know, in what sense you may believe and satisfy your mind, whether the Holy Ghost did descend upon Christ, when he was baptized of John, in a bodily shape really? or whether it is to be understood in some other sense? To which I answer and say,

That the Holy Ghost that descended in a bodily shape on Christ like a dove, it was really so; for when all the people were baptized of John, Christ being the last that was baptized of John at that time; and after Jesus was baptized he prayed, and the Heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, like a dove, and it lighted upon him.

Now to give you to understand that none saw this Holy Ghost descend upon Christ in a bodily shape like a dove, but Christ himself and John the Baptist; neither did any person see the Heavens open, nor heard the voice from Heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved son, in thee I am well pleased. I say no person did see the Heavens open, nor hear the voice, but Christ, and John the Baptist.

Now it may be rejected, whether that voice was from that bodily shape like a dove, that was upon Christ, or from some other person in Heaven.

To which I answer, the voice from Heaven was not from that which appeared in a bodily shape like a dove, the voice was from Elias, that was in Heaven, and it was he which said, Thou art my well-beloved son, in thee I am well pleased, Luke iii. ver. 22. This was the same Elias that spake here, that spake the same words in Matthew xvii. ver. 3. And behold there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Christ. And in the 5th verse, While he was yet speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, (that is) Peter, James, and John; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said,

This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. Here it is clear, that Elias acted his part in Heaven as God the Father of Christ, while Christ that was God became flesh, or God manifest in the flesh while he went that long and sore journey here upon earth, it was of great necessity that he should put a faithful governor in Heaven to represent the person of the Father, and he invested him with all power in Heaven above while he passed through death, and quickened into life again, and ascended up into the same glory which he had before the world

was.

Here you that have faith may see the bright cloud that brought Moses and Elias from Heaven, and that the presence of them talking with Christ caused his face to shine as the sun, and his raiment was as white as the light; and this bright cloud carried Moses and Elias to Heaven again, which cloud, as it ascended up to Heaven, it overshadowed Peter, James and John, and Christ himself; and out of this cloud as it did ascend Elias spake through the cloud; so that James, Peter and John, and Christ himself, heard the voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. This voice confirmed Peter, James and John in their faith, that Christ was indeed the Son of God; but Christ charged them to tell no man the vision until he was risen from the dead; neither did they tell it to any man, until afterwards they told it to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and others, for none of the Evangelists nor Epistles were written until after Christ was risen and ascended so that none saw this bright cloud, nor heard Moses and Elias' voice but these three, Peter, James and John, and Christ himself; and no man saw the Holy Ghost descend in a bodily shape like a

dove unto Christ, but John the Baptist, and Christ himself; yet Matthew and Luke, that never saw any such thing, they must write and publish it by revelation, which is as it were at the second hand, yet ought to be believed, as if God himself had spoken to every man in particular.

And why the Holy Ghost did appear in a bodily shape like a dove? It was only to signify the innocency of his person, and innocency of his practice, and innocent actions, that there should be no guile found in his mouth; and to confirm John in his message, whose shoe-latchets he was not worthy to unloose. And this is to be minded, that Elias being immortalized of God, before God became flesh several hundred years; but when time appointed was come for God to fulfil the promise made to Adam, and was expected by Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the prophets, that the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head; which should be done no other way, but in that God became flesh; so that Christ is very God became flesh, as the Scripture saith.

Now upon this wonderful mystery, before God did become flesh, he did ordain, appoint and invest Elias with power and glory, and majesty, to sit in the throne of God as God, on the same throne of glory as he himself was in before he became flesh; so that Elias did govern the Heavens above, and watch over Christ's person as God the Father, all that time that God was become flesh, until he ascended into the same glory which he had before the world was.

And when the Holy Ghost doth descend upon a person or persons, as it did upon Christ in a bodily shape like a dove, it was to endue him with an extraordinary power above all other men, that have the gift of the Holy Ghost in a bodily shape like a dove.

It did impower, or give power to Christ after he was baptized of John, to increase in wisdom, knowledge, patience and meekness, above all, and did impower him to work miracles, to open the eyes of the blind, the lame to walk, and dumb to speak, and the dead to be raised, which no man else could do: this power was given to Christ when he was baptized of the Holy Ghost, that descended upon him in a bodily shape like a dove; and Elias being in the glory of the Father, sent his appearance like a dove upon Christ, he being then in the condition of a creature, though without sin for this is to be minded, that Christ never did any miracle till after the descending of the Holy Ghost upon him, then it was he received his commission from Heaven, to teach and preach, and work miracles, signs and wonders; so that where the Holy Ghost doth appear in any visible form, one or more, it is because some great and mighty work is to be done by that person or persons to whom this visible appearance of the Holy Ghost is presented, as you may see, Acts ii. ver. S. When the apostles were met together, and were to receive their commission to preach from Heaven, as Christ had told them before he was ascended, that he would endue them with power from on high; and now he is ascended into the glory of the Father again, he sendeth the Holy Ghost in the visible shape of cloven tongues, like unto fire; and this Holy Ghost sat upon each of the twelve apostles, as in the third verse, And there appeared unto them cloven, tongues like unto fire, and it sat upon each of them and the fourth verse, And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance.

Here you may see, that when Christ was ascended into the glory of the Father again, the same glory

which he had left with Elias while he became flesh

and in the condition of a creature. I say, when he ascended into that glory again, he sent the Holy Ghost to sit upon each of them like cloven tongues of fire.

Now mind, no person saw the visible shape of these cloven tongues like of fire, but the twelve apostles, who were commissionated, but they declared it to others.

Here we see these cloven tongues of fire was the Holy Ghost, which Christ sent from Heaven to impower them to preach the gospel to all nations, and to speak with other tongues, which they never were taught nor learned in, and to work miracles; and so, many signs and wonders were wrought by them: to be plain, these cloven tongues, as of fire, was the Holy Ghost, which gave the twelve apostles their commission to do these things aforesaid.

Now observe, when Elias was in the glory of the Father, he sent the Holy Ghost in the visible shape of a dove, and it descended upon Christ really in that form beforesaid, but the Holy Ghost that Christ sent down from Heaven, when he was in the glory of the Father, it descended and sat upon the apostles, in the visible shape and form, was cloven tongues like unto fire; yet both these shapes are called the Holy Ghost, which did impower both Christ to act those miracles, and the work of redemption for the elect seed, and did enable him to suffer the pains of death, and to quicken out of death, and to rise again, and to ascend into Heaven: and the apostles were enabled by the Holy Ghost, which sat upon them like cloven tongues as it were of fire, to preach life and salvation to the world by this Jesus, who suffered death, and rose again, and ascended up into Heaven, whereof