righteousness in them that perish, glorying in their shame, minding sensual earthly things. All since the apostles have not the ministry of the gospel immediately, but mediately from the person of Christ, in their believing through their word,' page 46. And the text saith not, the word of faith in the heart.'

A. The word of faith which they preached was in their mouth, and in their heart,' nigh them even in their hearts.' Rom. x. And we do believe you have not received the word immediately from Christ, as the apostles did, who have erred and apostatized from them. (So none are preachers of the word in the truth, but who are preachers of it immediately.) And such are all false apostles, and such as serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies, who mind earthly things sensually, and are in the deceivableness of unrighteousness, deceiving the people with good words, forcing and taking maintenance of people they do no work for, keeping them all from the immediate teaching of God, they themselves being out of it, and conclude all in their own dominion, and all agree in one against the immediate teaching. And they that are out of the immediate teaching, are under the power of the beast, and antichrist, and the great whore, the mother of harlots. And so they served their bellies, when they went from the immediate teaching into the strong delusion, as since the days of the apostles it hath appeared. How are people all on heaps, out of the life, and spirit, and power of God? And so all that perish in the deceivableness of unrighteousness, are from the light which 'Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world withal;' for none perish who are in the light. And the saints witnessed they were 'risen with Christ;' and they that were risen sought the things that were above, and not the things upon the earth.' And they that know the first resurrection, and are in it, are blessed, the second death hath no power over them,' and they are atop of Adam, and they are in Christ the resurrection and the life. And such as are in the first Adam, driven from God, and love to live in the fall, look not after the first resurrection, neither desired to come into it.

P. He saith, The glorious bringing down of the kingdom and glory is yet to be waited for, even by the disciples, all the time of this mortality,' page 54. All believers are personally from Christ in their mortal bodies: and none of the fathers saw the day of Christ as actually revealed, accomplished in their time.'

A. He that believes is born of God, and overcomes the world, and abides in the doctrine of Christ, and hath the son and the Father, and the spirit of Christ, the life of Christ in the mortal flesh. And the kingdom of heaven Christ said was in the Pharisees, and the saints come to and pos

sess the kingdom. And the kingdom of heaven is within them, and consists in righteousness, in peace, in joy in the holy ghost, and in power. And they were changed from glory to glory; and they rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory; and that was in the kingdom, and this was while they were upon the earth. And Enoch and Abraham saw the day of Christ, and David saw the betrayer, and whose feet should be snared, whose eyes should be blinded, and whose back should bow down; and he saw Judas that betrayed Christ. And Isaiah saw the suffering of Christ, and how God laid the iniquity upon him. And Isaiah saw his name, and how his soul was made an offering for sin. And Daniel said, the Messiah should be cut off, but not for himself, which the apostles witnessed fulfilled.

P. He saith, The scriptures is the power of God unto salvation,' page 59.

A. Many may have the form, but deny the power of God, which is the gospel. And the letter doth not give life, neither is it the power of God unto salvation.

P. He saith, "That Christ is distinct from every one of us, and without us in our particular persons,' page 61.

A. The apostle said, 'Christ was in them except they were reprobates;' and they were of his flesh, and of his bone; and they eat his flesh, and drank his blood; then it was within them; and he is distinct from none but reprobates, who hate the light.

P. Nor are we to wait for a further revelation to us to be given forth, than the scriptures. For the word of God came not first to the Gentiles immediately, but to the apostles,' page 77.

A. The apostles that preached the word of God, it was immediate to whomsoever they preached it, for they had received it immediately. For the word itself is immediate, for it is the savour of death to the death, and of life to the life.' And none know the scriptures but by the spirit that doth reveal them. So all that witness the spirit of God witness the revelation, and the revealing of the scriptures to them by it. And the things of God, which are laid up for them that love God, the eye hath not seen; but the eye may see the scriptures outwardly. And none know the son of God, neither knows any man the Father but the son, and he to whom the son reveals him.' And so people may have the scriptures, but not the revelation of the son of God by them. For the Pharisees had the scriptures, but not the thing they testified of.

P. He saith, "The scriptures are the word of God, and the key of knowledge,' page 79, and the opening of all things contained in the scriptures.'

A. The scriptures are the words of God, and that is his word who

fulfils them, Christ Jesus, whose name is called the word of God.' And that which opens the scriptures is the spirit that gave them forth, that is the key of David, who in the light saw more light. For the Pharisees who crucified Christ, had that which testified of Christ, the scriptures. And you that are in the apostacy since the days of the apostles, want the key, and have taken away the key of knowledge. And all that dwell upon the earth, that stop their ears, and close their eyes against that of God in them, that deny the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, want the key of knowledge.

P. He saith, He gives gifts unto men for the work of the ministry, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until all come into the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect man,' page 81.

A. And yet he said before, perfection was a devilish doctrine, and a fancy: so out of this work and ministry thou hast thrown thyself. For this work and ministry have been lost since the days of the apostles, in the apostacy; but now is appearing in the end of Babylon, the knowledge of the son of God people are coming to, and to the unity of the faith, from among the apostates who have had the sheep's clothing, but all on heaps about it, being ravened from the spirit of God inwardly. Among whom the proclamation hath been in the steeple-. houses, and pulpits, in markets, towns, disputes: No perfection, no overcoming of sin; perfection is a doctrine of devils, a devilish doctrine, and a fancy,' &c. And this hath been proclaimed among the apostates in the apostacy since the days of the apostles, by the beast's authority, under satan's power, the deceiver of the nations, where the mother of harlots is. But God will reward her double, and shall take the devil, and with him the beast and false prophet, and cast them alive into the fire. Rejoice, ye holy prophets and saints, over her, who are come into the unity of the faith, and to a perfect man, and to the knowledge of the son of God. And the everlasting gospel shall be preached to them that dwell upon the earth, and God shall be feared, and glory given to him. And none come to the knowledge of the son of God, the salvation to the ends of the earth, the covenant of Jews and Gentiles, until they come into the light which Christ doth enlighten every one withal that cometh into the world, that gives him the knowledge of the son of God, of the author of his faith, and the taste of his fulness, and to become a perfect man.

P. He saith, The scriptures are the means whereby the righteousness is revealed from faith to faith,' page 82.

A. The Pharisees had the scriptures read every sabbath, and had

the form of godliness, but denied the power, and were reprobate concerning the faith and the righteousness of Christ Jesus. And God it is that reveals the faith, and gives the faith, and the righteousness; and many have the words, and yet not it; they who have it have the word in their hearts, and the spirit that gave forth the scriptures, and see God the original of all good. The scriptures cannot reveal it, but they testify of it; and all must come into the spirit, before they know revelation, or know the scriptures either.

P. He saith, New Jerusalem is not come down from heaven,' and 'he will make all things new, not hath made,' page 83. He saith, 'The body is dead because of sin, yet there is a remainder of the old man in the members,' page 84.

A. Where the body is dead because of sin, and that put off by the circumcision of the spirit, if the root be holy the branches are holy also; and such come to glorify the Lord in their bodies and souls which are the Lord's, who hath redeemed them out of sin. So they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts,' and all things are become new. And the New Jerusalem is witnessed come down from heaven among the saints; for who witness Christ and know Christ, know the tabernacle of God, and know the New Jerusa lem, and know the place where there is no curse. And many know their mother now, and that which had led captive is gone, and going into captivity.

P. He saith, The apostles gave the last and full revelation of the gospel to all nations. And Timothy learned doctrine mediately; and since, none may expect to receive so immediately as Paul did, but all mediately,' pages 88, 89. Again, 'God now gives, and teacheth mediately, and spiritually by the testimony of him mediately,' page 90. It is a little necessary to show the vanity of their pretence of immediate revelation from God's spirit,' page 91.

A. All those are in a pretence, and in vanity, that are from the immediate revelation of the spirit of God. And though people have all Paul's declarations, if they have it not immediately revealed to them. by the spirit of God, as Paul had, they have not the comfort of Paul's words, neither have they the comfort of the revelations. And John saith, the everlasting gospel must be preached to them that dwell upon the earth, since the apostacy from the apostles, (mark that.) And that which Timothy preached, who was in the faith, the gift of God, and spoke his word, and divided it aright, it was immediate. But since the days of the apostles hath the immediate been lost, and I know ye cannot expect it in the state ye all stand in, inwardly ravened from the spirit of God and truth. But now are the saints come to that which ye have ravened from, and the apostles were in, who witnessed the immeVOL. III.

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diate teachings of God; and God's teaching is immediate, and the testimony of Jesus is immediate, which is the spirit of prophecy. But many have that which testifies of him, and are from the immediate spirit that was in them that gave forth the scriptures. And all upon the earth that are from the immediate spirit of God, that was in them that gave forth scriptures, their ministry is but mediate, and they are but in the mediate; they are all ministers only of the letter, made by man, and what they have it is but from man, and not from God immediately. Such have nothing but the sheep's clothing, being inwardly ravened from the spirit of God in them. And here is Babylon the mother of harlots, and the beast, and his names: but over all have they victory that are in the immediate, in that which the apostles were in, and answer that in them all which they ravened from.

P. He saith, Even now, in the days of their adversity, while the person of the Lord, the fountain of their teaching, for whom they wait, is personally absent from them,' page 92.

A. All they that hate the light, see not Christ the fountain of teaching, and these are they that have inwardly ravened. Such have their teachers in corners, and are in the days of adversity, and eat not the flesh of Christ, nor drink his blood, and are not of his flesh and bone, and receive not his spirit. But all who wait in the light with which Jesus Christ hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world, their eyes shall see their teacher that cannot be removed into a corner. Salvation they shall see, and days of adversity shall end, and his guiding they shall know, and come to be in unity with Christ, and eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and be of his flesh and bone. And thousands do witness this, and the prophet raised up, the end of the prophets; and they that hear him not are to be cut off. And none lift up the son of God but who are in the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,' and that brings him to understand the scriptures, and the substance of them.

P. He saith, The grace of God that brings salvation, it is a fancy to say it is stirred up in them; but it is a thing wrought in another for them. And to say the word of the Lord is within, and the spirit within, is men's following their own brain, and visions of their own hearts." And he saith, Whereas they imagine of a light within them, all that know God, show the light in them to be darkness itself.' See postscript.

A. All that know God, own the light within them, 'to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus,' which light shines in their hearts; and all that know God, own the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, Christ Jesus, and believe in the light, and have the witness in themselves.

And all