The Glory of the New Covenant.  
MAny and divers are the manifestations of the Love and grace of God, wherein he is willing to show forth the Riches of his Mercy in his own kindness, and from one degree to another he openeth himself according to the good pleasure of his will, and also according to the preparedness and fitness that the heart is in to receive him; for although it be in his pleasure to manifest, and measure forth the Riches of his grace and love unto a people, yet he doth not do it beyond their present capacity, in which he beholds them in a preparedness and fitness to join unto him, and receive him, for he well knoweth and understandeth, that there is a part in man which would abuse his Gifts, if it could compass them to itself, and therefore he withholdeth the manifestations of his love and grace from that part, and doth never answer it by manifesting or measuring forth any thing of his love unto it, for he hath determined to famish that part to death, that the true hunger of the true birth may openly breathe unto him, and receive satisfaction in him: for though that part which is of the flesh, may catch at something which unto the poor is manifested, yet it can never compass the gift itself, for that is ever with held from it, as being unworthy to be entrusted with such an excellent Treasure; and it can never attain unto any higher degree of what is manifested from God unto the true birth, then to behold it afar off; in which sight it creates a likeness of what it beholdeth, and transforms itself, as if it was the same thing; and here many people sits under the government of a transformed Spirit, and doth believe that they are come under their own Vine, and sits under their own Figtree, and that they are ceased from their own labour, and are entered into their Rest; and this they cry up as the most excellent glory that far exceeds the glory of service; and this is no other but the fleshly part that is set down at ease under the government of a transformed Spirit, under which the true Seed lies in bondage, and deep Captivity, and such have kept back that which they should have given to the Slaughter, and hath saved the worse part alive, and are set down at ease in it, and so they have erred from that of God in them, by which he prepares and fits the heart to receive him in his own way, and the glory of their Rest is but as a fading flower which to day is excellent in its show, and to morrow passeth away, and is no more; and this is not the glory of the New and Everlasting Covenant, wherein the God of Love and Peace is all unto his Children: For a new Heart will I give them, saith the Lord, and a new Spirit I will put into them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Mark, Here the Lord prepares a new heart, and a new Spirit, which according to the preparedness and fitness, is only in a capacity to receive him in the manifestations of his Love, Grace, and Mercy; which being received into that heart and Spirit which God prepareth, he than becomes their God that so Receives him, and they become his people in his own Covenant; and this is the passage from Death to Life, when the Law hath had its full force in the old heart to condemn the flesh, with all the motions of it; and so it is a ministration that is Glorious, though it be a ministration of Condemnation, for as much as it makes way for the Rising of the Seed in which there is a better hope; through which ministration all must pass before they be prepared and fitted to receive the love and grace of God: For when the Law hath had its full force upon the old Man, and hath condemned the first Adam's sinful flesh, then is the way prepared for the second Adam to manifest his life in his quickening Spirit; and there the new Birth comes to be born, which hath a new heart, and a new Spirit, and is in a capacity to receive the Love and Grace of God; and so Grace and Truth comes by Jesus Christ, who fulfils the Law in every point, and causeth the administration of Condemnation to cease, and brings in the ministration of Righteousness that far exceeds it in Glory. And here the New Covenant comes into its place by the Resurrection of the Seed, and in the Seed the glory of it doth far exceed the glory of the first Covenant; and there the good thing is come, unto which the shadow pointed, the Substance come, the Life come, the Everlasting glory come, and a sure Defence stretched over it. And this is the Rest that is Pure, and never was Polluted; and who are entered into it, they labour no more in their own works, but are now Created in Christ Jesus, who worketh all for them, and in his strength they are able to do all things; for he hath quickened them in his life, and in his life they are zealous of good Works; and who are come into this quickening power and life of Christ, they are truly in their Rest, for their own works are all ceased, and they are ceased unto them, and yet they labour in the Holy Calling whereunto he calls them; for as he gives them life, so in his life they have motion, and in the motion of his life, they do all things according to his Will: and this is the Work in the New Covenant. Not according to the Works of the Old, for than it was said, Do this and Live: But now it is said, Live, and do whatsoever I command you. And this is true love manifested unto him, when that is done which is commanded by him; for by the power and virtue of his Life received, there is strength given to do those things that are well pleasing in his sight; and who are come into this Covenant of love and life, they are more active in doing what his pleasure is to have done, then when they were labouring and working in the weakness and unprofitableness of the Flesh, and so the glory of the New Covenant doth far exceed the glory of the Old. Forasmuch as the Life is Risen, and the Righteousness thereof Revealed, which is the good thing unto which the first Covenant pointed; and it doth not destroy any good works which God hath ordained, but quickeneth more into them, and maketh more zealous of them, and the new heart, and the new spirit is more servant to serve the Lord, being that life is come which quickeneth in service, and in which the service is accepted; And this is the birth that is Redeemed from under the Law, and the service of it, to serve God in Newness of Spirit under his Grace, in which it is approved and accepted; for as no flesh living under the Law can be Justified, so no Innocent Babe that is under Grace is condemned, but all its works and services are reckoned for Righteousness, and are Blessed. And here is the riches of grace, by which Redemption is perfected, and who shall lay any thing to the charge of this Birth? Who shall say thou art to cease from service and labour, when the life hath quickened into service, and requires labour in the work of the Gospel? surely such would not have the harvest gathered, who would have the workmen cease from their labour, they do not feel the weight of the harvest in that life which once said, The Harvest is great, & the labourers are but sew, pray ye theefore the Lord of the Harvest, that he would send forth painful labourers into his Harvest. Here was labour & service to be done for the gathering of the harvest, & surely it is as great at this day as e●e; they that feel the weight of it in the life, they cannot say to the true Labourers, your service is over, & that your labour is in vain, & you are to cease from it. Oh no, they pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send forth more painful Labourers for the help & furtherance of the Work; for it is a day wherein much service hath been done for God, and all the faithful improves their diligence to serve the Lord, and one another, for they are in the Love, and the Grace, and the Mercy, and therein they are ready and willing to serve the Seed in all, not by speaking their own words, but in and by the word of the Lord; and this is the day of the Lord, and not the day of man, for the Lord is all in it, and his servants serve him, and their reward is with them; these drinks at the living springs, and out of their bellies flows Rivers of living water; for as they are in Covenant with God, and partakers of his Divine nature, even so they communicate the virtue of it to the refreshing of the weary, and to the reviving of all the tender plants, and herein their service stands for God, and answers to the righteous life in every Conscience, and they cannot cease from their labour, being that God hath entrusted them with the work of the Gospel, and they dare not do it negligently, much less throw it by carelessly, and they that would have it so, or can do so, did yet never know the necessity of that work laid upon them, but came forth in a froward spirit which Judgement pursued, in the feeling of which, they conclude the same unto all, and where Judgement hath overtaken any in this place, and that they are sensible of their own haste, it is safe for such to cease from that labour, and to wait in humility for the rising of the life, that they in the same may be disposed to serve the Lord; for whosoever hath stepped forth hastily into this great work, they will assuredly feel Judgement to overtake them; for the living God is zealous of his glory, and will not give it to another, for he is risen in the Glory of his own Covenant, and his Life is revealed in Righteousness, and many there be that are entered into it, and knows it to be their Rest; and though they have attained the excellent glory of this Righteous life, by the virtue of its Resurrection, and as to themselves have rest and peace in it, yet they are constrained to seek the good of others, and to labour in the life of their Rest, to bring others to Rest with them, for the greater part of the work is yet behind, though much there be already done, and therefore whilst it is day, it is the time to work, that what is yet behind may be fulfilled; for it is certainly believed, that the same power which did begin the work, will in due time accomplish it, and in the mean time it prospers to the joy of all that faithfully labour in it, and this is the work of the New Covenant which is glorious, and doth far exceed the glory of the work of the first Covenant; for as much as the work of the first Covenant, was in the weakness and unprofitableness of the flesh, but the work of the New Covenant is in the power and life of the spirit, and so the service of the New Covenant is a free service through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who hath brought life and immortality to light by the glorious Resurrection of his heavenly power, under which the babes sits down as under a shade, and knows the Government upon his shoulders, and he fills their habitations with Joy, and everlasting Peace; and so the true Vine is come, and the sitting down under it, is known amongst the heirs of life, who rejoices together in the unity and peace that they have in him, and willingly serves the Lord, and one another in singleness of heart, and therefore every one is to watch in the light of the Covenant, that none may lose the guide of their youth, for who loses that, doth certainly lose their way, and never comes to the purchased possession of the heavenly Inheritance that is in Christ Jesus, but satisfies themselves with some apprehensions and applications of what they have beheld a far of, and so the guide being lost, the way is lost, and the inheritance lost, and then there is a sitting down in a Rest apprehended, short of the rest that is purchased; and here the flesh is at ease, and the will at liberty, through which the mind is tossed, and the Righteous life heavily burdened.  
Now, who comes to wait in the light of the Covenant, with that to be guided, they see their way and are preserved; and so the children walks together in the unity and peace of the Covenant, and the dread of the Lord is before them, and the Cross is delightful to them, and whatsoever they take up the Cross unto, they have strength given to bear it in the patience, and so the first nature comes to be crucified, and life, and immortality comes to be raised, in which the glory of the New Covenant is Revealed and Exalted, and all that are born and brought forth in this life, they are truly prepared and fitted to receive the love and grace of God, and he doth not withhold any good thing from them; for as they are born of him, even so they live by him, and always depends upon him for the renewings of his Mercy, that they in the same may renew their strength to follow him faithfully and innocently, in the way which he prepareth for them, and whatsoever they do, they do it in the Father's Will, and seeks his glory alone. Therefore all ye firstborn of God, who are risen from the dead, and have received the love and grace of the Father, and lives and abides in the Covenant of his Mercy, proclaim his message to the ends of the earth, seek the dispersed, gather the scattered, raise up the dead, revive the hope of Israel, that the captives may rejoice at your Voice, and the poor may be glad at your Message; keep in the heavenly authority of the life, and then you will understand when the word of the Lord comes upon you, and when the message of life rises in you, and when the Fountain opens to issue forth its virtue, then will the fresh streams run thorough you, as water from a spring, and all the thirsty will draw near unto you through the sweetness of that savour.  
Oh ye dear brethren in the Everlasting Covenant, how beautiful are your feet that never turned aside from the way of peace, but have faithfully followed the Lord in the leadings of his life, and willingly served him in singleness of your hearts, you are well known in the Family of the Righteous, and your names cannot be rooted out; all the Virgins are in love with you, and they cannot be drawn from you, because your innocency remains with you, and the heavenly wisdom rests upon you, in which your memory stands for ever, for from the beginning ye have faithfully laboured in the work of the Lord, and ye behold the fruit of your labour with joy and peace: Oh, the brotherly kindness of my dearest love is always with you, and in the same spirit of life I travel even as you do, that Israel may be gathered and established for ever; and in this labour and travail of the spirit, we have a sure seal that God is with us, and that his power in us doth accomplish his own work to his own glory: Therefore let all that enters into this labour in this day, feel the weight of it in that life & power which is able to carry it on, and prosper it unto a full perfection; for assuredly it is a service of which it may be said, Who is sufficient for it, or who is able to accomplish such a weighty work? And I know as the weighty life is felt, it will keep all in the pure fear, and in a deep consideration of what any are called unto, and so the life will not be overrun in haste, but will keep the forward part in the Cross, and by its power, make it's own passage for the streams of its virtue to run according to its pleasure; and who keeps in the sense and feeling of this living Ministration in themselves, they will certainly gather the minds of others to be sensible of the same, in the feeling of it, and so a true birth will be begotten in the life, and born of the life, and nourished with the life, and then the unity will be held and not broken; for the life is the cord that bindeth up in its self, and placeth every Member in its Office, to serve one another in love; therefore let the weight of this service be deeply considered by all who are called unto service this day, and do not presume one above another, but rather prefer one another; for if the mind puff up in presumption, the life is lost, and then the words will not profit, though in themselves they may be true; and there is the occasion given whereby many offences rises, and that is not the service of the New Covenant, nor doth not exalt the glory of it; and what may be performed by such a service, it doth not further the work of God, but rather hinders it, for something of the flesh will be ready to boast and glory in it, which is not good: So let all who have received a gift to Minister, and are but young in the exercise of it, be watchful in their Calling, that through diligence in the life, they may perfectly understand the work set before them, and not to be hastily in any thing, but according to the necessity laid upon them by the living power, so to answer the Lord faithfully, and serve him with reverence and godly fear, and then all occasions of offence will be excluded, and the life alone will be exalted, and that is the true ground of unity which never was divided, nor never will; and there the more excellent glory of the New Covenant comes to be established in the heavenly wisdom, where all the babes rejoice in unity, under the reigning power of the Lamb's Authority.  
And now ye dear children of the Kingdom, and heirs of Life, dwell and abide in that power which hath quickened you, and made you alive to God, and there you will truly feel your preservation and safety, and as there ye sit, you will indeed favour the things that be of God, and those that be of man, and you cannot reject the savour of that which proceed from the nature of the life where ye are set down, but will receive it into your habitations with gladness and singleness of heart, and be refreshed and comforted by the living virtue that ye savour in it, and therefore sit in the power of God, and feel that to be your own, and that will never scatter you into the land of Famine, but will preserve you, and keep you in the fresh sense of the heavenly spring both in yourselves and others, and unto this have all the faithful laboured to gather you, and it is not another thing that hath been preached amongst you by the truth of the Gospel, and therefore cleave unto it as your first love, and then the message of truth in the life of truth, will be as sweet and savoury unto you as ever, and so the everlasting spring of heavenly virtue and consolation will be kept open amongst you, and the love and life of good will plentifully abound in you, and therein the freshness of your love will be increased unto God, and one to another, and his blessing will there fall upon you, as showers of moisture upon the thirsty ground.  
Therefore assemble yourselves ye children, assemble in the power of the most high, and wait upon God in the dread of his power, so will his glory cover you, and rest upon you for ever.  
Many Exhortations of this nature have been unto you from several brethren, and therefore no further necessity is laid upon me in this particular, then to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that ye cleave unto, and hold fast that which you have received of God, whose gift is Eternal life. Peace be with you, and amongst you all for evermore, Amen.  
Nottingham County Goal, the 3. Month, 1664. W. S.  
THE END.