poffeffed with the fecond Refurrection of Glory with a Chrift already?

23. Furthermore, you fee that the Apoftle never boasted that he was glorified with Chrift already, neither did he expect any Glory; but rather continual Shame, until Chrift did perfonally appear to change his vile Body into the Likeness of his glorious Body. Again, you know it is written, If we fuffer with him, then shall we also reign with him.

24. Moreover, did Chrift reign on the Throne of his Glory with Angels, Mofes, and Elias, till he had fuffered under a thorny Crown of unutterable Cruelties unto Death itself, and was rifen from the Dead?

25. And art thou fo bewich'd, as to think fcorn to drink of thy Lord and Master's Cup; but, Lucifer-like, to exalt thyself above thy Creator, by conceiting thyfelf in a Throne of Glory with Chrift already?

26. Moreover, be thou never so seemingly holy, or charitable, or a great Sufferer, in Reference to thy inward God or Chrift; yet if thou art left to the Pride of thine own Spirit, to defpife the Spirit of the Son of Man glorified in the higheft Heavens, thou and all that is within thee, will eternally perish.

27. So much doth the Man Jefus in Glory heed thee, and all of thy blafphemous lofty Spirit: He that denies me before Men, bim will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven, and bis boly Angels.

1. Of the first Refurrection. 2. And what it is, by feve ral Questions and Anfwers.

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N the next Place give me leave to write a little of the new Birth, or first Resurrection from a glorified Christ.

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2. What

1. What is the firft Refurrection, that whoever hath Part in it is bleffed and holy, and the fecond Death no Power? Truly it is the Enjoyment of a divine Light in the UnderAanding, which a Man hath received by Infpiration from the Spirit of a perfonal Chrift on a Throne of Glory in the third Heavens.

3. How fhall a Man truly know whether he hath this Light in him or no, or when he received it? He that hath this Light of Chrift in him, his very Thoughts, Defires, and Affections, are by the Power of it wholly bent upon all fpiritúal and natural Purity whatsoever.

4. So that the Scriptures impute Juftice, Righteousness, Holiness or Perfection unto that Man only which hath this Light in him; because he is principally guided by a Light which he hath received from the glorious God of all divine Perfections without him.

5. Moreover, this Light of Chrift fometimes is known by a glorious Voice to the hearing of the Ear, through which a Man is fo full of inward Joy, Glory, or Majefty in himself that he knows not for that Prefont, whether he be in the Conf; dition of a God, or Man; this I certainly know, yet I believe few of the Saints themselves have tafted of this Condition.

Furthermore, this Light of Chrift conveys itself so fecretly into the Understandings of most of his redeemed ones, by a low Voice of his most Holy Spirit, that oftentimes they know not the Time thereof; only after this Light of Life hath once appeared, the Soul is fo delighted with it, that it thinks it can never have too much of it, or hardly enough it of; therefore, like a Woman in Travail, it is full of hunging or thirsting after the Knowledge of that Fountain of Glories from whence its Light and Joy proceeded.

7. Again, he that bath this Light of Chrift in him, is not only full of Longings after more of it, but his Soul is also full of that new Song of Praife, Honour, Power and Glory unto the infinite unknown God, until he hath în fome Mea fure truly known him.

8. Moreover,

8. Moreover, he that hath this new and true Light, is not rafh in judging divine Things he knows not, but by Virtue of that Light of Life, he is preferved with a meek and patient Spirit to wait the Lord's Leifure for manifefting the Truth thereof. 9. Furthermore, he that hath received this white Stone, or new Name of Chrift, to the Purpose, fees all the Speakings or Writings of non-commiffionated Men but meer literal or notional Emptiness, in Comparison of that Joy or Glory that he poffeffeth from the invifible Motions of the divine Majesty himself.

10. Again, by virtue of this Light he is made able to difcern whether Men's Speakings or Writings, proceed from a literal, notional, or fpiritual Chrift, or no.

11. Moreover, he that hath this Light of Chrift thus grounded in him, doth not lie doting upon Men's invifible God, Chrift, Spirit, Light, Life, Love, Joy, Beauty, Virtue, Power or Glory, of meer Words only; but nothing will fatisfy his new-born hungry Spirit, but a divine embracing of a perfonal God of fpiritual Subitance; yea, too tranfcendently glorious for Men or Angels to be capable of the In-dwelling of his eternal Spirit, but of the in-fhining Virtues or Motions only.

12. So much at prefent concerning the firft Refurrection or new Birth, from a perfonal fubftantial God or Chrift, on the Throne of Eternity in the high Heavens, in Oppofition of a fuppofed new Birth from a notional inward Chrift, or literal outward Chrift only.

CHA P. XLIX.

1. Concerning God's becoming a Child. 2. None lives, and moves, and have their Beings in God, but the Seed of Faith. 3. No Creature capable to be effentially one with God.

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GAIN it is written, In him we live, and move, and bave our Being: Alfo it is written, Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord. What did the Apostle mean by living in the Lord, and dying in the Lord? Or how can a Man be faid to live in the Lord, and to die in the Lord alfo ?

2. My fpiritual Friends, though all Men have their Life or Being, in the Creator or in this Power by Virtue of Creation, yet none but the Elect do fpiritually live, move, or have any Being in him: And that is by Virtue of Redemption only, and that was the Occafion of the Prophet's faying, for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: Now you know that the Prophet spoke them Words, long before the Birth of that glorious Babe, and yet you fee that all his Joy or Glory, in Reference to a Life to come, was fixed only in the Perfon of that Child.

3. Thus the Prophet, by Virtue of the true Jefus in him, did spiritually live and move, and had his Being in the Lord of Hofts, in a full Affurance that God, the everlafting Father, and Creator of both Worlds, and all in them, would become a little Child for the Redemption of his Elect from eternal Death, by pouring forth of his moft precious Life: It is written, Who hath believed our Report, or unto whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed?

4: Thus you may fee, that thofe Men which wanted the Light of Life in them, to receive that prophetical Report, concerning the God of Glory's coming by the out-stretched Arm of his eternal Spirit in a Body of Flesh, to redeem the elect World to himself, were utterly ignorant of the Prophet's fpiritual living, moving, or Being in the Lord.

5. So likewife this was the Apostle Paul's Meaning alfo, when he said, For in him we live, and move, and have our Being, according to that Saying of his, For the Life which I now live, is by the Faith of the Son of God, which gave himself for me: Alfo you know it is written to this Effect, that fome Men did live without God in the World; fo that you may underftand that reprobate Men are accounted by the Spirit of the Scriptures to live and to die in the Devil, and to rife again very Devils in Souls and Bodies to all Eternity.

6. Again, he chofen of God are guided by the true Light or Love of Chrift, by Virtue of that Light they are accounted to live and to die in the Lord, and to rife again in the Lord both Soul and Body, because of their God-like Condition, even to all Eternity.

7. Thus you that are. filled with the Light of the true Jefus may clearly fee, though a natural Man by Virtue of Creation may be faid to live in, or by the Power of the Lord; yet upon a spiritual Account in Reference to Redemption, he may be an abfolute Devil in himself, and fo wholly live in the dark Power.

8. Moreover, though it is faid, that the Saints live and die in the Lord, yet I would not have you think that the Spirits of the Saints and the Spirit of the Lord are fo united, that they are but one effential Life or Spirit; no, that was none of the Apoftle's Intent in thofe Words: But as beforefaid, his Meaning was, that thofe Men which were poffeffed with the true Light of Life Eternal, by a continual Intercourse with the God of Glory from whence that Light proceeded, they were vertually united unto the eternal Spirit.

9. Though the chofen of God are vertually united to the eternal Spirit of a glorified Chrift, yet how can it be faid they die in the Lord? Or what is meant by their dying in the Lord? Truly most of the Elect of God themselves are dark in this Thing, it is a fealed Book unto them, the Lord alone muit open it.

10. My beloved Brethren, as there is two Lives of the Elect in the Lord, a Life of Grace, and a Life of Glory, proceeding from one and the fame Spirit, only differing mnch

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