30. For the meek love of God embraceth them continually: all the wonders of God are their food; and they are continually in such glory, power, might, majesty, and wonder, as no tongue can express; for they are God's children, God's wonder, God's power and virtue, God's strength, God's honour and glory; they are his praise, they sing his song of praise or Hallelujah in paradise, in the element, and in the centre of nature; there is no awakening of the wrath [there] in eternity; but every spirit in nature is a love desire: they there know no devil, anger, nor hell; there is eternal perfection: whatsoever the will desireth, that is there, and all in power.
31. It is written, The kingdom of God consisteth in power, and not in the earthly substance, for this earthly substance is not from eternity, therefore also it will not be to eternity; if you will conceive of the heavenly substance, you must have a care that you bring a heavenly mind to it, and then the spirit of God will well shew the heavenly substance, it is much easier for the enlightened to conceive of the heavenly substance, than of the earthly: Let not the Reader imagine the thing so difficult.
32. But in the thoughts of his own reason he cannot reach to it; let him leave off, for thereby he attaineth only a glimpse, even as Antichrist hath but a glimpse of the Word of God, and of the doctrine of Christ, and yet strongly supposeth that he hath apprehended the Word; but it is a mere foppery, their crying and roaring is mere juggling.
33. If you have not the right hammer you cannot strike the clock that awakeneth the poor captive soul; heaven and earth and every thing lie in man, you need but to use the right hammer, if you will strike his clock and awaken him out of his sleep: your crying aloud will not do it, you will not be able to beat the divine sound into him, if you yourself have it not: But those that have the right hammer, they awaken him indeed: therefore all teachers without God's hammer are but jugglers, hammers for the belly, hammers for the ear, and no hammers for the soul.
34. The soul dwelleth not in the outward spirit; indeed the outward spirit hath insinuated itself as an evil companion into the soul, but hath not the Principle in it wherein the soul dwelleth, but is only a cover and hindrance to it.
35. And so also the Antichrist is but a hindrance to the poor soul; for if the poor soul were not so fast-tied and bound to the crying, which only filleth people's ears in sermons, it would enter into itself, and seek itself; it would endeavour after amendment and abstinence from sin; but now it supposeth that to be holiness which entereth in at the ear, and yet many times there is nothing but dross, filth, and reproach against love and concord in it.
36. What shall a man say? Is not all quite blindfolded and full of hypocrisy; every one endeavoureth after nothing but for the belly; both the shepherd, and the sheep, the superior [or magistrate], and the inferior [or subject]; the spirit of God is very scarce and rare among them, and though they boast much of it, yet it is but a show of holiness and hypocrisy, where the heart knoweth little of the spirit of God, it is a mere notional conjectural knowledge, and matter [thing or confused medley] without spirit.
37. O thou worthy Christianity, behold thyself:
O Europe, Asia, and Africa, open your eyes and
look upon yourself; do but seek [or examine] yourself. Let every one seek himself, or else it will not be well with him: There is a strong bow bent: Fall into the arms of the archer, and be converted, and find thyself; or else thou wilt be shot away [as an arrow out of a bow]. Be not rocked to sleep by children, but rise and walk upon thy own feet: It is high time, the sleep is at an end: The angel hath sounded his trumpet, do not draw back: Consider what the Revelation of Jesus Christ saith,
That those which hang to the whore of Babel [that is, to the confusion], will go along with her into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone;
[viz. the lake of God's anger, which burneth with judgment, famine, and pestilence, which will sweep the whole earth].
30. For the meek love of God embracs them continually: all the wonders of God are their food; and they are continually in such glory, power, might, majesty, and wonder, as no tongue can express; for they are God's children, God's wonder, God's power and virtue, God's strength, God's honour and glory; they are his praise, they sing his song of praise or Hallelujah in paradise, in the element, and in the centre of nature; there is no awakening of the wrath [there] in eternity; but every spirit in nature is a love desire: they there know no devil, anger, nor hell; there is eternal perfection: whatsoever the will desires, that is there, and all in power.
31. It is written, The kingdom of God consists in power, and not in the earthly substance, for this earthly substance is not from eternity, therefore also it will not be to eternity; if you will conceive of the heavenly substance, you must have a care that you bring a heavenly mind to it, and then the spirit of God will well show the heavenly substance, it is much easier for the enlightened to conceive of the heavenly substance, than of the earthly: Let not the Reader imagine the thing so difficult.
32. But in the thoughts of his own reason he cannot reach to it; let him leave off, for thereby he attains only a glimpse, even as Antichrist has but a glimpse of the Word of God, and of the doctrine of Christ, and yet strongly supposes that he has apprehended the Word; but it is a mere foppery, their crying and roaring is mere juggling.
33. If you have not the right hammer you cannot strike the clock that awakens the poor captive soul; heaven and earth and every thing lie in man, you need but to use the right hammer, if you will strike his clock and awaken him out of his sleep: your crying aloud will not do it, you will not be able to beat the divine sound into him, if you yourself have it not: But those that have the right hammer, they awaken him indeed: therefore all teachers without God's hammer are but jugglers, hammers for the belly, hammers for the ear, and no hammers for the soul.
34. The soul dwells not in the outward spirit; indeed the outward spirit has insinuated itself as an evil companion into the soul, but has not the Principle in it wherein the soul dwells, but is only a cover and hindrance to it.
35. And so also the Antichrist is but a hindrance to the poor soul; for if the poor soul were not so fast-tied and bound to the crying, which only fills people's ears in sermons, it would enter into itself, and seek itself; it would endeavour after amendment and abstinence from sin; but now it supposes that to be holiness which enters in at the ear, and yet many times there is nothing but dross, filth, and reproach against love and concord in it.
36. What shall a man say? Is not all quite blindfolded and full of hypocrisy; every one endeavours after nothing but for the belly; both the shepherd, and the sheep, the superior [or magistrate], and the inferior [or subject]; the spirit of God is very scarce and rare among them, and though they boast much of it, yet it is but a show of holiness and hypocrisy, where the heart knows little of the spirit of God, it is a mere notional conjectural knowledge, and matter [thing or confused medley] without spirit.
37. O you worthy Christianity, behold yourself:
O Europe, Asia, and Africa, open your eyes and
look upon yourself; do but seek [or examine] yourself. Let every one seek himself, or else it will not be well with him: There is a strong bow bent: Fall into the arms of the archer, and be converted, and find yourself; or else you will be shot away [as an arrow out of a bow]. Be not rocked to sleep by children, but rise and walk upon your own feet: It is high time, the sleep is at an end: The angel has sounded his trumpet, do not draw back: Consider what the Revelation of Jesus Christ says,
That those which hang to the whore of Babel [that is, to the confusion], will go along with her into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone;
[viz. the lake of God's anger, which burns with judgment, famine, and pestilence, which will sweep the whole earth].
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