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O Lord God, if through many fiery Temptations, and almost unutterable Afflictions, thy own beloved ones fcarcely be faved, where fhall mercilet's gilded tongu'd Hypocrites thew their Faces? Which, for Truth's Sake, were never acquainted with any spiritual or temporal Sufferings in their own Perfons in the leaft.

Furthermore, If thou approve of Prayer to an infinite Majefty, I humbly befeech thee, are not the inward Speakings of the Spirit, in all Stilnefs of Soul, the only Prayer? That is, to all thofe that are under the Teachings of the Spirit. Note, I do not in the least deny the Use of the Tongue in Prayer and Praises allo, fo that a Man be undoubtedly moved thereto by the true Light of the righteous Judge of Quick and Dead, but glittering Words, flowing from natural Parts only in mercilefs Men, are Abomination to our God, and his tender Love in his new-born People.

I fay again, Bleffed art thou above Millions of Mankind, if thou art one of this Number, then for the moft Part thou knoweft, that earthly Poffeffions are Men's only God, therefore grievous to part with any of it in Private upon the Account of Charity. Wherefore, to stop the Mouth of an accufing Confcience, instead of seeming Mercies, thou knoweft they offer up many blind Sacrifices to an unknown infinite Nothing, but goodly Words only; and fo for want of an Enjoyment of pure Love to an infinite known God, powerfully manifefted to poor innocent Men, reprefenting his glorious Perfon, through the exceffive Love and Deceit of uncertain Riches, they everlastingly perish.

John Reeve.

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An EPISTLE from the eternal Jehovah, or Jefus, unto that Noble Chrifian Gentleman, ftiled by the Name of the Earl of Pembrooke, wherein is recited an Answer to a publick Affertion of Efquire Pennington, by the last true Meffenger and Spiritual Prophet of the Lord Jefus Chrift, God and Man, in one diftinct Perfon, blessed for evermore.

Loving Friend and Brother in the only Lord of all Truth, when you have perufed this Writing, if you fhall count it worthy of the Prefs, my Defire is, for the Truth's Sake, that you would be pleafed to further the publishing of it, because of my Inability.

Moft Courteous and Chriftian Gentleman,

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HAT good Report of God-like Compaffion in you, especially unto the innocent Lambs of Jefus Christ, hath made me to prefent this Epiftle unto your fpiritual Confideration.

In the first Chapter to the Corinthians, the 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th Verfes, it is thus written: After the Flesh not many Mighty, not many Noble, are called, but God hath chofen the foolish Things of this World to confound the mighty Things, and vile Things of the World, and Things which are defpifed, bath God chofen, and Things which are not, to bring to nought Things that are, that no Flesh fhould rejoice in his Prefence.

Sir, It was my Lot, to perufe a printed Book, written by Efquire Pennington, Son of Alderman Pennington, of this Cay of London, which Book is ftiled by the Name of Divine Effays: Or, Confiderations about feveral Things in Religion. And a mong feveral Expreffions, in the 4th Page of that Writing, are thefe Lines, viz. Now who knoweth whether thefe Things

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which have been fo contrary in all Difpenfations hitherto, shall not bere meet? Life and Death, Heaven and Hell, which every where else are at fuch a Distance, may here, touch one another, and agree fweetly together, and fo fully, that both their Names and Natures, whereby they did appear, and were jo various in their Difpenfations, may here be drowned and vanish; yet it is not by eithers real Lofs of any Thing whereby or wherein they differed, they become thus harmoniously united, but by their entring into a more perfect Fulness; and be to whom this feemeth strange, and is fo much offended at it, let him fairly answer me this following Question:

Were not Heaven and Hell in Union in their Root? Before they were brought forth, were they not at Reft and Peace in the Power of God, from whence they were produced? Without Controverfy, whatever lay there, lay in Reft. Now, did the Lord bring forth any Thing that he cannot bring back again? And who can fay he will not? Surely every Thing most naturally breatheth after that Condition of Reft and Fulness which it can enjoy in his Bofom. Moft certain it is, the vast Spirit of the Lord taketh in all Things, howsoever it difpofeth of them, whence they came, whither they return, there they are, and doubtless there they may be found in Union and Agreement by him whofe Spirit is quick and piercing enough. Happy is he that can read this Truth in the Spirit of the Lord; but wretchedly miferable is be who frameth falfe Imaginations in his own Spirit, by the Vanity of his own Mind concerning it.

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Sir, As the Efquire, by his high Imagination, was moved to propound a hard Queftion, fo dikewife the Spirit of God moved me to return him a foft Anfwer, which is as followeth : Sir, By your Writing, I perceive that all Experiences have paffed through you concerning Religion, or Opinion among Men, but you fhould not therefore have concluded your Affirmation infallible, for the Lord fhall fairly answer you by the Hand of his poor defpifed Meffenger. And as with Moderation you would have Men to perufe your Labour, the like is required of you; and as you count them happy, which are not guided by their own Imaginations, fo likewife happy are you, if you are preferved from judging the Infpirations of the eternal Spirit of the Lord Jefus Chrift, by your high imaginary Reafon,

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which is utterly uncapable to comprehend invifible Things that are eternal, unless it be infpired into you from on high.

Sir, I confefs, that if the Lord of Glory himfelf had not spoken to me from his immortal Throne, by diftinct Words, Voice to Voice, as one Man fpeaks to another, I could not poffibly have fet Pen to Paper to fo high a Query. Your Question is this, Were not Heaven and Hell at Union in their Root before they were brought forth?

From the true Spirit of the Lord Jefus Chrift I answer you, that from all Eternity Hell was a diftinct Being in itself, there was no harmonious Union between it, and the Creator; but Light and Darkness, Life and Death, Heaven and Hell, in the Sight of God, eternally were diftinct from one another, both in their Root, and in their Fruit.

But it will be faid to me, How can I make this appear to any Man's Understanding? First, I fhall speak fomething of the Creator himself, and then, in order to the clearing this Truth, unto those whose Faith is ftrong in the true God, by Infpiration from the Holy Spirit of the only true God, I declare that the Creator neither is, nor never was, an infinite or vaft Spirit without any bodily Form, as Men blindly imagine, for want of a spiritual Diftinction in them. But from all Eternity, that uncreated Creator of all fenfible, fpiritual, natural, and rational Creatures, was a distinct, immortal, bodily Substance, in the Form and Likeness of a Man; only his divine Form, or Perfon, was an unutterable bright burning, fiery Glory, in Motion fwifter than Thought; and his divine Excellency, as a Christial Fountain or Sea, infinitely overflowing in him, as namely, pure Faith, his almighty Power, or heavenly Love, his ravishing Glory, or any fpiritual Glory or Virtue, that can be named.

Thus you may fee, (if the Lord will) that before any Creature was formed, to live in his Sight, the eternal Majefty poffeffed his glorious Joys by himself alone. Now the original Ground of all infinite Variety of new fpiritual Wifdom, Joy, and Glory, that the Creator did enjoy, or forefee he should poffefs to all Eternity, naturally fprang in him, from his incomprehenfible Knowledge of his own endless Infiniteness, or from his perfect Understanding of an eternal Increase in him

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felf, of all Manner of heavenly Excellencies, to folace himself withal, or Men or Angels, that should be created by him.

So much, as a brief Defcription concerning the immortal Perfon of the true God, his divine Nature, and heavenly Glory, that from Eternity he enjoyed, before any living Creature was formed in his Sight.

Sir, If this Demonstration of the only bleffed Creator seem as a low Thing, or as a Paradox unto you, from the eternal Spirit of the Lord Jefus Chrift, my Counsel unto you shall be this, That you beware of the imaginary Devil of unclean Reafon within you, because, fince it poffeffed Mankind, the Nature of it is to exalt itfelf, and its own earthly Wisdom, above the heavenly Wifdom of its Creator, and by it to condemn the Things of its God, because it cannot comprehendthem. For fince the Fall of Adam, the Devil and his Angels, fo frequently spoken of in Scripture, both great and small, are all cloathed with Flefh, Blood, and Bone; but Men, for want of the Knowledge of the true God, are utterly ignorant of the right Devil alfo.

Again, When it is the good Pleasure of the Moft High to reveal himself to you, as from his eternal free Love he hath: unvailed a Glimpfe of immortal Glory unto me, then shall you know indeed and in truth, that the eternal God, and alone Creator of Heaven, Earth, Angels, and Men, and all living Creatures is now cloathed with Flesh and Bone, upon his glorious Throne, even the Man Chrift Jefus, who infeperably is both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, or Spirit, in only one diftinct glorified Body, or Perfon, to all Eternity.

Again, If you acknowledge there is a Creator, and that this Creator is a diftinct spiritual Substance; and that there is but only one wife God and Creator, and no more;. then without Controverfy the Man Chrift Jefus, that all true Scripture bears Record unto, muft of Neceffity be that unknown Creator and Redeemer of his Elect, God alone, bleffed for evermore, which Men fo much difcourfe about, as if the immortal perfonal Effence, or Glory of this mighty God, were all within them, and yet they remain utterly ignorant of him; many of them glorying in this their Darkness, as if it were the only Light of eternal Life in them, not to know the Creator at all, and for

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