and height of fpirit, in oppofing the Lord, his truth, and people. And for this cause shall thofe, who have looked upon themselves as the children. of the kingdom and flock of God, be laid waste; and know, that as it was a dreadful thing to oppofe Chrift Jefus, the Lord, in his appearance in flesh, fo is it alfo dreadful to oppofe his appearance in his Spirit and power, wherein he is arifen to fet up his kingdom, and to throw down Babylon, which is built in the likeness of Sion, but by and in another spirit.

Those in whom there is any tenderness towards God (and true breathings after him left) the Lord give them the sense and true understanding of this inward fpiritual appearance of his Son, and of what they have been doing, and are doing, against it; that they may not continue to fight against the Lord, and kick against that which is able to wound and prick, to their own hurt, and eternal ruin. For there is not falvation in any other name than in that which is now revealed; bleffed are all they that truft therein, it being not another, but the fame that ever was.

H

bell.

To his PoSTSCRIPT.

E beginneth it with the juftification of that paffage of his in a foregoing letter of his to me, wherein he faith, Chrift is heaven, and I am

Anfw. When God vifiteth man, he finds him in union with hell, death, and darkness; and the man is dead, is dark, is of an hellish nature and spirit in that state: but when the Lord hath converted him, cut him off from that root, leavened him with the Spirit and nature of his Son, is he hell ftill? Ye were darkness (faith the apoftle) but now are ye light in the Lord. And fuch were fome of you; but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juftified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God.

A man can be but hell before he is washed, before his filth be purged away by the Spirit of judgment and burning, before the old leaven is purged out, and he fanctified and made a new lump; but after the Lord hath thus changed him, and new-created him in Chrift, is he ftill hell?

He faith: He doth not call the new creature bell; but there is an old man, an outward man, as well as the new man, and the inward man; flesh as well as Spirit in the regenerate.

Anfw. What doth he mean by the outward man? The finful body, the body of flesh, is within. The outward body, that is not hell; that is the the temple of God, where the heart is fanctified: and the pure Word of life fanctifies throughout, even in foul, in body, in Spirit, thofe that are fubject to it. Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the living God?

And

And your fpirits much more; for God is a Spirit, and he dwells in a fpiritual temple, and his temple is holy.

He addeth: And unless your attainment be beyond Paul's, he found that in bim (that is, in his flesh) dwelt no good thing; and the flesh lufting against the Spirit, fo that he could not do the thing that he would.

Anfw. Paul did once experience fuch a state; that he felt himself carnal, fold under fin; when he did not find how to perform that which was good, but did what he hated, the law of fin being strong (in his members) against the law of life in his mind; which ftate he calleth a state of captivity to the law of fin in his members, and calleth it a wretched ftate, Rom. vii. 23, 24. But did Paul never experience another ftate? Did he never witness the virtue and power of the new covenant, even the law of the Spirit of life, and the power thereof, freeing him from the strength and captivity of the law of fin in bis members? There were young men, John fpeaks of, who were strong, and bad overcome the wicked-one. Did Paul himself never attain to that ftate? He bid others be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, and fhewed them how to refift in it, fo as to overcome. Did he never experience and witness it himself? He faid, He had fought a good fight, and was more than a conqueror. What! was he then a captive to the law of fin in his members, and did he then cry out, Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He faid, He could do all things through Chrift, that strengthened him. Was not that a state different from that other wherein he found only to will, and could not do the good he defired, but did the evil he allowed not, but hated? And blessed be the Lord, there are many at this day who witness a farther state of redemption and deliverance from fin, and the law thereof in the members, than that state of captivity was which Paul there expreffeth his former groanings and complainings under. For he was not in that ftate of captivity when he wrote that epiftle, but knew the dominion of grace over fin, and bid that church be subject to the grace, and not give way to fin, but yield their members fervants to righteousness unto holiness, chap. 6. For that other place, of the flesh lufting against the fpirit, and the spirit against the flesh, Gal. v. 17. he doth not there fpeak of himself, but of the Galatians, who were in a weak, low, and (indeed) fallen ftate, from the Spirit and power of the gospel, having let in that which was contrary thereunto. And fo he ftrives to gather them into the Spirit again, and bids them live in the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit, and fo they should not fulfil the lufts of the flesh: for in the new covenant man is taught of God the holy leffon of ceafing from evil, and doing good; and taught in the virtue and power of the covenant; so that he learns daily, and grows daily out of deceit into truth, until he come to be a true Ifraelite, in whom there is no guile. And fo in the spiritual war, the boufe of Saul grows weaker and weaker, and the house of David stronger and Stronger, until Saul's kingdom be at length overturned, and wholly deftroyed, and the kingdom of David eftablished in righteoufnefs for ever

and

and ever. Then Jerufalem, the holy building, the city of the living people, the city of righteousness (the habitation of righteoufnefs, and mountain of holinefs) is known, and Jerufalem is witneffed a quiet habitation, there being peace in all her borders. Then the mind is fully ftayed upon the Lord in all conditions, and he keeps it in perfect peace. Then the foul is careful for nothing; but in every thing makes its requests known to God by prayer and fupplication, with thanksgiving; and the peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, keeps the heart and mind through Chrift Jefus. Surely the apostle had learned himself (when he taught others this) in every state to be content. He knew how to be abafed, and how to abound, &c. O glorious ftate! O pure state of pure life in the heart! And if I should add, "O perfect ftate! The apostle James faith, Let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing, or in nothing, James i. 3. When Paul had fo learned Chrift that abundance could not lift him up, nor want deject him, or caufe him to repine or diftruft, what did he want of this perfect ftate?

His next words are, if you have no sense of this, your state is never the better to be liked.

Anfw. Chrift led captivity captive; and the fame power is revealed to lead captivity captive in us. And truly when God leads our fouls out of captivity, putting his fear within us, writing his living powerful law of life in our hearts, and putting his Spirit into us, leading us in the way of holiness, and caufing us to walk therein, we find this a better state than when we were groaning under deep captivity.

Further he faith, If your peace and joy stand in feeing no fin yourself (in yourfelf I suppose it should be) I fhall more than fufpect it not to be the peace and joy of Paul and all the faints, but a delufion.

in

Anfw. Our peace and joy is in him who is without fin; and it abounds us, in his cleanfing and delivering us from fin; and we have found him remove fin as far from us as the east is from the weft; and as he removeth tranfgreffion from us, and bringeth fin and the power of Satan to an end in us, he giveth us of his peace and joy. And truly we do not only witness him deftroying fin and the works of the devil, but breaking the very head of the ferpent, cafting him out, and piercing Leviathan, that crooked ferpent, and flaying the dragon that is in the fea. And though fuch as he may fufpect our peace and joy; yet, while Chrift gives it us, and maintains it in us, it is very sweet and pleasant to us; and the time may come, that he may wish from his heart that he might partake with us therein.

He concludes the matter thus: We are without fin in him, but in ourselves nothing but fin.

Anfw. He fpake of delufion just before; a greater than this I do not know. For Chrift doth make a real change; if any man be in Chrift, there is a new creation, there is a real change. The man is not what he was before; but he puts off that which is old, and puts on that which is

new;

new; and fo is really changed in his ftate, and in the fight of God, and is not what he was before. The heart, when it is really renewed, and washed by the water, blood, and Spirit, is not the old, abominable, wicked, deceitful heart that it was before. If this be his knowledge and experience, let him keep it to himself: for my part, I defire not to partake with him therein; but to be like Chrift, my Lord and master, even fanctified throughout in foul, body, and spirit, that I may become wholly his, and the enemy of my foul have no part in me.

He faith, Chrift shall appear without fin to falvation.

Anfw. I grant it; but when, and how? Doth he not inwardly appear without fin to falvation to those who have waited for, haftened, and come to the inward day? Doth not Christ appear without fin to falvation inwardly in the day of his own Spirit? Is not falvation then witneffed for walls and bulwarks? Is not the glorious falvation of the gofpel brought forth in the gofpel-day? And is there not in the life and dominion of grace a pure defence about all the glory? Is there any fin in the grace and Spirit of the gofpel which appears and shines in the day of the Lord? And doth not this grace bring falvation to them that wait for the revealing of it?

He feemeth to clear himself of watching for our baltings.

Anfw. Had he not watched for our haltings, and received things into, and confidered them in the prejudicied part, he could not have written fuch a paper against truth and us, fo far from true understanding and judgment, as this is.

But he faith, He bath watched for our repentings.

Anfw. If we fhould repent of having our eyes opened by the Lord, and turning to his truth, and receiving his Holy Spirit, and of having the precious promises of the Scripture made good to us, and fulfilled in us, we might juftly lofe our portion and inheritance of life for ever. We have repented from dead works; but we cannot repent of God's pure truth, and the living way, fpirit, and power thereof. But this I can tell him, and that from the Lord, whofe name I reverence and worship in, that the Lord watcheth for his repentings, and turnings from that fpirit in him which darkeneth him concerning, and prejudiceth him against, the truth.

He befeecheth me in love, &c. and requireth me to clear myself of free-will, falling from grace, denying election of perfons, and imputed righteousness. Anfw. What the Lord requireth of me, that I must mind; and I have divers times expreffed my heart nakedly in these things.

The principle of life which the Lord hath raifed in me, in that is the freedom to good, and in that am I made free by Jefus Chrift, my Lord. And I had rather witnefs him upholding me by his power, than contend about a notion of falling or not falling away. And my care hath been about making my calling and election fure in him, who is fure to those that are of him for ever. And I have witneffed the righteoufnefs of the

Lord

Lord Jefus Chrift revealed in me, and imputed to me, and my foul cloathed therewith in his fight; bleffed be his name.

Oh! that the profeffors of this age might come to the anointing, and fee those things in the anointing! then would they know the truth and harmony of the fcriptures therein. But men, by the letter without the Spirit, can never difcern or find out the mystery of life; but only gather into their minds and retain a literal knowledge, that killeth.

He bids me, Love the truth better than a party.

Anfw. The Lord knoweth he hath taught me fo to do: for had it not been for the evidence and demonftration of God's Spirit in his people, I could never have owned them. (For oh! how low was the knowledge they held forth, in my eye, before the power of the Lord reached to my heart, raifing up his own feed in me, wherein I knew them!) And the Lord also knoweth, that it is in him that I love, and discern, and honour them to this very day: yea, I fee his name written on their foreheads, and them brought forth in the glorious image and heavenly life of his Son (though it be hid from the wife eye of the profeffors of this age), and in the true light, with the true eye (which God hath opened in me) have I

feen it.

He speaks of Clinging together, and keeping up a party against all right.

Anfw. Nay, nay; this is the gathering of the Lord Jefus Chrift by his Spirit and power, after the long night of darkness; and we are kept up by the fame Spirit, and power, and life of truth, which gathered us.

He faith, It is not a calling for a work within, which will give you authority to lay wafte Chrift and the gospel, in the most fundamental and concerning truths thereof, and thofe above-mentioned, &c. And above all the reft, denying the perfon of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and making him but a light, or notion, or principle in the heart of man.

Anfw. This is but his own mistake, not a true and juft charge against us, as he will one day fee. The Lord hath not taught us to lay wafte, nor do we lay waste any truth of the gofpel; but own every thing in its place. And though our religion do not lie in notions concerning him, but in the principle of life itself, even in the grace and truth, which is by Jefus Chrift (which is a measure of light from him the full light); yet we do not learn thereby to deny the full light, but the more to acknowledge it. And we own him to be the true and full light, and his outward appearance in that body, in the fullness of time, to fulfil the Father's will therein; and his appearance in Spirit and power in the hearts of his people in the day of the gofpel; and his fetting up his fpiritual and glorious kingdom there, where he reigns as king on the throne of David over the fpiritual Ifrael of God.

Come, confider feriously: Do not ye yourselves fall fhort of not only the principle and power of life, but alfo of the true knowledge of things according to the letter?

VOL. II.

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