But, indeed, he that doth not believe God in his church, and that his Spirit, life, and power, fits as King there; he is not in a capacity to obey aright, because he doth not difcern nor acknowledge that in the church, which alone is to be obeyed.

Another reason he gives is, Because (he faith) be must also then believe that the church is infallible, and cannot err.

Rem. The Spirit of God is infallible, the power whereby the church was gathered and built up, is infallible. Chrift is infallible, and hath given to his church of his infallible Spirit; without which they cannot be preferved or act aright and is the church in God fallible? And this Spirit will not fail them in their waiting upon him; and the church which is one with Chrift, married to Chrift, joined to Chrift, partaketh of his holy, living, and infallible nature.

Judge in the truth, how it would fuit: an holy head, an unholy body; a living head, a dead body; an infallible head, an elect and chofen head; but a body very liable to be deceived and err. Hath not the church that Spirit, that life, that power of the Lord Jefus Chrift her head with her, that is able to keep her from erring? And is it not her earnest travail and defire to keep to it herself, and to have all her members kept to it? And will not that power keep and preferve all that keep to it?

He addeth further to the foregoing words, Which thing I cannot believe, for then I must believe thefe particulars following.

First, I must believe that they are as infallible as God is; and that it is as impoffible for them to err, as it is for God to err.

Anfw. No. A man may believe that God hath given to his church a glorious proportion of his Spirit, to dwell in them, and guide them, as his fons, spouse, and wife; and that they are married to him that is infallible, and partake of a bleffed proportion of his nature; and yet not believe that they are as infallible as God is. The Lord is abfolutely infallible of himself; what infallibility the church hath, is by gift, by union, and communion with the Lord her husband and Maker.

But doth he believe, or will he go about to maintain, that the church hath nothing of the infallible Spirit of her husband? Or that fhe is to act in a fallible fpirit? Or that she is to act nothing at all? But only direct men to the light and Spirit within, and let her members alone, though the infallibly (by the infallible Spirit and power) know that they are deceived and err, and fee (with the anointed eye) that they are going from, and acting contrary to, the light in their own particulars? If the should do fo, fhe would fhew little care over her children, and small regard or faithfulness to him, who hath entrusted her with his own Spirit and power, for edification and falvation, and not for deftruction.

Secondly, That no man or woman fhall ever attain to any higher measure of the grace of God than they; and that they are come to the highest revelation that can be attainable by the Spirit of God.

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Anfo

Anfw. The higheft meafure of life and of the Spirit is not neceffary for the government of the church; but a true measure. And a true measure the Lord hath ordained for his church; and Chrift, the Head, is not ablent from his church; but prefent with it, to fupply with what wisdom and power he feeth needful. And where is the attainment and growth in grace? Is it in the church, or out of the church? Doth not the Lord add to the church fuch as fhall be faved? And is not their growth there? And if any member be bleffed, and grow ever fo abundantly in grace, it is the growth of the church, and the church is glad of it. Now if it be a true growth, they would have unity with the church, and mind the peace of the church, and be fubject to the Spirit and pure power of life in the church; elfe their growth is in another fpirit, which the true church can never own.

Thirdly, And that there is no more to be made known by the Spirit of God, in the fons and daughters of men, but what already is made known to them.

Anfw. The particular's owning a measure of life, of truth, of the Spirit and power, doth not argue there is no more to be made known or revealed in the particular. And the church's owning a fuller measure dwelling in the body than in any one particular (for the greateft fullness in any particular doth but go to make up the largeness or fullness in the body), doth not argue that the church fhall not grow, or be enlarged or filled as it grows. But if he intend the growth of any departing from the church, or out of the Spirit of life of the church, who hath her life from the Head, and is in unity with the Head, that growth we cannot but deny, finding it by conftant trial and experience to be a growth in notion and comprehenfion, out of the feeling life and power.

Now this kind of growth I do not defire ever to know; the Lord alfo preferve others out of it, and open their ears to hear the voice of Chrift, and of his church, that they may be preferved out of it! For had this been hearkened and kept to, things had been better with many, as to their inward ftate, and true peace with the Lord, than they have been.

Fourthly, Or if there be any thing more to be revealed by the Spirit of God, that God will make it known to them, and to none else.

Anfw. The true church doth not limit God where he shall reveal, or not reveal, but owneth God in whatever it reveals in any man upon the face of the earth. For being in unity with God's Spirit, and born of the immortal life, they are in the feeling fenfe and knowledge of what came from the life in ages paft, or in the prefent age, and are in unity with it; yet they know the Lord revealeth the mystery of his truth and kingdom in the churches, and the growth is in the churches.

Now if any in Lucifer's nature will hearken to that spirit which defpifeth God's church, and rend from it, and think to grow above it, and expect this growth in their high notions and comprehenfions about things, in that exalted mind, should be owned by the church, they will be mistaken: for the true Spirit, which knows all things, and guides the church, will not

guide the church to own any fuch spirit or growth; but to judge and condemn it in its greatest spreading and exaltation.

There were thofe in the apoftle's days who would feem to be grown high, and to be spiritual, far above the apostles, and fuch as lay low in the truth, and obeyed the holy commandments, and yet were far fhort of their life, as may be seen abundantly in his epiftles to the church of Corinth. But what faith the apostle concerning fuch? If any man think himself a prophet, or Spiritual, let him acknowledge the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord, 1 Cor. xii. 37. And did not he give commandments about those that were unruly, and would not be fubject to the order, power, and government of God's Spirit in the church? And did not the apoftle fay of unruly perfons, and vain talkers and deceivers, that mouths must be ftopped? Tit. i. 10, 11. What! had the church or minifters, in the firft promulgation of the gospel, power to ftop mouths? Yea; in the Spirit that was in them, and with them, they knew which were the vain talkers, the unruly, and deceivers; and what mouths were to be stopped, and what power would stop them.

Fifthly, he saith, Friends, I would have you feriously take into your confideration fome of your doctrines and principles which are commonly preached among us, bow they can stand with God's fovereignty, dominion, and glory, that either the feed or God fhould arife in man?

Rem. Chrift preached a feed, even the kingdom, like a grain of muftard-feed, and the feed fown in man. Now if it was fown in man, in his earthly heart, nature, and fpirit, then the earth was over it, and did cover it, and it was to fpring up or arife over and above the earth, and the pure power, wisdom and glory of the Father to appear to be manifefted in it.

Is this such a strange doctrine to him? Where are his fpiritual fenfes ? How was he convinced? Was it without the feeling of the feed? If he truly felt it, where did he feel it? Did he not feel it in the earth? Was there not much over it?

I am fure we, who were truly convinced, felt it fo; felt the pure feed under suffering, the pure life under, the pure measure of truth under, and much of the earth over it, the Lamb flain inwardly by fin and tranfgreffion; and bleffed be the Lord, we felt also the earth judged, and removed out of its place; the earth ploughed up, and the feed fpringing over all that is earthly, and growing up in that which God made new, over that which was

old.

And did not God arife outwardly, in the manifeftation of his power outwardly, among the outward Jews? And doth not he arife inwardly, in the manifestation of his power inwardly, among the inward Jews? Are the enemies ever scattered inwardly till God's arifing inwardly? What kind of convincement or growth hath that man been acquainted with, who never experienced these things?

Now

Now having proposed this, he atketh fome questions, which as the Lord fhall open my heart I may return anfwers to; not after a notional way, but as the Lord hath given me the knowledge, feeling, and experience of the thing.

His first question is, Whether the Light, or Spirit, Seed, and God, be not all one and the fame thing?

Anfw. God is the fullness, the feed is a measure and manifestation of him, the infinite fullnefs. And as he is light and Spirit, fo the feed that comes from him, or that the good husbandman fows, is light and Spirit alfo.

His fecond question is, How came this feed of God to be under, or beneath, in man?

Anfw. Any man that knows the truth in holy experience, and hath been tempted, and let in fin upon him, may know what comes then under, and how it comes under. The Spirit by fin is grieved; yea, the Holy Spirit may be quenched, and man may crucify to himself the Lord of glory. His third and fourth queftions are, What shall raise it up? And,

what?

Anfw. to both. The power of God, the Spirit of God, the life of God, entering into its own in man, entering into the witnefs, raifeth it up, brings that under which refifted, oppreffed, and kept it down. The power of the Almighty, by his out-ftretched arm, crusheth Pharaoh inwardly, and brings his fpiritual feed out of fpiritual Egypt, Sodom, and Babylon; in all which the Lord, in all ages, hath inwardly and fpiritually been crucified by them that have refifted his Holy Spirit in the pure manifeftations thereof; for what is done to it, is done to him. Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Lastly, Whether the appearance of God in man, to man by his Spirit, be not for the quickening and raising of man, both soul and body, out of a state of bondage and captivity?

Anf. Yes, it is; but how doth God raise up man? Is it not by joining him to his feed, and caufing him to bow to his feed, and fuffer with his feed, and deny that which is contrary to his feed; so that the feed, which hath been grieved and burdened with fin and iniquity, may rife up over it, and crush the head of the ferpent, in the authority, power, and dominion of the Father's life? Who of the redeemed-ones, that have witnessed true redemption, have not witneffed God bringing that up which was down, low, deep in the heart, and bringing that down, which was high and exalted

over it?

But for the railing of God, that is but his misreprfentation of this found doctrine, and holy experience: for Chrift himself, who was God, and the refurrection and the life; yet the God-head was not raifed in him, but the refurrection and the life raised that body. And that of him which he foweth in us, and which differeth in the foul, through the foul's fin, he raiseth up

in his own holy dominion, in them that come to fuffer with it, and to bear the cross with that which crucifieth fin.

This is found doctrine, and found experience, univerfally experienced by all that know the inward truth, and have fubjected to it. They have felt what truth was, and where it was; and what it is, and where it is; and what they are in it, and by it; bleffings and praises over all unto him, who by the working of his moft glorious power, hath brought this about in a remnant whom the Lord hath vifited, and fhewn mercy to.

Let him wait for true understanding from him who is able to give it, and answer me this one queftion then, Doth not the devil, the enemy of mankind, bunt after the precious life, even in thofe that come to witness redemption in measure from him? And if at any time they hearken to his temptations, and let him in, doth not the life receive a wound? Is not the Spirit grieved? Is not the tender, righteous, living plant hurt?

Oh! the tender mercy of God to permit his truth, his feed, his Son, not. only to fuffer for man without the gates of Jerufalem, but alfo to fuffer in man, even in the streets of Sodom, where our Lord was in ages past crucified, and is fpiritually crucified to this day! Rev. xi. 8.

He faith, The kingdom of heaven is within all men and women, and heaven is above bell, and the light is above darkness, p. 7.

Rem. If he mean that their nature is fo, I grant it; but if he mean that! heaven, or the light which is heavenly, is uppermost in men who are under the kingdom and power of darkness, he is utterly mistaken for in the kingdom where Satan and antichrift reign, antichrift is there exalted (in that heart) above all that is called God; even above the light, Spirit, and power which ought to be worshipped and obeyed there, but is not: and there is need of the arm and power of God to be awakened, and to put on strength there, to cut Rahab, wound the Dragon, and bring him under, and to bring up the feed into his heavenly authority, dominion, and power (which is due unto it) in that heart.

He faith, The feed is to redeem, and not to be redeemed.

Rem. This is true, relating to the feed, as it is in itself: but as God has bestowed it on man, given it as a gift in man, and it condescends to his condition, defcending into the lower parts of the earth, and fuffering with man, that it might bring man into its death and fufferings, and fo raise him in and with itself, fo the mighty power of life, from whence it came, is to be revealed in it, and bring it out of Egypt, and the darkness wherein it finds man, and in the tender love of God to man, bears a fhare with him. It is not only the Jew outwardly that pierced Chrift, but the foul inwardly by tranf greffion pierceth his life and Spirit; and as it comes to true fenfe and faith, looks upon him whom it hath pierced by fin, and mourns bitterly over him, and turns from and hates that fin whereby it pierced him.

He faith, The feed in both man and woman is both God and Christ, and is above

the feed of the ferpent in all, and he is in himself, &c. p. 7.

Rem.