Fire from heaven, falling upon the present army and the churches: or, Two words from the Lord to both·: Held forth to the understanding of those, that make not flesh their arm, and whose hope the Lord is, that cease from man (a piece of earth) whose breath is in his nostrils. As also to the terror and astonishment of all those, who lean upon the broken staff of Egypt, and trust in horses, and strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and joy in the shadow of men; and cry to themselves, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. / By a man of their councel.

A Second WORD TO THE CHURCHES.

YOu have a name that you live, you have the image and representation of God amongst you; you assume to your selves the name of the Churches of God, Chur∣ches of the Gospel, of clear light, and yet live in the darkness and cloudiness of your own spirits: You have made flesh and forms your habitation, you have offered upon every mountain, and sacrificed under every green tree, and bowed to graven images: You have in truth so hug'd and embraced the outmost and lower∣most dispensations of God, as you will not, nor durst not leave them for the enjoyment of a pure and naked God: You have known Christ after the flesh, and have eat and drunk with him in this fleshly way, you have seen the miracles that he hath wrought, and the wonders he hath done among men, and you by him have repent∣ed, and turned from your own works of righteousness to the righ∣teousness of God, as thus held forth unto you: And you have had much sweetness and comfort under all these, for the Lord hath lived in them: Now, saith the Lord unto you, Behold, I go to my Fa∣ther, I withdraw from the creature, and ascend into my own glory, into my pure self; I leave the earth, I will abide no more in the Temple, I will forsake my dwelling place: Note the word, God doth sometimes leave his dwelling place; I have made my abode and dwelt in Water, Bread, and Wine, in the observation of

days, in praying, fasting, reading, writing, preaching, hearing; I will now leave them all. O then sorrow fills your hearts, and you begin to weep and lament, seeing the flesh of Christ cruci∣fied before you, hung between two theeves; but his Holy One can∣not dye, nor see corruption, but his flesh is abased, shamed, disgra∣ced; the Lord gives up those garments and vestures, wherewith he was clothed, to the moth to devour, to the enemy to make a prey of; and the worldly Christian parts his garments, and casts lots for them, and rejoyces in the spoil, and embalms the body of the Lord with sweet spices, though the soul and life is departed from it, yea, though it be but a meer carcass, the spirit of Christ leaving it, yet this poor man loves it as much as ever, delights and pleases him∣self in it; and Christ being dead and buried, you go to his Sepul∣chre, wherein he is layd, seeking for him, and Mary-like ask the Angels where your Lord is; they answer, He is not here, he is risen; why seek ye the living among the dead? You go to fasting and prayer, and enquire, saying, Did you see the Lord? No, say they, He is not here; He was here for three days, but he is risen and gone: Then you go from one Church to another, from society to society, and enquire, but he is not here, say they, he is risen: Then you go to the rudiments of the world, to elementary things, and they give you the same answer, saying, He was here, but he is risen, behold the linnen clothes and the napkin in which he lay; you may see his grave-clothes, his outward garments, his several and sundry appearances, but he is gone, he hath left them all: Then you begin to be afraid, you know not what to do, now you have lost your Lord, and there is nothing now remaining to take pleasure in, and to enjoy, but a few grave-clothes, some old cast∣off garments; no place now to live in, but a desolate and forsaken house, a habitation for Dragons, and a Court for Owls, a place which the wilde beasts of the field have made their rest.

Object. But you may object, and say, We are a Church formed according to the pattern in the Mount, according to the Scriptures prescribed by Christ and the Apostles, and in obedience to these we walk and abide.

Answ. You are much below (even all the visible Churches on earth) that pure and primitive order in the Apostles days; you have not that pure infallible doctrine to deliver as they had, nor that clearness of the Spirit poured down upon you; the Holy

Ghost not falling upon you in cloven tongues, as upon them: nor that oneness of minde, as to sell all, and lay it down at the A∣postles or Churches feet; you have not so learned Christ, you cannot do greater works then ever Christ himself did, when he was upon earth, and that because Christ is ascended: Yours, at the best, is but an earthly, weak, erring, imperfect Ministry, a worldly San∣ctuary, a Baptism of Water, not of the Spirit, that which (as John said) decreases, not increases; a doctrine which, because of the weakness of it, cannot go beyond Repentance, Faith, Hope, Baptisms, Resurrection of the dead, and eternal Judgment, with laying on of hands; All which are but milk for babes: yet you are always contenting and satisfying your selves with such a baby-condition, not going in your selves, nor suffering (without offence) those that would; nay, you will not move a step beyond these, but asperse, as erroneous and blasphemous, all such that pass through hope and faith to sight and enjoyment, through the Flesh into the Spirit, and it is unseemly to name the word perfection (as attain∣able) among you. But further, were you as perfect and compleat in all things as the Apostles were, yet must you, with such a Mi∣nistry and Church, cease, and give in, for behold, a greater then the Apostles and Prophets is here; here is one standing among you, whom you know and see not as yet, that will not own Paul, Peter, and John in this Apostleship, there being no manner of co-parner∣ship in it; and that it may appear that the Apostolical Ministry and Doctrine was but to continue its time and age, doth Christ him∣self, when upon earth, manifest as much to us, Matth. 28.20. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you alway, or every day, even to the con∣sumption of this age; So the Greek reads it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in the singular number, not in the plu∣ral number, as in other places, where it is used for ever, the word is, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; and Peter bears witness hereto, 2 Pet. 3.12, 13. Looking for, and hastening unto the coming of the day of the Lord, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, &c. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righte∣ousness: Peter though an Apostle and Minister of the Churches, and to the world, yet he expected a more glorious Church and Mi∣nistry, for you must not understand by heavens and elements is

here meant those visible to us, as if they should be burnt up; or heavens and earth, to be that which you behold, and live in; but Churches and Ministry, Doctrines and teachings of and by men; Yea John will lead you to the knowledge of this, Rev. 21.3, 22, 23. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and God himself shall be with them, &c. And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple of it. He is a weake man, and a weak Christian, that is under the Ministry of the A∣postles, that hath any man to teach him, or is under any teaching of God by men. And my dear friends, and brethren, let me tell you without offence, that you are not under the second Covenant, but under a Covenant of the outward man, under the Compact of the Letter, untill you cease teaching one another, and preaching one to the other, but are taught of God onely: So runs the terms of that Covenant, observe it Hebr. 8.10, 11. In that Covenant, when persons are under it, they shall not say one to another, bro∣ther, know the Lord; this is the voice of the Lord, that is not: This the Lord saith, that man saith; this is truth, that is error. No, in this Covenant you shall know God perfectly, fully, and clearly. O strange doctrine, and horrid blasphemy, will some of you, my brothren, say; but I will bear with the fruits of your darkness. And now I am to deliver to you; First, a word of ter∣ror and judgment: and secondly of counsel and advice.

First, Terror, and Judgement; I am to tell you, the Lord hath cursed the Figtree, he hath caused your gifts to wither, you tree yeelds no more fruit, your root is without sap, your teachings without life, your ministrations affording no peace; either, I say, none at all, but dejection and casting down; or else peace tempora∣ry, because of the uncertainty of your doctrine, peace mixed with enmity and breakings out; and a love with feare, when perfect love casts out fear, for fear hath torment; A Saint and yet a sinner, when he that is horn of God sinneth not. You shall call in this old Church-way, and not be heard, cry, and the Lord will turn from you; you shall sly at the rebuke of one, though you are a thou∣sand, at the rebuke of five shall ye slye, untill you be left as a bea∣con upon the top of a mountain, and as an Ensigne on a hill. The Sun shall go down over the Prophets, and the day shall be dark o∣ver them; Emptiness and a shadow shall be written upon all that you 〈◊〉〈◊〉. This Sun and Moon of yours shall be ashamed, when the

Lord shall reign in mount Zion. The Lord is sending leanness a∣mong you, and a famine not of bread, and a thirst not of water, but of hearing the Word of the Lord, and you shall wander from Sea to Sea, from Church to Church, from Society to Society, from Prea∣cher to Preacher, from man to man, from brother to brother, from doctrine to doctrine, and shall not finde the Lord: you your selves shall shortly see this fulfilled upon you; you shal burn your books and writings, you shal see this mountain of yours forsaken; and thus judgement shall follow you, and a fire shall be kindled among you, and burn you up. And the Lord to make out tokens of his indig∣nation against you, how he hath left you, as you have left him, and his glory, hath in these our daies visibly discovered it, by a giving you up to the weakness and folly of your own hearts, which hath produced and effected in you, the betraying and shedding innocent blood, even the blood of those whom you formerly honoured; strengthning the hands of their oppressors, adding affliction to affli∣ction, which the spirit of God calleth cruelty. In the day that the strangers carried away captive his, even Jacobs forces; and foreig∣ners entred into his, even the righteous gates, and casts lots upon them; even thou wast as one of them, thou stood'st in the cross∣waies to cut off those that did escape: But the day of the Lord is near, as thou hast done, shall it be done to thee; the reward shall return upon thine owne head, this innocent blood have you shed, even you, or most of you, that call your selves the Churches of God. As I do not own their boasting in, or gathering to themselves an arm of flesh, and by a warlike way to endeavour to free them∣selves, and establish righteousness in the Land: So I cannot but testifie against the bloody, unchristian-like thoughts, and actions that hath been manifested in you to them. And who should have thought, that no sooner could liberty be given you, which once were so enslaved, and captived in and for the practise of your Re∣ligion, that for so doing, you daily suffered, or in continual leopar∣dy; I say, that you should seek to enslave and embondage others, whom you professedly honour as righteous; some to God, and o∣thers of them to men, save in this action. But sweet and good is the hand of the Lord in this, that he might thereby make a discove∣ry of you to the World. Now I shall shew you a few Reasons of the judgements of the Lord thus falling upon you.

1. Because the Temple of the Lord, not the Lord is your glory.

Every thing that God welleth in, you fall down to, and so fall down to Angels, Saints, Men, Ordinances, Ministers, and Officers, when these, at the best, are but Gods habitation, garments of the earth, and decaying vestures wherewith God cloathes himself. You are satisfied that you are a Church member, that you are of such and such a Congregation, that you have such a Pastor, that you have sub∣mitted to such an Ordinance, or Ordinances. O this doth tickle you, I know it when I walked among you; Nay, it further appeares, by those mean and low thoughts you have of those that are not of your Order; some of you can hardly pray with them, others not own them as brethren, and the rest charging them with disobedience, in not walking up to those withered, dead, and decayed things, that you seek to keep alive.

Now as long as you remain under these dispensations, the Lord in, and under these, should only be your glory, 1 Cor. 1.31. He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Object. But some of you will say, Though indeed we are under all these administrations, yet we glory not in them, if we may be said to know our own hearts, we are commanded so to do by God, and we dare not sleight any injunction from the Lord.

Answ. I know it is here you stick, you cannot get off it. O it is a command of God and you dare not omit it. To which I reply.

First, That when God had an outward Tabernacle and Temple, Church, and Ministery, as under the Law, he was very exact with the people in the observation thereof, a Pin must not be left out, nor a Naile out of its place: but Looke that thou make them after the patterne which was shewed thee in the mount, Exod. 25.40. And this day shall you observe for ever in your generations, Exod. 12.14. And this the tenth day of the first month, vers. 3. And the seventh year should be a Sabbath to them, and the fiftieth year, a year of Jubile, Levit. 25.4, 11. There must be no swerving from the observation of these.

Secondly, When the Lord leaves this house, and will build ano∣ther, Cloathed with greater glory, he tyes not his people to the outward observation of things: he is not now as formerly exact in them: Doth not command them to be baptized with water, but in∣to the Spirit. Christ tells them, They shall be baptized with the holy Ghost and with fire; commands that they be baptized into the Name of Father, Son, and Spirit: viz: into the power and glory

of these three, and yet one, into a clear knowledg and understand∣ing of these: And for the Supper, doth not enjoyn them to the strict and absolute observation of it, nor when; as under the law, such a day shall you observe the Passeover: but now, As oft as you do it, do it in remembrance of me, not telling them how oft they should do it. But how long must this eating bread and drink∣ing wine last? during your continuance in the dark, until the Lord comes, and be a feast of fat things in the spirit and life to you, un∣til he be revealed from Heaven, consuming this dross and earthly knowledg within you; and then shall you drink no more of this fruit of the Vine, but drink it new in the Kingdom. You used signs and tokens of his death, &c. had many letters representing him, but now he is come, what need these? he is come himself, even his sweet self; nay, further, as the Lord did not then binde his peo∣ple to outwards, so were they used by the Apostles, as in them they might become all to all, stoop to them, and speak them in their own language, and as children to deal with them.

3. Those Churches, with their glory, ministry, and all, were to dye and wither away, apostatize and fall back, and this for time, times, and half a time, as the Scripture plentifully witnesseth, and the holy City under foot: and when Christ cometh, shall he finde faith on the earth? And this should be until the Kingdoms of this world become the Lords & his Christs, and God take to him his great reign, yea, till the Tabernacle of God shall be with men, and a new Heaven and Earth appear, and God make all things new: and this is the Church, and the Ministry, which, the Scripture tells you, shall be set up after the Apostatizing days: Therefore, dear hearts, binde not your selves, where God hath not bound you; be free in what the Lord hath made you free.

2. A second Reason, why the judgment of the Lord shall from Heaven fall upon you, is, because you, by reason of your narrow thoughts and apprehensions, keep the Lord Jesus prisoner, will not permit him to go any where, or dwell in any, save your selves: You are offended if the Lord break forth in a further manifestation of Glory to others, not of your rank and order; Lord, saith the Presbyter, here thou must abide, this is thy dwelling place, ne∣ver remove from hence: And here, saith the Independent; And here, saith the Anabaptist, &c. Do you think that he that hath

the key of David, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, will become your prisoner? No, no, his glory he will not give to another. The Lord, if he rend the vail of this fleshly Temple, and pass through it into the highest Heavens, you will serpent-like wait for this man-childe brought forth by the woman, viz. weakness, that you may devour it; and therefore you cry out, Lo here is Christ, and lo there, and question people, saying, Are you a member of a visible Church, of what society? and so lessen that comfort and peace (or at least endeavor it) that poor souls have in God, by reason they are not joyned to your soci∣eties: But in all their afflictions he is afflicted; the Lord in this weak brother, or sister, is afflicted, and beareth all he beareth: and thus you imprison and afflict the Lord himself.

3. Because it is your shame to live upon a naked God, to have the Kingdom of God onely within you; you are unwilling to leave outward bread and wine for God the bread and water of life: and he that is ashamed of God, of him shall God himself be ashamed. What say you? shall we by men be accounted no more praying, fasting men, hearing and preaching men? no more to weep and mourn, but all tears to be wiped from our eyes? to observe no Sab∣bath, but the Lord God, and to call him holy, a delight, honorable? not to think our own thoughts, nor speak our own words? O this is your shame, namely to leave the water in the cisterns, and that run in the channels, for that great river and fountain whose streams make glad the City of God: It is to you a greater shame to be at your fathers house with the fatted calf, then in the Coun∣try to feed swine, and to eat their husks: therefore he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they shall all fail together.

II. A second word, and that of advice and counsel.

First, That you would assemble your selves to the Supper of the great God: and this saith the Angel, the Messenger of God, that stands and abides in the glory of God, Rev. 19.17. And I saw an Angel standing in the Sun, and cryed with a loud voyce, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather your selves together unto the Supper of the great God: The Lord invites you, the great and mighty God woos you by his Messenger, by another appearance of his: My advice is, That you would go, tarry not; and that you may understand the Supper what it is.

1. The flesh and blood of the mighty men of the earth, the power and authority of the rulers of the world, which are bound in chains, Rev. 19.18. That ye may eat the flesh of Kings, and the flesh of Captains, &c. Ezek. 39.18, 19. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the Princes of the earth, of Rams, of Lambs, &c. And ye shall eat fat, until ye be full, and drink blood, until ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sa∣crificed for you: You shall fill and satisfie your selves with the judgment of the Lord upon the great and high-looked men of the earth. You shall see the Day of the Lord upon all flesh, upon all might and power; you shall see all the pride of the earth stained and defaced, and this shall be your joy and rejoycing: And it shall then be said, Behold, the man, the woman, that gave not the glory to God; Behold, end see, every thing, that is not pure God, defaced, hath lost its life, its blood, runs to the Rocks and Mountains, there to hide themselves. O blessed Feast! O sweet Supper! no∣thing remaining but the Holy One; Iniquity hath here an end, and the terrible one is here brought low.

2. This Feast is the flesh of the Whore, an eating of her, and a burning her with fire: You know in the burnt-offerings under the Law, the flesh, and the fat, and all, was to be burnt, and nothing to remain: so nothing is to remain in this burnt-offering, but the Lord: For by Whore, I understand to be any thing, or person what∣ever, that you love and delight in, and go to bed to, save the pure and individeble God; any of those Lovers that give us our bread and our water, our wool and our flax, our drink and our oy••, what∣ever it be, that refreshes us inwardly, or outwardly, save God: Do you joy and delight in Forms, in outward Dispensations and Administrations? Nay, do you delight in Christ as after the flesh? Do you feast your selves with the fleshly presence of Christ? This shall be burnt up with fire: And do you eat it up, and let not ought remain? There is a Strumpet within you, your wisdom, which is your snare, your knowledg, reason, and will, which will cause you to fall. O let all be burnt up, yea, this will of yours, let it not re∣main until the morning, and it shall be a sweet swelling sacrifice unto the Lord; let your will be terminated in God, let your rea∣son be the Lords reason, and your judgment, his; let this affect you, and the zeal of the Lords house even eat you up.

Secondly, Let me advise, that you go and return to your first hus∣band,

you were first espoused to the Lord, well, have but one hus∣band, stray not from this man of knowledge any longer, be not a stranger at home; though you have played the harlot, yet will your husband receive you. Seek the Lord, and David your King, and fear the Lord and his goodness now in these latter daies, Hos. 3.5. This is the first thing you must do, when you are come out of bon∣dage, and out of the Land of Aegypt, when delivered out of the strange land, ask for the Lord, seek him out, never leave untill you have found him, even him whom your soule loveth; You must seek the Lord God, and then Zion. If you know God perfectly, you will know men as they are; but this is the reason, men and Saints are so much deceived; because they first seek the Church, and then Lord, men, and then God. But were you fully and prefectly acquainted with God, you would know men and things distinctly; O you would easily learn to distinguish between the light of God, and the darkness of men, between the emptiness and vanity of men, and things, and fulness that is in God. God is that blessed key that opens the door to every creature, giving a perfect and distinct knowledge of them: creatures shall be no more then creatures to you. Did you know the Lord by these espousals of his, were this the mariage day to you, it would work out all strangenes that is in your souls to this God, Hos. 2.17. For I will take the names of Balaam out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembred by their names. They shall no more call God, my Lord, but my husband, vers. 16. There is not such a discovery, such an intimate understanding of se∣crets between the master and servant, as between the husband and wife. The servant knows nothing, but as it relates to his dutie and obedience, as it relates to the servitude he is under. Well, saith the Lord, I will free you of this bondage, you and I will not be strangers but familiar friends. It shall be no more I and you, but you and I one; we will have one table, one house, one heart, one minde, and by the effecting this work, I will doe it.

First, I will first bring you into the wilderness, I will have you a∣lone, your lovers shal no more remain before me; you shall be where there is no path, no way, no Church, no Temple, no company: O, then saith God, you will be glad of company, then society with me will be your delight; will in that day step in, and shew my self, and then shall you freely come in worshipping and serving of me.

Secondly, The Lord will in this day reveale and discover himself

in a full and glorious manner. Your vailes shall then be rent, and your coverings removed; then shall ye say, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, This is the invisible One, whom no man have seen, nor can see, whom flesh and blood hath not revealed: this consuming fire is he, this everlasting burning is our husband. O, then shall you loath your selves for all your abominations; you shall then cease crying up that fleshly knowledge, wisdom, understan∣ding, teaching, and hearing, which you now so much strive after, that it shall be an abhorring to you. Isai. 66.23, 24. And it shall come to pass, that from one new Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not dye, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an ab∣horring to all flesh. You shall go forth out of this holy City, and you shall look for the Praying, Fasting, Preaching, and Reading men and women, for all the carnall worshippers, and you shall see no∣thing but the carcasses of these men remaining, and they shall stink in your nostrils, and be an abhorring to you; For, Behold the Lord creates new heavens, and a new earth: and the former shall be remembred no more.