Verse 5.

the two Candlesticks, the true Church in Spirit: For the Seven Candle Sticks were fallen, and removed out of their place, through the Apoftacy; but these two Witnesses have the teftimony of Jefus, which is the Spirit of Prophecy, Rev. 19.10. Which Spirit is that fire going out of their mouth, devouring their adverfaries: & that fpirit of Antichrift appearing in feveral forms the dragon the first beast, fecond beast, Babylon, the great whore, all is but the various appearances of that one spirit of Antichrift in the Chriftian Church, for there Antichrifts feat ever was, and is fer up this day, though in a more glorious form, which is but the flesh of the whore, whose flesh is now fairer, and her forms, her array more fine in fcarlet, &c. Rev. 16.4. Yet these two Witnesses in fackcloth, (who were also in former ages) thefe few poor perfecuted Saints still stand up, burning her flesh with fire, and by their prophecying, though in fi lence, plague men by shutting heaven, that the rain, (or waters from aVerfe 6. bove) the teachings of Ged fall not on their Fellowships; and turning their waters into blood, their formal Worships, and teachings of men from below, into the blood of a dead man, Rev. 16.3, 4. And all this, thefe two witnesses do as often as they will; which needs must be none else but Chrift in them, God in their flesh coming forth in power and Spirit from them, plaguing and tormenting them which dwell on earth, i. e. earthly Chriftians and Churches alfo. For this, the two Witnesses suffer (their fufferings being shadowed forth by that fackcloth and bitterness of the Book in their belly) yet all this is but the fufferings of their flesh, and filth of it (as 'twere in their belly) but yet they fuffer with Christ, and Chrift fuffers in them; for they are flain where our Lord was crucified, that's Spiritually) fleshly Jerufalem, Christian carnal Churches, where fpiriVerfe rr. tuall Saints, and Christ in Spirit is still flain and crucified: But after three dayes and a half (that is a little longer then Chrift in flesh lay buVerfe 12. ried) the Spirit of Life enters into thofe dead and unburied Witnesses, who rife with Chrift, and Christ rifeth in them; yea, they afcend in glory, a greater glory (at least in the letter) then Chrift afcended; for none but difciples and friends were witneffes of his Refurrection, and fam him afcend; but the afcenfion of the Saints their very enemies shall behold.

Verfe 8.

43.

The fum of all is this: That which this man writes, he writes not as a clear Truth to publish to the world, not to put off his earth, that heap of Herefie and Blafphemy cast upon him by enemies, to bury his name, and make it rot: nay, he is content to lye unburied yet, to the loathing of his perfan, that the people who dwell on the earth may look on, rejoyce, and glory over his dead carcafe, lying in the streets of the great City. 'Tis well, if Truth fhall rise in them that read,

Farewel

The

The Relation of a publick Difcourse and Dispute at Oxford, Jan. 11. between Mr. Cheynel and Mr. Erbury, who fpake thus:

Hriftian friends, and fellow-Souldiers, and worthy Schollars alio, I am your fervant: I am called this day to come here in publick, from my private walkings; not by my defire or seeking,but as fought out and drawn forth by a twofold cord; a publick Charge, and a private Challenge: The Charge was publickly given out in a Pulpit, of Herefie and Blafphemy against me; the Challenge was privately fent unto me, by word, and writing alfo, in a Letter from Mafter Cheynel, that Ifhould give him a meeting in the Schools, or fome meeting place in the University. The place appointed is Maries Church, where I now present my felf to wait on you all, and to anfwer what shall be objected, or to defire a fatisfactory answer to this my Querie I am queftioned for.

That which I have in private, Í allo profefs in publick: What ever I pake was not spoken as a Minifter by ourward Call, though twice I was made one; nor as a gifted man, knowing Chrift, though once I was accounted fomebody by others, and by my self allo; but now I am nothing know nothing; and let all men know so of me that I can neither fee nor fpeak (as Minifters or gifted men (hould) with any clearness in my felf, or conviction to others: but enquiring only, and feeking the Lord our God, and David our King, This is that condition the Church fhall be brought unto,into a Wilderness, where no path nor company fhall be to talk with; but being left alone,the Saints fhall be all fet in a feeking way; as the Prophers have foretold; That about Babylons deftructions, and their deliverance from thence, Judah and Ifrael, those who were a divided Kingdom in Church fellowships,fhall come together in one, to Fer.50. feek the Lord their God, and the way to Zon; that is, not the way to verfe s Church, as the Churches this day are divided about, by a confused prepofterous way, feeking that first which fhou'd be laft (as if they had found the knowledge of the Lord God already); but first seek the Lord their God, and then the way to Zion; that is, to know God dwelling in us, and our felves the habitation of God; for this is Zion

B 2

Another

2.4.

Another Prophet points at a time that all the Saints fhall be left for many daies without a King, and without a Prince, and without a Sacrifice, and without an Image, and without an Ephod, and without a Teraphin: that is, without all publick Worship or Miniftery, true or falfe falfe they will not, and true they cannot have. [Not a King nor Prince] That is not meant of crowned men, or Civil Magiftrates; but, as I conceive, an Ecclefiaftick or Church Ruler, Officer, or Minister of Chrift, to go before them; nor yet a Sacrifice or Ephod, or any Church-Ordinance among them, no not the leaft means of knowledge or enquiry left: for an Ephod was the leaft Ordinance under the Law (as all Ordinances under the Gospel are legal alio). By an Ephod, men that were not Minifters or Priests might enquire of the Lord in doubtful cafes, or in a diltress, as David did, and as men do now a daies feek by Fafting and Prayer: but this also at last shall be taken from the Saints, and they fhall fit ftill in submission and filence, waiting for the Lord himself to come and reveal himself to them; then they shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their King, and fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter daies: that is, every Saint is yet running about changing their waies, and gadding abroad after one of these three, Men, Means,and Self: But the Saints after they are wearied out with their whoredoms, shall return to their first husband, to God their Maker, of whom they first proceeded and came forth, and fhall fee God in their flesh; that is, David their King. This I have been seeking, and by seeking I find in the Scriptures these feven things taught by the Spirit.

First, That Chrift is a mystery, Col. 4.3.

Secondly, That the mystery is Chrift, in us the hope of glory, Col. 1.27.

Thirdly, That the riches of the glory of this mystery was kept fecret fince the world began, hid from ages and generations, and not made known to the fons of men, Rom. 16.25.

Fourthly, That this mystery of Chrift in us,the hope of glory, was manifefted by revelation to the Apoftles, and Prophets, and primi tive Saints by the Spirit, Eph. 3. 3, 4. Col. 1. 26.

Fifthly, That what was manifefted to them of the mystery of Christ, was only made known in part then to the Saints, yea, to the Apostles themselves; who as they knew but in part, and had the knowledge only as of children, so they knew Chrift but as the child Jefus; that is, they were not come to the knowledg of the Son of God, to a perfect man,to the measure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift,or full age of Chrit: that is, in the mystery to know the Son of God so in them, and themselves in the Son, as tall and high in ftature as he,

and

13.

Gal. 4. 19.

12, 13.

Rev. 13.8.

Col. 1.24.
Isa. 63.9.

I Cor. 2.2.
Phil. 3.11,

and taken up in the glory of the Son, and with him into God him-jelf: For that which was manifefted vifibly to men in the daies of his flesh, that Chrift was made of a woman, formed and conceived in a Virgin, brought forth and born into the world, living in Judea, dying in Jerufalem, rifing and afcending into Heaven; all this was the manifeftation of the mytery of Christ in us the hope of glory, which was a truth from the beginning of the world, though not ma- Pf. 22.22. nifested to the Saints before Chrift came visibly in the flesh: yet Heb.2, 12. then, even before, Chrift was in the flesh of the Saints, he was all Gal, 1, 16. in all; Chrift the fame to day, yesterday, and for ever; formed in them, and 2.20, brought forth in them, living in them, and fuffering in their flesh, as and 3.1. well as in the Saints afterwards. Chrift in David, was the know. crucified in ledg and faith of David; and David's faith and knowledg was the you knowledg of the Son of God, and faith of the Son of God, who li- and 5. 27. ved also in David, as well as in Paul, in whom as Chrift was pea- and 6. 15. king, fo in David alfo: yea, as Chrift was all in all, Chrift only 2 Cor.13.3. acting in them, doing all their works in them; fo Chrift fuffered in Heb. 2.11, them, as the Lamb really flain from the foundation of the world. In Abel, the first believing Saint, Chrift was flain: And as Paul laid of himself, I fill up what is behind of the sufferings of Chrift in my flesh: fo the Saints who were alfo from the beginning, fuffered what was before of the afflictions of Chrift in their flesh. Thus Chrift hath bin the only man of forrows, and is still fuffering, till he fhall rise in us, This neither Peter nor Paul had attained to, to know Chrift rifen in them. Paul knew in part Chrift, and him crucified, and defired to know also more fully the fellowship of his fufferings, (yet he knew not this fo as thofe Rev. 12. 11, who overcame by the blood of the Lamb, who faw their fufferings to be the fufferings only of the Son.) Ifa.26.19. But as for Chrift rifen in them, the resurrection of the dead, Paul knew pot, nor was yet perfe, knowing not himfelf and the fon one perfect man: Neither did Peter(though he fuffered for Chrift, and Chrift in [him) see the day of Chrift, or Christ as the day-Star rifen in his heart; no, this was not to be revealed till the last times; when Christ fhould be so conceived and brought forth of a woman (the weakest Saint) that the weakest Saint should fee, not only Christ in them the hope of glory, Chrift formed in them, brought forth in Rev. 22.163. them, living in them, dying in them; but Chrift rising in them, and revealing himself fo gloriously,as if he should say, I, I am the root and the off-fpring of David, the bright and the morning-Star: I am he, who was, and is, and is to come: I was all in all in David before; I was his too, from whom alone fprung up all that he did, taid,or fuffered; all David's fruit and glory rofe up from Chrift in him, and returned to the roor, to Chrift in David's lowest and most dead

eftate,.

12, 14.

Pet.1.19. 1Pet. 1.13. a. 66. 7. Fer.31.22.

Rev. 12. 4.

compared

& 6u. 1,2.

eftate. So Chrift is the off-spring also, and is also that to the Saints to day, as he was to David yesterday, their substance, strength, and Song: But Chrift in the Saints will be as the Morning Star, and rife in more glory yet, when the new Heaven and new Earth fhall be, Rev.,21.3 and new Jerufalem fhall come down out of Heaven, that is, when God fhall dwell with men on earth.

Sixthly, This mytery of Chrift in us the hope of glory, of God manifeft in mans flesh, which was manifeft and in part made known to the Apostles and Primitive Saints before, hath been hid again from ages and generations, ever fince the Apoftacy and spirit of Anrichrift came into the world with power, and so hath been kept fecret fince the (Antichristian) world begun, and not made known to the fons of men. This is plainly foretold in the old Prophets, and laft Prophet of the New Teftament, who speaking of things to come in the Apoftacy and daies of Antichrift, faith, That ke saw a Book written within, and on the back-side sealed with seven feals; and no man in heaven, nor earth, nor under the earth, was able to open the Book, nor to look thereon, Rev. 5. 123. This Book is the mystery of Christ, the Word of God, and the Book of God, in whom both the will and good will of God are written,& by whom all the Councels,Decrees, and deep things of God are declared: The mysteries of Heaven, and all the treasures of wildome and knowledg are hid in him, yet manifefted, as I faid, to the Apoftles, and Prophets, and Primitive Saints: But the Book was fince fealed, and that with seven Seals; that is, perfectly fealed: and fealed from the feven Churches; that is, from all the Churches comprized under the number of feven, (for the feven Seals have reference to those seven Churches) now no Church: yea, no man in Heaven, or earth, or under the earth, none in Church-fellowship, or not in fellowship; no man of never so high apprehenfion, or deep discoveries of spiritual things, could open or read the Book; or look thereon, that's more: not look thereon, that is, fince the Apoftacy, no man hath had scarce an outward knowledg, not a knowledg of the mystery of Chrift in the Letter, much leffe in the Spirit; not feen what was written without, much leffe within. This the old Prophets fpake by the Spirit alfo, Ifa. 8. 16, 17. Find up the Teftimony, Seal the Law among my difciples. The Teftimony is the Book,the Word in the Letter, the Law is the Spirit, the Law of the Spirit of life in Chrift: The mystery of Chrift, both in the Letter, and the Spirit of life, were bound and fealed,and that from the difciples of Chrift: and therefore as John wept, fo Ifaiah waits for him who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and Looks for him, that is,for Chrift,in whofe face the glory of God fhines that was hid from the whole Church, the house of Jacob,So Ifa.29.