about God, and about his Son Chrift Jefus, to this inward fenfe and expe

rience of them?

God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, bath fhined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift, 2 Cor. iv. 6. Oh! how precious is it to be able to witnefs this in meafure! to experience God fhining upon my tabernacle (as Job fpeaks, Job xxix. 2, 3.) and by his light my walking through darkness! It is true, Chrift was the light, he had the fullness of light, and the apoftles a very great proportion: but, bleffed be the Lord, I have received fome, and am changed by it, and become light in the Lord; and walk with God, and dwell with God in the light, even as he is light, and dwells and walks in the light. Is not this a bleffed teftimony? and is not he bleffed who can fet his feal to it?

Which veil is done away in Chrift, 2 Cor. iii. 14. It was promised of old, that in the mountain, where God would make the feast of fat things, he would deftroy, fwallow up, or do away the veil, or that which veils the life and glory of the Lord from man, and hinders it from being revealed in him, Isaiah xxv. 6, 7. Now in Chrift there is no veil; in his light, life, fpirit, and power, there is no veil : where they are inwardly manifefted and received, the veil is done away, and the glory of the mystery revealed and beheld.

If ye continue in my word, then are ye my difciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth fhall make you free, John viii. 31, 32. What is this word which the difciples of the Lord Jefus Chrift are to continue in? Is it any less than Spirit and life? And what is it to be a disciple indeed, but to learn the law of life at his mouth, and to continue therein? And what is the truth which makes free? Is it not the living Truth (the Word which lives and abides for ever) the powerful Truth, the operative Truth? This cuts between a man and his lovers; this divides between foul and fpirit, joints and marrow, and makes the foul free from that evil spirit which hath embondaged it. It fanctifieth, it cleanfeth, it reneweth, it quickeneth, it giveth ftrength, it maketh free from the foul's enemies, from the bondage of fin and corruption, and brings into the glorious liberty of the fons of God: and they that are made free from fin by that which is contrary to fin, and which fubdues, overcomes, and deftroys fin, they doubtlefs are free indeed. Oh! precious is it to experience this, even the truth that is free from fin, and makes free from fin all that truly know it, and are joined to it, and live

and abide in it!

For fin fhall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, lut under grace, Rom. vi. 14. What's the law? what's the miniftration of the law? Is it not the ministration of the letter? of that which is holy and righteous, by an outward or literal command? What's grace? Is it not the inward teacher, which inwardly inftructeth to deny ungodliness and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly, &? Is it not the mini

ftration

ftration of the Spirit and power? Is it not the miniftration of the new covenant, where the law of the Spirit of life in Chrift Jefus is written in the heart, and the commandment of life made eafy by the power of the Lord Jefus, who manifefts himself within to make willing unto, and to ftrengthen to obedience?

Now they that are under this grace, under this Spirit, under this power, doth it not break the power and dominion of fin in them, and fet them free therefrom? Can fin break in upon those who dwell under the shadow of the Almighty? Indeed a man may be under a literal difpenfation of holy commands against fin, and yet be under the power of fin: but he that is gathered under the wing of Chrift, under the grace and Spirit of the gospel, turned from Satan's power to God's power, and within the wall and bulwark thereof, he witneffeth this true, Sin bath not dominion, fin cannot bave dominion, fin fhall not have dominion over you. No device of the enemy fhall be able to hurt or destroy on God's holy mountain; for his light fhines there to difpel the darkness, and his power is revealed there, to fcatter and dafh in pieces the strength of the enemy whenever it appears.

Upon all the glory fhall be a defence, Ifaiah iv. 5. Oh! the Lord God, by the Spirit and power of the gofpel, in the day thereof, is bringing many fons to glory, into great, inward, fpiritual glory; yea, into exceeding glory (for the miniftration of the Spirit exceeds in glory). And as God hath ordained this glorious miniftration for his fons and daughters under the new covenant, fo by the Spirit and power of the new covenant, when it breaks forth, he is daily working, tranflating, and changing them, out of the earthly nature and image, into his own divine nature, into his own heavenly glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18. And, bleffed be the Lord, the defence of his power is fpread over the glory of his holy mountain, fo that nothing can make a prey of, or devour the birth of life, or deprive of the inheritance of life there. The Lord doth not only give a bleffed lot and lines in pleafant places, but he maintains the lot of his children; fo that they can dwell in their Father's houfe, and feed on the heavenly food and rich dainties of the kingdom, in the majesty of the name of the Lord their God; which is fuch a dread unto the enemies, and such a defence about them, as none can make afraid: but they are kept in perfect peace, in perfect reft, in pure love, out of which life fprings and flows continually.

And in that day thou shalt fay, O Lord, I will praife thee; though thou waft angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. Behold, God is my falvation: I will truft and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my Strength and fong, be alfo is become my falvation. Therefore with joy fhall ye draw water out of the wells of falvation, Isaiah xii. 1, 2, 3. Oh! precious to witness the inward fpiritual day of redemption and deliverance, wherein praises from a living fenfe naturally fpring up to the Lord! to witnefs the reproofs at an end, the anger, indignation, trouble, and forrow at an end, and the Comforter come, miniftering peace, joy, and comfort to the foul!

Ah!

Ah! when the Lord is felt, the falvation (his prefence, his power, his life, his virtue the falvation); when faith fprings towards him, and the fear of the enemy (or concerning the enemy) is banished; when he is experienced to be the foul's daily ftrength against him; yea, and doth fo deliver, that instead of the former fear, because of the fury and oppreffion of the enemy, the foul can now fing, because of that ftrength and heavenly authority, which the Lord putteth forth and exerciseth in the heart against him! When the well of life, the well of falvation, the Saviour's well, is kept open, and the Philiftines, the uncircumcifed fpirit, power and nature, caft out, that they can ftop it no more; but the foul can draw the water of life out of the well and fountain of life with joy; ah! then the gospel-difpenfation is indeed known, and the bleffed eftate thereof witneffed and experienced!

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayeft be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayeft be cloathed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-falve, that thou mayeft fee, Rev. iii. 18. What is the gold tried in the fire, which man is to buy of Chrift, that he may be made rich therewith? What is the white raiment which the foul is to be cloathed with, without which it is naked in God's fight, and in the fight of the truly discerning (and there is a time when the fhame of its nakedness will appear more generally, as it doth already to the eye of the fpiritual man who judgeth all things)? What is the eye-falve wherewith the eye is to be anointed, or it cannot fee? Is it not precious to purchase this gold and raiment of Christ, and to have this eye-falve to anoint the eye with, and to keep it open that it may daily fee its way, and walk in the light of the Lord? Certainly this is all inward and fpiritual, as a remnant witness it this day; glory to the Lord God.

ye

But the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you; and need not that any man teach you: but as the fame anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lye; and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him, 1 John ii. 27. The outward anointing was a fhadow of the inward, and had a glory in it under the difpenfation of the law; and the inward anointing in the gospel-difpenfation is fpiritual and divine, and exceeding glorious. Chrift, the anointed one, anoints all his. No being a fon, without being begotten by the Spirit and power of the Father; and no abiding a fon, but by the virtue and power of the fame Spirit, remaining in and with the foul; fo that every fon receives of the anointing of the Father: Christ received the Spirit, the fullness, that he might give to them a proportion. Now to experience this anointing, and to experience it abiding and teaching all things; and to know this voice, the voice of the fhepherd, the voice of the anointing, which the sheep ftill finds to be true, and no lie, and to abide in the vine, in the life, in the Spirit, in the power, as this Spirit or anointing teacheth: Oh! here's the sweet state, the clear ftate, the bleffed state! Here the promises and bleffings are Yea and Amen in Chrift:

and

and the foul can fay, he is faithful and juft who hath promifed, who hath opened the treasures of life to his family, to his houfe, to his children, to his fervants, and blefieth them with all spiritual bleffings, in heavenly things, in Chrift.

Surely his falvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land: mercy and truth are met; righteousness and peace bave kiffed. Truth fhall Spring out of the earth; and righteousness fhall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord fhall give that which is good; and our land fhell yield her increase. Righteoufnefs fhall go before him, and shall fet us in the way of his steps, Pfal. lxxxv. 9. to the end. Is it not precious to witnefs that fear of God in the heart to which falvation is nigh, and the land wherein glory dwells? Where mercy and truth meet, righteousness and peace kifs? Where truth fprings out of the earth, and righteoufnefs looks down from heaven? Where God gives that which is good, and the land of the living yields the increase of life to him? Where righteoufnefs goes before him, and he fets his in the way of his fteps? Where the Lamb goes before, and the way is not known, but as the Lamb goes before and leads into it? Where God is the fhepherd, and the foul doth not want, because he maketh it to lie down in paftures of tender grafs, and leadeth by the waters of quietnefs (where it drinks of the brook in the way) and in the paths of righteoufnefs for his name's fake? See Pfal. xxiii. Is there not a kingdom of darkness, a land of iniquity inwardly? and do not they that dwell there, and fit there, dwell in darkness, and fit in the region and fhadow of death? And is there not a travel out of this land into the holy land (the land of light, the land of the living) and a tranflation out of this kingdom into the kingdom of the dear Son? And is not God the fhepherd there? Chrift the bishop of the foul there? and doth not he overfee and take care, of fouls there, leading them into fresh paftures, and by the foft flowing waters? Is not falvation nigh there, yea, round about that land? Do not mercy and truth meet there? righteousness and peace kifs there? yea, doth not the glory of the Moft High dwell in, and overfhadow that land? Is not the eye of the Lord upon it for good, from one end of the year to the other? doth not he watch over it night and day, that none hurt it, and water it in the proper seasons? Oh! who can utter the goodnefs and glory of the Lord which is revealed and shines here!

Rev. iii. 20. Behold, I ftand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will fup with him, and be with me. Here are feveral things, which, in their order and feafons, the living come to a certain and fenfible experience of.

As, First, Chrift ftanding at the door and knocking. What is the door at which he ftands? and how doth he knock? How doth the contrary spirit knock? how doth his Spirit knock?

Secondly, What is his voice? and how is his voice heard? To hear Wifdom's cry within, in the inward streets; his call at the door, at which he would

enter;

enter; must not the true ear in fome measure be opened first? Can any one

hear without an ear?

Thirdly, What it is to open the door? There is a door-keeper's ftate to be witnessed, and the right door-keeper knows how to open and how to shut the door, and is exercised in opening and shutting the door. The king of glory is to be opened to, and let in; but no wolf, no ftranger, no ftrange fpirit, is to be hearkened or opened to.

Fourthly, What Chrift's coming in is at the door opened to him? When he knocks, would he not come in? Would he ftand always at the door knocking? Nay, nay; when the door is opened at which he knocks, he who is the refurrection and the life enters; the king of righteousness, the king of peace, enters; he who is the wifdom and power of God enters; and what becomes of the power and goods of the enemy then? Doth he not kill and destroy them? Doth he not confume and devour them? Doth he not empty the house of them, and garnish the house with that which is truly pure, glorious, and beautiful?

Laftly, What is it to have him fup with the foul? And what is it for the foul to fup with him? Is not here eating and drinking in his Father's kingdom? Doth he not first destroy the devil's kingdom, and then fet up his own kingdom? And doth he not faft with the foul, and feaft with the foul, in the kingdom which he fets up there? Oh! that all men knew how near he who is eternal life is to them! Doth not God fearch the heart? Is not he near the heart? Doth not his light fhine there, in the midst of man's darkness and corruption? Doth not his power reach thither, and affault and trouble the enemy? Doth not his pure love wherewith he loveth man pierce thither? Doth he not knock? Doth he not call? Doth he not touch? Doth he not draw? Doth he not give, at times, fome living tender sense to many hearts, who too much neglect and defpife him, and regard not the day of his tender vifiting them, and calling after them? Oh! how is the love of God, the Spirit of God, the life of God, the wisdom of God, the power of God, the drawings and inftructions of his grace day by day refifted by the wisdom and will of the flesh, in those that are born thereof, and hearken thereto, and fo live after the flesh, and not after that which reproves the flesh?

Many more fcriptures might be mentioned, and alfo fenfibly and livingly witneffed to; but these are enough to give a taste. The Lord open mens understandings into the thing itself, and give them the key which opens into the truth, even into the mystery thereof, wherein is the hidden life and virtue. Amen.