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lasting kingdom of God and Christ, that stands in power and righteousness, and joy, and peace in the holy ghost, and are of the new creation in Christ Jesus. And this seed shall be as the sand of the sea, and the dust of the earth, and the stars of the heaven, that cannot be numbered. Christ saw his seed, which are the children of his kingdom. 'He that hath an ear, let him hear.'

'Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.' Heb. xiii. 8. who exercises his prophetical office, as he is a heavenly prophet; who open people's eyes, to see spiritual and heavenly things; and Christ their saviour, who redeems and purchases them with his own life, his blood. And so Christ the prophet is to be heard in all things by his children, who enlightens every one that cometh into the world; that in the light they might see him, and hear him. And he openeth the book of conscience to them, and the book of life; that in it they may read and see their names written there; which book no man can open but Christ the lamb.

And Christ exercises his office as a heavenly bishop, who raises up his children out of the death in Adam, and makes them to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus; and he is a bishop to oversee them, that they do not go out of the heavenly places in him.

And Christ exercises his office as a heavenly shepherd among his spiritual sheep, and feeds them with his bread from heaven, and water of life in his heavenly pasture, and his sheep know his voice, and follow him.

And Christ exercises his office, as he is the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who rules in the hearts of his people by faith, that they all may be one, saith Christ; as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. And the glory that thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. John xvii. 21, 22, 23.

So Christ, the heavenly king and Lord, rules, orders, and governs in the hearts and souls of his children, who is the bishop and chief shepherd of the soul to oversee and feed his sheep.

Concerning our Baptism.

The apostle saith, 'There is one baptism.' Ephes. iv. 5. And 'by one spirit, we are all baptized into one body; whether we be Jews or Gentiles; whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit.' So this is the one spiritual baptism, which was set up above sixteen hundred years ago.

And you may see more of the distinction between John's baptism

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and Christ's, in my book, entitled, A distinction between the two baptisms, and the two suppers of Christ.'

How that John's baptism, with the elements of water did decrease, and Christ's baptism, with fire and the holy ghost doth increase; who thoroughly purges his floor, and burns up the chaff with unquenchable fire; and how Christ gathereth the wheat into his garner: and this is our baptism, and baptizer.

Edmondton, the 2d month, 1688.

G. F.

POSTSCRIPT.-The antiquity of our Cross.

THE apostle saith to the church of Christ, that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us that are saved, it is the power of God.' 1 Cor. i. 18. And such as were, and are enemies to the cross of Christ, were, and are enemies to the power of God. So all your stone, wooden, brass, silver, or gold crosses you have invented, and set up since the apostles' days, are not the cross of Christ, the power of God; but the works of your own hands. And the apostle saith, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world was crucified unto me, and I unto the world.' Gal. vi. 14. So it was the power of God, the cross of Christ, the apostle gloried in, by whom the world was crucified to him, and he unto the world; and this is our cross which we glory in, &c. which was set up above sixteen hundred years ago. And it is not like that it was a cross made of wood, stone, iron, brass, silver or gold, that the apostle, or the church of Christ gloried in; or that such outward, temporal, and wordly crosses, as men make and invent, should crucify people to the world. That which crucifies people to the world, and the world to them, is the cross of Christ, the power of God, which power of God, all are to bow down to, and their faith is to stand in it; and they are foolish and dark, that think a cross of stone, wood, iron, silver, or gold, which man hath made, is the cross of Christ, the power of God; and to bow to such worldly temporal things, and call them the cross of Christ, is contrary to the scriptures, that the apostles taught to the church of Christ in their days; and this was the church of Christ's cross in the apostles' days, and is the church of Christ's now. But they could not, nor can we, bow to any temporal outward worldly cross, that men have made with their hands, and bow down to them. For such as do worship the works of their own hands, are enemies to the cross of Christ, the of God. VOL. VI.

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power

G. F.

A spiritual or Heavenly salutation to all the tender-hearted in Christendom, that are seeking the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof; which I desire and entreat them to read over, in the love of God, in which they are sent to them, from him that desires the good of all mankind here, and their eternal hap piness hereafter. By G. F.

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To all the tender-hearted in Christendom, whose faces are turned towards heavenly Jerusalem, and whose minds are turned and drawn by the spirit of God to Christ, who is the new and living way to God, and the one mediator between God and man; who enlighteneth every one that cometh into the world, with his heavenly divine light, which is the life in Christ the word, by whom all things were made and created. Christ saith, Believe in the light, that ye may become children of the light.' So Christ who is not of the world, but from above, hath given us his light to believe in, and to walk in, that we may have the light of life; and he that believeth is a child of light, and born of God, and overcomes the world; and passes from the death that came by Adam, and is engrafted into Christ the life, the second Adam, and so are living stones or members of him the living head. And the children of this light, that walk in this light, have fellowship with the son and the Father, and one with another; and all christendom that walk not in the light that Christ hath given you, are not in this heavenly divine fellowship. But this prophecy we do witness fulfilled and fulfilling concerning Christ. God said, I will give him for a covenant of the people, and a light to the Gentiles, and he shall be my salvation to the ends of the earth.' Isa. xlix. 6. 8. So that they that come to know their salvation, and into covenant with God, they must come into the light of Christ, which giveth the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus, which light shines in their hearts, the heavenly treasure in the earthen vessels; and if all that is called Christendom, had believed in the light, the life in Christ, which Christ giveth, and teacheth to believe in that which he giveth them, then had they been all children of the light, and of the day of Christ, in unity and fellowship in the light, and then they had not made so many faiths and beliefs which they have destroyed one another about. And if all Christendom had observed the apostle's doctrine to the church of Christ, who exhorted them to look to Jesus the author and finisher of their faith,' then they would not have made so many faiths, about which they have persecuted one another. Whercas no manner of men below, can make a catholic divine faith; for I say, that Christ Jesus is the beginner and finisher of our holy, divine, precious, catholic or uni

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versal faith, which he the Holy One, doth reveal from faith to faith. And the mystery of this holy faith is held in a pure conscience, and not in an impure one; and it purifies the heart, and gives victory over that which displeases God, and separates from God; in which holy faith, which we have from the Holy One, we please the holy God which gives us the victory over that which displeases him and separates from him, and have access to him. In this holy divine faith is our unity; so Christ has the honour, who is the author of our faith, and finisher of it, and likewise gives us his light, the life in himself. And happy had all christendom been, had they kept to the apostle's doctrine, to the church of Christ, who said, The grace of God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men, and teacheth us, (namely, christians, then and now,) to live godly, righteously, and soberly, and deny unrighteousness and worldly lusts.' Now I say, happy had all christians been since the apostles' days, if they had kept to this grace of God their teacher, which would have brought their salvation, and would have brought them into favour with God. If they had, then there would not have been so many itching ears, and have set up so many schools and colleges to make teachers, which brings Christendom into confusion one against another. Some may say, 'Is this grace suflicient? God said to Paul, it was sufficient, when he was in his trials and temptations; and thousands can witness, that the grace of God is sufficient, and doth teach them what to deny, and how to live, and doth bring their salvation. For as the law came by Moses, in the old testament, and the Jews were to live under it; so grace and truth is come by Jesus in the new testament, and this grace and truth is in the hearts of God's people, and they are under grace's teaching, and in the covenant of grace. For Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man, that they may all come out of the death in Adam, to the light and life in him, by his light, grace, truth, and faith in their hearts, that he is the author of; for there is a prophecy in Joel, that God would pour out his spirit upon all flesh,' which the apostles in Acts ii. show the fulfilling of to the Jews. And now what is the matter that all the sons, daughters, servants, handmaids, and old men in christendom, have not their heavenly prophecies, visions, and dreams? Is it not because they have erred from the spirit of God, and vex, quench, and grieve it, that he hath poured upon them, and become like the Jews, to whom God gave his spirit, but they rebelled against it? Therefore, is not all christendom on heaps one against another, out of fellowship? Therefore the means by which all christendom, and all people are to come into unity and fellowship in the spirit, is, that they must come all into the spirit that God hath poured upon them, by which spirit they must be circumcised, and have the body of sin and death cut off, which they came into by transgression in Adam,

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who had none before he fell; and they must be baptized with the spirit, to plunge down sin by this spirit. I say, all must be baptized into one body, and so all to drink into one spirit; this spirit of God brings all into fellowship and unity, for the spirit of God is the bond of peace,' and in it is the profiting; and it openeth the heavenly prophecies, visions, and dreams to God's people now, as it did in the apos tles' days. Christ Jesus set up a worship above sixteen hundred years ago, in the spirit and in the truth, when he put down the Jews' worship at Jerusalem, and the Samaritans' at Jacob's well, and said, The hour cometh, and now is, that they that worship the Father, must worship him in spirit and in truth, for such he seeketh to worship him.' And therefore all must come to the spirit of God and his truth in their hearts, by which truth and spirit in their hearts, they must know the God of truth, an infinite spirit, and in his truth and in his spirit, to worship and serve the God of truth. And if all christendom had kept to the truth and spirit in their hearts, they had kept to the worship that Christ, the Lord from heaven has set up, (for none can set up a better than he,) and then they had not set up so many worships, and persecuted one another about them. But all people must return to the spirit of God and the truth in their hearts, if they will serve and worship God their creator; for God is come to teach his people himself, by his son; for as the apostle saith, God at sundry times and in divers manners, spake to the fathers by the prophets, but now in these last days God hath spoken to us by his son;' who bruises the serpent's head, who hath been the head of all false speakers and false religions, churches, ways, and worships. But God is the speaker now to his people by his son, who was the speaker to Adam in paradise; but when Adam forsook God's teaching, and followed the serpent's, he lost his happiness; so have the Jews and the christians. Therefore all must return by the spirit, light, grace, and truth of Jesus, to Christ Jesus the great prophet, shepherd, bishop, leader, and counsellor, that they may hear God speak to them by his son. And he that hath the son hath life, and he that hath not the son hath not life,' though he may make a profession of all the scriptures. And none can receive the son, but by the light, grace, and truth that comes from him, in their hearts. Why are not all christendom the sons and daughters of God, which make a profession of Christ? Is it not because they do not receive Christ, in his grace and truth in their hearts, which comes from him? For Adam and Eve, by eating of that which God forbid, brought death on them and their posterity that have sinned. Rom. v. 12. And now Christ the second Adam, saith, that he is the bread from heaven, and except they eat this bread from heaven, &c. that he gives, they have not life in him.' So by eating came death, and by eating comes life again; it is

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