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there is a Spirit illuminating, and that is oft vouchsafed to the wicked, as it was to Balaam.

Anfw. The Spirit which illuminateth, and the Spirit which fanctifieth, is one and the fame Spirit; and the illumination of the Spirit is in order unto fanctification. The fame light which discovereth the darkness, also chaseth away the darkness, as it is received and subjected to, and purifieth the mind; for the light hath not only a property of enlightening, but also of cleanfing and fanctifying. And the reafon why men are not changed, justified, and fanctified, in and by the light, is because they love it not, and bring not their hearts and deeds to it; and fo it is their reprover and condemner, and not their juftifier and fanctifier. But the fame Spirit, light, and life which enlighteneth, alfo fanctifieth, and there is not another.

III. Concerning the Holy Spirit of God, and the Holy Scriptures Queft. Whether they be always joined; or fome may have the Spirit, who have not the fcriptures; and fome may have the fcriptures who have not the Spirit ?

Anfw. The Holy Spirit of God, and the holy fcriptures, are not always joined together; for fome in the dark corners of the earth may be visited by the Spirit, become fenfible of the Spirit, and receive the Spirit, who never heard of the fcriptures; and many may have the fcriptures, and yet be very ignorant of, and ftrangers to, God's Holy Spirit; as the Jews were, who had them read in their fynagogues every fabbath-day, and yet Christ told them, re neither know the fcriptures, nor the power of God.

IV. Concerning the Law of the Lord, which is perfect, and which converts the Soul.

Queft. What is the law of the Lord, which is perfect, and converts the foul? Is it the outward law or writing in the letter, or the inward law and writing in the Spirit?

Anfw. No man is, or ever was, or ever can be, converted to God from the inward law of fin and death, but by the inward law of life and righteousness written in the heart; and I am fure that law is perfect, the new covenant is perfect, and the law thereof perfect; the law of the Spirit of life in Chrift Jefus perfect, which converts the mind to Chrift, the righteousness of God, and fets it free from the law of fin and death. And David was a spiritual man, and knew the inward covenant, and the inward creating of the heart anew, and God's holy and free Spirit, and the law and testimony thereof. I will grant a great deal to the letter and miniftration outward; but I must attribute more to the inward; or elfe God's light, and the holy experience which he hath given me, will condemn me. And as the Jew outward had the law, and teftimony, and ftatutes outward; fo I am fure

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the true Jew, the Jew inward, hath the law, and teftimony, and ftatutes inward, written in his heart by the finger of God's Spirit; yea, and the fame Spirit put within him, to caufe him to keep this law, and the holy teftimony, ftatutes, and judgments of the Lord; and the spiritual Jacob, and Ifrael of God, in this the day of their redemption and falvation from on high, do follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goes, and walk in the light of the Lord,

V. Concerning David's Longings, expreffed in Pfal. xlii. xliii. cxix. and other Places.

Queft. Were David's longings more after the law outward, or after the law and light of God's Spirit inward?

Anfw. David was a man after God's own heart; a man that knew an inward and clean heart of God's creating, and knew the free Spirit of the Lord, and the fresh springing life thereof, and the leadings of the pure living truth inwardly in his heart, and this was it he most especially prized and longed after. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right fpirit within me, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me, &c. faith he (Pfal. li. 10,11.) after his fall, fhewing what he had been acquainted with before, and what he now (God having touched his spirit afresh) began to long after again. And faith he, in another place, Ob! Send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me, let them bring me unto thy hill, and to thy tabernacles, Pfal. xliii. 3. Oh! the sweetness of light within, truth within! Oh! the precious leadings and drawings thereof, which were once felt, upon a fresh and tender remembrance thereof, cannot but be longed after again!

VI. Concerning the Sun, or Fountain of fpiritual Light.

Queft. Whether the holy fcriptures, or written teftimonies, be the fun or fountain, and the light within but a ray or ftream from them? (as is affirmed by my antagonist).

Anfw. It is juft quite contrary: for the holy men fpake the holy words from the inward light and quickening life of God's Spirit within them; fo that that was the fountain in them, and is fo ftill. With thee is the fountain of life; and he that believeth, as the fcriptures have faid, out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water. This spake. he of the Spirit (John vii. 39.) that is the fountain. The water that I fhall give him, shall be in him a well of water Springing up into everlasting life, John iv. 14. Who efteems and honours the fcriptures aright? He that believes their teftimony, comes to Chrift, and makes his Spirit, light, and life all; or he that fets the fcriptures in the ftead of that Word of life which they came from, teftify of, and point men to, as the fountain and foundation of life and falvation to all mankind?

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VII. Concerning the Word's being a Fire and a Hammer, to burn up the Chaff, and break the Rocks in Pieces.

Queft. Is the Word, which is a fire and hammer, the teftimonies and declarations of the holy fcriptures without, or the Word nigh in the mouth and heart? Anfw. That which I have felt hammering inwardly, that which I have felt burning inwardly (unquenchably, as the mind has been kept to it) has been the Word of life itself, from which the good words and holy teftimonies proceed. That which does the work in the inward Jew, is the inward ministration of the inward covenant, the appearance of God there : he is the confuming fire; he is the Spirit of judgment and burning, who, by his holy flamings inwardly, burns up the filth of the daughter of Sion. A man may be exercised in the letter all his days, and yet witness nothing of this inwardly in truth and righteoufnefs; but he whom the Spirit of judgment and burning inwardly comes nigh, and whofe flesh is kept in that holy furnace, it will be confumed there day by day, until it be quite wafted and deftroyed, and fo he come to be judged according to the flesh, and to live to God in the Spirit.

VIII. Concerning God's writing his Law in the Heart.

Queft. How doth God write his law in the heart?

Anfw. By his Spirit and power working there, whereby he both creates a new heart, and writes the new law, even the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jefus, in the new heart. The ifles fhall wait for his law. Whole law? The law of the Meffiah, the law of grace, which gives dominion; the law of the anointing, the law of the new-birth, the law of the holy feed. His feed remaineth in him, 1 John iii. 9. In that feed is the new nature, and the new law both. What is the law of fin? What is the law of death? How is it written in the heart? How doth the enemy write it there, but by his corrupt fpirit and nature? And doth not God, by his holy Spirit and nature, write the new law, the law of life, in the hearts of those that are renewed and made tender to the impreffions of his holy quickening power? Every motion and drawing whereof is a law to them who are born of the Spirit, and taught of God to eye and walk after the quickening Spirit.

IX. Concerning the inward Light of God's Spirit.

Queft. What is it which the mind is to be turned to, to enlighten it, and to work the darkness and corruption out of it?

Anfw. It is no less than the light of God's Spirit; nothing elfe can do it. The day-fpring must arife from on high in the heart, or there will be night for ever there. All notions or apprehenfions concerning the light will not do

it; it is the fhining of the light alone inwardly which is able to expel the darkness there. It was not for nothing that Chrift came a light to enlighten men, and directed men to follow him the light, that they might not abide in darkness, and that he fent his apostles with this meffage, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all; and fo gave his apoftles wifdom, authority, and power to turn men from the darkness to the light. And if the darkness was within, which they were to be turned from, furely the light must shine within, to discover the darkness, and to that light muft they be turned. And in this light the Holy Spirit is received, and dwells there; but out of this light, and the limits thereof, in every heart, dwells the unclean and dark fpirit, and hath power and rule there; for nothing but the light and ftrength of God's Spirit is able to break his kingdom and dominion inwardly in the heart.

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X. Concerning the Minifters and Ministry of the Gospel.

Quest. Who are the minifters, and what is the miniftry of the gospel? Anfw. They are the minifters of the gofpel who have received the Spirit power wherein the miniftry of the gospel ftands. For Chrift came in the Spirit and power of the Father, and he fends his apostles and ministers in the fame Spirit and power, that they might be able to beget, and reach to that birth which is to be begotten and ministered to. It is one thing to be a minister of the law, and to minifter letter; and another thing to be a minister of the gofpel, and to minifter Spirit. The apoftles were able minifters of the New Teftament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit; and fo are all in a degree, who fucceed them in any measure or proportion of their miniftry. For the miniftry of the gofpel is in the light, Spirit, and power of the Moft High, to turn peoples minds to a proportion of the fame light, Spirit, and power in themfelves, and fo to come to the manifeftation and quickening of the fame life in themselves, that fo they may walk in the fame light. For the life is the light; and he can never have light, or fee light, who comes not first to feel fome virtue from the quickening power. Oh! how precious is this miniftry! Bleffed be the Lord for his renewing of it in these our days! And this miniftry is not to be confined to an outward order of men, as the miniftry of the law was; but whoever hath received the gift, fo he is to minifter, as the Lord guides, leads, and orders him in the use of that gift which he hath bestowed upon him for that end. And what if he be an herdsman, a fisherman, a tent-maker, or the like? Yet if God hath poured out his Spirit upon him, and openeth his mouth, he hath not only liberty, but more, even authority, from the Lord God Almighty to speak in his name, either for turning men unto Chrift, the light and life of men, or for building men up in their holy faith in him, whofe Spirit and power was and is the refurrection in the life for evermore..

XI. Concerning trying of Spirits, and fearching the Heart.

Queft. What is it which fearcheth the heart, and infallibly tries fpirits?

Anfw. God's Spirit, God's word nigh in the heart and mouth, feparateth and giveth true difcerning and judgment there, to all whofe ears are circumcifed and inclined to it. God's Spirit is the fpirit of judgment; and where he is given, the Spirit of judgment is given, and he judgeth in his children by the quickening life and fenfe he beftoweth on them, which dif tinguisheth between life and death, between truth and deceit; yea, between the fame words, when they come from the dead fpirit, and when they are fpoken in his living power: Chrift gives his Spirit to his fheep, which gives them to know his voice, to know when life fpeaks, and when words are living, and food for the living; and in what mouth they are dead, and cannot yield living nourishment.

XII. Concerning things necessary to Salvation.

Queft. Whether all things neceffary to falvation be contained in the fcriptures?

Anfw. The fcriptures give teftimony concerning the one thing neceffary to falvation; but the thing itself, Chrift himself, the feed itself, is not contained in the fcriptures, but revealed in the fhinings of the true light, and fo received or rejected inwardly in the heart. Behold I ftand at the door and knock. Bleffed are they that hear his voice, and believe him knocking, and open to him, and receive him, who gives eternal life and power to become fons of God to as many as receive him, and believe in, and give up to, the inward revealings of his redeeming arm and power therein. To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? To them in whom, and to whom, this arm is revealed, Chrift is revealed; and they in whom, and to whom, Chrift is revealed, know the one thing neceffary, even him who is life eternal, in whom all other neceffary things are wrapped up, and by whom they are conveyed to the foul, according to its need, by him who is faithful in all his houfe, and takes care of every sheep which the Father committeth to him.

XIII. Concerning the true Gofpel-Church, or Society.

Queft. What is the true gospel-church, or fociety?

Anfw. A company of true believers in the Spirit and power of the Lord Jefus Chrift. A company of true Jews, inward Jews, Jews in Spirit, of the true circumcifion, whom the Father hath fought out, and made true inward worshippers; fuch as are gathered to the name, and gathered together in the name of the Lord Jefus, to offer up fpiritual facrifices to God through him. A company of living ftones, who have received life from him, the

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