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their fins? And have thefe leaves any of the blood of Chrift in them or no?

Query 27. Is not Chrift the true vine, the true olive-tree; the living vine, the living olive-tree; the fpiritual vine, the fpiritual olive-tree; into which all the fpiritually-living are ingrafted? As the Father is the husbandman; fo is not the .Son the vine? And hath not this fpiritual this eternal vine in it juice and fap of an eternal nature? And is not this fap its blood?

Query 28. Is there not a choice vine, to which the foal and afs's colt of the feed of Judah is tied? And are not the garments and clothes of the true Jews washed in the wine, and in the blood of the grapes of this vine? Gen. xlix. II.

Query 29. What is that which the earthly nature flays? And what is the blood which the earthly nature fhall difclofe, and the flain which it shall no more cover?

Query 30. What are the robes which are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb? And how are they washed and made white therein? And what is the blood (of what nature? earthly or fpiritual?) wherein they are washed and made white?

Query 31. What is it to have, or how come we to have, fellowship with Chrift in his death, and to fuffer and be crucified with him? Is it by having our natural bodies crucified on the fame crofs of wood (or fome fuchlike one) as his body was crucified on? Or by having the flethly nature crucified, fubdued, and worn out of our fouls, minds, fpirits, &c. by the power of the Spirit? Rom. viii. 13. Now if the flesh we are to put off, be of fuch a nature and kind; to wit, inwardly and fpiritually corrupt; must not the flesh of Chrift, which we are to put on inftead thereof, be of as deep, inward, and spiritual a nature? What is the flesh whereof we are to be uncloathed, before we can be cloathed with Chrift? Is it outward ́or bodily? And what is Chrift's flesh we are to put on? Is that any more outward or bodily, than that which we are to put off?

Query 32. Is not the flesh and blood, which they that have eternal life feed on, and which nourisheth them up to life eternal (they continuing to feed thereon, and not feeding afterwards on ftrange flesh, and strange blood); I fay, is not this flesh and blood Spirit and life? For that is it which profiteth, John vi. 63. Is it not the flesh and blood of the word? Was not the word made flesh? And did not the word, who was made flesh, dwell and appear in a tabernacle of flesh, and cause the glory of his own divine flesh, to shine through that earthly flesh? Oh! read and confider, that ye who have stumbled and murmured against the truth, may stumble or murmur no more, but now at length receive the pure and precious doctrine thereof (and fo come to witness the fulfilling of that promise, Ifa. xxix. 18.-24.), and praise him who giveth understanding.

Query

Query 33. Is not the true church, flesh of Chrift's flesh, and bone of his bone? Is not the falfe, or antichriftian church, flesh of antichrist's flesh, and bone of antichrift's bone? What is the flesh of the spiritual whore, which is to be stripped naked and burnt with fire? Shall ever the church, which is of Chrift's flesh, be ftripped naked and burnt with fire? Nay, doth not his flesh make able to abide the devouring fire, and to dwell with the everlafting burnings?

Query 34. What is the pure milk of the word, which is milked out to the babes from the pure breaft? And what is the breast from which it is milked out? Is it of the flesh of Christ or no?

Query 35. Are not the wicked of the feed and flesh of the serpent? Is not that the body of flesh, of fin, of death, which is to be put off? And are not they who are renewed in fpirit, of the feed and flesh of Chrift? Is not that the body or garment of holiness, of righteousness, of life, which is to be put on?

Query 36. Is it not as neceffary that the eternal word be made flesh inwardly, that fo the children may feed on him, as it was for him to take on him an outward body of flesh, to fuffer and die for them, and to fulfil all righteoufnefs, both of the law of the letter, and of the law of the Spirit in?

Query 37. Is there not that which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt? And do not they which dwell there, instead of eating Chrift's flesh, and drinking his blood, put his flesh to pain, crucifying it in and to themselves, trampling under foot the Son of God, and counting the blood of the covenant an unholy thing? Read the figure. Did not outward Ifrael fuffer in outward Egypt? Did not just Lot fuffer in Sodom? Doth not the spiritual feed fuffer in and by fpiritual Egypt? Doth not the flesh of the holy and just one fuffer in and by fpiritual Sodom?

Query 38. What is that which the Gentile-Christians, who are not Jews inward, circumcifed in heart and fpirit, who know not the inward temple (the place of the true Jews worship, where they worship the Father in Spirit and truth), but only worship in the outward court, which God hath caft off, and left out of his measure, Rev. xi. 2. I fay, What is that holy city which these Gentiles tread under foot forty-two months? Is it the church, which is of the flesh and bones of Chrift, or no?

He that knoweth the substance, the feed of the kingdom, the birth of the Spirit, knoweth the flesh and blood which is of the feed. And this flesh is flesh indeed, this blood is blood indeed, even the flesh and blood of the feed's nature; but the other was but the flesh and blood of our nature, which he honoured in taking upon him, in which he did the will, in which he offered up the acceptable facrifice; but yet did not give the honour from his own flesh and blood to it. For the flesh and blood of our nature, was not his own naturally, but only as he pleafed to take it upon him and make it his. But that whereof he formeth us (and which he giveth us to

eat.

eat and drink), is the flesh and blood of his own nature; and this was it wherein was the virtue, and wherein is the virtue, life, and power for ever. Happy! oh! happy is he who is of it, who is taken out of and formed of him (as Eve was of Adam), and fo becomes flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone. Then will he know the mystery of life, feed on the thing itself, and not stumble about appearances and expreffions, as those that are out of and from the thing itself do, through the darkness of their mind, and because of their ignorance of the thing spoken of in the fcriptures.

An Incitation to PROFESSORS ferioufly to confider, Whether they or we fail, in the true Acknowledgment and Owning of the CHRIST which died at JERUSALEM.

E,

WE who are commonly called QUAKERS, being a people whom the

Lord hath gathered (out of the wanderings, out of the many profeffions, out of the several scattered estates and conditions, wherein his eye pitied us, and his love found us out) into a measure of the eternal rest; where we have found that life, that power, that manifeftation of the eternal Spirit, and that redeeming virtue, which we never were before diftinctly acquainted with; I fay, having tafted of this, having known this, having felt this, and come to a real enjoyment of it, in fome degree, in our feveral measures; we could not poffibly conceal this treasure, but in bowels of love (and in the movings of the life and power of the Spirit) have been drawn to teftify of it to them who are left behind, groveling under the burthen of corruption, and crying out because of the fin and bondage from the powers of darkness, who have in a mist with-held their eyes from beholding that living virtue, which is able to fave (and doth fave, bleffed be his name) therefrom.

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Now this we have often found; That this our teftimony hath not been received in the fame Spirit and love wherein it hath gone forth; but the enemy (by his fubtilty) hath raised up jealoufies concerning us, and prejudices against us, as if we denied the fcriptures and ordinances of God, and that Chrift that died at Jerufalem; profeffing him only in words (to win upon others by), but denying him in reality and fubftance.

To clear this latter (for my heart is only at this prefent drawn out concerning that), we have folemnly profeffed, in the fight of the Lord God (who hath given us the knowledge of his Son in life and power) these two things.

First, That we do really in our hearts own that Chrift, who came in the fulness of time, in that prepared body, to do the Father's will (his coming into the world, doctrine, miracles, fufferings, death, refurrection, &c.) in plainnefs and fimplicity of heart, according as it is expreffed in the letter of the fcriptures.

Secondly, That we own no other Chrift than that, nor hold forth no other thing for Christ, but him who then appeared, and was made manifest in flesh.

Now it would be nakedly enquired into by profeffors, what is the reason that their jealoufies ftill remain concerning us, and why they are still so ready to caft this upon us? Certainly if they did know and own the fame thing with us (in the Spirit, and in the power, in the life, and in the love, which is of the truth) this prejudice and these hard thoughts could not remain. But if they themselves do not know Chrift in the Spirit (but only according to a relation of the letter) no marvel though they mifs both of the Spirit, and of the true intent and meaning of the letter; and likewife be liable to clash against the truth, as it is made manifeft in others.

And indeed the Lord hath fhewn me in Spirit feveral times, that they themselves are guilty of that very charge (and that he will so implead them at his judgment-feat) which they caft upon us, even of denying that Christ which died at Jerufalem to be the Chrift. For he that owneth the words of fcripture, as he apprehends or conceives them in the reasonings of his mind, and doth not wait to have them revealed in the Spirit, keeping out of his own reasonings and conceivings, and waiting patiently till the Lord open the thing in the Spirit, he fetteth up his own conceivings, or an image in his mind, of the mind of the Spirit, but miffeth of the thing itfelf, which alone is known in the Spirit, by them who wait upon the Spirit, there to receive it, and are not hafty to fet up their own reasonings and imaginations concerning the thing in the mean time.

No man can in truth call Jefus the Lord but by the Spirit. But any man that is any thing serious, and weighs the fcriptures in the natural part, may fo learn to acknowledge his coming into the world, and that he is Lord and king, &c. and may thus call him Lord, yea, and kindle a great heat in his affections towards him; but all this (out of the life, out of the Spirit) is but man's image, which he forms in his mind, in his reading the fcriptures, and obferving things therefrom. But the true calling Jefus Lord, is from the feeling of his eternal virtue in the Spirit, and finding the scriptures opened to him by the Spirit, in a principle which is above the reason, comprehends the reason, and confounds and brings it to nothing.

Again; there is no true knowledge of Chrift, no living knowledge, no faving knowledge, no knowledge which hath the eternal virtue in it, but that which is received and retained in a measure of light given by God to the creature, in the faith which is the gift, in the grace which is fupernatural and fpiritual; whereas the reasoning part is but natural. And fuch as have received the VOL. II.

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fpiritual

fpiritual understanding, know it to be diftinct from the natural; and we experimentally find a very clear diftinction, between scriptures fearched out by the reasonings of the mind (and fo practices drawn therefrom) and fcriptures opened by the Spirit, and felt in the life.

Now that profeffors generally have not received their knowledge of Christ from the Spirit, or from fcriptures opened in the Spirit (and fo know not the thing, but only fuch a relation of the thing as man's reafoning part may drink in from the letter of the fcriptures) is manifeft by this, in that they are not able in fpirit and understanding to diftinguish the thing itself from the garment wherewith it was cloathed, though the fcriptures be very exprefs therein. Speak of Chrift according to a relation of the letter, there they can fay fomewhat; but come to the substance, come to the spirit of the thing, come to the thing itself, there they stutter and stammer, and fhew plainly that they know not what it is.

Now the fcriptures do exprefly diftinguish between Chrift and the garment which he wore; between him that came, and the body in which he came; between the fubftance which was veiled, and the veil which veiled it. Lo! I come; a body haft thou prepared me. There is plainly he, and the body in which he came. There was the outward veffel, and the inward life. This we certainly know, and can never call the bodily garment Chrift, but that which appeared and dwelt in the body. Now if ye indeed know the Chrift of God, tell us plainly what that is which appeared in the body? Whether that was not the Chrift before it took up the body, after it took up the body, and for ever?

And then their confining of Chrift to that body, plainly manifefteth that they want the knowledge of him in fpirit. For Chrift is the Son of the Father; he is the infinite eternal being, One with the Father, and with the Spirit, and cannot be divided from either; cannot be any-where where they are not, nor can be excluded from any place where they are. He may take up a body, and appear in it; but cannot be confined to be no-where elfe but there; no, not at the very time while he is there. Chrift, while he was here on earth, yet was not excluded from being in heaven with the Father at the very fame time; as he himself faid concerning himself, The Son of man, which is in heaven, John iii. 13. Nor was the Father excluded from being with him in the body; but the Father was in him, and he in the Father: whereupon he said to Philip, He that bath feen me, bath feen the Father, What! did every one that faw that body, fee the Father alfo? Nay, not fo; but he that faw Chrift, the Son of the living God, whom flesh and blood revealed not, but the Father only (Matt. xvi. 16, 17.) he faw the Father also.

O Friends! look to your knowledge of Chrift, and to your faith and knowledge of the fcriptures, and to your prayers alfo; for it is eafy miffing of the living substance in all these, and meeting with a shadow; which may please and make a great fhew in the earthly part, in the natural understanding and

affections,

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