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Acts 15.

Lord, and Life. We are now by an earthquake and the fhaking of the prifon beginning to awake; and to make to our Prifoners feet, as the Faylor at Philippi, did to Paul, and Silas his, looking for Sal vation there, and waiting when he will lead his Captivity Captive, and convert us from being Goals, and Tombs, to be his City, and Temple, built of precious ftones, in whom he will live and walk, and caufe us to live and walk in him. We are giving up our own life, which is death, finding in thefe prefent earthquakes the true life which hath been buried in us, now rifing, and are with the whole Creation groaning to be found in him giving up all that we thought gain as lofs, and rejoycing in our decreafe feeing bis encreafe, and our dying dayly because he lives.

And we glory in him who hath wrought us to this, to be content to lofe our lives that we might find them, now that the day is coming when all that will find their life, fhall lofe it; and what foever comes not into him, the fire of deftruction fhall take hold of it, and it shall be thrown with death and hell into the lake.

The enfuing Treatifes, have begotten this in me, or driven it forth into a Preface or Epiftle, for which the book came into my hands, by a Friends direction, which Office of love I could not refufe, however confcious of my own unworthiness. And I cannot difmifs it with fo fhort a Preface, having the Author and book in my heart, and that venting it felf out of its abundance, yet not as Solomons fool who hath his heart in his mouth, pouring out all that is in it, or more than is convenient for an Epiftolary Defign, which is only to be a Sign to acquaint the Reader of what good entertainment there is to be found within.

It is time now for us to hear of power which is in the Spirit, who fo long have been oppofing it, and

languish

languishing in Flesh, in man, in forms_external, in wifdom of words, in Minifters, Preachers, Writers, Books, Univerfities, Moralitics, Coun. cels, Synods, Affemblies, Civil and worldly Power, inflead of franding upright and being ftrong in the Lord, and the power of his might; we have only exibited a fhell and carcafe of Religion, and have held out our felves the generation which thefe laft Times by the express prediction of the Spirit were to bring forth, Having a form of godlinefs, but denying the power thereof. It hath been the hour and power of Darkness; the man of fin his revealing, and fitting in the Temple of God, and holding forth himself to be God; The Spirit hath given this Man large Rope, he hath fuffered this 2 Tim. 3. 5. Abfolom the underminer of his Father David, his bair to grow, and is now coming forth the ftrong and Spread and tall Oak where this man is banging, and twisting himself for his deftruction, He bath been contented to become the flone, though precious and the head of the Corner, to be rejected by the builders, that Satan and all his Kingdom might fall upon him, and dafh themselves to pieces; and he is pleafed to make his way through thefe clouds, and to rife more gloriously the King of Ifrael, from under the ftuff, higher by the head and fhoulders than any, annointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows; This is the Child fet for the fall and rifing of many in Ifrael, and a fign to be spoken against; Chrift the power of God, and wildom of God, the foolishness and weakness of man.

What deftructions do we fee already made? what heaps upon heaps by a Jaw-bone of an Afs? the weakness of God ftronger than man, and the foolifhnefs of God wifer than man; How far is the day of the Lord already rifen upon the tall Cedars of Lebanon and the Oaks of Bafhan, and the high mountains

13.

Efa. 2. 12. mountains and Hils, upon the high Towers and fenced Walls? what ruine upon thefe? how many gallant Ships wrackt, how many pleafant Pictures defaced? And yet the rest of the trees and ships and Towers, the high things which yet ftand, do not fear nor lay to heart, nor begin to stoop and bow of themselves, but fay we fit as a Queen, and fhall fee no forrow; they fee not who is rifen; They bribe their own confciences as they did the Soldiers, leaft they should speak the truth; they are far from asking the question, What ayled thee O fea that thou fleddeft, and thou Jordan that thou waft driven back! ye mountains that ye skipped like Rams! Tremble thou earth at the prefence of the Lord; Power belongs to God, he pulls down one, and fets up another; How hath be broken the staff of the wicked, the Scepter of the rulers? how bath hell enlarged her felf! and what glory and pomp is fent down thither, which ftand expecting those by whofe hand, they were thrown down, to come to them, and have taken up Ifa. 14. 9. a Proverb to entertain them with! Hell from be neath is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, and all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from the thrones all the Kings of the nations; all they fhall fpeak and fay unto thee, art thou alfo become weak as we! art thou become like to us! The worm is fpread under thee, and the worms cover thee, &c.

Gen. 49. 5.

Human Learning, the excellency of power and ftrength created, thou Ruben my first born, the head of this world, thou shalt be made the tayl; thou that wilt comprehend Christ, thou that wilt bring God into thy compass and under thy Span, and weigh him in thy ballance, thou that knoweft no fpirit nor wisdom befides thy felf, thou that condemneft that which is not there for fally and weakness;

nefs; thou Lucifer fon of the morning, that haft faid, I will afcend into heaven, and fet my Throne above the Stars, I will be like the most high; thou Spirit of the world that wilt acknowledge none above thee, Thou shalt not excell be caufe thou didst afcend into my bed; he went up to my couch; I will rife out of the weak and foolish things to confound thee; I will ordain ftrength out of the mouth of babes and fucklings to undo thee; I will fight against thee in the Carpenters Son and the Fishermen: Fudah fhall have the Scepter, binding his Foal unto the Vine, Gen: 49. and his Affes Colt unto the choyce Vine: The 10. 11. King that rides on the Afs, and the Foal of an Afs, whom the Boys and Girls follow with the voyce of Hofanna, Shall deftroy your place and Nation: Ŏ ye Scribes, Pharifees, Lawyers, Rabbies, after that you have mocked him, and crucified him, done to him whatever you lifted, he will rise again, and fear will take hold of you as forrow upon a woman, and you will call to the Rocks and Mountains to fall upon you, and fo go unto your own Place.

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And thou Independency, the fairest Form, the moft beautiful Face as yet that the Sun hath looked on, The world bath thrown dirt on thee, and difguifed thee, which thou haft washed off, take Num. 12. beed thy Father fpit not in thy Face; that will make thee afhamed indeed: Thou art Rachel, thou baft with great wrestlings prevailed, and brought forth Gad, a Troop, and haft routed, purfued, deftroyed, taken, if thou lift up thy felf against thy Root that bears thee, that Spirit that bath lifted thee up, thou shalt be fo dealt withal, in thy high mindedness, if thou work not out thy falvation in fear and trembling.

And thou Righteoufnefs that deriveft thy pede gree from Adam, and ftandeft in the Law, and

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