faith say, in which there is not victory over the body of death and sin whilst upon the earth, as they say.

And Christ saith, Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.' John v. 24. Now if the believers in Christ are passed from death to life, and have everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, then they are not like to carry the body of death, if they be passed from the death in Adam, to the life in Christ. But satan's priests, ministers, and teachers cannot be the true believers, that say, they must carry a body of death to the grave; such remain under condemnation, (in the death in Adam,) by the light of Christ. John v. 24. And Christ saith, I am the light of the world, and whosoever believeth on me, shall not abide in darkness. Now if the believers in Christ do not abide in darkness, then they do not abide under the devil the power of darkness. For John saith, he that believeth overcomes the world, then the world's god. John xii. 46. and 1 John. 5. Again John saith, We know that ye are passed from death to life.' 1 John iii. 14. This was while they were upon the earth; then they were passed from the body of death, and the devil the power of death, which satan's ministers, priests, and teachers plead for, which first came in by hearkening to satan's teaching, and forsaking God's teaching. And by hearkening to God and Christ's teaching, they came out of death and darkness, and put off the body of death and sins of the flesh, and put off the old man with his deeds while they were upon the earth, and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, whilst upon the earth. Ephes. iv. 24. And so they that be in Christ are new creatures, and old things are passed away. And again the apostle saith to the saints, 'Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.' Col. iii. 9, 10. And this was while they were upon the earth. And so it is clear the outward body is not the body of death, and body of sin, nor the old man. For after the old man is crucified, and the body of death and sins of the flesh put off, the saints bodies are the members of Christ, and the temple of the holy ghost, and the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.' And this was while they were upon the earth, before they went to the grave. Rom. vi. 6. 1 Cor. vi. 15. 19. 2 Cor. vi. 16.

And the apostle saith, but now Christ once in the end of the world hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself,' and Christ said, I come to do the will of God, by which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all; for by one

offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Hebrews ix. 26. and x. 9, 10. 14.

Now here you may see Christ putteth away sin, and we are sanctified by his will, in and through the offering of his body once for all, and by his one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. But such as do not believe to have their sins put away, and to be sanctified and perfected here, they do not believe in Christ the one sacrifice and offering. It is a general saying by the priests, teachers, and professors, that none keep the commands of God. So in this they would make the commands of God grievous, who say, none can live and keep the commandments of God. The Lord saith, 'Thou shalt have no other gods besides me,' (to wit,) who is your Maker and Creator. And what! cannot you live, but you must make gods and graven images, or likenesses of things in heaven, or in the earth, or in the waters, and bow down to them? And cannot you live, but you must dishonour your father and mother? And cannot you live, but you must take the name of the Lord God in vain? And cannot you live, but you must kill, steal, commit adultery, and bear false witness against your neighbour? And cannot you live, but you must covet your neighbour's house, and his wife, and his man servant, maid servant, ox, or ass?

The young man in the gospel told Christ, that from his youth he had kept the commands of God, though he could not sell all and give to the poor, and follow Christ, who is the end of the law for righteousness' sake to every one that believes. Matt. xix. 20, 21. Rom. x. 4. Zachariah and his wife were both righteous, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of God blameless.' Surely they kept the commandments and ordinances of the Lord then, if they walked in them blameless, as before. And the apostle said to the Galatians, all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' Gal. v. 14. And the apostle saith to the Romans, owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loves another fulfilleth the law, for he that loveth God, will not make any other gods. Love will not take God's name in vain. Love will not dishonour father nor mother. Love doth not kill, steal, commit adultery, nor bear false witness. Love doth not covet neighbour's house, wife, servant, ox, or ass. He that loves his neighbour as himself, this love works no evil to his neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Rom. xiii. 8, 9, 10. Now they that be out of this love of God, say they cannot keep the commands of God, but they do not say they cannot keep the commands of the devil, they are easy enough to them; and the old world, the earth was corrupted by them, and the earth was filled with violence, and all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. Gen. vi. 11,

12. And the Lord brought a flood upon them and destroyed them, saving Noah and his family. And the Lord turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, and delivered just Lot, whose soul was vexed from day to day with their unlawful deeds, as in 2 Pet. ii. 2. 6, 7, 8. Mark, their unlawful deeds; those unlawful deeds were easy enough for them, though the deeds of the law were hard enough for them, as they say now. And you may see in Rev. xix. 2. the judgment of the great whore which did corrupt the earth, which is called the mystery of Babylon, or confusion, the mother of harlots, and abomination of the earth. Rev. xvii. 5.

Now this whore, or false church, which is whored from Christ, and corrupteth the earth, which rideth upon the beast, and sitteth upon the prophets, multitudes, nations, and tongues, which are called waters. And is not this whore, or false church, called a cage of unclean birds? And hath not she her teachers among the nations, peoples, multitudes, and tongues? And did not the dragon give his power to the beast, that this whore, the false church rideth upon, like Balaam upon his ass? And is it like for the beast, (Rev. xvi. 13.) in the dragon's power, which the whore, the false church rideth upon? or for the false prophet, or the unclean spirits, (Rev. xvii. 8. 15.) like frogs that went out of the mouth of the beast and the false prophet? or for the peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, that the whore that corrupteth the earth sitteth upon, and hath made them like waters; I say, is it like for all these to own perfection, and overcome the old man and his lusts, and the body of death and sins of the flesh, whilst on this side the grave? And though all these do make war against the Lamb and the saints, the Lamb, I say, that takes away the sins of the world, he shall and will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and they that are with him are called chosen and faithful. And will not the whore, and the beast in the dragon's power, false prophets, and all their followers, say, that none can keep the law of God and his commands; but they will not say, they cannot keep the beast's, whore's, dragon's, and false prophets.' The apostle saith, the law is spiritual, just, and good, &c. And David saith, the law is light; and how are men like to keep the law of God which is spiritual, and be whored from the spirit of God, and hate his light, and be out of the truth, and do it not? And is not the end of the whore, beast, false prophet, dragon, or devil, and all his followers, to be consumed and destroyed with fire, as the old world was with water? And the beast, false prophet, and whore, or false church, that take their power from the devil, that abode not in the truth, and set up a worship, and compel others to that worship, and to drink that whore's cup that is whored from the truth; they that worship God in his spirit and truth as Christ commands, and hath set up,

cannot drink the whore's cup, nor cannot bow to the dragon, the beast's worship, which hath been set up by the dragon's power, which is out of the truth.

Job saith, no man knows the price of wisdom, it cannot be gotten for gold nor silver, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof; for it cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, or with the precious onix, or sapphire, or pearls, or coral, or rubies. Now all these and many other things may be purchased with the price of gold and silver; and all the histories, libraries, and all the books and authors in the world may be purchased with gold and silver; and all the sciences and natural arts, these may all be purchased and learned for gold and silver; and that which the world calls philosophy, and its books, may all be purchased for gold and silver; and all outward knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, which they may get a great deal of knowledge from this tree, without life and the true heavenly wisdom, and be like unto the fowls of the air, and the lion's whelps, and the fierce lions, and ravenous beasts; but no unclean thing comes in the way and path of the heavenly wisdom, which cannot be gotten nor bought for gold nor silver, nor precious stones, nor jewels, nor fine gold, for man knows not the price of it. Job xxviii. Isa. xxxv. And unto man, God said, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.' So it is clear, they that fear God and depart from evil, shall have both wisdom and understanding, though they have not gone to the schools and colleges to learn the priests' seven arts and sciences, and without the great shops of old histories and authors, and the world's philosophy, which things may puff up the fowls of the air, and the vultures and ravenous beasts, with the outward tree of knowledge without life. The Lord saith, Every man is brutish by his knowledge.' And again he saith, Every man is brutish in his knowledge; the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord.' Jeremiah x. 14. 21. and lvii. 17.

Here you may see what men get by their outward knowledge; for when Adam and Eve fed upon the tree of knowledge, then the lamb was slain in them from the foundation of the world. And when the Lamb Christ was manifest in the flesh, then they that were in this outward brutish knowledge and wisdom below, crucified Christ outwardly without the gates of Jerusalem. And after, when christianity was spread up and down the world, and many got an outward form of christianity and denied the power, and got into this brutish outward knowledge and wisdom below, they crucified to themselves Christ afresh, as in Hebrews vi. 6. And the beast and whore was, and is in this brutish knowledge and wisdom below, that killed the Lord's witnesses, and the martyrs, and compelled all the world to worship, and to drink the

whore's cup, and all did drink and worship, but whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life, slain from the foundation of the world. Rev. xiii. 8. And the beast in the dragon's power, with the seven heads and ten horns, which the whore or false church rideth upon, as Balaam did upon his ass. And this whore, or false church, sitteth, or rideth upon peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, which are called waters. So she makes peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, like Balaam's ass, and these ten horns of the beast are ten kings, which received power from the dragon; and these ten kings, or ten horns, should hate the whore, or false church, and make her desolate, and burn her with fire, which is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth. So these ten kings that hate the whore, the false church, and burn her with fire, will not then suffer her to reign over them, and ride upon them like Balaam upon his ass. Rev. xvii. 1 to the end. For glory to the Lord God for ever, Christ reigns in all his true believers and followers, who is the prince of life and peace, who was before the devil, beast, whore, and his followers were, and will be when they are all gone.

And John said, 'There appeared a wonder in heaven, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head,' the old serpent, the devil, and satan. Was not this a proud devil? And his tail drew the third part of the stars from heaven, (had not these been some stars in the church ?) and cast them to the earth. These stars were lights in the night; but he was cast out of heaven, and persecuted the woman the true church, which had the moon under her feet. And John saw a beast rise out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads ten crowns; and was not this a proud beast? And the dragon gave the beast his power, and his seat, and great authority, and the world worshipped this proud dragon and the beast, and the beast opened his mouth in the devil's power, in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, tabernacle, and them that dwelt in heaven, after the dragon was cast out of heaven. So here you may see some dwelt in heaven, and sat in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Rev. xii. 13. And John said, 'I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns,' and this woman, the false church, that rid upon the beast, was arrayed in purple, scarlet colour, decked with gold, precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abomination. and filthiness of her fornication, and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery Babylon, mother of harlots, who was drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. Was not this a proud whore, the false church, that rideth upon the beast, that rose out of the sea, in the devil's seat, power and authority? Must not this proud whore, VOL. VI.

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