everlasting God-Man Chrift Jefus, the Lord both of Quick and Dead, whofe fpiritual Godhead wholly died with its Manhood, and lived again alone by his own Power, and from thence, from whence alone all fpiritual Excellencies proceed, received I divine Satisfaction in this Life, according to my prefent Neceflity, with a full Affurance of a tranfcendent bodily Glory in that Life to come, at the Refurrection of all the Souls and Bodies of Mankind that are dead, afleep in the Duft of the Earth, when Time shall be no more.

I fay again, as aforefaid, that all the true Peace, Joy, or Glory, which the Creature doth or fhall enjoy in this Life, or the Life that is to come, proceeds not from any fpiritual God or Chrift, Light, or Life, or Glory, that is within the Spirits of Men or Angels, in the leaft; but it flows only from an infinite Fountain of fpiritual Glories, which are wholly dwelling in the Man Chrift Jefus, that is without them, the perfonal Majefty, in the Sight of many true Witneffes, vifible afcended far above all imaginary bodilefs Gods, Heavens, Angels, or Men.

P

Furthermore, notwithstanding all this, if thou thouldft ftill imagine, that both our Lights may or will produce eternal Life in us at the laft, though we fhould be at Variance about the Knowledge of the true God and his divine Worship, to our Lives End, I am not of thy Mind. Why i becaufe as there is but only one true God, fo likewife I certainly know there is but only one true Light or Worship, appertaining to his glorious Perfon, which Worship of his is now only fpiritual and invifible, fuitable to an invifible Glory.

Now thou mayft fuppofe thou art guided by an inward pure Light, yet certainly know, that inftead of spiritual teaching, grounded upon a firm Foundation, thou art in Bondage to outward Forms and empty Declarations, proceeding from Man's carnal Spirit, who, through fleshly Guilt and Loftinefs of Spirit, with a pretended pure Language and Practice above all other, Pope-like, are violently hurried about, to profelyte the whole World to themselves, which cunningly they endeavour to bring to pass by the Sword

of the Tongue, for Want of a Sword of Steel in their Hand, deluding their own Souls, and many of their Hearers, vainly to imagine, that all Men and Women have fo much true Light in them, which will make them eternally happy, if they will.

But the Light in me witneffes the contrary; for by it I am really informed, that there are felect Numbers of Mankind, who, in the free Love of the Creator, were fet apart for the Enjoyment of the Light of Life eternal, even before the Foundation of the World was laid.

So likewise, on the contrary, I am fully fatisfied against all Gainfayers, that there is a Generality of Men and Women, who, in the Foreknowledge or Purpose of the living God, were ordained to an Eftate of Unbelief in his glorious Perfon, and the fpiritual Myfteries of his heavenly Kingdom, that they might everlastingly perifh, even for Want of the Light of Life eternally fhining in them: So that it is clear to a fpiritual Eye, that it is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God alone that fheweth Mercy unto eternal Salvation, or withholds his divine Light or Love to himself, unto everlasting Condemnation, as aforefaid.

And who fhall be able, in the great Day of Accompt, to look on his Face, and to fay unto him, Why haft thou made one all glorious, and another altogether miserable? Woe be unto them that contend with their Maker, by speaking Evil of him and his fecret Councils, which they know not, which he hath not revealed to the dark Multitude, nor never will, no, nor to any Speaker that hath handled a Sword of Steel to flay Mankind, or hath defiled his Marriage Bed, under what Pretence whatsoever.

Again, I fay unto thee, that the Light in me difowns those Men to be spiritual Commiffioners, or Witneffes unto the true God, that fay they are guided by an infallible Spirit, through which they speak against all deceivable Preaching or Writings to the People, and yet do the very fame Thing.

Moreover, the Light in me bears Witness against all Kind of publick or private Meetings in the World, in a ministerial Way of Worship, as not by a Commiffion from the Holy One of Ifrael. Why? Because of the great Ignorance I find in

them,

them of the one fpiritual God, and perfonal Glory, prepared for his Elect, and bodily Misery ordained for the Reprobate, at the last Day; therefore, as before, I certainly know, that fuch Men have no Authority from the living God, to prophecy, preach, or speak of heavenly Things to the People, but only from their own lying Imaginations.

Furthermore, I fay again, the Light in me bears Witness against thofe Men that own no other fpiritual God or Chrift, but what is within the Creature, or within this Creation only, to be for the present in the deepest Darkness of all Mankind, concerning heavenly Things, or that worship the literal Word Light, instead of Jefus Chrift, the eternal Word, who alone is both God and Man in one fingle Perfon, glorified as aforefaid, whose ever-bleffed Body is a fiery glorious Substance, diftinct from all Things and Places, that he alone is worthy, may have the Pre-eminency over all, and in all, who above all is worthy, having purchased it from himself, by Virtue of the pouring forth of his Godhead-Life, Blood unto Death, and quickening that divine Life again, in the very fame Body that died, into tranfcendent ravishing Glories, even out of filent Death, or Darkness itself.

Now I am compell'd from undeceivable Experience, to let thee know, that thou haft never heard fuch a Language of feeming glorious Enjoyment, from any imaginary God or Chrift abiding within the Creature only, as I have done; therefore it is not the Words of Men or Angels that can now convince me in the leaft, that they are in the Truth, unless they are able plainly to declare who or what that God or Chrift is, both in his Nature, Form, and Effence, from whence they fuppofe they enjoy fuch fpiritual Confolation above all others, that are not endued with the fame Light.

For as Men's painted Words will not fill the Belly, nor cloath the Back, without Food and Raiment; fo likewife an imaginary God of goodly Words, only living within the Creatures, will not fatisfy my hungry Soul, without the real Knowledge of a glorious Subftance to feed upon.

But peradventnre, thou mayft reply and fay unto me, that every rational Man and Woman, hath fo much true Light in them, that will lead them to the real Knowledge of the true

Spiritual

fpiritual God, whereby they may attain everlasting Happiness if they will, by hearkening unto it with a diligent and obedient mind; Many are called, but few are chofen, for all Men have not Faith: Wherefore to this I answer, if this thy fuppofing of all Men poffeffing fpiritual Light in them, were as true as it is falfe, indeed then there would be no need of any other spiritual God to inftruct Mankind but what is within them only.

Again, if every rational Soul were poffett with never fo little of Salvation Light in it, how is it poffible that it should live and die in Wrath with God or Man, as commonly it doth ? What, is Man principally guided in fpiritual Things, is it the Light of his own Spirit or another Spirit? Now if you acknowledge it to be the Light of Gods Spirit that bears Rule in the Creatures, what is it then that purifies the whole Man from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit, and leads it into Righteousness? Is it the Light or Will of his own Spirit, or of the Spirit of God, as aforefaid? Now if it be the Light of another Man's Spirit, that opens Man's dark Understanding, enabling them, in fome Measure, to comprehend the glorious and wonderful Things of Eternity, and not the Light of their own Spirit, as I am certain it is; it is not then in the Power of any Man's Will, at his Pleafure to obey or difobey the Light that is in him, as many Men vainly imagine. But it is the Power of God's Will only by his moft bleffed Spirit, to perfwade Man's Spirit to be willing to yeild Obedience to the Light that he hath freely given him, or fometimes it is his Pleasure to leave him to his own Strength, through which he rebels against the Light that is in him, to the wounding of his own Soul, That he may learn to know, that the Power by the Virtue of which he is perfwaded from Eternal Ruin, is not in himself but in the living God that made him, who freely gives the Light of Life eternal, to whom it pleaseth him, but neither can nor will give his Glory to Men or Angels, or to the Light that is in them; why, because the Tree of eternal Life and Glory is not within them, but the Fruit of that heavenly Tree only, as abundantly aforefaid.

Wherefore, whither Spiritual Obedience, Praife or Glory belongs to the Fruit or to the Tree, Judge ye.

Now

Now thou mayeft know there is a twofold Light in Mankind, a natural and a fpiritual, the natural Light comprehends natural Things or Notions only, but the fpiritual Light comprehends heavenly Things that are paft, prefent, and to come, and is not ignorant of natural Things neither; for the natural Light enthralls the Soul with fleshly Whimfies, literal Obfervations, cenforious Madness, and what not.

But the fpiritual Light fets the Soul at perfect Liberty, from inward Wrath and outward Rage, carnal Whimsies, or inventted Formalities, leading the Soul into all fpiritual Loveliness and Peace, to the utmost of its Power, with all Mankind even all its Days, not that it can have any heavenly Communion, with any but those which enjoy its own Light. What Communion hath Light with Darkness, or Life with Death; Now in that perfonal God and his Light declared in this Epiftle, I am thy loving Brother in the Flesh and in the Spirit for ever. I do fully expect thy Answer to this Writing, and fhall with Patience wait for it, that the true and faying Light may diftinguish between the Spirits that fet Pen to Paper.

JOHN REEVE, One of the Lord's two laft Witnesses unto the Foun dations of all Truth, and Pen-Man to this Epistle.

An EPISTLE written by the Prophet LODOWICK MUGGLETON.

T

HE Occafion of this Writing, is in Anfwer to fome Objections made against me. The firft is, that there is no Power given of God unto Man, to give Sentence of Damnation upon Man for his Wickedness and Blafphemies against God and a true Prophet. In Answer to which, I fay, it is recorded in the Old Teftament, That he that defpifed Mofes's Law died without Mercy; thefe are the Words of a mortal Man, and where there is no Mercy, there remains nothing but Condemnation or Damnation, which is all one, Again,

is