission to go and teach all Nations, to go forth to conquer and overcome, fearing nothing.

SECT. XXIII. [§. 23] The writing of God in us is by degrees.

ANd when the Lord begins his wri∣ting, it may be in weakness, in a letter; first because of the smoaking flax, and bruised reeds, and from a let∣ter to a Word, a Word of Life, and from a Word to a Promise; and from a Promise to a Precept; thus going on with line upon line, and precept after precept, here a little, and there a little, till he hath finished it, his whole Will in us, that in the volum of our hearts we may see it written; Lo I am prepared to do thy Will, O God. When we shall see all his Words, Promises, Precepts, Prophesies, Exhortations, Consolations, Doctrines, Reproofs, Uses, Means, Motives, and all complea∣ted in Man: It may be in the begin∣ning

like a grain of mustard seed, but comes to a tree; it is begun in free-grace, but it ends in full Glory; it is at first God manifested in the Flesh, and thence justified in Spirit, at last re∣ceived up into Glory; this is the wri∣ting called the Lords.

SECT. XXIV. [§. 24] Gods magnifying himself in Man.

ANd all this is done for his own name sake, to make his Glory & Name known, that he is the Lord, the only God, and there is no Beloved like to this Beloved; this made David in his eight Psalm magnifie God, so when he looked upon the three-fold writing of God: 1. That in Nature, say∣ing, O Jehovah, God, how excellent is thy Name in all the world, thou hast set thy Glory above the Heavens: this he read in Natures Book. The second Book or Writing is in Letter, Word, or Pro∣mise, and in this he is magnified in the same Psalm, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength,

stilling the enemy and avenger. The third Book is in Spirit in Man, and that is the highest of all Gods Wri∣tings, there he is read plainest and best: first, in the first Man Adam; secondly, in the new Man Christ; thirdly, in the new Man the Christian; this made him say more, When I consider the the Heavens, the works of thy hands, Sun, Moon and Stars, which thou hast ordained, Lord think I then what is poor man, that thou art so mindfull of him; or the son of man, that is, the second man, that thou hast so much vi∣sited him, as to dwell in him, and be God with him, making him a litle low∣er then the Angels in his flesh, and crowning him with so much glory and honor in Spirit in us, as to think Hea∣ven, Earth, Angels, Men, Creatures, Scriptures, Means, Sabbaths, Ordinan∣ces, Graces, Promises, Ministers, Ma∣gistrates, things Temporal, things Spi∣ritual, Christ, God, the Spirit, all is ours; therefore I must say once again, O Lord our God, how excellent is thy Name in all the world.

SECT. XXV. [§. 25] The state of the two Adams.

THe Lord is pleased to make man an epitome of all things, as he is a little world created of God, Hea∣ven and Earth being in him, and he made up of both; so the fulness there∣of is in him a compound of all, at first, as he was in the first Adam.

But now in the second Adam, in the generation of Jesus Christ, as he is brought forth a new to God, dying to the World, and living to God in spirit, in a new world, whereof this first is but the image; so is he the sum of all that spiritual state: For as Christ in the flesh was the sum of all the legal Rites, Ordinances, Sacrifices, Worship, and All; so is Christ Jesus in spirit, in the new Creature, the sum of Gospel Or∣dinances, Prayers, Hearings, Wri∣tings, Preachings, Church-fellowship, Breaking of Bread, and Excommu∣nications.

SECT. XXVI. [§. 26] The Lord is all the Book and Scripture his people have; him they preach, hear, read, practise.

NAy, the Lord will be to us Hea∣ven and Earth, Lands and Livings, Father and Mother, Sister and Bro∣ther, Children and Friends, Master and Servant, Gifts and Graces, Knowledge and Wisdom, Temple and Sacrifice, Sabbath and Sermon, Creature and Scripture, yea Doctrine and Psalm, Revelation and Consola∣tion, New Testament and Old, Law and Gospel, Letter and Spirit, Pro∣mise and Precept, Writing and Print∣ing; our Bible and Book, all things past, present, and to come: There∣fore he saith, when he comes to do this, I will write; What a Writing shal that be, think you, which God will write? What a Book shall that be? Every word a word of Life, all the leafes leafes of Life; the whole Book must needs be the Book of Life, but

the outward Cover and Binding shall be Man; it shall be covered in a flesh∣ly Cover: As the Tabernacle, of gold within, stone without, so this Book of the will of God, written, printed, or dwelling in us, shall be opened within, yet sealed without, as to the world; they can neither see, nor read, nor understand, nor beleeve it, it be∣ing sealed up, the back and outside being towards them, and the opening inward, they know nothing in it; and all preaching, praying, hearing, read∣ing, writing, receiving, meeting must be from this written Word; there must be your text and ground-work to build upon, and what is not read there, or writ there, is not thine to give: but let every one speak as the Oracles of God, and preach as he findes it written in him from the Word of the Lord there, and so expound and read to us, in the letter of Words or Life, what God hath written within, as an epistle read to all friends, so is the teaching written to be read to the world.

CHAP. II. The first Book that God writes in Man is called GENESIS.

NOw the beginning of this Book of God in Man, bound up there, and hid in this wall of Flesh, as the Law was in the Temple, and revealed & found by the spirit of God, it is called the book of Genesis, or the book of the beginning of Gods Book in us: This is the first book, wherein God appears as their Genesis creating all things, Heaven and Earth a new in them, making a Firmament between Flesh and Spirit to separate and divide the one from the other, the waters above from waters below, creating light in them, the Lord their light scattering and dispelling the darkness, and the Spirit of the Lord living, moving, and dwelling there in this new world Man, in his Genesis or beginning; here∣in the Lord brings forth all things in their beginning, progress & perfection.

SECT. II. The six days works in Man brought forth first.

THe Light first to enlighten e∣very thing that comes into this world, for as darkness was upon the face of the deep in the old world first, so here in the true world of mans hap∣piness in God, first Light is brought forth to be upon the face of all things; this is the Candle of the Lord set up in his Candlestick Man: This is the first days work, or rather the first work in the day of the Lord.

SECT. III. The second work in Gods day in Man.

THe second work of God in Man, his new world, he creates of him∣self to dwell in, is, a Firmament, to divide between the old and new man, or old and new world to distinguish between Heaven and Earth.

SECT. IV. The third work of God in his day.

THe third is the gathering of all things together into one, the chaff to be burnt, and the wheat to be layd in the garner, when the Lord comes with his fan thus to purge his floor Man, and by the breath of his Spirit dries up the waters that divide, and makes all to be a fruitful land, bringing forth herbs meet for the dresser, receiving blessing from the Lord; every plant in man of Gods planting, bearing every year twelve manner of fruits, and the leaves of the trees for the healing and saving of Nations.

SECT. V. The fourth work in the day of the LORD.

THe fourth Work is the Lords go∣ing on to perfection, setting up greater lights in us, where light was as a day breaking in us; now he is come to be the rising of the Sun in us, and

Moon and Stars, light swallowed up of this great light of the Sun, the Lord God himself, according as it is written, The Lord himself shall be the light thereof, and also shall be the rule there∣of, saying, Come let us walk in the light of the Lord, and the light shall make no difference in days, times, moneths or seasons.

SECT. VI. The fifth work in the Lords day.

THe fifth Work is the several Man∣sions the Lord hath prepared for his higher, and lower, & middle stories and chambers, according to the de∣grees of Grace and Light of the Lord in us; a higher for the birds and fowls, the Doves and Eagle-sighted; a lower for the beasts, that have only the light of the Moon a sensitive light; and a middle for men, which are between both, but upper for Angels; so that every one as he hath attained, so let him walk, and this is but for a while, till we come all up to the unity of Spirit,

when all partition walls shall be bro∣ken down.

SECT. VII. The sixth work in the Lords day.

THe sixth is the Lords creating us yet in greater perfection, and that is when he brought forth himself compleatly in us, which is not only his image or likeness, which was in the first man earthly: there is therefore an image of God in all such earthly things; an image of God in this world, and all that in them is: But in this new state of things, God him∣self comes in the room, and supplies the place of all such things, he being the heavenly Thing himself, the Hea∣ven and Earth, the Day, the Light, the Sun, the Firmament; he is all this in us and to us: So that all former things are put under us, and we have dominion in the heavenly things, and rule in Spirit, and reign with God for ever.

SECT. VIII. The end of the work of God.

THe last days work, or rather the end of all his works, is the Lord our Sabbath and Rest, having perfect∣ed his will in us, and brought forth his Rest there from all his works and travel, now inheriting all things, hav∣ing entred us into his Rest, where is all fulness and pleasures for evermore; no hungring nor thirsting any more, fully satisfied in him: And now the Lord looks upon all his works, rejoycing in all and over all, having his praises perfected, and himself sanctified by all.

SECT. IX. The Paradise of God in Man.

NOw the next thing is Gods cre∣ating a new Paradise, where he lives and dwells; Christ is our Para∣dise, inasmuch as he is called the Tree of Life therein; and the Spirit of the holy God is the living Fountain in this

Paradise, watering and cherishing, quickening and refreshing every plant and tree planted by the rivers of the water of Life, bringing forth their fruits at all seasons, whose leaves wither not, much less their fruits: Now this is the delight of the Lord, saying, I will come into my garden, my Love, my Spouse, and blow upon it, that the spices thereof may flow forth; and there I will feed among the lillies, and eat my hony comb with my hony, and drink my wine with my love, satisfying my self abundant∣ly in love. This true Paradise, which God planted in man, Christ formed in us, and the Spirit of God living like a fountain of water with us.

SECT. X. The Adam and Eve there in Paradise.

ANd further, as from the Paradise and River of Life the whole world is refreshed, for from hence come the streames of life, and divide themselves into all parts of the world,

teaching in his Name wonderfull things; so the Man and the Woman that lives in this Paradise with God, the Adam and the Eve, is Christ and the Christian, Christ the Man, and the Christian the Woman, both liv∣ing in one Paradise, brought together by God, marryed and given in marri∣age by the Spirit of God, making Christ and the Christian one; this is the Mystery of God manifested in the flesh, or God dwelling in us, be∣coming a second Adam to us, feeding us with the tree of Life in us, and refresh∣ing us, as with living water which he gives us, and the tree shall not dye but live; need no clothing, or any Taber∣nacle, or Shrine, or Fig-leaves, but the nakedness of God appearing in the Righteousness of Christ, not having our garments, which are hairy, but the smooth and naked clothes of Christ, and we shall not be ashamed.

SECT. XII. The Tempter, the Fall, the Serpent.

NAy further, the Tempter here in the New Creature thus written by God, is the good Tempter, the Spi∣rit of the Lord tempting us, and lead∣ing us into all Truth, and Lord lead us into this temptation for ever; and this Spirit is not like the beast of the field, but like the Doves of Heaven, it is as wise as Serpents, but as innocent and harmless as a Dove. Now the great Fall of this New Man, is a total and final fall from sin & Satan, or a Being taken up in Clouds from the earth, a receiving out of their sight to live with the Lord; as also the curse, there is nothing but blessing, there is neither pain nor sorrow, conceiving nor tra∣velling; there is neither Lord nor ser∣vant, but all are made one in Christ Jesus.

SECT. XII. How all things are made new in the beginning of this book.

LAstly, to conclude the writing of God in short, for the book of the beginning of the new Creation, or Book of life in Man; Here is no car∣nal generation, no living after the Flesh, no knowing one another after the Flesh, but in Spirit and Truth; a spiritual encrease and multiplying. Here is no death at all, but a long life, even for ever and ever: Here is no marrying, nor giving in marriage, but they are like the Angels of God: no violence, but all meekness and love: Here is no wrath, nor destruction, but eternal love and consolation: Here is no repenting, the Lord he made Man, but it rejoyces him at the heart to see him: Here is no Deluge, but the pouring out of the Spirit; no Ark, but the Lords presence in our Ark; we are the house of God; no perish∣ing, but Flesh; no Sacrifice but the

Spirit; no Covenant, but the new one in Man; no Rain, but that of the Word of Truth; no Flesh, but Spirit, to feed upon; no Milk, nor Herbs, but Grace; no Vinyard, but that of the Lords love, no Altar, but God; no Call, but that inward Call, to forsake thy Fathers house: No House, nor Father, nor Mother, nor Land, nor Portion, but the Lord; none to serve, nor follow, but him; no Circumcision, but in Spirit; no bond woman, nor her children, but the free woman, the spirit of liberty from sin and death; no Well, but the deep Rivers of Salvation; no Vision, but of God; no Famine, but of Flesh; no Corn, nor Wine, nor Oyl, but the Light of Gods countenance lifted up upon us.

CHAP. III. The second Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is called EXODƲS.

THe second book is the book of Exodus, for where the Lord hath once begun a writing or a work, a word or a line, he will build up, finish, and make an end in his due time; but now he is but beginning and going on from one strength to another, appear∣ing in us; now he comes with an out∣stretched arm to deliver, before he came to pull down, and to build up, to lay the foundation, now he comes to deliver from the enemies of our sal∣vation.

SECT. II. [§. 2] God calling his Son out of Egypt.

THerefore, saith he, I have called my Son out of Egypt, that is

Christ is called out of the grave, death, darkness; this is the Son called out of Egypt, the Flesh, to live in Spirit in his members and body: Now in this Egypt of our flesh and filthiness dwells nothing but Thunder and Lightening, Darkness, Plagues, and Crosses, for all these lay upon the Son, while he is and was in our Egypt or fleshly Na∣ture; but he must rise the third day; the Son shall not always lie thus in the grave; the Spirit shall not al∣ways strive with Flesh and be buffeted and betrayed by it, as Israel after a certain time was called forth; the Lord hears the groans of his Son on the Cross, and Israel in Egypt, and the groans of the Spirit in these Taber∣nacles of Flesh, willing to be deliver∣ed, waiting for the day of Redemp∣tion; not out of a part of Egypt, to live in the suburbs, or as neer as may be, but far off, to get into another land and kingdom, even the kingdom called the Lords: And though Flesh and Blood, Principalities and Powers,

spiritual wickedness in high places, Pharoah and all his Taskmasters, the Magicians, and all the hoste of Egypti∣ans, rise up against this Call and power of God to withstand it, as Jan∣nes and Jambres withstood Moses, and as the Scribes and Pharises, placing the watch and ward, laying the stone upon the grave of Christ, sealing it, withstood God, and as Antichrist withstands the two witnesses, but all in vain, till the power of God entred into them all, bringing them forth with a mighty hand, saying, Come up hither; and fire came out of their mouths, and the sea, to consume and devour them; They, I mean all their carnal and spiritual enemies, may come after them as far as the red sea, but then no farther: As soon as his Son the Lord Christ, or the Christi∣an, hath passed through the red Sea of the sufferings of Christ, Flesh and Blood dare follow them no further, nay, here dyes and perisheth all this carnal power and enmity.

SECT. III. [§. 3] God leading his Son through the Wilderness.

BUt though Gods Son Christ Jesus be called out of Egypt, and is led from thence, and Egypt destroyed in the Red Sea, there the Flesh suffers; yet there is another Call, God leaves not his Son in the Wilderness, whom he hath once called; but then he calls them on, and allures them, there speak∣ing comfortably to them; This Son of God, called out of Egypt thus, and now all his children in the Wilder∣ness, is brought to straits, and knows not whither to look, standing be∣tween Heaven and Earth, Flesh and Spirit, both fighting the one against the other.

SECT. IV. What this Wilderness is. [§. 4]

FOr this Wilderness in us is no∣thing else but the warfare between Flesh and Spirit, light and darkness,

between Michael and the Dragon, with their Angels; and it is a long time before it be altogether finished, we go on as we overcome through faith, still gaining ground, overcoming by little and little, till at last all the two and fourty years are ex∣pired; along time God had many battels in them, searching and smiting, drawing and healing, but at last the Lord overcoming; and they sing with Deborah and Barack, and with Moses and the Virgins that follow the Lamb, having their harps in them, the new song, the Lord omnipotent reigneth; and, as Paul said, I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom I have obtained the Victory.

SECT. V. What God doth for his Son in the Wilderness: [§. 5] three or four things especially: The first thing is, the several forms of Rest.

BUt there are three things remark∣able in the wilderness, and another

at the end of the wilderness, before they entred the Land: For the first, how many several rests and standings, turn∣ings and windings they had there, at the least fourty two; and all this time were these witnesses prophecying in sackcloth, Judah and Israel, or Mo∣ses and Aaron; for they could not in the Wilderness sacrifice well, nor serve God, nor keep their Feasts, nor their solemn meetings, for fear of their enemies; So is it in the warfare be∣tween Flesh and Spirit, as long as there is any flesh reigning, living, fighting, opposing, there is little Sa∣crifice, Obedience, Worship, Praise, or serving of God, because of these enemies, we are kept under, in bon∣dage, being in fear of them; so in these several stages, forms, or seats, that Israel had, it was given them because of their weakness; had they been able, God could have brought them sooner, but their wickedness makes these standings, lest they should faint in the way; And we shall finde it

hindered them much, and because of their dulness and deadness, their unbe∣leef, they went no faster on; so is it in the experience true, in the spiritual state and travel in this Son Christ tra∣velling in us, till he is brought forth into rest; the Spirit is willing, but the Flesh is weak, and we make many false rests, and say, Lo here is Christ, and lo there: Now we are well, and may stand still, and go no further; and anon a little further, and stay there a∣gain; Thus our pressing from one Form, Presbytery to Independency, and to Anabaptism, and so further, we are apt to flatter our selves, they be our Rests, and many a Proselite ha∣ving fellowship with some Church to be a member, and have such and such a Pastor, and breaking bread with such beleevers, and in such a pure outward way, as they conceive here, they are happy, and lay themselves down to rest, thinking they have purchased a good degree to them∣selves, when they may be as far

from the Kingdom of God as be∣fore.

SECT. VI. [§. 6] The second thing that God doth for his Son in the Wilderness, is, His giving the living Law with the Tables, by the Spirit of Christ, from Mount Zion.

NOw the second thing in the Wil∣derness is this, The giving of the Law upon Mount Sinai, this is Ha∣ger and her children; the bond woman and her son shall not be heir with the Son of the Promise; the one is of the Flesh, and the other from the Spirit; The one from Mount Sinai, the other from Mount Sion, the City of the living God, the new Jerusalem; and we have our Laws from Mount Gerizim, and not from Mount Ebal, and our Laws from Mount Zion, not by the hand of Moses, nor by the Mi∣nistry of Angels, nor yet in Tables of stone, which are only the patterns of heavenly things, but by the hands of the Lord himself, by the Ministry

and Writing of the Spirit, and that in the Tables of the Lords will plant∣ed in us, which are the very heavenly things themselves; and here shall the Vail be taken away, and we shall say no more, now, Let not the Lord speak to us, lest we dye; but we shall say, Let the Lord alone speak to us, that we may dye and he may live, and there shall be no more here the Thunder, nor the Lightening, nor Earthquake seen, but the still Voyce of the Lord speaking within us, and setting up his lively oracles there, that he that preacheth may take out his Text from the Law of God within him; and he that speaketh may speak as in the name of the Lord: that shall here be fulfilled: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: And this is that which will carry us through the Wil∣derness indeed, through all Tryals, Troubles, Temptations, Persecutions, in whose heart the Law of God lives, when those that have it only written with pen and ink, shall perish in the mid way.

SECT. VII. [§. 7] The third thing in the Wilderness, is, The Tabernacle of God with his Son.

THe third thing I spake of is the Tabernacle; now having a Law given them, they must also have a Ta∣bernacle for the Congregation to meet and hear the Law read and expounded also, and here must they bring their sa∣crifice and worship the Lord; this be∣ing the holy place of the Lord, that he hath chosen to dwell in; so that all this is true in us; Christ is the only Taber∣nacle, where the Godhead dwells, there is the glory of the Lord filling that Ta∣bernacle, and here is all the Sacrifice and Worship of God in Spirit and Truth, here all the Congregation, all that we have, or are, is offered up to the Lord as a burnt offering; where∣fore he saith in a certain place, The Tabernacle of God is with men, and he dwells amongst them, and he will be their God, and they shall be his people: And further, here is the Law

of God revealed and taught, as from the Tabernacle; God speaking with a lively voyce in them, and calling the whole Congregation of Heaven and Earth, Flesh and Spirit, Men and An∣gels, to draw nigh to him, to his Taber∣nacle, which is his presence, saying and writing this in them, I am the Lord your God which brought you out of the house of bondage, thou shalt have no other Gods but me.

SECT. VIII. The total Circumcision of Flesh, and final de∣struction [§. 8] of the fiery Serpent.

THe last thing I only mention is the Circumcision in the end, as they were going to enter into the Land, this was the last fiery tryal; the same is also made good in our spirits, that Gilgal, where we must be first of all Malice, Guile, Hypocrisie, of Altar Forms and Notions, only cir∣cumcise from all our filthiness of flesh & spirit; this is the book of Exodus God makes good in us, in bringing us forth

with a mighty hand from all the pow∣ers of flesh and Satan, that keep us in bondage from serving the Lord in free∣dom of heart; and this is his Call, Let my people go, that they may serve me: To this purpose speaks Zacharias, Oh that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered from the hands of our enemies, may serve the Lord without fear, in holi∣ness and righteousness all the days of our life. I know, saith the Lord, that Pha∣raoh, that proud flesh, wil not let my people go to serve me; But they, saith Christ, shall go in spite of all to serve the Lord; I will make all their enemies their footstool, saith the Lord.

CHAP. IV. The third Book that God writes in Man is [§. 1] called LEVITICƲS.

NOw the third Book is called Le∣viticus. This also is made good in the Saints, in the truth of it; the spi∣rit of that Letter dwells in them, and the substance of what is written in that Book concerns them chiefly, as this; All the Sacrifices looked at them, they are to offer up the Sacrifice of Righte∣ousness, of which all the legal were but Types; Secondly, the Sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart, and then their souls and bodies to be offered up as living Sacrifices to the Lord, holy and acceptable. And what were all the Calves, Lambs, Doves, but meerly figurative, not only looking at Christ but Christians; also they must be the Lambs of God, Doves, Turtles, and

Christ presents them thus to God; therefore the Apostle saith, We shall be presented harmless and blameless at his coming. And again, I beseech you pre∣sent your selves a living Sacrifice to God. And again, Ye are a holy Priest∣hood to offer up spiritual Sacrifice to God; so that the Apostle makes them, and all that they do, to be Sacrifices to God, and the Lord smells a sweet savor in them; nay he tells them they are the Lords Levites and Priests, to make prayers and supplications to God; yea to offer the Sacrifice of thanksgiving, and to call upon the Name of the Lord; these are they that are to stand before the Lord of the whole earth: the anointing of the Lord is upon them, to minister before the Lord God, not only oyl, but the oyl of Life and Grace; the Spirit of the Lord falls on them, and hath anointed them to preach the glad tydings, Thy God co∣meth, O Zion.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The Levites garments that minister to the Lord.

NAy, yet more, all the fine linnen the Priests did wear, what meant it, but the white garments, the walk∣ing with God in white, the pure white linnen, the Righteousness of Saints; what was the Ephod and their Brest∣plate, their Urim and their Thum∣mim, their Bells and Pomegranates, the names of the twelve Tribes on their Brestplates, their Incense, their mini∣string before the Lord, their entring in with blood to the Temple, all these are fulfilled spiritually in Saints; the mind of God is with them that fear him, they have a Brestplate of Righteousnes, the Name of the Lord written in their hearts, and they have the Names of the Tribes, all the people of God are fel∣low Members and fellow Feelers one of another.

SECT. III. [§. 3] The spiritual Service in the House of the LORD.

THeir Incense they have, is, The sweet perfume of the Spirit of Grace in them, that runs all along their garments; their Bells and Pomegra∣nates is the everlasting Gospel of God made known by them in truth and e∣vidence of the Spirit every way; these are they that minister before the Lord day and night, they kindle the fire up∣on the Altar, and do not offer up strange fire, keep the Lamps in the House of the Lord, that they go not out; all these things, and many more, are proper to the Saints, they have the Lamps of the Lord burning in them, never decaying, having the Olive trees, always feeding them; so that whenso∣ever the Lord comes, these wise Vir∣gins are with their Lamps prepared, and they receive this fire from Heaven to consume every Sacrifice, and not false fire; the fire of the Lords Love

and Zeal, the Zeal of his House eat them up; they look to the doors of the Lords House, & see that no lame, blind, sick Sacrifice be offered, but the best in the flock, not the female, but the male; they think it not a weariness to serve the Lord, neither do they make his ta∣ble contemptible; they have the Tythes of all, all things in Heaven and Earth, they have the first fruits, all do homage and yeeld obedience to them, all the sheaves bow to them, the whole world shall bring their glory into them, and they shall be the store-house of the Lord.

CHAP. V. The fourth Book that God writes in Man is called NƲMBERS.

THe fourth Book is the Book of Numbers, where you have the Lords people to be the Sum of all

that is therein contained; it is fulfil∣led in them, and compleated spiritual∣ly by them; they are Gods Numbers, they are all numbered, in his Books are all their names written; nay their thoughts and actions numbered, a Book of Remembrance writing down what they say of the Lord, Mal. 3. Their very bones, nay the very hairs of their heads numbered, much less will he have any one of his number lost; though the shepheard had ninety nine, he would leave all to seek after the one, because of all that is his, he will lose none, he keeps a perfect account of them, and of every sort of them; so many Tribes, so many of every Tribe, of all tongues, languages, kindred and people, he hath his Numbers; besides he hath the number how many lambs, how many babes, how many strong men, how many fathers, how many hired servants, how many sick, how many well, how many strong, how many weak, how many fat and lean, poor and rich, male and female,

bond and free; in all such things the Lord is instructed, taking care of all, and providing for all.

SECT. II. How every thing is numbred by the Lord in them.

AGain, numbering their gifts and graces, their growth and age, till they come to that perfect number and stature in Christ, having their days and age filled, being full of days, and of the holy Ghost: Besides this, the Armies of the Saints their Banners, Christ their Camp, Righteousness their General, the Lord of hosts their Pillar of Fire, and Cloud by day and night; the presence of the Lord, even the Angel of his presence, their matches, from strength to strength, going on to perfection, forgetting the things behinde: Their Trumpets sounding is the Voyce of the Lord heard amongst them, calling and ga∣thering them together; their Sacri∣fices Praises, their Meat Manna, their

Flesh Quails, their Drink out of the everlasting Rock, the Lord a Well of living water; their spies viewing the holy Land, and bringing the first fruits, is the earnest of the Spirit, giving us a view of Heaven, and a taste of the Milk and the Wine therein, with the clusters of Grapes brought from thence to refresh us withal.

SECT. III. The true Serpent healing us.

THe brazen Serpent, healing their stings, is nothing but the power of the Lord breaking in peeces, and slaying the head of the Serpent, the Devil: Christ Jesus, the seed of the woman, breaking the Serpent head: Jesus, saving us from our sins, pouring out his wine and oyl into our wounds; the Lord healing our Rebel∣lion. The Canaanites destroyed, is the flesh crucified, dead and buried. The removing every unclean thing out of the Camp, is the sanctifying of us in Soul, Spirit and Body. The false

Prophet brought to curse us, but can∣not, is the spirit of Antichrist, dwell∣ing too much in every one of us; when Flesh glories in it self, the Blessing of the Lord is the turning of every one from his iniquity. The Inheritance is the Land of Peace, the Kingdom of the Lord himself; the dividing of it is the Mansions prepared of God for us all. The Rest on this side the river is the living any where below God, like the dove that stood upon the ark before she was taken in; so here, its the out∣side only made clean, which is but the hem of a Christians garment. The murmuring and returning back again to Egypt, is the beginning in the Spi∣rit, and the ending in the Flesh; the dying, and having their carcasses to fall in the Wilderness; the running well, who hindred them? so run that ye may obtain; so that for want of faith and patience they do not inherit the Promise; Where∣fore he saith, let no man take thy crown, he that is faithful to

death, shall have a crown of life; and he that continueth to the end, shall be saved.

SECT. IV. The Ark of Gods presence.

THeir Ark carried before them, is the power of the Lord leading them forth: The standing of the Ark, is the Lords resting upon them: Their arising with the Ark, next day, is the Lords making way and preparing it dayly for them, through mountains, hills, plains; drying up the waters, destroying enemies, all is to shew us how he wil bring forth judgment unto victory, bringing down our haughti∣ness, that the Lord alone may be ex∣alted amongst us in that day.

CHAP. VI. The fifth Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is called JOSHƲA.

THe book of Joshua, or Jesus, who is the Lord God, the Com∣mander and Leader of the people, commanding all that is in them, their mindes and spirits carrying them through Jordan, or the midst of many afflictions in spirit, gi∣ving them his grace, which is strength enough; and though his rod and staff be upon them, yet it shall comfort them, if the Lord be with them. Moses could not bring them in their Rest, but it must be Joshua that must do it; not men, but the Lord; not the Ministry of Flesh, but Spirit; Moses dyed, Joshua lived; it is not the dying man, but the quickened Spirit.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The true Joshua saving us, in fighting to deliver us.

JOshua fought all their battels for them, overthrew their enemies, took their strong holds, bound their Kings in chains, and Nobles in fetters of iron: This honor have all his Saints, Praise ye the Lord. Joshua never left them, till he had settled them in the good Land: He followed the Lord he knew not whither, but when he knew, he did althings as the Lord commanded him: So is it with our true Joshua, Christ Jesus in us doth fulfil all things that are given him of the Father, and never leaves nor forsakes us, til he hath possessed us, and desposed all things else for us. Joshua overthrew the walls of Jericho with the blast of Rams horns, went forth conquering and to conquer, till he had made his enemies his footstool, and the footstool of Israel; and when they had overcome, then he, and his

house would serve the Lord, and so he dyed in the Lord; So is our Joshua, by the breath of his mouth all the foundations of the earth are shaken, yea Heaven and Earth: His Enemies are subdued, yea, the devil is made sub∣ject to him; and his giving them power over Serpents, and Scorpions, and all manner of creeping things, th••t nothing shall hurt them, thus o∣vercoming all things, giving them the spoyl, opening the Kingdom of Hea∣ven to them that had been so long shut from it.

SECT. III. The seven Blessings he delivers to us. [§. 3]

ANd now, having overcome▪ all things through the spirit of the Lamb, they shall inherit all things; the oppressor shall pass through them no more, the Lord shall encamp a∣bout them, they shall now serve him.

1. They shall eat of the tree of Life for Food.

2. They shall not be hurt of the se∣cond death.

3. They shall have the new name and white stone, the Palms in their hands, and Vials or Harps, the hid Manna.

4. They shall have power from God to rule over Nations, yea, they shall have the morning Star given them.

5. They shall live in that Land, they shall be clothed with white rayment, and they shall not be blotted out of the book of Life for ever; and they shall be confessed before God and Angels to be worthy.

6. They shall be Pillars in the house of God, they shall not go any more out, they shall have the name of my God, and the name of the City of my God written upon them.

7. They shall sit upon my Throne, as I am set on my Fathers Throne; Thus Christ our Joshua, and his house, the Saints, shall serve the Lord in one Spirit.

CHAP. VII. The sixth Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is called JUDGES.

THe next book is called Judges in Scripture, and this also is written in us by the finger of God; We are his Judges to sit upon his Throne judging righteously; We shall judg Angels, saith the Apostle, yea the world▪ also; how much more the smaller matters? And again, they shall sit upon twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel: thus judgment is committed unto the Saints; this honor have they: Nay, they can much more judg and condemn sin in them∣selves, having their sences exercised to discern between good and evil; judg∣ing every thought, word, and work.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The Spirit of the Lord the best and just Judg.

WHen the Spirit of the Lord is our Judg, then we are as Israel was here, having good Iudges, they were delivered from the cruelty of ene∣mies, and rejoyced: But when the Flesh sits as judg, and will rule, the bramble wil have the command of all the trees, then there is sorrow of heart; then we are like Israel, under the Philistins and other enemies, till the Lord raise up his Iudges again, the Spirit of life, to break their yoke off our necks; So that many are the troubles of the righ∣teous, but the Lord delivers them from them all, fightings within, and fight∣ings without, but more then conquer∣ors in all, having such a Gideon and a Sampson as the Spirit of the Lord is; the Barly cake that must overthrow every tent that stands against it, and carry away all the gates that oppose, though they be the gates of Hell; it

prevails against all, there is no stand∣ing before it, no binding it with cords or chains, they are like tow and flax before the fire; all Delilahs cannot be∣tray it: the Flesh may lie in wait, and the wiles of Satan, to weaken and quench the Spirit, but all in vain. The Army of the Midianites, like grashop∣pers, that lay in our flesh, as their camp, a world of serpents and lusts, are all afraid of the judgment of the Lord: The spirit of this Gideon makes them melt away like wax before the Sun.

SECT. III. [§. 3] The Sampson and Gideon that is in us.

THus the upper and the neither springs, Jabin and Sisera, Debo∣rah and Barak with their triumphant Song, and Jael with her hammer and hand, Gideon and the Midianites, Sampson and the Philistins, Israel a∣gainst Ben••amin in the Levites behalf, are nothing else but the contentions of Flesh: And, as the Apostle saith well,

from whence come wars and fightings? Come they not from hence, even from our lusts that war against the spirit? And again, are ye not carnal, when there are envyings, and wrath, and evil speaking amongst you? when ye admire men and means, but say little of the Lord, this is a glorying in Flesh, and not in the Lord. So here we see it is the Lord our Iudg that must sit upon the Throne, and take to him his great power, and assemble all the Nations of the earth, all flesh together, judging it, like grass, casting it into the oven, destroying it by his two edged sword, and cause the enemy and the avenger thus to cease by his might alone, the Lord our Iudg in us.

CHAP. VIII. The seventh Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is the two first books of KINGS.

THe book of the Kings is next; the Lord goes on thus making us Priests, Prophets, Iudges and Kings, here; We are the true anointed ones of the Lord, of which all Kings are but shadows, having received the power of Kings, to command all things, subdue all things, the great Leviathan himself, and to tread them under our feet.

2. The Crown of Kings, a Crown not only of gold, but of grace and glo∣ry; Christ is our Crown, a Crown of twelve Stars, of the Lord himself our Crown and Glory.

3. The Throne of Kings being ex∣alted above all that are called gods, a∣bove all Principalities and Powers, to

the right hand of God, having Hea∣ven for our throne, and Earth for our footstool.

4. The Robes of Kings, and the at∣tendants▪ clothed with the Sun, guard∣ed with the heavenly Hoste.

Lastly, The spirit of Kings, a noble and royal spirit, the Spirit of the holy God, the King of Kings, from whom we are descended; So that we cannot but be strong and of a good courage, having the unction and anointing up∣on us; giving and making Laws to bring every thing in obedience to the Lord in us.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The Kingly Scepter ruling in us.

HAving also the Scepter of Kings to break the Nations in peeces with a rod of iron, and to dash them in peeces like potters vessels, but to defend and maintain the subject of the Lord, the whole Land and Kingdom of the Lord, in all their Laws, Liberties, Priviledges, Charters, Grants, given

under the Hand and Seal of the Al∣mighty King himself, That all that live under his Wings, lodg in his Boughs, or dwell in his Land, or in∣herit his Kingdom, may fear any thing, for not a hair of their heads shall perish; the Lord is their defence by day and night, watching over them and caring for them in all things, what they shall eat, drink, be clothed with, how kept and preserved by his power unto salvation, which is to be remem∣bred in the last day, and coming of the Lord, which we wait for: For his first was to make us Priests under the Law. His second, to make us Pro∣phets under the Gospel. But the third and last is the chiefest, and that is to make us Kings to reign with him, and to sit upon his Throne; and as he is, so we to be in him.

SECT. III. [§. 3] The outside of the Book opened.

SO Hannahs prayer and song, Sa∣muels call and prophesie, Eli's fal∣ling backward, and dying; the Ark of the Lord taken by the Philistines, Dagons fall, the Ark sent back, Israels false gods cast away, Israel meet at Morpeth, are humbled, and subdue the Philistins, they will have a King, Saul is anointed and prophesieth; Sa∣muels integrity; Saul spared the best, & Agag the King, David is anointed, and Saul rejected; David slayeth Goliah, that defied the Armies of Israel; Jo∣nathan and David love; Sauls envy to him, hunting him like a Partridg; Saul sends for David to play and still his spirit; David escapes his hand; Nabals cruelty to David; Abigals wisdom and marriage to David; Saul going to the Witch of Endor, shortly falls by his enemies, and kills himself, &c.

SECT. IV. [§. 4] The inside and the Spirit in it opened and revealed there.

ALL this is now verified in our spi∣rits, opened and explained there by the Spirit, which pours that prayer, signs that song, making melody to the Lord in our hearts; it is that which calls once, twice, thrice, and ceases not till it be heard and obeyed, making us prophesie; it is that which keeps us from falling backwards, and death leading us forward to life; it is that which keeps the Ark of the Lord a∣mongst us, which is nothing else but the Lords presence; it is the Spirit of the Lord that destroys the Antichri∣stian Philistin in our flesh, and his god Dagon dashing them in pieces; Gods presence lifted up again upon his peo∣ple in the Arks returning; Israel bro∣ken by the Lords Spirit, and made weak, are then most strong to subdue flesh, according as it is written, My grace is sufficient for thee, and my

strength seen in the midst of thy weakness: Thus God gives grace to the humble, and exalts them above then enemies. The fleshly man will have a King, and a Kingdom, he would fain raign that as sin abounds, so grace might much more a∣bound; and yet would pretend loyalty to God, and would give liberty to con∣science and the Spirit, but it's only to murder, and not worship, like Herod; so is this Saul in our flesh, seeks Christ to kill him; thus the persecuting Saul worships in lips, but the heart is far from God, sparing Agag the Amale∣kite, offering only the poor and blind, not the best, keeps that, and sacrifices it to its own lust. This is the proud King, the fleshly Saul, that exalts itself, and loves sacrifice better then obedi∣ence, robbing God of all for it self: But the Spirit of the Lord, our David, comes at last to be anointed, and ap∣pointed to raign in us and over us; and now Sauls Kingdom must cease, though he may envy, persecute, hunt to death, and crucifie the Lords David and Spi∣rit,

yet it shall live and raign in the spite of all, and all powers and princi∣palities are nothing to it. The uncir∣cumcised Philistin, the mighty Goliah in the world of darkness, and depths of Satan, this Spirit of the Lord, as a Da∣vid, with its stone and its sling, its rod and staff, makes way, strikes dead to the ground whatsoever stands up and op∣pose, laying all their glory in the dust, making the Lyon and the Churl to be like Lambs and Doves, silencing all the unclean spirits, and establishes its throne in the midst of us.

SECT. V. [§. 5] The Raign of the Spirit of the Lord the true DAVID.

BEsides this, Israel chose David, now Saul is dead, for her King, and Iudah and Israel have one King; the Lord our Righteousness, of which Da∣vid was a Type, shall rule over all; where it was said. Ye are not my people, it shall be said, Ye are the sons of the living God; for they shall seek the

Lord, and fear his goodness in the latter days, and be a long time without a King, Priest or Prophet, and then they shall turn to the Lord; yea the Phili∣stins also shall have the Lord our Da∣vid for their King, the Heathen shal be his Inheritance; the Kings themselves shall be wise, and come and kiss the Son; David daunceth before the Ark, and would appear more vile to Michal, if that was vile in her eyes, she being childless; this is the glory of the Saints, the Ark the Lord, his Glo∣ry its their song and daunces, they sing after his Instruments, and this joy of the Saints, and spiritual daunces, all within us leaps for joy: Michal this barren dry flesh scorns all such things, as Ishmael scoffed at Isaac, so doth flesh the spirit; David prayeth, the Spi∣rit prayeth; Villany is condemned, Innocency in Uriah protected, Adulte∣ries, especially spiritual Adulteries, mortified, Nathans truth confessed, Pa∣rables opened and applyed, treacherous Absoloms, incestuous Ammons, Rebelli∣ous

Shebaes, cursing Shimeies, all of them consumed, hanged and beheaded, being judged to death by the King of Righteou••nesse, David; But the Worthies, the Ionathans, and all the faithful in the Lord renowned, and Davids choice is followed by all the Worthies, rather to fall into the hands of the Lord, then the hands of men, and the plague fell upon all flesh, and his blessing was still with his spirit.

CHAP. IX. The eighth Book that God writes in Man is [§. 1] the third Book of KINGS.

SOlomon is anointed King, his mother asketh Abishag for her son Ado••i∣jah, Solomon would have her ask for the Kingdom as soon, Adonyah fled, Da∣vids Charge to his son Solomon, Solo∣mons wisdom given of God, the Justice he did the two mothers about the child, Solomons building the Temple,

his workmen, his peace and plenty, his own house, his many wives, his blessing and prayer, his Kingdom divided, Iero∣boam King of Israel, Rehoboam of Iudah, Ieroboams Calves, Rehoboams counsel from the young men, refusing the old, Ahabs wicked raign, Elijahs power, the people halting, Baals Priests de∣stroyed, the prayer of Elijah heard, the water dryed up, the Heavens give rain at his prayer, Ahabs false Prophets, Ahab goes to battel, but prospers not, according as Micah said. Now all these things, are they not written in the Books of the Lord opened in Man, which are the true Books of Israel; There Solomon Christ Jesus, the son of David sits upon the Throne of his Fa∣ther David; it is given to them for whom it is prepared; and he that hath Abishag the Queen, hath the Kingdom also, so he that hath the Queen of Grace, hath the Kingdom of Peace, which here Solomons wisdom shews us. The hunger and thirst after Righteousnesse, the seeking the things

of Christ, and not our own, the King∣dom of God, and his Righteousnesse, & all other things, are added to us; this is the desire in the Saints, the only ne∣cessary thing how to go in and out be∣fore the Lord, how to live before him all his days. Again, The wisdom from above judgeth all things, knows whose the living child is, and whose the dead, and knows that the Lord will have a living child, My son, give me thy heart; and not a dead child, or half a child, to serve God and Mammon. Solomon builds a Temple; thus the Lord builds a Temple in us, we are the buildings of the Holy Ghost, the Temple of the Lord.

SECT. II. [§. 2] A Kingdom divided cannot stand, Christs is not divided.

THe Kingdome divided cannot stand, Satans Kingdom divided must fall; Christs is not divided, nei∣ther can be, yet many Kings, and many Lords, many men and means, flesh and

form divides. Paul, Apollo and Cephas they were divided in men, but united in Christ, and having several forms, yet one Spirit; but when we come to the unity of the Spirit, then we shall say, many Lords and Gods have ruled over us, but to us now there is but one God and Lord, the Father of all, that is within us all. And neither Jeroboams false Gods, nor Rehoboams heavy finger, nor folly, in neglecting the old Councellors, shal divide us, but we shall walk together in the light of the Lord our God; no Ahab shall raign amongst us, nor Ba∣als Priests trouble us, but the power of the Lord, in his Elijah, shall be like fire out of their mouths to slay them, and there shall be no halting any more between Baal and God, Flesh and Spirit, but the knowledg of the Lord shall in∣crease, and they shall serve the Lord a∣lone, they shall shut Heaven, and o∣pen it, the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven shall be given unto them, and all Ahabs and Jezabels shall be given over to beleeve lyes, till iniquity be

their ruine, seeing they refused to be instructed, and would none of the Lords counsel, the Lord will mock at their calamity, and laugh when their fear cometh.

CHAP. X. The ninth Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is the fourth Book of KINGS.

THe fourth Book of Kings opened: Fire from Elijah that consumes the Captain and his fifty; Elijahs bles∣sing upon Elisha, Elijah taken up into Heaven, Elisha received his Spirit, di∣vided the waters, healed them, maketh the Ax to swim, visiteth the Shuna∣mite, blesseth her case, is fed by a Ra∣ven, Hezekiahs and Josiah's good raign: all which we are the truth and substance of: thus the Lord doth with us, we are a fire and a flame to our enemies, to burn up stubble before

us, and all that shall fall upon us shall be broken in pieces, but on whomsoe∣ver we shall fall we shall grind them to powder; we are to be taken up in the fiery Chariot of the Lords love, burning like fire, and let all our dross and flesh fall from us like dross to the earth, like his Mantle; and we have al∣so received the spirit of Elisha in a double measure, not only his Mantle, but his Grace, and Gods gracious pre∣sence, not only to divide the waters, and heal them, but also to divide be∣tween Light and Darkness, Heaven and Earth, Flesh and Spirit, Sweet and Bitter, Good and Evil, Day and Night, and to turn the evil into good, the night into day, that they that sit in darkness, and in the region and shadow of death, light might spring up; this is the healing of the water, and the making the Ax to swim, to take away the heart of stone, and to give them a heart of flesh; as also to grow in grace, and multiply and increase in knowledg and love, as the oyl did, and the meal,

the more she gave the more she had, so its truly in the Saints, a little grace goes far, doth many cures, an∣swers all things; as it was with the few barly loaves, and the little fishes, how many thousand were fed, and the twelve baskets full of fragments that was left, this was wounderful; so it is in us here, a little grace overcomes a world of sin, like a spark of fire to a deal of gun-powder, and as a little lea∣ven that leaveneth the whole lump, and as a graine of mustard seed that grows to a tree suddenly, so is the Righteousnesse of God revealed.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The opening of the Temple, and the repairing it.

JOsias and Hezekias good raigne, how they opened the Temple, re∣stored many things, found the Law hid, and caused it to be read, and sancti∣fied the people, and to make the table of the Lord holy; this is the Lords do∣ing to finde the Law that hath been

lost, to restore it in us, and all things else, that we may see how we are pur∣ged from dead works to serve the li∣ving God: and thus he is the good Hezekiah, that opens that Temple of the Lord, preparing a way for him, making the everlasting doors to fly o∣pen at his voyce and knock, that the King of Glory may enter in, who is the Lord of Hosts.

CHAP. XI. The tenth Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is the two Books of CHRONICLES.

THe Book of Chronicles, this also God writes in us, he doth these two things according to this two-fold Book, for there is two Books especial∣ly to be taken notice of, wherein God writes his Will: The first is called, or may be the substance of the first Book of Chronicles; and the other of

the second Book of Chronicles: an∣swerable to these Books in Letter, we find two Books in Spirit: The first is called Gods Book of Life, and that is when the Lord God writes his Name in our hearts, his new Man, and his new Nature and Life, there then we are his Book of Life. The second is called our Book of Life, that is the Book wherein God writes our Names, ac∣cording as it is written; Rejoyce not so much in any writing as in this, that your names are written in Heaven. Now this Heaven, and in the Book of Life, is all one, that is when we are be∣loved of God, or when the Lord seals us a seal upon his Heart, or as a signet up∣on his Arm, to be written in the ever∣lasting Love of the Lord, which is his Heart and Bowels, and there to live by the Life of Love; this is the wri∣ting in the Book of Life indeed; and though we have our names written up∣on our towers, walls, houses, histories, and generations of the whole world, yet it fals at last, but this only endures;

the memorial of the other shall rot, when the memory of these shall be blessed; these be the two books of Chronicles indeed, and yet both agree in one, and are indeed one; for where the one is, there will be the other; If we be written in Gods Book, or Heart, then be sure God will have his name written in our hearts and spirits.

SECT. II. [§. 2] How we are made Gods Chronicles.

THus the whole book of Chronicles, We are the sum of them all, Chronicles of his Love, Chronicles of his Mercy, the Chronicles of his Grace, the Chronicles of his Power, Goodness and Greatness, and the Chronicles of his Wisdom: We are his generation of off spring; all our lives, as well as lines, descended from him; He was and is the Father of us all; He knows every Soul and Fami∣ly apart, Tribe by Tribe, He knows our names, and our fathers house;

he Chronicles and sets down the time of our birth and baptism, who was our father and mother, and in what Coun∣try, whether a free-born or a stranger, all our travels, even our whole pilgri∣mage written, our lives, deaths, resur∣rections, and mansions. Are not we his Chronicles then indeed?

CHAP. XII. The eleventh Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is the books of EZRA & NEHEMIAH.

THe books of Ezra and Nehemiah opened in Man: The returning out of captivity; the leading captivi∣ty captive, and receiving gifts from a∣bove, according as it is written, when the Lord turned back the captivity of Zion we were like men in a dream, till we were throughly awakened; and then we sang the songs of Zion, when

we were in our own Land; just like Peter, when the Angel smote him, and made way for him, open the iron gates and did deliver; he was in a trance, he thought he had seen a vision at first till afterwards: So is this deliverance from the whore of Babylon, that hath bewitched us all with sorceries more or less: Oh what a joyful thing it is! And then can they tell what God hath done for their souls, and magnifie the Lord, saying, By the rivers of Babylon we have sate: This Sodom hath been a Pa∣radise to us; But now, if I prefer not Jerusalem above all, having seen it, and now come tolive in it; before we had nothing but sadness; a laughter that was but madness; there we howled, but here we have our harps and songs full of joy.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The Restauration of all things.

THe number that are delivered, the journey, God was with them on their way, the laying the founda∣tion

of the Temple, the building it, the Spirit of the Lord strengthening them in it; the enemies that oppose the building of the Wall, Sanballats rage against it, the sword & the trowel finish it; The strange wives put away, the Law read, the Reformation made: All w^ch is most true, if applied in the truth of it to the workings of God amongst us, whom the world and flesh hath made a wilderness, a desolation, a place for Dragons, there God intends to lay his foundation, which is Christ Jesus, in us, the hope of Glory; other foun∣dations can no man lay else: then the building is the Temple of the Lord, which is his Spirit in us; and the Walls are the arms of the Al∣mighty stretched out, these everlast∣ing arms of love that are about thee, O Israel; the one arm under thy head, the other upon thy heart: these be thy walls, thou needst not now fear any Sanballat, Tobiah, any Ashdonians whatsoever, that like Foxes would spoil thy vines, or else climbe thy

walls to pull down thy glory, but they shal not, All that hate thee shall be asha∣med. And whereas ye say, it is not time to build my house, saith the Lord, and ye to live in your seiled houses, and to let my house lie waste, ye shall not prosper: For if any man hideth his sin, he shall not prosper; but he that confess∣eth and forsaketh them, shall finde mercy. So the strangers and strange wives are removed, there shall no unclean thing live there any more: Whatsoever lives in that, is a stranger or a strange wife; any thing thou art wedded or married to, that is not the Lord, is a strange wife, that steals away thy heart, and the Lord will give thee a bill of divorcement to put her away.

CHAP. XIII. The twelfth Book that God writes in Man is called ESTHER.

THe book of Esther opened in Man is nothing else but the state of a poor earthly creature in whom there is nothing, when once beloved of God the Lord hath a favor to it, and sends forth his Spirit to prepare it all things according to his heart and minde; and so is brought forth in great glory, washed, perfumed, adorned, justified, sanctified, and so glorified with the Lord, to be betrothed to the Lord, in truth, in judgment and in righteous∣ness. And as it shews how the Lord exalts the lowly and meek, the worm and nothing, above all things; so it also holds forth the pomp, pride, and glory of all flesh, and the fall thereof is great, and that in Haman a lively

figure and representation of this, how flesh and blood is exalted, and what favor, honor, friends it may have, yea, what obeysance and homage; how it may have a glorious footstool, and as stately and magnificent a crown as the god and king of this world can give him: And what shall not be done to the man whom the whole world joint∣ly intends to honor? Here all things below are theirs, yet behold of a sud∣den he is cut down like the grass, and cast into the oven, Cry then, All flesh is grass, and the glory thereof like the flower of grass, so soon it withers away, and we are gone: surely all flesh is grass, but the Word of the Lord endures for ever: His Grace and Truth, throughout all generations, his Garments, do not change, neither his feet weary, nor his shoes wax old, but all is more beau∣tiful for the wearing; This is true in Esther and Haman, the one Grace ad∣vanced, the other Flesh disgraced.

CHAP. XIV. The thirteenth Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is called JOB.

THe book of Job opened in man; And herein you have the life and state of a Christian held forth, dying in the flesh and to the world, and then living to God, and rising in Spirit a∣bove this world, entering into another world, his life with God in Christ; this Job shews us in this history, the true pattern of the other; as for ex∣ample, first, The Christians dying in the flesh, and to the world, is clearly manifested in Jobs miseries, how Sa∣tan set upon him, his wife tempting him, Satan accusing him, God hiding himself for a moment from him, Sa∣tan buffeting him; his children de∣stroyed, his cattel consumed, his houses burnt, his lands and living im∣poverished,

his spirit troubled, his health broken, his body bruised, even from the crown of the head to the feet, all over afflicted, his friends forsake him, his comforters torment him, all his Physitians of no value; thus he lies in the bed of sicknesse, death seising upon all he hath.

SECT. II. [§. 2] What is the Mystery of this History of Job in Man.

I Pray what is this but the Christian crucified to the world, and the world crucified to him, a Christians dying dayly, mortifying his members here upon the earth; For this is the Will of the Lord, even the denying of our selves, and the bearing of our cross, and following him: And is not all this taught and learnt here in the spi∣ritual state? But mark the conclusion; It dyes in weaknesse, but it doth rise in power; it is sown a natural body, but it rises a spiritual body; it dyes in the flesh, but rises in the Spirit: So much

is clear in the other part of the Histo∣ry. All that God took away from Job in the Flesh, he gave him again in the Spirit; so is it in the Mystery, what we lose one way, we gain another way; we lose, according as it is writ∣ten, He that loseth his life shall save it, and he that would save his life shall lose it. And again, He that loseth or for∣saketh father or mother, wife or children, lands or livings, for my sake, shall have a hundred fold in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting.

SECT. III. [§. 3] The latter end of a Saint better then the first, the longer he lives the better.

THerfore, saith the Text, The latter end of Job was better then his be∣ginning; so is it indeed in the spiritual state, the latter end is better then the beginning, he goes on to perfection, his last works are the best; therefore Iob said again, I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear, but mine eyes never saw thee till now, wherefore I abhor my

self in dust and ashes. The Lord had given him eye▪salve to see clearly the Glory and Beauty of the Lord God himself, & what he heard he sees true, so is it in the pure spiritual state: We see as well as hear the wonderful things of God; what others eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, we can utter. And lastly, The more Job saw of God, the lesse he saw in himself; the more his flesh was dead and buried, I abhor my self, saith he; so is it true in us also that know the Lord, That the nearer the Lord appears to us, the more we like wax melt away; the more we en∣joy of him, the lesse we enjoy our selves.

CHAP. XV. The fourteenth Book that God writes in Man [§. 1] is called PSALMS.

THe Book of Psalms opened in Man: He is the Harp in the Lords hand, the still and loud Instru∣ment, the Psaltery, the Organ, Sac but and Dulcimer, tuned aright by the Lord; and therein the Lord God makes melody with a loud Voyce, their Sun and Moon, Heaven and Earth, Fire and Vapours, all fulfilling his Word: Fruitful Trees, and all Cedars, Gar∣dens and Fountains, Mountains and Hills, Men and Angels, yea every thing that hath breath praise the Lord, as David saith, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name. And again, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of his benefits. And again, Yea while I have any breath

will I praise the Lord. And again, Lord let me live, that I may praise thee. This is the Will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning us, in all things to give thanks: Wherefore saith the Apostle, Be not filled with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with Spirit, wherein there is no excess. This is the wine indeed, that he that drinks abundantly thereof, it will make him merry and wise, accord∣ing to the Apostles rule, If any man be merry, let him sing Psalms, if afflicted, let him pray. And indeed when we are full of the Holy Ghost, we shal be like men full of new wine, every one shall be heard in that Spirit, praising the Lord, and speaking of the wonderful things of Heaven: Wherefore, saith the A∣postle, When ye are thus full of the Spi∣rit, then ye shall rejoyce in the Lord. And again, Ye shall rejoyce, singing to your selves Psalms, and Hymns, and spiritual Songs; that is, there shall be musick, all sorts, and tunes, and melodies heard.

SECT. II. Psalms, and Hymns, and spiritual Songs in [§. 2] us all.

FIrst for Psalms: In the beginning of the breathings and breakings forth of the Spirit, the Psalms are for the weak ones, the babes in joy. The second, Hymns are for the fathers in joy; but the Songs are for the strong young men, whose joy is full; so that by these three I understand only the several degrees of joy, and also the va∣rious operations of the Spirit: The Psalms are doctrines, mutually mixt with Praises, the Hymns thanks∣givings purely, and the Songs the ra∣vishments of love: Psalms are the tastes we have of him, the Hymns are longings after him, but the Song is the full possession of him, My beloved is mine, and I am his; he comes to his gar∣den: so that one Saint hath a Psalm; another that is higher, a Hymn, and third, a spiritual Song; and that all from one and the same Spirit, but the inspirations more or lesse.

SECT. III. [§. 3] The new Song in the new Jerusalem.

ANd as for Davids new Songs, he speaks so often of in his Book, we have the same written in our Books, Psalm for Psalm, Prayer for Prayer, Hymn for Hymn, Song for Song, even a Song for every Season; the new Song is like to the new Name, the new Covenant, the new Jerusalem, the new Creature; so is this new Song only to be sung by such, therefore called the Song of Moses, and of the Lamb, and none can sing it, nor knows the tune of it, but the Virgins that follow the Lamb; it is in Spirit full of Glory.

SECT. IV. [§. 4] The chiefest sinner shall rejoyce most.

ANd again, As our sufferings have abounded, so shall our consolati∣ons; he that hath suffered a little, shall have a Psalm or a Hymn; but he that hath abounded in sorrow, in affliction, shall have this Spirit of Joy above his

fellows, he shall sing aloud, and shout for joy of heart; wherefore he saith, Blessed are the meek and hungry, and that mourn, these shall all be comfort∣ed; but when he speaks of this, Blessed, saith he, are they that are persecuted for Righteousness sake, for they shall be ex∣ceeding glad and rejoyce; their joy shall exceed others, and as sin also hath a∣bounded, so shall Grace, and Glory, and Honor, and eternal Praise, and Joy abound also: Wherefore its well said of Christ, That as his sorrow, was such as he saith, Behold, if ever sorrow were like unto my sorrow, when he cryed, My God, my God, why hast thou for∣saken me? So behold his joy, never joy was like it, at the conversion of a sinner.

SECT. V. [§. 5] All Gods workings in us come to a Song at last.

THis Book of Psalms in Man, it is all but one Psalm, it is an eter∣nal Song, a praising God for ever and and ever, without end; this is not with

our mouth, but the Lords mouth and heart, not with lips, but the kisses of his mouth, and the breath of his Spirit; and indeed all the workings of God are in joy, they all bring forth the first fruits of Righteousnesse in peace and joy, all things working to∣gether for good; all our sorrows, tra∣vels, crucifyings, self-denials, crosses, losses, miseries, deaths and torments, they all bring forth a Psalm, a Hymn, and a Song; this is the man child that shall be born after all: Now it may be God is only making or beginning this Psalm in us, yet a little while and it shall be finished, and the noise there∣of heard from one end of the Heavens to another.

SECT. VI. [§. 6] And what this Song is in the Saints.

ANd the Song shall be this, Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabbath; Thou art worthy of all Honor, Glory and Praise, for thou hast redeemed us to thy self. And again, The Lord, the Lord, the

Lord God omnipotent raigneth. And a∣gain, We give thee thanks, Lord God Al∣mighty, that thou hast raigned, and takest this great power to thy self, and that thy time is come, and that the Kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of his Saints. Re∣joy••••, O ye Heavens, and all that are in them, for thy God raigneth.

SECT. VII. The Lord alone is the Psalm, and the Hymn, [§. 7] and Song in us.

BUt yet further, The Lord God is our Song, our Blessednesse, that David speaks of, and the Law that we delight in, and tree of Life that brings forth all good fruit, and all flesh is the chaff, and like the wind, the Spirit of the Lord shall scatter and divide it all, bringing it to Judgment, and flesh is that which rages and imagines vain things against the Lord, and it is the Lord alone that shall sit upon the ho∣ly hill of Zion, and breaks all flesh in pieces with its scepter. Our flesh is the

enemy that increases and rises up a∣gainst us and the Lord, and it is the Lord, that Spirit, that smites this ene∣my in the cheek bone, and breaks the teeth of the ungodly; so all salvation is the Lords, and his blessing is his people. Again, The Lord is their Sacrifice of Righteousnesse, their Wealth and Health, and all the light of his Countenance is that which is their Life indeed; the Lord is their Life and Peace, that makes them to dwell in safety alone; their wine, and corn, and oyl, it is all with the Lord alone, and nothing else. What singing was there▪ at the birth of Christ Jesus after the flesh? How did the Angel, Shepherds, Joseph, Mary, Zachary, Elizabeth, Simeon, and all sing? How did they all magnifie the Lord, and bless the Lord God of Israel? What is it but an example of the heavenly Thing, that when Christ Jesus is born in us, and framed there, there is singing, and will be where the Lord lives; But all the minstrels in

the flesh are turned out, and it calls them all madness: yea, there is a sing∣ing though we be in prison outwardly, and great misery, yet our joy none can take from us; nothing can break out peace, nor interrupt our melody, nor quench our joy; no man nor devil can take it from us.

SECT. VIII. [§. 8] There is no singing in the strange Land, till we come to the Lord himself.

YEt a word more, this glory and perfect joy is not for them that live in the flesh, nor in darkness, or in the Kingdoms of this world; There is nothing but howlings, sorrows, gnashing of teeth, weeping and la∣mentations here, as Israel in Egypt and in the wilderness were weary in their lives, and full of groanings, striv∣ings and fightings: But the songs are heard neither in Egypt, nor in Babylon, nor in the Wilderness, but in Canaan; here we hang up our hearts and mourn, but in the strange Land are we more

strangers; While we are present in the body, we are absent from the Lord; But when we shall absent from the body, and be present with the Lord, and not live by faith only, but by sight; when we shall not read of him, nor hear of him only, but when we shall see him face to face, then shall our joy be full, then we shall sing the song of Zion: When we are entred into the joy of our Lord and Master; when the day of the Lord is come, the voyce of the Bride and of the Bridegroom is heard, and the marriage of the Lamb is come, then shall the Song be sung, it is prepared for that day; then shall the voyce of the Turtle be heard a∣mongst us, and the voyce of the Lord himself rejoycing over us: And we rejoycing and singing in the Lord and in nothing else, we shall sing, O Lord our God how excellent is thy Name in all the world! Let the Heavens praise thee, O Lord, yea, let all the world give thanks unto thee; yea, let all things arise, O Lord, and call thee blessed.

SECT. IX. To sing with the Spirit and with [§. 9] Ʋnderstanding.

THis made the Apostle say, I will pray with the Spirit, and with Un∣derstanding also; I will sing with the Spirit, and sing with Understanding also: He then that hath not this spirit cannot sing with understanding; he is as he that speaks in an unknown tongue, a Barbarian; except the Spirit inter∣pret, it's but howling and no singing; but where its filled and enlarged with love; where the Spirit of the Lord is heaped up and running over, it must break forth, and overflow, it will not be hid; it is like a fire in the bones, like the sea at full tide, like a full winde at sea, filling the sails; such is the pow∣erful presence of God overshadow∣ing us.

A Psalm.

THe Lord, the Lord, th' eternal God, who lives and reigns to make us glad; Our Psalms, our Hymns, our spirits songs, our melodies in him alone. We are his Organs and his Harps, he tunes and plays upon our hearts. He sings and makes most pleasant noise, filling us full of mirth and joys.

A Hymn▪

O Glory, glory, to the Lord, his Name be blessed all abroad; Our life, mirth, love, and joys, lives and lies in his glories.

A spiritual Song.

O Holy, holy, God on high, Eternally, Our melody, Above the sky,

Never to dye, But thus to cry, Glory, Glory, To God on high, Eternally, Happy, happy.

CHAP. XVI. The fifteenth Book that God writes in Man is called PROVERBS.

SECT. I. The Spirit that interprets secrets and [§. 1] proverbs, where it is and dwells.

ALL dark sayings, mysteries, se∣crets, wonderful things, deep and high, sealed and concealed, old and new, there is a Spirit, even the Spirit of the holy God, which dwells in them that are gods, which can re∣veal secrets, expound parables, finde out the pearl hid in the field, and in∣terpret dreams and hard sayings; He

that plows with this heifer shall finde out all these riddles and parables made plain in us. And for the most part all these Proverbs without came from Wisdom and Understanding, which dwelt in Solomon, and spake these things from within.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The sum of this history of Proverbs spiritually in us in five particulars; The Father God, the Mother Wisdom, the Son the Saint.

HEre is five things spoken of.

First, The Father, and that is the Lord God himself.

Secondly, The Mother, and that is Wisdom, so she is called; Wisdom is justified of her children, which is Christ; God, the Father of Judg∣ment; Christ, the Mother of Wis∣dom; here is Judgment and Wisdom together.

Thirdly, The Son, that is here spoken of in the history of the Pro∣verbs, and that is the Childe of God, the Christian, or Saint, that begotten

Son that came from the bowels of Wisdom, travelling with it, and from the spirit of Judgment; this is the Son that is so much admonished and taught of God every way; it must needs be a wise Son that hath such Pa∣rents; and it cannot stand in need of any thing that hath such a Father, it must needs be brought up in the nurture and fear of the Lord, filled with all wis∣dom and understanding. A wise son, saith Solomon, is a joy to his mother, but a foolish one is the sorrow of her heart; So here, Wisdoms children are a joy to her; She can say, Lord, here am I, and the children thou hast given me I had from thee, thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and I give them to thee again, and my self with them.

Fourthly, The strange woman and her sons, the woman that flattereth with her lips, and speaketh lies; what is this woman, but the world? and the children of this woman, but the children of the world? This flesh that

dwells in us, is the strange woman, and the woman that flattereth with her lips, and betrays us, tempting us to come in unto her, and see what she hath prepared. This is the Antichrist that lives in flesh, and would feign her self a Prophetess, and would have all turn in to her, and drink of her for∣nications, and eat of her idolatrous sacrifices, which she hath prepared. And all her sons are the brats of Babel, the concupiscence or lust of the flesh. 2. The lust of the eye and heart. 3. The pride of life. These three be her darlings and Delilahs that are nou∣rished and brought up by her dayly, the strange woman and her chil∣dren.

Fifthly, The enemies of Wisdom, and these be called fools and scorners, sinners and strangers; these hate knowledg, and reject the fear of the Lord: She hath called, and they would not answer, yea, cryed, but they would not hear. She hath pre∣pared her table and her banquets, and

cryed in the high ways and concourse of people, to come in to be her guests, but they have all turned aside, yea, they hate her dainties, and despise her counsels, preferring, with Esau, a mess of pottage before either blessing or birth-right.

CHAP. XVII. The sixteenth Book that God writes in Man is called ECCLESIASTES.

SECT. I. The vanity of all things in the outward [§. 1] man, or world.

THe book of Ecclesiastes opened in Man; Wherein you have the vani∣ty of all earthly things discovered, how this world and the fashion thereof perisheth; all the fulness thereof ex∣hausted, her treasures corrupted, her glory stained, her riches moth-eaten,

her dwellings rotten, her friends con∣suming, her life dying, and all her at∣tire fading; This is the state of this life, this old world, this outward man of ours, the tabernacle that is groaning and burthened, ready to be dissolved; yea, heaven and earth, and all the creatures are (the Apostle saith expresly) groaning for the redempti∣on and the manifestation of the sons of God: The whole generation of the first Adam, his whole kingdom and dominion, the world, wherein he ruled, is all melting with fervent heat; yea, his more excellent things are vain, his righteousness, wisdom, knowledg, learning, arts, sciences, laughter, and joy, yea, his whole study and practise, yea, all his sobriety, chastity, charity, fortitude, temperance, patience; there is vanity in it all. Besides, the things that are outward, as his buildings, stately possessions, pleasant gardens, and orchards, all his precious sub∣stance, his royal attendants, his faring deliciously every day, there

is a deeper vanity upon these.

SECT. II. [§. 2] The earthly man is the vanity of vanities, and the vexation of spirit.

ANd all this comes from man, which is a bundle of vanity, yea less then nothing, vanity and vexation of spirit; The vainest thing that is, saith the Prophet, is man, that is, the natural man, the earthly man, the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are evil, and that continually; from his evil heart proceeds all evil; for unto the defiled and unclean there is nothing pure or clean, hut all he touches, tastes or handles, is defiled, till he be cleansed within, being like the lepers that infected all about them, houses and walls; So here, O vain man, the worst of all things, in whom dwells no goodness; nay, he makes all other things vain: but it is not so in the Kingdom of God, nor in the World to come, by Christ there∣in; every soul, that tasted and receiv∣ed

of the Father, sees nothing but excellency and everlasting comfort; there is no vanity, nor vexation of spi∣tit: there is nothing but holiness to the Lord; there is durable riches, and eternal mansions, and no alteration or shadow of changing; for all things are there of God, &c.

CHAP. XVIII. The seventeenth Book that God writes in Man is called The Song of SOLOMON.

SECT. I. Christs Kisses and his Mouth, what [§. 1] they be.

CHrists Song, and the Spouses Song; The kisses are the Testimo∣nies of the Spirit, the manifestations of his presence: His mouth are the di∣vine oracles that breath into her, the giving her the holy Spirit, opening his

mouth, and breathing into her that spirit that may quicken her, and teach her all things. And kisses, the more the better, the running over of his spirit & presence. For thy loves, His kisses are his love tokens. Are better then wine, The light of his countenance, the least pre∣sence of him, a kisse, a look, a touch, a taste, far beyond all the world.

SECT. II. The oyntment poured out. [§. 2]

THe savor of the good ointments pour∣ed forth. This is Christs Fulnesse, Grace, Glory and Truth, full of Grace and truth, full of Spirit and Life; this is then good ointment poured forth; freely he hath received, and freely he gives, For of his fulness we all receive, grace for grace.

Therefore do the Virgins love thee. This is a pure undefiled love, therefore called Virgins, when it is begotten only by the pure ointments of Christ pour∣ing forth, and nothing else; this is the fire that kindles it, and the oyl that

maintains it, burns the purest flames, admits of no mixture whatsoever, but keeps it Virginity, and chaste pure love, for the Lord Christ, and no o∣ther.

SECT. III. What the Kings Chamber is to be brought [§.] there.

3 DRaw me, and we will run after thee. They must needs run whom God draws, and love will not only draw but constrain, and it is the love shed a∣broad in us; this anointing poured forth will ravish us, and its nothing but the inward anointing that draws, the outward teaching is nothing with∣out it. The King hath brought me in∣to his Chamber. This is the place of Rest, no where else, no society else, but the presence Chamber, nay the bed Chamber of the King himself; none of his Attendants will serve no other room, but to live alone in him, and in the same Chamber, and glory with him, and no other, this anointing draws

us thither. We will be glad and rejoyce in thee. This is the fulnesse of joy, now she is in Heaven full of joy; now, and never till now, can we be glad and re∣joyce. We will remember thy love more then wine; the upright love thee. We shall never part more, I am brought to his Chamber, but nothing can draw me hence again: Come let us take our fill of love, and forget all sorrow and enmity, remember nothing but love a∣lone, and no love but thine, that is the love that makes us forget all things else, and love thee above all things, to live with thee.

SECT. IV. What the blackness and the comeliness is. [§. 4]

4 I Am black, but comely, O ye daugh∣ters of Jerusalem. It is not the out∣side, the form, the image or shadaw you are to look at, that is black in∣deed, but all my comelinesse is in Christ, it is in the Lord, he is my Beau∣ty and Splendor, my Wisdom, Righ∣teousnesse, Sanctification and Re∣demption;

but I am black, my flesh, and nothing but blackness and dark∣ness from it; this I was, but the other I am; now this I have put off, the other is put on: Nay I am black, you may think and call it so; it may be so to you, black heresie, blasphemy, and yet it may be comely to me; it may be judg∣ed black by men, and yet be approved of God; for that which they call he∣resie, so worship I the God of my fa∣thers.

SECT. V. [§. 5] What the brothers are angry at, and what is the keeping of other Vineyards, and not the true Vineyard.

5 LOok not upon me, because I am black, because the Sun hath looked upon me. That is, you are my friends, and have accounted me your brother; you now look scornfully upon me, casting me out of your Synagogue, be∣cause the Sun hath looked upon me, and the Lord hath anointed me, and enlightened me above my fellows; en∣vy

me not for that, neither look at that which is outward, but at that which is inward, for all my glory and excellency is not in me, but in the Lord God that lives with me. My mothers children were angry with me. We that were one, and agreed in one, when we lived both in the flesh, are now angry at me since I have lived in the Spirit: You, my own mothers children, that have one Mother, Nature and Coun∣try, go about to kill and crucifie me; they would sell me away, do any thing with me, betray me into the hands of all my enemies, they are set spitefully against me, as they did Joseph, and Christ, and Abel, at the beginning, and all because their works are evil, and mine good, they see the Lord is with me and blesses me. They made me the keeper of the Vineyards, but my own Vine∣yard have I not kept: That is, while I ruled, others was set over us, and had a glory and preheminence in the flesh a∣bove others, teaching them, and go∣verning them; I my self in the mean

time became a cast-away, and I recei∣ved honor that came from men, but not from God, and I was sent of them, and called by them, and ruled as a man, but I was not called by God: I condemned that in others which I found in my self; I lived according to the flesh in the Letter, but not accord∣ing to God in Spirit; I saw others moats, but not my own beams; such a hypocrite I was, thus I followed a false Christ, and not the true, and so was a false branch, and not a true.

SECT. VI. It is God that justifieth, that is our [§. 6] comeliness.

6 TEll me, O thou whom my soul loveth: It is God that justifieth, who is it that condemneth? It is God that san∣ctifieth, who is he that defileth? It is God that is with us, who is he that is a∣gainst us? It is God that makes us comely, what shall make us black? Tell me therefore, and say unto me, Thou art all fair, my love, there is no

spot in thee; and then though my mothers children be never so angry with me, or do condemn me, yet there shall be no condemation to them that are thus in Christ Jesus, and do not walk after the flesh, but after the Spi∣rit; he hath justified, and that shall be justified: If this be vile, I will be more vile; I value not their anger then, for I have thy love.

SECT. VII. The true Vineyard. [§. 7]

AGain, I have followed false christs, and worshiped strange gods, and those have been my blackness: In that I have lived in the Vine Christ, as a Branch therein; I have lived in the Vineyards of men and means, they have planted Vineyards, and made Sermons and Worships, and these I have kept before I recived thy anoint∣ing, and had almost forsaken the living Fountain, the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts.

SECT. VIII. [§. 8] Three things thirsted after by him, that is, as the Spouse here hath tasted any thing of the Life of God.

TEll me: There be three things that every soul, that hath tasted any thing of the heavenly Life, thirst∣eth after.

The first is, To have the everlasting Love of the Lord to be revealed to him, which is better to him then life it self, better then all things.

Secondly, To see a love from the Lord, a fire from Heaven falling in our hearts, and kindling an everlasting flame of heavenly love in us to him again, that from a coal from his Al∣tar we may be all a fire of love with him, that the zeal and love we have to the Lord may eat us up.

Thirdly, That the love wherewith God loves us, and the love wherewith we love God, we may also be taught to love one another, & all these three loves

may thus agree in one; we should not then be angry at our mothers children without a cause, and hate them, but love and pitty them.

SECT. IX. [§. 9] The bread that satisfies not, and where our rest, fulness and fatness lies.

TEll me. I shall insist something more largely upon this, having had my enlargement and commission from God to speak more from hence, upon sundry occasions. And first, That when we are wearied out in fol∣lowing and keeping many Vineyards, many mens works and labours; when we are weary of all, and loaded after all, and as far to seek, then at last, as at first, then here is our Rest af∣ter all, this is the Vineyard, Come unto me, and I will give you rest. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; In me shall ye have peace and perfect freedom: When you have emptied all the Ci∣sterns, I am full; when their Lamps are grown dim, and almost spent, I will

be thy sun, shield, and great reward; Why do we spend our labor then for that which is not bread, and our mony for that which profiteth not, and our strength for that which satisfieth not? Hearken unto me and your souls shall live; ye shall eat that which is good, and delight your selves in fat∣ness.

SECT. X. We shall never be taught well till the [§. 10] Lord teach us.

TEll me. When men can teach us no longer, then God can and will; and may I not say, as the Apostle said, Whereas for our time we might have been teachers of others, we have need that one teach us again, what be the principles of the doctrine of Christ: And what is the reason of this? because we have been taught of man, and by man, and so shall never come to the knowledg of the truth that way, unless the Spirit teach us all over again; then we shall profit indeed: We shall never be well

taught till then; For flesh and blood can never reveal such things unto us; as in the 16. of Matthew, saith Christ, What do men say that I, the Son of man, am? that is, what do the Scribes and Pharisees, Rulers and Sadduces, the wise Doctors and Rabbies, those as well as others, what do they teach to the people, and say, or speak, of me? Peter answered; Some say thou art Elias, others say thou art Jeremias, others, Iohn Baptist is risen again; and others, one of the Prophets. Thus these great wise learned men were at variance, and said nothing to the pur∣pose: For God had hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revea∣led them unto babes. Therefore said Christ again, But what sayst thou that I am? thou that art taught of God, thou that hast none of these outward glories after the flesh, thou that art a fool to them, what sayst thou? Peter answered, Thou art the Son of the living God: this was a lively voyce that spake thus in him. Well, saith Christ,

I would have you know, That flesh and blood could never tell thee this, but my Father which is in heaven, he hath told thee it.

SECT. XI. The teachings of God more excellent in three [§. 11] things then mens teachings.

A Gain, the teachings of God are more excellent then any other whatsoever in these three things.

First, His teachings are plain.

Secondly, Pure.

Thirdly, Powerful.

First, Plain, as the Apostle said, Now thou speakest plainly, and not in parables. And again, Shew us plainly of the Father, that we may see the Fa∣ther, and it sufficeth us. And again, Thou hast the words of eternal life, whi∣ther should we go? And again, When Christ comes he well tell us all things, in Heaven and in Earth, in Scriptures and Prophesies; he will open all to us, and we shall have all things naked and open, Death and Life, Hell and

Heaven, Flesh and Spirit: There shall then be neither proverb, nor pa∣rable, nor dark saying; no sealed books, nor sealed fountain; no secrets nor mysteries; but all things shall be manifest, for the Day shall declare them.

Secondly, Purely, now he is the pure Being and Fountain of all things, in whom is light, or he is light, and in him is no darkness at all: There is no mixture at all with God, the throne of the Lord and the Lamb, from thence come the chrystal waters of life pure and clear.

Thirdly, Powerfully, he speaks with Authority, and not as the Scribes; he speaks, and brings forth his word, and it is done: All things are at his command, he calls, and all obey, Lazarus come forth, and it is so; Be it according to thy faith, and it was so: I will be thou clean, and it was so: Awake thou that sleepest, and I will give thee life; And how is this? He is the resurrection and the life: thus he

that receives power to beleeve in him, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

SECT. XII. [§. 12] This teaching will make us perfect.

THe best have need of his telling; none knows so much, but he can tell them more, and when they think they know something, & are puffed up, they know nothing yet as they ought to know, for I may say in very many things we are yet ignorant; but we shall not always know in part, we shall know as we are known; and when that which is perfect is come, that which is imperfect is done away; and indeed it is God alone can tell us best; When none is nigh us, he hath a sweet, still, secret way, a voyce behind us, tell∣ing, This is the way, this is right and truth, That is not; Hear him, what the Spirit saith.

SECT. XIII. Nothing can quench, kill, or separate [§. 13] this love.

O Thou whom my soul loveth! This is a heavenly voyce breathed out by the Spirit, a divine flame of love; by which it appears, how the Spouse was sick of love, and nothing but death without his presence, And al∣so, that all Gods teachings and workings, towards his people, are all in lone; His very Rod and Staff is in love; He loveth every Childe whom he correcteth: And so the Soul that loves the Lord truly, though the Lord kill him, yet will he put his trust in the name of the Lord. Such a thing is love, that though it wander a while in the wilderness, and lose it self, yet it will finde out the way; nothing can quench it, no waters; nothing can kill it, no death; nothing can sepa∣rate it, no torment, no defence; no∣thing can diminish it, or any way choke it, but the thing it lives upon;

and where it loves, there it lives. What other argument could the Spouse bring to move God; As his love constrains us, so will our love to him constrain him, draw him, and he will run after us, fall about our necks and kiss us. I remember, in the history of Lazarus, that Mary and Martha sent to Christ this message, Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick. They thought that was enough; he knew well whom they meant, and they knew well how much that would prevail upon him, to which Christ returns, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, and so it was: His love to Christ made him sick, and Christs love to him made him well; Therefore saith Mary, Lord, hadst thou been here, my brother had not dyed. Christs absence was his death, and his presence brings him life.

SECT. XIV. [§. 14] Christ loves where it is, is in the heart and spirit, with all our souls, strength and might.

THe love we have to Christ must be with all the soul, or else it is not love; he will have the whole child, or none of the child; he is the right mother that bare us, he cannot endure to have us divided between God and Mammon; he will say to u••, as he said to Peter, Lovest thou me more then these, that is, more then gold, silver, lands, livings, wife, children, lusts, sins, gifts or graces, men or m••ans; then its well if we can return the answer bet∣ter, I mean, upon better grounds then he did, not from a Confidence in the Flesh, but in the Spirit, saying, Lord thou knowest that I love thee better then all things. David could many times say so, O how do I love thee Lord above my rest or appointed food. O how do I thirst after thee, and when shall I ap∣pear before the living God? And again,

One thing have I desired of God, and that is, that I might always live in the house of the Lord. Such a love as is between man and wife; they have but one life, one love▪ one soul; so here is one spi∣rit, when it is so rooted in love, and stablished in God, that nothing can move or shake it; it can do all things, and endure all things, deny it self, take up its cross and follow him through fire and water, life and death, and re∣joyce in him in the midst of all, fearing nothing as long as he loves them, and his love is with them.

SECT. XV. [§. 15] The five things that are excellent in this love of the Spouse, called the soul love.

NOw there are five things that shews forth the excellency of this love of the Spouse to Christ, that it will deserve the name of a soul love, and a sound love.

The 1. is, Where this love is, it is a love above all loves whatsoever, no other love comparable to it, it endures to the

end, it will bear all things▪ believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things; though other loves fail, but this doth not, it is of a more excellent Na∣ture, from an excellent Principle, from a divine Spirit; there is no love in the world like it, it being transcendent and supernatural.

Secondly, It is a love before all o∣ther loves, this the best, the love that commands all the rest: For where the soul is, all else is; there is mind, will and affections; it sits at uppermost room, hath the highest place in our hearts, all the rest bow down to this sheafe, to this love; here they all cover their faces, and pull down their top sails.

Thirdly, This soul love is a love be∣yond all loves whatsoever, beyond the love of husband and wife, parents or children, beyond the love of other men, women, brethren or friends, nay An∣gels themselves; for all these loves may exceed their bounds, and then prove hurtful; but let them keep

their bounds, and then they fall very short of this infinite and exceeding weight of love: For though the Lord hath set bounds to Seas, and other Creatures, nay to men, women and children, thus far you must love, and no further; but here are no bounds nor limits to this soul love: Love him with all thy soul, thy heart, thy strength: It is a love beyond all love whatsoever, it is larger, higher, deeper, longer, broader then any love else; that made the Apostle cry out, and this will, if rightly understood, make us cry out, O the heighth, depth, bredth, length of the love of Saints to the Lord! O thou whom my soul loveth.

Fourthly, It is a love without all, a naked, free, pure love, not for ends, gain, or ought else, not for any reward or wages; as Satan would have accused Job to God to have done, saying, Doth Job serve God for nought? No, no, Job knows what he doth, and knows what he gets by it, or else he would never be so serviceable as he is; whereas indeed

Job served God without all, but sim∣ply and truly, for the Lords sake a∣lone, and not his own sake at all: this is called a love without all, out of love, and not of fear to him.

The fifth and last is, To love the Lord in all, which is indeed good, though it be not so high & excellent as the other, for to love God without all, as Job did, when the Lord stript him, as I may say, stark naked, left him hardly a rag, nay almost took his life away besides, yet in the midst of this it is said, he sin∣ned not, but blessed God, who giveth and taketh; blessed be the Name of the Lord. And again, Though thou kill me, yet will I put my trust in thee. This is a greater degree of love, nay a stronger love, to love the Lord without all, as the Di∣sciples said, Lord we have left all and folowed thee. There is more of God in this, then to love God in all, when we have what heart can desire, the Lord filling ful our cup, every one that hath the smoaking flax, can be praising God when they are wel & prosper, enjoying

richly every thing; but few in death, sickness, wars, misery, want, nakedness in the Cross, can say, Blessed be the Lord.

SECT. XVI. [§. 16] The strong grounds of the souls love to God, when as Gods love is such to us, and much more abundant also.

ANd is there not much ground for this love, with all our souls to God, if well and rightly consider?

First, Is it not he first that loves us a∣bove all things, Heaven, Earth, Crea∣tures, Angels, putting all things in sub∣jection to us, to make us to have domi∣nion over all? The Apostle can tell us, He took not upon him the nature of Angels but mans.

Secondly, And is not the Lords love to us with all his soul, when he again loves us before all? before either Hills or Mountains were brought forth, or any world was, even from everlasting to everlasting, hath he, and doth he love us. We were the first in mention,

though the last in execution.

Thirdly, The Lords soul love is be∣yond all; O the heighth depth, bredth, length of this Love! John 3. God so loved the world, that he gave his only be∣gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlast∣ing life. And again, Who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his Love. And again, When we were sinners and enemies, Christ dyed for the ungodly. And again, God first loved us, and behold what manner of loveit was, that we should be called the sons of God.

Fourthly, The Lords Love it is with∣out all, without money, or money worth, Ho, ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters and drink, come, buy wine and milk without money, and with∣out price. And again, When he saw us in our blood, he said unto us live, then was the time of love.

Fifthly, And his love is within all; for all things are beloved and preser∣ved for our sakes and good; he blesses

all we take in hand, goings in and comings out, abroad and at home, in soul and body, being his trees planted by his living waters, and always bring∣ing forth his fruits, and whatsoever we do he prospers it: This is the Lords love to his people, and how can they chuse but love him thus then, and make him the Beloved of their souls, for he alone is worthy; for he is sweet, gracious, holy, heavenly, wise, blessed, the fairest amongst ten thousand; he is all fair; indeed there is no spot in him.

SECT. XVII. The Soul that loves Christ desires to live [§. 17] with him.

WHere thou feedest. The Soul that loves Christ desires to live no where, and no longer then she may live with Christ; for her life is hid with God in Christ Jesus. She saith, as Ruth said, As the Lord liveth, where thou goest there will I go, thy Country shall be my Country, thy

Friends, my Friends; thy God, my God: and nothing but death shall part thee and me. And is it not so here with the Spouse and her Beloved? as Man and Wife they will live toge∣ther and not asunder; the Woman forsakes Father and Mother, and all, to be joyned to her Husband: So here, the Soul is restless till she be with him.

SECT. XVIII. [§. 18] The Soul that loves Christ desires to live upon him, feed on him.

AGain, the Soul that loves Christ desires not only to live with him, but to live upon him, to feed as he feeds, to sit at one table with him, in his Kingdom; to lie in one bed with him, and to fare as he fares, to feed upon his dainties, his hony and hony-comb, his corn, wine and oyl: to feed upon his love, mercy and truth, his grace and righteousness, to hang up∣on his lips, and Christ Jesus to be his dayly Bread, that Manna that

comes down from heaven, that he that eats thereof shall never hunger more; So that his presence and pleasures are its appointed food. And again, To know and do his will, shall be her meat and drink.

SECT. XIX. [§. 19] The Soul that loves Christ will live as he lives.

NAy yet further, the Soul that loves Christ desires not only to live with him, to feed upon him only, and nothing else, but it farther desires to live as he lives, in the same life, the same way; to live as the Lord lives, be it in shame or in honor, in mourn∣ing or in joy, in peace or trouble, in want or in abundance, in having no∣thing or in having all things; all is one, yet herein is their desires perfect∣ed, in being made like unto him in all things, not only in the Cross, Death, but in his Rising, Ascending, in the Throne with him; in this they rejoyce, and are exceeding glad.

SECT. XX. They love if they live. [§. 20]

AGain, they that love Christ thus they live no longer then he lives and loves them: When he doth but hide his face, they are troubled: when his love ceases, their life ceaseth; for they live in him, and by him, and through him.

SECT. XXI. [§. 21] If we love Christ we shall love the flock of Christ.

ANd where thou makest thy flocks to lie down at noon. If we love Christ, we shall also love the flock of Christ: If we love him that begat, we shall love him that is begotten; He that saith then that he loveth God, and hateth his brother, is a lyar, and the truth is not in him, For he that loveth God, loveth his brother also; He must needs love that which God loves, and hate that which God hates, and so be like unto God: For this is

his Commandment, That we love one another, as we have him for an example; And if we say we are in the light, and do not love our brethren, we are altogether in darkness, and know not the light.

SECT. XXII. [§. 22] Christ and his flock are together.

CHrist and his flock are always to∣gether; there Christ is, and there they are; He their Shepherd, and they the sheep of his pasture; They shall not want for any thing that is good, either for pasture of still waters of comfort, or garments of righteous∣ness, or guiding, the Lord leads them; or for oyl, or their cup filling, or their table spreading, they have all things: Thus he feeds them like a shepherd, not on Commons, but by the rivers of waters, He watches over them day and night, so that not one of them is lost; If one of the ninety nine stray, he gathers it in again, and with his rod and his staff he comforts them.

SECT. XXIII. [§. 23] The flock of Christ hath a place to lie down in.

THere remains yet a Rest for the people of God, a place to lie down in safety, When none shall make them afraid, when there shall be no Fox, nor Wolf, nor Lion, nor Bear, nor any thing to do hurt in all his holy mountain, saith the Lord; this is the time of refreshing that we look for from the presence of the Lord; for it is he alone that maketh us to lie down in safety, and rise again; he susteins us; it is he that maketh us to feed, and to lie down, and to rest at noon.

SECT. XXIV. Satan hath his flock also. [§. 24]

FOr why should I be as one that turn∣eth aside by the flocks of thy compani∣ons? As Christ hath his Way, his Truth, his Life, his Love, his Light▪ his Spirit and Kingdom; so hath the

Devil his flock, his ways, his rest, his spirit and kingdom; but one contrary to the other; But the Lords Spirit shall lead us into all Truth. Thus the Devil can turn himself into an Angel of light, and make himself God, and be worshipped as God, sitting in the room of God; this is the great mystery of iniquity. Indeed many think they be Angels of light, when once they be but outwardly transformed, whereas in∣deed they are devils still, onely trans∣formed; a devil in the spirit speaking lyes, &c.

SECT. XXV. [§. 25] Though we know not many things, yet we are fair.

IF thou know not, O thou fairest among women! If any soul want wisdom, let him ask it of me, that give to all li∣berally, and uphraid none: We may know many things, and be ignorant of many other; there is more unknown of God then well known. The Lord knows us far better then we know

him; If we be out of the way, he is so ready to put us in; If we fall too, will∣ing to help us up; if weak▪ to streng∣then us; and if backwards, to draw us; in all things the Lord is prepared for our good; and it is no shame for poor souls to confess their ignorance, that the Lord may instruct them, then to be puffed up, and think our selves wise enough, when we know nothing.

SECT. XXVI. [§. 26] Who is like to thee, O Israel, for fairness and beauty.

O Thou fairest amongst women! Here is Christs soul-love after her; We may see the glory and beau∣ty of the Church, the Lords people, above any other whatsoever, Rev. 12. having crowns of Stars; clothed with the Sun, gut about with a golden Girdle, the Moon under her feet, so comely and fair we are in his eyes, e∣ven without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing: I have compared thee, for fairness, to the stately Horses in

Pharaohs Charets; I am this Pharaoh, Heaven is the Charet, you are the Horses that carry and bear my King∣dome and Glory about with you; I ride upon you, and conquer in you, and by you.

SECT. XXVII. [§. 27] Thy cheeks, neck and feet comely all over.

YOur cheeks how fair are they, and comely, with rows of jewels, and thy neck with chains of gold! This is all glory in the Spirit, and the beauty of the Lord dwelling with us; his face shining on us: nay, we will have, saith the Lord, nay, make thee also borders of gold; all thy garments shall be glorious; nay, thy borders shall be gold, with studs of silver: What is this but glorious from the crown of the head, even to the lowest border and sole of the foot.

SECT. XXVIII. [§. 28] The exceeding great beauty and delight that is in the Saints through the Lord their God.

THy spikenard and sweet spices, when the Lord thy King sitteth at his table within thy heart and spirit, coming to sup with thee, for joy there∣of, sendeth such sweet smells, delight∣eth the Lord, who will not only feed at his table, but rest all the night, and be like a bundle of myrrhe between thy brests: and thus thou shalt be sa∣tisfied with his abundance of love: and also, a cluster of Camphire in the vine∣yards of Engedi: Behold, thus thou art fair, and ha•••• doves eyes, so chaste, pure, and lovely, and exceeding pleasant to look upon, the King delighteth in thee: Thy bed is also green, still flourishing and ripe, a continual spring is upon thy cheeks: Thy house and dwellings behold they are eternal, in the Hea∣vens: Thy beams are Cedars, and thy rafters Fir, thy windows chrystals, thy

gates pearls, thy pavement gold, thy walls precious stones, thy coverings salvation, thy bed peace, thy fire the Lords love, thy garden the Lords pre∣sence, thy walks the Lords unsearch∣able wisdom; and art thou not then fair, even the fairest amongst women? this then is most true, we are the build∣ing of God.

SECT. XXIX. The Rose, and the Lilly, and the Apple tree. [§. 29]

WE are the roses of Sharon, and the lillies of the valleys, the pleasant flowers of the Lord for sweetness, fairness and pleasantness. And as the lillies amongst thorns, so are we the Lords loves and lillies a∣mongst the daughters, excelling them; and the lillies shall grow, notwith∣standing the thorns, and among the thorns appear the more comely, a lilly among the daughters, and an apple tree amongst the sons; Christ is the apple tree, and the Christian the lilly; Christ the son, and the Lilly

the daughter, and both from one fa∣ther, and thus they be sister and bro∣ther, husband and wife. The Lilly sits down under his shadow with great de∣light, and his fruits are ple••sant to her taste: this is nothing else but the time of the we••kness of the Spouse, living under shadows, forms and signs, and the Lord even makes them fruitful to her, and she sits down there with great delight, till the Lord raise her up higher

SECT. XXX. [§. 30] The soul brought from the shadow to the ban∣quetting house, the substance.

ANd from thence the soul is brought higher; as first it was a Rose, then a Lilly, then in the Valley, then amongst thorns, then sitting un∣d••r the apple tree, under the shadow of that fruit, or creature, and that with delight, in all, and bearing fruit in all; but now is brought to the Lords ban∣quetting house, and after that under his banner, for his banner over me was

love. Now she is exalted indeed, pas∣sing from fear to love, from Sinai to Sion: This is a banquetting house in∣deed, from sitting under the shadow of an appl•• tree, to the ministration of the Spirit, is to be brought from the shadow to the substance; from dark∣ness to light, a banquetting house, the nearer we are brought to the Lord God.

SECT. XXXI. [§. 31] And having once tasted of the Lords love, she counts flagons of wine was one love, and apples also, and not leaves, now can comfort a soul.

STay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick with love: His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. This banquetting house makes her so sick of love; she is so ravished there with more Glory from the Lord, that she cries out, More Glory, Lord, more Grace, more Wine, more Love, whole flagons to quench my thirst: I am so tormented

with love after me, Oh ••tay me with fla∣gons of wine, and comfort me with apptes; No more shadows now, but fruits: it is not the sitting under the shadow of the tree, but eating the apple, this is the pleasant fruit indeed, this is Christ and his Spirit: For it is not the know∣ledg of Christ in the flesh can profit us any thing, we may sit there long e∣nough; but Christ in the Spirit is the fruit that must comfort us, O comfort me with this, this healing and balm to my sick soul, and nothing else.

SECT. XXXII. [§. 32] The left and right hand of the Lord about us.

I Charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusa∣lem, by the Roes, and by the Hindes of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. Here she is at rest, in a sweet calm, not wounded, but com∣forted, not sick, but well; the Lord is embracing her with both hands, Hea∣ven and earth about her, Christ and his Spirit with h••r, Grace and Glory

on her; these be the two hands, left and right, embracing her, Form and Power: And now I am layd at rest, and the Lord is at his rest, awake him not, till he please; he is my love, stir him not, disturb not my peace, grieve not my spirit, awake not my soul.

SECT. XXXIII. [§. 33] The Lord living by degrees from weakness unto strength in us.

THe voyce of my beloved! behold he is coming over hils and mountains, leaping and skipping. The Lord is risen and ascended, and comes again; he hath absented himself, but is now draw∣ing nigh to me; he hath hid his face for a moment, but with everlasting love will he return unto me; he is co∣ming, Yet a little while, & he that should come, will come, and will not tarry. His first coming was in Flesh, but his se∣cond will be in Power and Spirit: His first was low, in the Valley, dark and obscure; his second shall be in bright∣ness, every eye shall see him, he shall

come leaping over the mountains, and hills that before concealed him, they shall now be all under his feet; all this in us.

SECT. XXXIV. [§, 34] He will stand no more behind the wall, door, or the window.

THe voyce of my beloved! He speaks as he comes; the voyce prepares for him. My beloved is like a Roe, or a young Hart; he stands behind the wall, looking forth at the window, shews him∣self through the lattess. This is the Child Jesus coming, and it shews the degrees of his coming, growing up still dayly. First, his voyce comes, then he stands at the door and knocks, and then he breaks the wall of partition; and all the win∣dows & glass that he makes use of, and the walls also that he stands behind, and the windows or ministrations that are more clear, he appears in them a while, but at last appears nakedly in himself, stript of all these robes, and sweet attire, in the brightnesse of his

Spirit, which is far best of all; and this is our beloved, and thus we look for him, he is now at the windows.

SECT. XXXV. The Lord calling his love to come away. [§. 35]

ARise my love, my fair one, come away. This is through the window also, the Lord calling his love out of the window, and draws her nigh to himself, and not to stand at that distance. Arise my love, stay not there, arise, go on, come to me; my love, my fair one, come away, how do I long for thy possession, and to en∣joy thee wholy for my self. I will pre∣pare the way also for thee, The Winter is gone, the rain and the cold is over, the heart of stone removed, the flowers ap∣pear in the earth. I have put my desire in thee, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voyce of the Turtle is heard in our Land. My Spirit is singing to thee, chanting of thee, and my Turtle it mourns for want of thee, and I can∣not be at rest without thee, Arise my love, my fair one, therefore, and come a∣way.

SECT. XXXVI. [§. 36] The Lord loves to bring his people out of the clefts of the Rock to see his face.

O My Dove, that art in the clefts of the Rock, in the secret place of the stairs; let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voyce, for sweet is thy voyce, and thy countenance comely. Now the Lord is exalting and raising up his people; indeed they that are in the clefts of the Rock, in the secret places of the stairs, that is, such as are yet weak and ten∣der, ashamed to come before the Lords presence, and see him as he is, but as Moses run to the Rock, and the clefts of the Rock, and there behold him, on∣ly his back parts; but the Lord would have them appear with an open face before him, and see face to face; the Lord longs to see our countenance, and to hear our voyce, for its sweet and comely to behold us living in God; how doth the Lord delight in the pro∣sperity of his servants.

SECT. XXXVII. [§. 37] The Foxes that spoil the Vines.

TAke us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines; for our vines have tender grapes. These foxes are such as Christ speaks of, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests, but the Son of man no where to lay his head. These birds and foxes are nothing else but the unclean fowls, and the birds of prey, and the unclean beasts that lodg in us, even in our flesh, there they live till the Lord takes them and de∣stroys them, not only the great foxes but the little ones also, not the least vanity shall be suffered to remain in us, for the flesh persecutes the spirit, and spoils the vines, nay the tender vines, the fruits of the Lords Spirit in us; for the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the Flesh.

SECT. XXXVIII. [§. 38] My beloved is mine, and I am his.

MY beloved is mine, and I am his, he feedeth amongst the lillies. Now the foxes are gone, here is no∣thing but love and joy, My beloved is mine, and I am his; though the foxes prevailed much, yet I thank God through the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom I have obtained the victory. Here is a community of all things; what I have he hath, and what he hath I have, all things common: He was made sin for us that knew no sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him. This is the ministry of Reconci∣liation given to us, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ: So that as the Apostle saith to the wife, her body is not hers, but the mans, and to the man, his body is his wifes: So here the Lords Spirit, his Life, Grace, Righteousness, and Kingdom is not his but theirs; and to them, their peace, faith, strength, goodness is not

theirs, but the Lords; for they are, though two, yet one in the Spirit.

SECT. XXXIX. [§. 39] The day breaks, and the shadows flee away.

UNtil the day break, and the sha∣dows flee away, turn thou my belo∣ved, and be thou like a Roe, or a young Hart upon the Mountains of Bether. This is a sweet and gracious desire of the Spouse from her Lord, to have a greater fellowship with him, and know him better, to have the vails ta∣ken away, and the Lord turn in the room of them, which are the flying a∣way of the shadows, and the breaking of the day. When the day Star from on high hath visited us, to give know∣ledg of salvation to his people by the re∣mission of sins, and then to guide our feet into the way of peace. For the Lord is that Spirit that must do that; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liber∣ty and day breakings. Now we all, be∣holding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord, are changed from Glory to Glo∣ry,

as by the Spirit of the Lord; till then the Lord will be nigh unto us, not far from us, upon the Mountains of Bether; some Mountains, like sha∣dows, hinder, but when the day breaks they shall become a plain, and then the Kingdom of God shall come amongst us, and dwell within us; as it is said, The Kingdom of God with in you.

SECT. XL. [§. 40] The Soul loving, seeking, finding, holding, and never parting.

BY night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves. I loved him, and could not but seek him, and am beloved of him, and so cannot live without him: My love continues seeking and wait∣ing for him at all times, places, night and day, street and City, abroad and at home, and amongst the watchmen, but I found him not in any of these places or persons; but when I had passed them all, lived above them, and beyond them, then I found, and was found of him whom my soul loveth;

I laid hands on him, and would not let him go, but brought him to my mo∣thers house, even to the chamber of her that conceived me; this is to live in us, where his Word and Spirit was before preparing away for him.

SECT. XLI. [§. 41] The Lords high commendations of his Church and Spouse, here in part described.

CHrist Jesus our Lord having a∣dorned and beautified his Saints, he so commends them, that he makes it his delight to look upon them, and rejoyce in all the works of his hands in them and over them.

First, Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair, thou hast Doves eyes; a pure wisdom from above, and peaceable.

Secondly, Thy hair is like a flock of Goats, as white as snow, noting old age found in the way of Righteousness: A Father in Christ, and not a Disciple only, and old Saint.

Thirdly, Thy teeth like a flock of sheep, clean, wash'd and shorn, and none barren amongst them, notes soundness of Judgment, Meditation, doing no∣thing rashly, noruttering ought rashly before God, till it be well chew'd with the teeth: Its the trying of all things, the discerning whether things be of God or not.

Fourthly, Thy lips like a threed of scarlet, simple and honest, unfeignedly spoken.

Fifthly, Thy speech comely, speaking with power and authority, with the Spirit and with Understanding also.

Sixthly, Thy temples like a piece of Pomegranate within thy locks, stately and comely, fresh, and never unmind∣full of the Lords Mercies.

Seventhly, Thy neck like the Tower of David, builded for an Armory, where∣in there hangs a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men; this is the strength of Faith prevailing with God, and doing mighty things, by which the Elders of old obtained such good

reports, as that their shields hang as a memorial.

Eighthly, Thy two brests like two young Roes twins, which feed among the Lillies: These are the fruitfulness, and abundance of Consolations in the Lord, she hath and gives to others, comforting them with that comfort wherewith she is comforted of God.

SECT. XLII. [§. 42] There is no spot in her, she is all fair, yea altogether lovely.

THere is no spot in her, that is, she is all light, and in her is no sin nor darkness at alll, being all light in the Lord; the chains of her neck ra∣vishes the Soul of Christ, being such a Pearl of heavenly Truth. Thy love like wine, and the smell of thy ointments like spices: This is all sweet and graci∣ous Spirit, ministring Grace to the beholders. Thy lips drop the hony, the hony and milk are under thy tongue. This shews a right dividing of the Word of Truth, milk to babes, hony

to stronger, and bread to the strongest. And the smell of thy garments like the smell of Lebanon: Such a sanctified and perfumed Conversation hath she. A garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a foun∣tain sealed; that is indeed, a garden planted by the Lord, and watered and increased by him, enclosed all by his goodness, as a wall of fire about it, a spring that shall spring up, and shut from the Philistins to corrupt it, and such a fountain of Grace therein seal∣ed, that it shall not tend unto wanton∣ness not uncleanness; yea, what hea∣venly pleasant plants are in thee; a well of living waters, the Spirit flow∣ing forth in them.

SECT. XLIII. [§. 43] The sending forth of his Spirit into our hearts, to make us to abide in the Lord.

AWake, O North wind, and come, O South wind, and blow upon my gar∣den, that the spices thereof may flow forth, and then let my beloved come into his

garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. This is the Spirit, the Lord pouring forth, and causing his Winds, which are in his Treasuries, his Spirit, the Wind of Heaven, to blow in his Garden, yea all his Winds for good; the several operations and administrations of the Spirit, for several Gifts and Graces; the North wind for the Lilly, and the South wind for the quickning and ma∣king this, the North for convincing and renewing, but the South for con∣verting and comforting, the one to wound, and the other to heal, and both good for the garden; the one for the weeds, the other for the herbs, and both for to have the spices flow forth to a∣bound in Grace, and come into his gar∣den, and eat his pleasant fruits. For is it not good reason, that he that plants a Vineyard should eat of the fruits of it: So for the Lord, that hath planted us for the self same end, and blown upon, to be glorified in us and by us, seeing we are his husbandry.

SECT. XLIV. [§. 44] The sum of the fifth Chapter of Solomons Song.

THis Song of Solomon is very ex∣cellent, and almost all is opened in us, to our hands, by the Spirit of the Lord; for the very Letter makes the Spouse, and the Lord Christ, the sum of it all, wherefore to proceed in the various conditions the soul is cast into, here in this fifth Chapter we have not as in the former, the Spouse at first seeking the Lord, and the Lord commending her; but we have the Lord seeking us, and calling and knocking upon us, and all to awa∣ken us out of sleep, and being awaken∣ed, leaves us his footsteps to follow him with our cross, and the soul en∣quiring after him, setting forth his beauty and excellency from top to bottom, all over.

SECT. XLV. [§. 45] The Lord comes to the breaking of bread, and drinking of wine, to a feasting in us, to eat his supper there.

FIrst, I am come into my garden, my Sister, my Spouse: This is Christs dwelling in us, by his Spirit inviting him thither; I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice, I have eaten my hony comb with my hony, I have drunk my wine with my milk; eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved▪ Thus the Lord comes and sups with us, and he accepts the widows mite as the wedg of gold, and eats the hony comb, as well as the hony, and drinks the milk, as well as the wine, so that the weak and strong are accepted of him: thus eat∣ing and drinking in our presence, breaking bread in us, and eating and drinking in us, and going from house to house in us, rejoycing and eating with singleness of heart, and magnify∣ing himself; so that the soul may say

as David did, He had anointed my head, filled full my cup, spred my ta∣ble, and hath also sate at my table pre∣pared by him, and we have eaten toge∣ther, and made merry, yea feasted a∣bundantly.

SECT. XLVI. [§. 46] The Lord comes to awake us out of sleep.

AGain, I sleep, but my heart waketh; it is the voyce of my well beloved that knocketh, saying, open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night: Thus the Spirit is willing, but the Flesh is weak; the Spirit can watch and pray, and over∣come to temptation, but the Flesh can do neither, but falls into temptation; yet my heart wakes within, and there I hear a voyce, and I know the voyce, it is not a strangers voyce, but my belo∣veds voyce, he calls, and knocks, and complains, I hear him, it is he; yet so sleepy, she rises not, she dreams of him, and is not so throughly awake;

nay, she hears not only a voyce but a knock, her heart beats and akes; the Lord is knocking there, yet flesh and sleep prevails; nay she hears him complain at last, O my love, dove, why art thou so sleepy? with what sweet voyces and blessed motions doth he work upon her, overcoming her evil with good; he saith, My head is full of dew, and my locks▪ with the drops of the night; so that the Lord hath not only suffered in Flesh for us, when he swet drops of blood in that dark night; but he suffers in his Spirit also for us, weeping and mourning for us, being afflicted and despised often by us, and his locks with the drops of the night; the grieving his Spirit, and crucifying it by our flesh.

SECT. XLVII. [§. 47] The Lord overcoming her heart with love.

I Have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? O foolish woman, who hath bewitched thee, that thou

shouldst not obey the truth; having a form of godliness here, and yet deny∣ing the power thereof; nay, a lover of pleasures more then of God, yea, what a shew and appearance this hath? yet in hypocrisie she draws nigh with her lips, and cries, Lord, Lord, yet doth not the will of her Lord, as if Sacri∣fice were better then Obedience; thus it is to love our selves, and to consult with flesh and blood, it can never in∣herit the Kingdom of God; it saith now, as Peter said once to Christ, Master, have a care of thy self: so here, Satan would fain have her careful of her self, and her life, and her ease, whereas indeed the devil should have been resisted, Get thee behind me Satan: what a put off this is like the men in∣vited to the marriage, I have bought a yoke of oxen, &c. and I pray have me ex∣cused: Nay, had an enemy done the Lord this wrong, but his Spouse, and his familiar friend, to say, I have washed my feet, and how can I defile them?

SECT. XLVIII. The great wickedness of the Spouse [§. 48] to Christ.

HE cries, my love, my dove, my un∣defiled, my head, my locks, the dew, drops, night, all torment me; open sweet love to me, my sister: and I cried I am asleep, and in bed, I cannot rise, I have put off my coat. O ye of little faith, and of little love indeed! O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that stonest them that are sent to thee, how oft would I have ga∣thered thee under my wings, as a hen gathereth her chickens, and she would not: Farewel Jerusalem, thy land shall be left desolate; for the things are hid from thy eyes that do belong to thy peace. And further, she is loath to foul her feet, she hath washed them, how shall she defile them? these wa∣ters of Marah must be made sweet for her; she calls clean, foul, and foul, clean; sweet, bitter, and bitter, sweet.

SECT. XLIX. [§. 49] The transcendent beauty and glory of the Lord Christ, the Souls beloved.

MY Beloved did more for me; he would not leave me so, but put his hand into my heart, opened the door almost, but made a great wound and hole in my heart, and then my bowels were moved within me for him, and then I felt his power upon me that set me upon my feet, and raised me up, and my heart loosed, and I was opened, and enlarged the precious smells and blessed myrrhe he had left behinde him upon the lock, made my hands and fingers to drop with sweetness: I opened, but my love was gone, and my spirit fainted in me: I went after, but I could not finde him: I called, but none answered. O whither shall I go to finde him? The watchmen wound me, the keepers of the wall take my vail from me; thus I am afflicted: I charge you all, if you see my love before me, tell him

I am sick of love, and shall dye in love for him: He hath stollen away my heart in the night through the hole of the door; and he is onely worthy of it, he is altogether lovely, white and ruddy, pure and perfect, the fairest amongst ten thousand: His head like gold, his power glorious and pure, his locks bushy, and black as a raven: His counsels unchangeable and stedfast: His cheeks as a bed of spices, so sweet and lovely as sweet flowers: His lips like lillies, dropping sweet smelling myrrhe, the grace that he administers, and the wisdom, to all hearers. His hands as gold set with Beril, working all things together for our good: His belly is as bright Ivory overlayd with Saphirs, full of bowels and tender mercies. His legs like pillars of marble, being the ground-work and pillars of truth: His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the Cedars. His mouth is most sweet, yea, he is altogether lovely: This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem. This is my boast and glory, the Lord.

SECT. L. [§. 50] The Queens, and Concubines, and Virgins without number that praise the Spouse which is but one.

IT is good to seek the Lord, though alone, and in it we may provoke o∣thers also to seek him with us, God bearing witness to us, as they do here, What is thy Beloved above our beloveds? Nay, then, if he be so as you speak of, and so much goodness in him, come, we will seek him with thee; Come then, let's go to the gardens, to the beds of spices; he feeds there, and gathers lillies: we finde him in himself, in the midst amongst us, there he meets us, and we meet him; My Beloved is mine, and I am his: and upon this ex∣change we are beautiful as Tirzah; strong and terrible as an army with ban∣ners, and yet sweet and comely as Jeru∣salem: Our eyes overcome him; Queens, Concubines, and Virgins without number wait upon thee; we are but one in the Lord, not many;

the onely one of our mother, and the choyce one of her that bare us: The daughters see us, and they bless us, yea, the Queens and the Concubines, and they praise us, when we look as the morning, fair as the Moon, clear as the Sun, terrible as an army with banners. I went down to the garden of nuts, in the valleys, and before I was aware, my Soul was like the Charets of Aminadab.

SECT. LI. [§. 51] The beautiful feet of the Kings daughter.

THe Lord makes our feet beautiful, shod with peace and glad tidings, like Princes Daughters, lively to run the Lords ways, made with thighs like jewels by the hands of a cunning workman, the Spirit of the Lord; yea, how fair, and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! Thy stature, in grace and spiritual strength, like to a palm tree, and thy brests to clusters of grapes, give nourishment, and abound∣ing with fruits, full of the blessings of the Lord, and all manner of pleasant

fruits, new and old, layd up for thee, in my heart, O my beloved.

SECT. LII. [§. 52] The Lord sets us as a seal upon his heart, the strength of the Lords love to us, and ours to him.

THe Lord Christ, that was our bro∣ther, and sucked the brests of the Spirit, our mother; if I should meet thee, I would kiss thee without, and not be ashamed; my love is so strong to thee, I will lead thee into my mo∣thers house, and there thou shouldst instruct me, and I would drink of the spiced wine prepared for thee of the juice of the pomegranate, and whither soever I went I would hear thee my beloved, Set me as a seal upon thy heart, for love is strong as death, jealousie is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are coals of fire, which have a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; if a man would give all the substance of his house for this love of the Lord, it would utterly

be contemned. We have many little sisters, virgins that love the Lord; what shall we do for her in the day that she shall be spoken for, to be mar∣ried to the Lamb? if she be a wall, the Lord will build upon her a palace of silver: and if a door, she shall be enclosed with boards of Cedars; what∣soever she wants shall be compleated. Lord, we are thy vineyards, and the vineyard that is thine, is before thee: Thou Lord must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit of the vine∣yard two hundred. Thou that dwellest in the vineyards, all therein hearken to thy voyce; cause me to hear it. Make haste, my beloved, and take me to the mountains of spices, and to the hills of frankincense.

CHAP. XIX. The eighteenth Book that God writes in Man is the book of the Prophet ISAIAH.

SECT. I. The two sons and seeds, one of Flesh and the [§. 1] other of Spirit, that is in us.

THe book of the Prophet Isaiah opened in Man, both his Visions and Prophesies from the Lord; and first, you have the carnal and spiritual seed of the Lord; the bastard and the son, the child of the Flesh, and of the Spirit, the son of man and the Son of God, held forth. The first of these the fleshly seed, that serve God after the flesh, and call themselves by the name of Israel, and the children of the Lord; thus saith the Lord, ye are not sons, but rebels; you know me not, neither will I know you, nor consider you;

you are a sinful people, laden with ini∣quity: I have smitten you, and you go worse and worse; you are all over corrupt; within full of wounds, brui∣ses and sores, whatsoever you pretend without; your head and heart, and all, is out of order; the strangers live in you, and devour you; and the fire of lusts burn in you, and eat you up; you are children of Sodom more like then of God. And as for your Wor∣ship and Sacrifice, in multitudes, your appearing outwardly, and treading in my Courts, your new Moons, Sab∣baths, calling and sitting of assemblies, and solemn meetings, your appointed Feasts and Fasts, your spreading forth your hands and making long prayers, I abhor it all, it's detestable; my soul hates all these, and I never required them of you; your hearts and hands being full of blood, and all kinde of iniquity; your silver dross, your wine water, your Ptinces rebellious and theeves.

SECT. II. [§. 2] How the fleshly is eaten up of the spiritual.

I Will therefore stand up in judg∣ment against you all, and consume your dross, tin, blood and filth, ig∣norance and baseness; I will mollifie you, and binde you all up together, and if sons of the Flesh, I will make you sons of God in Spirit; you shall not have the image of Sodom, but Jeru∣salem; no Hypocrisie, but Power: I will wash you thorrowly, and purge you by my Spirit of judgment and burning, that all your iniquity shall pass from before me, and no evil pass through any more; you shall not be bloody, but white as snow; I will re∣ceive you to favor, you shall not re∣bel any more, but altogether willing and obedient; if I say do this, ye shall do it, or that it shall be fulfilled, and the sword shall be broken in pieces, and there shall be no dross amongst your silver, nor water with your wine, but all things shall be of God, Zion

shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness; and the destruction of transgression and ini∣quity shall be together, and whatsoe∣ver forsakes God consumed; be it an oak, or a garden that hath no water, they shall be burnt together, and none shall quench them.

SECT. III. The great Vision which the Prophet saw, [§. 3] what it is, and what it means.

THus much for the Prophesie; now for the Vision which the Prophet saw, concerning Judah and Jerusalem, it was this, The Prophet looked, and behold he saw the earth full of hills and mountains, and so full that they could hardly stand one by the other; and the valleys were drowned by the mountains and the hills; and he look∣ed till he saw the mountains and the hills wage war one against another, and he saw them that lived in these mountains and hills, were Soothsayers, Philistins, strangers: and the moun∣tains

and the hills were full of silver and gold, no end of their treasures: full also of horses, and no end of their charets: full of idols, and no end of their bowing down to them: and full of swords and spears, and no end of their blood, till at last in the end I saw a little hill arise out of the earth, amongst the midst of the hills, from the valleys, it ascended like the little hill Hermon: and this hill, in the ri∣sing of it, did terribly shake the earth, and in time grew to a great mountain, and neither by sword, nor spear, nor might, nor any such thing, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord; it waxed ex∣ceeding great, and the hills and the mountains melted before it, and would not stand when it appeared; all that opposed it were broken in pieces, and on whomsoever this mountain of the Lord fell, it ground him to powder; And this holy hill and high mountain came at last to get all other hills and mountains under its feet; and it was established upon the

top of the mountains, and then there was no living or safety, but only here; even all the Nations of the earth came flocking hither to the Moun∣tain of the Lord, and cast all their idols away, and forsook their own Country, and fathers houses, their own hills and mountains, and fly to this Rock, for there was darkness and death upon all the rest; here was the light of the Lord, and they said one to another, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

SECT. IV. [§. 4] The Spirit interpreting the Vision to be in us.

THis is the Vision, and herein the Spirit of Truth will open and interpret it to you; the moun∣tains and hills are proud, rebelli∣ous, lofty looks, and haughtiness of mens hearts; the treasures, charets, horses and idols, what are they but the pleasures, vanities and lusts of the flesh? the fighting, what was it but the torment and disquiet that flesh

hath, there is no peace there, saith God; and what is the hill arising out of the valleys, the Spirit of God arising a lit∣tle in us, & shaking the foundations of flesh and earth in us, and becomes pow∣erful and mighty, making all her ene∣mies her footstool, triumphing glori∣ously, and destroying flesh with her Principalities and Powers, leaving her dead: and this is the Day of the Lord upon all things, to bring to nought the things that are, and establish what is not.

SECT. V. The stay and the staff of the Creature [§. 5] broken, but the stay and the staff of the Lord himself re∣mains for ever.

ANd this is not all, but the stay and the staff shall be taken away, the staff of bread, and the stay of water: This is the vanity of the Creature, that shall be removed and broken in pieces, what∣soever is a stay or staff besides the

Lord, be it meats or drinks you make so, your Judges or Prophets you make so, your mighty men of War, or your honorable House of Commons, I will then break them, and turn them all to nothing; your Princes then shall be children, so your ancient men fools, your strength rottenness, your gods, idols, I will corrupt them all, and these shall not rule over you: Nay, if you make any your stay or staff besides me, saith the Lord, I will take the life away, and the comfort away; I will take your clothing and glory, so that none shall rule, saying, they have nei∣ther clothing, bread nor water, and they cannot rule over the ruines of the peo∣ple, but the Lord alone shall thus raign and rule over in glory; they shall be ruined and fall, and then I shall stand alone, and be stay and staff; thus woe shall be to the wicked, the reward of their hands given them, but well to the righteous, that have me for stay and staff, the fruits of their hands shall be given them; and thus the Lord shall

enter into Judgment with the oppres∣sor, and violent man, the ancient and the honorable, the proud and the base, and stain all their glory, smite it with a scab, even the crown and head of it, to the feet also; and where the sweet smell was, shall be a stink, for a girdle, a rent, for hair dressed, baldness, for a stomacher, a girding with sack-cloth, and burning, instead of beauty; all these mighty things shall be, and fall by my Sword, the Spirit, and lament, and be left destitute; this is the De∣cree of the Lord God.

SECT. VI. [§. 6] The beautiful Branch of the Spirit of the Lord, and all the fruits thereof holy.

IN that day, further, we shall all that know the Lord, whether weak or strong, take hold of one man, which is Christ the Lord, and the seven women shall be married to him; this is the male and female, bond and free, made one in Christ; this is surely the uni∣ty

of the Spirit in the bond of peace; and then all reproach shall be taken a∣way, and we shall eat every one his own bread, and wear his own apparel, and this one bread shall be the bread of Life, and this one apparel the Robes of Christ himself; and now shall the Branch of the Lord, the Spirit of Grace, budding like Aarons Rod, be glorious and beautiful, and the fruits of the earth excellent and comely, and that amongst them that are escaped of Israel; the outcasts shall be received in, and they that are dead shall live, and every one that liveth then shall be called holy, no other life, but that written amongst the living; and then the Lord shall wash away both filthi∣ness of flesh, and blood, and spirit also, by the Spirit of Judgment and burn∣ing; & the Lord wil create upon every dwelling place of his Tabernacles and Assemblies, clouds by day, and a pillar of fire by night; for upon all their glo∣ry shall be a defence to keep from rain, and storm, and heat, that nothing shall hurt.

SECT. VII. [§. 7] The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts, and the men of Judah.

AGain, The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts declared in a parable; and that in a Song of the Lords Be∣loved: The Lord hath a Vineyard planted on a fruitful hill, hedged, fen∣ced, gathered from stones, and planted with Vines, dressed, digged, and a wine∣press digged therein, and a tower build thereon, looking for fruits, and it brought forth wilde fruits. Judg now between me and my Vineyard; I will tell you what I will do with it, I will take away all from it, leaving it naked, and depart from it, and then it shall be full of bryars and brambles. What is all this but the good work of the Lord upon his; We are his Vine∣yard, the Lord God is the Husband∣man, Christ the Vine, We the Bran∣ches, the Spirit the Fruits, the Lords Grace the fruitful Hill, the Lords Peace the Hedg and Wall, the Lords

Power the Tower, Righteousness his Vine, Love his Winepress; and this is watched and watered from Heaven, and gives always increase, abounding with fruits to the Lord. But as for the flesh and earthly man, the corrupt nature, formerly the Lords Vineyard, when he leaves it, O what is it? Nay, the very best of us, if the Lord absent himself, take away the hedg, wall, vine, winepress, then what a miserable thing is man? then he minds nothing but earthly things; woe unto him when I leave him: Woe to him that joyns house to house, then th••t is his treasure, making provisions for the flesh▪ that is his feasts; but hell and darkness opens her mouth wide, and is enlarged her self, and all their pomps and glory de∣scend thither.

SECT. VIII. [§. 8] The second Vision of the Throne, and of the Temple, and him that sits there.

A Second Vision from the Lord: There was a mighty high

Throne, and it was lifted up glorious∣ly, and the Lord sate upon the Throne, high and lifted up; and there was a Temple also, the Throne was in the Temple where the Lord sate, and the Lords train filled the Temple also full of Glory, and above the Throne and about it stood the Seraphims, and eve∣ry one had six wings, with two he co∣vered his face, with two his feet, and with other two he did fly, and as they fled they cryed one to another, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory: And more∣over, the voyce that cryed was so great, that it shook and moved the posts of the door of the Temple, and the house was filled with smoak, and it shook and terrified the Prophet also, that he cryed out, I am undone, I am undone, I am unclean all over; and as I cried thus, I am undone, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts, that then the Lord of Hosts sent a Seraphim to me, that came flying with a live coal, taken from off the Altar, with the tongs in

his hand, and he came and laid it upon my mouth, and took away with it my iniquity, purging away sin, and clean∣sing my lips; then saying to me, Who will go for us? whom shall I send? And I said, here am I Lord, send me; and the Lord said, Go and shew this people what thou hast seen, make their hearts fat, and ears heavy, and shut their eyes, for they understand not; and do, so long, till the Land be utterly desolate; for a remnant only shall be left like an oak, whose leaves are dryed up, and the substance in the root, so shall the holy seed be the sub∣stance thereof.

SECT. IX. [§. 9] The Lord ruling in the midst of his people, judging all within and without in Righteousness.

NOw what is all this that the Vision means, but the Lord God coming to Judgment, and sitting upon the Throne of Righteousness, which is high and lifted up, to rule the

Nations, and judg the Earth in Righte∣ousness; and inasmuch as the Throne was lifted up in the Temple, which Temple are we in the Lord, there God hath his Throne in the midst amongst us, and none other, and from thence he will send forth Justice and Judgment, that shall run along the streets of the Cities and Countries, but there shall his Throne be; and what are the Se∣raphims but the ministring spirits from the Lord, praising the Lord, and fulfilling his Word, crying, Holy, holy, holy continually? and what is the train that fills the Temple, are not we in the Lord, or are not all his Excellen∣cies▪ Grace, Power, Wisdom, Truth, Mercy, Love, Peace, are they not his train that fills the Temple of the Saints? All his Attributes, Blessings, Comforts, Gifts, Graces are his train, and to the filling of the Temple, and from thence he sends whom he will from the Temple where he is, into the Land, to convince them of sin, righte∣ousness and judgment, &c.

SECT. X. [§. 10] Rezin and Remaliah's sons confederacy, their tails and evil counsel like fire-brands.

THis is is a Prophesie now of Re∣zin the Syrian King, and Remali∣ahs son the Ephraimite, being Confe∣derates, and taking evil counsel against the Lord, and his people in Jerusalem, saying, Let's go up and vex it, make a breach in it, and set a King over it of our own, or else destroy it. This news made the house of David, Judah & Je∣rusalem faint for fear, like the trees mo∣ved with the wind, because of the tails of these two fire-brands raging against them; but the Lord sends the Prophet with a message to comfort them, and not to fear, for he will break & destroy them both, their evil councel shall not stand nor prosper; and the Lord sent them a sign also, either in heaven or earth, which they refusing, the Lord himself gave them a sign, saying, Be∣hold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bring

forth a Son, & shall call his name Emma∣nuel; and then the Land and the enemy that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her Kings; if thou believest this, thou shalt be established; and wea∣ry not the Lord, as ye have wearied men. This is the will of the Lord, that though the heathen rage, and the peo∣ple imagine a vain thing, and the Kings and the Princes take counsel to∣gether against the Lord, and his anoint∣ed, Judah and Jerusalem, the house of David, the Lords heritage and people; yea, though all the enemies of our sal∣vation, and all the host that flesh and blood can make against us, should compass us round about, yet the coun∣sel of the Lord that shall stand, and he will comfort his people, and say un∣to them, their sins are forgiven, and their warfare accomplished, and they shall receive double for all their mise∣ries, and this shall be their sign; the Virgin conceiving, and Christs form∣ing in them shall be the Emmanuel God with them, to deliver them out

of all the hands of their enemies, and establish them a glory to the Lord.

SECT. XI. [§. 11] The waters of Shiloah, or the soft and still voyce condemned by most, and Rezin followed; the Law and Testi∣mony where to be found.

THe people that refuse the waters of Shiloah, that go softly, and re∣joyce in Rezin, and Remaliahs son; the Lord shall hiss for the Fly that is in the river of Egypt, and for the Bee in the Land of Assyria, and they shall devour thy Land, and the mighty ri∣ver shall overflow thee, and reach even to the neck, and the lifting up of his wings shall fill thy Land, O Emmanu∣el; yet Emmanuel shall break you all in pieces: though you associate, con∣federate and band your selves never so much, yet the Lord God himself, whom they sanctifie, and who is their dread, shall be their Sanctuary to them, but for a stumbling, for a rock of offence,

a snare, a gin to others, here they shall fall, be broken and taken; but the stone which the builders rejected, is become the head of the corner, and it's the Lords doing; and the Law and the Testimony shall be bound and sealed in my Disciples, and they shall go no more to them that have familiar spi∣rits to be taught, but shall be taught of God, not of the dead, but of the living, and they shall go to this Law of Life in them, and speak according to that Light of the Lord that shines in them.

SECT. XII. [§. 12] The joy of the Lord, and the people that sate in darkness, and see light, and are go∣verned by the Lord himself.

THe people that sit in darkness shall see great light, and those that walk in the region and shadow of death, light shall spring up there, and thou shalt multiply their joy as the joy of harvest, and as them that divide the spoil; this shall be the Light of the Lord shining in them, their joy, and

the Lord shall break the yoke and bur∣den of the hands and traditions of men; nay, their bonds and bondage, the staff, and the rod of the oppressor, and this shall be with burning and with fuel of fire, by my Spirit, faith the Lord; For unto them is born a Gover∣nor, the wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Government is upon his shoulders, and of the increase of it there is no end, it shall be established in Justice and Judgment: Rejoyce therefore, O Zion, thy God raigneth; and instead of the bricks that shall be thrown down, and the Sycomores, we shall have hewen stones, and Cedars instead of earth, and fleshly things spiritual, in the room of all the Land; this Go∣vernment of the Lords Spirit shall throw down all other, and endure for ever, and the Lord shall joy in nothing but this Government; for the wrath of the Lord shall darken the land, and burn the thorns and bryars; and eat the flesh of their own arm, every one pull∣ing

out his eye, and cutting off his hand, casting them from him as unpro∣fitable members; and all manner of divisions shall then be reconciled, the Lords anger turned away: When this Government is established, then neither shall Manasseh vex Ephraim, nor Ephraim, Manasseh; nor both a∣gainst Judah; brother shall not con∣demn, nor cast out, or betray brother; but they shall have the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

SECT. XIII. [§. 13] The proud Assyrian is brought low, and Israel to be exalted.

THe unrighteous Decrees of men, that turn aside the needy from judgment, and the poor, to take away their right, robbing the fatherless, and making a prey of the widow; but the day of visitation shall take them all a∣way, and leave them without help or glory; the tyrant shall cease from any oppressing: And the Assyrian, the rod of anger, with his pride, that rules

in fleshly power and glory, lifting up it self above all, when I have done my work with him, I shall make him to cease, and pull down his stout heart, that boasts of his Princes and his idols, as if they made him to prosper, and he knoweth not me, saith the Lord: Thus the Ax, Saw, Rod, Staff, boast∣eth, and lifteth it self against him that made and rules it, and can take it and burn it; but the Lord will send a lean∣ness upon them and their proud flesh, and the light of Israel shall be as a fire, and the Holiness of Judah like a flame, and it shall devour the thorns, and con∣sume his glory & his fruitful fields, and all his idols, but Israel shall turn to the mighty God, and stay▪ her self in him, for a remnant shall be saved; And as for the Assyrian, all his yokes shall be broken off thy neck, because of the anointing of the Lord thy God upon thee.

SECT. XIV. The peaceable and righteous Kingdom of the [§. 14] Branch, and the great encrease thereof, from the four corners of the earth.

THe branch of the Lord (Christ Jesus) shall grow out of thy roots, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon thee, in wisdom, under∣standing, counsel, might, and of the fear of the Lord; and it shall make thee of quick understanding, in the fear of the Lord, and not to judg after the sight of the eyes, or reprove after the hearing of the ears, but in spirit and truth shall he judg and reprove all things, and smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked; and righteousness and faithfulness shall be our girdle of loyns and reins: then and thus shall the Wolf and the Lamb, the Leopard and the Kid, the Cow and the Bear, and their young, all lie down together, and feed toge∣ther;

the Lion eat straw like an Ox, and a young childe shall play on the hole of the Asp, and a weaned childe put his hand on the Cockatrices egg; for there shal be no poyson nor hurt in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord; for the earth shall be full of the know∣ledg of the Lord God: and to the en∣signe upon this mountain shall the people seek for rest, which shall be glorious: and from the four corners of the earth the Lord will gather them in, even the outcasts of Israel: All envy and adversaries shall depart, enmity, and all, between Ephraim and Judah, brother and brother; we shall flee upon the shoulders of the Phili∣stins: Edom, and Moab, and Ammon shall obey us, and joyn hands and hearts together; and the tongue of the Egyptian sea shall be utterly destroy∣ed, and her mighty rivers dryed; they shall be no more a let to my people. Here is much glory indeed, both a restoration, reconciliation, and ga∣thering all into one head, the Lord:

Then old things shall pass away, and all things become new indeed.

SECT. XV. The day of the Branch brings joy and [§. 15] thankefulness.

ANd in that day, the Branch be∣ing grown up, all boughes and branches shall be cut down, and spred under his feet, in the way, in joy and thanksgiving, and the babes and suck∣lings shall say, Blessed is he that cometh, Hosanna, Hosanna, to the highest: Thy anger is turned away, and thou com∣fortest us; behold thou art our salva∣tion, strength and song; therefore re∣joyce, and draw water of his wells of salvation; Sing unto the Lord, for he doth excellent things; and this shall be known to all the earth, and great is the Lord in the midst of thee.

SECT. XVI. [§. 16] The destruction of Babylon in us, the glory of the earth.

BAbylons destruction, the Lord musters the Army, they are sancti∣fied ones, and the onely mighty men, such as rejoyce in his highness, and these shall destroy and overcome her, such as were tormented by her, and pangs shall take hold of her, and the sinners destroyed out of her; her Stars shall fall, her Sun shall be darkened, and her Moon turned to blood; yea, thy heaven shall be shaken and the earth removed out of its place, yea, thy children dashed in peeces, thy young men thrust thorrow, houses spoiled, women ravished, and a man shall be as precious as gold, yea as fine as the gold of Ophir: And this Babylon, the glory of the whole earth, and all flesh comprehended in it, shall be overthrown, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

SECT. XVII. [§. 17] Israel ruling over her oppressors.

BUt my people Israel shall rule over their oppressors, they shall be their servants in the Lords land, and their captives: Babylon is fallen, is fallen; the Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of rulers: He that smote, is broken, and none deli∣vereth her; The whole earth is at rest and quiet, they break forth into sing∣ing; now Babylon is fallen, Hell is moved for thee, saying, Art thou come to the dead? Earth is troubled, for that is thy pomp; in the grave the worms spread over thee and cover thee; this is Lucifer fallen from hea∣ven, the man of sin, or the mystery of iniquity working in us, setting up it self as God, till the power of the Lord thus overthrows it, as Sodom, though an Eden to flesh.

SECT. XVIII. Moabs destruction also. [§. 18]

MOab layd waste and brought to silence, weeping and baldness, with sackcloth; their waters desolate, hay withe••ed, grass fading, and no green thing found therein; there is no cry, but destruction. Moab shall be as a wandring bird cast out of her nest, now the Lord shall inherit all things, and the foxes no where to lay their heads; thy harvest, vineyards and wine∣press ceaseth: all their mirth, howl∣ings, her glory contemptible; but she shall be weary of her pride, and high places or idols, and come to the sanctuary to prevail.

SECT. XIX. Fat things made lean, and high things low. [§. 19]

THe farness of Damascus, Syria, and all flesh, made lean and feeble; ready to dye, its made so thin and small; great things made low, and small ones, great: Then, when all flesh

thus ceaseth, a man shall have his eyes to his Maker, and not to the Altar, Groves, or Images, the works of our hands, thus the Lord will turn them. Woe to the multude of many people, that make a noise like the sea, and do rage, the Lord will still and quiet them: And blessed shall the poor, peeled, scattered people be, that shall bring a present to the Lord, whose Land hath been spoiled, and they meted out and troden under foot; they shall be raised up, saith the Lord.

SECT. XX. [§. 20] Egypt, Assyria, and Israel shall be made one by the Lords blessing.

EGypt melted and her idols at the presence of the Lord; for he is riding on a swift cloud into Egypt, and will set Egyptian against Egyptian, Brother against Brother, City against City, and Kingdom against Kingdom; and their familiar spirits and counsel shall fall, their brooks be dried up, their sisters lament, and they that work curi∣ous

works: Pharaohs wise counsellers bruitish, they know not the Lords purpose of Egypt; and the land of the Lord, Judah, shall be a terror to Egypt, and the counsel of the Lord therein torment her; yet the Lord shall prevail over five of her Cities, to turn to the Lord, and shall speak Canaans language, and there shall be the Lords Altar therein, and his Pillar, to be for a witness to the Lord, to save them from all oppressors; and the Lord shall be known in Egypt; the Lord will smite and heal them: and Assyria shall be as Egypt, both one; and Isr••el shall be the third with E∣gypt and Assyria, and a blessing to them both; And then the Lord shall say, Blessed be Egypt my son, or people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

SECT. XXI. [§. 21] The whole Earth dissolving and burning.

BEhold the Lord maketh the earth empty and waste, he turns it up∣side down, and scatters the inhabitants thereof; he spares none, Priest or People, servant or lord, poor or great; Thus the world languishes, and the haughty people fade away: the earth is broken down, dissolved, and moved ex∣ceedingly, yea, the whole earth reels to and fro like a drunken man; and the high ones, and Kings of the earth shall perish; they shall be gathered to the pit like prisoners; their Moon shall be confounded, their Sun asha∣med, when they shall see the Lord reigning in Mount Sion and Jerusalem before his ancients gloriously.

SECT. XXII. [§. 22] The feast of fat things.

PRaise the Lord for his wonderful things, faithfulness and truth, his counsells; for making the strong weak,

and being a strength to the poor and needy, a refuge, and a shadow from heat and storm; and in the Lords Mountain, his people, he will make a feast of fat things unto all people, of wine and marrow, and fat things full of joy, but the covering, the vail; yea, death, and all tears, and the reproach of my people shall be destroyed; this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad in him, and rejoyce in his salvation.

SECT. XXIII. The strong City, whose Wall and Bulwarks [§. 23] are Salvation.

IN that day this Song shall be sung, We have a strong City, Salvation will God appoint for Walls and Bul∣warks, the Gates open for the righte∣ous Nation to enter in, and perfect peace shall be therein, for they trust in thee; in Jehovah, God, is everlasting strength: thou weighest the path of the upright; in the way of thy judg∣ments have we waited on thee: for

when thy judgments are in the earth, they will learn righteousness; let fa∣vor be shewed to the wicked, yet they will not learn; thy hand is lifted up, but they will not see, but they shall see; and thou shalt ordain peace for us, for thou hast wrought all our works for us: we have been in travel before thee, Lord we have brought forth little but wind; but if thou sayst the word, that our dead men shall live, and with thy dead body shall arise: Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of the herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead▪ Come, my people, enter thou into thy chamber, and shut thy door for a little moment, until the indignati∣on be overpast.

SECT. XXIV. The Leviathan slain. [§. 24]

THe Leviathan, and the Dragon in the Sea, and the piercing Serpent, shall the Lord slay; and my vineyard of red wine I the Lord will keep and water every moment, night and day:

Israel shall blossom like a bud, and fill the earth with fruit; and they that are ready to perish in Assy••ia, and the outcasts of Israel, shall come to wor∣ship the Lord in mount Zion.

SECT. XXV. [§. 25] Against pride and drunkenness.

THe crown of pride, the drunk∣ards of Ephraim shall be troden under foot, and the Lord shall be their Crown of Glory and Beauty, being filled with the Spirit; yet many have erred in vision, and stumble in vision through strong drink. Whom shall the Lord teach knowledg? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the brests: For with another tongue will he speak to this people; and this shall be the Rest to them that be weary, & till then the Word of the Lord shall be precept on precept, line by line, here and there a little; lyes and falshood shall be no more a re∣fuge. I will lay a foundation in Zion, a sure, tryed One, and he that believeth shall not make haste.

SECT. XXVI. [§. 26] The wise and the fool both alike in the sealed book, till the Lord open it.

I Will fight against Ariel, and speak to her from the dust; & all the earth that fight against Zion my Mountain, I will fight against them, and they shall be as men dreaming, they eat and drink, and are satisfied; but behold, when they do awake they shall be hun∣gry and thirsty; so shall the imagina∣tions or dreams against thee be: And the Lord saith, Forasmuch as this peo∣ple honors me with their lips, and their hearts are from me; they are drunk, but not with wine, but a deep sleep hath seized on them, like a sealed book all things are to them, that the learned is as the unlearned, and the unlearned as the learned, neither understand me, knowing only the doctrine of men: and I will do this wonder amongst them, for the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent hid: But the deaf shall hear,

and the words of my Book shall be re∣vealed to the blind; the meek increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor a∣mongst men rejoyce in the riches of the holy One of Israel; they also that erred in spirit, shall come to under∣standing, and they that murmured, shall learn doctrine; this Wisdom of the Word becomes foolishness, and the foolishness of the Lord true Know∣ledg and Wisdom indeed.

SECT. XXVII. [§. 27] The Counsel that is not of God perishes.

WOe to the Counsel that is not of me, and from my Spirit or Mouth; wherefore all things shall be your shame, and without profit, all help else is in vain, write it in a table book thus, which say to the Seers, See not, teach smooth things, go out of the way, cause the holy One of Israel to cease before us. And as for quietness and rest in the Lord alone, you would not; yet the Lord shall wait for thee,

and thou shalt have aword behind thee, teaching thee when to turn to the right & the left, and the Lord shall give thee rivers on the top of the mountains, and knowledg shall increase: when the Lord healeth the breach of his people, the light of Moon like the Sun, and the Sun seven-fold brighter; then shall the perfect day be, and that shall cause his voyce to be heard.

SECT. XXVIII. [§. 28] Nothing below God any thing.

WOe to them that go down∣wards for help, looking to any thing below God, for their men and means, and not God; when the Lord stretcheth his hand, both he that is helped, and that helpeth, shall fall down, and they shall all fall down to∣gether, teacher and hearer without him. The Lord like a Lyon shall keep Zion his prey, and like a bird fly to their defence; and all the earth shall be afraid of the Lord, and run to their strong holds, for the Lord hath his fire

in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem, saith the Lord.

SECT. XXIX. [§. 29] Righteousness and Judgment King and Prince.

BEhold, Righteousness thy King, and Judgment thy Princes; as ri∣vers of waters, as a rock in a weary land, so is thy Lords Grace to thee; no dimness, nor dullness, nor villany, but Righteousness abounding; be∣hold, the palaces shall be forsaken, the Cities left, the forts and towers, dens; until the Spirit be poured out from on high, then Judgment shall be in the Wilderness, and Righteousness the Field; and peace, and quietness, and as∣surance the fruits thereof for ever.

SECT. XXX. [§. 30] Who shall abide the everlasting burning, and not be consumed therein.

THe spoiler spoiled by the Lord, for he is exalted, he filleth us his Zion with Judgment and Righteous∣ness, Wisdom and Knowledg; the

stability of of thy times, and strength of salvation, and the fear of the Lord thy treasure. Now will I arise, saith the Lord, be exalted, and lift up my self. Ye shall conceive chaff, and bring forth stubble, my breath as fire shall devour you, and you shall be as the burning of lime, as thorns cut down, so burnt in the fire. Hear ye both far and neer, acknowledg my might; the sinners a∣fraid, the hypocrites trembled for fear of the devouring fire, and the everlast∣ing burning; but he that walketh up∣rightly, and speaketh righteously; he that is against the gain of oppression, that shaketh his hands against bribes, that stops his ears from blood, and his eyes from evil, he shall dwell in the midst of the fire, as Moses bush, and the three children, and not be consu∣med; he shall dwell on high, his de∣fence the munition of rocks, he shall have all bread, his waters sure, his King beautiful, and before him, and see things afar off: Look upon Zion and Jerusalem, our solemnities, and our

quiet habitation, a Tabernacle, not to be removed, not a stake ever to be re∣moved, she is so rooted and stablished in the rock, not a coard broken, but there the righteous Lord shall be to us abroad river; for the Lord is our Judg, Law-giver, King and Saviour, and the people dwelling therein shall be for∣given their iniquity, they shall not be sick; praise the Lord.

SECT. XXXI. [§. 31] The wrath of the Lord revealed against earth and heaven.

HErein is revealed the indignati∣on of the Lord against all un∣righteousness of men, which hold the truth in unrighteousness, bringing them all to the fiery Vengeance. First, Let the Nations and people, the earth, yea the whole world, and all therein, draw near, hear and hearken what God will do with them and the world, That he will pour out his wrath and fury upon all the earth, it shall be dis∣solved and delivered up to the slaugh∣ter,

cast out, and left as stinking carcas∣ses, melted into blood; nay, his wrath is revealed against Heaven also, they that boast themselves they are gods, having heaven in the flesh, a car∣nal heaven▪ onely in shew and appear∣ance, not in heart, it shall be bathed against the whole hoste of them, and they shall all, in heaven and earth, be sacrificed to the slaughter, for it is the day of the Lords vengeance and recompence upon them, for their en∣mity to Sion; and their streams shall be pitch, their dust brimstone, and the Land a burning, tormenting all them that live in the earth; and it shall not be quenched, till all be finished in that day.

SECT. XXXII. [§. 32] What strange things the Lord doth amongst us by his Spirit.

THe Lord will make your wil∣derness to rejoyce, and the desart soul to blossom like a rose abundantly, and he that is as a wilderness to re∣joyce

and sing; the weak strengthen∣ed, and the feeble confirmed; the fear∣ful in spirit encouraged, the blinde eyes opened, the deaf ears unstopped, the hard heart mollified, the lame to walk and leap, the dumb to sing, the parched land a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; Here among these shall the Lord prepare a way, it shall be called, The way of holiness; no Lion shall be there, nor any such beast, but the Lambs of the Lord shall walk therein.

SECT. XXXIII. Sennacheribs and Rabshakehs blasphemies [§. 33] against the servants of the Lord, in whom they are comforted.

SEnnacherib comes with an Army against Jerusalem, to besiege and take it; Rabshakeh sent to summon it, with fair promises, to enjoy every one his own, and to be brought to as good a land as their own, and not to trust in Hezekiah, nor his confidence, or vain

words; nor in Egypt, a broken reed, nor in the Lord, for there is no God that can deliver you or your land out of our hands, or our King, the great King of Assyria; for neither Samaria, nor her gods, nor any other god was able to deliver them out of his hand; and if they did refuse and rebel, they should eat their own dung and drink their own piss, and be after∣wards destroyed with the sword; for thus saith the great King. Now all this is true in the application of it to our selves, The world and the flesh, or the evil spirit in both, Rabshakeh like, reviles and speaks evil against the Lord, tempting and summoning us, bringing an army of evil and strong delusions to ensnare us, promising, if we will yeeld up all, soul and body, and all, that God hath given us, to him, falling down and worshipping him, we shall have all glory, and be like gods; and withal telling us many lies, that God does not, nor can deliver us; he sees not, neither cares for us,

saying, God hath not said it; and as for Hezekiah, beleeve him not, nor stay your selves in the Lord, for I am the God of this world, and give honor and glory, and riches to them; I will be, I am exalted on high in these King∣doms; All bow down to me, and serve me; and they that serve me, the god of this world, I preserve them; and if not, I persecute, hate, destroy, kill, murther, and torment: Woe un∣to them, if I am set against them: This is the railing R••••shakeh contend∣ing for the poor creature, and rending it; but the servant of the Lord is si∣lent, and mourns, waiting patiently on the Lord in all things, and com∣mits it self wholy to him against all temptations and blasphemies.

SECT. XXXIV. How the Spirit of the Lord, given to his, [§. 34] doth overcome all the evil and blasphemies of the devil, and is stronger then he or his.

YEt further, when the evil spirit that dwells in us, or sent to us from the powers of darkness, shall grieve the Spirit of the Lord in his Hezekiahs, or servants, by high ima∣ginations or abominable blasphemies against the holy Spirit of the Lord in his, lifting up it self against the Lord, then a greater power of the Spirit of the Lord comes upon us, and his Word strengthens us, saying, Grieve not, nor be troubled at the blasphemies of Sen∣nacharib and Rabshakeh, those spirits of Satan; for I will be with thee, and I will let all the Nations of the earth see, that I am the Lord God, and there is none besides me; and that you are my people, preserved by my power: I will put a bridle in his mouth, and my

hook in his nose, and overcome him; and fall backwards, and perish in his own land; and the Angel of my pre∣sence shall fall upon his hoste, with the breath of my mouth, and slay them all, you shall finde in the morning nothing but carcasses; this shall they have that rage against the Lord and his Spirit; above a hundred thousand, nay, almost two hundred thousand, slain in the field, but a remnant of the Lord shall take root downwards now, and bear fruit upwards mani∣fold, and rejoyce in the Lord of the whole earth. And again, we see, that though an evil spirit of wickedness or blasphemy, like the beast in the Revelation, may for a while triumph over all, and speak great words, and do mighty things, yet the Spirit of Truth and Glory consumes it all at last.

SECT. XXXV. [§. 35] How the Lord makes sick and well, kills and saves; and he is glorified in all he doth.

THis shews how those whom the Lord loves fall sick through boyls and distempers of flesh, the corrupt nature is sickly and perishes, and how it all turns to the glorifying of God, and the good of the soul, as in the 11. of John, saith Christ of Lazarus, this sickness is not for his death, but for the death of sin in the flesh, and for his life; for the Son of God in him shall be glorified by it, and it was so: And even so here, Hezekiahs life is re∣newed, he dyes after the flesh, to this life and state, and lives to God after the Spirit; dyes to himself to live to God, as he saith, now shall I live to praise thee: Thus the Lord makes us sick and well, dead and alive, wounds and heals, takes and gives, after his good pleasure, sets all in order, the fire, the faggot, the sacrifice, the knife,

and all the whole sacrifice; the whole man, with his whole house; and it is not to kill the Lamb, but the Ram; not the Sinner, but the Sin: and the Lord healed him, and defended his City, all his with him, house and all, prolonging their lives, giving them a long life, even for ever and ever, and a signe, The Sun returning, or going backwards ten degrees, which shewed the return and fall of his enemies, or the forgiveness of sins, and the restaura∣tion of souls.

SECT. XXXVI. Babylons letters and presents to betray us [§. 36] and our treasures into his own Land.

LEtters and Presents from Babylon, and her King Baladan, upon Heze∣kiahs recovering, hearing of it, pre∣tends joy for it: Thus the Flesh lies in wait for the Spirit; Antichrist for Christ and the Christian: if we re∣cover from falling on the left hand, we are presently tempted to fall and err

on the right hand, Here the Devil is transforming himself into an Angel of light, and deceives and betrays us base∣ly, pretending to be outwardly for us, giving us his letters and presents, and is inwardly against us; so creeps in unawares, and like a serpent, subtilly gains upon us, undermines us, findes and feels our strength, and eats and drinks with us, and is received into our heart and treasure, we being all opened to him, nothing in us but made known, and yet really know not whence he comes, a stranger from a far Country to see us, and rejoyce with us, but not out of love, but envy, like them in Pauls days that preached Christ out of envy: But the Lord re∣members us, and findes out all our e∣nemies for us, and smites us when we do amiss; so that as Hezekiah receiv∣ed these messengers and presents, and withal shewed his treasures and glory in house and kingdom to them that would, carrying it all away one day; and take them captive, so it is

with many taken away by sor∣ceries.

SECT. XXXVII. [§. 37] The Comfort that the Lord comforts his people withal, as the fruits of his coming.

THe Lord comforteth his people with these things:

1. That their warfare is shortly ac∣complished.

2. Their sins pardoned.

3. The way of the Lord to be pre∣pared in them, the mountains there to be removed, and the valleys lifted up there, which is the poor in spirit to be comforted, the rough ways made plain, and the crooked thoughts made streight.

4. Their flesh to be made like grass and toyling; so that all flesh is grass.

5. That the glory of the Lord is to be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the Lord hath spoken it.

6. That Zion shall have all glad ti∣dings in her; that she shall cry, behold my Lord and my God; for he shall come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: Behold his reward is with him, and his work before him.

7. The Lord himself shall feed us as a shepherd doth his flock; he shall gather his lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, leading them that are with young.

8. Holding the waters in his hand, spanning the heavens, comprehending the earth, weighing the mountains; To whom the Nations are a drop, and the Isles a little thing; calling the stars by his names. To whom then will ye liken me, saith the Lord, the ever∣lasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, that never faints nor is weary, whose understanding is un∣searchable, that gives strength, life, and being, to all things, and to them that wait upon the Lord, he renews their strength, that they mount up

with wings like Eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; walk, and not faint.

SECT. XXXVIII. [§. 38] The Worm Jacob made strong.

FEar not, thou Worm, Jacob, for I will help thee, and be thy Re∣deemer; I have chosen thee, thou art my Servant, and I will not cast thee a∣way, but will uphold thee with the right hand of my Righteousness: I will plant thee anew, and none shall root thee up, and every plant or idol that is in you, shall become an abomi∣nation to you; yea, and the works of your own hands vanity and nothing, and ye shall rejoyce in the Lord, and all that strive with you shall perish.

SECT. XXXIX. [§. 39] What the Lord doth for his Servants.

BEhold my Servants whom I have chosen, mine Elect in whom my Soul delighteth; I have put my Spi∣rit upon them, and they shall bring

forth Judgment to the Gentiles: They are mine, and not their own; mine, and not mens; for no man can serve two Masters: Behold, they are excel∣lent Servants, whose service is perfect Freedom indeed and pleasure; all his Words and Works, Joy, Peace and Righteousness for ever. Again, they are Servants of my own choosing, cal∣ling, fitting, trained up by my self in my own house, to serve me in Righte∣ousness and Holiness before me. And in whom my Soul delighteth: Whom the Lord chooses, he delights in them, though they be but Servants, the un∣worthiest of them; nay, and that with his Soul, delighting himself in the prosperity of his Servants; and whom he delights in, he puts his Spirit upon them, he can keep no good things from them, yea, all is theirs, Heaven and Earth, Christ, the Spirit, God, and All. And lastly, they shall by this Spirit overcome all things, and bring forth Judgment unto Victory indeed.

SECT. XL. [§. 40] The sweetness and love of the Spirit of Christ in his.

HE shall not cry, nor lift up his voyce, nor be heard in the streets; a brui∣sed reed he shall not break, nor quench the smoaking flax, till he bring forth Judgment unto Victory; he shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he hath set up Judgment in the Earth, and the Isles shall wait for his Law. Thus shall it be with the Children of Jesus, in whom Christ is formed; the Spirit of Jesus is Love, Meekness, Sweetness, Pati∣ence; it seeks not revenge, but in all things behaves it self comely in the streets abroad, towards them without, and at home towards them within; it will offend none, but help all.

SECT. XLI. [§. 41] The smoaking flax, and the bruised reed in us, the little measure of the Spirit.

THe smoaking flax, &c. The low∣est and darkest appearance of him is glorious; he comes to his own, and receives it, if but a smoak, he makes it a flame, and such as sit in darkness, he makes them to see light, and where there is smoak, and trouble of heart, he takes away the dimness, and makes the smoak to vanish, and the fire of the Lords Spirit must burn us as flax and tow, decay to nothing be∣fore we shall be good for any thing. And the bruised reed also the Lord will not break, he doth cherish and nourish it, as the husband doth his wife; the Lord rather doth bind up the reed then bruise it, and makes the reed become a rod of iron, to break in pieces the Nations, the Potters vessels, the fleshly man; for the Lord can do nothing against himself.

SECT. XLII. [§. 42] Flesh is deaf and blind, the Lord seeing all things.

ANd the Lord will give himself for righteousness, strength and light to the people, eyes to the blind, free∣dom to the prisoners: I will no more give my glory to another; I will make waste their mountains and hills, dry up all their herbs, and dry up all their pools, and then will I bring the blind by a way they know not; I will make darkness light before them, and crook∣ed things straight; all flesh shall be deaf and blind, and then shall they see; even my Servant, and my Messenger shall be blind, that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord.

SECT. XLIII. [§. 43] The blind and the deaf shall be Gods Witnesses.

BRing forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears, for they are my Witnesses and

my Servants whom I have chosen, saith the Lord. For they beleeve, un∣derstand and know that I am he, and there is none besides me. O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, and called thee by my name, thou art mine: Where∣soever thou goest, I am with thee, through waters, rivers, fire, and all; for thou art precious in my sight, and ho∣norable; therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life. Behold, I will do a strange thing, I will dry up all rivers, and make a new river in the Wilderness, and the Beast and the Dragon therein shall honor me for it, and drink thereof, and change their natures.

SECT. XLIV. I the Lord do all things. [§. 44]

I Am the Lord, and there is none else; I the Lord do all things, I make the Heavens to drop down from above, and let the Sky pour down Righteousness, and the Earth open, and let them bring forth Salvation, and let Righte∣ousness

spring forth together; I, the Lord, have created it, and will have it so: I have raised thee up in Righte∣ousness, and thou shalt built up my City, not for silver nor reward, but for my name sake; yea, all shall bow down to thee, and make supplication to thee, saying, surely God is with thee, and in thee, and there is none else; the idols shall make you ashamed, but I will save you world without end. Look unto me, and be ye saved, for there is none besides me, in me you shall be justified, and shall glory.

SECT. XLV. [§. 45] God not like the golden idols.

TO whom will you liken me, saith the Lord? to your dumb, dead idols, that cannot stir, overlaid with gold, yet without life, whereas there is no God besides me? I will bring near my Righteousness, and my Salvation shall not tarry, and I will place my Salvation in Zion for Israel my Glory.

SECT. XLVI. The shame and the nakedness of Babylon. [§. 46]

O Virgin, daughter of Babylon, come, and sit on the ground, for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate, thy nakedness and shame shall be seen; get thee into darkness, thou art no more a Lady of Kingdoms, thou shalt have no more pleasure, in a moment childless, and a widow, for thy sorceries and inchantments, trust∣ing in thy wickedness, saying, Thou art, and there is none besides thee; wherefore a mischief and a desolation shall come on thee suddenly, and thou shalt not know it; let all thy Confi∣dence or Counsellers stand up and save thee from the evil to come on thee; thou shalt be as stubble, the fire shall burn them; and thus the whole glory of flesh is destroyed.

SECT. XLVII. [§. 47] I have shewed thee what thy Idols could not.

I Have shewed thee new and hidden things, what is, and hath come to pass, and what shall be, and none of thy idols could do it, then did I tell it thee, yet is thy neck stiff, and thy brow hard: I, even I, have spoken it from the beginning, and if thou hadst heark∣ened to my Commandments, then had thy peace been as rivers; and thy righ∣teousness as the waves of the sea, thy seed as the sand, and thy off-spring as the gravel thereof, nor thy name cut off or destroyed for ever.

SECT. XLVIII. The Lord from the womb forms us to be [§. 48] his Servants.

THe Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name, and made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand

hath he hid me, and made me a polish∣ed shaft in his quiver, making me his Servant, in whom he will be glorifi∣ed; then I said, I have labored in vain, and spent my strength for nought, yet surely my judgment then is with the Lord, and my work with my God; though I be nothing, yet he is all things; Kings and Princes shall arise and worship, because of the Lord thy God with thee; and then you shall feed in the ways, and their pastures in the high places; you shall not hun∣ger nor thirst, neither heat or Sun smite them; for thou hast mercy on them, and leads them by the springs of water, and there thou wilt guide them. Sing, O Heavens, Earth and Moun∣tains, for the Lord hath comforted his afflicted, and I will not forget you, and none shall condemn you, the smiters shall not trouble you: He that fears the Lord, and obeys his voyce, though in darkness, without light, shall trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay himself on God; but whosoever shall

kindle a fire of confidence for them∣selves, shall lye down in sorrow.

SECT. XLIX. [§. 49] Look to our Rock, whence we are hewen.

LOok to the Rock, whence you are hewen, and the pit that digged you: the Lord will make the desarts like Eden, and your Wilderness like a Paradise; though all fa••l, yet your Salvation shall remain for ever; and your Righteousness never abolished. Awake, awake, O Arm of the Lord: It was not our Arm, but thine, that hath done terrible things. Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, thou hast drunk a cup of trembling; the sword, the plague, and the famine hath taken hold on thee: I will give thee a cup of Salvation, and remove the other from thee.

SECT. L. [§. 50] Thy beautiful Garments.

ZIon, or the Saints, shall put on strength, and have the beautiful Garments of Life and Immortality, Grace and Glory, Righteousness and Truth, as their clothing and beauty, and there shall not any thing defile thee; the uncircumcised and the un∣clean, the filthiness of all flesh and spi∣rit shall pass away from thee, from henceforth, even for ever; thou art all fair my love.

SECT. LI. Shake thy self from the dust. [§. 51]

THou shalt shake thy self from the dust, and all thy earthly tabernacles and buildings shall fall in pieces, they shall hold you no longer, nor keep you captive; I will loose thy cords and bands, and thou shalt be at home in the Lord, and be absent from the body, from flesh, sin, death, and all misery: I will redeem you without

money, freely from all, though you have sold your selves for the world, and to the world, which is as good as nought; For what will it profit you to gain the world, and lose your soul▪

SECT. LII. The Lord rules over us, and speaks in us. [§. 52]

I The Lord will rule over them, and none other, they shall howl no more, but rejoyce, and my Name shall no longer be blasphemed amongst them, but hallowed; for my people shall know it, and have it written in them, and upon them, and know that I am he that speaketh; behold, it is I; the word in their heart, and from their mouth, it is not theirs, but mine to give; and they shall not take care what to speak in that day, for the Fa∣ther that dwelleth in them shall teach them.

SECT. LIII. [§. 53] How beautiful the feet of them that do bring the glad tydings of peace are.

THe instrument of Gods praises is honorable for the work sake; Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord, but thrice more, the Lord himself coming in his own Name and Glory; if the feet of them that bring but the glad tydings be beautiful, if they that bear the Ark glorious, if the figure, form or type be glorious, what is the Head, the Lord himself, the Truth, and Glad Tydings themselves? If those that were about King Solomon, and heard him, and wait∣ed on him, were so happy, how much more then is Solomon himself happy; for the feet of Christ is the lowest and weakest of Christs people, called Christians, the poorest amongst them; if they that are but the feet, like door∣keepers in the house of God, be so beautiful, and full of joy, and glad ty∣dings, having but the earnest and feet of the Spirit; O what are the eyes and

hands of the Lord? How glorious are the highest Saints? Nay, what is the King of Saints? Then who can tell us, if his feet, which is Christ manifest∣ed in the Flesh, be so beautiful, what is his Head then, which is Christ ju∣stified in Spirit? If the Feet of his Humanity be such, what think you must the Head and Heart of his Divi∣nity be?

SECT. LIV. Thy God reigneth in the Zion of Saints. [§. 54]

THe only glad tydings is this to all Zion, Thy God reigneth: This is their greatest joy, and without which all other joys are soon quenched; This is the Day of Salvation, Redemption, Remission, Justification, Sanctificati∣on, and all blessedness, the acceptable year and Jubile of the Lord and his Zion, then when their God reigns; and where must he reign? not only in hea∣ven and in earth, but in men, in the midst amongst us; then is his King∣dom come, and Will done on earth as it is in heaven, when thy God reigneth, O Zion.

SECT. LV. [§. 55] How thy God doth set thee apart; and how, though thy outward man be vile, yet the inward glorious.

DEpart ye, depart ye, shall the Lord then say, get ye out from hence, and touch no unclean thing; I have received you, go out of the midst of her, and be altogether in my holiness, and live in me, for I will lead you, and go before you, and be your rereward, and come behind you, so that nothing shall come nigh you, but my self; I will compass you so a∣bout, and deal so prudently with you, that I shall only be exalted and extol∣led amongst you; and though his out∣ward form and visage, in whom I dwell, be so base and marred by re∣proaches, more then any other in the world, yet I will stop the mouths of Kings for their sakes, and my glory shall break forth in the midst of them; and that which had not been told them by flesh and blood, shall they see by the

Spirit of my Father; and that which they had not heard, neither could they believe, shall they now know, and be fully satisfied in; and all this shall be in the day that thy God raigneth in Zion.

SECT. LVI. The Arm of the Lord. [§. 56]

THe Arm and Strength of the Lord are we in the Lord, and it is revealed to us in Christ, who is this Arm of the Lord indeed, and we can∣not but report so; the Lord is with us, and his Arm upon us, when it is so in∣deed, when the Arm of the Lord goes along with the report; and indeed how can we that have been saved and healed by the Lord and his Arm, but go about testifying what great things the Lord hath done for us, and magni∣fie his name, and declare his goodness, whether they will believe it or not, I am constrained to report it, to pre∣pare his way.

SECT. LVII. [§. 57] The plant growing up out of a dry ground, with sorrow to the flesh and the world, but with joy to the Lord & his Spirit in Saints.

ANd this Arm of the Lord, as it is revealed and comes that way, be∣fore it can be reported by us, flesh and blood reveals it not, but our Fa∣ther which is in Heaven; so it grows up as a tender plant of the Lords own planting: Christ planted in us grows up like a plant, and takes root from the Father, and brings forth his bran∣ches and fruits in the dry ground of our nature, in our sinful state, poor, barren flesh: and when this tender plant, Christ Jesus, grows up, it shall be at first in weakness, without form or comeliness after the flesh▪ nay with∣out beauty that you should desire him after the flesh, for he comes to cru∣cifie flesh and blood in us; and there∣fore the natural man will despise him, hide his face and not esteem him; for the plant of the Lord will be a man of

sorrow and grief to his flesh, as the Lord Jesus was to the Jews in his day. And further, this Arm of the Lord will bear all our griefs and sorrows, all our smitings, strikings and afflictings of God and men, besides the principa∣lities and powers of Satan which dwel with us, it will bear them all, yea the wounds of our transgressions and the bruises of our iniquities, wounding and bruising him; he heals them all, and overcomes them, reconcileing us to God, slaying the enmity, taking a∣way the wall of partition, becomes a Mediator between God and us, uniting us in one.

SECT. LVIII. [§. 58] The Lamb that opens not his mouth, but by suffering overcomes.

THis arm of the Lord findes us lost and going astray, like sheep, out of his way, and turns us into the way, and leads in the way of righteousness, bear∣ing all our iniquity, both in the way and out of the way, that lies upon us;

its the Lords pleasure to remove them that they lie not in our way, nor keep us from the way, nor turn us out of the way; and as a Lamb, so opens he not his mouth, though oppressed, af∣flicted, smitten, and slaughtered, but by patient suffering overcomes all, and is glorified over all, and is taken out of prison, and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? for when he was oppressed and smitten, he was in prison in flesh; but when the Lord rises in us, and leads us captive after him, then he is out of prison, and destroys flesh; he is not here in pri∣son, he is risen.

SECT. LIX. [§. 59] Christ makes his grave with the wicked and the rich in his death.

BUt this Lamb, though he lies in the prison of flesh, and is in the wicked as in a grave buried and im∣prisoned, yet there he will rise; and as his grave is with the rich, that have righteousness, but not from the Lord,

he rises amongst them; so that the Lord makes his grave in his death with the wicked and the rich, and makes them both one in his death, and buried with him into his death, and lie with him in his grave, and rise with him in the Spirit, by making wicked and rich both happy in himself a∣lone.

SECT. LX. What it is to have the pleasure of the Lord [§. 60] for to prosper in his, or in our hand.

IT pleased the Lord to bruise his Son, and so his Saints, often to put them to grief in the flesh, that they might rejoyce in the Spirit; and to sow that seed in them that might pro∣long their days; and to let them see the seed of his soul, and love; and the seed of their soul, joy, and praises; and so to have the pleasure of the Lord to prosper in their hands, as it did in Christs, and to have the Lords plea∣sure to prosper in the hands of Christ, and no other hands, for it cannot; if

taken out of his hands, all decays and withers, every branch or work; but in him is all fruit and prosperity found; the pleasure of the Lord is he, and the pleasure of the Lord is his work and way, and it is to save sinners, to dye for sinners, call sinners, justifie sinners, and to make them Saints and sons, the soul of the living God blame∣less, harmless, glorious, beautiful all over; this is the pleasure of the Lord; nay, to have him bruised, smit∣ten, to have his grace, love, mercy, pa∣tience, goodness, bowels, wisdom, power, all employed for our good; this is the pleasure of the Lord; and it did, and doth prosper in the hands of Christ, and that is the next thing, when it makes us like Christ, and like God, when the will of the Lord is done in us, when God dwells in us, of a truth, when we are made one with the Lord, when we reign with him, when the Lord is all, when we are his pleasure and will.

SECT. LXI. [§. 61] The Lord shall see us as the travel of his Soul.

ANd the Lord Jesus shall beget us, and conceive us in the womb of his tender mercies, and travel in birth with us; and in the Day of the Lord we shall, though with sorrow, be the travel of his Soul, and we shall see it, and the Lord shall look upon us; and notwithstanding all former sorrow, it shall not be remembred, for joy that we are brought forth holy to the Lord; and the Lords Will and Plea∣sure, Wisdom and Power, Love and Mercy, shall be satisfied in us.

SECT. LXII. [§. 62] We are the Lords spoil and portion.

ANd the Knowledg of the Lord shall be known, and his Wis∣dom understood, and the righteous God shall be justified, and we justi∣fied by him, and in him, for his Righteousness shall be in us,

and upon us; we shall be his spoil and portion, the Lord shall take us for his lot, and the Lord shall be our por∣tion and great inheritance.

SECT. LXIII. The Lord makes the barren to sing, and to [§. 63] bring forth gloriously.

FEar not, neither be ashamed of thy reproach, poor heart, that art left like a widow, and childless, barren and fruitless, thou that hast not tra∣velled though thou wast married, but not to the Lord: Thou hast had many lovers and husbands, but not thy maker thine husband, therefore thou art confounded, and in bondage, weep∣ing and lamenting, as being left deso∣late; Hear now what the Lord God, whose name is the Lord of hostes, thy Redeemer, the holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, what he saith, Sing O barren, and break forth into singing; for the Lord thy God will overshadow thee, and thou shalt conceive in righteousness, travel in

truth, and bring forth faithfulness: the Lord will marry thee to himself, and thou shalt bear many sons and daughters to the Lord; for Righteous∣ness shall be the fruits of thy womb, and Peace thy daughters, and Truth thy off-spring.

SECT. LXIV. [§. 64] The seed of the living God out of a barren womb wonderful.

THe Lord thy Husband, will en∣large thee all over, none shall surpass thee, thou shalt have more chil∣dren then the married ones, or the con∣cubines, thou shalt excel them all, in singing, bearing, and bringing forth a multitude of Glory to the Lord; thy womb shall be opened, thy heart en∣larged, thy spirit strengthened, thy seed multiplied, thy bed stretched out, thy tents widened, and the curtains of thy habitation, thy cords and stakes lengthened, for the Lord, will make the fruits of thy soul like the stars of Hea∣ven, or the sands on earth for number,

all the Plants of the Lord, all his own begotten Sons and Daughters, and born by the Spirit, in whom he is well pleased; thou shalt break forth on the right hand, & on the left, every way beautiful, and thy seed and children shall inherit and inhabit the desolate places; and where it was said, Ye are not my people, there shall it be said, Ye are the sons of the living God.

SECT. LXV. [§. 65] The Lord thy husband that comforts thee.

THus the Lord hath delt with thee, when thou wast as a woman for∣saken and grieved in spirit, nay, refu∣sed and rejected by all, I found thee desolate, and I married thee, and re∣ceived thee to my self, and lay thee in my arms and bosom, made thee to bear children; thus with great mer∣cies have I gathered thee, though for a small moment thou wast forsaken; and in a little wrath I hid my face from thee, but I am returned to thee now with everlasting kindness; and I

will have mercy on thee without end, for I am thy Husband and thy Re∣deemer.

SECT. LXVI. [§. 66] I will be thy God and Husband from ever∣lasting unto everlasting.

NAy, now I will do more for thee then ever, I wil never depart more from thee; I will swear to thee as I did to Noah, and give thee a better signe then I did to him, the Rainbow in the Heaven, that I would no more drown the Earth; so will I do to thee, the waters of my wrath shall never be up∣on thee, my light and countenance lifted on thee, but never taken off thee; and this shall be thy token, I will give thee my self in marriage, and be thy Husband, and thou shalt be without rebuke, nay, though moun∣tains and hills be removed, all thy comforts and comforters depart from thee, yet shall never my kindness, nor the Covenant of my peace, be remov∣ed, but I will keep thee in perfect

peace; for in the world, flesh and darkness, there is nothing but trouble, vanity, anguish, torment, and vexati∣on, but in me, my Love, Heart, Spirit, Light, Life, Truth, and Kingdom, thou shalt have peace; be therefore of good comfort, for I have overcome all to thee.

SECT. LXVII. [§. 67] The foundation, windows, and gates of the Saints, the Lords house and building, of what precious stones it is.

SEe further, how fruitful the Lord will make her, and how beautiful all over, though tossed and afflicted, discomforted and perplexed, behold the Lord will be thy foundation, the living Stone shall be thy corner stone, the Rock thy root and bottom, where∣fore saith the Lord, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and foundation with Saphirs; thy windows of Agates, thy gates of Carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant sto••es: And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great

shall be the peace of thy children: Thus will the Lord glorifie thee, for in righ∣teousness shalt thou be established, that shall be thy fair colours and Sa∣phirs, and without either oppression, oppressor, fear, or terror; and all that gather against thee, shall fall by thee, for I am with thee; and as whatsoever is in thine hand hath this blessing, it shall prosper; so this shall be a curse to thine enemies, that no weapon formed against thee, my Holiness, shall pros∣per: and every tongue that riseth up against thee, by preaching, praying, counselling, or threatening, shall be condemned: This is the heritage, blessing, promise, and portion of the servants of the Lord, and all their worth and righteousness is from thee; thou art the Lord their God, thou sanctifiest them.

SECT. LXVIII. [§. 68] The Lord is that water, that wine, and that milk to them that thirst after him, and that hunger in him.

THe Lord Jesus Christ is all true and saving comfort, and all kind of food is in him: He is water to the thirsty, wine to the heavy hearted, milk to the hungry; He is water to the weak, milk to the faint, wine to the strong; and yet one and the same Lord God that gives, water, milk, and wine; and this he doth in the reveal∣ing of himself more or less to us. And do but observe the Lords sweet grace, in calling us to this feast or banquet that he hath prepared for us, Ho every one that thirsteth, taste how good and gracious the Lord God is, taste of his after all: when thou hast drunk many waters, and tasted much wine, and eat the milk of many creatures that have stollen away thy heart, then do but come to this living water after all, and indeed if we knew the gift of

God, and the vertue of this water, and who it is that calls us to come to drink, we should say, Lord give me evermore of this water, or else I dye, and that I may never thirst again; but as long as we have any cisterns, Jacobs wells, or any such creature wisdom, or broken vessel, we are apt to forsake the living fountain; but after all, when all that fails us, and cannot quench our tongue enflamed, nor cool it, nor give us the least comfort, then shall we fly to the rock where we are com∣forted.

SECT. LXIX. [§. 69] Three things to be observed here, more espe∣cially on the best wine kept last.

DO but consider these two things here:

First, The Lord invites us to the wa∣ters, and then to the milk, and after to the wine: first to thirsting, then to buying without mony, and lastly to eating; so tender, carefull, and wise is the Lord to us, weaning us by de∣grees

from grace to grace, and strength to strength, becoming all things to all to win soul••.

And the second thing is, to remem∣ber the Governor of the feast in the marriage of Cana, that after all the bad wine was drunk, commended the water turned to wine by Christ above all that ever he drank before, and de∣manded why he kept the good wine till now; so is it in the way of the Lord here, when men have drunk their fill, and tasted, and filled them∣selves with the creatures, if the Lord makes them but to thirst after this wa∣ter and wine, and give them to drink∣ing, they shall also say as this Gover∣nor here, Lord God, this is the water and the wine indeed, all that ever I did drink before is nothing to this: thou hast kept the best last.

And also, do but observe one thing more, The best things are best cheap; this water is not to be purchased with mony, the gift of God comes not that way; No, no, our mony, and

mony-worth, and all such things perish; it is free and full, and the Lord gives it liberally, and upbraids none.

SECT. LXX. [§. 70] That which is bread, and satisfieth, and is good, and delights the soul, and makes it live and prosper in fatness, is from the Lord alone.

HEarken diligently unto me, I am the Lord thy God that will help and have mercy on thee, and shew thee what is good; I will not give thee stones for bread, nor serpents for fish, neither will I take thee, or thy mony, thy labor, or strength, or any such thing, to deceive thee; but I will, out of my love to thee, and bowels of compassion, knowing this, thou art deceived; I will give thee bread in∣deed, content and sufficiency of all things, that which is bread, and that which satisfied, which is my grace and peace; Hearken therefore unto me alone, and take what I shall give thee;

my water, my wine, and my milk, it is mine, and its water of life, milk from my everlasting brests, my own com∣forts from my heart, my Wine and Spirit, it is all good, exceeding good, the riches of my goodness; taste it, it will delight thy soul, strengthen thy heart, enlighten thy eyes, and revive thy spirits; its fatness indeed, its hony and marrow; it will make thee fat, and fair, and well-liking; thy soul shall prosper by it, and delight it self in fatness with it; I will be all this to thee; and you shall live in the fatness and fulness of all things: if thou wilt live with me, thou shalt no more labor in vain, nor spend mony in vain after those things that perish; but I will take thee to my self in Covenant, stature, life, spi∣rit, even an everlasting Covenant, the sure mercies of David; I will deal in mercy with thee, and no other way, e∣ven from henceforth for ever; I will make thee live in peace and happiness, and live and feed, walk and stand, and

lie down for ever in sure mercies: this shall be thy habitation for ever; and I will be thy labor and mony for ever, that is, thy riches and strength am I, and thy exceeding great reward.

SECT. LXXI. Christ the true Witness and Leader to [§. 71] the People.

ANd behold your light shall so shine before men, that they shall see your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in heaven: I will give Christ to be the true and faithful Witness in you to the world, and your Leader and Commander in all your goings out, and comings in, to glorifie me in the midst of a crook∣ed and perverse generation; and you shall have no other Witness, no less a Witness of my Covenant and sure mercies with thee, then the Son and Spirit of mercy himself, Christ your Lord my Witness in you.

SECT. LXXII. [§. 72] The people that know thee not shall run after thee, for the Lord hath glorified thee in their eyes, and their thoughts and ways shall be as the Lords thoughts and ways are.

BEhold, again, I will not only give them water▪ wine, milk, and all manner of good things, but I will sa∣tisfie them, make them delight in fat∣ness, they shall live with me, I will make also an everlasting Covenant with them, I will be their Witness in all things, to justifie them, and com∣fort them, and to discern between good and evil in them: and moreover, I will call whole Nations, that thou knowest not, to bear witness to thee, and to follow thee, for they hear and see that the Lord thy God is with thee, and they that know not thee shall run after thee, because of the savor of thy good ointments, and they shall come into thy chambers, and have fellowship with thee, for their fellowship shall

be with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, so because of the Lord thy God they shall be drawn, and be∣cause of the holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee, therefore shall they glorifie thee, and be glorified to∣gether in the Lord also with thee, and so shall seek and worship the Lord in one glory; for the Lord their God hath found them, and therefore they return to him, and seek him, and is found of them, and appears nigh unto them, so they cannot but call upon him, and he again upon them, he calls the sinners to repentance, the wicked to forsake his evil way, and the unrigh∣teous man his thoughts, and to turn to the Lord; for he will have mercy on them, and to them, that call him the Lord their God; for he can and will, and none else, abundantly pardon them: and though your thoughts, and ways, and mine, be as far distant as hea∣ven and earth, and as far below me, yet I will make your thoughts mine, and your ways mine; you shall think as I

think, and say as I say, and live as I live, and in every thing do as I do, agree in mind, spirit and judgment with me; think of your selves and ways as I do think of you, and think of me and my ways according as I think of my self, and think of others, and their ways, as I do; and then though my thoughts before were in heaven so high, & yours on earth so low, yet now you shall no more be in earth, but in heaven with me, and in earth with me, and in both like me.

SECT. LXXIII. The Word that comes from Gods Mouth shall prosper in what it is sent. [§. 73]

NAy furthermore, I will pour out my Rain and my Snow, my Spi∣rit and my Word, from my heavenly Glory, upon you, that are like the earth, sinful and carnal, and my Spirit and Word shall not return in vain, it shall water you, and make you fruit∣ful, and bring forth seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; for as it came

out of my Mouth, as from heaven, so it shall descend in the heart of the earth, and plow up the fallow grounds, and sow in righteousness, and reap in joy; it shall accomplish that whereto I sent it, and prosper in the thing I take in hand; it shall make you bring forth, and go out in joy, and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills shall break forth into singing, and the trees of the fields clap their hands for joy, for high and low, rich and poor, shall praise the Lord; no thorns, but fir trees; no bryers, but mirtle trees; and it shall be to the Lord for an everlast∣ing sign of praise, never to end.

SECT. LXXIV. [§. 74] No man is just, but he to whom Salvation is come.

BLessed is the man that keepeth judgment, for judgment shall keep him, and that doth justice, for that shall preserve him; for to him my Salvation is come, the Salvation of the Lord, and to him my Righteousness is

revealed; blessed is the man that hath this, and that layeth hold on it; for he shall keep the Sabbath from pol∣luting it, and serve the Lord; he shall keep a rest & a holy day for ever to the Lord; he shall do no evil, neither shall any iniquity be found in his hand.

SECT. LXXV. [§. 75] The stranger and the Eunuch joyned to the Lord, and made sons and heirs to God.

THe stranger and the Eunuch that are joyned to the Lord shall be sons and heirs, neither shall they say, we are separated from the Lord any more, nor from his people, but are u∣nited to them; nor shall the Eunuch say any more, he is a dry tree; but the Lord God, who joyned himself to them, and given them his Spirit, even the Spirit of Holiness and Rest, to keep a Sabbath within them, God will give them a place and a habitati∣on within his house, and a name better then of sons and daughters, even heirs, and an everlasting name that shall ne∣ver

be cut off: I will bring them to my holy Mountain, and make them my House of Prayer, and I will re∣joyce in them, and accept of all their burnt-offerings and meat-offerings up∣on my Altar, and my House shall be called, The House of Prayer for all people; though their watchmen be blind and dumb dogs, yet I will be their Watchman, saith the Lord.

SECT. LXXVI. [§. 76] The righteous man perisheth, but not his righteousness, yet none lays it to heart.

THe righteous man perisheth, though his righteousness en∣dures for ever, yet none lays him or his righteousness to heart, nor consi∣dereth his death or his life; and he, and his righteousness, is taken from the evil to come; for what hath righteousness to do with unrighteousness, or light with darkness? So he is taken from men to God, and shall enter in his peace, and lie down in his bed of rest,

and walk for ever in his righteousness: But the sinful and wicked man he pe∣risheth not, but lives and prospers in the world for a moment, but yet his triumph is short; this is the Adul∣terer and the Adulteress, and her who∣rish brood, that make a wide mouth; speaking blasphemy; false children, full of iniquity, sporting themselves with vanities, and inflamed with idols in every place, in valleys and hills, and hast joyned to another, and enlarged thy bed, and hast not at all remembred the Lord, nor laid him to thy heart; for these lovers and lusts have stollen away thy heart, thy vanity shall take thee away, and none shall deliver thee; but they that trust in me shall be de∣livered, and inherit rest in my Land quietly.

SECT. LXXVII. The Lord will dwell in Holiness, both on [§. 77] high and below.

NAy further, Thus saith the Lord to them that fear him, whose

name and nature is holy, and his dwel∣lings in eternity holy, that wheresoe∣ver he is he makes all things holy, and like him; if he dwell above or be∣neath, in heigth or in depth, in rich or in poor, in high or low, strong or weak, fathers or babes, which is called the high and holy place, or in the hum∣ble and contrite, yet he is Holiness in all estates and degrees, and revives the heart and spirit of the humble, and creates peace also in all their borders, both to them a far off, and to them nigh at hand; neither wil I contend in wrath for ever, least I should destroy the souls that I have made; but I have seen his ways, and will heal and restore comfort to the mourners, and peace where there is no peace.

SECT. LXXVIII. [§. 78] The sin and iniquity of Jacob; the Fast that is the Lords, the good and acceptable day that he chuses, how we must love one another, and walk in the light, and not in darkness, as the Lord doth to us.

THe Lords people, even the house of Jacob, have their sins and trans∣gressions as well as others, and the cry of the Lord is loud against them, he will not spare them above all, they shall see it; and these be their sins.

1. They seek me dayly, but its with the lip only.

2. They delight to know my ways, but yet hate to be reformed, and do it.

3. They ask of me the Ordinances of Justice, and yet forsake the Ordi∣nance of their God.

4. They delight in approaching before God, yet they say, Wherefore takest thou no knowledg of it?

5. They fast, and yet find pleasure;

they fast but from sin, but fast to strife and debate; you fast not unto me, your fast is not the acceptable day of the Lord, that is, Joy and Gladness; yours is rending of garments, putting on of sackcloth; you have chosen out a fast to your selves, which I know not of, nor delight in; the Fast that I choose is the abstinence from all ap∣pearance of evil, a rending of the heart, and not the garment, a blessed joyful mourning, its to loose the bands of wickedness, and to undo the heavy bur∣den, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke of oppression, as taxes, rythes, free quarters, besides the fightings within to be laid low; as also to deal bread to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, and not to say, be thou warmed, or be thou clothed: this is the new Commandment, to love one another; then shall we walk in light, and not in darkness, and our light shall break forth as the morning, and thy health like the noon day; thy righ∣teousness shall go before thee, and the

Lord thy God thy rereward; we shall no sooner call or cry, but the Lord shall answer, and say, Here I am: When the yoke of sin, and speaking in vanity is cut off, then thy soul will be drawn out to the hungry, and the afflicted shall be satisfied, and thy ob∣scurity shall be as the light, and thy darkness as the noon day, for the Lord will satisfie thee, and give to thee as thou dost to him, so will the Lords Soul be drawn out to thee, and make thee a watered garden, a living foun∣tain; nay, the Lord shall make thee a repairer of the breach, and a restorer of paths to dwell in; for the Righte∣ousness of the Lord is upon thee, and the Lord shall be thy Sabbath and pleasure, thy holy day and delight; thy ways and words, being lost to thy self, and remaining only the Lords, delight∣ing thy self in the Lord, riding to and fro•• upon the high places of the earth-triumphing over all things.

SECT. LXXIX. [§. 79] The exceeding sinfulness of sin, the misery that it brings, till the Lord arise against it in Justice and in Truth.

BEhold, the Lords Hand or Power is never shortened, that it cannot save even from the grave; yea, though they were dead, yet can he say unto them, live; nor is his ear at all hea∣vy, but he can hear the complaints of the distressed soul; nor his eyes closed, but he can see their misery; nor his heart sealed, but he can pitty, and have mercy on them, if he please; but our sins and iniquities shorten our hands, close our eyes, deafen our ears, and harden our hearts that we shall not understand, and so separate us from the Lord, and from his face, dri∣ving us out from his presence, that he may not hear, thus making us trust al∣together in vanities & lies, conceiving nothing but mischief, bringing forth nothing but iniquity, breeding cocka∣trices egs in us, & weaving spiders webs,

wickedness in a mystery, so keeping us far from the way of Peace; and as for Judgment, that is turned backward behind us, Justice stands afar off, Truth falls in the streets, and Equity cannot enter, therefore the Lords Arm is stretched out, he sees what is done, and puts on his Armor, his Brestplate of Righteousness, his Helmet of Salvati∣on, his Clothing of Vengeance, and his Cloak of Zeal to repay and recom∣pence fury on his adversaries, our ini∣quities & sins, lifting up his Spirit like a Standard against them, and bring them in like a mighty flood, destroying iniquity and sin; and this Covenant will I make in them and you, my Spi∣rit shall be with you, and my Word in your heart and mouth, never to depart from thee, nor thy seeds seed for e∣ver.

SECT. LXXX. [§. 80] Arise and shine, for thy light is come.

THe Lord, thy Light, O man, is come, he is risen, and shines most gloriously, and awakening thee to arise and shine in him, and with him, for his Glory is rising on thee, dispelling all manner of darkness from thee, and gathering all things to the light; yea, Kings and people to his brightness, far and near, sons and daughters, to see his Glory; they shall see and flow together, be enlarged, converted, because of the abundance of the Glory of the Lord revealed; they shall come flying as Clouds, and as Doves to the windows, and in thy light see light, walking every one in the light of the Lord.

SECT. LXXXI. [§. 81] The glory given to them whom God doth glorifie.

THy Temple shall be glorious for the Lord to dwell in; Kings and

Princes, strangers and friends, gold and silver, yea all precious substance, the excellency of creatures shall be brought to thee, because of the Name of the Lord thy God, for he hath glo∣rified thee, therefore they shall bring their glory unto thee, and glorifie thee; as the wise men that brought their gifts to Christ, the Babe in a manger, gold, frankincense, mirrhe, and worshiped him, because God had glo∣rified him above his fellows; so here, them that are Christs shall be glorifi∣ed, and the Nations and Kingdoms, that will not serve the Lord, kiss the Sun, and have him to reign over them, shall perish, and their Land left desolate.

SECT. LXXXII. All Glory comes when Gods Glory comes. [§. 82]

ALL Glory shall come unto thee, when the Glory of the Lord is re∣vealed, the glory of Lebanon, the Ca∣mels and Dromedaries of Midian, the Flocks of Kedar, the Rams of Nebai∣oth, the Ships of Tarshish; yea, the Nations & Kingdoms all abroad shall

fear thee, because of the Lord thy God that is with thee, and shall come from far to worship thy God with thee, and they shall be a beautiful Sanctua∣ry to the Lord, and the place of his feet amongst them shal be glorious, the meanest and weakest of the Saints, Gods lower parts; thus God will make thee an everlasting glory, and e∣ternal excellency, a joy to ages.

SECT. LXXXIII. [§. 83] I will bring gold and silver, strength and beauty unto thee.

ANd I the Lord, thy Redeemer, wil make thine enemies bow down to thee, yea all thy high imaginations, and spiritual wickedness, that hated and afflicted thee, and I will bring my Glo∣ry and Treasure to thee; I will bring gifts unto thee, I wil multiply my Mer∣cy, Grace and Peace to thee; yea, I wil give thee gold and silver for brass and iron, the precious for the vile; yea, I wil make thy officers all peace, ruling in peace, thy exactors righteousness, do∣ing truth & justice, so they shal learn to

war no more, neither shall the sword any more devour flesh; and it shall not be your bow, sword, spear, or might, but my Spirit that shall glo∣rifie me, and you also; for all manner of violence will I cause to cease, wast∣ing and destruction no more seen; for our weapons are spiritual, our God glorious, our dwellings on high, our walls salvation, and our gates praise; thy God thy glory.

SECT. LXXXIV. [§. 84] The Lord thy everlasting Light, thy Sun and Moon, that shall darken all other Suns, and turn them to blood, but himself, in the end.

WHen this great light of the Lord himself is come, then shall thy stars fall, and thy lamps grow dim; the heaven and earth, in thee, melt with fervent heat, at the glorious presence of the Lord: when he comes with so much brightness and glory, then shall our Sun and Moon,

that is, all our heavenly gifts, graces, ministries, and administrations, cease, and go out; give up their light and life as being darkened by this everlast∣ing Light and Glory: And the Moon turned to blood, that is, all our na∣tural excellencies, gifts, parts, rela∣tions, portions, possessions, qualifica∣tions, conditions whatsoever, all our reason, knowledg, wisdom and un∣derstanding here below, shall then appear as blood, loathsom and filthy to us; yea, all shall appear vain and empty; and instead of this Sun and Moon, that is, all earthly and heaven∣ly things, thou shalt inherit the Lord God himself most gloriously to be thy Sun that shall never set, and thy Moon that shall never change; for then thy God shall be thy glory, and thou shalt be righteous, and all thy people, and shall inherit the land for ever, the land of the living, the living Lord, to be planted as his branch there, living in him as their vine, even the work of his own hand that he hath glo∣rified;

and a little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a great Nation; for the Lord will multiply and encrease them, yea, the Spirit of the Lord shall grow upon them and in them, they shall put on strength day∣ly from strength to strength.

SECT. LXXXV. The Spirit of the anointing of the Lord, [§. 85] what works it doth, binding and loosing, doing all good.

THe Lords anointing of us with the oyl of his Spirit, makes our hearts to overflow, and speak of the loving kindness of the Lord to the humble and meek spirit; its a spirit of binding and loosing, binding up the wounds, and loosing the wicked bands; a spirit of liberty to righteousness, and opening, and enlargement to the pri∣soners; a spirit that doth, and pro∣claims the acceptable works of the Lord, a spirit of vengeance against sin, and yet a comforter to the mourn∣ers: it is the Spirit of the Lord that

doth this; it overcomes the spirit of sorrow and heaviness, death and dark∣ness; it gives beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise for heaviness; it makes them trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to glorifie him: its a Spirit that is building up; it doth nothing for destruction, but all for edification; and what unclean spirits have wasted, and spoiled, and wounded, and consumed, this Spirit of the Lord comes to us as a repairer of the waste places, and the desolati∣ons made, and to restore what is lost; it makes us this anointing of the Spi∣rit, the Lords Priests, yea the Mini∣sters of God; it shall fall upon the Gentile as well▪ as the Jew, and they shall eat the riches of his grace toge∣ther; I will give them everlasting joy, and bring them into my everlasting Covenant; and their seed shall be the seed the Lord hath blessed; thou and thine shall be like the bride and the bridegroom, deck'd with ornaments and jewels, salvation and righteousness,

for their garments: And thou shalt be like a fruitful garden, righteousness and praise shall spring forth from thee, and be the fruits in thee.

SECT. LXXXVI. [§. 86] Our righteousness brightness, and our sal∣vation a burning lamp.

THe Lords zeal for Zion, and his love to Jerusalem, will not give him rest, nor peace, till he hath made our brightness righteousness; and our salvation like the burning lamps, for ever flaming, and yet never ending, being fed with eternity, and all see the glory of thee; and the Lords new name shall be in thy forehead, which he shall give thee, and write on thee: We shall be the pure crown of gold, which is a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and as a royal diadem with our God: We shall be no more accounted forsaken, or desolate, as we were once; but be termed Hephz-ibah, the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land called Beulah, thy land married;

for thy God shall marry, and rejoyce over thee for ever.

SECT. LXXXVII. [§. 87] The Lord thy Watchman day and night.

THe Watchman upon thy walls, O Soul that never slumbereth nor sleepeth, careth for thee, and keeps not silence, but remembers thee day and night; neither will the Spirit of the Lord rest, till thou art established and made a praise to the Lord in the earth: Thou shalt not be spoiled any more by strangers, nor thy corn, wine and oyl devoured by them any more; the enemy, sin and Satan, shall wrong thee no more, nor the flesh plunder thee, for thy salvation is come, the Lord God is his name, his reward with him, and his work before him: and the Lord shall call thee, his Peo∣ple, and his Redeemed, sought out, and not forsaken, the habitation of the Lord through the Spirit.

SECT. LXXXVIII. [§. 88] The Lords dyed garments coming from the great slaughter of his enemies, sin and Satan.

THe coming of the Lord is with dyed garments, glorious appa∣rel, travelling in the greatness of strength and righteousness, to save us with might, all over red with the winepress, treading it alone, trampling upon all thine enemies, and mine, in wrath and fury, till the blood comes; for I will take vengeance on all my adversaries, now my Redemp∣tion is come to thee, and I will help thee, though there be none left else besides me; I am alone, and I will bring down all strength, glory, haugh∣tiness and pride, to the earth, there it shall lie in the dust; then shalt thou remember my loving kindness alone, and praise me for all that I have done for thee: When I was afflicted for thee, and the chastisements of thy peace lay on me, my presence saved

thee, and my love and pity redeemed thee, and carried thee along in safety, leading thee by the hand through the terrible wilderness, and made my name glorious: you are the habitati∣on of my holiness, I cannot forget you, yea Abraham may, though your own father or mother may cast you out of their Synagogue, yet I will have thee to rule over them.

SECT. LXXXIX. [§. 89] The Lords coming down with power to destroy flesh.

LOrd bow the Heavens, and come down, let the mountains melt at thy presence; come amongst us like a melting fire to burn away all dross and iniquity, that thine adversaries may tremble and perish in us, and a∣mongst us, and do terrible things that we looked not for, let sudden destru∣ction come upon all flesh while it cries peace, peace; for eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, neither can the Natural perceive the things that are

prepared of God for them that wait on him, and that are to be fulfilled in him; but thou art our God we know, and we thy clay, and thy work, thy people and souls thou hast made, lets not be destroyed, but make us a beau∣tiful house, to praise thee; build us up, and let not thy pleasant things lie waste, but bring thy treasure to thy house and land.

SECT. XC. The Lord God is found of them that sought [§. 90] not after him.

I The Lord am sought and found by them that never knew me, nor sought me, but I them, and they loved me, and beheld me; I opened my heart to them, and spred forth my hands, and drew them from g••rdens, altars, graves, and groves, mountains and valleys, and from eating swines flesh, and abominable things, and from thine own holiness and filthiness, which was like a smoke and filth to me, to my own self, and my own

mountain to dwell in; for my blessing that is amongst you I will not quite destroy you, but my inheritance shall be with you, and I will dwell with you, and all that is with you, and in you, that forsakes me, I will number to the sword, and bow down to the slaughter all that is disobedient to me; and thus I will do to you my servants, in you and amongst you, you shall eat, drink and rejoyce, but what is my revenge in you and amongst you, you shall hunger, thirst, and be asha∣med, and cry for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit, and slain, but his servant shall be called by ano∣ther name; and he that blesseth him∣self in the earth, shall bless himself in the God of earth; and he that swear∣eth in the earth, shall swear by the God of the earth; so that heaven and earth shall give glory to God, and all that dwell therein.

SECT. XCI. [§. 91] How all things are made new of God.

ANd behold I make all things new, and these shall be remembred but all the former forgotten, and thou shalt rejoyce forever at what I create, for I create truth, peace, salvation and righteousness, yea, my rejoycing and my praise, there shall be no more an infant nor a father, but all shall be as one strong man in Christ, yea they shall have houses, vineyards, possessi∣ons of their own, and no others; they shall no more labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble, but you shall be cal∣led the blessed of the Lord and his off∣spring; thy God I will be, that hears and answers thee, who lives and abides with thee; there shall be nothing that doth hurt in all my Mountain, but the Wolf and Lamb, Lion and Bul∣lock, shall lie down together: there shall be nothing else but rest amongst them, all living in one.

SECT. XCII. [§. 92] Though heaven and earth be my house, yet I will dwell in you.

ANd though heaven be my throne, and the earth my footstool, yet this is not my dwelling, nor the place of my Rest, but in the houses and dwellings of men; you are my build∣ing and house, the humble and the con∣trite heart will I live with; and till I come to live with them, all their wor∣ship and sacrifice, yea their lambs, and offerings are abominable to me, I hate them all, till I am formed in them, and when I am thus formed in thee, all that hate thee hate me, then your souls shall not delight in these things which I delight not in, nor when I call shall they not answer, but they shall delight in the Lord alone, and nothing else.

SECT. XCIII. [§. 93] Zion brings forth, yea a whole Nation in a day, and that without pain.

THe soul that trembles at my Word, though he be cast out falsly for my names sake, and think they glorifie me in it, yet let them know their zeal is without knowledg; and who hath required this at their hands, but you shall be justified, and they ashamed, and the Voyce of the Lord shall be heard from his Temple with us, that Zion travelleth, and is de∣livered without pain: Was ever such a thing heard or seen, that a whole Na∣tion should be born at once, and brought forth in one day? And why cannot the Lord do it? Shall he bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth, or then shall the Lord shut the womb? No, no, be glad and rejoyce with her all ye that love her, take of the brests of her consolation, and be satisfied, delight thy soul in the abun∣dance of her glory, for her peace shall

be like a river, and her glory as a stream; you shall be born on her sides, and be dandled on her knees; I will comfort you as a mother comforteth her children; for by fire and a sword shall the Lord plead with all flesh, and make it as a loathsom carcass, but you shall remain for ever, and worship before me.

Thus I have finished this Book of Isaiah in much sorrow, weakness and trouble, and dare not yet venture to proceed, till I finde a more conve∣nient time for it, then I have had for this first Volume, it being brought forth in the midst of our troubles here at London, while the Army was a∣mongst you, and these great things acted, as the Charge, Tryal and Exe∣cution of the King; in all which time this was some repast and refreshment to write these things, though it was by fits and starts, yet the Lord may make it useful, in some measure, for the good of others: Being called away now

from London, I am forced to break off here in the midway, else I might shew you the Book of Jeremiah opened in Man, Ezekiel and Daniel, with the lesser Prophets, one by one fulfilled in us; as also the New Testament, how we have the everlasting Gospel taught us by the Spirit of Christ in our hearts, together with his Birth, Life, Doctrine, Works and Death of Christ formed in us; as also his Re∣surrection, Ascension and Glorificati∣on within us, Christ risen. Again, how we are the Acts of Christ, and how Christ is all our Acts and Works; it is he doth all for us, and in us. And again, how we are his Epistles, yea the heavenly and holy Epistles of Christ, written by God on the Tables of his Hand, our hearts known and read of all men; how we are the Lords Church, Spouse, Members and Body, his Building, Planting, Temple and Dwelling. Lastly, how we are the Lords Revelations and Visions to whom he shews himself, and the things that are,

have been, and are ro come, things past, present, and to come, afar off, or nigh at hand; we are these whom the Lord ravishes in Spirit, in his day, when that comes upon us, and then he tells us all things, and takes us up to heaven to see himself in all, and all in himself, opening heaven, and revealing his whole Will and Counsel: We are that sealed Book, whom the Lamb takes and opens, for he is worthy, and we are these that shall have the honor to say, Come, come, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly: Thus the Bride shall say, and we are those that shall have ei∣ther all these Blessings, Graces, Gifts, Mercies, Promises, Comforts and Glories that are in heaven and earth written or revealed in the whole Scrip∣tures, or else all the curses, woes, la∣mentations, miseries, threatnings and torments written in the whole Book of God to fall upon us; thus eternally happy, or eternally miserable: but all these things I leave to the Day of the Lord to bring forth in me, to per∣fect

his praises, that as the Lord hath began, so he would continue, and bring to the end of this Book of the Scrip∣tures, that we may be in the Lord God both the Alpha and the Omega of it.

Notes

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