so that the saints come to bear the heavenly image of Christ, and know one another in Christ, that hath quickened them, and made them alive in him, and know one another in his heavenly image. And so, as all have borne the image of the earthly, we must also bear the image of the heavenly; and as all are born in Adam, they must be born again of the spirit, before they can see the kingdom of God, or enter into it. For Peter saith in his General Epistle to the church of Christ, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, (so here is a seed that will corrupt, and a seed that will not corrupt,) but of incorruptible seed by the word of God, which lives and endures for ever.'

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man, as the flower of the grass, which withereth and fadeth away.' And Christ saith, 'That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit, is spirit.' And Peter saith, The word of the Lord endureth for ever;' by which the saints were born of the incorruptible seed; and those that were born again of the incorruptible seed, by the word of God, desired the sincere milk of the word, that they might grow thereby. Now, they which were and are born of the immortal seed, fed and do feed upon the immortal milk of the word, and by it grow up in the incorruptible seed; and these stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel of Christ; which is the practice of all the spiritual; and so every one is kept to their own measure of the spirit of God. And the apostle saith to the Philippians, that every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but much more in my absence, so work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.'

So here again you may sce, every one is to keep your own measure of grace and truth, and the spirit of God in you, to confess Christ Jesus; and the spiritual could see with the spirit one another's spiritual obedience, though absent, as well as present, (Philippians ii.) and in that was their spiritual joy.

And John saith, I baptize you indeed with water unto repentance, but he that comes after me, (namely Christ,) who is mightier than I, whose shoe-latchet I am not worthy to unloose; he shall baptize you with the holy ghost and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat into his garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.' Matt. iii. 11, 12. Luke iii. 16.

Now all that are baptized with the baptism of Christ, with fire, and with the holy ghost, they know their floor to be thoroughly purged, and their chaff of sin and corruption burnt up with unquenchable fire,

and their wheat to be gathered into God's garner, by Christ their baptizer, a safe place from the devil's devouring vermin; and Christ that is this baptizer is mightier than John. And so all you that know this baptism of Christ, and that you are wheat gathered into God's garner, that is a safe place from all the destroyers and devourers, for no destroyer nor devourer can come into God's garner, to hurt his wheat, nor no unclean thing can come into his everlasting kingdom, nor his holy city, heavenly Jerusalem; for all the unclean and abominable spoilers and devourers are without. And therefore ye are happy who know the baptism of Christ, and that he hath gathered God's seed, yea, his wheat, into his garner, where no devourer nor destroyer can come, though the Lord may suffer or permit the destroyer which is out of the truth, to spoil your outward goods, for a trial to you, as he did Job; but the Lord can make rich again with these outward things, for the earth is the Lords, and the fulness thereof, and he gives the increase.

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John saith, In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, and all things were made by him, (to wit, the word,) and without him was not any thing made that was made, and in him was life, (to wit, the word,) and the life was the light of men, and that was the true light which enlightens every man that comes into the world.' John i. And Christ, who is the word, who was made flesh, saith, Believe in the light, that ye may become the children of the light.' John xii.

So there is no coming to be children of the light, but by believing in the light, which is the life in Christ the word; and they that believe in the light, are grafted into Christ Jesus the word, by which all things were made and created; and all that walk in the light as he is in the light, have fellowship one with another, and see one another to be children of the light and of the day of Christ; and though they be absent in the body one from another, yet they behold one another in the light, and they have fellowship in the light, and are children of the day of Christ, as is said before. . So here every one is kept to the witness; for he that believes in the light, is become a child of the light, and hath the witness in himself, and is sealed with the spirit of the promise of this life, and that which is to come; and so are kept to their own witness and seal in which they have unity and fellowship.

And John saith, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life, for the life was manifest, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show it unto you, (to wit, the church,) that eternal life which was with the Father, and and was manifest to us; that which we have seen and heard, we declare VOL. VI.

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unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ.

Here you may see what was the fellowship that John brought the church of Christ into, namely, into the fellowship with the Father and his son Jesus Christ, that he himself and others were in, and this was a spiritual, heavenly fellowship; and though they were absent in the body one from another, yet they were present in the spirit. Here every one keeps to their own testimony of Jesus, and record, which record is eternal life, and this life is in his son.

And the apostle declared the word of life, which was in the beginning, which they had heard, and seen, and handled; this word of life, they bore witness unto, by which all things were made and created; and so the apostle brought the saints to hear, to see, and to handle the word of God, which was in the beginning. So that they were to look over all the ways, and religions, and worships, and doctrines of men, which have been set up since the beginning, and not to cumber themselves by hearing, and looking upon, and handling the doctrines and commandments of men, and the worships, and religions, and the rudiments, and elements, and inventions of the world, and the fellowships which have been set up since the beginning, where all the confusion is And they which will have fellowship with the Father and the son, must see with their eyes, and handle with their hands, and hear with their ears, and bear witness to the word of life, which was in the beginning, if that they have fellowship with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ; which fellowship is above all the fellowships since the beginning, set up and invented by man; yea, it is above the Jews' fellowships in their outward elementary things, which have been set up since the beginning, which did serve in the old testament until Christ the seed did come; but now in the new testament, the true christians' fellowship is with the Father and with the son, by whom all things were made and created; and all fellowships below this will come to nothing. And 'He that hath the son, he hath life; and he that hath not the son of God, hath not life.' 1 John v. 12. Therefore, let all that profess themselves christians, examine your own selves, whether you be in the holy, pure, divine faith that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of.

And prove your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates.' 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Is not a reprobate, a mind void of judgment and the knowledge of life eternal? And such reprobates that Christ is not in, they cannot meet in his name.

And Christ said to the church of Laodicea, Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man will hear my voice, and will open the door, I will come into him, and sup with him, and he with me;' and this was the supper that Christ preached to John, and to the church, after he

was ascended: for John had taken the supper of the elements of bread and wine in the same night that Christ was betrayed, before Christ was crucified; but now John writes to the church, and tells them of another supper, the marriage supper of the lamb, which is a nearer, and a more inward supper, than taking the elements of bread and wine in remembrance of Christ's death, which Christ gave to his disciples before he was crucified, and said, As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, do it in remembrance of me, and to show forth his death until he come.' But after Christ was risen, and ascended, he saith, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man will hear my voice, and open the door,' to wit, of his heart, mind, and soul, (by joining to the light, grace, and truth of Jesus,) I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me;' and is not this the marriage supper of the lamb? And is not this supper beyond, and a further supper, than taking the elements of bread and wine in remembrance of his death, to wit, to sup with Christ in his resurrection and ascension? he with them, to wit, in their hearts, and they with him? And they hear his voice, and so Christ is in them, then they are no reprobates. And he that hath the son of God hath life; for may not reprobates take bread and wine in remembrance of Christ's death, and not hear his voice after his resurrection and ascension? And can any that do not hear the voice of Christ, nor open the door of their hearts to let Christ in, sup with him, and he with them, at the heavenly marriage supper of the lamb, which is the last supper that Christ calls people to after his resurrection and ascension? which blessed are they that come to the marriage supper of the lamb, and sup with him, and he with them.

Christ, the seed of the woman, is come and manifest in the male and female, who bruises the serpent's head; and if the serpent doth put out his head, who is the seed of enmity and strife, and puffs up the high and conceited mind, with his jingling and sounding brass, and tinkling cymbals; but the seed of the woman, which is manifest in the male and female, will bruise his head, and into the pit and lake he must go, from whence he came, with all his followers. And I say again, to your own grace and truth, and the spirit and gospel of Christ, and the light, which is the life in Christ the word, that with this heavenly light, you all, males and females, may see your service for God and Christ, that you are to do and act for his glory, both in your men's and women's meetings and families, and other ways.

And therefore every one to your own, to your own, I say, the seed Christ in all, males and females; which is the heir of the promise, which is in this life and that which is to come; for the serpent set first on the woman, the weaker vessel; but now the seed of the woman is come into the females as well as in the males, that bruises the head of the ser

pent, and that makes the serpent so to rage, that Christ should be in the females as well as the males, to bruise his head, that he cannot set upon the weaker vessels, as he did upon Eve, and that now the women should have a meeting in Christ, and in his name, and through Christ, they should be too hard in and through Christ, for the serpent to bruise his head, and tread him under their feet through Christ; and he should be their redeemer, saviour, sanctifier, justifier, and their righteousness, and wisdom, and mediator, and so that they should be married to Christ that takes away their sin, and that Christ should be a faithful and true witness in the female as well as in the male. Oh! this is that which hath made the serpent, the old dragon, in his instruments, to rage against Christ the faithful witness in the females, because that he cannot deceive them as he did Eve; but he that is in the female, bruises the serpent's head, Christ the faithful and true witness. So in Christ, male and female all are one; I say, in Christ the faithful and true witness, and they are true witnesses of God and Christ, and of what he hath commanded them, in his spirit, power, and wisdom, to do and act to his glory. And so the females in Christ are to be teachers of good things, and labourers in the gospel, and servants in and to the church, as Phoebe was.

The serpent cries nowadays, to your own;' but what is that but to deceive and to lead out to his own, and from the seed of the woman that bruises the serpent's head, and is manifest in the males and females, in which seed the females do meet, and have their meetings, as well as the males; and therefore the serpent or old dragon is so wroth against Christ the seed of the woman, in the males and females, and his peaceable government, of the increase whereof there is no end. And the serpent casts forth his floods of lies, and calumnies, and reproaches against the seed of the woman, and they that do possess it; but the promise was, The seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head,' for he is out of the truth, who is the head of all wickedness, and who gives his power to the beast: so the raging beast and the foul spirit mixeth together against the lamb or seed of the woman, and crieth 'to your own,' to draw people from Christ, who is formed in them, and to bring them to fall under the dragon, and the beast, and the whore of Babylon's power; but the lamb who is manifest in his males and females, will have the victory over the whore, beast, and the old serpent the dragon, and will overcome them. And in the lamb or seed of the woman, the females do meet as well as the males, and they are all one in him; though they are absent in the body, yet they are present in Christ, their own head and husband, salvation, and life eternal; and all such cry, 'We are come to our own husband, and to our own city, heavenly Jerusalem, our one mother of us all, that are born again of