POST SCRIPT.

T hath pleased the Lord, as he manifefted his Christ gloriously before the apoftafy, fo to manifeft him so again. For he was not only born (in the flesh) of the virgin Mary; but he was alfo born in the Spirit of the woman cloathed with the fun, which had the moon under her feet, and on her head. a crown of twelve ftars. She also brought forth the man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, Rev. xii.

Now of this appearance and return of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and his fresh bringing forth of his life and power in his body, the church, there are many witneffes, who have feen, felt, and tasted thereof, with the eyes and fenses which are of God, and of the new-birth. And of this (in the love and good-will of God, and from the drawings and requirings of his Spirit) they bear witness to others, that they also might come to fee the glory and brightness of his day, and rejoice therein. For indeed it is a glorious day inwardly in fpirit, to thofe that are quickened and gathered to the living Shepherd and Bishop of the foul, by the eternal arm of his power. And happy is the eye that fees the things that they fee, and the ear that hears what they hear, and the heart which understands the things which God hath revealed in and unto them by his Spirit.

Glorious was the appearance of Chrift in the flesh; but there were blocks in the way of the Jews, that they could not know, own, believe and receive him. And glorious is the administration of his life in Spirit, in this day of his power; but there are alfo blocks lying in the way of them to whom it is fent, which caufe them to ftumble at it, and keep them both from letting it into them, and alfo from giving up to it. But bleffed was he who was not offended in Chrift then, and bleffed is he who is not. offended at him now. For he that is offended at him, who is life, and gives life, ftumbling at the prefent way of difpenfation which God hath chofen to give it out by, how shall he live? This is the cause that so many poor hearts lie mourning and grovelling on the earth, groaning because of their fins, fearing because of the strength of the enemy, and the corruptions of their own hearts, which are continually ready to betray them into his hands; because they know not him who hath stretched out his arm, and is come in his power to deliver; but are prejudiced against the way wherein. he hath and doth deliver. Yea, they know not his voice who calls, Come unto me; I am the refurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, shall receive my strength; and though he were ever fo weak, fhall become as David; and though ever fo unclean, fhall find the waters which spring from my well to cleanfe him, and nourish him to life everlasting.

How tenderly did Chrift vifit the Jews in the days of his flefh? How powerfully, and in the true authority of God, did he preach among them? What mighty works did he fhew? And yet they could not believe. Why fo? The enemy had entered them with his temptations, had got somewhat into their minds of a contrary nature, to keep out thereby the sense, knowledge, and acknowledgment of him. So that when their hearts were even overcome with his power and fweet precious doctrine, and ready to yield that this was he, this was the Chrift indeed, then the enemy raised up fome argument or other to prejudice them againft him, that he might thereby beat them off, and drive them back again from owning or receiving him. This man is not of God, fay fome; for he keepeth not the fabbath. He cannot be a prophet, fay others, because be is of Galilee, out of which no prophet arifeth He cannot be Christ, faith a third fort, because we know whence be is; but when Chrift cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. He is not holy, strict, and zealous, according to the law, fay others; but a loose person, a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber; a friend of publicans and finners; one who teacheth not his difciples to faft and pray (as the Pharifees did theirs, and John, who was generally looked upon as a prophet, did his), but justifieth them in plucking the ears of corn on the fabbath-day, and fo thereby rather encouraging them to break it, than ftrictly to obferve and keep it according to God's law, He is a blafphemer, fay fome (fpeaks moft horrid blafphemy) making himself equal with God. He reproacheth the most strict and zealous men that we have (even our teachers and interpreters of the law and prophets) calling them bypocrites, painted fepulchres, blind guides, &c. and pronounceth woe upon woe against them. And thofe that are the children of Abraham he calls the children of the devil; and faith, He that committeth fin, is the fervant of fin; but if the Son (meaning himself) make you free, ye shall be free indeed. And if we will have life in us, we must believe in him, and eat his flesh, and drink his blood. (Did ever Mofes, or any of the prophets, teach fuch doctrine?) Again, he faith, If a man keep my faying, be fhall never fee death; whereas Abraham and the prophets (who believed God, and kept his fayings) are all dead. This made them even conclude he had a devil, John viii. 52. So how could they understand him when he faid, he was the good fhepherd, and the door, &c. and that all that ever came before him were thieves and robbers; would they not look upon this as witneffing of himself, and endeavouring to fet up himself? And when he faid, Verily, verily, before Abraham was, I am; were they not ready to stone him, for fpeaking a falfe and impoffible thing, as it seemed to them; he manifeftly being not yet fifty years old? But fuppofe it to be true that he was before Abraham, how then could he be the Meffiah, who was to come of Abraham, and out of the loins of David, according to the fcriptures? And then for his miracles, having beforehand concluded that he was a bad man, a finner, a breaker of the fabbath, a blafphemer, a deceiver of the people, & how cafy was it for them to harden themselves against them,

and

and to infer that he wrought not thefe. things by the power of God, but by the aid and affiftance of the devil, to overthrow the laws and ordinances of Mofes, and to fet up himself and his new doctrine by? Indeed many (and fome feemingly ftrong and unanfwerable) were the exceptions which the wifdom and understanding in them (which was out of the life and power of truth) formed againft Chrift, whereby they juftified themselves in their refufal of him, who was fealed and fent of the Father, and fo excluded themselves the kingdom, and the righteousness thereof.

This is past, and they can condemn them now, who themselves are acting over again the fame thing in fpirit. It pleaseth the Lord thus to fuffer. things to be, ftill fo to give forth the difpenfations of his life, as they alone that are in fome measure of his life can difcern them. And the fame fpirit (under a new guife) ftill oppofeth truth in its prefent appearance and difpenfation, and stirreth men up to flight and blafpheme that holy name and power, which they that believe in are faved and fanctified by. Well, what fhall I fay to you? Oh! that ye could difcern fpirits! Oh! that ye could fee what spirit ye are of, and whom ye ferve, in oppofing the prefent difpenfation of life! Oh! that ye could fee how ye read fcriptures out of that which wrote them, and bend them against that which wrote them, making yourselves wife and ftrong in a wrong wisdom and knowledge against the Lord, and against his Chrift, whom he hath fet upon his holy hill of Sion, and who appeareth there, though you fee it not. For Sion is not now lite

ral, or after the flesh (the day is come, the fhadows are gone); but Sion is. the holy hill of God in Spirit, upon which the heavenly Jerufalem was built, which is revealed, come down, and coming down from heaven, and many of the heavenly citizens dwell there already, and more are coming thither to dwell; for even from the east, weft, north, and fouth, fhall the gathering be, to fit with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob in the kingdom which cannot be fhaken; which kingdom was received by the Chriftians formerly before the apoftafy, and is now received again, bleffed be his name who lives and reigns in power over all the fpirits of darknefs and deceit, maintaining his. pure life and truth in the hearts of his children, in defpite of them all.

But why should you thus err in heart from the pure truth? Why fhould you not open to him that knocks in his holy power, and in the demonftrations of his Spirit to your confcience? Why fhould a fubtil device of the deceiver be let in and hugged by you, to caufe you to thrust him back from your hearts who is the Word of eternal life, and with whom are the words of eternal life? The Lord God difcover the deep deceits of the enemy to you, where he captivateth your hearts and understandings, that it may not be always faid of you, as it was of the Jews, be came unto his own, and his own received him not! But to as many as received him, he gave power in the day of his flesh; and he giveth much more power to them that receive him in fpirit (in the day of his Spirit) to become the fons of God. And because they are fons, he poureth out abundantly of his Spirit

upon

upon them; and he that hath the Spirit, hath the Son; and he that hath the Son, hath life: but he that hath not the Son (but blafphemeth the appearance and light of his Spirit) hath not life; but is yet in that wif dom and knowledge which is death, and which keeps him dead.

Now the Lord of his tender mercy make you fenfible of, and pardon your oppofing and refifting, his truth; and also cause the light of life to fhine in your hearts, quickening and guiding you thereby out of the land of death and darkness, into the holy land of life; that all that fincerely breathe after truth may (through the faithful travel) come to fit down, dwell, and feed together in it, in the one power, in the one life, in the one Holy Spirit, where is pure rest and peace, perfect joy and satisfaction for evermore. Amen.

Some

QUERIES

CONCERNING

CHRIST, and his APPEARANCES; his taking upon him our Flesh: As alfo concerning his Flesh and Blood, and our being formed thereof, and feeding thereon.

Query 1.W upon him our flefl, for the redemption of those that had "WH HETHER there was not a neceffity of Chrift's taking

finned, and the fatisfaction of the juftice offended?

Query 2. Whether the Father did not accordingly prepare a body for him, to do his will in all things in; and particularly to offer up to him the acceptable facrifice for the fins of the whole world?

Query 3. Whether it was not neceffary, in this refpect also, that Chrift fhould take upon him our flesh, that he might have experience of our temptations and infirmities, and become a merciful and faithful high-priest and interceffor for us?

Query 4. Wherein lay the value and worth of his facrifice, and of all he did? Did it lie chiefly on the thing done, or in the life wherein he did it, in that he did it in the pure faith and obedience to the Father? He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; and he through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God?

Query

Query 5. What was he, for whom the Father prepared a body, and who took it up to do the will, and did the will in it? Was he not the arm of God, the power of God, the Saviour and falvation of God, the Jefus and Chrift of God?...

Query 6. To whom do the names and titles Jefus and Christ chiefly and in the firft place belong? Do they belong to the body which was taken by him, or to him who took the body? The body hath its nature and properties, and the eternal Word, or Son of God (the pure fpotlefs Lamb, the fountain of innocency) its nature and properties. Now the query is, which was the appointed Saviour of the Father? Which was the anointed of the Father, chiefly, and in the first place? Whether the body prepared, or he for whom the body was prepared, to do the will, and offer up the acceptable facrifice in?

Query 7. Which is Chrift's flesh and blood which we are to partake of, whereof we are to be formed, which we are to eat and drink, and which is meat and drink indeed, nourishing to life everlafting? Is it the flesh and blood of the body, which was prepared for, and taken by him, wherein he tabernacled and appeared? Or is it the flesh and blood of him, who took, tabernacled, and appeared in the body? For that which he took upon him was our garment, even the flesh and blood of our nature, which is of an earthly perishing nature; but he is of an eternal nature, and his flesh, and blood, and bones are of his nature. Now as the life and nature which is begotten in his, is fpiritual; fo that which feeds, and is the nourishment of it, muft needs be of a fpiritual and eternal nature.

Query 8. What is the bread which came down from heaven? Is not the bread and the flesh all one? Outwardly-vifible flesh and blood was not in heaven, nor came down from heaven; but the bread of life did come down from heaven, which the heavenly birth feeds on and lives by. For that which redeems, that which is Jefus (the Saviour) came down from heaven, and took upon him a body of flesh here on earth, in which he manifefted himself as king, prieft, and prophet, and did the work appointed him by the Father, John xvii. 1, &c.

Query 9. What was that which faved people outwardly from their outward infirmities and diseases, while Chrift was on earth in that body? Was it the body, or the life, power, and Spirit of the Father within the body, and manifeft through the body? And can any thing lefs fave inwardly? Now that which faves, that which hath the virtue and power of falvation in it, that the eye of faith is to fix upon, and not to stick or stop in that through which the life works it.

Query 10. Who was he that humbled himself, that made himself of no reputation, that took upon him the form of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of men, and found in fashion (or habit) as a man? Was it the body of flesh, or was it he that was glorified of the Father before the world was ? And who is to have the honour and exaltation? At whofe name is every knee

to