There are many forts of talkers concerning the thing, but there are few travellers into it; but he alone who is a true traveller into it, and takes up his reft there, certainly knows and can truly witness what is to be found there. And this is the reafon that fo many (who feem great and experienced knowers) cannot receive our teftimony, because they know neither the feed nor its voice, concerning which and whereby we teftify. But wisdom is juftified of her children; and they that know the voice of the fhepherd, know his present appearance in this our day, which is contrary to the wifdom and knowledge of all other feeds and births whatfoever. He that hath an ear to hear, let him bear; but he that hath not the true ear, cannot hear the true teftimony, though it should ever fo often be declared unto him. But bleffed is he that knows and stumbles not at the appearances of the feed and power of life in his own heart, but is turned from the darkness to the light there, and from the power of Satan to the manifeftation of God's Spirit there. For the end of words (even of Chrift's own directions in the days of his flesh) is to tùrn men to the holy life and power from whence the words came; and thither man is to travel, and therein to center, waiting on the Lord, in the way of his judgments and tender mercies, to witness a tranflation from darkness to light, and from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of the dear Son; which kingdom is at firft but as a grain of muftard-feed, and must be fo known and fo received.

And now let every ferious heart examine concerning himself. Doft thou know the kingdom? is the feed grown in thee? doth it overfpread thee? Art thou in it as in a kingdom? doft thou feel it overfhadowing thee? art thou in unity with it? doth it speak peace to thee from the Lord? Is the wall of partition broken down in thee? Is there of twane made one new man? Doft thou feel that which is contrary to Chrift fubdued in thee by his power? and his holy nature, life, and Spirit, reigning over it? Canft thou read that fcripture fenfibly and experimentally, if ye through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live?

Ah! how miferably do men talk of Chrift, the power of God, and miss of the effect and work of his power in them!

Faith is a powerful thing, it gives victory, (true faith gives victory) it scatters that which ftands between, and gives real accefs to God, and lets in his pure, fresh, living virtue, upon the heart.

Love is a powerful thing, it conftrains to obedience: and the heart that is circumcifed to love the Lord God, Oh! how doth life flow from him into it!

Oh! away with empty notions, and come to the miniftration of the Spirit, where the knowledge is living, the faith victorious, the love pure and undefiled, the worship truly fpiritual, even flowing from, and comprehended in, the life and virtue of the Spirit. Oh! that all that truly breathe after the Lord, might be gathered hither, found here, and dwell here. Amen.

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POSTSCRIPT to the EXPERIENCES.

ERSONS that have had some true touches of life, and true breathings after the Lord, yet not having their eye fixed rightly upon him, nor difcerning from whence thofe come, may eafily lofe the true fenfe of life, and another birth of another nature fpring up in them inftead thereof. This was it we generally wanted in the day of our former profeffion, even the difcerning of that, and fixing upon that, which begat life in us; through want whereof, many of the most tender-hearted came to a lofs; whom the Lord at length fhewed mercy to, manifefting to them the light of their eyes, and the stay of their fouls. Now to all that have been gathered hither by the Lord, life hath been renewed, and their former experiences (of the Lord and his goodness to them in the Lord Jefus Chrift) reftored again with advantage. And here they fenfibly fee, and daily experience, that nothing is of their own works, but all of grace and mercy in and through Christ, in whom they are created unto good works, which God before ordained that we should walk in them. And here the glory is revealed; the glory of life, the glory of peace with the Lord, the glory of righteousness in and through his Son, the glory of victory over the foul's enemies, and of leading captivity captive, and treading upon the necks of kings, even of mighty lufts, which mightily prevailed over and oppreffed the foul, before the captain of our falvation appeared in the power and authority of his own Spirit. But bleffed be the Lord, there is not only this glory revealed, but there is a defence over the glory; for there is that revealed which is able to defend it, and doth defend it, in the hearts of many, and in the living affemblies which have been gathered by God's holy power; which holy power (which gathered) daily quickens and overfhadows, and is a rock unto, and will be fo for ever, even to all that abide with him in his holy covenant; but out of the limits of that into which God gathers, and wherein and whereby he preferves, there is no defence to any. The curfed thing, the unclean thing, the earthly fpirit, the earthly mind and wifdom, the Lord hath excluded, and it is to be excluded out of his camp for evermore, that the inward Ifrael may be kept holy to the Lord, and may ferve and worship the Lord in the beauty of the inward holiness, as the outward Ifrael was outwardly, to be, and to do, in that outward miniftration of the fhadows of the gospel state.

Some Scriptures very feet, and necessary to be experienced in the Gofpel State.

This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jefus Christ whom thou haft fent, John xvii. 3. There is a knowledge of God and

VOL. II.

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Chrift, which is life eternal: and there is a knowledge of them (or at least that which men call fo) which is not life eternal. The knowledge which is life eternal, is that knowledge which God gives to his own birth; even the fpiritual knowledge which God gives to those which are born of the Spirit; which is the knowledge of the mystery of God, and of Chrift in the mystery, inwardly appearing, and working in the heart against the mystery of fin and death. Oh! precious is the birth to which God gives this knowledge, and precious is the knowledge which he giveth to it. The knowledge (or that which men call knowledge) which is not life eternal, is that knowledge which man can get and comprehend from without, of himself, without the enlightenings and quickenings of God's Holy Spirit and power inwardly felt, and operating in the heart.

No man can fay that Jefus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghoft, 1 Cor. xii. 3. It is precious to witnefs that confeffing and acknowledging Jefus to be the Lord, which is by the Holy Ghoft. For only they that are governed by the Holy Ghoft can fo confefs him. The devil did confefs Jefus to be the Holy One, the Son of the living God, &c. and many now confefs Jefus to be the Lord, in the fame fpirit, being alienated from the life of God, and having no true fenfe or understanding of that. But there is a confeffion which cannot arise but from God's Spirit, and from the knowledge, fenfe, and understanding which he gives; bleffed are they that experience that.

It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that bath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me, John vi. 45. Ah! bleffed is he that can in true understanding fay, The Lord hath made good this promife to me! he is become my teacher. I have heard his voice, as truly and certainly, inwardly in my heart, as ever I heard the voice of Satan there. He hath revealed his Son, his pure, holy, living child Jesus in me. He hath drawn me to his Son; he hath taught me to come to his Son: and indeed fo foon as ever I heard and learned of the Father, I could not but come to the Son, and receive the Son, and give up myself to him: and he hath received me, and daily preferveth me from death, and the sting and power thereof, and giveth unto me eternal life.

He that hath the Son, bath life; and he that hath not the Son, hath not life, 1 John v. 12. Ah! this is abundantly experienced! bleffed be the name of the Lord! Many who had not life, while they had not the Son, but mourned and lamented deeply after him (the Spirit of the Lord being grieved in them, and his life not poffeffed by them) the Father revealing his Son in them, and giving him to them, and they enjoying and poffeffing him, feel that they are daily in the enjoyment and poffeffion of pure and fresh life in him.

My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him, John vi. 55, 56. We are of his flesh, and of his bone, faid they that did eat his flesh, and drink

his blood. They that eat Chrift the one bread, are by that food made partakers of his divine nature, and become one bread (for we being many, are one bread, as faid the apostle); fo that now they are no longer darkness, but light in the Lord. Oh! the pure flesh and blood of the immaculate Lamb! Oh! the incorruptible food which gives life to the foul! Oh! the living word! Oh! the milk of this word, the milk of the heavenly breast, which nourisheth the babes! but the bread, the flesh, the blood, is stronger nourishment. Oh! how brightly might this be opened, in the demonftration of life, to the fpiritual ear and understanding! but the carnalminded are thick and grofs, being drowned in their own apprehenfions and sense of the letter, but having no fenfe of the mystery, what it is myftically to eat and drink the flesh and blood of Chrift (of him who is life, and gives life) and to dwell together with him in the one Spirit, light, life, and power eternal.

your

For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light fhall we fee light, Pfal. xxxvi. 9. Oh! bleffed are they that can experimentally fpeak thus, who know the fountain of life, and dwell there, where light fhines more and more! Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price. Wherefore do ye Spend money for that which is not bread? and labour for that which fatisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your foul delight itfelf in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me, bear, and your foul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the fure mercies of David, Ifaiah lv. 1, 2, 3. Here's happiness, true happiness, full happiness! He that experiences this one portion of fcripture is happy. He that knows the true thirst after the true waters, and comes to the waters which he thirfts after, and knows how to buy, and hath bought the wine and milk which is to be had at the waters. (Oh! who knows what this buying is! this is beyond all talk and outward profeffion concerning the thing, concerning the precious pearl; this is the real, hearty trafficking of the wife merchant for it). And then to hearken diligently, and eat that which is good, and to have the foul delight itself in the fatnels of God's house, in the riches and fatnefs of his goodness and mercy in Chrift Jefus; and not only to taste of mercy, but to witnefs it sure in the everlasting covenant, that God will never be wroth with me more, never be a stranger to me more, never depart from me more, nor fuffer me to depart from him; but preferve me pure and chafte to him, through his love fhed abroad in my heart, and his holy fear, which constrains me to abide with him, and to keep his commandments.

But whofoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, fhall never thirst: but the water that I fhall give him, fhall be in him a well of water fpringing up into everlasting life, John iv. 14. Is not this an univerfal promife, to be made good to every one that drinks of the water of life, of the water that Chrift gives? Did not Chrift promise it should be a well? a springing well?

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The fountain is of a fpringing nature: and is not every drop of the fame nature? of a living nature? of a springing nature? He that rightly drinks, doth he not receive a well? Oh! the water which Chrift giveth! doth it not become a well in the true difciple, in the living difciple, out of which well the water is still springing and flowing, to nourish up with life and unto life, even with life of an everlafting nature, and unto life everlafting. Oh! the pure glory that is revealed in the gofpel-difpenfation! why is it fo hid from mens eyes, who profefs themselves to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and to be his disciples?

For the life was manifefted, and we have seen it; and bear witness, and fhew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unts us. That which we have feen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye alfo may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with bis Son Jefus Christ, 1 John i. 2, 3. This is precious to experience the life inwardly manifefted, and to come out of death inwardly felt, into life inwardly manifefted, and fo to come into the holy fellowship with the Father and Son, and with the faints in light: for he that comes out of the darkness into the light, comes out of the fellowship of the dead into the fellowship of the living.

Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye fhall find reft unto your fouls. For my yoke is eafy, and my burthen is light, Matt. xi. 28, 29, 30. This invitation of Chrift was to be fulfilled in the hearts of his difciples; and it is precious inwardly to witnefs it effectually in the heart, as really as ever it was spoken by him. To be able to say, in the evidence and demonftration of his Spirit, It is true, I did labour, I was heavy laden, none could eafe or help me, till he called, till he knocked at the door of my heart, and till I came to him and received him in; and he hath made good his word to my foul; he hath given me reft from my labours and heavy loads. He hath laid his yoke upon me, and I have took it and borne it, and have learned of him to be meek and lowly in heart like him, and I have found reft to my foul. And now I fhall never complain more of his yoke or burthen, he hath made it, and doth daily make it, fo eafy and light to me.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift. This is the true God and eternal life, 1 John v. 20. There is an inward, fpiritual coming of the Son of God into the heart, by which coming (to them that receive him) he giveth a new and fpiritual understanding, whereby they know him that is true (and without it they cannot) and are ingrafted into him and found in him; partaking of his life and righteoufnefs, to the glory of God the Father; and fo in true understanding are able to fay, Lo this is the God, this is the Saviour we waited for. This is the true or very God, and eternal life. What are all notions

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