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and divine things. As water rifes but to the height of the fountain head; and as effects cannot exceed their caufe; fo nothing fhort of divine light can ever fully manifeft him to the mind of man.

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The scriptures will ever remain in a great degree a fealed book to the mere natural understandings of the wifeft of men. Volume after volume of commentaries have been written upon them, which, I have no doubt, have often ferved, as a certain author has advanced, to entomb, rather than enshrine them; or to darken, rather than explain their genuine meaning. Thoufands pafs the time of their fojourning here below, hoodwinked and muffled up in darkness, under the baleful influence of this kind of theological or fyftematical knowledge or fpeculation, falfely called divinity. But in the midft of all this learned ignorance, and, in degree, acquired blindness, which overruns the nations; the God of grace is not wanting in the extenfion of his own immediate rays upon the minds of men: those who turn from, difregard, and rebel against the light, are justly left in darkness, for being, as thofe in Job's days, of them who rebel against the light, they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.'* But thofe who, while they have light, believe in the light,' and walk in it, they become the children of it,' and are led into all truth.

I may now proceed with my own exercises and openings. It was clearly given me to behold many deep things in the vifions of God; things which the wifdom of the natural man, though high in profeffion of divine knowledge, would probably laugh at and defpife, and me for my weaknefs, were I to unfold them. But though I may not at prefent be permitted to unfold much, I may say I have I feen ↑ John xii. 36.

* Job xxiv. 13.

feen clearly to my full fatisfaction, that Mofes, in writing of creation, of the fall of man, and of things in the upright and in the fallen ftate, wrote in the pure openings of divine light, though very little understood by men in the first nature and state. It is alfo plain and evident to my mind, in the light, that the prophets faw things in the holy light of Jefus, and fpake of them in very inftructive metaphors and expreffions, though hid from and unperceived by the wife and learned.

Many a fermon has been preached by those who call themselves minifters of Chrift, upon parts of paffages out of the prophets, and the reft of the fcriptures; many heads of doctrine raifed from them; many divifions and fub-divifions made; much explanation attempted; and much art and oratory difplayed; and yet the life, marrow, and main importance of the paffage entirely unfeen and untouched by the speaker, and little or no inftruction conveyed to the hearers; and all for want of a fpiritual difcerning of the true intent and meaning of the fcriptures.

Thus alfo the doctrines of Chrift and his apostles, as to their moft lively and fpiritual fignification, are to this day hid from the wife and prudent, and fealed up with feven feals to all who witness not their opening by the lion of the tribe of Judah, who alone unfeals them. To these they are gradually opened, not all at once. I have many things, fays this wonderful counsellor and opento fay unto you, but ye cannot bear them • now.'t So he opens progreffively, as we are able to receive, one feal after another. There are feven ́feals, because none can ever come to the full understanding of the whole myftery, and have all the book of life laid open, until they reft, and ceafe whol

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† John xvI. 12.

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ly from man, from themfelves, and all their own workings, gueffings, and conceivings, which ever will attend them more or less through the fix working days, until they come to the complete fabbath of reft on the feventh day, wherein they rest from their own works as God did from his.' Here God becomes their all in all, their whole dependance for opening and illumination; and therefore here the feventh feal is, opened, and the heavenly mystery disclosed.

And now, in confirmation that this is the meaning of the number seven, as comprehenfive of all the feals that can poffibly feal up divine truth from man, let us obferve, that when John calls upon him that has wisdom, (divine wifdom, for all elfe ever fails) to count the number of the beast, or the number of his name, which he exprefly fays is 'the number of a man,'† he plainly fhews us that the whole, the utmost number of a man, and of all his workings, buildings, comprehendings, and conceivings, which make up the whole life, power, policy, religion, and worship of the beaft, is comprehended in fixes-and that there is not one feven in it all. For, fays he, his number is fix hundred three-score and fix, that is, 666. Here we see, that although the workings of a man may be multiplied to ten times, and even an hundred times of the fix working days, wherein he refts not from his own works nor comes to the true fabbath (wherein no creaturely work is done, not even a fire of his own fparks or creaturely animation and warmth kindled) it is all but the number of the beast or falfe worship, and man-made creeds and fyftems. On the real Sabbath, wherein the true reft from every thing creaturely is witneffed, and God is all in all, the worship is divine; the feals are opened even to the Seventh; the mystery is feen; God I 2 ftands

* Heb. iv. 10. † Rev. xiii. 18.

ftands revealed to the foul; his works are known,` and in the true knowledge of him, the beginning of eternal life is enjoyed even here on earth, for it is the real knowledge of God, not the ideal conceivings, that is the eternal life of immortal fpirits. And until this is attained, do as much as we will in the fixes, there is the one thing needful wanting, which, while it is wanting, cannot be numbered; for indeed we can never number or perceive it clearly, truly and fully, fo long as the feventh feal remains unopened to us. For until they are all opened, we fhall ever be liable to be gueffing, contriving, inventing, and hewing out broken cifterns to ourselves. Many may and do fuppofe the opening of the feals is only hereafter; but thofe to whom they are opening and opened, know they have their opening here in time progreffively but this is only as God is waited upon. For unless we wait upon him for the opening, we are ever liable to obfcure our own minds, and cloud our understandings by our own bufy workings and fpeculations: And therefore at the opening of the feals, chap. vi. the call, come and fee, was divers times repeated; intimating that we must come quite away from our own notions and imaginations, keep a fingle eye to the light of life, waiting upon God in and through the divers openings-In this attentive, fingle, waiting ftate, deep myfteries are opened. But inftead of peace to the carnal mind, the openings begin with the voice of thunder. For when the lamb opened the first feal, John heard as it were the noise of 'thunder,' ver. 1. For terrible things in judgment accompany that abafement of creaturely pride and comprehenfion through which the vail is rent, and the feals that have fhut up the understanding opened. Sion fhall be redeemed with judgment.'

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In this work of redemption, renovation, and removal

+ Ifai. i. 27.

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moval of the feals, (for it goes on gradually together) the Lord who is light in himself, and ever dwells in the light, that is, in his own effence, appears to our minds as breaking through the clouds. The clouds are in us and not in him; and in difpelling them, that fo the feals may be opened, he appears in ways of terror and amazement to the creature, reprefented by the noife of thunder.' Thus we read in another place, Clouds and darkness are round about him,'* and with God is terrible majefty.'t And experience abundantly confirmeth, that, in difperfion of the clouds, he often appears in terrible majefty indeed; caufing the thunders, and indeed before the whole mystery is disclosed, even feven thunders to utter their voices. Hence we find, chap. x. 1. John saw a mighty angel come down from heaven,' and though a rainbow was upon his head, and his face · was as it were the fun, and his feet as pillars of fire,' yet (Oh! divine inftruction) he was clothed with 6 a cloud.' This cloud must be removed before the whole myftery could be revealed; and in order to it, he cried with a loud voice, as when a lion 'roareth; and when he had cried, feven thunders '(note their number) uttered their voices' Lefs than seven would have been fhort of the complete reft, wherein the whole mystery is completed. But

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' in the days of the voice of the feventh angel, when he fhall begin to found, the mystery of God should be finished, faid the holy angel, as he hath declared to his fervants the prophets,' fee vet. 7. But John was commanded to feal up thofe things which the feven thunders had uttered, and write 'them not,' ver. 4. This I believe is often the cafe for a feafon. Some hints are allowed to be given; but as to the full declaration of divine things, it is often with the fervants as with the mafter. 'Mine hour is not yet come.' For though the time is to come, when that which fpoken in the ' ear,"

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* Pfal. xcvii. 2. t Job xxxvii. 22

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John ii. 4m

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