TRUE EXPLANATIONS

OF THE

BIBLE.

PART THE SIXTH.

"Now mark what follows concerning Pharaoh: "For this cause have I raised thee up, to show my power, that my Name might be declared throughout all the Earth." Romans ix. 17. Now I have already told thee the type of Pharaoh, and for what end he was raised up; but what is the shadow of him, the type must follow in substance, where I have placed it, till my Name is declared throughout all the earth, to be known amongst the nations, and worshipped amongst all people. Here is the meaning of the Gospel, that was not understood by the Apostle; therefore he adds what the language of man might be, from the judgment they draw from these words: "Why doth he yet find fault? for who hath resisted his will?" But now I will tell thee why I do find fault; men and devils have resisted my will; do not men reply against God? do not the men that are formed say, what formest thou? or why hast thou made me thus? Hear my answer, O man, that replieth against God, didst thou not reply against me in the Creation? didst thou not find fault when I made the woman? What had I formed her for, if I found fault with what she had done? was the man's question. But thou sayest, that was not the language of the man's answer; but I tell thee it was the sense of his answer; and now the sense of men's words is the same: What! Have I formed a woman to plead the promise made in the Fall, and to be avenged of her adversary the devil? Here is the clay contending with the potter (God); but hear my answer, O vain man; if I made the first vessel unto dishonour, as man dishonoured me thereby, have I not power over the clay, off the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour to show my wrath, and make known my power upon the vessels of wrath that are fitted for destruction; though I have endured with much long-suffering the sufferings of my saints, the suffering of my Son, the suffering of the Apostles, the suffering of the Martyrs, and the suffering of man in all ages of the world? This I have endured with long-suffering for man, and with long-suffering have had my own Name mocked and despised by the sons of men, where Satan's power can prevail. Thus I have endured with long-sufferings; but now my wrath shall be poured out on the root of all evil (Satan); and my power shall be made known unto the ends of the earth, that men may know the riches of my glory, that I have prepared for the vessels of my mercy, which I had prepared from the foundation of the world to be vessels of honour and glory to me. And this is not only to the Jews, or Gentiles, but unto the ends of the earth. This calling is for ALL, to make them my people, which are not my people; and them my beloveds, which are not my beloveds, that the ends of the earth may see my salvation, and become the children of the Living God. For I have already told thee, and I now tell thee again, though the numbers may be slain as the sands on the sea shore, yet a remnant of all nations shall be saved; for I will finish my work and cut it short in righteousness; for a short work I shall now do upon the earth: and they that obtain these promises, must obtain them by faith, or they will stumble at the stumbling stone, and not rely on the Rock of Offence; but whosoever relieth on the Rock of Offence, and believeth in him, shall not be ashamed."

In writing Romans ix. 33, we were stumbled at the word Offence, as we did not know the meaning of the word.

"Now I shall answer thee: As weak as all your judgment is, concerning the last verse, so weak is the judgment of mankind concerning the whole chapter; and to try your judgment I spoke the words in that manner that you could not understand; but now come to the words before-They stumbled at the stumbling stone, as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone, and a rock of offence." Now go to my Gospel, and see how they all stumbled at my being the corner stone for man; therefore it is written, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone; and though I am the Rock of Ages for all men to trust to, and the corner stone for man's salvation, yet I was a stumbling-stone to the Jews, and an offence unto them; so I was the Rock of offence to them; but whosoever believed on me should not be ashamed, and I now tell thee, I am as great a stumbling stone to man, in the way I shall fulfil my Gospel, as I was to the Jews at first, when I brought in my Gospel. And though I am the rock of ages for all men to trust to for their redemption, yet it is plainly proved in the world, that I am a rock of offence to thousands; because they are offended at all my sayings, as the Jews were before. But however great offence I may be to thousands, yet I am the rock of offence to destroy mine enemy, and the adversary of mankind; and I will be a rock of defence to them that believe on my Name; for they shall not be ashamed that trust in me for redemption, as I have promised; for I tell thee salvation must be sure to them where redemption is promised. Now I have explained to thee these two chapters, which they have built their election upon, according to the wisdom of a man; and I have explained them according to the wisdom of a God. Now let them that mock my general invitation to all men, that I am come to seek and to save that which was lost, explain to me all the Scriptures that I have pointed out; that they have another meaning from what is written, as I have explained that these two chapters have a different meaning from what is understood by man, and then see what they make of the Lord, the Law and the Prophets. I tell thee, they must make it worse to turn my words than the Arians have made my Gospel. But let this be understood by all men, I have not turned the words of the Apostle, only explained the sense of his words; so let men explain the sense of my Bible, what is meant by my promising blessings if men would turn unto me; and my threatened judgments if they would not? But one thing let men observe: I came to seek and to save that which was lost; then by the judgment of man, the way they have placed Election, alluding to the few chosen people in all ages of the world, they could never be lost by their account; then what have they to do with Redemption? It is those that they judge lost, that I am come to seek and to save. So let them take care lest they perish like the Jews; for if men will come to redemption to be made alive in me, and come to the knowledge of their God, they must believe and be convinced they are dead to that knowledge from the Fall, and that it is by me they must be renewed to be brought to life-that meaneth, a spiritual life, and a spiritual knowledge, which they lost by the Fall. And these are the people I am come to seek and to save, as I came to seek and to save the Gentiles, that were a heathen nation; a people that knew not how to serve God was brought in by the light of my Gospel. But doth my Gospel end there? how then are the words of the Apostle fulfilled? Let them answer Romans xi. 1-Hath God cast away his people? God forbid! but if the redemption of man never takes place, the Jews must be cast away for ever. Mark the number of years since the Gospel was established, and the Jews yet stand as an outcast nation; but mark what is said by the Apostle-If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? Now where is the Scribe or where is the Pharisee, where is the wise man or where is the learned, or where is the disputer of this world, who can tell thee the meaning of the Apostle's words? In thy heart thou answerest, no man; it is a thing impossible to be answered by man; because the casting out of the Jews was not the reconciling the world to God; neither are they reconciled to this day; therefore the meaning cannot be understood by man; and this I know as well as thee, no man can explain it, nor can any man understand it; but I shall tell thee the meaning, how the casting out of the Jews will be the reconciling of the world to all true believers. From the Jews every nation must be convinced, that man is dead to the knowledge of his God; as I said of the Jews, You only have I known of all the families of the earth; then if these people (which were my only people that had been visited by my Spirit, by whose hands I had worked signs and wonders, as I did by Moses and by Daniel, and other prophets, and yet when I came into the world, and showed signs and wonders amongst them, and worked so many miracles before them), yet did not know I was the Son of God, neither understood their prophets-how shall a people that were like a wild olive branch grafted into the vine, pretend to say they understand all my Bible, or understand my Gospel, or what was said by my Apostles, any more than the Jews understood what was said by the Prophets? This must be discerned by every man-that they are truly dead to knowledge, before I come to redeem them from the Fall; and this must be the faith of every man that is redeemed-"We have no knowledge of ourselves; we see the blindness of the Jews; and we see we are no better than they were; a mixture of good and evil was in them under the Law, and this we see under the Gospel; yet if we discern deeply, we see the Jews without knowledge; we see they trust to their knowledge; and by their trusting to their own wisdom, we see them stand as a proverb of folly before us." This, when deeply discerned and weighed by mankind, will reconcile their hearts unto God, that they must be taught of God (St. John vi. 45), and not of man, before the fulness of the Gentiles can be accomplished, and before their redemption can be accomplished, which meaneth the fulfilment of the Gospel; and this will be discerned by every true believer in the Gospel. But had the Jews never been cast out for their unbelief, in trusting to their own wisdom, men could not so clearly have discerned, that they were perfectly dead to knowledge, that there was no knowledge in man, and that every good and perfect gift must come down from the Father of Light. But had the Jews had wisdom and knowledge to understand their prophets, then they would have understood that I must come to die for the transgression of the Fall, and in the end to fulfil the promise, and destroy all the works of the devil, as it is spoken by the Apostle. Now if the Jews had had all knowledge, that were my chosen people, the world might say-"There is knowledge in man, and we that are brought in by the Gospel, have knowledge in ourselves the same;" and so the last error would be worse than the first. Men would never have believed they were dead to knowledge, if knowledge had been in all the Jews; neither could my words have been true, that man was dead to knowledge. It was not by knowledge that Abraham obtained a son, but by faith; neither was it by knowledge he obtained the promise when he went to offer up his son; yet by faith he thought I should fulfil my word and promise that I had made him, without any knowledge how it should be accomplished. The wisdom of man might have disputed how it could be fulfilled when Isaac was dead; but the faith of Abraham believed, and he relied on the faithfulness of his God, and not on the wisdom of himself. And this must be the faith of all men, that trust in me for redemption, seeing there was no knowledge in Abraham, to whom the promise was made; and there was no knowledge in the Jews; for by trusting to their own knowledge they were cast out: so by their fall, every wise man will learn to stand, and he will wish to be led by God, and not by man. And this will be the reconciling of the world to God-when men are convinced from the folly of the Jews, that there is no knowledge in man, and that they have no power of themselves to help themselves, yet that there is power laid upon one that is mighty to deliver them from this death, and to bring them into newness of life with their God. And thus the eyes of the Jews must be opened-that they are dead to knowledge and must be restored by faith, which is life from the dead. At present they stand as a people dead to God, that is, to the knowledge of his ways; but when they are restored to receive the promise, as Abraham received his promise, it must be by faith in the Son of God, as Abraham had faith in regard to his son, that if I slew him I should raise him up another; so must the Jews believe, that though I was bound like Isaac and cast upon the altar, crucified on the Cross; yet I rose again in my perfect Body, as Isaac did; and this is the spiritual Isaac in whom all the families of the earth shall be blessed, that are the children of Abraham by faith. So when ye are redeemed from the power of Death, Hell and Sin, will ye not say it is life from the dead? And life from the dead it will be to the Jews when the eyes of their understanding are opened, and they begin to discern the prophets, that Isaac was but a shadow of the promise that was made in the Son of God, and they, like Jacob, seek after this promise to obtain it. But know, it is written, the promise is made to them that believe; and "life from the dead" is the redemption of man. But now I ask thee, who will seek for a physician when he judges he is in perfect health? or who will claim a promise that was never made to him? Then who will apply to me as the great Physician of all men, to be made alive in me, as they were pronounced dead in Adam, before they are convinced that they are dead in trespasses and sin, and to the knowledge of their God? And this from the Jews, every wise man will discern, when he sees my Bible laid open before him, and calls reason to his assistance, if knowledge was not in the Jews, it cannot be in the Gentiles; neither can it be in man, but in God; and thus relying upon their God, is the way that the world will be reconciled to God, that he may be all in all, and rely on him for the promises that are made. Thus will the casting off of the Jews enlighten every true believer to rely upon the Lord; but the calling in of the Jews will be as life from the dead to them, that have been so long dead to the knowledge of God; why they were so many years cast out; why they have been without a prophet so long; why they have had no knowledge wherein their transgressions lay; but when their eyes are open to the whole, and they look back to a crucified Saviour, whose love they have slighted, because I died for the transgressions of man, and they judged I came too low, but now I am coming in Might, Majesty, and Power, to call my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth, to destroy the heathens that call not upon my name, and establish my kingdom in righteousness and peace-this they will find is a life from the dead; and by faith they will be thus received to obtain the promise made to the prophets. Here I have showed thee the meaning of the words, why the casting out of the Jews is the reconciling of the world; because men would not believe they were dead to knowledge, if it was not for the Jews, that stand a proverb of death before them; and by thus acknowledging their death, is the way they will trust in me for life.

"But now mark the words of the Apostle-Boast not against the branches. Now let men answer, how they understand these words? The branches, here alluded to by the Apostle, were the Jews that stood out through unbelief; and the Gentiles that were grafted in, in their stead, were alluded to as the wild olive, that should not boast against the branches, that were the natural branches cut off through unbelief. Now what is the meaning of the Apostle's words, that those that were grafted in by faith should not boast against them that were cut off through unbelief? Thou answerest, thou dost not know the meaning; but I shall tell thee the meaning: The Apostle was filled with the Holy Ghost and he wrote from a spirit of prophecy, for a time to come, as well as the then present; and the unbelief that was in the Jews, was from the knowledge and understanding they themselves had drawn from the prophets, and this caused their unbelief. Here the Apostle was warning the Gentiles that they might not puff themselves up with their own wisdom, and their own understanding; and that they had more wisdom than the Jews, because they had faith to believe; for mark the words of the Apostle: If thou boastest, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee; then be not high minded, but fear. Now, if they boasted in their own wisdom, they could not say they bore the root, to be rooted and grounded in the Gospel; though the root might bear them for a while, till they came to be put to the trial of faith and knowledge, as the Jews were. And now is the time they are put to the trial; for the Scriptures were given not only for the then present time when they were written, but for ages to come, that they might stand on record for reproof to all those that boasted in themselves, as the Jews before had boasted. Now where is the man who can boast against them? Will you say, they trusted to their own wisdom, the way they believed their prophets, or understood them? and do not you, that believe my Gospel, trust to your own wisdom and understanding the same? Then here is your boasting against the branches that were cut off through unbelief! Have not you as much reason to fear that ye may be cut off through your unbelief, as the Jews were cut off through theirs? For if ye discern my Gospel, there is as much reason to fear at my Second Coming, that ye may be deceived by the wisdom of men, and by your own wisdom, as there was for the Jews to fear: for I now tell you all, if ye weigh well the prophets, there was more reason for the Jews to be stumbled at my first coming, than there is for the Gentiles to be stumbled at my second coming, if ye weigh well the Gospel and the Prophets together. Then where is the man who can boast against the branches that are cut off, if ye continue in your own wisdom, as they continued in theirs? Now ye that were grafted in, were grafted in by faith in the Son of God; then abide in that faith, that my Gospel shall be fulfilled; if not, ye cannot say ye stand by faith; then ye must be cut off through unbelief, as the Jews were. But know, all men, the Jews stand by faith that my kingdom shall be established in righteousness; that their redemption shall come; that I shall gather them from all nations, whither I have scattered them; and that a deliverer shall come in my name to establish the throne of David to them, and establish my kingdom in peace; then now mark, they stand in faith where you that believe the Gospel fall off through unbelief. Then weigh deep the words of the Apostle: If God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he spare not thee. So if unbelief cut off the natural branches, unbelief likewise will cut off the branches that were grafted in. Now mark how deeply the apostle warneth you of these things, of being cut off, at a time when the natural branches were to be grafted in; then know, it did not allude merely to those days, when the Apostle gave them this caution, but it alluded to the latter days; for mark the words of the Apostle-I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceit. And I now tell thee by this wisdom and conceit of themselves, is the reason they stand in jeopardy to be cut off: for if blindness in part happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved; let men answer what the fulness of the Gentiles means, that it is written, that at the fulness of the Gentiles there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, when all Israel is to be saved. Now will men answer me, that that Deliverer meant when I came to establish my Gospel, and the Gentiles were the Israel that were saved, and the Jacobs from whom ungodliness was turned away? will they say this was the meaning of the Apostle's words, fulfilled at that time? How then was it written, to wait until the fulness of the Gentiles was come in, if it was come in at that time? Or how is it written there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, if it was meant of my coming to bring in my Gospel? Then it must have been said the Deliverer was come, and there was nothing to remain but a fearful looking for of judgments on all them that believed not the Gospel. But know, the Apostle tells you, the end was not come, nor the Deliverer, that should deliver you from all evil and destroy all unrighteousness, was not then come to finish his work; but know, he assures you he shall come; and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. Now let men answer, why it is so often written by the Apostles of my coming, if I was not to come again in the Spirit to fulfil the whole? And now I shall answer thee, the meaning of the Apostle's words, that thou hast been marvelling at-"As concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes; but as touching the election they are beloved for the Fathers' sake." Now I shall answer thee this mystery, why they were enemies to the Gospel, for the sake of the Gospel, that the Gospel through them might be fulfilled; and know, I have told thee, they stand a proverb for man to prove there is no knowledge in man; for had it been through heathen nations, and them that had never a knowledge of God that clamoured for my Blood, and stood out through unbelief, it could have been no proof that there was no knowledge of God in man. For if the knowledge of God had been in them that professed to be his people, then man could not have been pronounced dead to knowledge; but as blindness in part happened to the Jews who had the greatest knowledge of God at that time, it proves there is no perfect knowledge in man. Now mark the words of the apostle; he calls their blindness but blindness in part; because they had an eye to the Coming of Christ and his Kingdom; for they expected the Messiah to appear for the Redemption of Man; and this the Apostle, being filled with the Holy Ghost, was assured he would come to accomplish; therefore he calls theirs but blindness in part, not believing in his Death and Suffering, that he had come to accomplish one office, that he might fulfil and accomplish the other. And this he was assured they would be convinced of in the end; though they were blinded in part that they could not see he must first come to suffer. This was the blindness of the Jews; they could not see Christ in all his office, and yet they saw it in part; though they were enemies to the Gospel, for the sake of mankind, as I have told thee.-But what Fathers' sake dost thou understand they were beloved for? Dost thou suppose the Apostle meant the Father that was the Creator, Maker and Preserver of all men? I tell thee, no; then the Father and the Son could not be united in one, if they were beloved in their persecution and in their unbelief, for the sake of the Father, that the Father should call them beloved for so doing; then the Father and the Son must be divided; but the Fathers here mentioned allude to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the holy men of the Jews; and many of them were my disciples to bring in my Gospel; and for their sakes, election stands for the Jews, that they may come in as elect members at the last: for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance; that meaneth, the Lord doth not repent of the promise he hath made them, if they repent and turn unto him. Now mark the words further: if they that in times past believed not God, yet obtained mercy, through faith, know, that the same stands a proverb for the Jews, who now stand out through unbelief; yet they may return and be saved through faith; and these that now believe the Gospel, as the Jews believed in God and the prophets; yet if they wrest the Gospel, and do not believe in the coming of their Lord, they will be cut off when he cometh in the Spirit, as the Jews were when he came in the Body; for know, when cometh the end, there are none but believers that can enter the kingdom. Now come to the words that I have explained to thee already-God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. This is the depth, and wisdom, and knowledge of God; unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! for who could find out the depth of his wisdom, to show, from the unbelief of the Jews, that knowledge was not in man, but in God; and by his knowledge he will have mercy upon all in the end, that will acknowledge wisdom is not in man, but in God. But how can man, that boasts of his own wisdom, and his own understanding, rely upon the wisdom of God? I tell thee, no; he relieth upon his own wisdom, and knoweth not the mind of the Lord, neither hath he been his counsellor; then how can he take counsel from his own knowledge, any more than the Jews, in what manner my Gospel shall be fulfilled? Here I have shown thee the meaning of the chapter in part: bring me a man of learning, that will take it upon him to explain it another way, and I will answer thee again."

1 Corinthians Chap. i. Ver. 7-"Waiting for the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ."

"Now these who preach from Paul's doctrine, and take their doctrine from his, let them mark the Apostle through, and see how he hath warned them from one epistle to another, to be waiting and looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he may confirm them to the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of the Lord; but how can men be blameless in the day of the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who set aside all his Gospel; and instead of exhorting men to wait for the coming of their Lord, persuade men against the coming of their Lord, that they have no such thing to expect? Can such men be blameless in the day when their Lord cometh? Let conscience answer how they must appear; will not the apostle rise in judgment against them, when he hath warned them throughout to expect his coming? But know, the world by wisdom knew not God; for God hath made foolish the wisdom of this world, then how can men boast of wisdom and think they are wiser than their teacher that wrote the epistle, after he was filled with the Holy Ghost, and tells you, it is not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty men, nor many noble that are called; for God hath chosen the weak, foolish things of the world, to confound the things which are mighty, that no flesh should glory in his presence? Then how can the disputers of this world boast of their wisdom, their knowledge, or their learning? Then they might glory in his presence, that knowledge and learning came from man; and that they could accomplish, by their wisdom, what I the Lord never accomplished by mine, if the plan of man's redemption can ever be brought in by the wisdom of man; and if I come not again, in the Spirit, to fulfil the words of the Apostles, then I must make their preaching vain; but if I come again to fulfil them, I must confound the wisdom of the learned, to fulfil their words. So let men read my Gospel and confess it true, then they must know the wisdom of man must all perish when I come to fulfil the whole, and to bring in the redemption of man. So let him that glories glory in the Lord; but no man can glory in man, unless he rob God of that honour due unto his name. Mark Chap. ii. 7-"We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world, unto our glory." Now answer, ye worldly wise men, how this mystery shall be understood by man, without the Spirit of God to reveal the mystery? For it is written, no man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man; even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God; then how will men presume to know the things of God, his mind, or his will, that he hath concealed from man, before it be revealed by his Spirit? Therefore, I tell you all men, the Scriptures are written for your learning, that ye may walk thereby; and know, when the end cometh you must look to God for the revelation of his Spirit, and not trust to the wisdom of man. Bring forth my Bible and show me where it is written that the knowledge of my Will is given to man, before it is revealed. And now let men know what a will meaneth; a will is made and concealed till death cometh to fulfil it; yet all the children, friends, or relations, strive to please the person, where they expect they shall be upon the will; yet with all this the will is concealed, till by death it is revealed. And so I tell you all by my Bible; as every child may expect he is upon his father's will, if he serve his father to please him, just so may all men expect that they are amongst the number on my will for man, for their salvation and redemption. But as a child knoweth not but he may die before his father's will is executed and made known, just so it hath been by all ages. And I tell you by the Apostles, they knew I had a will concealed from man to be revealed at my second coming to fulfil it; but when, or at what time, no man knew; yet they tell you it must be revealed by my Spirit. And now I tell you all, the time is come that I am revealing my will to man, what it was before the foundation of the world: in me was all knowledge, in me was all wisdom; therefore I have showed my just decrees, why I suffered for the transgression of man, that I may justly avenge and justly punish him that was the author of all transgressions, which was the old serpent called the devil. This I have clearly explained in thy writings; and now I am bringing forward my Bible to men, to prove unto all, from the Scriptures of truth, these secrets of my Will, that have been a mystery unto all men, and yet remain as a mystery, that must be revealed, and be explained by my Spirit, and by my wisdom, when I come to execute and fulfil the whole. For I tell you all, no more than a child knoweth the will of his father, while he is supported and maintained by him, yet he knoweth not his will till his death, no more doth man know the will of his maker, till the time comes that I come to fulfil and execute it. Now mark from my Bible and the words of the Apostle, though he hath not explained it as I have to thee, yet his meaning is the same: "Who knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man; even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Here are the Scriptures of truth before them, to prove it is from the Spirit of God all things must be revealed, and that the weak and foolish things, that are despised by the world, are chosen of God; for it is not in the wisdom of the world, or the wisdom of man, that these things are known or revealed. But you must compare spiritual things with spiritual things: so if men would compare thy visitation, from the beginning to this day, with the Bible, they would see them so closely joined together, that no man, with all his learning, could put them asunder. Yet the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; and so foolish hath all thy visitation appeared to the natural men of this world, whose glory and boasting are in their own wisdom, and not in the wisdom and glory of God: but they will all find in the end, he that glorieth must glory in the Lord, and he that boasteth must boast in the God of his salvation. But all these things must be spiritually discerned; then how will ye say, ye are spiritual teachers, and ye are spiritual pastors, and do not discern these things? Now I shall come to the prophecies of the Apostle: 1 Corinth. xii. 4-"There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit." Now let men mark the words of the Apostle; these different gifts of the Spirit are given to profit withal; to some is given the Spirit of God to understand the word of God; that meaneth, to understand the different gifts, and every calling that is of God, to have a knowledge of his Spirit, by the manner of the revelation of his Spirit; to another is given faith, by the same spirit; to another prophecy; to another the discerning of spirits. Now all these different gifts the prophet hath assured you shall be given; and all these different gifts are now before you: the Spirit of Prophecy is given and revealed; some have wisdom to discern it, others have strong faith to believe it; yet they have not knowledge to understand it alike; so though all are led by one Spirit, yet they have different gifts of discernment, different gifts of wisdom, different gifts of knowledge, and different gifts of faith; and the faith of some is to believe without a deep discernment or knowledge of the Prophecies. Now as all these things are together, as they were spoken by the Apostle; and are now fulfilling before your eyes, yet there are other gifts behind: the gift of healing by the same Spirit; but know, this gift of healing, when it cometh to the fulfilment of my Bible, does not allude merely to the healing of the body, but to the healing of the spirits of men, that may be deeply wounded, when they have stood out through unbelief. For this, I tell thee, will be the case with thousands; when they are convinced and pricked to the heart, they will cry out with the people of old, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" and these spirits, when so wounded, some will have a stronger gift than others to heal their wounds. The working of miracles will be known in its time. And now observe, from the words of the Apostle: When ye have all drunk into one spirit as one body; yet know, the body hath many members: perfectly so is the mystical body of Christ's Church; many members in one body, many different gifts, and different discernments, and different offices to go through, and yet in Christ they are all as one; therefore, the head cannot say to the foot, I have no need of thee; neither can the eye say to the hand, I have no need of thee; for if ye rightly discern, ye have all need one of the other, to be perfect members in the Church of Christ, to bring in the Church to be the Spirit and the Bride joined and united together. Then ye may say the Bride, the Lamb's Wife, is the church militant to join the church triumphant, when all the members are joined together as one in their different callings, and different offices; but where is the man who will prove these different callings, different offices, different discernments, and these different talents, are now united together in the Church? This, I tell thee, cannot be proved by man; for if ye look to the Church in its present state, thousands and tens of thousands go for forms and fashions, without discernment, without knowledge, or understanding, or having one thought of the Spirit of God, or believing in the revelation of his Spirit, or that any prophecy can come from him. Then where is the Church, the Spirit and the Bride, seeing the Spirit is firmly denied, by those that call the Church the Bride? Then how can they claim the one without the other? for if the Spirit be denied, the whole is denied, and my Gospel is denied also. For here I have showed thee, from the words of the Apostle, all these things must be to fulfil my Bible; but how will these things be believed or understood, before you come to Chap. xiii. to have charity? Mark the words of the Apostle-"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." Now see, the Apostle goes deep to all things: Prophecies, knowledge, giving all his goods to feed the poor, and his body to be burnt; yet he says, without charity it profits nothing. Then let men know what charity is; charity believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things; but how can a man say he hath charity, when he doth not believe God or man? Now if he believe in his God, and have charity towards God, he must believe he is a faithful rewarder of them that diligently seek him; if he believe he was the Maker of mankind, he must have charity to believe, according to his promise, he would be the Redeemer of Man, and a faithful God to fulfil all his promises, and discern from every age of the world, he threatened long before he punished with severity, that men may return and find mercy. This is the charity men must have for God, to believe, in all his works, that he is good; if men are not determined to despise his goodness, this charity men must have for God; then they will give up their wills to be directed by his goodness, when they believe he is a faithful rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Now I have showed thee man's belief towards God, if he hath charity as Abraham had; for without that faith man has not charity; but with that faith man hath charity to believe all things that the Lord hath spoken he will fulfil; and he hath this charity for the Apostles, and for the Prophets, that they wrote nothing in the name of the Lord through any deceit, but what was revealed by his Spirit; so they believe all that is written will be fulfilled. This is the charity that must be in man, to have the word of God avail him any thing; for without this charity, and without this belief, neither the preaching of men, nor the written word of God, will avail any thing to those that do not believe; but where charity is, my Bible is believed; then if my Bible be believed, charity hopeth it will be fulfilled. So the faith of charity can never fail, though prophecies may fail; as some prophecies are made on conditions; and my Bible stands on conditions. So the prophecies failed to Eli, of establishing him and his house forever; yet that prophecy only failed when he failed to give honour to my name. Jonah's prophecies failed when Nineveh repented: so if men repent of their evil, I the Lord cease to punish, though I have severely threatened. But know, O man, though I fail in the execution, by the repentance of men, that they are deferred for a season, and fail for a time; yet, when men are hardened, they do not fail for ever. The prophecies of the disciples failed to their judgment, and were not executed so soon as they expected; yet my word is sure and standeth for ever; and the fulfilment will be accomplished, and nothing shall fail in the end; for know it is written, not one jot nor one tittle of the prophets shall fall to the ground. So he that hath charity to believe all these things, may hope to the end for the fulfilment of the whole; but he that hath not this charity, if he preach with the tongues of men and of angels, if he hath the greatest knowledge, or the greatest understanding in the Bible, and would give his body to be burnt for the sake of the Gospel, as the martyrs did, yet if he had not charity to believe the fulfilment of the Gospel, his charity would fail in the end, and be of no use to himself or mankind. For now charity is come to be proved, now charity is come to be tried; but how few amongst the sons of men can prove they have charity towards God or man! how few believe my Bible will be fulfilled! and how few hope for it! and yet they will say they have charity; but let them answer, what charity; when I demand their belief from my Bible, do they not rely upon their own preaching, as though they had the tongues of men and angels to know all things, to understand all things, and appear zealous for my Gospel, zealous for my honour, and zealous for my glory, while they have no faith, no charity to believe my Gospel will ever be fulfilled? This is proved by the zealous part of mankind, forgetting the words of the Apostle, whom so many profess to rely upon; and through misunderstanding the words of the Apostle, rely upon their election; but where is their election without charity? and where is their charity without faith? and where is their faith without believing in a fulfilment? For know the Apostle tells them they know but in part, they prophesied but in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is imperfect shall be done away; then let men know, from the Apostle's words, you are to look for a more perfect knowledge from God, and a clearer understanding than was given to them; though they were inspired by the Holy Ghost, yet they said, that which was perfect they looked for to come, and that which was imperfect to be done away. Now answer, ye worldly wise men, was the imperfection in God? Or was the imperfection in Man? Thou answerest, no man will dare to say, the imperfection was in God; then I answer, the imperfection must be in man: and if imperfection was in man after being visited by my Spirit, after being filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, yet man in this state complained of imperfections, what perfection can man boast of, that hath no visitation from the Spirit of the Lord, and relieth upon his own wisdom? Is this the perfection the Apostle told them that was to come from man? Then they must say imperfection was in their maker: and I now tell thee, imperfection men have made in their maker: and judge themselves wiser than their Creator. But I know the thoughts of thy heart: thou sayest, this men will deny, and say, they have not made themselves wiser than their Creator; then let them answer me from the Apostle's words what perfection of knowledge there was to come, that they themselves had not obtained, and from whom that perfection was to come? Let this be answered by the learned, and I shall answer thee again; for I told thee in the beginning, and I now tell thee again, if they had believed my words, they would have believed thy words; but if they believe not my words, they would not believe thine. But thou sayest in thy heart, there are thousands that will affirm, that they believe my words and my Gospel: yet they will not believe in my visitation to thee; but I now answer, thou canst not bring one that will say he doth believe every word in my Bible that it is perfectly true, and will be fulfilled as it is written, by the wisdom of God, and not the wisdom of man, that will say thy visitation is from the devil; or that will deny but a visitation like thine must come to some one, to bring the great perfection of knowledge to man. Where is the man, amongst all the disputers, or all that have written against thee, that acknowledges he believes the fulfilment of the Bible? I tell thee, thou canst not bring one; therefore I tell them with all their boasting, charity is wanting, that is the bond of perfection. And now come to Chap. xiv-"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts; but rather that ye may prophesy." Now let mankind answer, why the Apostle exhorted them to desire spiritual gifts, if spiritual gifts were not to be obtained? But he telleth them, rather that they may prophesy to the edification of men, and to exhortation and comfort. Now if all things had been given for the edification of men by the Apostles, that they wanted no further prophecies to be edified and comforted by, then they must condemn the advice and doctrine of the Apostle, who left on record that they should desire to prophesy for the edifying of the church; but what church does the Apostle mean? I tell you all, the Church of God; and thus he instructs the people, that prophecies might come to others as well as to him. Now answer me, O vain men, why he exhorts his brethren to covet to prophesy, and forbid not, if no prophecies were necessary more than he had received himself? Then he would not have given this direction to men to desire prophecies that they might know the will of God unto the end. Now mark Hebrews i.-"Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Now let men answer what is meant by the ministering spirits, that are to be sent forth to administer to the heirs of salvation; will ye say these ministering spirits are in men, that are now preachers of the Gospel? Then ye must say the Spirit of God is in them; or how can they administer the knowledge of God to the heirs of salvation, if they themselves are not first made the ministering spirits of God? But if they are ministering spirits sent from the Lord, ye must come to the Apostle's words:-"Quench not the spirit; despise not prophecies; prove all things, hold fast that which is good, that ye may be blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ." Now let men answer, from the words of the Apostle, how men can prove the Coming of their Lord is mentioned to be made known, without the revelation of his Spirit, given by prophecies; or how will they prove, they believe in the Apostle, or rely upon his words, when they despise the very thing he told them not to despise, but to desire, that they might be warned of the coming of their Lord; that they might be prepared for the coming of their Lord; and that they might be looking for the coming of their Lord? This is a doctrine enforced by the Apostle, whom so many thousands profess to believe; but now they see the fulfilment of his words, they fall off from a true belief that his words will ever be fulfilled; but how fatal will be their end, if they find they have built on the sandy foundation of election, as they have built on the Apostle's words! How can they build on a prophet they do not believe? Here is the folly of mankind, not discerning what they read, nor giving themselves the trouble, to search and weigh the Scriptures of truth. How are the saints to judge the world, or how are the saints to judge angels, without the spirit of prophecy being given for them to come as ministering spirits? Now let all the learned men appear, all the wise men, and professors of religion, and tell me, how the saints would now judge the earth, if they were called together to judge them? But here thou sayest in thy heart, thou canst not see how man can judge the world, or how the saints can judge the heart of man, or how they can be any judges of angels. How weak is thy judgment! thou hast no discernment from what I have said before! I do not say that man shall judge the heart of man; for the heart of man knoweth no man: and a man's own heart may deceive him; therefore man will not be called to judge the world as to the hearts or lives of men; but I have already told thee, from the Jews, how the saints will judge the world-from the conduct of men in all ages, that there never was any knowledge in man. Trace back your Bible, from all the prophets, and all the holy men of old, and then you will deeply discern that there was no knowledge in man; Adam had no knowledge of the promise that was made him, or in what manner it stood; the world of old had no knowledge of the flood, though they were warned by Noah, and saw him building the Ark; for had they had knowledge, they would have repented; Moses had no knowledge of the way I should deliver the children of Israel, though I had appeared to him in the bush, and promised to deliver them; but he expected a present deliverance, and therefore complained I had not delivered them at all: This must be observed by wise men, that there was no true knowledge in him after my visitation; Pharaoh had his magicians that were able to perform some miracles before him; yet they had no knowledge to inform him of his destruction, if he followed after the children of Israel. In like manner they must trace their Bibles through: Solomon with all his wisdom, though warned and told of his destruction, and the destruction of the temple and the loss of his kingdom as being separated from the Jews, if he disobeyed, yet he had no knowledge that it would be so; neither had the Jews a clear knowledge of what would follow them, though warned by the prophets; Jacob had no clear knowledge, though he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; yet he had no clear knowledge how he should be delivered from the anger of Esau, therefore he was afraid to meet him; Abraham had no true knowledge of the way I should preserve the life of Isaac; Job had no true knowledge, why his visitation was; neither was there any knowledge in his friends, therefore they drew so wrong a judgment; Lot had no knowledge when the angels appeared to him that they were angels, before they made themselves known; Sodom and Gomorrah had no knowledge of their destruction, before it came upon them, though they were warned of it before. Now when you weigh all these things together, you must be convinced that there is no knowledge in man: yet if Pharaoh had believed from the former judgments, he would not have pursued the children of Israel; and if the world of old, Sodom and Gomorrah, had believed like Nineveh, they would have repented like Nineveh, and not have been destroyed. In this manner the saints must judge the earth; that it is from faith, and not from knowledge, men are preserved, when they are warned. The prophets prophesied of me as it was given them by the Spirit; but they had no clear knowledge how, or in what manner, their prophecies would be fulfilled; therefore when I came in the world the Jews perished for want of knowledge; but they that believed were preserved through faith. Here let men weigh their Bibles through, from the heads of the Scriptures that I have brought to thee; then they will be convinced, that in all ages of the world, there never was any knowledge in man; the Jews, after my death, being warned of their destruction, and after seeing the destruction of Jerusalem, and what hath followed them to this day, have no knowledge why their destruction came upon them; for if they will not believe the prophecies that are given them, and the words that I told them, they can have no knowledge, but are blinded through unbelief. So the type of all ages stands a proverb before you in the Jews; and from these things the saints must judge the earth; that they must be saved by faith, and not by knowledge; for where is the man who can say he hath ascended up to heaven, and taken counsel with his Lord, and heard his agreement for man? Were this permitted to man, who would have knowledge from his words? I tell thee but few; for were it published to the world, and really permitted, how few would believe him! Then what knowledge can there be in man, without faith? Now I shall come more close to my Gospel: after all my disciples had seen and heard, from my miracles and my words, they had no knowledge after my Death in what manner I should rise again; neither understood they many of my sayings; yet they had faith to believe I should rise again; and were in full expectation of my resurrection. Now I shall come to the believers in my Gospel in the present age, and go from the Arians, with whom thou dost begin: they have no knowledge of all these things, that were seen and known to my mother, to Joseph, to the wise men of the East, and to all the witnesses; and as they have no knowledge of the truth, they will not believe the truth; therefore my Gospel is a stumbling stone to them, as great as it was to the Jews; for I am as much a Saviour to the Jews as I am to these men; therefore they are not all of Israel that are in Israel; because they have not faith to believe what they themselves do not know: then what a Saviour can a mere man be to them? a man whom they believe to be a liar, and supported by lies, they cannot believe he is the Saviour of mankind; therefore I tell thee, as they will not believe a thing they do not know, I am no more a Saviour to them than I am to the Jews; and they have no more knowledge to know whether their belief be true, than the Jews have knowledge to know theirs.

"Here I have showed thee from mankind, that there is no knowledge in man under the Gospel, any more than there was under the Law amongst the Jews. Now come to the different beliefs of men under the Gospel; for I now tell thee, the Romans as much believe in my Gospel, that I was the Saviour of man, as you Protestants who profess to be the true worshippers of the Gospel; yet their belief is without knowledge, that there is no other Name given under heaven whereby a sinner can be saved, but in and through Jesus Christ; yet I tell thee, if men take one word of my Gospel and place it to their own wisdom, they have as much reason to trust to their Popes as the Calvinists have to trust to their Election; and they may take their belief from what I said to my disciples-Whose sins ye remit, they shall be remitted; and whose sins ye retain, they shall be retained. This they may believe stands a proverb for all men, as the Calvinists believe from my saying, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated, stands a proverb for election and reprobation. Now if men take these words from their own wisdom, without any knowledge, and believe they stand as a proverb for all, the Roman Catholics and the Calvinists stand both alike upon one footing; and one has as much ground for their belief as the other; therefore I told thee, there is no knowledge in man: the Roman Catholics never discerned that these words were only spoken to my disciples, who were with me through all my sufferings, who were with me in all my miracles, and to whom I gave power to work miracles in my name after my death, and they suffered the cross for me, and sealed it with their own blood, as I sealed it with mine. Now if the popes come to act like the disciples, they must have the power the disciples had, and prove they are filled with the Holy Ghost, as the disciples were; for if they have power to heal the soul, they must show the power to heal the body, and at the end to lay down their lives as my disciples did. Thus, if they take upon them the one, they must fulfil the other; and know unto whom the words were spoken; but if they take it in general to all that believe in my Gospel, then every man hath a right to the words, that believes my Gospel, and so to go out among the heathen nations to pardon the sins of those that turn to the Gospel: but what have they to pardon in those that believe alike? Know, when I said these words to my disciples, I sent them out to bring into my Gospel the heathen nations, when I gave them this power to say, whose sins ye remit they shall be remitted; because my Spirit was upon them; and I said, he that received them, received me; but did I give them this power one over the other, or allude these words to them that were then believers in my Gospel? I tell you all, no; it was only meant to the heathens, and to them that had no knowledge of me or my Gospel, but were brought in by their preaching, that these words were meant to; and know, I said that those that received them not, received not me; and they should shake off the dust of their shoes against them; but those that received them, received me; because they received my Gospel through their preaching; but how can men vainly allude these words to other men, when there is no likeness to be compared together of them and my disciples? and I tell thee, the Romans have taken it for a general rule to all men, without discerning in what manner it was spoken, or to whom it was spoken. Now if men take it in general, they must take it to all that believe the Gospel, as well as the popes; so this is the folly of mankind, having no knowledge of the meaning of words, they place them to their own wisdom, and their own belief, and every man professes he hath the Scriptures for his belief, who professes to believe in the Bible, or in any written word of God; for know, it is said in the Scriptures, many wrest them to their own condemnation. So from these words the Romans have Scriptures to conceal their Bibles, and say it is not right for those that are unlearned to see them, fearing they may wrest them to their own condemnation; without discerning I gave a command that men should read the Scriptures; for these were they that testified of me; and yet the Romans have built their faith on a few words of the Scriptures without knowledge or understanding of what they mean; perfectly like the Calvinists resting their faith upon Election and Reprobation, because I said, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated; but never discerned where the type stood, or in what manner the type stood, and that it stood where the promise stood, for all the families of the earth to be blessed. But let men answer me how all the families of the earth could be blessed, if the type of Esau stood for all men to the end? Then all the families of the earth could never be blessed; for they must say, one part I still loved and the other hated; and the redemption of man can never take place, that as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; and that Christ died to reconcile the world unto God; but how can the world be reconciled unto God, while one part is beloved, and the other hated? Then what kingdom of peace can there ever be established? Wars and tumults must for ever remain like Jacob and Esau's anger one against the other, instead of establishing my kingdom in peace, and bringing that blessing on man I created him for, that all the families of the earth may be blessed. My followers, like Jacob, must be forced to flee, if the type of Jacob and Esau stand for man. Here I have shewed thee, from the Scriptures, how men place their judgment without judgment, and profess to have knowledge without knowledge, never discerning in what manner or to whom these words are spoken. But if men weigh deep in what manner the promise was made before to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they would draw a different judgment from the words of Esau, that when I fulfilled the promise made to Abraham and to Isaac, what I hated must be destroyed, that all the families of the earth might be blessed. But they have placed it for a general thing for mankind, when they look to the sons of Jacob, whose crimes concerning their brother Joseph were worse than Esau's concerning Jacob; yet the prophecy that was given to Joseph, was, that his brethren should all fall down to him. Esau was a type of the devil; Jacob's sons were a type of men, who persecute my followers, as Jacob's sons persecuted Joseph; but when it cometh to the end, all must fall down to the Josephs whom they have persecuted. But this men do not discern, how, nor in what manner the types stood one after the other: first Isaac's being offered up; then the promise so greatly made; and then the curse pronounced on Esau, that stands in the Bible to be cut off; and next the type of Joseph and his brethren. If men had knowledge to understand the Bible they would draw a right judgment from these types: and the same from the type of Pharaoh, when I came to deliver my people by wonders and miracles, there stood a type of destruction the same. So if men will get wisdom they must discern in what manner these things stood; for know, the children of Israel were promised to have the Promised Land, and to be freed from bondage, where the type stood of Pharaoh, to pursue them for his own destruction. So let them weigh them both together, and men will see that they have no more ground to build their Election and Reprobation to Man from Pharaoh, and Esau, than the Romans have to build their Faith upon the Popes, because I said: "Whose sins ye remit, they shall be remitted, and whose sins ye retain they shall be retained;" and to conceal their Bible, because it is written: "Many wrest the Scriptures to their own condemnation."

"Here I have showed thee in what manner the Saints must judge the Earth-that men act wrong from want of knowledge; then they will own the truth of my words: my people perish for want of knowledge. And now I tell thee, if they will reject knowledge, I shall reject them. The Jews rejected knowledge when I came amongst them, and I rejected them; and now, I tell thee, I am come in the Spirit to bring all men to the knowledge of the Lord; and I shall not stop till I have accomplished my work; but if men reject me now, they will find I shall reject them. For I am now throwing open my Bible to call all things to men's remembrance, that they may see, from all ages of the world, how men have perished for want of knowledge. But how can men boast against the Jews, because they drew a wrong judgment from their prophets, when they see those that are enlightened under my Gospel draw so wrong a judgment therefrom, as I have showed thee from the Romans, from the Arians, and from the Calvinists, that is visible in the world? And are these all that have drawn a wrong judgment from the Gospel? In thy heart thou answerest, no; then who can boast against the Jews? Let them look at the standard there; if they perished for want of knowledge, because they relied on their own wisdom, is there not reason for all to fear, who trust to their own wisdom the same? Here I have showed thee how the Saints must judge the World, from the wrong judgment that hath been in man; and now I shall tell thee how the Saints must judge Angels: Do men vainly suppose they are to go to heaven and judge the angels there? or that men can draw a judgment upon earth what angels are? I tell thee, no; but the judgment they must draw from angels is from their visitation to man. Now I tell thee, from judging of angels, when they are sent as ministering spirits, it is the manner of their visitation, and the manner of their words, that ye are to judge from whence they come; but ye know not at the same time ye are judging of angels. Now I will make it plain to thy view; suppose a man writes thee a letter without his name; thou mayest draw thy judgment, whether he writes as a friend or a foe; yet at the same time thou knowest not the man whom thou art judging, whether he be a friend or a foe, because he is unknown to thee; yet thou drawest thy judgment from the manner of his writing; and that is the way thou hast judged the man. Perfectly so, I tell thee, men judge the angels: and some judge them wrong, because they believe not in their words that are given to man, that they are the ministering spirits of the Lord; but in judging their words, in judging their visitation, when they are sent to man, ye are judging of angels. Here I have showed thee the shadow, how ye are to judge angels, from their visitation to man; and know, when ye blame their visitation, ye blame the angels, if ye draw a judgment therefrom, that their visitation is not right or consistent with the word of God. But now I shall tell thee why it was said, Know ye not that ye judge angels? because it was known to the Apostle, at the coming of your Lord, that men would be strongly visited by angels, that would be as ministering spirits unto them; and so ye judge them by their visitation as ye judge a minister by his preaching, whether his doctrine be consistent with your own faith and your own belief; perfectly so, ye judge of angels, that are ministering spirits unto you. For I now tell thee, concerning Angels and concerning men, no more than one minister is approved of by every hearer, no more is the communion of angels approved of by every man; and though their visitation may be approved of by them to whom they are sent, it will not be approved of by all that hear them, any more than a minister's sermon is approved by all that hear him. Therefore I tell thee, men judge angels as they judge of men; some approve, and others disapprove of the ministering spirits that are from angels, as they approve or disapprove of what is administered by men; therefore I tell thee, angels are judged by men from their communications, as men are judged by them from their doctrine and preaching; and this is the way men will judge angels; this is the way they have begun to judge angels, in like manner as they judge men. Do ye not often say of men, their doctrine is not consistent with the Bible, nor the word of God, therefore ye will not go to hear them, for ye cannot bear their preaching? Perfectly so, I tell thee, will men judge angels, that come to be ministering spirits; they will say their communications are not consistent with the word of God, or that they come from God. Therefore, I tell thee, they will judge angels perfectly from their visitation, and from their communications, as they judge men from their preaching: and all these things are begun, to prove the end of all things is at hand; but what way would the learned prove they are to judge angels? or will they prove the Scriptures are never to be fulfilled, that ye are to judge angels? If so, they must prove the Apostle false; but I tell thee, however false they may appear to man, the Scriptures will be fulfilled, and are fulfilling.

"So now discern how I do warn,

How men must here judge men,

From every age that's past and gone-

To reason let them come:

If knowledge in no age was found,

In all the ages past,

I ask how wisdom can abound

Now in this age at last?

Did you discern the rising storm,

Of what was hastening on!

Do men discern how I do warn,

To know what is to come?

I tell thee, no; men do not know,

For knowledge they have none;

In every age I'll prove it so,

And to the purpose come:

That unto knowledge all are dead,

Ever since Adam's fall.

Bring me the man where knowledge leads

To screen himself from all

The misery was said by me.

That man you cannot find,

That e'er such knowledge was in he;

Together men combined,

To work in wisdom they have tried,

To work against my will;

But all their knowledge was denied,

For I their hearts did chill.

Now back from knowledge I'll begin:

The world had none at first

To know the deluge would come on,

Until the floods did burst;

So knowledge there did not appear;

But faith did save the man

That to obey did then repair,

And to the Ark did come.

So now the last is like the first;

For knowledge men have none;

And if my Bible through you trace,

To see how all went on,

That very way, to all I say,

My Bible men went through;

But now come to the Gospel day,

That men allow is true,

For to give light to every sight

Men do allow it here;

But ne'er discern how I do warn,

Nor how it doth all appear;

Under the Gospel you profess,

Men's errors none do see;

But I have shown you, more or less,

In errors still they be;

Then where's the knowledge men can boast,

For man to plead with man?

To say "Our knowledge is not lost;

"We are wiser now become

"Than them before; we do not err,

"Under the Gospel's sound,

"And stumble like the Jews before;

"Such errors are not found"-

I tell you plain, ye sons of men,

Your wisdom will not do;

Under the Gospel, I'll maintain,

In errors men do go.

If you discern how I do warn,

From what I've said before,

You must confess that through a glass

Things darkly did appear-

"Before our view we see it true,

"The Romans they are wrong;

"Under the Gospel well we know

"That their religion's drawn,

"As much as we, we plain do see,

"A Saviour they believe;

"And on the saints they do rely-

"What answer can we give,

"To prove it clear they don't appear

"Under the Gospel's sound?

"We own the Arians they do err,

"And doctrine false is found;

"So now as men how can we stand

"To prove our knowledge clear,

"Since we do see in every land

"That so mankind do err

"Under the Gospel as 'tis said?

"Then surely man is dead

"Under the Fall, we now see all;

"But Christ the Living Head

" 'Tis said should come and us redeem,

"And so bring life to man,

"To show the fountain and the stream

"The way he leads us on,

"That all may know the way to go

"And in one path appear.

"We know our Gospel doth teach us so,

"He comes the whole to clear,

"For to give light to every sight,

"And Christ to be the Vine,

"And bring the branches all to light,"-

For now I'll tell my mind,

Branches in me they all must be,

That own my Gospel here;

But know, 'tis said they pruned must be,

Then now let all see clear,

If I'm the Vine to tell my mind

The way the whole must come,

That many branches I'll cut off-

'Tis said in me they're joined,

But if I come to cut them off,

And graft the whole anew,

Let men discern how I must come

To make my Gospel true.

Vain simple men, will you begin

To plead a different way,

To say 'tis those are led in sin

That must be pruned by me,

And first cut off?-I've said enough:

But tell me what you mean,

That I shall cut the branches off,

And graft them in again?

Or prune them here, when I appear,

Ah! tell me men, which way

My Gospel you will ever clear?-

But mark what I do say:

Branches in me the Romans be,

Though they are grafted wrong,

Unto the Popes ever to flee:

But unto them I'll come,

To prune them here I shall appear,

Where hearts I know are good;

And then I know what fruit they'll bear-

Let this be understood,

That close to me I know they'll flee,

And all their Popes despise.

This is the way I'll prune the trees

And make the branches wise:

So I'll go on to every man

That sticks close to the Vine;

I'll cut the wisdom off of them,

And make the branches mine.

But now to man once more I'll come,

And let them answer here,

Why I did say I'd prune the Vine

That did in me appear

As branches, see, joined close to be

As joined to the Vine?

Now draw your judgment from the tree,

The way the branches spring:

The Root appears, you all see clear,

And first begins to grow;

And then the Branches you may see

The way they all do grow;

Spread from the first you see they burst,

Till Branches they do come,

And flourish here for to appear,

And joined to the Vine

That seemed at first one root to burst-

And this I'll place to man:

When first my Gospel it was placed

I did the Root become,

To be a Vine for every mind

That would be joined in me;

And now you see the human kind,

What way they joined be.

Did I not know how things would go

In ages that would come?

Therefore I placed my Bible so

That men might all discern

How men would be grafted in me,

By wisdom that was wrong;

Therefore I said I'd prune the Vine

When I again did come-

But now within thou dost begin

To ask, how this can be;

I did not say I'd come again

This way to prune the tree?

But I'll appear to answer here,

You all must mark the end,

The way the Comforter must come,

That I said I should send

The truth to clear, I tell you here;

And now the truth is come,

And many Branches now may fear

That say they're in the Vine.

But when I come for to demand

What fruits from them appear,

They say my Gospel cannot stand,

That I the whole shall clear.

The fruit in man, that I demand,

Is every truth to see,

The way my Bible it does stand,

How all fulfilled must be,

As I have said, be not misled;

But no man can appear

To prove that they can tell the way,

Till I have made it clear;

For all men's wisdom I'll cut off,

As men first cut off mine.

And now, I say, I've said enough;

I did at first resign,

I say, to man when I did come,

But I'll resign no more!

So from the Fall, I tell you all,

The ages all did err;

So now the last you see they're placed

Alike to err the same,

Though men my Gospel do profess,

But do not know my Name.

So now to men they may begin

To judge the world this way;

They are dead in trespasses and sin,

And judgment wrong do lay

Under the Law, they well do know,

And Gospel now the same.

Then where's the man can boldly come

To say he knows my Name?

I tell you all, both great and small,

It can't be proved by man;

For now the standard forth I call,

Let all together stand,

And deep discern how I do warn;

They all must answer here,

That to the standard none can come

To prove that men don't err:

In ages last as at the first

Men's folly you see clear;

Then sure men's wisdom must be cast,

When I myself appear

In spirit strong to make an end,

And prove my words are true.

Men on their wisdom can't depend-

But faith is in my view,

To tell them plain they must regain

The Paradise that's lost;

It is by Faith the Scripture saith,

As I have paid the cost,

I say, for all, for to recall

The long lost state of man.

'Twas unbelief, I tell you all,

That brought the Fall on them;

So unbelief still brought on grief

From ages to this day;

But 'tis by Faith, the Scripture saith,

That Abraham did obey;

Then Faith to all I now must call,

That will be Abraham's seed.

No other way, to man I say,

You can the Promise plead:

So angels here if they appear

I bid you judge them all,

Whether their doctrine now seems clear:

The promise of the Fall

For to regain I tell you plain,

Is given by my Word;

And this they're come for to maintain,

That men may judge their Lord

From what is said, be not misled;

So every doctrine see:

What is of man you may contend,

And angels judged must be,

What doctrines here from them appear;

For men must judge the whole,

Wherein the saints to them seem clear

My Bible forth to call,

Before your view, I tell you true,

I call the whole to man,

That you may know which way to go,

And judge thy written hand.

From all the sermons men have preached,

Or all the books they've penned

My Bible is beyond men's reach

For them to judge the end.

So angels here they may appear

And warn you of the sound,

The end for all men now draws near-

But how will men be found

In knowledge great without deceit?

Then wiser they must come

Than any man hath been before,

If they can all discern,

My Bible here to see it clear,

The way I'll make an end.

Therefore my angels must appear,

That I to you shall send,

To tell you plain the time is come

My Bible I'll go through:

The mysteries are unknown to man,

What I intend to do;

Therefore the saints must judge the earth-

But thou within dost say,

Thou'st know the saints that will come forth,

And judge it must be they

That are elect I shall protect,

As they have placed the word;

They must appear the whole to clear

They are the saints of God.

This is the pondering of thy heart,

Judging what man may say:

These are the saints for to impart

And judge the earth this way;

But I'll appear to answer here,

Their judgment will not do.

I ask, my Bible how they'll clear,

To bring before their view

That they can come a judge for man,

Who say they are so elect

Before the world was formed by me;

And men must all expect

For to be cast, as first 'twas placed,

For all I had decreed?

I ask what judges they can come?

Such saints are all misled;

Because no man they can condemn,

If I've decreed the whole.

Against their Lord they here must come-

Is man condemned to fall

By my decree? they all do say;

Then who must resist my will,

If they in knowledge so do lay,

And prove their knowledge still

Is thus to know how things will go,

How I've ordained the whole?

Then sure my counsel they must know,

And make my Bible fall:

My Gospel here no man can clear,

That way to place my word;

Then man in wisdom ne'er could err;

The knowledge of their Lord

Must be in men, as by their plan,

And they affirm it true;

And so their God they still condemn-

Bring all before their view:

How could I blame, or e'er condemn

The sinners to appear?

If I'd decreed to make them so,

Then I myself must err,

And surely blame and put to shame

What I myself ordained.

Are these the saints to judge the earth,

That will so wrong maintain?

My mercies here no man can clear,

The way they've placed the whole,

If I've ordained the sinner here

To sin and so to fall.

Then where's the man, they'll say so strong

To baffle my decrees?

Are these the saints they expect to come

Ever to judge my ways?

I tell thee, no; it can't be so;

I'll ne'er be judged by them;

And if they judge the world below

They must their God condemn.

So now these men, I'll tell thee plain,

They are no saints for me,

For them to judge the world below,

Then I condemned must be;

Because no man they can condemn,

If I all sin decreed.

Why should I lay the blame on man,

Or bruise the Serpent's head,

If I ordained for him to reign,

And make men him obey?

Then I must be as bad as he,

(Their folly so doth lay)

Thus to create the fallen state,

Ordained them so to sin.

I ask then where's the mercy's gate,

For men to enter in,

If I appear to mock them here

And ask them to return,

And threatened judgments so severe,

If they refuse to come?

Then I must mock: for men know not

The judgment here they draw,

That I have made the sinners' lot

My will they shall not do.

So mercy here no man can clear

There can be in a God,

If I ordained it so severe,

And then to lay my rod

For men to see their destiny,

What I create them for:

Are these the saints to judge for me,

Whose doctrine I abhor?

So now of them I've shown thee plain,

They are no saints to come

Ever to judge the world below,

As me they all condemn.

But now within thou dost begin-

Another class appear,

That judge I am a God of Love

For men to serve and fear;

And that my Gospel is held out

For all that will to come,

And of my mercies they'll not doubt,

But I'll receive them home.

These are the saints are in my mind,

That think they must appear,

Who judge their God is good and kind

To returning sinners here.

Now for these men, I'll tell thee plain,

That judgest such may come,

If they gain knowledge they'll maintain,

And prove there's none in man;

They may appear as judges here,

If they will come this way;

But if they say, the saints they are,

And knowledge in them lay,

Then like the first they must be cast;

For judges none can come,

That in their righteousness do trust,

Judgment must be in them.

But I'll appear to ask men here,

When I pronounced them so,

That man in judgment may be clear

My perfect will to know?

Angels above are placed in love

Enthroned in glory bright,

And yet the cause they cannot move,

To say before my sight,

My will they know-I've told you so;

Then how came men so wise,

To think that they can judge below

What lies before their eyes?

For what I'll do they do not know,

From Angels 'tis concealed,

Before I bid them for to go

To have my mind revealed;

Then surely man can never come

My will in aught to clear.

So form your judgment now, O men,

What answer shall I hear,

When I demand of every man

To answer for the past?

Why they in unbelief did stand,

And why they are so at last,

Under the Gospel to be wrong,

As I have shown to thee?

But to thy pondering thoughts I'll come-

What seems a mystery

Concerning of the Roman powers:

I know thy pondering heart,

Why would they seek for to devour

And make the martyrs smart,

If in one Gospel all believed,

As I have shown thee here?

What cruelty could they then give

To them that did appear,

Alike believe, be not deceived,

The Gospel join as one?

These are the pondering thoughts of thee,

And why discord so should come.

Now to thy thoughts I'll answer here,

Why they did thus begin;

As from my Gospel they did err

To place the power in man,

With all their zeal, I'll now reveal,

Their pride of heart swells high;

Back to the Pharisees you go

And see where pride doth lie;

For though my Gospel they profess

That they believe it true,

Yet still they make it but a jest-

The power of man, you know,

Is there set up, for men to hope

They must their pardon gain;

Or else they'll say in hell you'll drop;

Then how can they remain

My followers here, when I appear

To show them of the vine?

I say themselves they cannot clear

That they are joined mine;

Therefore I say I'll cut them off

And graft them all anew:

Now you discern I've said enough

To prove my Gospel true.

Branches in me they say they be,

My Gospel they allow;

But when I come to make an end,

They cannot tell me how

That e'er my Spirit they possessed,

To copy after me?

Therefore, I say, I'll cut them off,

My Gospel, all shall see,

I'll now fulfil beyond men's skill-

All this was known to me,

How Satan strong would work in men,

That blinded they may be;

But if no errors did appear,

How could I prune the vine,

To say I'd cut the branches here,

That so were joined mine?

Because to me they joined be,

The Saviour they profess,

And yet to man they all do flee,

And there they trust for grace.

Then sure my Gospel is denied,

While thus they trust in man,

Though arguments may be applied,

The way their faith did come;

But I'll appear to answer here:

To my disciples go;

I told them not to interfere,

And that you all do know;

If they did come where faith was none,

I bad them leave them all;

No cruelty, you know, in them

I bad them for to call:

I did reprove a Peter's love,

When fiery zeal appeared;

And know the cause I did remove,

To heal the servant's ear.

So when I come to make an end,

My Gospel to demand,

They'll find they wrest the Scriptures here;

They in no way can stand,

But branches, see, cut off must be,

As I have said before;

But as the thing doth puzzle thee,

I'll make it out more clear:

Under the Law, you all do know,

The Jews of old were placed;

And Moses gave them all the Law

Wherein they were to trust;

But how that Law did they divide,

And different minds became,

Until the Law was thrown aside?

You know they acted wrong;

Some kept the Law, you all may know

If you my Bible see,

While others wrong they did go on,

In images to be

Their every mind, was so inclined,

You know, to worship there;

And so my Law was thrown aside,

Till I in wrath appeared.

You know, on them my wrath did come,

They did not keep my Law;

And now my Gospel is the same,

For men alike do go;

I say astray in every way

They ever did go on;

They never knew the perfect day,

The darkened minds of men.

Now from the Fall I tell you all,

They've erred to this hour,

And now I'm come to prove the Fall

And show my every power,

If in my Gospel all was right,

I need not come again

To bring the mysteries all to light,

If errors none remained.

So all must see the mystery,

Why I must come again

In Spirit strong to make all plain

Unto the sons of men;

And from the Fall to shew you all

My Death alone won't do,

If I don't bruise the Serpent's head,

And prove my Bible true.

But if that right before my sight

Did every one go on,

The Gospel had brought all to light,

And errors none in man;

The serpent's head, as I have said,

I need to bruise no more,

If that my Cross had made him fled,

Never to tempt men here.

So now see plain, ye sons of men,

My Cross will never do

The fall of man for to regain,

Till I've the whole gone through.

Mark ever man, how things do stand,

Enlightened land, now see

What different doctrines are in man,

Then can you say you're free?

Enlightened here and make all clear,

And errors to have none?

I tell you, like the Jews before

You differ every one;

And now I'm come to make an end,

And show your folly clear,

I ask on whom you can depend,

To prove they do not err?

There is not one, to me 'tis known,

That is from errors free;

And some men's errors I have shown,

How far they go from me.

Then I'll appear as heretofore,

And prove they are all wrong;

For though my Gospel it is clear,

They're like the Jews become,

To differ here I've showed it clear;

Then now I'll make an end:

In unbelief I see them err,

And judgment wrong in men.

So if my Gospel you weigh deep

You'll see the truth appear,

That men like Adam, are asleep,

And every Age doth err;

Now where's the man can boldly come,

And prove it is not so,

That men in errors do go on,

And stumble like the Jews?

The type from Moses, I have said,

Was placed by God at first;

But in it were the Jews all led?

No; there the die was cast:

Had they gone on as he did command,

They'd all stood to this day

For to possess the Promised Land,

And me they'd not deny.

Now of my Gospel 'tis the same;

If right they'd all gone on,

Then in one path they'd surely trod,

Waiting for me to come

For to fulfil my Father's will,

The nations all to free:

But while the tempter doth remain,

I know this cannot be;

Therefore I'll come and make an end

As I have said before-

The Jews and Gentiles may contend,

But both I see do err.

The Gospel sound that doth abound

Wherein you say you're right:

But when your errors all are found,

And laid before your sight,

Then silent here must all appear,

And guilty all must stand,

And say, "Our Lord we want to hear,

"For to direct our hand:

"From different men, we now see plain

"What errors do appear."-

I ask how men can now contend,

When I have shown them clear,

That like the first I've proved the last,

What errors are in man?

Therefore the Serpent must be cast,

As I first laid my plan.

So I'll end here and say no more;

Those that have eyes may see,

Men stumble like the Jews before,

That say they are in me."

The following Explanation of the Bible was given after I had written a Letter to the Jews, pointing out to them, that as judgments had followed them ever since they had crucified the Lord of Life and Glory, they must know themselves that there was some cause, or these judgments would have been removed; and which was clearly pointed out to me as the reason of their judgments in the letter I sent them; and then followed this Communication:

"I have showed thee from the shadow of the children of Israel, wherein they may see the shadow of their promise given to them that believed my word and obeyed my command; and how the kings were all destroyed that were heathen kings and had no knowledge of me. This stands for a shadow and a type of the end how these heathen kings will be destroyed, and all their nations and people, when I come to bring in my Kingdom of Peace, and give to all my believers their different places and nations, as I distributed them amongst the Jews: this is but a shadow of what is to come. But now I shall turn to the Jews: From the places I pointed out to thee, see what I did for them, when they obeyed my command, and served me as the true and living God; and how I destroyed them when they departed from my ways. Now if the Jews would let the eyes of their understanding be opened, and not be blinded through unbelief, as their forefathers were, they would soon grow jealous of themselves, by the clear manner I have pointed out all things to them; they would be jealous, that the accursed thing that is amongst them is their unbelief; for there I tell thee stands their evil; and till that evil be done away their deliverance will never come. But had I been what they supposed me to be, an Impostor amongst mankind, the Jews' zeal for my destruction would have been much greater than the zeal of Phinehas, and brought peace and happiness to them: for reason must tell them and all mankind, if I was an Impostor I was worse than him that stole the golden wedge; therefore if the destruction of him brought deliverance to the Jews, and made so many kings fall before them, the destruction of me must have brought greater victory afterward to the Jews. But mark, their destruction fell upon them after I was crucified, and my disciples put to death; then they must know they have sinned in what they have done, and their deliverance can never come, till they have put the evil thing away, which is their unbelief. But do men vainly imagine, if it had not been for types and shadows, to show men the parable in the end, that I should so deeply afflict the children of Israel, as to make them fall before their enemies, because one man had sinned in the camp, that I said I would no more go with them, before that cursed thing was destroyed? and when the man had confessed his guilt and owned that he had sinned, that I would not have pardoned his sins, but ordered him to be put to death? Do men think I would act thus with a man, if it had not stood a deep type for the end? I tell thee, No: his sins were not greater than the sins of the others that I pardoned; neither were they more offensive to me; but I will tell thee why they were punished, because of his covetous eyes to the gold, to show all men, when I come to bring in my Kingdom of Peace, and to destroy every root of evil, as I destroyed the heathen nations, men's eyes must be to the Glory of my Kingdom, and to the Peace and Happiness they shall possess, when I come to establish them in Peace, and rule over them. But those whose eye is to the gold, I know the gold is all the god they will desire; and therefore I tell thee, like Achan, they will be destroyed; and this is the accursed thing that is now in the hearts of the people; therefore they have no desire to have my Kingdom established; neither have they any desire for my honour and glory, to see the root of evil destroyed; but their eyes, like Achan's, are to the gold; and while this accursed thing remains in the hearts of the people, I tell you all, they will not prevail against their enemies, but be confounded before them, as the Jews were. But let these evils be put from their hearts, and let the desire of their hearts be for the coming of their Lord, then they will see their enemies fall before them; when their eye is to my Kingdom, and for my Honour, and for my Glory, then my delight shall be with the sons of men, to show my victory, as I did to the Jews. These things stand for types and shadows, to show men the end, where their eyes must be to possess the promise I have made to man, as the Jews possessed the promise I had made to them. So here are types that stand deep for the end; and in the end every man will see them clear, how in every nation they will be destroyed, whose eye is to the gold, and have no desire for my kingdom; for I now tell thee, all these types will be clear to man in the end. I know the pondering of thy heart: thou thoughtest I should have shown mercy to the man, when he had confessed his crime and owned he had sinned; but I tell thee, that type stands for the end, to show how those whose eye is to the gold, will be destroyed; for there is no man whose heart is truly set upon the world, and makes gold his god, that will be desirous for my Honour and Glory, or for my Kingdom to be established; then how can they prevail against their enemy? In a spiritual sense it is impossible, because the enemy of my kingdom is concealed in their hearts; but that enemy must be destroyed; for this is the accursed thing, that he works in the hearts of the people to be desirous after, in all ages of the world; but now it is come to the end, it must be destroyed: and know that thousands have been destroyed for the love of gold; then how canst thou marvel in thy heart, that the lover of gold must be destroyed, before I get the victory for my people, to give them the lands I have promised them? But now to answer the pondering of thy heart, of my cutting off all these nations to give them to the Jews-this I know thou ponderest in thy heart, and art afraid of thy own thoughts: but now I shall answer thee of the Turkish Nation: the nations I cut off were like them, or I should not have cut them off. Now what comfort is it to the Turks, that their life is prolonged to suffer cruelty? I tell thee, none; and what profit is it to the governors and those that are in power, that their lives are prolonged, to fill up the measure of their sins the greater? Now ponder this in thy heart, as thou hast pondered why I should so hastily cut them all off, and then thou wilt soon be convinced, I did them no harm by cutting them off, that they might not load themselves with sins any longer. Now turn thy thoughts a different way; suppose they had lived twenty or thirty years longer, to commit more evil, what use would it be to them now? In thy heart thou sayest, none; then I ask thee what was my injury to them, to cut them off, when I knew they would never repent; and their hearts were but hardened against me? for know they had heard of my wonders in the land of Egypt; they had heard of my deliverance to my people Israel; and yet they rose up in war against them, without any belief in a God; and now I tell thee, where there is no belief in a God, Satan hath power to harden them in every cruelty; then where was my cruelty to cut them off, that they might not have any more guilt upon themselves, and convince others that there was a God? For I now tell thee, if these things had never appeared, and all men had died by natural deaths, the whole world would become atheists, and no man would believe there was a God who governed the world; for I now tell thee, in that state the world was come before the flood; they saw years roll on, men's lives rolled on, and no fatal judgments fell upon them; therefore the imagination of their hearts began to be evil, and they thought all things would remain as they were, before the deluge came to sweep them away. And now thou knowest, these men that believe there never were judgments, believe there never will, and think that all things will remain as they are; nay, this thou hast heard, among professors, that no change will ever take place; and yet they profess to believe all these changes have taken place; but if all these changes have taken place, in ages past, how can man be so void of reason as to believe they will not take place now?-

"Behold your land, see how they stand,

And all men's doctrines see;

Their different thoughts you may command,

As published now they be.

The Arians strong you know they're come

Against My Gospel penned;

The Atheists unto thee are known;

Then let men judge the end

Is drawing near; for I'll appear

To answer every man:

'Tis time, I say, for them to fear,

For my decrees are come,

To make an end: mark what is penned,

And all men's doctrines see.

The Calvinists profess thy friends;

But I shall answer thee:

They do appear, I tell thee here,

No better than the rest,

When all their doctrine is made clear,

To say that man is cast

By my decree he so should be,

Then I must be to blame;

No honour they do bring to me,

But put their Lord to shame.

So I'll go on from man to man,

Let all their books appear,

I'll prove the ending now is come,

For most men they do err;

There are a few, I well do know,

Rely upon my word,

That all my Gospel I'll go through,

And they shall know their Lord;

My Bible here to some appears

A book I shall fulfil;

But see the world, how they do err,

And stand in blindness still.

The Jews before they see them err,

And judgment I did send,

And yet they think they need not fear-

'Tis never my intend

To come at last, as at the first,

And sweep the whole away

That will not in my Bible trust,

As I before did say;

Then surely men may Atheists come,

To see what's done before,

If I should never visit men

When they began to err.

I ask, what use could all produce,

The judgments past and gone,

If I stop there and go no more

To show myself to man?

Then all the judgments I've decreed,

And all that I have sent,

I tell thee plain, are all in vain

Unto the sons of men;

If I should let the world go on,

As vainly men believe,

No change from me will ever come

Themselves they all deceive;

For where's the wisdom of a God,

I now enquire to know,

On ages past to send a Rod,

And now keep back the blow?

I ask of men if they'll contend

To prove they're not the same

As former ages that were penned,

When my destruction came?

And if on man my heavy hand

You say did so appear,

I'll ask the tempter how he'll stand,

When I the end do clear?

So men grow wise, I'll now chastise;

My Bible none do see,

That judgment I have sent before,

And what the end must be;

For Satan's reign, I told you plain,

I shall cut off like man;

And if against me men contend,

They'll find my heavy hand

To be at last as at the first,

For I shall not stop there;

And in the end you'll find me just,

When I the whole do clear.

So I'll end here and say no more,

But let the blind to see

That Atheists strong may all become,

If I should act the way

That learned men do now contend,

Things always will remain;

Then every thing that I have done,

I tell them, is in vain:

In judgments first I need not burst

So hastily on man,

Had not my mind been at the last

Unto the root to come.

So if men deeply here discern,

And trace my Bible through,

And mark the way that I do warn,

They'd judge what I should do;

As I have said, be not misled,

Men's learning I see none:-

"Now I shall go on from my Gospel: John xii. 31.-"Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." Here I have told thee from my Gospel, that as I bore the judgment of man, so should the prince of this world bear the judgment of man the same, and be cast out; for I said, if I was lifted up from the earth, I would draw all men unto me. I have already told thee the meaning was not understood by my disciples; they thought it signified what death I should die; but know, I did not draw all men unto me when I was crucified, either in heart, or in life, or in personable appearance. This all men must know was not accomplished, neither will it be accomplished, till the prince of this world be cast out, so that he hath no power to draw men unto him. Now mark the observation that was made by the people in answer to my words-"We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth for ever: how sayest thou, the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Here is the enquiry that was made by the people, which enquiry was not answered by me, at that time; for I now tell thee and all men, if I had made all my Gospel clear, if I had stumbled them in nothing, how could men have stood out, to have any excuse for themselves? or how could the Jews have stood out to this day, if my Gospel did not stand in many things as great a stumbling block to them, as my words were, when I was amongst them? Therefore I spoke many things in mysteries they could never understand; and now I tell thee, they are as great a mystery to many who profess to believe my Gospel, as they were to the Jews; for it is impossible for all men to receive my Gospel, before I make it plainer before them; and it is impossible for man to explain it. Now I shall come to the enquiry of the people who said-"We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth for ever:" and now I tell thee, my abiding hath been for ever; for it was I that visited Moses, and it was I that visited the prophets: man knows not in what manner my visitations have been of old, before I came to die for man; therefore my abiding hath been for ever; but in the manner it was expected by the Jews, to come as the Mighty Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, it was not accomplished when I came into the world to bear the Transgression of Man; neither were the days expired drawing to the end of the period of the six thousand years. Now I have brought thee to the beginning of the fourth day; and know it is said, one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day; and in the six days the Lord finished his work. Here I have showed thee from the Scriptures, that it is written my soul shall not always strive with man, but my delight shall be with the sons of men; these things I have explained to thee already, how my Spirit hath been striving with man ever since the creation, or man would have no more knowledge of his God than the beasts which perish. And now I shall come to the Creation; but first call to thy remembrance, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last; and know it is written, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first; and in this manner stands my Bible; the Serpent's head to be bruised first, and my Heel last; but know, the last was the first; for my Heel was bruised first, and Satan's head shall be bruised at last.-But now come to the six days of the creation: the first day, light was created, and light and darkness were divided; and this was the first state of man: he soon came into darkness by the Fall; yet in the light many walked, believing and relying upon their Creator, as a knowledge thereof was given to Adam, and his life was prolonged to give light to the generations to come; and in this light many continued; and many walked in darkness, as Cain began in darkness; so they went on divided the first thousand years, in Adam's days. Now come to the second day: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it be divided, the waters from the waters. This was the second day; and now mark the second period of man, beginning in the second thousand, how fast they began to depart from the light after Adam was gone, till I said the whole earth was in darkness, and I saw no just man upon the earth to walk in the light, but Noah whom I commanded to make the ark: there the waters were divided from the waters to make it as dry land to Noah, who walked in the light, but a deluge to them who walked in darkness. This was done in the second thousand, as it was placed in the second day; then know, in the third day, the waters were gathered together into one place, and the dry land appeared. Now come to the third period, which I call the third thousand-but I know, thou sayest in thy heart, the two thousandth was not ended when the deluge appeared: yet consider it was in the two thousandth that the deluge was. And now I shall come to reason with thee, as I know the ponderings of thy heart, to make it clear: The two thousand should have been up before the deluge. But I answer thee, as the thousand years are compared to a day, where is the difference, if a thing is done in a day, whether it be done in the morning, the evening, or in the midst of the day, so it be done in a day; perfectly so in the day of the second thousand the deluge came upon man, and the ark divided the waters, to preserve Noah and his family alive. And now come to the third day, wherein the dry land was fixed; and know I said, after the deluge the waters should no more cover the earth; for I had set my bow in the clouds, as a sign for man; and the sea was fixed to keep his bounds. But now mark, in the third day the trees were planted to yield their fruit; and now mark, after the deluge, how I began to visit men, that they might yield their fruit: and witness how many did yield their fruit; witness Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the holy men throughout the Bible; see how they began to bring forth fruit that was good: and the grass yielded seed after its kind; so all things after their kind brought forth their increase; and the fruit began to have a knowledge of their Lord, by my visitation to man; and yet their knowledge was but faint; and many became like the grass that was cut down. This went on to the fourth period, which I call the fourth day; and as I have told thee before, I now tell thee again, whether in the beginning of the day or the ending, it is no difference, so it be in the day; so in the day of the fourth thousand I came to be a light in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day from the night, for signs, and for seasons, for days, and for years; then know, O all men, I came into the world to be a greater light to mankind than they had received before; to be a sign unto them for days and years of the end. Thus did I come at the end of the day of the fourth thousand, to set signs unto man of the end, and to warn them of my coming again, after days and years had rolled on; for know I told them, "Hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds in great glory." So I came for signs and wonders unto them, to tell them the seasons and the signs in the firmament they should have at my coming. Thus I came to be a greater light to men than they had seen before by Moses; and yet Moses was a great light unto them, by all the miracles he wrought amongst them. So here are the two great lights that came to man. But they will all find in the end, that he came from me; for I was the light to establish that light, which it is written, that God made for mankind.-It is not for thee, nor for any man, to dive into the Mystery or the Divinity of the Godhead; for secret things belong to the Lord; so leave off thy pondering here, concerning the union of the Godhead-but know I came, as I told thee, at the end of the fourth day, which was the fourth thousand, to be a greater light to men than they had received before, and set signs before them of the end; and as stars in the firmament were my disciples placed, to give light to them that walk in darkness; and many that walked in darkness saw the light and walked in that light; and many began to be like the birds, they flew to heaven by faith in the Son of God. Thus did I bring in the fifth day by my Gospel: the five thousand years came in by the light of my Gospel, and many by faith mounted upward, as on the wings of an eagle, while others, like the fish that remain in the sea, are still in darkness; for they have no wings of faith to trust in their redemption, through the light of my Gospel; for all seemed covered to them, as the waters cover the fish in the sea, while others by faith, like the wings of the bird, ascend upward. Thus hath been the Gospel the fifth day for man; and this may be discerned from the different conduct of men, since my Gospel was established, and since I came to be a greater light to men than they had received before. And now I shall come to the Creation of Man-"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over all the cattle, and over all the earth." This was the sixth day's labour; and for this was man created; but mark, from what I have told thee of the past, he hath only gone through the shadow of his creation, what he was created for; therefore, I tell thee, it is the sixth day, in the sixth thousand years, that I shall complete the Creation for man. I have laboured and man hath laboured, ever since the fall that followed the Creation; my Spirit hath been striving with man, and men have been striving one with another; those that were led by my Spirit have been striving and contending with those that resist my Spirit. Now as I had six days' labour in laying the plan of the Creation and bringing all things into existence, so it is written, one day is as a thousand years; and so must my labour go on with man, to bring man to that perfection I created him for at first; as the powers of darkness came upon him after, and brought him into darkness, so that he sees not whither he goeth. And now I tell thee and all men, the shadow of my work ended the sixth day, in the Creation of Man; but in an imperfect state, as man has gone on six thousand years: and ye know not how near they are ended, that I shall shorten the days. But know, as I have told thee before, the day is the day whether at noon or the evening; and now it is known unto you all, from the records of my Bible, the sixth thousand is drawing to an end; and know I said the days should be shortened-and I am come to shorten the days, and finish the end of my Creation: so man that was formed in weakness shall now be made to rise in power, in the image and likeness of his God! Now let all thoughts go deep, that if one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, from the plan of the Creation, I must know the fallen state of man, and how the powers of darkness would work with him, that it would come into the sixth thousand years, before I should finish my work with man, to make him come to that perfection that I created him for at first, to be in the perfect image and likeness of his God: and know this was the end of my labour; and I tell thee, this shall be the end of my labour. For my Spirit shall not always strive with man, neither shall the powers of darkness be always warring with man, or man with them; but my delight shall be with the sons of men; and their delight shall be to walk with me: for know it is written, "Behold I create all things new; a new Heaven and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Then if I create all things new, I must create man anew to the perfect image and likeness that I said I created him for; and as my labour ended in the creation of man, to create him in my image and likeness the sixth day, so shall the sixth thousand bring man to that perfection that I created him for at first. Here I have shown thee from the Creation, and from the words of the Scriptures, in what manner the chain is linked together; and how the last is first, by the state man went through, as though he were first created to go through these different scenes, as they were placed in the days of the Creation. So the days went on for man, from the Creation at first, though he was created the last; and now the last shall be the first, and my Creation shall end in man, and give him power over every thing: though the powers of darkness had first power over man, but now I will give man power over them; and as the Creation ended at first, so will I establish it at last. And now there is the rest remaining for the people of God, as I rested from my labour, and called that day of rest a thousand years, as well as the days of my labour, so shall the day of rest be for man and me. Now mark, from the Creation, how my Bible goes through to affirm that that day of rest must come for me to dwell in peace and rest with my people one thousand years; and now I tell thee, if men divide that, they must divide all my Bible, and add it all another way, that no man living can explain, how I have made man in my own image, after my own likeness; or how I have fulfilled the Law or the Gospel. This cannot be explained by men, who add the Scriptures another way; then they must take away the Promises that stand throughout my Bible, and man must think to deceive his Maker at last, as Satan tried to deceive him at first. But, O vain and simple men! I am God, there is none beside me; nor my honour will I give to another, to let the wisdom of men or devils frustrate the plan that I laid in the Creation: but that plan cannot be accomplished, unless I bring in man's redemption. Now I shall come further to the Creation: Know, it was after my day of rest, on the seventh day, that I said I had ended from my work, that I made the Woman for a helpmate for Man; and after my day of rest that the woman was beguiled by the serpent, and the curse was fixed upon the serpent; then now discern, all men, this brought on each of my days to be a thousand years, to labour for man, and to labour with man. But know, as I finished the creation in the six days, and then made the woman in the time that I called my rest; so, I tell you all, it is by the promise I made to the woman, of bruising the serpent's head, that I must complete the whole for man; and this is what I said in my Gospel-If I was lifted up, the prince of this world should be cast out; for I would draw all men unto me; then they may say, Christ abideth for ever to dwell with men, when the root of evil is destroyed, and my spirit is poured out upon all flesh; then they will understand the meaning of my words-Whoso eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John vi. 54. And this I have showed thee from the Creation, how I mean to raise them up at the last day, that they may drink deep into my Spirit, and that they may be renewed into my likeness. But do men vainly suppose that I meant they should eat my Flesh, and drink my Blood? I tell thee, no; for that is impossible for man to do; and had they done it in those days to drink my Blood when it was shed for man, it could not have been continued. Therefore, reason must tell all men, the words were not meant in the manner they were spoken; but as ye often say of families that have all one spirit, they have all one blood, so if my spirit be poured out upon men to form them in my likeness, and ye wish to drink deep into my Spirit, then ye will all confess and say, my Flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed, when ye are renewed in my likeness, and cleansed from the evils of the world. But how can men understand the words to take them perfectly as I spoke them-He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me, and I in him? Can men vainly suppose that these words were spoken as of a temporal meaning? I tell thee, no; they were spoken as of a spiritual meaning, to make man in my likeness, when I bring in man's redemption, as I came in the likeness of my Father: for know, I said, As I live by the Father, so he that eateth me shall live by me: But know what I have told thee, by eating of me; it is not to eat my Body as ye eat food; but I tell thee it is the digesting and eating my words by faith, as ye often say ye eat the words of one another, what you delight to hear and digest as truth; in the same perfect manner true believers must believe from my Gospel, that my spirit will be so poured out upon them, and ye will be filled with the joy of the Holy Ghost, as the stomach is filled with meat, that ye may live in me and I in you. This is the full redemption of man; for know what I said unto them: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; then know, my meaning was to my spiritual kingdom for the redemption of man: but I no more meant of eating my Flesh or drinking my Blood, than I meant to build the temple in three days, that was built by the hands of men. But now I tell thee, as many of my disciples were offended at my words, so are many men now offended with my Gospel; and they think it hard sayings, who can hear them; and I tell thee, because they cannot understand them, there are thousands that cannot hear them; because they do not understand I spoke of the end, when I come to fulfil the whole. If my Gospel had been plain to all men, and I had spoken no words in mysteries, the miracles that I wrought must have convinced them that I was the Son of God; then how could the words of the prophet be fulfilled, for me to be wounded for the transgression of man? or how could the Jews stand out in unbelief, to show the true state of man? or how could I pronounce man dead under the Fall, and prove the truth of my words, when I came to make an end of all things, to prove that man was dead, as I pronounced him, if I had come in the Body and made everything clear and plain to man? Then the Scriptures could not be fulfilled to be true; but now when I come to fulfil my Gospel and explain the meaning, all men will find the truth of my words, that I came into the world, and became flesh for man, and bore the transgression for man, that I might destroy all the works of the devil, and bring man perfectly to my image and my likeness, as I created him for at first. This is the fulfilment of my Gospel; and he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. This meaning is not understood by man; for I tell thee, there are many that do believe in me, and in my Gospel, and yet they have no regard for me, or my Gospel; then how can they have everlasting life? But those that believe to have everlasting life, must believe the words that I have said unto them, that I came to be a light to the world, to seek and to save that which was lost; and they must believe they were lost by the Fall, as to the image and likeness of their Creator; and as they died through the Fall, by the transgression of man, so by my bearing the transgression for man, they may eat of the good and live in me at the last, as they died in Adam at the first. This is the belief that men must have, if they will have everlasting life in me; and weigh the words of the Prophets with the words of the Gospel; for I tell thee, they both must join together, the beginning with the ending; and know when I come to fulfil the words of the prophet, to be the Prince of Peace, then I shall bring in everlasting life to man; and when I come to pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and destroy all the works of the devil, then men will find the truth of my words that men may live in me, and I in them. This is the fulfilment of my Gospel; but where is the man who can answer that this is fulfilled in him? that he perfectly lives in me, and I in him, without a veil between? I tell thee, no man; therefore I spoke the words so strongly and so powerfully that they might stand on record at my second coming; for I well knew what was in men, how strongly they would deny my likeness to be in man, or that I ever intended to fulfil the creation, to bring man to my image and likeness. But now come to my Gospel, and mark the words that I said unto the people-The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world; then know for what I came down into the world; for to give life unto mankind. But will men say they are not alive when I came down amongst them? that I came to give them a temporal life? I tell thee, No; they all had life when I came; and yet they had the death that was pronounced upon them by the Fall; and to remove that death, and to give them life, I came down from heaven. And know I said, I should raise them up again in the last day; for this was the will of him that sent me, that they should have everlasting life, that believed on me, and I should raise them up at the last day. Now let all men observe from these words, I did not tell them, at that time they should be raised up, but that I should raise them up at the last day, to have everlasting life; but how could the assurance of their being raised up at the last day be argued, or proved, or believed, if I had not spoken those words when I was upon earth amongst mankind, that all men might see the assurance of my promise that I left on record for man? Now where is the man that can come forward and prove he hath experienced all my words that I said in that chapter? I tell thee no man can say it hath been his experience in this world; neither will it till the prince of this world be cut off; then will they find the truth of my words; neither do men understand my words, that I spoke unto them-He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst; but where is the man who can say he never hungered? and if ye look to the words in a spiritual sense, believers are commanded to hunger and thirst after righteousness; so that no man can say the words are fulfilled, neither is that Christian upon earth who can say, after he believed in me, that he never hungered or thirsted after me. For while the powers of darkness remain they stand as a bar between believers and me; and believers often feel themselves as barren as a hungry stomach; so they hunger and thirst for a greater power of my Spirit. But when I come to fulfil my Gospel, and destroy all the works of the devil, and pour out my Spirit upon them, then they will never hunger when their souls are filled with my loving kindness and goodness; neither will they thirst, when their thirst is quenched by me; for what have they to hunger and thirst after, when the sun of righteousness is arisen with healing in his wings, to give them every blessing that I have promised, and daily feeding them with my loving kindness, mercy and goodness? They will not be like the children of Israel, when they were freed from the bondage of Pharaoh, who hungered and thirsted to go back to the flesh-pots of Egypt, as many of them did after they were freed from bondage; but when they are freed from the bondage of sin and Satan, they will never more hunger and thirst to go back to be bound with his yoke; neither will they have need to hunger when by my Spirit they are daily fed, and the blessings of this world, you know, they are promised in the Scriptures of truth. Here I have explained to thee the meaning of this chapter in part, that men may be convinced that all these things must be, to fulfil my Gospel, and that my Gospel speaks of them all. And now come to the miracles that were wrought, in this chapter, with the five barley loaves and two small fishes, to feed five thousand, and there remained of the fragments twelve baskets of the five barley loaves, after they had eaten and were filled. These miracles being wrought amongst them they said, of a truth, this is the prophet that should come into the world. But when I told them for how much greater wonders than these I came into the world, they said who could hear it, and departed from me. Now from this I shall show thee the folly that is in mankind: they with the multitude, believed my miracles, because they saw them and were filled; but they did not believe that I should come hereafter to do greater signs and wonders among them, or to do greater signs and wonders in the world, at any future period-to fill them with the Holy Ghost-to fill them with my Spirit, and to make them in my likeness, to dwell in man, and man in me. This appeared too marvellous for them to believe, not considering how marvellous it was for me to feed five thousand with five barley loaves and two fishes, and the fragments that remained to fill twelve baskets. And now I tell thee, as the fragments remained over and above filling the multitude, so the fragments remain of the Gospel to be fulfilled. Now mark from the first miracle, what number were filled with the five barley loaves, which was a miracle if none had remained; but as there were so many remained after the multitude was filled-know all men there yet remain greater miracles to fulfil my Bible. For know what remained was not consumed, and what remaineth of my Gospel is not fulfilled; but as the hungry were then fed by wonders and miracles, so I tell thee, by wonders and miracles I shall fulfil the remainder of my Gospel; and so they that are now hungering after me will find themselves filled with greater miracles than they were filled at that time with the barley loaves and fishes, when I come to gather up the fragments that remain to fulfil my Gospel, that nothing be waste: and nothing shall be lost of the words I have spoken; so there remain greater miracles to fulfil my Gospel and bring in my kingdom than were done in the days of my disciples to establish my Gospel.

"Now come to the beginning of St. John-"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, the same was in the beginning with God." Now mark from these words what the word was in the beginning when I laid the foundation of the earth and created all things, and established all things; the word was, that it was good; then if God saw that it was good, be assured that he will establish to make good all things that he hath created; for this was the word in the beginning, and the word was God. Then know all men, God is Truth; and in righteousness and truth must the world be established, according to the beginning what God created it for. In the beginning he made man in his own image and in his own likeness; then know, if that word be God, which meaneth Truth, that Truth must be established; and what was said in the beginning must be accomplished in the ending. Now mark the words of St. John-"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." Now how will men answer these words, to say the Word was made flesh? Thou sayest in thy heart, thou canst not understand them; and I tell thee, they are understood by no man; though they profess to explain my Gospel. But know if the Word was made flesh by my coming in the flesh, to dwell amongst men, in the likeness of man, then the Word that was spoken in the Creation, of making man in my own image and likeness, must become flesh in my likeness, for man to dwell with me, as I dwelt with him; and so the Word that was spoken in the beginning must be fulfilled in the perfection of man; for know it is written, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." Now let all men discern what brought sin into the world; was not sin brought into the world by the arts of the devil? and doth he not go on to this day to be the author of every sin? Then how can it be fulfilled, that I have taken away the sin of this world, before I have taken the author of sin out of the world? It is the taking the devil out of the world, and all his sinful power and practice, that is taking sin out of the world; and before he is taken away, sin cannot be taken out of the world; for it is known unto all men, sin yet remaineth; and where is the man who can deny it? But sin, as I have told thee, is under the Gospel still remaining, as it was under the Law; but know the Word that was in the beginning, that the evil power should receive his curse and his head should be bruised, as my heel was; then if the first word became flesh, to dwell amongst men, to have my heel bruised, according to the words in the beginning, then according to the words in the beginning, I must bruise Satan's head, and take sin out of the world. Here are the Scriptures of truth, which men must prove are fulfilled, or they must confess, like the fragments of the twelve baskets that remained, they yet remain to be fulfilled; and it is known unto thee, and it must be known unto all men, they stand remaining to be fulfilled. For if the Law was given to Moses to deliver the children of Israel from the hand of Pharaoh, which was but a shadow of good things to come of the promised land, let them know that Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ to deliver men from the bondage of sin and Satan, and to give them the promised land of my kingdom, that it may be established in righteousness and peace, according to the Word spoken in the Creation. Now this Word was with God in the beginning, and this word is God to fulfil it in the ending; as I have told thee, God is truth. Now mark the chapter, and how I have explained it, and bring me the man that will explain it another way, then I tell thee there can be no truth in him; for know what I told them-"Hereafter ye shall see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man;" then cometh the fulfilment of my Gospel, that as I was made flesh to dwell with man, to fulfil the words of the promise, so man shall be made flesh in my likeness, to dwell with me and I with him; and the sin of this world shall be taken away. Here I have showed thee, from the Scriptures of Truth, how every word stands upon record, that I told thee in the beginning-

"Saints should see it and rejoice;

Hell should tremble at my voice:

Saints rejoice, and sinners fear,

When I bring salvation near-

All the earth shall know the Lord,

And sing his praise with one accord." 1st Book, p. 32.

"This I told thee in the beginning was the ending of my visitation to thee; and now I am showing thee, from the Scriptures of truth, how all these things stand upon record to be fulfilled, and to fulfil the words I first said to thee; but know what I said at the marriage in Cana-my hour was not yet come: and the water pots were first filled with water, before they were turned to wine; and the best wine was preserved to the last; perfectly so, I now tell thee, my hour was not then come to fulfil my Gospel and the words that I spoke unto them; and my Gospel still stands but as water pots filled with water to man; for the best wine, that is reserved for the last, men have not tasted; and yet I tell thee, the time is drawing near, that they will find the water wine, the truth of my Words, and the glory of my kingdom. But I tell thee, my Gospel is no more understood by man, than the Jews understood my saying-destroy the temple, and in three days I will raise it up: but they understood not that I meant the temple of my body; neither is it understood-taking away the sin of the world, that it is taking away the power of the devil. But I know thy thoughts, how it has been explained by men-taking away the sins of believers. But is this taking away the sin of the world? Doth not the sin of the world remain? Then how can the sin of the world be taken away if it alludes to religious men? they might say it was taken away before I came into the world, by the holy men that were in the world before. Witness the holy men of old, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Noah, Daniel and Job, and all the Prophets, besides thousands whose names are not mentioned; therefore I tell thee, no man can allude those words to my coming into the world to take away the sin of the world; because there are religious men under the Gospel, as there were under the Law; and yet know, the sin of the world still remaineth; then how can they say it is taken away?-and the sin of unbelief is not taken away from religious men to this day; but know it is written, "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." Then if the world be saved through him, he must take away the sin of the world, that they may be saved from the power of sin. But will men argue sin is ever to remain, and not to be condemned, because I came into the world to save them from sin, and to take away sin out of the world? But if I had said, I come not to destroy the power of sin, and to cast out the prince of this world, then men might say I came to save them in their sins, and not to deliver them from sin; but know it is written, I come to take away the sin of the world, that the world through me might be saved: but how do men dispute my Gospel, without discerning what is written!

"Now mark the words that I said to Nicodemus-"Ye must be born again;" but where is the man who understands the words? I know the thoughts of thy heart; thou sayest it is explained by men that every one is born again when he is convinced of sin, and he forsakes his sins. Now to this I shall answer, that being convinced of sin, and forsaking some of their sins, do not allude to the second birth, to say they are born of the Spirit; for mark the words that followed my saying they must be born again: the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit, and hears the words of the Spirit: and this I told Nicodemus was the second birth; but will men say, this second birth is already come to man? Then let men appear and prove they hear the words of my Spirit. But thou sayest in thy heart, some will say they have the witness of my Spirit and the knowledge of my Spirit, that their sins are forgiven; and yet thou knowest these very men have denied my visitation to thee, as much as any men? then where is their belief in the second birth? I tell thee they have no belief in the second birth, neither do they understand my words; for know I said, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Now I ask of all men, who will be saved, if no one be saved that hath not heard the words of the Spirit, as ye hear the rustling wind? In thy heart thou answerest no one; or if any, the number is but few: then now I tell thee as before, my words stand for the end, as the words of St. John are-I came into the world to take sin out of the world, that men might be born again after my Spirit, after my Image, and after my Likeness; and I tell thee, this will every man experience that lives to see the kingdom of God established in peace and righteousness; therefore I said, except they were born again, they could not see the kingdom of God. And now I ask thee, what perfect happiness, what heavenly joy, or what likeness could Saints on earth have of the Saints in heaven, or likeness of me, or my image, before they are born of the Spirit? that my Spirit is poured out upon them? Therefore the Apostle said, they should not all die, but they should be all changed in the twinkling of an eye, and the vile bodies of men should be made like my glorious body; then now see, O men, from the Scriptures of truth, the way ye must be born again, to enter into my peaceable kingdom; for how can flesh and blood as it now is, without a change, be united together in perfect harmony? I tell thee no one can enjoy that happiness to have the world in a perfect union one with the other, and to love one another as I loved them, before the old man, with all his deeds, be done away, and the new man, which is Christ, be renewed and formed in you. Therefore it is written, "A new heart will I give them, and a new spirit will I put within them; and I will write my laws upon their hearts, and I will put my Spirit upon their inward parts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people; old things shall be done away, and all things shall become new." Then now see how the new birth must come to man, to make this earth the kingdom of God, wherein dwelleth happiness, and wherein dwelleth righteousness: but now look to the pretended Christians, who say they are born again: Is there a heavenly love, and a heavenly harmony, amongst them that do thus profess? Thou answerest, No; then let them know, the new birth is not established in the world yet; neither are men's hearts prepared for the coming of their Lord, as these that profess they experience it, and think they are cleansed, like the leprous men, go on their way as they did before, and have no thoughts of turning back to follow my Gospel, or to look for the fulfilment thereof; while others do not believe the second birth will ever come at all, or the fulfilment of my Bible will ever take place. Therefore I tell thee, my coming to man, before I have opened the eyes of their understanding to look for my coming, is like going to strangers that would not receive me: therefore I was not received by man when I came in the body; as the sayings of the prophets were not made clear to their understanding; neither are my sayings clear to the understanding of men; then how can I be the desire of nations before I have opened the eyes of their understanding, that they may be longing for the coming of their Lord, that every man may be taught of the Lord? Then they will find the truth of the second birth, and hear the words of my Spirit, as ye hear the rustling wind; for know I have told thee, as things come to thee, so will it come to all, when my kingdom is established; then will they know me from the greatest to the least, and every one will be taught of the Lord. So if men discern the Bible through, they will know the second birth must come, to have the Scriptures all fulfilled; but where is the man, with all his learning, or where is the Christian with all his religion, who can prove these things were ever accomplished? I tell thee, no man; but if they believe my Bible true, they must know they will be accomplished, and all my sayings will be fulfilled, with the sayings of the prophets; for know I said, I came to fulfil them; therefore I said unto Nicodemus, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? for had he understood the prophets, he would have understood the meaning of my words, that when I restored the kingdom to Israel, and established my kingdom in righteousness and peace, and poured out my Spirit upon the sons of men, then a new birth must take place, for men to come to the knowledge of their Lord. If these things had not been spoken of by the prophets, how can men suppose I should ask of Nicodemus, how he, a master of Israel, knew not these things, if he did not know them from the prophets? did men vainly suppose I thought he should know them from my Gospel, that was not established? for they had only seen the working of my miracles, that brought Nicodemus to be an enquirer; therefore I could not have spoken to him as though I marvelled at him, not knowing the second birth from the Gospel; but my observation to him was, that he did not understand these things from the Prophets-that old things should be done away, and all things should become new; for there should be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelled righteousness; then there must be a new birth in man, to be born of the Spirit of God, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of the living God. Therefore I spoke what I knew, and testified what I had said before, and what I had seen and heard before, when the foundation of the earth was laid, that the Word should be established that was spoken in the beginning.

"Now mark the following words: I said, "No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, which is in heaven." Now here are words no man can understand; for know it is written, that Enoch walked with God, and was translated; and Elijah the same; then will you say they did not ascend up to heaven? and you know I said, that Dives saw Lazarus in Abraham's bosom; therefore no man understood the meaning of my words, saying, No man ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven. Now I shall explain the meaning: mark the words that I said to Nicodemus before, that they must be born again of the Spirit, or how could men on earth have any resemblance of the angels in heaven? For no man would ascend to heaven, to have the Spirit there, to be in earth and heaven, and to go from earth to heaven, and to come from heaven to earth, in like manner that I had done; neither would the saints on earth ascend up to heaven to have the change wrought there, and then come down upon earth, to have my kingdom here. Then they must be born of the Spirit here below; for who would ascend up to heaven to know my mind and will there; This was my meaning to Nicodemus, to let him know, and to let all men know, that the visitation of my Spirit, the power of my Spirit, and the knowledge of my Spirit must come to men here upon earth, to make them fit members for my kingdom here upon earth; therefore I said, no man ascended up to heaven for that knowledge; but I came down to give them that knowledge, that I should visit them again by my Spirit.-But I know the ponderings of thy thoughts: I did not say, no man could ascend to heaven for knowledge, to come down and teach men knowledge, but the Son of Man which was in heaven. I tell thee, No; I did not explain to Nicodemus, why he, being a master of Israel, should have known all these things; neither did I tell them my meaning of destroying the temple; for had I explained all my meaning, and have made everything clear to men, then they would have been filled with the knowledge of the Lord before the powers of darkness were destroyed; therefore I left the meaning of my words to be explained when I came in the Spirit to fulfil them. Then as no man hath ascended up to heaven, to know my mind and will, how can man pretend to know it, before I come in the Spirit to explain it? But know, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, I said the Son of Man must be lifted up; and as a serpent I was lifted up by the sons of men, upon the Cross for Man; then now look unto me, all ye to the ends of the earth; and be ye saved; for I was lifted up for man, that the world through me might be saved; for God so loved the world that he had created, that in the end it might be redeemed by my suffering the Death upon the Cross, to destroy all the works of the devil: for if love fulfilled the one, justice now demands the other, and they that will now come to the light will see the justice and the light; and in the light they will wish to walk. But if they believe not the earthly things of the Fall, when every mystery is so clearly explained, how shall they believe the heavenly things of my kingdom, when they are revealed unto them? If they will not believe the one, they cannot believe the other; but he that believeth the truth of my words in the beginning, cometh to the light, and seeth the truth, how all is made manifest to be of God; and in the light he will walk; but he that delighteth to abide in darkness, and loveth the ways of darkness, will hate to come to the light, fearing his deeds should be reproved, that the truth is not in him; for he does not believe the Scriptures of Truth.

"Now mark these words, spoken by St. John, chapter iii. 29. "He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom: but the friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice: . . . He that believeth not the Son shall not see life." Now mark, from these words that were spoken by John, the Bridegroom must have the Bride; for he that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom; then know assuredly, to fulfil the Scriptures of truth, the Bride must appear to declare the voice of the Bridegroom. But when I come in power to make the church the Bride, they shall all hear my voice and live: but know it is written, He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; and yet the life that is now in the world is seen by all men; Jews and Gentiles, Turks and Infidels, see the life that men call life. Here reason must teach them all, the life that is meant by the Apostle is the Life of the Redemption from the Fall, that no man can receive, or will ever see, that doth not believe in the Son of God, that I died to redeem them from the Fall, that they might live in me, and I in them. This is the life that no man can see, unless he believe that I came into the world, that they might receive life from the dead, and be restored from the death that was passed on man in the Fall. Therefore I said, whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. This I said I should give unto man; and this ye must believe in me that what I said I should do, I surely will do, that ye may have everlasting life, and be filled with my Spirit; for know I said, The hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit. Now I tell thee why I said it was then, as well as to say it was to come; because at that time I poured out my Spirit upon my disciples, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost; so they worshipped in the Spirit; but will men say, the Holy Ghost hath been poured out upon all men that believed my Gospel ever since to this day, as it was upon the disciples? all men must answer, No; then know the hour is not yet come, that I said men should worship in the Spirit as they did; for if the hour was come, as a shadow in them, know I said, the hour cometh. Then now mark these two words, how they are spoken; the one was then, and the other was to come: and know I said unto the woman, Believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father; but they should worship him in the Spirit; for God is a Spirit; and they who worship him should worship him in Spirit and in Truth. Now I shall explain the meaning of these words: I did not mean they should not worship the Lord in Jerusalem; for I tell thee the time will come when Jerusalem will be new built, and my kingdom of peace established; but then, I tell thee, it will not be as it is now, to say, ye go to your places of worship, either to churches or meetings, or whatever worship men have formed, and which is the worship that is in the world now; as some then trusted to their worship at Jerusalem, and others in the mountain, and in different places where the worship was; and perfectly so are the worshippers now; but I tell you all, the time is coming, when the true worshippers of God will be in the Spirit: and such the Lord is now seeking to worship him; for now I tell you, it is the Spirit of God, as it was spoken by the Prophet, poured out upon men, that must bring them to my likeness; and this I told them would be; therefore, if men weigh the Prophets with my Gospel, they will be convinced what a change must take place in man, and how sin will be taken away.-But now I ask mankind what waters they have drunk never to thirst? This cannot be explained spiritually or temporally, that it is fulfilled; but know what is written in the Revelation-when the waters of life come, then cometh the tree of life, and the healing of the nations; therefore, I tell thee, to understand my Bible, they must compare one place with another; then they will discern how it must be fulfilled, and how the promises all stand. But if these words did not stand on record, then men might mock the coming of their Lord, and say, things will always remain as they are; but now they cannot say it unless they deny the truth of my Bible, from the prophets to my Gospel; for I tell thee, it is a chain linked together; and he that trieth to break it asunder must break the Bible through.

"And now I shall come to the man that was waiting for the moving of the water: now mark how many had been there waiting, and yet they were not all healed; because it was only they that stepped in first, after the angel had troubled the water; yet this man still had faith that a time would come for his deliverance, when he might be helped in: and know, I healed him without going into the water: and now I tell you all, be like the impotent folks that were waiting for the moving of the water, and you will find that I am at hand to heal the whole. Now mark from the manner of the miracles, and how they were; the man was waiting to be healed, and I came and healed him; and so, I tell you all, if ye are waiting for the water of life, and for the moving of my Spirit, I will come and make you whole. But now mark from the manner of the Jews, how they thought to slay me, for doing this on the Sabbath day. Now see how zealous these men professed to be in their religion, and thought it wrong to do good on the Sabbath day; but I tell thee, I did these things on the Sabbath day to show the folly of mankind, how zealous they will profess to be in religion, while they are persecuting every good word and every good work. Now mark the words I said unto them, My Father worketh and I work; he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life. Now mark how I joined both together; then ye must join them both together, the Prophets with my Gospel, if ye will believe in everlasting life. And did I not say my Father worked and I worked, and I came to do the work of him that sent me? and what was my work, that I was here reproved for by the Jews? It was for healing a man on the Sabbath day, that was waiting to be healed; and know what I said at another place, that I was Lord of the Sabbath; then if I was Lord of the Sabbath, and healed on the Sabbath day, which was the day of rest-I must heal man to bring in that rest, that my spirit may not always strive with man. Here I have showed thee, from my own words, how I said, I and my Father worked, to show you my labour was not ended for man; but as I healed on the seventh day, on what was then the Sabbath, a day of rest, so I tell thee, will I heal all men, according to my Gospel, that believe on me.

"Now mark from the words of the people, saying, "Out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." Now mark how they then spoke concerning the Scriptures, and what their reasoning was, that Christ should not come out of Galilee, but of the seed of David, out of the town of Bethlehem, where I was. Now mark from the Jews, in what manner they disputed of my being in Galilee, that no prophet should arise there; but did not discern that I came from Bethlehem, and was born according to their words; for there my birth was; and yet they disputed, that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet, without discerning I did not arise out of Galilee, though I went into Galilee. Now mark the disputers of the Scriptures in those days, and mark the disputers of the Scriptures in these days, how they wrest and turn them both alike; for perfectly like the days of old, when I came in the Body, is the disputing of men now I am come in the Spirit: so I now tell thee and all men, as the Jews of old wrested the Scriptures, so will men wrest them now; but they that believed, believed from the wonders and miracles I wrought; and so, I tell thee, they that now believe, will believe from my first visitation to thee, and in what manner all things have gone on, and in what manner the Scriptures are explained. They then will believe and confess that no woman can do these things, except the Lord be with her; for if the people baffled others of old, of my going into Galilee, calling me a prophet rising out of Galilee, how canst thou marvel that men will baffle the Scriptures now? For it was known unto them in those days, that I was born in Bethlehem; and out of Bethlehem was I called to flee into Egypt, and out of Egypt was I called to return; so that the Scriptures were clearly fulfilled, as they were spoken by the mouths of the prophets; and yet they turned them, by going into Galilee, and said no prophet arose out of Galilee; but did that argue that no prophet should go into Galilee? Yet this was the argument of mankind, as though I arose out of it, because I went into it; and perfectly so are men arguing now; for in this manner they are disputing the Scriptures, perfectly as they disputed of my coming in the flesh. Now mark the words that I said unto the Jews, If a man keep my sayings he shall not see death; and the Jews answered me, "Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead." Here the Jews began to argue, as they understood not the meaning of my words. Now weigh my Gospel deep, and you will see, there were many things spoken by me more stumbling, when I came in the Flesh, than are spoken now I am come in the Spirit; for I did not at that time explain my meaning unto them, as I knew for what ends I came into the world-to die for the Transgression of the Fall; therefore I must be a Stone of Stumbling unto them, and a Rock of Offence unto them; but I could be no rock for them if I had not stumbled them by my sayings; how could I be lifted up for the transgression of man? then my Death must have been for their destruction, if my Gospel had been made plain unto them, and all my words had been understood by them; but here were words that by the judgment of men could never be true. The apostles kept my sayings, and followed all my words; yet, like Abraham and the prophets, they died; but what death did Abraham see, when I tell thee, the just only sleep in the Lord, and rest from all their labours? It is no death to a man to fall asleep and awake in a world of glory; but it is death to a man to sleep in death and go to a world of misery-then cometh the death blow to the soul! As to the pains of death in this world, many pass through greater pains in life, than they do in death-therefore it is not the pains of death that is a death to man, or the separation of the soul from the body, but it is the separation of the soul from the Lord that is the death to man. As to the body it is freed from every pain, from every load, and every sorrow; but it is the spirit of a man that can never die: he only passes from this world to another; and if he passes to a world of glory, he never seeth death, nor doth he ever taste it, but rejoiceth at the change that he has gotten. This is the spiritual sense of my words; and yet I tell thee, the time is at hand and hastening on, when many will see them in a temporal sense, when they are changed from death unto life without a separation from the body; and yet I tell thee, when this change takes place, men will feel a greater change in their nature than they would feel by the change of death, when the spirit is changed from death unto life, and all the evil that is in man will die away as the body dieth away. Here are mysteries some may think hard to be understood, how the infirmities of nature should all die away, and man should be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

"But now I shall ask thee, from the blind man, (John ix.) how marvellous was it that he was born blind and became a man for that blindness in an instant to be taken away; then if this was done in an instant for a man that was born blind, to receive his sight, and see all the wondrous works of God in creation that he had never seen before, only heard of them by the hearing of the ear, how canst thou think it marvellous that men, that are born spiritually blind, and never saw the wondrous works of the Lord, that he hath promised to man in the end, should in an instant have the eyes of their understanding opened, and feel a sudden change take place in them? For no more than the blind man had seen the light of the sun in the firmament, or in what form the earth was made, only had heard from the hearing of the ear, no more have men seen what this world will be, when the redemption of man takes place, though they have often heard of it by the hearing of the ear, and I am now come to explain it to them by my Spirit, that the time is at hand. Yet I tell thee, like the blind man, that could not distinguish what the sun in the firmament was, nor how the creation of the earth was formed, no more can man now tell in what manner my kingdom will appear when the redemption of man takes place: and yet I tell thee, as sudden as the man's sight appeared to his wonder and surprise-so great a wonder and surprise will appear unto all men, when I come to open the eyes of the blind; for I now tell thee, in a spiritual sense, men are as blind to the decrees of the Lord, what he will do in the end, to complete the creation and make man in his own likeness, as that man was blind to the works of creation. Now mark, this man also was healed of his blindness on the seventh day, for that was the Sabbath, at which the Pharisees murmured, that I should do good on the sabbath day. Now mark the words of the Pharisees, when they were truly convinced the miracle was wrought in the man, that he was born blind and received his sight, and the man told them who had opened his eyes, their answer was-"Give God the praise, we know that this man is a sinner." Here was the reasoning and wisdom of man, to believe that miracles of this kind could be wrought by a sinner; how then should they give God the praise for deceiving the people; for these miracles, which they themselves could not do, and were out of the power of man to accomplish, established a faith in those that believed; for mark the words I said before I had cured the man-I must do the work of him that sent me; and spat on the ground and made clay to anoint his eyes, and bade him go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Here was my working without any medicine of man, with my spittle upon the ground, as man was made of the dust of the ground; so from the ground he received his sight by washing in the water, as I commanded him. Now when Naaman was cured of the leprosy, by washing in the river Jordan, by the command of the prophet, they confessed the prophet to be of God, and that he was a man of God; but when I had done greater miracles than this, they said I was a sinner; and yet they themselves, neither by sinners nor by saints, could do the miracles that I did, to open the eyes of a man that was born blind; and if they had called reason to their assistance, reason must have taught them, as the man answered them, God heareth not sinners; if this man were not of God he could do nothing. Here the eyes of the man's understanding were opened, as well as his sight: and I now tell thee, if the eyes of men's understanding were opened they would all answer with the blind man-Here is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence the Spirit came-as the man said-I know not from whence he is, that hath opened mine eyes: for since the world began, was it ever heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind? And now I tell thee, in like manner I shall answer all men-it never was heard since the world began that the eyes of any one's understanding were opened to believe the promise that was made in the Fall should ever be claimed, that you might all receive your sight. Here is a marvellous thing amongst you. Will an evil spirit plead this? I tell you all, no; any more than an evil spirit could open the eyes of the blind. Therefore I say unto all men, as I said unto the Pharisees, their sin remained in them, because they said they had eyes to see, and were not blind; yet they were so blind that they could not see from whence the miracles came; but he that confessed he was blind, had sight to see who had healed him. Now I tell thee, here stands a type deep for all men: those that think they have eyes to see the true meaning of all my Bible are blind, and so they will remain, like the Jews of old, like the Scribes, Pharisees and Hypocrites who had sight to see that the blind man was healed, but had not sight to see by what hand he was healed. So they became blind to see him receive his sight; perfectly so I tell thee are mankind, to see those that own they were blind as to seeing and understanding the meaning of my Bible, and now begin to receive their sight and own they were blind before, confessing they were born blind, as to the knowledge of their God, as understanding his words, but now begin to receive their sight from the visitation of my Spirit to man; for it is not for thee only, for it is unto all men, that I am come to throw open my Bible, that men may understand the true meaning of my words, and what the shadows of my miracles were for-to bring in the substance in the end, and give men sight that became blind from the Fall. And this I tell thee will be discerned by those who see they were blind; for as the light appeared to the man, so will the light of my Bible appear unto all those that confess they were blind, and could not see the meaning thereof. For I now tell thee, no more than the man could see the sun before I had opened his eyes, no more can men see the sunshine of my Bible, before the eyes of their understanding be opened: and this can never be done by man, to open the eyes of their understanding and show them the end, any more than they could open the eyes of the man that was born blind. For know the words that I said unto them-For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind. Now let men answer me, why they suppose I should speak those words unto them, to say I came into the world that they which saw might be made blind? Here are words beyond the learned, why these words should be spoken by a God of Mercy; why I that said I came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost; and my love was so great for man as to give my life for man, and it is said, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son to die for them, that the world through him might be saved; and that I for them became poor, that man through my poverty might be made rich; now when they come to weigh my Gospel through, and all the love I had for man and consider my dying words upon the cross-Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do-let them answer, why I should say, for judgment I came into this world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind? But thou sayest, men will answer-to make the Jews blind that did see, and to give sight to the Gentiles that were blind. Now I tell thee, if this be the judgment of the world, my coming was of no use; for now I begin to try the Gentiles, I find them no better than the Jews; and if you look abroad in the world, you see sin under the Gospel as it was under the Law; so my wisdom must fail if this was all my judgment.

"But now I shall tell thee the meaning of the words: Man was pronounced dead under the Fall; now to prove the truth of those words, I came into the world, and did wonders and miracles amongst them, such as are impossible to be done by man. But those that would not confess they were dead to that knowledge, as I pronounced them, though I did not speak the words, but I tell thee that was my meaning-I came into the world to try men, and to prove men, that they were dead to knowledge as I had pronounced them. But those that were full of their own wisdom, and thought all knowledge was in themselves, that they saw and understood all things, I came to prove them that they understood nothing. And though they said they had eyes to see, yet I proved they had no eyes to see, nor ears to hear, nor hearts to understand, who boasted of their knowledge and their own wisdom. Yet they that thus boasted, I came to prove they were blind; but those that confessed they had no knowledge, neither boasted in their own wisdom, that they could see nor understand in what manner I should appear, yet when they saw my wonderous working, the eyes of their understanding began to be opened, like the blind man-no man could do these things unless God was with him, was his judgment; but not from the knowledge he had drawn from the prophets, but from the knowledge of his faith, from the wondrous recovery, were the eyes of his understanding opened. Therefore I came to prove the truth of my Bible, the truth of the prophets: By faith Abraham obtained the promise; by faith Jacob wrestled with God and prevailed; by faith Moses contended with Pharaoh. Look through the prophets and you will see how all the just walked by faith, and not by sight; but all that wished to walk by sight, and not by faith, became blind: witness the children of Israel, when they were delivered from the land of Egypt, how soon they lost their faith and became blind, because they would not walk, but by sight; and no further than they could see their deliverance, would they walk by faith to believe! But know that Moses, when I sent him to Pharaoh, confessed he was blind: for he could not see the way that I should deliver them; and though he disputed at first I had not delivered them, yet he relied upon my words till I did deliver them. So he that was blind received his sight, because he walked by faith and not by sight; but the children of Israel became blind and perished in the wilderness, because they trusted to their own sight. Now look to Abraham, where the promise was made: did he go by faith or by sight, when he went to offer up his son Isaac? I tell thee, he had no sight of what I should do, before I called unto him and opened his eyes to show I called him to try his obedience, and then showed him the Ram that was prepared in the thicket: and this I tell thee is the end for believers. For Adam was not pronounced dead to faith, but dead to knowledge; he had faith after his Fall to believe in my protection; but he had no knowledge of the promise that was made; Abel had faith to offer up his sacrifice acceptably in my sight; but he had no knowledge of what his brother would do through malice; for I tell thee faith was wanting in Cain: he did not walk by faith, as Abel did. Here I have showed thee, from the beginning, that man was not dead to faith, but he was dead to knowledge; for Cain, who was dead to faith, was dead to knowledge also, as he knew not the fatal sorrows he should experience in murdering his brother; but had he had faith, as Abel had, his offering would have been acceptable, as Abel's was. Here I have showed thee, from faith in the beginning, how it was in Adam and how he taught his sons to have faith in me after the Fall; so that faith was not dead in man, but unbelief in man tried to slay faith, from the beginning, as you see from Cain and Abel. Now if you weigh deep of faith, he goeth on trusting in the Lord, as a blind man trusteth to his leader: and these are the people that I come to open more clear the eye of faith, that they may trust me to the end, that I shall fulfil my Bible, all my Promises, and my Gospel in a way they cannot see; and thus the eyes of faith will believe what they cannot see; but unbelief that walks by sight, and will not believe what they cannot see, their eyes I closed to convince all men, when it comes to the end, that man is as I pronounced him-dead in knowledge; but he may be alive in faith. Here I have showed thee, from my Bible, the meaning of my words, how a man that pretends to see and walk from the sight of his own wisdom, the sight of his own knowledge and understanding, in every age, became blind; for I tell thee, in that blindness the world was drowned, when Noah by faith built the ark, before he had seen their destruction; so if he had not had faith to believe, you may say he built it like a blind man that did not see; for so I tell thee he was judged by the world, that said they had eyes to see. Job was blind the same, when his afflictions came, that he did not see nor know the reason; yet he had faith to trust in me; but his friends, that thought they saw from whence his judgments came, that the fault must be in Job, became blind by trusting to their own understanding. This you may discern through the Bible; therefore I said I came into the world to prove them blind, who said they saw, that all men might know in the end, it is I the Lord that must open the eyes of men's understanding, if they will pass from the death pronounced on them in the Fall, and come to the newness of life that is promised in my Gospel through my death. This all men must discern from my words; for I now tell thee, it is as easy for a man to open the eyes of him that was born blind, as it is for a man to open the eyes of men's understanding; the mystery of the Creation, the mystery of the Fall, and the mystery of my Death, for the redemption of man, none can see the end, nor how the plan was laid throughout, before their eyes are opened by me: and I tell thee, every man whose eyes are opened by me, will confess that he was blind to every mystery I have mentioned. But how could all this be proved if knowledge had been in them that pretended they had eyes to see? Then ages could not have perished, as I said, for want of knowledge. Now mark the words I said further-"He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." Now mark the words I have said to thee before, that from all ages, from the fall of Adam to my coming into the world, no man entered in to be saved, but those that entered in by faith: it was by faith the children entered into the furnace, and were preserved in the midst of the flames; by faith Daniel was saved in the lions' den; and thou knowest what I have told thee already of faith-that it is by faith and not by sight, all have trusted for their deliverance, that have been delivered in any wondrous manner. And now I tell thee the same of Man's Redemption; it is by faith, and not by sight, that their redemption will come; for no man can see, by all his wisdom, in what way it will take place; neither can they point out any road, or beaten path that is trod by man, to show them the way. Let a man appeal to his own conscience and see if he will answer to see the prophecies of me in the Bible, according as they were spoken by the Prophets, if he could tell in what manner they would be fulfilled, if he had never seen my Gospel? Conscience must answer in the best and wisest of men, they could not tell, without seeing my Gospel, in what manner it was fulfilled; then how can men pretend to say in what manner my Bible will be fulfilled to the Redemption of Man, before they have seen it? Let the Jews appear, that do not believe my Gospel, and tell how the words of the Prophets are to be fulfilled concerning my dying for the transgression of man; or whom they are to look upon that they have pierced. This, I tell thee, cannot be done by the Jews; while they stand out through unbelief, the words of the Prophets stand never to be fulfilled by them: perfectly so I tell thee of the end; my Gospel stands to them that profess to believe it, as the Prophets stand to the Jews, that they say they believe, and yet believe they were never fulfilled, and by their judgment they never will. Perfectly so are men's judgment of the Gospel: all men must know it is not fulfilled; and according to the wisdom of men it never will be fulfilled; so the wisdom of the Gentiles is like the wisdom of the Jews; and the world by wisdom know not God. Therefore I tell thee, he that entereth in by the door, must enter in by faith in the Son of God, that as I suffered for man, to accomplish the first, I shall come again in power to accomplish the last, and take away the sin of the world, and bring man to my likeness, as I created him for at first. But as no man could point out the way I should come in the body from the words of the Prophets, before I came in the body, so I told thee, no man can point out the way I shall come in the Spirit to bring in the Redemption of Man, and establish my Kingdom in peace and happiness, before I come in the Spirit to accomplish it. Therefore, I tell thee, it is by faith, and not sight, that true believers now must walk: then they will be like the wise virgins, ready to enter in by the door of the sheepfold, when the Shepherd cometh which is the only Shepherd for your Salvation. And I now tell thee, without faith it is impossible for any man to be ready; for how can they say, "This is the Lord, we have waited for him," that now deny I ever shall come? Now let them mark the words of the parable that I spoke unto them-My sheep know my voice; but they know not the voice of strangers. Now I tell thee, every man is a stranger to the true knowledge of my Gospel, as the Jews were to the knowledge of the Prophets, while they rely upon their own wisdom; because I have told them they must be led by my Spirit, and not by the wisdom of man; for how can the wisdom of man direct man, when I have showed thee from all ages, under the Law and under the Gospel, there is no true knowledge in man? Then know, as I said the knowledge must be in me to know the time when to come and warn mankind my kingdom is at hand, this must be done by my Spirit, but it can never be done by the wisdom of man. Did Moses know that he should go to deliver the children of Israel before I came to warn him? Then how can they think the deliverance of man from all the bondage of sin and Satan can come before I come to deliver them, and this warning must come from me; therefore I said, I am the good Shepherd that gave my life for the sheep; then if I gave my life for the sheep, shall not the sheep be mine? But know all men, the sheep that are mine will hear my voice and follow me; that meaneth, they will believe in my voice, and in my visitation, that I alone am the Shepherd that can warn the flock of my coming, and so they will be waiting for my coming till all shall hear my voice and live. Here I have showed thee from this chapter, the parable that I spoke unto them of the end, that no man could enter into the door of his redemption, but through faith in the true shepherd, who laid down my life for the sheep; for mark the words that I said unto them-All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers. These words have been puzzling to thee, as thou judgest it alluded to the prophets; but I tell thee, No; I was not speaking of the prophets; I was speaking of the shepherds; and know how I blamed the shepherds by the mouth of my prophets: and now mark in the days of my Gospel, who were followers of me that were shepherds of the flock? I tell thee, no one; for it was the shepherds that led the flocks astray; and by the shepherds they are led to this day. Therefore I said they were thieves and robbers of the sheep: but my sheep would not hear them; for if they had been led by the voice of the shepherds they would all have gone astray, as the shepherds led them; for I now tell thee, it is the wisdom of man to draw men to follow them, that they may set up their own wisdom; therefore I blame the shepherds by the mouth of the prophets; for they want to prophesy out of their own hearts against the prophets that I sent among them. Then how dost thou marvel that I said the shepherds who came before me were thieves and robbers, and in my days they were the same, to rob God of that honour that was due unto his name? For know it is written, secret things belong to God; then how can they be known to man before they are revealed by the Spirit of God? Then how canst thou marvel at my words, that I called them thieves and robbers, who resisted my visitation first by the prophets, and when I came into the world who resisted my Spirit the same? Now these words I have other sheep that are not of this fold: them also I must bring in, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; but how do men believe my Gospel? the sheep that were then my disciples heard my voice, while I was with them, and after my ascension they were visited by my Spirit; but did I tell them the end was then? I tell thee, No; I said I had other sheep to bring in; but know these sheep must be in the end, when all nations are united together; or how can they be as sheep in one fold, and under one shepherd, if that shepherd be not he that laid down his life for the sheep? This I tell thee is the meaning of my words; and no man can explain them another way, unless he be a thief and a robber, to rob me of my honour and glory.-But this, I tell thee, cannot be done to rob me of my sheep, that enter in this way by faith; for when they weigh the whole together, the wisdom of man in past ages with the present, and see how men stumbled by the words of the prophets; and deeply look to the standard of the Jews, and discern, as I have told thee, the different judgments of men under the Gospel, they will discern that men are as dead to knowledge as Lazarus was when he was laid in the grave. Then who shall bring the dead to life, but I the Lord that died for man, and rose again in my own body and my own likeness? And so, I tell thee, will I renew man, that is under the Fall; I will restore him from that death, and bring him again to newness of life in me. This is my promise to my sheep, when I come to raise them up at the last day: neither shall there any pluck them out of my hand: these are the promises made in my Gospel. Now mark the words that I said unto Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." These were the words that I said unto her, when I raised Lazarus from the dead; but mark the words that follow: he that believeth in me shall never die. This I have explained to thee already, what was the meaning of my words-that they should never die a spiritual death; but know if I am the resurrection of the dead, I must restore the dead, that was pronounced dead, to life, as I have promised, as I restored Lazarus from the grave. But now mark the words of the Pharisees, how they took counsel together against me, when they saw the miracles I wrought; then where was the difference in them and the people in the land of Egypt that were incensed against the miracles that Moses wrought? Now if men deeply discern, it is not the name of being Christians, or calling them by a Christian name, that makes them so in reality; for I tell thee, from my Gospel, it is plainly proved from the Jews, that they were perfectly like the people of Egypt against the miracles of Moses, till destruction came upon them, as it came upon the land of Egypt; yet all these things do not convince men that they are blinded through unbelief. But now mark the fear of the people; they said if we let him alone in doing these miracles, all men will believe on him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation. Here they feared the very things that their own wisdom brought upon them! and now I tell thee, here stands a type deep of the end: men are afraid, if they believe in my coming, and believe in the visitation of my Spirit, it will take away their honour amongst men. But now I tell thee, perfectly like the Jews of old, men's own wisdom will bring on their own destruction; for as the hearts of the Jews were hardened like the heart of Pharaoh, before their destruction came upon them, so I tell thee, if men's hearts are now hardened through unbelief, they will bring on their own destruction the same. But mark the words of Caiaphas-"Now it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." Here he spoke words he did not understand; for had he understood them, he could not have spoken them, if he had understood that I was the Son of God, come down to die for man: but this was not understood by him; though thou judgest, from his prophesying not of himself, that he understood what he said; but I tell thee, No; if the prophets that were called of God to prophesy, understood not their own words, how should a man understand his words that was not from me, but against me? But know, at that time my death did not prevent the destruction of their nation, because it came hastily on after the death of me and of my disciples. Therefore seeking my life did not prevent their destruction; for that brought it on; neither were all nations gathered together in me at that time; and yet, from their own prophet, if they could understand his words and prophecies, my death was that the nations should not perish, but that I should gather together in one all the children of God that were scattered abroad. This was what my death was for; but can they say it has ever accomplished this? or was it then accomplished according to the words and wisdom of Caiaphas? And yet mark how hasty they were, from his words, to seek my life and put me to death. Here you see how eager men are to rely on the wisdom of man, that hath no knowledge or understanding in him; neither were they convinced when they saw his wisdom fail. Now mark how they tried to deceive the people; the chief priests consulted to put Lazarus to death, that the truth of the miracles might not appear. Then how dost thou marvel in thy heart that men do not wish to judge with true and righteous judgment? Thus discern ye from ages past, the unjust judgment of men; and how they wished to blind their own eyes, and the eyes of others; for they had no desire to come to the knowledge of the truth; then where is the difference of the conduct of men, when I came in the Body, and now I am come in the Spirit? Do men wish to judge for themselves? Do they wish to come to the knowledge of the truth? Do they not wish to conceal the truth, as they wished to put Lazarus to death, to conceal the truth of his being risen from the dead? Therefore I said the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge them in the last day. And now mark, the last days are come, that I come into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness: then know all men, ye are yet in darkness, and the world abides in darkness; but I come to free you from that darkness and to be a light to every man that cometh into the world. But is this light in every man, that comes into the world, since my death? conscience and reason must answer, No. Then know all men, the words of my Gospel, that are left upon record, are to judge all men in the last day, when I come again in the Spirit: but how will men appear when I call forward my Gospel and show them the words that are left on record, what I came into the world for, that they might not abide in darkness! But in darkness the world is still; and know I have proved it from the different sects of those that profess to believe my Gospel, how they are in darkness: and darkness comprehends not the true meaning of my Gospel; neither do mankind; for where is the man who can prove he understands my Gospel, and can explain the whole? I tell thee, no man: then know the words that I said unto them-if they believed in me they should not abide in darkness; for the words that I said unto them should be judged in the last day."

These Explanations of the Bible are continued in the Seventh Part.