Christ; but Christ will confume them with the Spi- 1686. rit of his Mouth, and destroy them with the Bright ' ness of his Coming. But God's People, whom he Kingston hath chosen unto Salvation in Christ from the beginning, through the Sanctification of the Spirit, "and the belief of the Truth, stand stedfast in Christ 'Jefus; and are thankful to God, by and through his Son, their Rock and Salvation, who is their Harpiness, and eternal Inheritance.

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The Apostle faith, Ye were as Sheep going aftray; * but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls. So, when People are returned to Chrift, - their Shepherd, they do know his Voice, and follow him; and are returned to the Bishop of their Souls: and then they do believe in him, and receive Wif'dom and Understanding from him, who is from above, heavenly and spiritual. Then they do Act ' like spiritual and holy Men and Women; and come ' to be Members of the Church of Chrift: and then ' a spiritual Care cometh upon the Elders in Chrift, ' that all the Members do walk in Christ, and in his 'Light, Grace, Spirit and Truth, that they may a'dorn their Confession and Profession of Christ; and 'fee, that all do walk in the Order of the holy Spi'rit, and the everlasting Gospel of Peace, Life and 'Salvation. And this Order keeps out of Confufion: ' for the Gofpel of Peace, the Power of God was, before Confufion was. And all the Heirs of the Gospel are Heirs of its Order, and are in this Gofpel, ' which brings Life and Immortality to Light in 'them; by which all Men and Women may fee their * Work and Services in it, to look after the Poor, Wi'dows and Fatherless, and to fee, that nothing be 'lacking: and that all do honour the Lord in their 'Lives and Conversations.

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When the whole House of Ifrael were in their 'Graves and Sepulchres, and were called, The Scattered, dry Bones, yet they could speak, and say; 'Their Bones were dry, their Hope was lost, (or they * were without Hope) and they were cut off: fo that they

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1687. they were alive outwardly, and could speak outward

ly. So, that which is called Christendom, may very Kingfton. well be called, The Scattered dry Bones, and they be 'faid to be in their Graves and Sepulchres, dead from 'the Heavenly Breath of Life, and from the Spirit ' and Word of Life, that gathereth to God: Though they can speak, and are alive outwarldly; yet they 'remain in the Congregations or Churches of the 'Dead, that want the Virtue of Life. For the Jews, 'whom God poured his Spirit upon, and gave them 'his Law; when they rebelled against the Spirit of 'God, and turned from God and his Law, then they 'came to be dry, scattered Bones, and were turned 'into their Graves and Sepulchres. And fo Chriften'dom, that is turned from the Grace, and Truth, and 'Light of Christ, and the Spirit, that God poureth upon all Flesh, they are become the scattered, dry Bones, and are in their Graves and Sepulchres; and are the Congregations or Churches of the Dead, tho' 'they can speak, and are alive outwardly.

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'Chrift faith, I am come, that they might have Life, ' and that they might have it more abundantly: And be gave his Flesh for the Life of the World. And he faith, 'I am the Resurrection and the Life; and, I am the Way, 'the Truth and the Life: No Man cometh unto the Fa*ther, but by me. And Christ is the quickening Spi'rit: All being dead in Adam, they are to be quicken' ed and made alive by Christ, the second Adam, And. ' when they are quickened and made alive by him, ' then they do meet together in the Name of Jefus Chrift their Saviour, who died for their Sins, and is ' risen for their Justification; and so was dead, and is 'alive again, and liveth for evermore. And all, whom ' he hath quickened and made alive (even all the Li'ving) do meet in the Name of Jesus, who is alive, ' and he, their living Prophet, Shepherd and Bishop, ' is in the midst of them; and is their living Rock and Foundation, and a living Mediator between them, and the living God. And so the Living do praise the living God through Jesus Chrift, through

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'his Holy Spirit and Truth, in which they live and 'walk. And into this Worship the foul, unclean Spi'rit, the Devil, cannot get; for the Holy Spirit and 'Truth is over him, and he is out of it: This is the 'standing Worfship, which Christ set up in his New 'Covenant. And they that are quickened, and made 'alive by Christ, are the living Stones, and living 'Members, and Spiritual Houshold and Church, or Congregation of Christ; who is the living Head and 'Husband. And they that are quickened, and made 'alive by Christ, are a living Church, and have a living Head; and are come from the Congregations or 'Churches of the Dead in Adam, where Death and De'struction talks of God, and of his Prophets and Apo'stles, in their Wisdom, that is below, and earthly ' and devilish, and in the Knowledge, that is Bruitish, ' and in the Understanding, that comes to naught. For 'what they know, is natural, by their natural Tongues, ' and Arts, and Sciences; in which they corrupt themselves. This is the state of the Dead in Adam: But 'the Quickned, and they that are made alive by 'Christ, do difcern between the Living and the

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1686. While I was at Kingston, I write also another Pa~per, shewing; That the Lord in all Ages called the RighKingston, teous out from amongst the Wicked, before be destroyed them. Which Paper here follows:

'Noah and his Family were called into the Ark, 'before the Old World was destroyed with the Flood ' of Water: And all the Faithful Generation, that li' ved before, were taken away, and died in the Faith, 'before that Flood of Destruction came upon the wick'ed Old World.

'The Lord did call Lot out of Sodom, before he did ' destroy and confume it, and the Wicked there.

'Christ said; It cannot be, that a Prophet perish out ' of Jerufalem: and he said; OJerufalem, Jerufalem, ' which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are 'fent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy Children together, as a Hen gathereth her Brood un' der ber Wings! but ye would not, Luke 13. 33, 34. ' And Christ said unto the Jews; Therefore also faid 'the Wisdom of God, I will send them Prophets and Apo'stles, and some of them they shall slay and perfecute; that the Blood of all the Prophets, which was shed from 'the Foundation of the World, may be required of this 'Generation; from the Blood of Abel, unto the Blood of • Zacharias, which perished between the Altar and the Temple. Verily, I say unto you, it shall be required of "this Generation, Luke 11.49, 50, 51. And Chrift 'said to the Jews; Behold, your Houses shall be left unto 'you defolate, Matth. 23.34, &c. And Christ told his 'Disciples, that the Temple at Jerufalem should be 'thrown down, and there should not be one stone left upon another, that should not be thrown down, Matth. 24.2. And Christ said to his Disciples, that he muft go to Jerufalem, and suffer many things of the Jews, Elders and chief Priests, and be killed; and be raised ' again the third day, Matth. 16.21. And Chrift faid, 'When ye shall fee Jerusalem compassed with Armies, then 'know, the Desolation thereof is nigh. And he foretold, that the Jews should fall by the Edge of the Sword, and should be led away Captive into all Na

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tions, and Jerufalem should be trodden down of the 1686. 'Gentiles, Luke 21. 20, 24. Here you may fee, how Ferufalem was often warned by Christ, and how of- Kingston. 'ten he would have gathered them, but they would not, 'before they were scattered over or into all Nations, ' and their Houses left defolate, and their Temple and Jerufalem besieged with Armies, and destroyed, and 'thrown down. And though the Disciples and Apo'stles of Chrift did meet, with the Elders and Church, 'at Jerufaler, after Christ was risen; yet Eufebius ' reporteth in his Ecclefiaftical History, That the Chrifti'ans at Jerufalem had a Vision, or a Revelation to de'part out of Jerufalem. And they being fore-warned 'also by Chrift, that when they should fee Jerufalem 'compassed with Armies, its Desolation was nigh; and 'that the Temple should be thrown down, and not one 'Stone left upon another: 'Tis said, that the Christians ' did depart out of bloody Jerusalem, before it and ' the Temple were destroyed by Titus the Emperor, • who besieged it with his Armies: who was of the • Gentiles, and destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem, • as Chrift had fore-spoken to his Disciples, because of the Wickedness of the Jews, and the Innocent Blood, ' that they had shed in it. And so the Lord called his People out of bloody Ferusalem, before he destroyed it. And it is said, that Titus did destroy ' the Temple and Jerufalem about two and forty Years ' after they had crucified Christ, and he was risen again; and that with so great a Destruction, that the • Jews never did build again the City of Jerufalem, ' nor the Temple (as Sodom was never built again, nor ' the Cities of the Old World :) But the Jews for a'bove these Thousand Years have been, and are a 'Scattered People in all Nations to this day; and Christ (whom they crucified) and his Doctrine is preached, and set over them: and the Gentiles, whom they 'hated, have received, and do receive him and his ' Doctrine, and do praise God for it through Jesus Chrift, Amen.

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