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Show Zll No. XIX. >../"'V'- An A 'P 'P E N 'D I X to VoJ., f. And though this be a great Myftery, fo it is, notwit~fianding, a greater Truth; to wir, That Mofes the Servant, isexrem:1~y fa~rer ~ban CHRiS!; Yea the ProphetS themtelves fpake as fo many Delightful St~gers, and .like thole that play upon pleafanr Inihuments ofMufick t For rhctr ~cvelattonr~ Vifions, and Giorrou.r Prophecies of the~~tter Days. ?nd ofrhe T1mes Gf th.e New Covenant, were, as one of them fatd of the Chtldren of that Ge~eratt~ on likr a Plea/ant S011g. But when the S9 1\', the S11bjlance ca~e, 1t was 'IVi;bour Beauty, uitbout Ornament, and Wlt~ollt _any External &t.dlency; which is to fay, no Formality, no Obfervatto_ns m ~e:trs and Dnnks! or Holy Days, Surplices, Altars, Vefiments, Offenngs, f!ic. Initead of wh. tch, a ftr:lit Way to Flefh and Blood, a Crofs to Self· Love, and a Holy \Vat~h, are lnfi:ituted- and recommended by Example, as well as Precept; whtch lS a bitter Cup ot Draughr, for all to drink thar will go to Glory; M~n muft die to his ~wn Wil1, Inclinations, Imaginati?ns, and Flef~ly Conc~tts: He muft conftantly Wait and Wa.rch: Now ht~ own Worfhtp and Rtghr.eoufnefs are as odious to him, as hts Stn and Unnghreo~fnefs were. before . For it is not an External Matter, nor an External Runmn.g, or Domg,. that calt Profit : Nor is it that which pleafeth the Bufie Bram, and the ntce Ph~ntafi. e of the Ctearure, becaufe while all thofe Th~ngs h~ve been ttrokmg . the Mind of the Creature, they have been Wamng ::~gamft th~ Soul ,: But it is a fecret Life; a fecrer Temple; a fi:cret Service, ~nd rh .. n m Gods due Time; yea, it is a fecret Manna, a fecret Sc_pp_er,_ wh1ch c~nnot be ~nderftood by the vain Sects of this World. AndJefus ts th~ Bmldrr_ofthls ~abern: tcle; He is the .Author of this Covenant ::~nd Se!''IC~: He_ JS the H1gb Prieftofthis Altar. Hereunto he has gathered thoie hts Anctenr ?eople, and hereunto he gathers the Nations in thefe our D::~ys. The Bnde fays Come the Spirit fays Come, and He fays Come, and Bleifed are thofe that Come' and fee how Good He is to thofe that Love and Fear Him : For all Cro~ns muft be laid down at his Feet, to him that is Meek and Humble, and riaes upon an .dfs, and upon the Fole of an Jifs, the moft c~ntemptible of aU Beafts: Since God has concluded that He fhould be glonfied, and that Hofanna and Glory belongs to him for ever. He fhall humble the Proud, and exalt the H!.lmble; Yea, he fhalllay the Mountains low, and exalt the Valleys; to wit, the Poor in Spirit, to whom the Xingdom of God belongs. And thererore do not think your felves rich, like the Pharifees, for you mufi know this, tb:at a Camel jhalJ more eafi!y pafs through tbe Eye of IJ Needle, than a Rich Man jhalJ enter into the Kingdom of God. But come 1 ~et. 1, 23• to the Seed of God, fcwn in all your Hearts, for therein mufl all the Xa· rions of the Earth he b!e.lfeJ, for whofe Sake, forfake all vihble Things, bow down before it, cle:n•e to it with your whole Hearts, and learn thereof; for it is Incorruptible: that you may thereby be inftrufted, and born a· gain, that you may be as little Cbi!drtn, who do not argue with rheir Father, but love, believe, and follow him in all Obedience and Fairhfulnels, and to fuch belongs the Kingdom of God. To thefe God reveals his Sc- :Mat. 11• 2 ~· crets; Wherefore the Lord Jefus Chrift h:J.s faid, . I thank thee, 0 Father, 26' Lml of Heaven and Eartb, thattbou haft bid tbefe Things: What fort of Things? The hidden Things of the Kingdom ot: Heaven; From rbe Wife and Prudent, and tbtu thou b41 revealed tbem unto B11bes; Evenfo, Fat!Jcr, Pfal. 8, z. for fo_ir fumed Good ~n thy Sight: For oJtt of tbe ltloNtb; of Babes and Sucklings b1tfi thou ordamed Streltgtb, or, thou bajl pc,fdlt:d Pr(/ife: Where• as in God's Frejence no Fltjh fhoU boa fl. · My Friends, difquiet nor your Selves to comprehend Divine Things, for they that~? fo, are oft he Flefh : But wait in the Stilnefs upon the ~od of all Famthes of the Earth, and then 01a1l you have a true Feeling ofh1m, and of that which feeds the Soul, and gives the Saving Knowledge, viz. That ~now_ledge which is EverlaU.ing: this Knowledge remains, ::~nd ftands faft: hk:wtfe P~:lce, Jnd everlalhng Affurance goes :1long with ir. For thts I Telhfie unto you, from the Lord, that the Fowls of rhe Air, and the Imaginations of FlcCh and Blood, .are the grcatefi Enemies. of yflur Souls., Voi.. I. Tbe Au i H oR's LIFE. So•ls, and of your Progrefs in the Way of the Lord. The fitft hath often No. XIX. fi:olen away the Se~d, as Coon as it was fown, in ftc ad of \l!hich it ought to ~ rake Root, and Spung up And hereby the Vifirations of the Lord are of no Effect, and your Sou_Is, remain weak and feeble, and the other hath fup-preffed the See_d, after It hath fprung_ up 0 the fine Imaginations of the Wifdom of thts World! the Fear of Man, and Earthly Prudence, this comes not fr?m the Heavenly, faving, and living'Knowledge; neither can ir ever befl:ow 1t upon you: But true Knowledge makes Couragious and Di-ligent before the ~o~d, and thofe that are fo, arc Noble in their Teftimony, Patient under AfHtthons, StedfJft and Chearful under Per1Ccutions. This is the Way ofrhc only true Go~, whofe Nlme be glorified to all Eternity. Y~ t~en, that ~ave a r_rue S1ght of a better Hope, and of a more biting Habuanon, who tn the Smglenefs of your Hearts, thirfi: after the true and living Feeling, and Knowledge of God; which ::~re like a poor Dovewirhour Cocfort, and :lS a folirary Pelican in the \i'Vildernefs, who truly feek after the Beloved of your Souls, but have not yet found him : Be !I ill, 0 ye ten· der People! and know that he is God. Who? He th:lt fearcheth the Heart, tha~ trieth the Re_ins, r_hat feneth the Thoughts of Meri in Order before their Eyes: In thts Sulnefs fhall ye hear him, who will teach you where to find that which you feck for; Yea, it is He, for he alone can do it, who manifefierh himfel( to you. lt1ary fought Jefus, and thoughr it was the Gardener when fhe faw him; She alked Jefus for Jefus · But when be faid, Mary, !he anfwered M11.fter, and through that Word her beloved Mafier, Jefus, revealed himfelf, and dernonftrated that he knew her and that gave her to know him; for alas! he whom you feek is near you; Yea, in the Mit¥1: of you : It is he that knows you, and calls to yOu, and tells you whatever you have done, whether it be Juft, or Unjuft: and it is he that pronounceth Judgment againfi thofe that walk after the Flefh, but fpeaketh Peace and Joy to thofe that walk after the Spirit. And therefore do not flight ~is Appea~ance, bur live humbly, and then you (hall fee hini' whom you watt for, fw1fdy come, :1nd make himfelfknown to you. My Beloved, feek not the prefent E•fe, or Pleafures of the Flefb and fearnotManbutGod. Hear me, 0 my Friends, for the LordGod'hath fent me unto you, in this Epiftle, rake heed that ye outrun not your felves in Inward Viflons, and Openings of the He::~rt, and that you feed no~ your felves WHh the Knowledge of the fame: for this is not that Knowledge, which is Etern:ll Life: although many, and more efpecially in Germany; have loft themfelves thereby: for When they have received inward Manifeftations from God, they were not humble and low but were exalted in their own Minds, above the daily CrofS; which c'rofs is Death to that which prides it felf, with thefe Vifions, or Manifeftations, and have been elevated above the Simplicity of Obedience, in a bare Profeffion of the fame. 0 the Subrilry, of that cunning Enemy of Souls I This, this hath put a Stop to the Work of the Lord; for they have not known the Travail the Death,_ and fhe firft Reftm~ftion, but wit~our Experience lived fiightiy in the delightful Reprefenratton~, and Mamfeftatio,n~ of the fame; hereby :arec.om~ forth whole_ Generauons of exa~ted, Spmcual, and high ftrained N_ouomfis, who defp1fing the Grofs Imp1ety, and dark fuperftitious Con· ~nvanc7s of S~as, are in the mean ~bile er:t_errain~d by the Enemr, (who IS prov1ded With all Manner of fuuable Baits) wlth thofe Likeneffes and Reprefemations of Truth; they dream of Meat and the Feafr of Tabernacles? but when rhe Day of the Lord is at Hand: which is to awaken rhem to nfe to Judgment; behold, then rhey ar:e empty and hungry. And therefore rake great Heed to follow the Lord and worihip him, Adore him, and not the Image, thou thy felf haft ~ade. Don't make Calves out of Jewels, which rhou halt brought out of Egypt. Don't bow down thy felf before thy Old Experiences, but behold the Arm that has helped thee, and that God who has often delivered thee. Ble!fed are thofe .Who are kept by him in the daily Senfe of his Prefervarion, for their Hearts |