Forms the Pillars of Antichrist; BUT CHRIST in SPIRIT THE True teacher of his PEOPLE; AND NOT TRADITION:  
For the Spirit of God is not bound to any place, nor time, nor form; we may not limit the Holy One of Israel.  
The Spirits Teaching doth unmask and embroil the false Prophet, or the Carnal Worshipper, and discovers them to be the Agents and Agitators of Antichrist.  
And the kingdom of Antichrist is subdued to us, and destroyed in us, by the Spirits Teaching.  
And to him that is lead by the Spirits Teaching do I commend these to be received, and not to the natural mans wisdom;  
For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned,  1 Cor. 2. Chap. 14. verse. 
Written in Scotland in opposition to some people who do imitate John the Baptist, by dipping themselves in water, holding out Free-will, and falling from Grace, and pretend that they are the only Disciples of Christ, and yet reject the Spirits Teaching, by one who waits to see the downfall of the Kingdom of Antichrist, and the prosperity of Sion, Jonas del  
something in answer to a scandalous paper given forth by W. P. to the Souldiers in the Garrison of Holmdell in Southerland.  
London, Printed for the Author, and are to be sold at the Black-moor near FLEET-BRIDGE, 1656.   

Christ manifested within, is the alone true Teacher, and not the letter.  
THerefore take notice, that the Father hath given his Son for a Leader and Guide to all Ages,( and into) and out of all forms at his will, and in his way and time in every Generation; and therefore it is, that all who knows his will herein, cannot endure that any visible thing should be set up to limit his leading in spirit, or his people from following in spirit; so no form I deny, into which Christ leads in spirit, but all forms I deny that are used by men, to keep people from following in spirit, for those only are the children of God who are lead by the spirit of God, to whom they who are lead by the letter, are ever enemies, for it is the spiritual manifestation that gives the knowledge of God and his glory, and power, and not the literal, for he that is born after the flesh hath his way in the visibles, but he that is born after the spirit hath his food the world knows not of, and therefore becomes his enemy.  
And in that state you are, who takes the shadow to oppose the body, which should led to the body, which is the end of the shadow, and takes the letter to oppose the fpirit, which is given to declarethe sufficiency of the Spirits Teaching alone, and so pervert the Scriptures out of their place and end, which are set to testify of Christ the life, and end, to set them in the place of Christ, and think to have life in them, and this is the error of the wicked, who are gone into the world sensual, not having the spirit, and this wherein the spirit leadeth not both Scriptures and Ordinances, and all other the gifts of God are abused and restend out of their places, and made unprofitable; and therefore you that take up from the letter, cannot bring forth their fruits, who were spiritually called into their several ministrations; therefore your Ordinances are left to you desolate, you and they in the world together, out of which God is leading his people in spirit, to get himself a name in such a way as is foolishness to your wisdom, yet the hidden wisdom of God to the children of light, who have believed therein.  
And now you that use great swelling words, crying we deny an Ordinance of God, to you, I say, to neglect that which is altered from what God ordained, both in call, manner, and end, is no neglecting an Ordinance of God. First, God never called any to baptize, but first he called them out of the world, and out of their habitations there, to follow Christ, as into the Wilderness, which were Prophets and Apostles called immediately. Secondly, they did not baptize believers over again with water, who had it, because they had it not before in their fashion, but they went to disciple unbelievers, neither did they lay it upon all as of absolute necessity, but they saw it useful, and could forbear, in case it was idolized. Thirdly, their end was together, all into one, out of all shadows, and ceremonies, and fashions of the world, to follow Christ alone, as he walked, bearing his across daily, suffering the spoiling of their goods joyfully, and their lives unto death, rather then to conform to any but him alone, for whose sake they were hated of all men, which end, how your baptism answers, let your pride, and pleasures, and conformity to the world in their fashions, manners, and worships, and upholding thereof your suits and contentions about carnal things, your rents and divisions about outward forms of baptism and worship, and upholding that in others, which you know is false, by tithes and offerings, whereby Christ is denied, and the Popish Innovation holden up, with much such like; I say that these things judges you before all men, and the light in your consciences answers thereto, until the Lord appear to judge your unfaithfulness therein.  

Friends, and fellow Souldiers,  
You may remember that you received a paper from W. P. wherein he did inform you of certain particulars, which he said that I did hold, wherein he doth much abuse me, and much more the truth of God in so saying, and I do in the presence of God disown them, as they are stated by him; those things so stated by him, do savour of much malice, hypocrisy, and ignorance, because I cannot see with his eyes, and walk in his form, he endeavours to lay a stumbling block in your way, by scandalising of me; for indeed they are very fierce, insomuch that they would have none to pass by them, nor their forms: wherefore I would have you to try my inward experience by the Scripture, and not only so, but harken to the teaching of Jesus Christ, manifested within you, for he is the true Teacher, and where he is not manifested within, there can be no true teaching, nor learning of truth, as it is in Jesus; but in bringing these lines to public view, I cannot expect to please all who are practical in the letter, neither is it my intent to please, or displease any, and I do desire him who was the chief cause of their coming forth not to be displeased, if he blame me, let him remember the scandalous paper which was handed up and down in the Regiment, from one to another, making a scorn of me, for what is made out by Christ in me, saying, these are the points which J. D. holdeth: And now whether I please or displease men I value it not, neither am I afraid of any that lies upon the catch to entrap me, and to make me an offender for a word, neither do I believe that any man speaks truth at all times, and especially those that speak after other men, according to the ancient traditions of men, who are under apostasy, but let God be true, and every man a liar, as indeed all men are liars that say they are Ministers, and Christ not manifested within them, though they may make a confused noise with the Scripture, and talk of Christ, and of a Gospel, as if they were the true Ministers thereof, but they are a lie, for unless Christ be manifested in us, and do breath in us, and break forth upon us, and breath out of us by his spirit, we can give no true sound; but where Christ is manifested within, those are of the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoices in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, and these onely have spiritual visions, and revelations, nay the onely consolations of God in them, and the promises of glory in heaven for ever.    


The First Aspersion.  
W. P. Saith, that I should affirm that it is impossible that every eye should see God, and that job did say he knew not what when he spake them words: To which I answer, that no fleshly eyes shall ever behold or see God in the Spirit; and I do affirm that job spoken carnally when he uttered those words, as himself doth confess in the last Chapter of his Book, job the 42.3. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge; therefore have I uttered, saith he, that I understood not, things too wonderful for me which I knew not; and in the 4. ver. saith he, Hear I beseech thee, and I will speak, I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me: I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eyes seeth thee. From which words I understand, that job was deceived, when he said, with these eyes I shall see God: Now I say, if job did think that he should see God in the Spirit with his fleshly eyes, after that the worms had consumed his flesh; If so, then I say that he taught without knowledge, as you see himself doth confess; yet mindex you shall see that job was come to have better experience of God in the Spirit; but yet methinks he was not ignorant of it; he gave me a great deal of satisfaction in the 4. Chapter of his Book, at the 5. ver. saith he, A man that is born of a woman is of a few dayes, and full of trouble; he cometh forth like a flower, and is out down; he flieth also as a shadow, and continueth not; it is in the two first verses of the 14. Chap. so that it doth plainly appear to me, that man considered as man, is of a perishing nature; he is the very subject of mortality, seeing his dayes are determined; The number of his moneths are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; ver. the 5. Wherefore we have no ground for the immortality of man the first birth; as you may see from the 7. ver. to the 13. and in the 14. ver. saith he, If a man die, shall he live again? All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.  
job did speak of seeing God at the latter day, and that with his fleshly eyes, job 19. ver. 25. and that many do believe; but you may see that job did come to see God before his death, saith he, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. He doth not say here that mine eyes seeth thee, that is, my fleshly eyes; but job saw God with a single eye, with a spiritual eye: but if I or any other shall affirm and say, and be confident that we shall see God with our natural eyes, this will savour of much weakness to all spiritual men. This was more then ever the Apostle Paul did ever expect to see with his fleshly eyes; 2 Cor. 5. ver. 10. for saith he, Wherefore henceforth know we uo man after the flesh, though we have known Christ after the flesh; yet now henceforth know we him no more. Now by this we may see, that natural men are deceived, who look for Christ to come again in the flesh, any other way then in the Spirit, manifesting himself in the flesh, and thorough the flesh into us; condemning us in the flesh, that he may be magnified and exhalted by spiritual discoveries, condemning the body of sin, and destroying the serpent in flesh in us; and justifying us in the spirit. And thus when he comes, and where he comes he doth cast out the devil, condemns Esau, and Cain, and Iudas which are of the first birth; and under those three significations of names, I mean the whole wicked world that are to be judged by Iesus Christ, and are to undergo the censure of condemnation. But he will justify jacob who is after the Image of God, the new birth, the new born babe in us, which is the object of his love, which he did die for to redeem. Thus I say when he comes, and where he comes, he doth separate the sheep from the goats, setting the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left; and he shall say to them on his right hand, come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world; but if the coming of Christ in us be so terrible, that carnal worshippers cannot endure us, how do they think to endure that great day of his coming, which they speak of? I shall warrant you that it will be too terrible for your fleshlyeies to behold; but this I shall be so bold for to say and affirm, that no fleshly eyes shall ever be able to behold God in the spirit, neither here nor hereafter. It is Moses ambition to desire to see Gods face, but God  told him that no man should see his face; and when God did show him his back parts, he hide his face, for he was afraid to look upon God Exod. 3.6. Paul was taken up into the third heavens, and there he saw things that it is was not lawful to be uttered, and whether he was in the body or out of the body, he could not tell; but what he there saw, he saw with a single eye, with a spiritual eye; for this I am bold to say, as in the presence of God, that no carnal eye ever did see, nor never shall see, that which Paul saw in the spirit. carnal men see carnally, and they judge carnally; I confess that when Christ comes again in his human nature, men may be able to behold him with their fleshly eyes, I say when he comes, or if he were to come, men might be able to look upon him; but if Christ do come again, and manifest himself in that human body that was born of the Virgin Mary, which was crucified at jerusalem, which was butted, and by the mighty power of God was raised again from the dead, and after that ascended and vanished out of the sight of carnal eyes. If he do so come again to reign upon earth, as some men do imagine; or if he do come to Judgement, manifesting himself in flaming fire. I hope I shall look upon him with as much comfort as any of my fellow Creatures; but for my part I do not look for such a coming of Christ as carnal worshippers expect. I confess we red of Christs coming again in the clouds, and every eye shall see him. Those that have but the least glimpse of true ligh, doth see Christ already come in the clouds, I mean in the clouds within themselves, and there they have heard a trumpet sound; and now those that have attained to this light, they are able to judge the earth: as it is written, the Saints shall judge the earth. But the truth of God lieth in a mystery, so that the carnal heart is not sensible of the truth thereof. John was in the Isle that is called Patmos, and he was taken up in the spirit on the Lords day, and he saw high and mighty things: but this I do affirm, that it was not with his fleshly eyes, but with a spiritual eye, that he saw those great things which he did declare to the seven Churches, Rev. 1.9, 10. And now however any man may censure me, I do aclowledge that there is three persons in the Trinity, spiritually to be considered, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, and that they are one holy and entire substance; and yet all the Saints shall make up one entire body.  
Object. Friend, you are an absolute Blasphemer, you deny the coming of Christ to Iudgement, you make an if of his coming; say you, if he come to Iudgement in flaming fire: That it should seem it is uncertain with you, and that which is uncertain is not looked for, and so denied by you; O horrible Blasphemer!  
To which I answer, When I say, if he come in flaming fire, I mean, if he come as the world imagines he shall come, Their imaginary coming of Christ is a light thing with me, and not owned by me; and as you are mistaken in the coming of Christ, so you are much mistaken as touching my faith therein: therefore have a care of judging me in the dark, for you and the world together are in darkness, and stumble at the truth, You having not received the spirits teaching, to guide and led you into the truth.  
Wherefore take notice that I bear witness with all the sons and daughters of God, that he that shall come will come, and will not tarry, nor delay his coming. I do believe, and I do declare, that Christ will come in flaming fire, rendering vengeance against all that are ungodly, and formal, and carnal. And not only so, but he will judge of our righteousness, and none that the world judgeth righteous, shall be found to be so at his coming; All the righteousness of the world will be found to be as filthy rags, and as an unclean thing in his sight; There is not one man according to the flesh that shall be found righteous in his sight. Therefore take notice all you, whose worship is according to the fashion and custom of the world; some are very zealous in one form, and some in another, and every one in their several form thinks to be found righteous at the coming of Christ, But they shall find it otherwise at his appearing. For he shall come as a refiners fire, and every mans work shall be tried by fire of what sort it is; and that shall be a terrible day with all carnal worshippers. All your fastings, prayings, dippings, and breaking of bread, as you have used according to the fashion of the world, shall be found to be of no value; you shall find them to stand you in no stead at al, all that you have done in the worlds fashion by way of imitating the Saints of old, shall be burnt up, and you yourselves saved so as by fire; all thy created creature righteousness that thou hast made up, or imagined to thyself, how excellent soever, will be found to be but formed Images, Antichristian idols, empty notions, poor, beggarly, filthy, defiled, menstruous rags, rejected dross, and stinking, loathsome, and a rotten covering, too narrow to cover thy defiled corrupt nature from the all-seeing eye of Divine Majesty. He will destroy all the Gods of the earth with consuming fire, all thy conformity, all thy duties and religious performances exalted by Anti-christ in thee as a Saviour; but instead of delivering thee from wrath, shall keep thee under wrath: all your duties, parts, gifts, and attainments shall be hopeless, miserable comforters: associate yourselves together in your conformity of fasting, praying, dipping, and breaking of bread, according to the fashion of the world, they shall not render you acceptable; when Christ shall come to Judgement, they will be found to be lighter then vanity; they shall be of no force to carry you up to heaven, neither shall any thing be able to keep men in hell, and under wrath, but their not believing in the sufficiency of Christs merits.  
When Christ shall come to judgement to judge our earth, and to judge our actions, what he finds not to be acted by his own spirit shall not be accepted of by him. But the day of his coming shall be a terrible day to all carnal worshippers; they shall be rejected, and set upon the left hand of Christ, with, a go ye cursed; saith he, Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied, in thy name, and in thy name have cast out dovils, and in thy name have done many wonderful works; works beyond what any of you pretended Churches can do; yet saith Christ, I never knew you, that is, he never knew them act in the strength and power of Christ, and therefore depart from me ye that work iniquity, Mat. 7.22, 23.  
The times are come upon us which Christ did forerell, that is, that many false Prophets should arise; and now indeed the world is full of them, every one of them crying, one crying lo here, and lo there: every one holding out their one merchandise for their own profit and gain, yet every one pretend for Christ: every false Prophet and carnal worshipper, Prophecies, and fasts, and prays, and some sprinkle infants, and others dip, and all break bread, and all this trash and trumpery is used in the name of Christ. I say that every one prays and prophecies in the name of Christ, but not by the spirit and power of Christ. Those that perform duties in their own creaturely strength, though in the name of Christ, if not in the power of Christ, shall not be owned by Christ. Those that so prophesy, and those that so worship, are of the generation of Cain, the first birth; they shall not enter in at the gate into the city; those are they that shall be shut out, and that Christ will not own at his appearing.  
When he comes he will try every mans work by fire, of what sort it is, and every thing that is of man shall be burnt. And now though you tax me, and say that I deny the coming of Christ to Judgement. Yet let all carnal worshippers know, that there shall be a day in which he will judge the world, which time carnal men are altogether ignorant of till it come upon them, and they be made sensible by feeling it.  
Awake ye pretended Churches, let all flesh be silent, attribute nothing to man whose breath is in his nostrils: Behold Christ shall come as a thief in the night; and what then? I say have a care that you are not found in all your conformity, enemies to Christ, and to the true worshippers of Christ; search the Scriptures whether these things be so or no; when Christ shall appear in flaming fire, there will be a dissolution of your forms of worship, which ye have idolized, and made your God and Saviour; you think every one his Church to be the best, and your own form and way will be sufficient to bear you out when Christ shall appear to judge the earth, but they shall all appear to be Idol-Gods, and to stand you in no stead.  
Will it fall out thus with all pretended Churches? will all their forms of worship be found as idols and graved images, wherein is no life? what will become of all your trash? O ye Priests of this united Nation of Scotland, I say to you awake.  
O ye Priests, ye Merchants of Babylon, out of the North there ariseth up a Nation against you, which shall make your land desolate, it is time to separate from your Babylonish inventions, for the Hewers are already entered into your forest, Thou that dwellest upon many waters, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness, Jer. 51.13. Thy strength faileth, thy thy mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds, they are become as women, Jer. 51.30. If my expectation fail, it will not fail long. Babylon the great is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bide: All Nations have drank of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the Merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicates, Rev. 18.2. And for this cause is she fallen, because she hath made all Nations drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication, Rev. 11.8. Therefore to obey that voice from heaven, which hath said in the hearts of many, Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: I say to obey this voice, is not heresy, schism, and such a separation as you have, or would make it; heresy, schism, and separation, and Sects rightly taken, is this;  
To separate, divide, or make a rent, and a breach from the truth, and from them that dwell therein, as namely, from the spirit and life of our Lord Jesus Christ, and from such Apostles and servants of his as have walked, or do walk in that spirit, and in that life, and from them in that thing wherein there is truth, but you cannot be said to be such; you are far enough from the paths and spirit too, that dwelled in them, and therefore I will leave it to that day-light, when Christ shall judge your earth; when Christ shall appear, there shall a light appear in your consciences, which shall discover whether you yourselves be not the grand heretics, and swerving from the life and spirit of them whom you cry up in words, and such grand schismatics and such grand heretics you are, that you would stop up the way for ever if it were in your power, to keep men from returning back again unto the purity and simplicity of that truth from which you are separated, crying out to the people to take heed of heresy and schism, and separation, scaring them with these terms, whenas you yourselves are the schismatics and Separatists from the truth: And so while you bid others beware of it, and you hold them fast in it; and thus it is apparent, and it shall be made apparent unto you, when Christ shall appear to judge your hypocrisy, for all your boasting of the Ordinances of Christ, I say it is apparent that you have but a counterfeit image of the form of some of them, and not the very true image of those which you have: If you had the very express image of all the outward forms of Ordinances of Christ, or the practise of the Apostles and believers, yet these were poor things to boast of, and to be exalted with Laodicean like, as I have already declared, for if you had all these in form nearer then they are among any people in this Nation, yet if your spitits fall downward, and become earthly, the Lord would leave them, and slip away from you to another people, who wise in their spirits, casting off every weight, and the sins which so easily beset them, or hinder them, that they might run with patience the race set before them: Yet let me tell you, that if you had not only a true image and form of Ordinances; but also a form of godliness in words, and sayings of Christ and the Apostles always in your mouths, yet all this could not bind or hold the Lord with you, but still he would slip away from under all these, leaving these as husks and chaff for you that are disobedient and earthly to feed upon, and to boast yourselves in, whilst in the mean time another people should enjoy his presence, for it is not any form of godliness that the Lord takes pleasure in, but the power, the truth, the life, the spirit, and therefore he doth not bind us his servants to abide in communion with any that live in any form of godliness without the power, but commands us by his Apopostle to turn away from such, 2 Tim. 3.5. and now this is no unwarrantable schism or separation, so that whether we look at the form of Ordinances, or at the power of godliness, we have warrant enough to turn away from you, and to have no fellowship in your holy things; for as I said, you have but an image of some Ordinances only, and that without the life and power of them.  
Again, other Traditions of Christ you do altogether disown, for they will not stand with your Profit, as namely, to deny yourselves, to take up his across daily and follow Christ, which is a great Ordinance of Christ, for without this one cannot be his disciple. Again, you disown the liberty which Christ hath given to all his members, namely, ye may all prophesy, one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted; you disown every gift that would bring to nought the magnificence of your Diana, but what you can form to profit your lusts withall, that ye retain, and can add also other things to make merchandise of them, which have no shadow of any footstep in the practise of the true messengers of Christ, as namely, your marrying of persons for money, your buryings for money, and your most absurd mortuaries or stipend, which you challenge for the dead, your Funeral Sermons for money: And thus though you both add and diminish from the things of Christ, and counterfeit other things which you uphold for your gain, yet all that separate from you must be cried against as heretics, Sectaries, schismatics, and Separatists.  
But indeed there is a separation which I do not pled for, and that is a separation upon conceit of ones own holiness, because they are devout in some outward observation of worship more then other men, such as are spoken of in Isaiah 65.5. Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier then thou: These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day, and these were devout, holding up Ordinances, rather then they would have no sacrifice, they would sacrifice in gardens, and rather then they would have no incense, they would offer it up upon Altars of brick, verse 3. they are charged to be a people who walk after their own thoughts, ver. 2. Such also were the Pharisees, who stood glorying in their own outside painted holiness, and thanked God that they were not as other men; and even as this Publican, when as within they were full of rottenness, and all uncleanness, full of envy, wrath, malice, persecution, disdain, covetousness, pride, and such like, and all these they retained under a show of godliness and outward observations of ceremonies, and traditions of their fathers; they were strict in washing off the defilements which they had any way contracted; if water could have done it; they bear great reverence to the sacrifices upon the Altar, which were Ordinances then in force, they made conscience of paying tithes of all they had, even of Mint, and Annis, and Cummin; they were not wanting in prayers and fastings to the Lord, and their prayers were no short ones neither, which gave all to think that they were not weary of serving the Lord, yea, they compassed Sea and Land to beget people to the Lord: to make proselytes; thus they appeared righteous unto men, but yet for all that they were but whited sepulchers, full of hypocrisy and iniquity, as appeared when that light came which was able to discover them, and to uncover their heatts by their works, even by their covetousness and their hard-heartedness to the poor widdows, by their love of honor, by their neglect of weightier matters of the Law, as judgement, Mercy, Faith, as also by that persecuting spirit which was in them, and such like, and yet these men added one thing more to gloss all the rest over the better; they abhorred to be companions with Publicans and sinners, and blamed Christ for eating and drinking with such; yea, they made it matter of thankfulness to God, acknowledging it to be his work that they were not such; and thus they said in their hearts, Stand by thyself, for I am holier then thou. There were some also spoken of in the Epistle of judas, ungodly men, walking after their own lusts, sensual, not having the spirit, ver. 19. separated themselves from the fellowship of those Saints who stood in the pure truth, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, the pure love into wantonness, they crept in unawares, and drew an image of the pure love and grace of God  shed abroad upon the Saints, and in their carnal hearts, it became wantonness and lasciviousness, and so they withdrew themselves again, and separated from that holy fellowship, to follow their ungodly lusts of uncleanness, covetousness, gluttony, and such like. Now I say such a separation as this I do not pled for, but I own and defend that separation from the inventions and traditions, and formalities of men, which is commanded in Scripture, under the name Babylon, Rev. 18.4. Jer. 5.6, 8. and 45. verse. The whole Chapter speaks much thereof: Thus the Spirits Teaching doth discover the Priests of this united Nation of Scotland, and of England also, to be the false Prophets and the Merchants of Babylon, whose merchandise Christ at his coming will destroy and bring to dissolution, and all those that are Agents for them, and traders with them, shall bewail themselves for that great loss of the profit and gain wherein they sustain loss.  
Now as being moved by the Lord, a word to those Officers in this Regiment, who are under dipping, who hold ability in the creature man to act in supernatural things, who have separated themselves from the Church of England, as out of Babylon, as they have declared to walk in a more pure way of discipline, disowning them to be the true Church; and I confess I do not own them to be the true Church of Christ, according to the order of the Gospel, neither do I own you to be the Church of Christ, though you are something more like the Church of Christ, yet every like is not the same; I confess you do something more resemble the true Church, then they in outward things; in the outward form you are more like the Church of Christ then they, because in many things they, act besides the letter, their form is contrary to the letter, but you act as little in the strength and power of Christ as they: But now be not mistaken in me, I would not have you to be factious in the least, I would not have you to disobey the civil power in civil things, as to lift up, or cause to lift up, any carnal weapon against them, but let us obey in every thing so far forth as we do not disobey God therein, but let us not give that to Caesar that belongs to God, let us not yield that obedience to Antichrist that belongs to Christ, but let them know this, when they command us to go to their public Assemblies to hear, and to worship, according to their customs and fashions, that we are not careful to obey them in that, but deny it.  
Now under correction, let us reason together a little, yo dipped Officers who hold Free-will, and falling from grace, who have pleaded for a lawful separation; did you not come out of Babylon, with a resolution not to return thither again, as it is written, They shall turn to you, but you shall not return unto them: What is the reason of your return, or if you say you are not returned, but you do still witness against them; what is the reason, or what ground have you to go to hear these unked Ministers of Scotland, the Merchants of Babylon, and not only so, but you cause us to go? and because you could not tell how to effect your design, to bring us all back under those Taskmasters of egypt; you make us march with beat of drum, with our arms, and so force us into Babylon, notwithstanding the Lord doth call his people out; what are you but Drovers for the Merchants of Babylon? Take notice, in this you have disobeyed Christ, and you show yourselves formal and carnal in so doing, and it doth appear that all that you did by way of separation and dipping, was merely by way of imitation and tradition, and notion, and not in the life and power of Christ. What have you to bear you out in this, when Christ shall appear to judge the earth? Now compare yourselves with the Church of England, as you stood separated from them, you are something more like the Church of Christ in the outward form; but now you are closing with them again, doth show a oneness between you, but they nor you have the power of Apostolical Church of Saints; you do as much idolize the Elements of Water as they, you idolize dipping, or at leastwise you have idolized dipping as much as they do idolize sprinkling, and you do as much Idolize the Element of Bread and Wine as they; but compare yourselves with the Church of Saints, in the times of the Apostles, and compare your worship with their worship, and there is as much difference in it, as was between Abels offering and Cains. You say that I deny the coming of Christ to judgement, but alas you are as ignorant of the coming of Christ in spirit and power, as the Scribes and Pharisees was of Moses, and the Prophets; and as they were of Christs coming in the flesh, who upbraided him for eating and drinking with Publicans and sinners, they stumbled at the stumbling ston, they were ignorant of God manifested in flesh; and so are ye; they knew not what the spiritual seed of the woman meant, so out of their ignorant zeal opposed Christ; so you are ignorant of the comings forth of Christ in spirit, and so you oppose the appearances of Christ in us; You say that you are come out of Babylon, when as you are yet in confusion, crying out, lo here, and lo there, not knowing what it is to have Christ formed in you, saying with Nicodemus, how can these things be, Christ being not yet formed in you, you remain in the fall, and live in the sense of Gods displeasure, acting in a form of worship for life, sowing fig-leaves together to cover your nakedness; so in the fear of Gods displeasure you are gone out with Cain into the Land of Nod, and there you be get sons and daughters, I mean disciples like yourselves, walking and worshipping, and yet full of distractions, and fear not finding your offerings sufficient to justify you; therefore take notice there must be a death, there must be a dying to all your creature righteousness, before you can live in the righteousness of Christ, as justified from all things: You must be altogether dead to your self-actings, before you can act in the strength and power of Christ: You must be struck blind, as Saul was, before you can see; you must decease, die, and be crucified, killed and slain to all manner of creature created righteousness, holinesse, and creature excellency and perfection, and go out of your sinful, fallen, corrupt fleshish estate of the old Adam, the old man, the old & first creation must pass away, before we can behold another, even the new man, the Lord from heaven, Christ in you the hope of glory, for his alone righteousness, before whom all your creature righteousness, though never so excellent in your own eyes, must be slain, dead, and butted, that his alone righteousness may arise and be exalted in us.  
Further consider, many of you glory in your outward forms of worship, as if the Lord were no where in his manifestations of light, and love, but amongst you, and in your form, so did the Jews; what was their condition, crying out the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, is your condition at this day, separate, and dipped, and think yourselves wonderful rich, that you have need of nothing, but when Christ shall appear, he will strip you of all that glory, it being but carnal, beggarly rudiments, till many of you of a spiritual glory that is contrary to yours, that is contrary to what you have in notion, or tell you of a land more excellent then yours, you cannot believe it; if our discoveries be above, and contrary to yours, you present lye say that we are such that go about, if it were possible, to deceive the very Elect; But friends I beseech you be milder, if you can, and I shall declare unto you.  
I have been some short time searching to find out this Land, and I have seen it afar off, behold a branch or a cluster of its fruits, it is a glorious land, pure spiritual glory, the inhabitants are very wise and strong; but with the wisdom and strength of the Lord of Hosts, there is no need of any low or inferior light, but the pure light of God is there, no need of teachers to say know the Lord, no fear of enemies, the gates stand open, it is very pure, nothing but holiness there, it is very strong, the Lord himself is walls and bulwarks, there may be dogs and ravenous beasts about it, and they may attempt to storm it, but they shall soon be destroyed, Rev. 20.9. This spiritual Land of Canaan is altogether glorious when the Lord has given me a more clearer view of it, you shall hear of it: Many of you boast much of your strong Pillars that will bear up your building, to the end of all things almost, I mean those Scriptures so often brought to prove the continuance of your practise, but I spare you, confidering the Disciples were ignorant to the resurrection of Christ, though taught daily by him.  
Methinks there is a great deal of danger in your way and Practise, in retaining those Scriptures that make for you in opposition and clear contradiction to many others, you boast much of them to prove your way, if that be true that many of you hold out, if the light of God did not led me, I might question che authority of them, which I do not, but am rather confirmed in the excellency of them, or else not know what to make of them; because many of you are so confident, what will you say to those Scriptures that prove your dissolution: First, consider those Scriptures that promise and prophecy of the large measure of the fullness of God the Saints shall be filled withal in the last daies, and then tell me how long you think your building can stand; and it shall come to pass, That I will power out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophecy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, Joel 2.28. Zach. 12.8. In that day shall the Lord defend the Inhabitants of jerusalem, and he that is feeble amongst them at that day shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as the Angels of the Lord before them, and in Zach. 10.5. And they shall be as mighty men which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle, and they shall fight because the Lord is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded, ver. 7. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine, yea there children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord, and ver. 12. They shall walk up and down in his name, even in my strength saith the Lord. Observe the strength spoken of here, is because of the fullness of God he will fill his people with; methinks here is one prop of your building gone; but harken, there is more behind, Isa. 60.22. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong Nation, I the Lord will hasten it in his time; and in the 25.7, and 8. and he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all people, and the veil that is spread over all Nations; he will swollow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from all faces, and the rebuk of his people shall he take away from off all the earth, for the Lord hath spoken it; harken yet, Zach. the 9.15, 16, 17. The Lord of hosts shall defend them, and they shall devour with sling-stones; and they shall drink and make a noise, as through wine; and they shall be filled like boles, and as the corners of the Altar. And the Lord their God shall save them in that day, as the flock of his people, for they shall be as a Crown lifted up, as an Ensign upon his hand; for how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty; corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids. harken ye pretended Churches; doth not your building seem weaker then it was: howsoever here is something more yet, Zach. 14.8. And it shall be in that day that living waters shal go out of jerusalem, half of them towards the former sea, and half of them towards the hinder sea, in summer and in winter shall it be; and the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one; v. 21. yea, every pot in Ierusalim, and in judah shall be holiness to the Lord, and all they that sacrifice, shall come and take of them, and saith therein; & it that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of host; I understand that there shall not be a carnal worshipper therein, Micah 3.7. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded, yea, they shall cover their lips, for there is no answer of God. Now I pray you deal in sincerity, and tell me what answer you have from God, or what appearance there is of God in your forms of worship? Rev. 21, 1, 2. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea: And I John saw the holy City, the New jerusalem coming down from God, from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband: and I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. These Scriptures doth clearly prove the abundance of grace and spiritual glory, the Saints shall have poured upon them, from that fullness of their head, the Lord Iesus. When this time comes, surely you pretended Churches will stagger like a drunken man, you that are not taken up into, and made partakers of this glory, you will not know what to do with yourselves, you will be like him that cried after his God.  
Awaken yourselves, and harken still, and consider those Scriptures that hold forth a dissolution of your forms of worship; the teaching of the spirit in the people of God doth declare your dissolution; and when Christ shall appear and be manifested in you, then as a spark from the Altar, a beam of the light of God, It shall be seen and acknowledged by you, though you think now you are in the light, and that none sees more then you; but it shall ere long appear, and be manifested to you, that you have not as yet the true light: you do not as yet inherit substance, and therefore you idolize shadows, Rev. 21.21, 22, 23. verses, and comfort of being like that Church and Temple which, the Lord Almighty is the light and life of; The Church of God that shall be in the latter dayes, shall have no need of such Preachers, and such worshippers; your forms of worship are but in fear of lights, to the light that shall be in the City of God, ver. 23. and the City had no need of the Sun, neither of the Moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. If these Scriptures may be intercepted concerning the glory of the Church on earth, as it may be compared with others, which cannot be done now, because you cannot bear truth, but if the Lord please, it may be ere long. But if it may be interpnted so as you cannot clearly deny, then what will become of your Churches which many expect shal even last as long as Sun and Moon endures; red and take notice, jer. 33.34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord, for they shall all knew me, from the least of them, unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: but the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lye, and even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in him, joh. 2.27. But I fear that this anointing will not be found in your pretended Churches, when Christ shall appear, then shall you be ashamed, notwithstanding your confidence, ver. 28. These Scriptures I expect shall be fulfilled in the very letter; but I let you alone till the spark from the Altar, or beam of light be increased, and give a light to your dark understandings, Rev. 22.3, 4.5. Isa. 60.9. 2 Pet. 1.9. And when you have considered these and those quoted, set down before, tell me truly what you think will become of that famous building many of you so much adore; I shall hardly hear of the result of your thoughts, therefore know, from a beam of the light of God concerning your building, there will not be one ston left upon another: The house of your glory will be left desolate, and you will startle, and be affrighted at the spiritual and heavenly voice of Christ, as the Disciples were when Christ spoken to them in a form they had not conversed with him in. When the spiritual voice of Jesus comes amongst you, which tends to destroy your fleshly forms, you are terrified, and cry out a spirit; but a deceiving one I grant you it is abroad, and I fear among you; the deceiving one may be very like the true breakings forth of the Spirit of God. Take heed you be not offended at the truth, because error is abroad; But my desire is not to force you out of your particular ways of worship, but if you meet with the presence of the Lord walk there; and I say unto you as it was said to the Disciples, tarry at jerusalem till you be endued with power from an high, to arise from what you are: But in the mean time, beware of passing such censures as usually comes from many that are of your Assemblies. You think yourselves very high in principles; there be those that be higher, they will not despise you, if their highness be of God, it teacheth no such thing; do not you judge them. Yet further, to prove your scattering, or the dissolution of your practise, though many of you be glued as close to it almost, as your flesh to your bones; consider that Scripture, Mal. 3. the coming of the Lord Jesus into his Temple, shall be as a refiners fire, to burn and destroy the fleshliness that remains in his people. The effects of his coming is to make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, and between the spiritual worshipper and the carnal worshipper.  
Those Scriptures teacheth these last dayes; you are conversing with one another, with a great deal of comfort, because you are joined together in an outward Form: but there will be found many false ones among you when this day comes; and surely then you will be shaken, and that day will tend to your scattering, how you shall be gathered together, judge ye.  
Farther, consider those Scriptures that prophesy of the shaking of heaven and earth; when the watch-men upon the mount of Ephraim, Jer. 31.6. shall cry arise ye and let us go up to Sion unto the Lord our God, Mat. 2.10. Arise ye and depart, for this is not your rest, because it is polluted; Arise let us go hence, who is he that laoketh forth as the morning, fair as the Moon, clear as the Sun, and terrible as an Army with banners? The Lord Iesus most certainly is coming with a glorious manifestation in his people; the way he comes in, is and will be contrary to the wisdom of flesh; and I am confident you have not as yet the discovery of this glory, and before you are made partakers of it, you shall have a terrible day: you shall have an earth quake in you, even to the destroying of those powers of darkness which strives to keep him down.  
Object. Will God bring such a dissolution upon Ordinances which he himself instituted for his Church and people to walk in?  
Answ. Yes, it is usual with God so to do, though God doth command his people to walk in such a way or form, yet we must not tie God to own it no longer then he pleaseth; though God be pleased to command one generation to walk in such a way or form, the next generation must not force God to own them walking in that way, when as he hath another way for them to walk in. As for instance, the Lord was pleased to command a house should be built for him, wherein he would be worshipped; and that house should be called the house of God, and the Temple of God, and there he would have his people to worship for a time, not telling them how long, but in his own time he leaves it, and withdraws himself from it; so this is your ignorance, that you will abide in a place, or in a form of worship, after that the Lord is departed out of it; as many as do yet at this day idolize the public houses, because they are ignorant of the several dispensations of God, and know not what it is to worship in spirit and in truth; say they, did not the people worship God in the Temple, and is not the Church the Temple where we ought to worship? And now just so ignorant are our free-will-dippers, and other pretended Churches, not being lead by the spirits teaching; Christ is departed out of that which he did once appear in, and they are at a loss for Christ, imitating the Apostles, and idolising the Elements of Water, and the Elements of Bread and Wine, and declaring to the people, that there is no salvation without them; and so walking and worshipping, in as much ignorance as the people did in the Temple, after the Lord was departed out of it; and bring Scripture to prove their practise, as the woman of Samaria did; saith she, Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and they say at jerusalem is the place where we ought to worship. Now here doth the dippers overthrow the Priests, and worst them with what is written, because they walk beside the letter: say they, and indeed in so saying they say what is written; did not John preach and dip in jordan, and in the River Aenon, and in other places? And these they bring to oppose the out-goings of the spirit, as if Christ in spirit must be tied and limited to that form once given out by John, and practised by the Apostles; but I say unto you, though Christ did once own it, he is now departed from it, and you do make it your Diana, even your Idol.  
Thus you are not having the spirit, you know not the Scripture, you know not where to take, and where to leave, but take the bare letter for your guide, and neglect to wait on the spirits teaching, which carries us forth to the mark of the prise of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus; which spirit in Paul, caused him to leave the principal of that doctrine of Christ, to go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God; and this saith he, will we do, if God permit, Heb. 6.1.2, 3. which things you do not only walk in, but make them an I dol, therefore you must expect a dissolution of them.  
You make a great noise of what is written by the Prophets and Apostles; you are very practical in the letter, you have the literal sense of what is written, but what the Apostles had in life and power, you have but in notion, by way of imitation and tradition; but you act in your own creaturely strength, and not in the life and power of Christ, putting the evil day far from you; you put the day of Judgement far off from you, as if it should not reach your old bodies, till they are made of fresh earth, and raised: This sheweth that you are ignorant of the morning of the resurrection of Christ in flesh in us, not knowing that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Behold he cometh, and is come in the clouds in us, and every eye doth see him; that is, every single eye, every spiritual eye doth behold him already come; the Apostle said that those were the latter times to them then, and they did behold the day was at hand as to them; & heaven and earth was to be dissolved in the twinkling of an eye. But the coming of Christ is mystical, he is always coming, and always come, and always to come: but this you have not learned, this is not the literal sense, therefore wait upon God, who gives the mystical understanding, which is hide from the natural mans wisdom.  
So I forbear and proceed.   

The second Aspersion.  
W. P. saith, that I hold, though a man live never so wickedly, yet he shall be saved at the last, which thing I deny, and shall endeavour to show the difference that is between us.  
W. P. saith, that Christ did die for all the world, for all the sons and daughters of Adam: but I say, and do believe, that all that Christ did die for, he did redeem, and shall be saved, and this is my lively confidence, that God hath redeemed every mortal soul, Psal. 4.15. David did prophesy that Christ would do this for him in time, which in time he did do, and Christ did effect it by his giving himself for us, Tit. 2.14. upon this account David saith, into thy hands do I commit my spirit, for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth, Psal. 31.5. Isa. 43. ver. 1. Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, for thou art mine. Those that Christ hath redeemed he will gather to himself, as it is written, Rev. 5.9. and they sung a new song, saying, thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of ever kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; from whence they gather, that all that Christ did die for, shall be saved, and gathered into himself, all that was elected before time, shall be saved in time: Those thou hast given me, saith Christ to his father, I have lost none, but the child of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, John 17.12.  
Christ did not die for the children of perdition, all that Christ died for, shall be saved: Christ did not  shed his blood in vain, what he did was effectually done as touching out salvation.  
This is the dispensation of God to me, and in me; and I am sure it is true, though men believe it not, but to clear myself of this aspersion which W. P. hath laid upon me, where he saith, that I hold that men shall be saved at the last, though they live never so wickedly: this is contrary to the scripture, it is no where said that Christ died for a reprobate, neither is it written, that a wicked man shall be saved; but on the contrary, it is written, that the wicked shall be cast into hell; and it is said, that no unclean thing shall enter into heaven, which is the City of God, Rev. 21.27. It is clear to me, that Christ did not die for the hairy man Esau; nor for Cain a murderer, nor for Iudas the covetous man. Christ did not die for the carnal birth, to save that which was born after the flesh, but to save that which was born after the spirit; it is the spiritual man that shall be saved, Rom. 8.13. Christ did not die for the shadow, but for the substance, he did not die for the shell, but for the kernel: The truth is, Christ died to destroy the body of death and sin, that so he might deliver the immortal soul therefrom; as it is written of Paul, saith he, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? saith he, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, Rom. 27.24. Rom. 6.6. Phil. 3.21. 2 Tim. 1.10. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit, John 3.6. saith he, marvel not that I said you must be born again, God hath no respect to that first birth, but to the second; jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated; Esau the hairy man, the flesh, is of a perishing nature: as it is written, Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return. God hath no respect to the son of the bond-woman, he must not be heir with the son of the free-woman. Though carnal men, who are Ministers of the letter only, do preach and exhort the natural man to seek and to strive to enter into heaven, yet he must come short of it, for it is written, flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption, as saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 15.50.  
Now by this may all men see, that W. P. is much mistaken in my judgement, in saying, that I should hold that though a man live never so wickedly, yet he should be saved at the last:   

The third Aspersion.  
He saith, that I hold that the devil hath as much in being in any Christian, as God hath.  
To which I answer, it must be such a Christian then as W. P. is, who takes darkness for light, and light for darkness, who calls error truth, and truth error, and rejects Jesus Christ manifested in his Saints. again, the devil may be said to have a in being, and to lye under his veil in fl●sh, in those who preach up ability in the creature, who hold Free-will, and falling from grace, those that hold such corrupt principles as these, may be said that the devil hath his in-being in such men, men of such corrupt principles, are of the Generation of Cain, the first birth, who out of envy flew his Brother Abel, because his Brothers offering was accepted, and his was not; the devil hath as much in-being in wicked men, as God hath; the devil doth lye under his veil in flesh, and the hearts of wicked men are a habitation and a place of residence for vain thoughts to lodge in it, as it is written, From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, and out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, murder, and adultery, and the devil is the Author of it; and it is written of Annanias and Saphira, that Satan had filled their hearts, Acts 5. and it is said the devil entered into Judas when he betrayed his Master, Matthew 26. So it is clear, that whosoever is guilty of murder and covetousness, that the devil hath his in-being there, and is King in the hearts of such men, from whence such actions do flow.  
But to clear myself of this aspersion that my adversary doth here lay upon me, wherein he saith, that I hold that the devil hath as much in being in any Christian, as God hath.  
This savours of a lying spirit in him, for I am confident that all spiritual men, who know me, will bear me witness, that I hold no such thing; but put the case that none would speak for me, I will speak for myself, and my answer is this:  
I do affirm in the presence of God, that the devil hath no in-being nor in-dwelling in a Christian, who is a Disciple in dead, though God said unto Peter, Get thee behind me Satan; and though Paul cried out, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death! Yet it cannot be said that the devil had as much in being in them, as God had, for Jesus was manifested in them, they had the same spirit in them that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, Christ did dwell in their hearts by faith, and where Jesus Christ doth dwell, there the devil must not be, when Jesus Christ taketh possession in the heart, the devil is cast out, he must no longer abide there, though God suffers the devil to have a being, yet it is at a distance from God; though the devil may attempt, and make an assault, and strive to enter into the true Christian, he cannot, nor may not enter in, because Jesus Christ dwells there; but what sooner savours of malice or envy in any man, is of the Serpent.   

The fourth Aspersion.  
W. P. saith, that I hold that Jacob and Esau is in all flesh, to which I answer, that Jacob and Esau were twins, born according to the flesh, and lived in the flesh a time, and then died as other men; litterallie considered they were two Nations, but spiritually considered, Jacob was the root of Jesse, the seed of God, and so Jacob may be said to be in all flesh, I mean in all the sons and daughters of Adam, now according to the dispensation of God in me: I shall give you my thoughts of Jacob and Fsau distinctly, Esau the hairy man is such a one as Cain, such a one as is Cain, such a one is Esau, and such a one is Judas; Cain the first birth a murderer, an envious person, such are all men by nature, God hath no respect to the first birth Cain, the natural man, his sacrifice is not accepted with God. Now concerning Jacob, such a one as he was Abel, and such a one as Abel, such a one was Israel, and such a one was Abraham, these were vessels of honor, God did accept of their offerings, but it was for Jacobs sake, I mean Jacobin the spirit, the root of Jesse, the seed of God, God manifested in flesh, God manifested in flesh made the difference in those daies, and this makes the difference in these daies, God manifesting himself, or his not manifesting himself in us, makes one man to differ from another, God manifesting himself in a man, makes him a vessel of honor; and where Christ doth not manifest himself there the Serpent lies under his veil in flesh, and that man is a vessel of dishonour, God is a free agent, and doth manifest himself in whom he pleaseth, and when he pleaseth; as it is written, Hath not the potter power over the day, to make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour? so that it is clear to me, that all men by nature are alike: Abel is no better then Cain, and jacob by nature is no better then Esau: It was God manifested in Israell, and in Abraham, and in Isaac, and in all the Prophets, that made them so glorious in obeying, and in suffering, as it is written, Heb. 11. It was God manifested in samson, that made him stronger then other men; It was God manifested in job that made him undergo afflictions with patience; not that samson, nor job, nor any of the Prophets were by nature better then Esau, or Cain, or Iudas; for God hath concluded both jews and Gentiles, and all under sin, that he might have mercy upon all; though God hath and doth make some men more glorious then others, by manifesting himself in them, yet when he doth withdraw, or cease to live in them, they die and fade away, even as others do: they go all to one place, as it is written, Eccle. 3.18. I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see, that they themselves are beasts; for that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts, even one thing befalleth them, as the one death, so death the other; yea, they have all one breath: so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast, for all is vanity, all go to one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again, though some men have pre-eminence over their brethren in this life, and though God doth make some men glorious by his dwelling in them in this life, yet in death and in grave all men are alike, our fleshly being must have an end, and it must have a oneness with the earth, as our souls have a oneness with Iesus Christ; though God hath made a covenant with men in former ages, to them and their seed after them, to bless them, and prosper them, and to let them live long, yet it was a Covenant which was but for a time, to the outward seed, the first birth, the hairy man Esau, the fleshly man, for it is written, Gal. 4.22. That Abraham had two sons, the one is by a bond-woman, the other by a free-woman, but he who was of the bond-woman was born after the flesh, but he of the free-woman was by promise; the promise of life & salvation was not to the natural seed of Abraham, but to the spiritual seed; now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made; he saith not unto seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ, Gal. 3.16. And if ye be Christs, then are ye Abrahams seed, and heirs according to promise, ver. 2.9.  
Object. Did not Christ die to redeem the natural man, and to bring him to heaven, to live in the father, and in the Son?  
I answer, No, Christ did die to redeem the immortal soul, and to bring that out of the prison man, into himself; Christ did not only die for the natural feed, to redeem it from the grave, and to bring that to heaven, though I confess that Christ will wipe away the tears from all faces, and he will deliver the whole creation, and bring them out of bondage, and out of all servitude, and he will destroy the enmity of the serpent in man, and in all other creatures, but in one respect, the first birth, the flesh, hath no pre-eminence above a beast; they go all to one place, they have all one infirmity, their substance is of the earth, and it doth return unto the earth; man considered as man, if like the beast that perisheth, he is of a perishing nature, he groweth up as a flower, and after a while he fadeth away: All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man, as the flower of grass; the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away, 1 Pet. 1.24. so in this respect man hath no pre-eminence above a beast; it is written. Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked shall I return again; saith God, dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return; And the wise man said in his heart, Eccl. 3.19. I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts, for that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts; as the one death, so death the other, they have all one branch; so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast, all go to one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again; so in Eccl. 6.6. saith he, though a man live a thousand years twice,  told, yet hath he seen no good; do not all go to one place? and it is written in Psal. the 48.12. saith he, nevertheless man being in honour, abideth not, he is like the beast that perisheth, and in Eccl. 9.2. all things come alike to all, there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not, as is the good, so is the sinner; this is an evil amongst all things that are done under the Sun, that there is one event to all, yea, also the hearts of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart; will they live after that they go to the dead? and in the sixth ver. saith he, Also their love, and their hatred, and envy, is now perished. Thus it is clear, that the first birth, the flesh, is not the subject that Christ died for, to redeem to God by his blood, but it was jacob the promised seed, who is in all flesh, it is the immortal soul, that is after the image of God; yea, this jacob is in all men, this jacob is a prisoner in all flesh, yea, in all the sons and daughters of Adam, though not manifested in all, though there is a non-appearance of him in the mayor part of men, yet there he is, and from thence shall he be brought forth, and shall take up his being, and eternal rest in( that eternal essence and oneness) God; but the natural man with all his fleshly matter, shall be laid in the grave; death shall feed on him, and the upright shall have dominion over him in the morning, and their beauty shall consume in the grave, they shall go to the generation of their fathers, they shall never see light, this shall be the end of the first birth, Esau the flesh; but said David, God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for he will receive me, Psal. 49.14.15. and in the 9. ver. saith he, God will redeem jacob and Israel, but not jacob and Israel after the flesh, but spiritual jacob, and spiritual Israel; whose habitation, and place of residence, is in the grave in us. But out of this prison will God deliver jacob, Rev. 5.9. And saith the Prophet, The spirit of the Lord was upon me, because the Lord hath ancinted me to preach good tidings to the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are blind, Isa. 6.5. this was, and is the office of Christ, to open the blind eyes, as in Isa. 42.7. To bring out the prisconers from the prison, and them that sate in darkness out of the prison house; out of the grave in flesh, that body of sin and death, which is flesh and fleshly appeaances; wherefore he saith, Fear not O jacob my servant, whom I have chosen, for I will receive thee; David was very sensible of the souls deliverance; saith he, the Lord redeemeth the soul, Psal. 34.22. he was abundantly satisfied with his souls deliverance, and upon this account, saith he, I waitted patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry, he brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the mirery day, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings; Psal. 4.1. the redemption of his soul was so precious, that it put a new song into his mouth, even praise to our God; many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord; blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, who is the flock of ages, and the Saints refuge, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.   

The sixth Aspersion.  
W. P. saith, that I do hold that God doth all the actions of men, and in men, which thing I deny. But this I affirm in the presence of God and men, that God is the author of all good actions in men, for every good and perfect gift is from above; and that man considered as man, cannot act, nor do any thing that is supernaturally good; mans deficiency since the Fall is such, that of he himself cannot speak a good word, nor think a good thought, Rom. 3.11, 12, We know not how to pray as we ought, it is the spirit that helpeth our infirmities, Rom. 8.26. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God, and not of us, 2 Cor. 4.7. It is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that sheweth mercy; it is God that worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure, by which will, saith the Apostle, ye are sanctifieth, Phil. 2.13. Heb. 10.10. james 1.17. saith he, Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. This sheweth that God is the author of all good actions in men; but if I should hold and affirm that God is the author of all actions, this were to make God the author of sin; which thing I abhor, I have not so learned Christ; where Christ is manifested within, he doth inform us that all the actions of the creature is as nothing, and are not to be valued; but the acting of Iesus Christ in the creature, is all and in all, who know the truth. Now to clear myself of this aspersion which W. P. hath laid upon me, and to let you know he is a false accuser in this, I affirm that God is the author of all good actions, and the devil is the author of all evil actions; to eat of the three of knowledge of good and evil, was the first evil action that was committed by man; and the devil was the author of it, Gen. 3.4.   

The sixth Aspersion.  
He saith, that I hold that there is no hell, but in a mans conscience. To which I answer,  
I do not believe that there is any local place of burning the bodies and souls of men in local flames; to live in hell is to live in the sense of Gods displeasure, to be afflicted in the spirit of the mind, not to live in the love and light of God, not to be interested in Iesus Christ, is to be in the state of hell, yea, it is even hell itself; even as David so long as he did live in the sense of Gods displeasure, he was in hel. It may be properly said that hell was in him, he was tormented with the slames thereof; his being in the sense of Gods displeasure, made him cry out of the brokenness of his bones, it made him to cry out of blood-guiltiness O God; no sorrow, nor no pain like to the pains of hell, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and jacob. and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God, and you yourselves shut out, such a hell as this I can experience, for I have been in it, and it hath been in me, and the day of doom, the day of judgement was upon me, and in me, and I felt, and was sensible of the sting, of an accusing conscience, which in the wicked, who are in hell, in them it is always burning, the worm always gnawing, and the fire never squenched, no pains like to the pains in hell, which hell the Saints of God are freed from, because they are interested in Iesus Christ, and Christ doth dwell in their hearts by faith, because they do live in the love and light of God: where Iesus Christ doth manifest himself to be love, and life, and light, that soul is no longer in hell, nor in the fear of hell, for that is a place for the wicked, who sit in darkness, and under the shadow of death, as it is written, Rev. 21.8. The fearful and unbelieing, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and idoliters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death; but he that overcometh, he that lives in the love and light of God, shall inherit all things, saith God, I will be his God, and he shall be my son, and shall be ever with the Lord, but men who live in the state of unbelief, remain in hell, that is their unhappy condition; he that lives in hell, is afraid of God, and would fain hid himself amongst men that walk in forms, but he finds no true content, the worms still gnaws upon his conscience, till such time that Iesus Christ doth speak for him, in him, and to him; Adam had no sooner eaten of the three of knowledge of good and evil, but he was presently in hel, or hel might be said to be in him, for he was afraid of God, and hide himself, hell was in Cain, even in his conscience, he was not only afraid of God, but he was afraid of every one he met withall, that they would kill him, he could not tell where to hid himself, he could not tell where to be secure, he was in a bodily fear; saith he, I was afraid, and hide myself. Those in all ages that have felt the greatest torments in hell, they have lived in the greatest fear of God, I mean in a slavish fear, apprehending that to be in God, that is not in God, that is the same as he was from the beginning, he his the Lord JEHOVAH, that changeth not, there is no anger nor wrath in God, if there were, he were changeable, but it is mans weakness to think so, it is the weakness of men to apprehended it so, where Christ doth not manifest himself within to the soul, there the soul is in darkness, and is afraid of God; as it is written of David, though a man that had much experience of the love of God, yet saith he, my flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgements, Psalm 119.120. verse, this may be called the first hell, or the first discovery of hell in the conscience. Hell in another sense, as the Scripture relates, is the grave, Psalm the 16.10. saith he, thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption, this was spoken concerning Christ, that God would not leave him in the grave, so that the grave, or the sea, that receiveth the dead bodies of men, is in a sense called hell, but the grave, nor the sea, they are no places of torment, the dead is not sensible of the place wherein they lye, they are not sensible of well nor woe, but it is the living, and it is he that lives in the sense of Gods displeasure, that lives in hell, or that is in hell, or that is sensible of the hate of God.  
Every man by nature is dead in trespasses and in sins, and is in a state of death and darkness, and hell is within him, though the fire doth not yet burn, yet I say hell is within, and the devil is King in the heart, till such time that Christ comes and takes possession, then he doth cast out the devil, and sets up a light in the inward parts, where there was nothing but darkness; now the fire begins to burn, and to be of a flamme, and the worm begins to gnaw upon the conscience: I call this hell upon earth, or hell in earth, or hell in us, till hell and the fear of death be swollowed up of Iesus Christ, but such a hell as this must we pass thorough to come to heaven; this is the way of Gods dealing with men before he doth manifest himself in them, to be their salvation, he doth cause them to see that they are lost in themselves, & so for the present they are in a distracted condition, because Iesus Christ is but making himself known to them, they must pass thorough this hell to come to heaven, as it is written of Ephraim, that he spake to the Lord trembling, Hosea 13.1. so when God dealeth with a people that hath been great sinners, and is minded to manifest himself to them, or in them, he first awakeneth them out of their security, and he makes them so sensible of their unworthiness, and so astonished at his presence, that their consciences are almost of a flamme within them, with the fear and dread of God, and for the present expecting nothing but death and destruction, thus God bringeth men into hell, that they and all men may see whom God hath manifested himself in, may be sensible that we have deserved to be cast out of the presence of God for ever, and that we may be the more sensible, and that we may the more prise the riches of his free grace in his holding out the golden sceptre of his love unto us: Thus the people of God hath passed thorough hell, and have left it behind them, and the reason why God doth thus exercise his people is, we are by this to take notice, that when God calls his people home to himself, he doth chastise them: It is written, that he searcheth every son, whom he receiveth; and further, we are to take notice, God thus dealing with his people, it doth show that they are lawfully called to be his sons and daughters. Now I desire to know whether W. P. can experience these things to be true, which if he cannot, it doth appear that he doth not know the true call of the people of God: But to let all men know what is manifested in me concerning hell, and indeed I would not be mistaken. Hell for antiquity, is as old as the earth, it is deep and large, and the wicked descend into it, Isa. 5.14. Therefore hell hath enlarged her self, and opened her mouth without measure, and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into into it: as for the antiquity of it, it was prepared of old, Isa. 30.33. for Tophet was ordained of old, yea, for the King, it is prepared, he hath made it deep and large, the pile thereof is fire, and much wood, the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it, for the universality of it, it is for ever, Rev. 20.10. Rev. 21.8. the meaning of these places is a mystery to flesh and blood. John was taken up in the spirit, and he saw those things in the spirit, and they are not otherwise to be understood, but it is a fearful and a grievous torment, that the wicked and the damned undergo, from generation to generation in hell for ever: as it is written, he shall say on his left hand, depart from me ye workers of iniquity, and these shall go into everlasting punishment, Mat. 25. this is the condition of all those that live in ignorance of the love of God in Christ, that have not Iesus Christ made out in them, to be their salvation: but here lieth the comfort of the people of God; it is written of Christ, saith he to John, fear not, I am the first, and the last, I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive, for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell, and of death, Rev. 1.17, 18. It is he that shutteth, and no man openeth, and openeth, and no man shutteth; he hath set at liberty, those that were bound, he will not leave my soul in hell, neither will he suffer his holy one to see corruption, he hath lead captivity captive, and hath received gifts for men, even for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell amongst them; wherefore he saith, look unto me all the ends of the earth and be saved; It is written, there is a fountain opened for sin, and for uncleanness, he makes clean the soul, & receivs it to himself, he hath trodden down the wine press alone, and of the people, there was none with him that did any thing in it, he hath protection, & endured the pains of hell, to redeem us from hell, he was stricken and smitten of God, and afflicted, and the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, and so being set free from sin, we are become the servants of God, and we have our fruit in holiness, and our end everlasting life.  
Object. From all that you have said, I remain as yet unsatisfied, I cannot tell what you mean by hell.  
Answ. Hell, it is diversely used in Scripture, it is put for the grave, Psal. 16.10. and 55. Isa. 14.15. for the whale in which jonas was, jonas 2. for Satans Kingdom, leading to hell, Mat. 16.18. for Satan, or his malignant spirits, james 3.6. for the place of the damned, Mat. 5.29. the 10.28. Luke 12.5. and the 16.23. 2 Pet. 2.4. And this last, the place of the damned, is that which I mean by hell, and it variously called, as utter darkness, Mat. 22.13. and the 23.33. wrath to come, 1 Thess. 1.10. chap. 5.9. chains of darkness, 2 Pet 2.4. eternal fire, Iude 23. the second death, Rev. 20.6. bottonles pit, Rev. 9.2. A place of torment, Rev. 14.10. the 20.10. lake of fire, Rev. 19.20. the 21.8. everlasting punishment, Mat. 25.41, 46. blackness of darkness for ever, Iude 13.  
Those several expressions are generally taken to set forth the end of the reprobate, or the execution of Gods wrath upon them; some fancy to themselves, and say he is in one place, and some think him to be in another, some think it to be in the element of fire, which is between the upper region of the air, and the globe of the moon, some thinks it to be in the caves of the earth, and Conduits of the sea, some only in the sea, as Archor in his personal reign of Christ mentions, because the devils were cast into the swine, which ran violenly down a steep place into the sea, mark 5.3. for which Martin-mar-priest gives them a jeer in his Treatise of the souls mortality; saith he, surely, they might as well say they have millstones about their necks, because it is said, better a millstone were tied about his neck, and he cast into the bottom of the sea, for the one followeth no more then the other; some say it is in the earth equally so far distant from the surphas, as heaven is above it, as saith Phillips; and this he labours to confirm with Scripture, as Prov. 15.24. the way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath, Phil. 2.10. That at the name of Iesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, in hell saith he, and Luke 16. the rich man saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, and Eccl. 31.18. yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden, unto the neither parts of the earth.  
But those, and such like places, which literally seem to import hell, conclude the thing no more then other literal expressions prove God to have corpolant eyes, ears, and hands, but are expressions after the manner of men, to show the graduation of condition betwixt the wicked and the righteous, the one the extremest debasement, the other the extremest exaltation, which could not be better figurated to sense, then by heaven and earth; and in particular, thus the first, as Prov. 15.24. is literal, or figurative, which interpretation can neither be caconical nor rational, for thereby wise men must not tread upon the ground, but must walk upon the air, or upon the water, and there only the wayof life, for saith he, their way is above: now for the second, as Phil. 2.10. That is figurative to show how in process of time, all degrees shall subject to Christ, Angels, men, devils and death, whose degrees are thus literally expressed to sense by heaven and earth.  
And it doth no ways prove hell to be in the earth, nor in the sea; for it is but to show how that pharaoh in the height of his pride and fury was brought to confusion, which in the 5. ver. is expressed by, in the day when he went down into grave, and in ver. 17. into hell; all which show but the sudden death, and utter confusion of pharaoh and his Army, and at the utmost hell, here can be but for death or the grave, and not for any such place of torment.  
Hell is beneath, that is, it is below God, and men are creatures fallen from God, and from our heavenly mansions, and in the state of unbelief are in an unhappy condition of knowing of evil, and so are afraid of God; men in the state of unbelief are gone out with Cain, into the land of Nod, and remain in the fall, fearful looking for hell, when as they are in it, though some do not feel the full torment of it, yet sooner or later they shall feel it.  
But the hell that the wicked are or shall be in the future, is a state of darkness and deprivation of the love God, they are in a fallen estate, and in that estate live in the sense of Gods displeasure, and living in a condition of fear, do dread God; this is the estate of the wicked in hell, looking upon God to what he is not, and what the letter seemingly and literally holds him out to be: this is the state of the wicked, wherein the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idoliters, and all liars shall have there part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is called in Scripture the second death, Rev. 21.8. this is that lake of fire and brimstone, and pit of darkness wherein the devil and wicked men are cast in, and sealed up into all eternity, where the beast and the false Prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever, Rev. 20.10. out of which pit, and place of destruction, all who live the love and light of Christ, are lifted up far above it, and see God to be what he is, love, light, and light and life, unchangeable, without hatred, the same to them yesterday, and to day, and for her.   

The seventh Aspersion.  
W. P. saith, that I deny that there is any resurrection at all.  
To which I answer, and much wonder, that a man which professeth himself to be a Christian, should not be ashamed to affirm such an untruth as this; because I do not hold a creaturelie, and a carnal resurrection of the fleshly body, therefore he saith, that I hold that there is no resurrection at all; now according to the dispensation of Iesus Christ in me, I do affirm that there is a spiritual resurrection, a resurrection of the spiritual body.  
Jacob the new born babe, but not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit, John 3. those that are born of the spirit, those are the children of the resurrection, and they shall arise out of the earth to heaven; they shall ascend up to God, and live in God, the eternal and immortal soul, which for a time hath a being in the grave in flesh, shall arise from thence, by the power of God; as it is written, Two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left, two shall be grinding in the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left, Mat. 24. Dust shall return to dust, and the spirit from whence it came, to the Lord that gave it; as it is written, There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body; The first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam, was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit, that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and after that which is spiritual, the first man is of the earth, earthly, the second man is the Lord from heaven; as is the earth lye, such are they that are earthly, and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. Now this I say brethren, that flush and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption, 1 Cor. 15. and so along to the end of the Chapter, we may see that it is not a natural body, it is not the first birth, neither is it Cain, neither is it Judas the covetous man that shall arise and ascend up to God, but it is Jacob, the spiritual body, that shall be brought forth, and shall be separated from the natural body, and shall ascend up unto God, and live in God; we shall not know, nor be known after the flesh, as saith the Apostle, henceforth know we no man after the flesh, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more. It hath been, and still is the ignorance of men, to think and to aim at a fleshly being in heaven, and so do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God, for in the resurrection, they neither mary, neither are they given in marriage carnally, but they are all married to Christ, he hath espoused them to himself, so we are as the Angels of God in heaven; but as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not red, that which was spoken unto you by God? saying. I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, Mat. 22.29. and so to the 32.  
In the resurrection there is no use of the natural creatures for food, there is no external eating nor drinking, but the children of the resurrection do live upon God, and in God.  
Object. Friend, I am sorry that you are so much apostatised from that Orthodox truth, the resurrection of the body, and that you do derogate so much from the truth of the Scripture, and the faith, and the practise of the Saints of old; I pray remember what Martha said to Christ, when he  told her that her brother Lazarus should rise again, saith she, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day, John 11.24. compared with the 2 Timothy 2.18. which sheweth that you have erred, and are overthrown in your faith, and you do overthrow the faith of others. To which I answer.  
A man may withdraw from the outward forms and customs, and baptisms, and breakings of bread, as the world hath used since the apostasy, and yet not fall from the faith, nor any Orthodox and truth, nor from the faith, nor from the practise of the Saints of old, nor in so doing, do I deny any Ordinance of Christ, and though I do deny the imaginary resurrection of the world, yet I do not deny the resurrection of the body, when we have received wisdom and power from above, whereby the heart is set free from corruption, and made able to escape the pollutions of the world, to run the pure ways of God with delight, which is the glorious liberty of the sons of God, then we are capable of the resurrection from the dead, and the entrance into everlasting rest; it is not the knowledge of the first man that leads to the resurrection of life, for it is the hidden wisdom that God ordained before the world, unto our glory; so to the hidden man of the heart must we look to find it, which is not corruptible. And Martha did love Christ, and had a great deal of outward zeal to his outward man, and bodily presence, yet I say she was as much deceived in the resurrection of the body, as job was, and as you are, in thinking that the fleshly body shall rise again; so I pray you to mind what the answer of Christ to Martha was, saith he unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die, believest thou this? which saying of Christ sheweth, that the new man, the new-birth, which is the subject of the resurrection, never dies, but lives in God, John 11.25, 26. but you do believe the resurrection of the fleshly matter, the fleshly man I do not, I do believe the resurrection of the spiritual body, the spiritual matter I do believe; I say that the new birth which is after the image of God, which seeminglie hath been dead in the grave in us; but our dead men shall live, with their dead bodies shall they arise and sing, though yet in the dust, though yet in the grave in flesh; I do not say that the resurrection is past already as on my own part, nor we cannot say that it is past, till we are delivered from this body of death. The resurrection, and that great day of separation is at this present time, and it hath been ever of old, though the natural man, the first birth, hath been, and is still ignorant of it; we shall be raised out of the grave and carried, not into Abrahams bosom, but into the bosom of God, not into a fleshly bosom, but into a spiritual, where no unclean thing shall come; therefore I say, arise and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; Behold, with joy shall ye draw water out of the Well of salvation; our light is come, and herein have we found Christ Iesus the guide of his people, and the leader of ages, even the spirit of truth, which leadeth into all truth.   

The eighth Aspersion.  
W. P. saith, that I deny the practical part of a Christian.  
To which I answer, That he might as well say that I deny the actings of Jesus Christ in a Christian; for indeed here lieth the great difference between him and me, and he is for the practical part of the natural man, and I am for the practical part of the spiritual man; now the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. 2.14. there is no ability in man, considered as man, to act in divine things, nor to act divinelie; all divine actions are of God, and in God, and if Iesus Christ be in us, the hope of glory, then we act from Christ, manifested within us, and when we act divinely, we act by the power of Christ, and Christ may be said to act in us, our ability is in Christ Iesus; as it is written of Paul, saith he, I am able to do all things thorough Iesus Christ strengthening me; saith he, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me, Gal. 2.20. so I would have you to take notice, that I am of Pauls mind, and do acknowledge that I am weak of self, and cannot do any thing that is good; and I desire not to be found, having my own righteousness, for that is as flilthy rags, and as a monstrous cloth, therefore I would not have men who profess themselves to be Christians, to be practical in the things of God in their own strength and ability, jehu like, is it written, said he of him, Come, and see, the zeal that I have for the Lord, 2 King 10.16. men would fain be seen to have something of their own; men would be doing something, that should present them worthy of acceptance with God; men would fain be going to heaven in their own strength, and in their own abilities; men do endeavour to be saved by their own righteousness by bringing their performances in the room of Christs merits; but this cannot present men without blemish before God, but it bringeth them under the notion of unprofitable servants, who hide their talent in the earth.  
Where Iesus Christ is not manifested within, there he is concealed, and hide in the earth; Jesus Christ is that Talent that we red of in Mat. 25. and indeed I am very sorry to to see the blindness that doth yet remain amongst men, that profess themselves to be Christians, they walk in this form, and the other form, and some are of this society, and some of the other society, some are of this Church, and some of the other Church, some say lo here is Christ, others say, lo there is Christ, and all this while they hid there talent in the earth; when men are practical in forms and walking in their own strength, Jesus Christ is hide in the earth. Now if this be to deny the practical part of a Christian, I desire all men to judge; for indeed men are deceived, when they look at themselves, to be distinct from God, in the service of God. For the life and power of holy actions, is from Iesus Christ manifested within us; as it is written, Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh; and there is a great mystery of iniquity, the serpent living under his veil in flesh; Satan is under his veil in flesh, in men, that hold free-will in the creature to act in the things of God in their own strength; Satan hath transformed himself in them an Angel of light, who hold such corrupt principles as these; but I forbear to speak any further as in answer to that scandalous paper which was given forth by W.P. in the garrison of Hemsdale in Southerland.  
But I shall proceed to show the weakness and unsoundness of these people, which hold free-will, and falling from grace, who hold ability in the creature to act in supernatural things; and further, they hold that a man may be saved if he will.  
From whence may be gathered, that salvation lieth as much in the outward performance of the creature, as in the merits of Christ; and yet in their discourse, and in their pereachings, they do make a great noise, of their being come out of Babylon into Sion, and yet notwithstanding, they still speak the language of Babylon, and they are yet the servants in bondage, in Babylon, and unto the mistress of witch-crafts, and never came as yet to witness freedom in Sion; for I know and am sure that their voice is the language of their City, where they now dwell.  
Which is in confusion with Babylon; and it is plain to all spiritual men, who are able to discern of truth and deceit, that they are yet deceived, and unrecovered out of deceit, that which they have is but in notion, and not in power, it is letter, and not spirit, darkness and not light, it is in pretended spirituality, and not really in the spirit. And Satan is now transformed in them an Angel of light, by which they are deceived: and whereas they talk of their experience in the things of God, yet I say death reigns in them, and is no whit subdued; I speak as in the presence of God, who am bound to lay open their deceit to the simplo, who do blaspheme the God of heaven in their hearts, in calling truth error, and calling that deceit, which by the spirit of the Lord I own to be truth; and they call those corrupt principles, which was owned by the servants of the Lord, in former generations, and which is owned now by them which witness the same spirit; which spirit of Christ, they make appear they know not, but have denied him, and salvation by him within us; so that it doth appear to me, that Satan is not yet discovered to them, but yet lieth under his veil in flesh, with them.  
In the next place the image of God, which is godliness, is an image hidden from their eyes, and this image is within, in life and power, consisting of the new man Christ Iesus, who is the image of God, made manifest within the Saints, in which image, man is like God godly; and this image is not in outward things, in word, or declaration, or outward practices.  
Though where this image is made manifest, godly practices flow from it, to without, but yet the power, life and mystery of godliness is within, and cannot be seen with the carnal eyes, nor comprehended with a carnal mind; here I charge W. P. and R. H. and all others, in the presence of God, that they know not the image of godliness, who calls this a corrupt principle. And here it is made manifest, that they are yet deceived, and bewitched by the devil; I bear witness to the truth, and to this particular, against W.P. and all that deny it; that the Saints hath life and salvation from Christ manifested within, which is the same Christ which suffered without: and this I affirm, that till Christ be revealed within, there is no salvation, nor life, partaked of; the Scripture saith, they were reprobates in whom Christ was not; and the Apostle said, Christ in you the hope of glory, and Christ lived in him, which is life and salvation; where Christ is not made manifest within, the serpent is head, and the devil is King in the heart, and this I witness, and do declare it, as in the presence of God, that till Christ was made manifest within me, I was not saved, nor had no life as to God, though I was high in profession, and knowledge outwardly; and here again W. P. hath shewed both his blindness and sottishness to me and others, and may stop his mouth for shane, and confess that he is a bond slave in Babylon, who calls this a corrupt principle, which is the very life and power of Religion and salvation, which is Christ Iesus within, made manifest in the Saints, which takes away sin, and destroys the works of the devil, and he and all others, who walks and lives in the flesh, following the lusts, and desires of it, living to their own wils, in the broad way, and talks of salvation, by any thing without, will be deceived, for nothing will presen to God, but the righteousness of Iesus Iesus Christ revealed, which takes away sin, and sets free from it. Another thing that I do affirm, is this, that the Saints of God were not to do duties, by or from a command without, but from a command within; and that the word command in Scripture was not a command to them, till they had a word within them.  
That is no cammand from God to me, what he commands to another, neither did any of the Saints that we red of in Scripture, act by the command which was to another, not having the command to themselves; they obeied every one their own command; one was sent to baptize, and to preach the Gospel, another was sent not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, and though W. P. or I. M. or any other, who goes to duty, by imitation from the letter, without which, was commands to others; in your own will and time your sacrifices is not excepted, but is abomination to the Lord, for you go without the moving of the spirit in your own wills and strength, which God hates, and which his wrath is upon; I charge him here, as in the presence of the Lord, that he knows not what a command from God in spirit is, but is ignorant, and not a son of Sion, and let his mouth be stopped, and let shane strike him in the face who professes himself to know the Lord, and let all be ashamed of him who professes themselves members joined with him in Church, he hath made manifest the ignorance of them all.  
Now in the third place, that as to the time of doing duties, the Saints were to wait for the moving of the spirit, to carry them forth to it, and this they called waiting for a power, and till they had such power, they were to do nothing but sit still and wait, and this not only in private duties, but in Church also, not owning a ministry by way of gifts of office, but to come together, and there sit still and wait, till they had a power, and then to speak according as the spirit gave them utterance.  
Now who dare call this a principle of deceit? none but they who are lead by deceit, and such as W. P. and I. M. is, who puts light for darkness, and darkness for light; all duties as he calls them whatsoever, if the moving of the spirit do not carry forth to any of them, the moving of the corrupt will, and vain mind carries forth, and acts from such principles as are accursed from God; and W. P. and all who denies to wait for the moving of the power of the spirit, to carry forth, but goes before the movings of it; all their prayers, preaching, or Ordinances, and Churches, I do deny, and declare against, by the eternal spirit of God.  
They are odious, and abominable in the sight of the Lord, and is no duty which he accepts, whether they be done in private, or in the Church; and that Minister which is not carried forth by the moving of the spirit of God, but of man and in the will of man, which Minister is hated of God, and he which denies waiting upon God, till power be given in from God, to act and speak for God, hath denied the way of God, and the practise of the Saints, in former generations; and weaklie doth he act, which makes the simplo to believe this to be deceit O blind deceived spirit! who calls the substance a show, and the show or likeness, a substance; woe unto him which calls good evil, and evil good.  
Again, the saints ground of acting, is not the outward letter, but the spirit which gave forth the letter; but the Scripture doth declare of such as waited to be acted by the spirit and power of the Lord: dare any say the Saints prayed or prophesied, without the moving of the spirit, and power of the Lord? Here he doth shut himself amongst the heathens, who knows not God, nor what it is to be acted by his spirit and power.  
I fear that true peace in Christ, they never knew, for none who denies waiting upon God, hath any true communion with God, nor nothing to say to, or for God, but through deceit, and in deceit, is W. P.  
He would fain destroy the true witness in me, but it shall arise to his condemnation, if he deny salvation by Christ within, that is a deceitful principle; He hath chosen the way of death rather then the way of life, and hath taken himself to follow shadows, and likeness, and neglected the substance, which is Christ within, the hope of glory; which if any shall deny, they are yet under the veil, in the cloud, and in the sea. And thus have I for the simplo ones sake, declared the truth, that every single eye may see who it is that is lead by corrupt principle, whether W. P. or I, I shall leave it to spiritual men to judge.  
Thus having given a brief touch of the life and power of Iesus Christ manifested within, which W. P. saith i● bl●sphemy; but this doth not much trouble me, when I consider the serpent in flesh, is opposite to the truth, till he be taken out of the way, but God will certainly destroy him in us; but so long as he hath a being, he is under his veil in flesh, there he hath his seat, there his throne is, Rev. 2.13.  
Take notice thou art gone out into the Fall, and hast swallowed down abundance of thy own knowledge of good and evil; which thou must vomit up again before thou canst eat of, and digest, and relish the fruit of that three, which is for the healing of the Nations. The truth is always a stranger, to those that are strangers to that, and know it not till the truth hath made them free. I was a stranger saith Christ, and ye took me not in; and it is the truth itself that must satisfy thee, and not I.    

THE natural Mans CONDITION Set forth.  
NOw the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. 2.14. before I proceed any further, I shall answer a question which will rise from this place of Scripture; that is, what do you mean by the natural man? Or who is this natural man? I answer, by the natural man, I mean every man, every man is a natural man, every man considered as man, is a wicked man, every son of Adam is a covetous man; now the natural man is all this, he is wicked, he is covetous; our natures are for any thing that is vile, till such time that our natures are changed by grace; we are prove to every thing that is evil, and we are dead to every thing that is good, and we are dead in trespasses and sins, as saith the Apostle, You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, 1 John 2.27. But the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lye, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.  
In the first place you may take notice of the party who it was that was the penman of this Epistle, and that was John, and he doth it in brotherly love, and the reason of his writing of this Epistle was concerning some that sought to seduce the people at that time; saith he, These things have I written unto you, concerning them that seduce you; from whence we may take notice, that the world, nor yet the Church of God, hath not been without seducers and deceivers in the purest times, and upon this account saith Paul, be not deceived by any means; and upon this account did John writ this Epistle: there hath been seducers I sate, even in the purest times, even in the times of the Apostles, when God did most of all poure out of his spirit upon them, and most of all manifest himself in them. We red of false Christs, and of false Apostles that were in the primitive times, seeking and endeavouring to seduce, and to draw men and women from the truth; we read in the fifteenth of the Acts of certain men that came down from judea, and they  told the people that unless they were circumcised after the manner of Moses, and keep the Law, they could not be saved, ver. the first, this was a yoke which that they would have put upon the Gentiles, this would they have enjoined them to; which difference is decideded by Paul, and Barnabas, and Peter; we red in the 6. ver. that the Apostles and Elders came together for to consider of this matter, and in the seventh ver. when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago, God made choice amongst us, that the Gentiles by me should hear the word of the Gospel, and believe, and God which knoweth the hearts, bear them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. And now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear, ver. the 10. and so if you red to the end of the Chapter, you shall find the difference decided; but thus there was false teachers and seducers, who did trouble, and disturb, and seek to seduce, even in the purest times; the Apostle did complain and say, that the mystery of iniquity did begin to work, even in his time, in the 2. Epistle to the Thess. 2. and the 7. ver. for the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he who now letteth, will let until he be taken out of the way; and then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all rottenness of unrighteousness, in them that perish; and this was that which Christ did foretell, should come to pass: And this did Paul foretell, the perilous times should come, saith he, in the first ver. thus know also, that in the last daies perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholie, without natural affections, truce breakers, false accusers, despisers of those that are good, traitors, head●e, high minded, lovers of pleasures, more then lovers of God, having a form of god liness, but denying the power thereof; and saith he, from such turn away, ver. the first. And this must needs be so, when men shall presume to teach, before they are called thereunto by God; this is the pride and folly of men, to be too forward to take a divi●e function upon them, before they are moved thereunto by the spirit, before that Christ doth manifest himself in them; Christ did appoint his disciples to wait for a power before they went out to preach, though they had walked with him upon earth a long time, and though he had given them a command, and a licence to go out, and to preach the Gospel; yet he bids them tarry at Jerusalem, till they were endued with power from on high, Acts the 1.4. and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me; for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the holy Ghost, not many daies hence. Now men who do presume to teach, if the spirit of Christ do not move them thereunto, they must needs be false teachers, and such Antichrists, and such spirits, as John bids us not to believe, but try them, saith he: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God, for this reason, Because many false Prophets are gone out into the world, 1 John 4.1. Now I beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letters, as from us, as that the day of Christ was at hand: Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first; and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself, above all that is called God, or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, showing himself he is God, 2 Thess. 2.1. to the 5. Now upon this account did Paul write, and upon this account did John write this epistle; I say it was concerning those that sought to seduce the people, But the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him. Now according to the d●spensation, according to the anointing that I have received of him. I shall declare as concerning this anointing, which the Apostle John here speaks of,  
First, it hath a ceremony of antiquity, for the people to anoint themselves with oil, and they did not only use it under the Law, but it was used under the Gospel; it was used by the Church, as it is written, Iamus 5.14. Mat. 26.7. and it was first of all instituted of God, it was his ordinance that the Priests and Prophets should be all anointed, and all the Kings that were chosen of God were anointed, Exod. 30.30. to the 34. ver. This outward anointing did signify, and was a type of an inward anointing; now, as God did ordain Priests, and anoint them, so he did ordain Prophets, and anoint them, Isa. 61. Luke 4.14. Now, as the Prophets were anointed, so were the Kings anointed: David the son of Jesse, was anointed by Samuel, as you shall hear more at large in my ensuing discourse, 1 Sam. 16.12. Now all the anointed Kings were types of Christ, and I say all those outward annointings did typify an inward anointing, the anointing of the begotten of the father, not of the flesh only, but after the spirit; there is an outward anointing, and there is an inward anointing, there is an outward calling, and there is an inward calling, which inward calling, and which inward anointing, is precious, which anointing no man knows but him that hath received it; this inward anointing is as precious as the hidden Manna, and as precious as the white ston, and the new name, as it is written, Rev. 2.17. saith he, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the Churches; to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna, and will give him a white ston, and in the ston a now name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. Those that have received this hidden Manna, and the white ston, and the new name that is in it, hath received this anointing which the Apostle John speaketh of, and this anointing, it is precious, it endures for ever, but these outward anointings, and outward observations of the Law, are waxed old, and we are not to serve any longer in the oldness of the letter, but in newness of the spirit; we must die to outward washings, and to the outward anointings they were but types, and figures, and shadows of the inward anointing, which inward anointing, is the spiritual presence of Christ manifested within; as saith the Apostle, great is the mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh, great is the mystery of this anointing, Christ in the spirit: Behold, with joy have we drawn water out of the Well of Salvation, where Christ is manifested within, he is precious, to those that believe he is precious; this anointing is more precious then gold, where Christ is, he is precious. My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest amongst ten thousands, Cant. 5.10. It is written, the Kings daughter is all glorious within, there is this pure anointing; where this anointing is, there is even life from the dead, saith he, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the father but by me, for all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God, 〈…〉 .20. But the anointing which ye have received of him, ●●●deth in you, and so forth; this anointing is not an outward anointing with oil, though I confess that to anoint their bodies was the practise of the ancient times, and indeed it was a command of God, and they did it by virtue of a command from God, Exodus 30.30. And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them that they may minister unto me in the Priests office; and thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, this shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generation, upon mans flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it; it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you; whosoever compoundeth any thing like, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people: This was the charge that God gave to Moses, concerning the consecrated oil, but they had other oil to anoint with, and it was usual with them to anoint one another; it was as common with them to anoint themselves, as it is now with the Dippers to dip themselves: And indeed, I do much wonder that they do not use to anoint themselves with oil, there is as much ground for it as there is for dipping, though I confess, and I do not deny but that dipping of believers was an Institution of Christ, and was practised by the Apostles and Primitive Christians; they did use to anoint themselves with oil as well as to dip, but I say that it was as usual with the people under the Law to anoint, as it is with the Dippers under the Gospel to dip, and to break bread, and to receive the Sacrament as you call it, and to anoint with oil, was as lawful, though God by the Prophet Amos was pleased to lay it upon Israel, as a defect of wantonness; as Israel did anoint themselves with the chiefest ointment, even in the time of their greatest laziness and wantonness; and indeed Israel is reproved for it by the Prophet: Woe to them that are at ease in Sion, Amos 6.1. and in ver. 3. saith he, ye that put far away the evil day. and in the 4. ver. and lye upon your beds of Ivorie, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and in the 6. ver. that drink wine in boules, and anoint themselves with the chiefest ointment, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph; but I say to anoint themselves with oil was usual, and it was lawful, and often used in the primitive times by Church-elders, as in james 5.14. Is any sick amongst you, let him call for the Elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; I say anointing was very lawful, and we may as well use that ceremony, as the ceremony of dipping, and of breaking of bread; anointing the head in the name of the Lord, was an Institution of Christ, as well as dipping the whole body in water, as you may see by Christs own words, saith he, Be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, only disfiguring thy face, seeming to them to fast, but when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face, Mat. 6.17. and it is written of a woman for a memorial of her, for her using this ceremony of anointing upon Christ, Mat. 26.7. which anointing Christ did approve of. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, there came to him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sate at meat, which the disciples were offended at, saith they, to what purpose is this waste, in ver. the 8. and in ver. the 9. say they, this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor, and in ver. the 10. when Iesus understood it, he said unto them, why trouble ye the woman, for she wrought a good work upon me; for ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always, for in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial; and in the 15. ver. saith he, Verily I say unto you, wheresoever the Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be  told for a memorial of her; by all which we may see that it was approved on by Christ. Now all the Kings that were chosen of God, were anointed, Saul was anointed by Samuel, 1 Sam. 10.1. Then Samuel took a viol of oil and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance; now in a short time Saul is rejected, and David is anointed, 1 Sam. 16.1. and the Lord said unto Samuel, how long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel, fill thine horn with oil and go, I will sand thee to jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided me a King among his sons, and Samuel was so careful, that he would anoint none but him whom the Lord hath chosen; though all the sons of Jesse came in before Samuel, and though David absent, Samuel passed them all, by saying, God hath not chosen this, neither hath the Lord chosen this, ver. the 8. and ver. the 9. and in ver. the 10. Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel, and Samuel said unto Jesse, the Lord hath not chosen these, and Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children? and he said, there remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep, and Samuel said unto jesse, sand and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hither, and he sent and brought him in; now he was ruddy, and withal, of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to; and the Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is he, then Samuel took the horn of oil; and anointed him in the midst of his Brethren, and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward, so Samuel rose up and went to Ramah, ver. 13. David is anointed the second time over judah, 2 Sam. 5.4. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Hebron, he reigned over judah seven years and six moneths, and in jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and judah, ver. 5. but David was anointed in the third ver. nature begins to decay with David, Solomon maketh suite to reign in his fathers stead, and he is anointed, 1 Kings 1.39. ver. and Zadok the Priest took an horn of oil out of the Tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, and they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, God save King Solomon; now I say that all those Kings thus chosen of God, and anointed, were types of Christ. Now when the fullness of time was come, Christ was born King of the Jews, he is the anointed of the father, Mat. 2.1. when Herod the King heard these things, he was troubled, and all jerusalem with him, ver. the 4. And when he had gathered all the chief Priests and Scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born, and they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the Prophet, ver. 6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, art not the least among the Princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel, he is God, and his throne is for ever. Ps. 40.6, 7. Thy throne, O God is an everlasting sceptre, all his garments smell of myrrh; Christ is become the Churches glory, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, Isa. 61.1.2. Arise and shine, for thy light is come; and Isa. 11. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord, Isa. 96. for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the governmet shall be up●n his shoulder, and his name shall be called wonderful councillor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace; of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice, from henceforth, even for ever: the zeal of the Lord of Host will p●rform this; this is the anointed of the father, this is he that God hath manifested himself in, to take away sin, he is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and he is a Friest forever, after the order of Melchizedech, he is become the author of eternal salvation for us; though that human body be away, though he as man did reign but for a time, as other Kings, yet of his spiritual Kingdom there shall be no end, upon a spiritual account he is a spiritual High Priest for ever, and his reign is a spiritual reign in his people, he is the anointing that John speaks of in his Epistle, the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things; Behold what manner of love is this, that God should bestow this anointing upon us, and manifest it in us, what manner of love the father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God, therefore the carnal worshippers of the world knoweth us not, because they are ignorant of the anointing which we have received of him, which anointing, abides in us and brings us into a sonship with the father, it brings us to have a oneness with him; by virtue of this anointing we are become the sons of God, 1 Pet. 1.3. 1 John 3.2. this anointing is precious, this anointing is that which is begotten and formed in us of God, this is that which Christ spoken of to Nicodemus; saith he, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit; therefore saith Christ, marvel not that I said you must be born again: and saith Paul my little children, with whom I trav●ll in birth again, till Christ be formed in you, Gal. 4.19. and faith he, know ye not that Iesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates, 2 Cor. 3.5. so say I to all carnal worshippers, that walk in an outward form of worship, if you do not know that you have received this anointing, yea, if this anointing be not in you, ye are reprobates, and ye have need to be taught, but ye are not able to teach others: but where this anointing is, ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you all things; so that I say, that this anointing is precious, it is the begotten of the father, it is the new birth it is the new born babe in us, which is the object of the fathers love, it is that which cried out in Paul for deliverance: O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death! this anointing is the divine being in us, which is the object of the fathers love, which shall be raised out of the grave of flesh, it shall be delivered, and brought out of this body of death, unto the father, and shall ascend into the father; where this anointing is manifested, there is the glorious dispensation of the spirit, and ye need not that any man teach you; this anointing is exceeding precious, it is undefiled, it is the new creature, to whom God will not impute sin, it is that new creature that is born of God, that cannot commit sin; It is written, blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin, and he that is born of God doth not commit sin, and saith John, speaking of Christ, and ye know that he was manifested to take away sin, and in him is no sin, 1 John 3.5. and in ver. the 6. Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not, whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him, neither known him; but those that have this anointing, need not that any man teach them, they need not run to and again, to this man, and the other man, nor to this Church, nor to that Church, nor to those that walk in this form, and the other form; but the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and in all things; he that hath not this anointing in him, though he have never so much of human learning, he can be no true Minister, the true Minister teacheth by virtue of the anointing which we have received of him, Luke 4.13. Christ came to Nazareth, where he was brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day to teach, and he stood up to red, and there was delivered unto him a book of Isaiahs the Prophet, and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it is written, The spirit of the Lord was upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel, Luke 4.18. you may read to the two and twentieth ver. Isaiah 61.1. but this outward anointing was but a ceremony, he that is a true Minister, teacheth by virtue of the inward anointing which he hath received from him which is truth, and is no lye, Isaiah 11.1. and Isaiah 12.1. to the end of the Chapter; though this prophesy was concerning Christs coming in the flesh, yet there is a further mystery in it; there is something yet to be fulfilled unto us, and to those that shall live after us, even to other generations, there is a time yet to come, that God will poure out of his spirit upon us, and manifest himself in us, in a greater measure and manner, then he hath done since the apostasy: Alas, these are but dark times that we live in, these are times of apostasy, men do not know the right hand from the left, in the mystery of godliness, when this anointing shall be fully manifested in the sons of men, the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea; ye shall not need that any man teach you, but the same anointing which ye shall then receive of him, shall be sufficient to support you, yea, when this anointing shall be fully manifested in you, ye shall live above the carnal teachings of men, and above carnal ordinances, ye shall not need that any man teach you; the time shall come, that ye shall no more need to teach every man his neighbour, and his brother, saying, know the Lord, for ye shall all be taught of God, from the least to the greatest, Heb. 8.20. Hosea 2 18. and in that day will I make a covenant for them, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowles of heaven, and with the creeping things, and I will break the bow, and the sword, and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to sit down safely, and I will betrothe thee to me for ever; and Zephaniah 2.14. for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea; but alas, I say these are but dark times that we live in, the serpent lies under his veil in flesh; these are times of revenge, these are killing times, times of destroying one another, but when this anointing shall be fully manifested in us, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more, Isaiah 2.4. and they shall beat their swords into plow-sheares, and their speers into pruning hooks there shall be no more war, and in Isaiah the 11.13. the envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of judah shall be cut off, Ephraim shall not envy judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim, and the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian seas.  
Object. This prophesy of the Prophet Ioel is fulfilled already, Ioel the 2.28. as witness Acts 2.5. the ninth ver. and they were all filled with the holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance, and there were dwelling at jerusalem jews, devour men, out of every nation under heaven; now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language, and they were all amazed, and marveled, saying one to another, behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? and how hear we every man in our own tongue? &c. and in the twelfth ver. they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, what meaneth this? others mocked, said, these men are fall of new wine, ver. 14. But Peter standing up with the eleven, lift up his voice, and said unto them, ye men of judah, and ye that dwell at jerusalem; be this known unto you, and harken to my words, for these are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day; but this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last dayes, saith God, I will poure out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, and on my servants, and on my hand maids, I will pour out in those dayes of my spirit, and they shall prophesy; from whence all that have received this anointing, which the Apostle John speaks of, must grant that this prophesy was fulfilled in the primitive times.  
To which I anwer,  
I grant that this prophesy was fulfilled in the primitive times, and I grant that they did receive the holy Ghost, and they did speak with tongues as we may see at large in the second of the Acts: but it is not fulfilled to us, it is not fulfilled to you pretended Churches, whose preaching and praying, and fastings, and ordinances, is by way of imitation and tradition from the letter, and from other men, and not from the spirit, for what can we do, or what can any of the pretended Churches do? can you say your hands upon the sick, and recover them? have ye faith to believe that God will g●ant what ye ask in prayer? can you prevail with God for rain in times of drought? can ye prevail with God to clear up the heavens in time of great extremity of rain? Alas no, we live in the times of apostasy; and though we are very high in notion and profession outwardly, yet we have no power to prevail with God, we have not faith as the least grain of mustard-seed, and we cannot remove the least mountain; and now though this prophesy hath been fulfilled already; yet I say it is not fulfilled to us in England, England and Scotland, and Ireland, and all Nations that I can hear of, at this very day, are under apostasy; yet notwithstanding, I say this prophesy is once again to be fulfilled, when that of Isaiah is fulfilled, Isa. the 2.4. And he shall indus among the Nations, and the Lord shall rebuk many people, and they shall beat their swords into plow-shears, and their spears into pruning-hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation, neither shall they learn war any more; and then saith the Prophet, Jacob shall walk in the light of the Lord, ver. 5. The word that Isaiah the son of Amos saw concerning judah and jerusalem, and it shall come to pass in the last dayes, that the mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all Nations shall flow unto it. I find in the Scripture, that the Prophets did point at better times, and more peaceable daies then we have yet seen; that prophesy of Isaiah I am confident is to be fulfilled, where he saith, the Wolf also shall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard shall lye down with the Kid, and the Calf, and the young Lion, and the fatling together, and a little child shall led them, and the Cow and the Bear shall feed, and their young ones shall lye down together, and the Lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den, and they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, Isa. 11.6. These prophesies are to be fulfilled, and when they are fulfilled, men shall receive the anointing in a reater measure and manner then heretofore, and they shall not need that any man teach them, but as the same anointing teacheth them of all things, and is truth. I say these are but dark times that we live in, we are ignorant of the mysteries of God, we want the anointing that the Apostles and primitive Christians had; it is sad to consider the present condition of the time that we live in, we are full of envy, we are seeking to destroy one another; here is Ephraim against judah, and judah is against Ephraim, Isaiah 11.13. Here is the father against the son, and the son against the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother in-law; A mans enemies are the men of his own house, Micah the 7.6.  
And this Scripture is fulfilled according to the saying of Christ, think ye not that I come to sand peace on earth, I come not to sand peace, but a sword, for I come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in-law against her mother inlaw, and a mans enemies shall be they of his own household, Mat. 10.34. this Scripture is fulfilled upon us, we are under apostasy, we are children of the night, and of darkness, we are such that have not received the anointing, Christ is not yet manifested in us, though some walk in this form, and some in the other form, and some are of this Church, and some of the other Church; and men are high in notion, and profession outwardly; yet I say we want the power, we want the anointing which the Apostle John speaks of, which anointing, those that have it, need not that any man teach them, but as the same anointing teacheth them of all things, and is truth, and is no lye; but those that have not received this anointing, are under apostasy, and walk in darkness, not knowing whether they go, but yet we are apt to soothe up ourselves, that we are the Church of God, and that we have been dipped, and that we are Saints by calling, when as we are formal and carnal, and we preach and pray by art, and by way of imitation and tradition of other men, and yet I say they gather themselves together, and are of sundry opinions; one saith, lo h●re is Christ, and another saith, lo there is Christ, and all this while they are at a loss for Christ, they have not the word, they have no vision, though they think with the Laodiceans, that they are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, when as also they know not that they are poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked, and alas we little think that that prophesy of the Prophet Amos is fulfilled upon us; we have the letter, there is no want of that, but we want the word, there is a famine amongst us for want of it, we live in times of apostasy, our condition is one and the same with Israels, that which hath befallen them, hath now since befallen us; God hath sent a famine in our Land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Word of the Lord, and we may wander from sea to sea, and from the North, even to the East, we may run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and not find it, Amos the 8.11.  
Object. But do you conceive that there is as great a famine amongst us, as was in the Prophet Amos dayes?  
To which I answer, no, yet since I can remember, there was a famine in most places, and parishes in England; but I shall not affirm that the famine is so great upon us, as the Prophet Amos did affi●m it should be upon Israel; neither shall I censure so rashly, for I do know and believe that there is some Ministers in England, that preach by the same spirit that raised Iesus Christ from the dead; I say there be some blessed by the most High for it, they have the same spirit in some measure, Rom. 8.11. and yet notwithstanding there is a famine in England, in many towns and parishes; a plague may be in a City, and a famine may be in a City, though not in every family; but where there is not enough for all, and where men, and women, and children starve for want of bread, surely the famine is certainly there, and alas a famine of bread, and a thirst of water, is a sad and a sore calamity for men and women, and children, to starve for want of bread, is a sad thing, but to have our souls starved, not to have a vision, not to have the word of the Lord, to be destitute of, that is a business more sader: what though there be bread in the country, and water likewise, if they can spare none for the City, and if their store of bread is gone, and their Wels and cysterns are dry of water, that city is in a very sad condition? what though one city have a vision? what though some towns and villages have the word of the Lord? yet if all the rest do want the word of the Lord, they are in a very sad condition: what if Christ be manifested in thee, if he be not manifested in me? thy condition is comfortable, but my condition is very sad; that man or woman that hath not Christ manifested in them, there is a famine of the Word in them: the Prophet Amos did not say that there should be a famine of the letter; neither do I say that there is a famine of the letter amongst us at this time, but a famine of the Word of the Lord: we have the letter, and we have sisters of the letter thick and threefold, and we are all hearers of the letter, but we want Ministers that have a vision, that have a word from God, that have a word in them, to give life; saith Christ, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit; and they are life, the word as it comes from God, it is spirit, and it is life, John 6.63. and saith the Apostle, in 2 Cor. 3.2. ye are our Epistle written in our hearts, known and red of all men; forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables of ston, but in fleshly tables of the heart, ver. the 3. the dispensation of the spirit is glorious, and giveth life, ver. the 8. but alas, I say these times that we live in, are dark times, to what the times was that the Apostles lived in; they had the true ministery, they did preach and pray by the same spirit that raised Iesus Christ from the dead; but if the spirit of him that raised Iesus Christ from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the spirit that dwelleth in you, Rom. 8.11. but alas, I say that we live in times of apostasy; we want a vision, we want the word within us, we want the spirit, there is a famine of that, we may go to this Church, and to that Church, and to those that walk in this form, and the other form, and find Ministers of the letter, and hearers of the letter, and yet find a famine of the word, and a famine of the spirit of the Lord, and now though W. Ensign A. was pleased in his passion, to tell me that I did not aclowledge a God, yet I say that I do believe in God, and I do defy him, or any who shall in form him to the contrary: I say, I do believe in the Lord Jesus, and have his word within me, I have the witness in myself, I have the word within me, as sure as you free-will dippers have the letter without; for indeed this is the unhappiness of carnal worshippers, they have the letter, and are practical in it, but there is a famine of the Word within them; men may have the Bible, nay many Bibles, and whole closerts full of books, and yet there may be a famine of Jesus Christ in their hearts. Alas men are very practical in the letter, and walk in sundry forms of worship outwardly, and make a white profession, and seeminglie they are very holy men, and yet notwithstanding they have black and gross actions under a white profession, but he that is not outwardly holy now adays, he is out of the fashion, he that cannot make Religion a cloak for his knavery, and be eminent in pride, desimulation, hypocrisy and cruelty, comes short of these swingers, and they come short of the true worshippers, they come short of those that worship God in spirit and in truth, they come far short of those that worship God in the spirit; and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and of those that have no confidence in the flesh, Phil. 3.3. But I say, that those that hold Free-will, and falling from Grace, have confidence in the flesh, and they are under apostasy, and walk in darkness, because there is a famine of the Word in their hearts, Jesus Christ is not yet manifested within them, and so they remain children of the night, and of darkness; but faith the Apostle to the 1 Th. 5.4. But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a Thief, ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day, we are not of night, nor of darkness, therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober, ver. 66. for we are no longer under apostasy, we are no longer under the Law, the Law is no longer our School-master, but we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, Gal. 3.25.26. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, and as many as Christ hath manifested himself in, have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus, and if ye be Christs, then are ye Abrahams seed, and heirs according to the promise, ver. 29. And now though many are under apostasy, and in darkness to this day, yet the time shall come that ye shall no more need to teach every man his neighbour, saying, Know the Lord, but the same anointing that they shall receive of him, shall abide in them, and is truth, and is no lye, and even as it shall teach them, they shall abide in him; and the time shall come, saith the Prophet, as from the Lord, I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda, not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of( egypt) which my covenant they break, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord; but this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those daies, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and writ it in their hearts, and I will be their God; and they shall be my people, and then when they have received this anointing, then they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, ver. 43. Isaiah 59.21. saith he, as for me, this is my Covenant with him, my spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed, saith the Lord from henceforth, and for ever.  
Object. What do you say, that a man may have many Bibles in his house, and yet not have the Word of God in his house? do you deny the old and new Testament to be the Word of God?  
To which I answer, You may remember, or if you do not remember, I remember that I  told you, that a man might have a Bible, yea many Bibles, and a whole closet full of books, and yet have a famine of the Word in his heart. And now as for the Bible, the old and new Testament, as it is ink and paper, it is a dead letter, and a perishing letter, yet notwithstanding it is the declaration of the Word of God, the word of Gods spirit, is written, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away, Mat. 24. but the word of the Lord endureth for ever, the first of Peter 3.25. John 1. & 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, which Word endures for ever, Gods word cannot fail nor fall to the ground, nor perish, but the letter is of a perishing nature, put it into the ground, and it will rot, or put it in the fire, and it will burn, or we can buy the letter, we can buy and sell the Bible, but we cannot buy the word of God, Simon offered large money that he might have the Word, that he might receive the holy Ghost, but saith Peter unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast taught that the gift of God may be purehased with money, Act. 8.19.20 Further, the Word of God is a living Word; and dwells in flesh, the Word was in the Prophets and in the Apostles, saith the Lord, Ye shall lay up these words in your hearts, Deut. 11.18. and their God doth reserve and preserve his Word, and there; and where it is within in a people, it is a word of life and power, and a word that cannot perish, is is a lasting word, and a shining word, saith David, Thy word is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my paths, the Word of the Lord is a right word, Psalm 33.4. the Word is very nigh thee; and in the Deut. 30.14. Jerem. 20.9. and saith David, thy Word waxed hot within me, that I could not but declare, so that I say where the word is not within in the heart, in life and power, and where Christ is not manifested, there must needs be a famine of the word, and that man or woman that hath not the word in their hearts, shall never make any benefit of the letter without, and so saith the Prophet, The Word of the Lord came unto me, saying: so that I say, we must receive the word into our hearts, if we have not the word within, the letter will profit us nothing, we shall err, not knowing the Scripture, nor the power of God, we must have the word within, as the Apostle had, if we be not within, in life and power, if we have nothing but the letter in our houses, and in our pockets, though we often red it, yet if we have not the word in our hearts, in life and power, we cannot hold it out to others, as the Apostles did; saith Paul, that ye may be blameless, holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, nor laboured in vain, Phil. 2.16. but if we have not the word of life within, all our hearing, and all our reading is but vain, and to no profit, but it is lost labour, but where the word is within, in life and power, it is the sword of the spirit, Eph. 6.14. and it is quick, and sword piercing, even to the dividing, sunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow of the heart, Heb. 4.12. but the Bible is but a dead letter, though a declaration of truth, but as it is in God, and as it comes from God, it is of power, it is spirit, and it is life, it is Christ: In the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and the word was made flesh, John 1.14. Christ is that word, and he is the fullness of all things, and dwells in his Saints, who are the sons and daughters of men, so we must needs have the word in us, Christ hath the words of eternal life, John 6.68. and he is mighty in words, where he is manifested in flesh, Act. 7.22. his word was with power, Luke 4.32. and the word of God is not bound, 2 Tim. 2.9. but it is a word of power, speak the word only, and thy servant shall be healed, Mat. 8.8. God and his word cannot be separated, and those that have not the word within, have not Christ within, they have not the word, and then that heart must needs be barren, and unfruitful, the famine must needs be there, and this is a sad thing, when men are not sensible of the want of the bread of life, but they look for life, where there is no life, and this is the weakness of men, to look for life in the letter, when as the letter ciles, as saith the Apostle, but the word, and the spirit of Christ manifested within, that gives life, and it is a rule of life, saith David, thy word have I hide in my heart, that I might not sin against thee, Psalm 119.11. it is a word from God, it is a word within us that is the rule of our life, and that gives life to our souls: the words of Christ, they are spirit, and they are life, John 12.48. and we need not that any man teach us, but as the same anointing teacheth us of all things, and is truth, and is no lye, 1 John. 2.27. this is the precious white ston, with a new name in it, which no man knoweth, but him that hath received it, which I had thought to have spoken of more at large, but that this great marsh out of this onked Nation of Scotland into England, hath prevented me; so to conclude in a word to you our neighbour Nation, whose forms of worship are not rusty, but thread-bare with gazing after the traditions of men, but the time shall come, that the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, the time shall come, that you shall receive the anointing, and then you shall no more need to teach every man his neighbour, and his brother, saying, know the Lord, for you shall all know him, from the least to the greatest; the time shall come, that England shall no more need to teach England, nor Scotland shall have no need to teach England, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, but the time, when is Gods time, when the universality of his love shall be  shed abroad in the hearts of all the sons and daughters of men, to the praise and glory of his great name; then it shall be a time of love, and there shall be peace in all the world, Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation, neither shall they learn war any more, which time we must wait, while the time of God hath appointed, and then shall every one be quiet, and none shall make him afraid: so thus I say, waiting, and longing to see that day, in which the universall-love of God shall be  shed abroad in the hearts of all the sons and daughters of men, and likewise for that great day of separation, when we shall be separated from this body of death, and de●ivered-from this bondage of the Creation, to life with God in the spirit, to live in that life which is hide with Christ in God.  
FINIS.