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Query 7. Doth God write his laws in mens hearts, or put his fear therein, or his Spirit within them, caufing them to walk in his ways and statutes, and to keep his judgments, &c. I fay, doth God do this to men out of the faith? Is not the work of falvation begun in the faith, and carried on and perfected in the faith? And he that maketh fhipwreck of faith, and of a good conscience, can he groundedly hope to have the work of falvation carried on in him?

Query. 8 Doth not God beget, increase, and perfect the faith, which is available unto falvation? Is any man accepted in the faith which is of his own nature? Or is the acceptation in and through the faith which is of the Son's nature?

Query 9. May the temptations of the Devil, with a man's hearkening thereto, hinder God's begetting faith in him or no? Or if it be begotten, can they hinder the growth and increase of it?

Query 10. When God draws, muft a man neceffarily come to the Son? Or may the Devil fo tempt, and he fo hearken thereto, as that his coming to the Son may be hindered, notwithstanding the Father's drawing?

Query 11. Is there not justification to them that receive the feed, to them that obey the light? And is there not condemnation to them that refuse the feed, and obey not the gospel of its falvation?

Query 12. Do men perish for want of power from God? Or through their cleaving to another power, and refusing the strength of that which is over that other power; whofe hand would help their fouls, and bring them through and over it, did they receive it, and cleave to it in the way the Lord hath appointed?

Query 13. They that receive the power, believe in it and live; do they do it by their own strength? Or in the strength and virtue which flows from the power, which enlivens, draws, and makes able to follow ?

Query 14. Those that are weak as to the power, and in whom the enemy and corruptions are strong; is the defect on God's part? or on his covenant's part? Or in the way of life, which he hath pitched upon as fufficient to redeem and deliver fallen man by? Or is God (and his covenant and way of life) wholly clear of the defect, and rests it wholly on them?

VOL. II.

ΑΝ

AN

EXHORTATION to ALL PEOPLE,

But more especially to SUCH as are

DESOLATE and DISTRESSED.

NOV

OW is the acceptable time, now is the day of falvation. Now is the life arifen, and now the light fhines, to guide out of the darkness and death, into the land of the living. Oh! awake, ye that fleep in the duft of the earth; arise up from among the dead, and Christ shall give you light, to walk along in the path of the living! Come to him whom the Father hath fealed; who is life, and who giveth life freely to all that come; yea, abundantly, to thofe that wait upon him, and walk faithfully in his covenant. Oh! therefore come into covenant with him; mind the words of his lips, which beget sense, and in that sense his life ftirs, and in the stirrings of his life the drawings of the Father are felt. And when the Father draws, he whom-ever he draws may come; and him who comes, Chrift will in no-wife caft out, but receive into his arms, and defend by his power, against that which would draw or force back from him into perdition. Therefore hearken to the little movings and ftirrings in you, after that which is eternal; for any defire which is in truth after him, he will not quench (it is his nature to cherish it); but he will be a ftrength and relief to the foul, against that which would quench and put out the breathings and pantings after him, that it might ftill hold the foul in bondage and captivity. And, people, mind this (it is a true teftimony). The door of life is now fo opened, by him who hath the key and power, that whoever will may enter. For the power of life is arisen, against the power of death and the destroyer of the foul: fo that great, yea very great advantage is there in this day, to all that are willing to follow the leader and captain of falvation, out of the land of captivity. Mind but his vifits, and be faithful in the ftrength which flows from him; and nothing fhall hinder thy foul from overcoming what stands in thy way, to stop thee from attaining the eternal crown and inheritance of life.

And as for you afflicted mourners, who are seeking the way to Sion, bewailing the abfence of your beloved, in whose presence is life and redemption, refurrection from the dead, and victory over fin; yea all that your hearts have defired or can defire: what fhall I fay to you? O my friends,

and

and dear brethren! May I speak a little freely to you concerning the Lord Jefus? How that he was born of the Virgin Mary, according to the flesh, fulfilled his miniftry and service in the flesh, and was taken up to God; and how that the fame Lord Jefus was afterwards born in Spirit, of the fpiritual woman the church; even fo born as to rule all nations with an iron rod; and yet did not come forth to rule the nations, but was taken up to God again, and hath not fince appeared in that Spirit, power, and dominion; but only in fuch a ftrength of life, as might enable his witneffes to bear witnefs to him all along the apoftafy, until the church should come out of the wilderness, and the man-child appear again.

And now hear the joyful news. The apoftafy is ended. Mark; I do not say the apoftafy is generally ended. No, no, there are many woes, plagues, judgments, and terrible thunders to come upon perfons, and nations, before they feel it ended. But it is ended in fome veffels, which are upon the earth. The man of fin, that wicked one, the fon of perdition hath been discovered by the Spirit of the Lord; chafed, confumed, and destroyed by the breath of his mouth, and by the brightnefs of his appearance in fome. Yea, the church is come out of the wilderness, and the man-child is come along with her; for fhe is not come without her beloved, but leaning upon her beloved; and he is known ruling with his golden fcepter, and with his iron rod battering down the corrupt, selfish, stubborn, earthly fpirit, and raising up that which is meek, tender, lowly, and lay bowed down and oppreffed.

Now as Chrift faid, preaching in the days of his flesh, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears, Luke iv. 21. Was it not then fulfilled outwardly among the outward Jews? Were there any fick, or weak, or blind, or lame, or lepers, or poffeffed with devils, whom he was not ready to cure? And did he not go about doing good, and feeking them out to cure them? So may it not now be faid in the Spirit and power of the Lord, among the spiritual Jews; this day is this fcripture fulfilled spiritually in your ears. Yea, what he did then outwardly, is known in spirit to be done among you inwardly and fpiritually. How many that were before blind do now fee? That were before deaf do now hear? That were formerly lame do now walk? That were very leprous are now cleanfed? That were very dead are now raised? That were quite dumb do now speak? And the poor, the empty, the naked are now cloathed, and filled with the riches and treasures of the everlasting kingdom? May it not be truly faid, by many poor diftreffed hearts, that the wilderness and folitary place is now glad, because that which once was parched with drought and barrennefs, now feels the living fprings, and the breaking forth of the pure clear river of life, the ftreams whereof make glad the city of God, and caufe melody in the heart to the Lord? Where is the envious, cruel, dragonifh nature, may fome fay? Yea, where is the place where dragons lay? Is there not a new creation? a new heaven, a new earth; and are not all things become new

O 2

therein?

therein? Are not the old things of the night, and of the darkness, paffed away, and all things become new in this day, which the Lord hath made, in the hearts which have received and been fubject to his light?

And now what hinders, but that ye alfo fhould lift up your heads, and fee the coming of the Son of man in the clouds wherein he comes, and partake of the redemption, virtue, and power of his appearance? What are the clouds wherein he comes? Is his coming outward? Or are the clouds outward? Or is his coming inward and fpiritual in ten thousands of his faints? Did not Enoch fee that he was to come fo to judge the world? Doth he not come to be glorified in his faints? Are not they to judge the world? They in him, he in them? Oh! read aright; read with the Spirit, and with the understanding which is thereof; and then the truth of the letter will be manifeft and fhine to you. There is nothing ftands in your way, but want of a spiritual eye to fee his fpiritual appearance in others (and fo to wait for it in yourselves), even the eye of faith, which fees the invisible power and glory, as the Lord openeth it and maketh manifeft to it.

Now this I have to say to you, in true sense and understanding. Come down to the Gentile's light, come down to that which God hath dispensed to the Gentile, as well as to the Jew; which is the word (or commandment) nigh in the mouth and heart. This hath been the loweft of all, defpised by all; and this is in the heart of God to exalt over all; for it is above all. The loweft in its defcent from the Father; the higheft in its afcent to the Father. This is the thing which man ran from, when the veil came over him; which all the fhadows of the law were to point out and fignify. And as man is brought again to this, life springs in him, and the powerful redemption of the eternal word is witneffed by him. Yea, he that hears the voice of this, though he were ever fo dead in trefpaffes and fins, fhall feel life spring in him, and the covenant of life inwardly revealed, which by the pure faith and obedience is the entrance into, and the abiding in. And this is the one truth, the one pure eternal word and way to the Father, which was from the beginning, and remains the fame unto the end. This is the door, at which all hitherto have entered into life, at which all do ftill enter, and there is no other. Bleffed for ever is he, who hath made it fo manifest and plain in this our day; and bleffed are they that fee it, and enter into life at it!

A VISIT

A

VISIT of Tender and Upright LOVE

TO SUCH AS,

Among the many Profeffions and Ways of Religion, retain any Measure of Sincerity of Heart, and true Defires after the LORD.

T

HE main thing in religion is to receive a principle of life from God, whereby the mind may be changed, and the heart made able to understand the mysteries of his kingdom, and to fee and walk in the way of life; and this is the travail of the fouls of the righteous, that they may abide, grow up, and walk with the Lord in this principle; and that others. alfo, who breathe after him, may be gathered into, and feel the virtue of, the fame principle.

But there is one that ftands in the way to hinder this work of the Lord, who with great fubtilty ftrives to keep fouls in captivity, and to prejudice them against the precious living appearances of the redeeming power of the Lord.

One great way whereby he doth this is, by raifing up in them a fear left they fhould be deceived and betrayed, and inftead of obtaining more, lofe that little of God which they have. With this was I exercifed long; and ftill, when life stirred in my heart, then this fear was raised in me; fo that I durft not in judgment close with what fecretly in spirit I felt to be of God, it having a true touch of his quickening, warming, convincing, enlivening virtue in it.

Now that this fnare may be escaped by fuch as breathe after the Lord, oh! let them wait, mourn, and cry to him, that he would write his pure fear in their hearts, and teach them when to fear, and how to fear, and what to fear; and in that (or as that is brought forth in them) they shall see that they have more caufe to fear their prefent ftate, than to fear that which, in the quickening warmth and virtue of God, comes to make a change in their present state; yea, they fhall then fee how the enemy now caufeth them to fear, where no fear is; and keepeth them from fearing, where the fear is. For what is the ground of fear now? This is the great thing that they should fear, left they should not hear the call of the Spirit of the Lord out of Babylon; out of that part of Babylon out of which they have

not

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