do witness, blessed be his name forever. Here you may see by the apostle, that you do not know the grace of Christ and his gospel, but by revelation. And Peter further speaks, that Christ was revealed unto them, and the gospel which they preached by the Holy Ghost, was sent down from heaven, [mark,] was sent down from heaven; and therefore, where have you your gospel now, that deny revelation, and say it is ceased.

And in Rev. i. the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto John,' as you may see at large what the revelations are in his book, but you see nothing of them that deny the spirit of revelation now in your days; and Christ saith, he opens and no man shuts, and he shuts and no man can open: and no man in heaven, nor in the earth, nor under the earth was able to open the book, neither to look thereon, which made John to weep;' but it was said unto him, 'behold the lion which is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David hath obtained to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof.' Therefore, all look unto him who opens the book of the law and the prophets, and the book of conscience, and the book of life; that you may see your names written therein; and reveals grace, faith, the gospel, himself and the Father, and his glory, and the things of God by his spirit; so he is worthy to be waited upon, (who reveals by his spirit,) and not upon them who deny revelation: and likewise, who reveals unto you the man of sin, the son of perdition, who sits in the temple of God, above all that is called God, whom he (to wit, Christ,) will destroy; and also, he reveals his wrath, judgments and indignation upon all the disobedient, and such as hold the truth in unrighteousness, and not in the spirit of revelation that the apostles were in; and such as hold the truth in unrighteousness may plead for the body of sin and death, and the old man with his imperfections to the grave, where there is no repentance, where they and he may be buried in the lake together.

In 1 Sam. iii. 7. 'Now Samuel yet did not know the Lord, neither yet was the word of the Lord revealed to him, and the Lord revealed himself to Samuel,' ver. 21. so can you know the word of the Lord, or the Lord, but as the Lord reveals it? or can you know the Father or the Son, but by revelation. Luke x. 22.

And in Isa. xl. 5. the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, all flesh shall see it together.' Now can any see the glory of the Lord, but by revelation? who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed.' Now doth any know the arm of the Lord, or believe the report of Christ, but by revelation, Isa. liii. 1. and John xii. 38. 'for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.' Now doth any know God's salvation, and his righteousness, but as it is revealed, Isa. lvi. 1. and Christ saith, there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, nor hid that shall not be known,' &c. So are not you

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all covered and the things of God hid from you that deny revelation? Matt. x. 26. And in Luke ii. 'the thoughts of the heart are revealed by Christ.' And Rom. i. 17. 'therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith;' so ye neither know God's righteousness nor faith, but by revelation. And in Luke ii. 35. the thoughts of the heart are revealed by Christ.' And in Luke xvii. 30. when the Son of man shall be revealed.' And in Rom. viii. 18. the apostle said, 'he reckoned all sufferings as nothing to the glory which should be revealed in them.' And in 1 Cor. ii. 10. ‘and that which ear hath not heard, nor eye hath not seen, God hath revealed unto the apostles, the deep things of God:' so the things of God are not known, but as they are revealed by his spirit; and if any thing be revealed to another that sits by, let the first hold his peace: so the man of sin and the wicked one is not known, but as he is revealed; so you do not know the word of faith, the light, the glory of the Lord, the arm of the Lord, salvation, the righteousness of God, the things of God, the Son, nor the Father, the wrath of God, your own thoughts, nor the man of sin, the wicked one in your temple, but as they are revealed, you do not know the grace of God, but by revelation, 1 Pet. i. 13. nor you do not know the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but by revelation, Rom. xvi. 25. neither do you know the righteous judgments of God, but by revelation, Rom. ii. 5. and though the Jews had the scriptures, yet they knew not Christ the word.

And the gospel the apostle did not receive of man, nor by man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Gal. i. 12.

Now can you, or any man know this gospel the power of God, that brings life and immortality to light, but by divine revelation? and do not you that deny revelation, deny the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; for Christ saith, when the Son of man shall be revealed, that the world should be doing as in the days of Noah, &c. and when Lot went out of Sodom.' Luke xvii. 30. And saith the apostle, 'when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance upon all them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints.' And here again, you that deny revelation, do not you deny the Lord Jesus, his being revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, and glorified in his saints, and are such that know not God, that he will take vengeance upon in flaming fire; for how can you know God and Christ, but by revelation, seeing Christ tells you, ye cannot know him nor his Father, but by revelation. 2 Thes. i. 7, 8. G. F.

Now concerning such as deny prophecies in these days, and say it is ceased nowadays.

Now in the time of the prophets, they that were in the form and not in the power did forbid the prophets to prophesy, who said unto the seers, 'see not,' and to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things,' Isa. xxx. 10. but speak flattering things unto us:' and there are too many of those speakers nowadays, that cannot abide true prophecy, that will run and speak, and the Lord never sent them, as you may see in Jer. xiv. and such as prophesy right things they cannot abide.

And in Amos ii. 12. 'ye (to wit, professing Israel,) commanded the prophets not to prophesy;' but professing christians which are of the same spirit without the profession, say it is ceased. And in Joel ii. 28. saith the Lord, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, (it doth not say upon some,) and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, [mark, shall, this was to come to pass,] and your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions; and also upon the servants, and upon the hand-maids in those days will I pour out my spirit, saith the Lord.' So mark, here is servants, hand-maids, young men, old men, sons and daughters; the Lord hath promised he would pour out of his spirit upon them; and are not all these to enjoy those promises, yea, verily, God is faithful that hath promised it; for his promises are yea, and amen in Christ. And was not this a fulfilling of (in Acts ii. 17.) to wit, the prophecy of Joel, where the apostle saith,' in the last days saith the Lord, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, and on my servants and hand-maids will I pour out of my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.' Now mark, ye that say prophecy is ceased in your days; is not the last days the christian's days, (to wit,) the days of Christ? is not he the 'first and the last, the same to-day as yesterday, and forever.' God's servants and his hand-maids, that have his spirit poured upon them, they will prophesy; and they that have God's spirit poured upon them, sons and daughters will prophesy this spiritual prophecy; and the young men and old men that have God's spirit poured upon them, they have their heavenly visions and heavenly dreams, and this we witnesss, though neither your young men, nor old men, servants, nor hand-maids, sons, nor daughters, nor yourselves, that say, prophecy is ceased, and the same spirit is not to be looked for now as the apostles had, then you may say faith and grace is ceased, nor none of these have visions or dreams, nor prophecies; so do not you keep your people in darkness, being in the

darkness yourselves? but the apostle saith, 'they shall prophesy;' and Philip had four daughters which did prophesy, Acts xxi. 9. that were virgins, though your virgins do not, but those virgins which witness God's spirit, do, though you may be all amazed, and mock at it like the Jews. Acts ii. 11, 12.

And the apostle saith in Rom. xii. 6. 'seeing then, that we have gifts that are differing according to the grace, [mark,] according to the grace that is given unto us, whether we have prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.' So here the apostles doth not forbid it, and say it is ceased, as you do, but encourageth it in the church, 'let us wait on the office, he that teacheth on teaching,' that is according to the grace given to them as God hath dealt to every man a measure of faith.'

And the apostle saith, in 1 Cor. xiii. 19. And we prophesy in part, and when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be abolished; so here he was encouraging the church to grow up unto a further degree, both in knowledge and prophecy; but if there were that love among you, which he speaks of in this chapter, then those things would be owned in their places, and the fulfilling thereof waited for, and their prophesying in part owned, which is denied by you in your day, therefore you are not like to grow up to a perfect state, who deny that.

And the apostle saith, 1 Cor. i. 24, 29, 31. Follow after love, and covet spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy; but if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, and unlearned, he is rebuked of all men, and is judged of all, and the secrets of his heart are made manifest, and will fall down and worship God, and say, God is in you of a truth.' Now see this office of prophecy in the church, the effect of it, 'Let the prophets speak one or two, and let others judge; for ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted ;' you that say, prophecy is ceased nowadays amongst you, then this learning, and this comforting is ceased among you, and this manifesting the secrets of men's hearts is ceased among you, and this falling down and worshipping God, and saying God is in you of a truth, this is ceased among you that say prophecy is ceased; for this is the work and effect of prophecy in the church of Christ, which is the same to day as yesterday, and so forever; but he that prophesies speaks to men for exhortation, and to edification, and for comfort. Now you that say prophecy has ceased in your church nowadays, this edifying and speaking to men ; and this exhortation and comfort is ceased; but he that prophesieth,' saith the apostle, 'edifies the church; for greater is he that prophesieth, than he that speaketh with divers tongues, wherefore brethren covet to prophesy ;' so you that say prophecy is ceased nowadays, the edification is ceased then, and that is ceased which is greater than speaking with divers tongues, &c. and that is ceased also which the VOL. V.-31

brethren, the church, were to covet after, (to wit,) prophecy; therefore, how can you say, that you are either the true church or true ministry, that say prophecy is ceased, which was for the comforting and edification of the true church?

And you may see in Rev. xi. 9. how the kindreds and tongues were against the two witnesses that prophesied, and when they had killed them, they made merry over them, and sent their gifts one to another, but they rose again to their torment; and so doth not the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy torment you now? And in 1 Cor. xi. 4. 'Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, dishonours his head, and every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered, dishonours her head.' So you may see, here were men and women prophesying and praying in the church, and Hannah was a prophetess, and Huldah, and Miriam and Debora were prophetesses in the time of the law, therefore the apostle saith, 1 Thes. v. 20. Despise not prophesying.' And do not you despise it in others, that say it is ceased? And may you not as well deny prayer as prophecy, and say, prayer is ceased, as you say prophecy is ceased; for the apostle joins them together.

And in Rev. xix. 10. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,' saith John the divine, mark, all you that are called christians in the whole world, and say prophecy is ceased in your day, and none must look for prophecy in your day; (mark well,) is not the testimony of Jesus then ceased, the spirit of prophecy? And you have not the testimony of Jesus; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, and and so if prophecy be ceased, then the testimony of Jesus is ceased among you, who live in an outside profession of the saints' words; but did not all worship the beast, and drink the whore's cup, but those who kept the faith, and testimony of Jesus, whose names were written in the book of the lamb which was slain from the foundation of the world?

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And in Hosea ix. 7. The prophet is a fool, and the spiritual man is mad.' Thus did the professing Jews esteem the Lord's prophets, and thus do the professing christians now account the spiritual men mad, and the prophet a fool. And in Prov. xxxi. 1. The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him; what, my son; what, the son of my womb, and what, the son of my desires; give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways which is to destroy kings.' Here is the prophecy which his mother taught him; and is not this prophecy to be learned of such as can teach it?

And the apostle saith, in 1 Tim. iv. 14. Despise not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy.' [Mark,] Here was a gift given to him by prophecy. Now you that deny prophecy, and say it has ceased, what then, is the gift ceased to you? then how can you follow the practice of the holy men of God?

And in 2 Pet. i. 19. But we also have a more sure word of prophecy,