Bleffed be the Lord God of life for ever! thefe fcriptures, and many more, are sweetly and preciously fulfilled in the hearts of a remnant, in this our day. They were once (in a degree) fulfilled in the day of the appearance of the word of life, in the prepared body of flesh. They were again more generally fulfilled, in the day of the pouring out of his Spirit, and gathering a people to him, both from among the Jews and Gentiles, whom he did fprinkle with his holy life, Spirit, and power. And they are again fulfilled in the hearts of many, after the long night of darkness, and great and large apoftafy from the Spirit and power of the apoftles. Bleffed, Oh! bleffed be the Lord, the Sun of righteousness hath again fhone forth, and appeared inwardly in a glorious, living, powerful manner, to them that have feared his name; and he hath been a God of vengeance to the man of fin; yea, to all that was dark, fleshly, and corrupt in them; and a God of mercy and tender bowels to those which panted after, and waited for his falvation. And the healing virtue from under the wings of the Saviour, and the holy anointing, hath dropped upon the eyes of the blind, the pure eye-falve, and they have been opened; and the ears of the deaf, by the voice of the Son of God, have been unstopped; and the inwardly and spiritually lame have leaped as an hart; and the tongue, which could not name God in truth and righteoufnefs, but hath been dumb before him, and before men alfo, could not but fing, because of the breaking forth of the waters and ftreams of life, upon the thirsty land and parched ground, making them a pool and fprings of water; which land, which thus is changed from its wilderness and parched ftate, into an holy, fresh, and living state, the dragons do not lodge in; nor is it any more an habitation or cage for unclean and noisome birds (as great profeffing Babylon, the mother of harlots, with all her fleshly-profeffing daughters, is) but life dwells there: the Holy One is in the midft of this land, and it brings forth the fruits of life and righteousness, to the Righteous and Holy One. And here the King of Glory's highway, even the way of holiness, is known, which none but those whom he makes holy can walk in. Let men profess what they will, yet being unclean in heart and converfation, they cannot pafs over to come into this way; but the holy, they which are made holy by God, and keep to, live in, and follow that which is holy, though wayfaring men, and though otherwise fools, yet they fhall not err here, but be preferved by the holy power, in the holy way, which is prepared and caft up for thefe and as for that which would tear and destroy, it fhall not be found on all that holy mountain where these live and feed. Yea, here is the house of God and throne of God, and God the judge of all, and Jefus the mediator of the new covenant, and the blood of fprinkling, where the ranfomed of the Lord enjoy the prefence of the bridegroom, whom God hath set king, and who reigns on his holy hill of inward and fpiritual Sion, and causeth them to fing, who feel him reign (even the everlasting feed of VOL. II. Q9 life life to reign inwardly in the heart). Oh! everlasting joy is upon their heads! they have obtained joy and gladness; and forrow and fighing flee away, when the joy unfpeakable and full of glory is felt fpringing in the heart, from the fenfe of the prefence and enjoyment of the bridegroom. For of a truth, the Lord hath comforted Sion; yea, he hath comforted many of her wafte places (he was angry with her daughters, before their filth was purged away by the Spirit of judgment and burning; fince that time his anger hath been turned away, and he hath comforted them, Ifai. xii. 1, &c.); and he hath made her wildernefs in many hearts like Eden, and her defert like the garden of the Lord (even like the garden that he waters): and how can joy and gladnefs but be found here, with thanksgiving and the voice of melody? Ifai. lviii. 11. and chap. li. 3. Thus it is with fuch of the gathered people and nation of the Lord, that hearken and give ear to him, and have known the way of life to proceed out of his mouth, and his judgment to reft for a light, ver. 4. SOME WEIGHTY QUERIES, CONCERNING Some THINGS very sweet and necessary to be experienced in the TRULY-CHRISTIAN STATE. Whereunto is added, A POST SCRIPT, CONTAINING: Some QUERIES on ISAIAH L. 10, 11. A SCRIPTURE of Deep Counsel and Concern to the darkened and diftreffed States of fome among those that fear and obey the LORD. Written by one who hath been forely darkened and diftreffed for a long Season, but at length mercifully enlightened and comforted by the Hand which afflicted and diftreffed him; ISAAC PENING TO N. Come, and let us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn, and he will heal us; be bath fmitten, and he will bind us up, Hos. vi. 1. And in that day thou shalt fay, O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou waft angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comforteft me, ISAI. xii. 1. A BRIEF PREFACE. NDEED the Lord hath reached unto me by his living power, and thereby hath begotten fomewhat which he doth own, and which he hath taught to know and own him in his living appearances in my heart; and by its pure life and operations in me, I know it to be the true power. And truly I would fain have this life and power more and more reach to, prevail, and spread in my own heart, and in the hearts of other men: I am not for any notional religion out of the power, in any way or form whatfoever (no, indeed, I am not fo much as for the very true form of godliness out of the power); but where there is any touch, any fenfe, any operation, any favour of the true life and power any-where, my foul loveth and embraceth it, bleffing the Lord for it. And oh! that this might be vifited by the Lord, wherever it is, and kept alive to the day of redemption, and led by the Lord into the pure and living way, and holy everlasting covenant of life, wherein he redeems; for which end thefe queries have broke forth from me: and indeed, no less than a neceffity (or a neceffitous force of love and life purfuing me) hath constrained me to publish them, who with reverence of fpirit commit them into the hands of the Lord, who can open the hearts of whom he pleaseth, and give the living fenfe of what comes from him. I am fatisfied that God's powerful work of redeeming will go on. Oh! bleffed be his name, who hath a mighty arm, and hath done mighty things with it inwardly in mens hearts! and we are in the true faith affured that he will yet do more mighty things, as he feeth good, to the gladding of the hearts of those whofe hope is in him, and who have no help befides him. SOME SOME SENSIBLE, WEIGHT Y QUERIES, CONCERNING Some THINGS very fweet and neceffary to be experienced in the TRULY-CHRISTIAN STATE. Query 1. W HAT is the water wherewith the foul or inner man is to be washed, that it may be cleansed from its inward filthiness, as outward things are by washing with outward water? Ezek. xxxvi. 25. Pfal. li. 2. &c. Query 2. What is the answer of a good confcience towards God, when the foul is inwardly baptifed and made clean? Pet. iii. 21. Query 3. Chrift faith, Blessed are the pure in heart? Do,, or can, any witness purity of heart before this wafhing? Query 4. How may the heart be fprinkled from an evil confcience, and the body washed with pure water; fo that there may be a drawing near to God with a true heart, and in full affurance of faith? Heb. x. 22. Pfal. xxvi. 6. Query 5. How might the Jews wash and make themselves clean? Ifai. i. 16. Could it be any otherwife done by them, than by taking heed to the word of the new covenant, nigh in the mouth and heart, to which Mofes had directed them? Deut. xxx. 14. Pfal. cxix. 9.. Query 6. What is the fire which takes hold of, and burns up the lufts and corruptions of the heart? Is it not the Word of Life within, which flames. against evil, and hammers down evil? Doth not the Holy One in the midst of the fpiritual Ifrael do this? When Chrift, who knocks at the door of the heart, is let in, and his voice hearkened to, doth he not become a Spirit of judgment and burning, judging and burning up what is evil there? Is it not bleffed to know this fpiritual appearance, and this work of Chrift in the heart? Ifai. iv. 4, and x. 17. Query 7. What are the enemies of a man's houfe? Who muft overcome them? How may they be overcome? Is a man fafe, or delivered from them till they be overcome? Matt, xv. 19. 2. Cor. x. 4, 5, Query |