An EPISTLE of the Prophet REEVE. Written in the Year, 1656.

LESSED are all thofe that shall read, or hear this Epiftie

with a meek Soul, and are kept from judging Things that seem strange at first Appearance, but by fober searching of the Scriptures, compare fpiritual Things with fpiritual, as those noble born did in the Apoftles Time, being made patient to wait the Lord's Leifure, who reveals his Secrets to fuch only who with a pure Confcience hearken to his Spirit; He that believeth maketh not Hafte.

In the 6th Chapter of St. John 36th Verfe, are thefe Words, The Words that I speak unto you are Spirit and Life; and in the 10th, 17th, and 18th Verses, it is thus written, I lay down my Life that I may take it again: No Man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself I have Power to lay it down, and Power to take it again. Therefore, that you may increase in your most holy Faith unto your eternal Glory, which are appointed to believe in that diftinct glorified Body of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only God and everlasting Father, from the Holy Spirit, I fhall fhew you wherein that Power did consist of Christ dying and living again.

This his Power was fecretly hid in the Truth of his Word fpeaking. Why? Because the Nature of Chrift's Soul within his bleffed Body was only one Voice of fpiritual Faith and Truth. Therefore, you may understand, whatever he spoke in that Word fpeaking, was all Power to effect the Thing fpoken of. The Words that I speak unto you are Spirit and Life, that is, as if Chrift fhould have faid, "My Words tend not to Joy in carnal Things that perish, but in the rejoicing in fpiritual Things which are eternal; or, as if the Lord fhould have faid, "My Word is all fpiritual Light and Love, Meekness, "Patience, with all Variety of immortal glorious Joys beyond "the Comprehenfion of the Spirit of Men and Angels.

Again, Chrift's Words are faid to be Spirit and Life, becaufe all Spirits in the Creation were made by his Word fpeaking only: Furthermore, because his Word only, is the original Caufe of all Light, Life and Glory in Heaven and Earth, and in Men and Angels; I have Power, faid Christ, to lay down my Life, and Power to take it again. I declare from the Holy Spirit, none in Heaven and Earth could ever truly speak thofe Words, but that Man Chrift only.

Again, it is as if Chrift fhould have faid, "I only have "all Power within my Soul, by a Word fpeaking, to die "and live again".

Moreover, Chrift Jefus being Lord of Life and Death, did believe without any Motion of doubting in him, that whatfoever he spoke should come to pass, and that gave a Being to the Thing spoken of, and that made him to fay in the 24th of St. Matthew, ver. 25. Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my Word fhall not pass away.

So that Chrift being the only God of all Truth, you may understand that it was his Faith in that living Truth, or Virtue of his Word fpeaking, which gave him Power to lay down that divine Soul, or fpiritual Godhead Life in the Hell of the Grave, and to quicken his fpiritual Life again from Death, to reign in immortal Glory to Eternity, in that very Body of Flesh wherein he fuffered Death. For I declare, from the Holy Spirit, from that everliving Virtue continually flowing from the former Suffering of God on this Earth, in the Body of Chrift, the Tongue of Men nor Angels can never exprefs the Variety of new glorious Joys, the eternal Spirit of God the Father hath in that glorious Garment of Flefh he hath clothed himself withal.

Again that divine Faith of Chrift in that living Truth and Virtue of his Word fpeaking gave him Power over Life and Death, that by his precious Blood fhedding, he might purchafe from himself the Lordship of the Dead and Quick.

Again, If God had not been able to have made his Soul to die in his Body, and by the living Virtue of that almighty Word of Truth, fpoken through his holy Mouth, to quicken a new and glorious Life again, O then would it be impoffible for him at the last Day, by the Power of his Word to quicken and make alive, all the Souls and Bodies

of

of Mankind that are dead afleep, and buried in the Grave You may understand, that living Virtue of his divine Word of Truth, spoken before he died, was that God, which raised the everliving God from Death to Life again.

Therefore, because the Lord your God liveth, ye which are to live eternally with him with aftonishing Wonder and Admiration behold your God, that was abfolutely dead and alive at one and the fame Time.

Therefore Chrift spoke those Words to his Apoftles of the Power of Faith, Matt. xxi. 21. and Jefus anfwered and faid unto them, Verily Ifaid unto you, if ye have Faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what I have done to the Fig-tree, but also if you fay to this Mountain, take thyself away, and cast thyself into the Sea, it fhall be done; and in Matt. xix. and 26. But with God all Things are poffible, and in Gen. xiv. Is any Thing hard to the Lord.

Woe, Woe, Woe therefore, to all that are left under the Power of carnal Reason, that they may ever war against that incomprehenfible Power of fpiritual Faith and Truth effentially reigning in the glorious Body of the only wife God, your alone Redeemer, which long for his Appearance, which by the almighty Power of his Word fpeaking of that Subftance of Earth and Water, created both Worlds, and all living Forms that in them are, into that Order they appear now to be, whether for a Time, or. for Eternity, which alfo twice changed the Condition of his glorious Form by the almighty Power of the Spirit of Faith and Truth speaking thro' his heavenly Mouth.

Moreover, his divine Godhead died in the Flesh and quickned in the Spirit, not only to redeem his elect loft Sheep of the House of Ifrael, from the bitter Cup of eternal Death, but alfo to prove his infinite Power and Wisdom of Truth speaking, and for the difproving of all lying Reprobates, which always either in Heart or in Tongue, fpeak against that glorious Power of their Creator.

You know, that it is a common Thing for them to say, that it is Blafphemy for any Man to fay, that God could poffibly die, with many fuch like curfed Speeches against incomprehenfible Power. And why do atheistical Hypocrites

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fay

fay, that God could not die? Because of their lying Imagiation they cannot comprehend by what Means God fhould poffibly live again if he were dead.

Thus they measure that incomprehenfible Power of divine Faith or heavenly Truth, by the narrow Compafs of their blind Reason, and bottomless Pit of lying Imagination, which understand nothing of that fpiritual Power of true Faith.

And because they are not able to comprehend the fpiritual Ways of the Lord Jefus Chrift, they hate both him and his Elect, and call him a Liar to his Face, both in his Perfon and in his Word, and in his Prophet, and in his People.

Moreover, because they fee no Power in themselves, neither to live nor to die, prefumptuously they take upon them to judge the God of all Power over Life and Death, by their no Power at all.

Again, if that God that faid, I have Power to lay down my Life, and Power to take it again, did not die, and was buried both Soul and Body in the Grave, and after the decreed Time of three Days and three Nights, by a quickening Spirit revive a new and glorious Life again in Despite of Death's Power, then (angelical Reprobate) the following Scriptures were Words of Truth, fpoken from the Spiritual Mouth of the everlasting God, that fent me to declare this Secret, who did die, but cannot poffibly lie; for lying is of a mortal Man, like unto thyself. In the Words of Ifa. Iv and the last Verfe, Because he poured out his Soul unto Death. In Pfal. 16. ver. 11. For thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy One to fee Corruption. In Acts ii. 27, 31. Becaufe thou wilt not leave my Soul in the Grave, neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy One to fee Corruption; he knowing that he before spoke of the Refurrection of Chrift, that his Soul fhould not be left in the Grave, neither fhould his Flesh fee Corruption. Rom. xiv. 9, For Christ therefore died and rofe again, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the Dead and and Quick. In Rev. i. 17, 18. Saying unto me, Fear not, I am the first and last I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the Keys of Hell and Death. And Rev. ii. 8. These Things faith the first, and the laft, which was dead and is alive.

If

If this Truth be not fufficiently cleared by the Letter of the Scriptures concerning Chrift's Soul and Body being both dead and buried in the Grave, and living again by his own Power, I would it were. This I am certain of, that they that deny this Truth, are not only naturally blind, but wilfully alfo do fhut their Eyes, and ftop their Ears, and call the Scriptures Lies, because of the Crofs of Chrift, without which there is no Crown of Glory.

Again, if the everlafting God for a Moment could not have died, and left himself void of all Light, or Life, fpiritual or natural (as the Condition of all Mankind is, which are dead afleep in the Duft of the Earth) then he could not poffibly have experimentally known the State of the Dead, whether elect or reprobate. Moreover, neither could he poffibly, in his Creatureship Condition, be capable of entering into the immortal Glory of his Creatorfhip again, but by his entering into Death, that he might live again, and upon his glorious Head, instead of a Crown of Thorns, wear a double Crown of eternal Glory.

Again, that he might also fhew unto his elect Men and Angels, his almighty Power and unfearchable Wisdom, by quickening an immortal, tranfcendent, glorious Life, out of Death itself.

Thus the Lord of Life and Death, by fuffering all Conditions in his innocent Soul and Body, did purchase, at a dear Rate, from himself, a prerogative Power of being Lord and King over all Conditions whatfoever; and from hence he experimentally knows what immortal Crowns and Glory are most fuitable for all fuffering Conditions his bleffed ones undergo; and, by Virtue of his unfpeakable Sufferings at the Hands of Jewish, Canaanitifh Devils, he knoweth what Measure of eternal Death in utter Darkness is most meet for the Souls and Bodies of all the Sons and Daughters, proceeding from the Bowels of curfed, bloody Cain, that reprobate, angelical, old wife Serpent-Devil, and Father of all the Damned; who through the Decree of God, was caft out of Heaven into this World, that he might bring forth his Generation of proud, envious, fcoffing, perfecuting, wife Serpent-Devils; not only to war against the Lord of Life and the Truth of Holy Scrip

tures,