Rem. Who denies that God and Chrift, and the holy feed, which are one in nature, though not in measure and fullnefs, as he is in himself, is above the feed of the ferpent?

He addeth further, Neither bath man's mind been fo blinded, that be could not fee his fins by the light, P. 8. L. 38. (as corrected by the errata.)

Rem. There is an eye that the God of this world blinds, that it may not fee the glorious fhinings of the light, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. And the eye that is blind cannot fee, till God opens it. The outward eye cannot fee the fhining of the outward fun, but as it is opened; nor can the inward eye fee inward things, but as the Lord opens it. Paul was fent to the Gentiles, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, Als xxvi. 18. So that man's eye is blinded, that though the light fhine in the darkness, yet he cannot fee, nor walk in the way of the light, but as God anoints and opens his eye; anoint thine eyes with eye-falve, that thou mayeft fee, Rev. iii. 18.

But I befeech him, in the tender bowels of love, to confider where his standing is, and what it is in him that brings forth these things; for I am fure it is not the true light, where-with God hath fhined in the hearts of his people, and doth fhine at this day. He mistakes the true light in others, and calls it darkness; and also mistakes the darkness in himfelf, and calls it light and whither, after this rate, may he wander in his uncertain notions and comprehenfions; and while he is thus talking of God, and heaven, and the light within, let him take heed left he be found among them who blafpheme God, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven?

What I have hitherto took notice of, may fufficiently manifeft, even to himfelf, could he retire low enough, where the true understanding and knowledge is given, how he hath erred from the true light, and but pretended to it, and not been led by it, in what he hath now writ.

As for the other part of his book, though I could fay much to it, if the Lord did require me; yet finding it chiefly to be matter of notion and criticifm, my heart is not engaged to meddle with it; for it is not in me, to bring people into fuch critical difputes, about an invifible man, or invisible woman, or who was the firft invisible man; which one while he seems to call God or Chrift, another while the fon of perdition, or power of darknefs, the first invifible man, as page 21. for which I am fatisfied, he can produce no fcripture; which he requires of friends, for what they

affert.

I must confess, I fee no profit in his meddling with fuch things, but rather a drawing the minds of the people into forbidden knowledge, and airy comprehenfion about the heavenly things, and feeding that part in them-felves which fhould not thus be suffered to fly aloft, but be kept under.

And happy were it for him, if he could feel the truth, feed, and life (which is grieved in him), rise above them, trample them down, and reign

over them: but he must experience great humility, and a long travel, before he can come to witness this.

As for his denying himself to be of us; indeed he hath fufficiently manifefted by this book, and by his strange notions and comprehenfions therein, that he is not of us; but a stranger to that life, fpirit and power, which hath gathered, guideth, and preferveth us out of fuch paths as thefe.

And oh that he did not hug fo many notions (and those very strange ones too, contrary to the truth and holy experience, in the hearts of God's redeemed ones, and the holy fcriptures, as hath been already fhewed), and get fuch comprehenfions into his brain, concerning the faving power; but wait to defcend, and come down thither, where he may feel it in his heart, and that will preserve him, for the future, from fuch contradictions and confufions, which the other part of his book is also too full of; which, if the Lord please, he may draw forth fome other to lay open, for the vindication of truth, and its true teftimony, from his spirit and false testimony, uttered in very strange and extravagant expreffions; not at all fuitable to the nature of truth, but rather to the nature of that dark spirit from whence it came; which the Lord of his tender mercy manifeft to him, and redeem him from, into a tender, living, humble fense of the meek and lowly principle of life in the heart.

POST SCRIP T.

INCE the writing of the former, and my not intending to meddle with the reft, there hath something lain upon me, as to fome few paffages therein alfo, to write a few words, by way of teftimony to one or two particulars therein: but that which mainly lay upon me, was fomewhat in relation to his Poftfcript; he looking upon it as fo unanfwerable, and yet fo plain and clear an answer arifing to it in my heart.

First, As to his main controverfy with friends, about the Chrift that died at Jerufalem (he affirming, That neither juftification nor condemnation is by him; and reproaching friends, as having gone back to the profeffors Chrift and Saviour, who died without the gates of Jerufalem, as page 17. 21. 26.); this is in my heart to fay:

Rem. Is Chrift divided? Is there one Chrift that died without the gates of Jerufalem, and another that did not die? Or is it not the fame Lord Jefus Chrift, who died without the gates of Jerufalem, according to the flesh, and yet was then alive in the Spirit? Do we affirm that the God-head died? (No, we do not fo much as affirm, that his foul died, as he doth, page 19.) but according to the flesh he died; that is, he who was the refurrec tion, and the life, laid down his life, and took it up again, according to the commandment of his Father.

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Thus we have been taught of God to believe, and thus to hold it forth. And we have no other juftifier, condemner, Saviour, or interceffor, than he that laid down the life of the body, offering it up a facrifice to his Father, without the gates of Jerufalem. Who is be that justifieth? Is it not God, in and through him? And, Who is be that condemneth? Is it not Chrift that died? And where did he die? Was it not without the gates of Jerufalem? Yea rather, that is rifen again, &c. Rom. viii. 33, 34.

Secondly, The next thing that lies upon me to take notice of, is writing against fenfe, and difowning the exhortation to come to a fenfe, and to wait in a fenfe, and abide in a sense, &c. as page 25.

Rem. Though I have given a touch at this already, in the foregoing part, yet there is fomewhat more lies upon me. The inward man, the new man, the fpiritual man, hath inward and fpiritual fenfes. Chrift's theep have fpiritual ears to hear his voice with; and a fpiritual eye is given to the fpiritual man, to fee him who otherwife is invifible.

There is also a fpiritual tafte to favour and diftinguish between that which is living, and that which is dead; between that which is corrupt and unwholesome, and that which is wholesome food: and by the exercise of these fenfes, the children of God become more and more fkilful in difcerning between good and evil, Heb. v. 14. And in this living fenfe, the elect cry unto God against their enemies, and are heard and preferved by him, and fhall in due time be fully delivered, Luke xviii. 7, 8.

The truly living are truly fenfible. Indeed, if he could take away the fenfe of life, and the judgment of life from God's people, it were an eafy matter to deceive them with fuch kind of notions and comprehenfions, as he hath brought forth in this his book. But the Lord hath given a living fenfe or fenfes to his, and pure living judgment therein; which their minds being kept to, it is impoffible for this fpirit, or any fuch like, with all its inchantments, to prevail upon them, because the sheep's ear knows the found and voice of life, from the found and voice of death, let antichrift transform in any of his minifters ever fo mysteriously.

He faith, God is not a fenfe, nor is his Spirit a fenfe.

.Rem. It is not for him, in his notional way, to fay what God is; he that made the eye, fhall not he fee? He that made the ear, fhall not he hear? Doth he beget his children into a living fenfe, and beftow living fenfes upon them? And hath not he the thing in himself much more?

But let me afk him this queftion; did God, the holy begetter of life, ever beget him into a living fenfe? If not, he was never of us; if the Lord did, let him wait to be begotten fo again, and he shall foon be one of us again, and judge in the true Spirit, life, and power, what he hath here writ and published abroad in the wrong; and he fhall no longer believe, that this his writing was written from the teftimony of Jefus in him (as he expreffeth, page 21.), but fhall experience the life of Jefus condemning it in his own heart, as I am fure it hath done and doth in mine, and cannot

but

but do in all that have been gathered to, and abide in, that which keepeth livingly fenfible.

Thirdly, The third thing, and that which most lies upon me, is that charge of his upon friends, That they do fhew more homage, reverence, and obedience to the form outwardly, than to the power of God inwardly; and that they worship the form beyond the power, because they keep their hats on when they wait and worship in filence; but in public prayer, both men and women either Stand up, or else kneel down, and the men all put off their hats: berein (he faith) they worship, reverence, and adore the form outwardly; and the words, more than the word of life in their hearts, &c. This practice he would have them vindicate, if they can: Indeed be bath fufficiently condemned it, and more than God bath allowed him to do, or will justify him in.

Rem. The thing is nakedly and plainly thus; the great God, by the arm of his power, hath gathered a people to himself, and taught them to worfhip him in his own Spirit and truth; yea, he hath taught us to be continually retired, and upon our watch, and in his fear; eyeing and regarding him in all we do.

Befides this, he hath appointed us folemn times of meeting together, to worship him; in which times we do, in a more folemn, and after a more especial manner, retire to feel his prefence with us, and holy Spirit and power working in our hearts, and miniftering to us. And, bleffed be the Lord, he is ftill found, according to his promife, in the midft of us; and doth give us pure breatheings after him, and pure fenfe of him, and pure praifes to him; even praises from, and in, that which is pure.

Yet, while we are fitting thus waiting, or when breatheings or praises arife, we are not taught or required of the Lord to pull off our hats, or kneel on our knees.

But when the Lord moveth and calleth any forth (for the affembly, or in the name and on the behalf of the affembly) to offer prayer or praises to God; then, to fignify our unity in the Spirit, and our joint reverence to our God, we are moved either to kneel, or stand, as the Lord fhall incline our hearts, and to uncover our heads before him. And in this we do not adore the form, as our God knoweth and beareth witness; but him who hath taught us the form, and who teacheth us to continue therein, and juftifieth us in the use and practice thereof.

And what fpirit is this that condemneth us after this vaunting manner, as if he had brought forth fuch a manifeft evidence of our adoring the form, as could not be answered?

The last thing which lies on me to take notice of, is those words about the close of his poftfcript; I bave yet another book, that is written in and from the Spirit of God; the tendency of which book is, for the overthrowing of all antichrift's minifters in this nation, &c.

Rem. This teftimony lies on my heart concerning him, that he is not in a condition, or capacity, to write or speak in or from God's Spirit. He may

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pretend

pretend to have written this, or to write another book, from God's Spirit, but he doth but take the name of the Lord in vain in fo doing, and the Spirit of the Lord will without doubt, through fome of thofe that are in him that is true, give a fure and certain found, and teftimony, against his falfe pretences.

Oh! that he could indeed think, or write, or speak against antichrift's minifters, and against the spirit of antichrift; which if ever he be able from God to do, he must first fee how antichrift hath prevailed over him, and darkened him, and how he dwelleth and reigneth in his heart, as if he were God; yea, he muft deny his prefent light and fpirit, and call it no more Chrift; but feel that which is now little and low in him rife (through his fenfe of it, and fubjection to it) over that which is now fo high, and fo exalted above the measure of truth in his own heart; which, if it were fo, or might once be fo, how glad would my foul be for his fake, which is now grieved to fee him fo lifted up, and fo mistaken, and fo deeply to err, both concerning himself, and God's people, church, and minifters, and concerning God's light and Spirit; denying, debafing, and cafting down that, to exalt himself; that fo he might fet up the wrong inftead of the right, and be juftified and owned by the one, feeing he cannot by the

other!

The Lord, if it be his will, in tender mercy to him, bring him down from his high feat, and exalt that holy blood of the covenant, which is now trampled under foot by him, that his foul may be faved, and not perish for ever (in the day that never shall have end) from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Amen.

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