Chapter IV: Part 4

Again, what that heavenly Glory is and where it is, that God's Elect Wheat, which are the Seed of _Adam_, and not of _Cain_ shall possess when time shall be no more, and what that shameful Eternal Death is, and where it is reserved for the Seed of _Cain_ and not of _Adam_, who are either a Spirit given up to Persecution of Mens Consciences, or else they are left in Darkness to condemn the Things of Eternity, because they cannot comprehend them for want of a true distinguishing Spirit, which is a Gift of the Holy Ghost, unto him which is immediately sent by the Lord of Glory, that he may be distinguished by the new born of God, from all those counterfeit or deceived Preachers or Speakers in the World, who are apt and ready to judge Men in Darkness, if they soberly ask them needful Questions concerning things of Eternity; the understanding of those glorious Excellencies, which is the Saints Inheritance, being utterly hid from them, because they went before they were sent.

_Friend and Brother in the Eternal Truth_,

By this infallible Demonstration, you may know a Man that hath not a Commission from the true God, to preach and speak unto the People.

If a searching Speaker or Writer, deliver any thing unto those People that joyn with him, then for fear of his Weakness or Ignorance being discovered, he will counsel the Hearers to stick close to the Ordinances in the Word of God, or to hearken to them, or to that in their Consciences, and to beware of false Christ's and false Prophets, and such like borrowing Scripture Languages, to prevent the People of ever hearing the Glorious and Dreadful Things of Eternity from the ever-living God, revealed both by Voice of Words without, and Inspiration within, unto his two last despised true Messengers.

Thus it is clear, they have not the true Spirit of _Paul_ in them, who gave the true Saints Liberty to try all Things or Opinions of Men, (for that was his Meaning) but to _hold fast to that which was good_.

Again, that Speaker or Preacher to People, whether publick or private, that declares against all Appearances that are contrary to his Way, discovers himself to a discerning Spirit, not to be of the Lord, unless he can demonstrate a Spiritual Commission received by Voice from Heaven, from the Mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that no Man can disprove him, though few from a true Understanding received him.

Again, he that preaches or teaches only of a God or Christ in Mens Consciences, doth he not question the Scripture Records concerning the Resurrection and Ascension of the glorious Body of the Lord Jesus Christ, who through Faith in his invaluable Blood-shedding, the Consciences of the Elect being sprinkled, are purified from the Power of all Unrighteousness of Flesh and Spirit, and so doth he not question the Resurrection of Mankind after Death.

Again if after Death there be no bodily Resurrection for the Spirit to possess an immortal God-like Glory, or to suffer an eternal Devil-like Shame, according to their Deeds done in their Bodies; is it not one of the vainest Babblings under Heaven, for Men to talk of a God or Christ, or of Righteousness, or Purity, or Mercy, or pure Love without Envy, or of any Spiritual Excellency whatsoever, unless it be for Gain or Glory amongst Men.

The eternal Spirit and alone everlasting Father, which essentially reigneth in the glorified Body of our Lord Jesus Christ his eternal Son, and spiritually, or motionally, or virtually liveth or reigneth in elect Men and Angels, bear Record between me and you for Everlasting, or World without end, whether this Witnessing be not sent unto you, and all the Elect that shall view it principally for the re-establishing of your tender Spirit, upon that spiritual Rock of all Ages, the Lord Jesus Christ God and Man, in one distinct Person Glorified and everlastingly Honoured, with all Variety of Spiritual new Songs and Praises, from his Redeemed or Elect Men or Angels, when all Time or Times is swallowed up into Eternity or Eternities.

JOHN REEVE.

_Another Epistle of_ JOHN REEVE_'s_.

_SIR_,

Your Replication to mine doth but still harp upon the same Matter as your former, and yet you suppose you have given such Arguments as may quite silence my former Assertions, were that there are no Spirits without Bodies, but such as mere Shadows; and that God is not a bodiless Spirit, but hath and ever had Form, Substance, and Shape, and that is no other but the Form of a Man.

This is contradicted by you, and so you affirm these Particulars following.

_1st_, You take at those my Words which said, that if a Spirit have no Body or Shape, then it is no more then a meer Shadow: This you deny, by saying, that a Shadow is only privative, but a Spirit, say you, is positive.

_2dly_, You further say, that there is such immaterial Substances, which have a separate Existence from such gross Bodies which we have about us; witness say you the Soul of Man, which is immaterial, and lives after the Body is dead, which is, say you, confirmed by _Paul_, 2 _Tim._ i. 10. which saith, that the _Gospel brings Life and Immortality to Light_.

_3dly_, This Doctrine, say you, was known by the Light of Nature to the Heathen Philosophers, and hath since been confirmed by Scripture of the New Testament to us, and so conclude it no ways repugnant to right Reason.

_4thly_, You charge me with quoting the Scripture falsly, when I said, that Christ reply'd to the young Man, saying, _That no Man was good but one, which was God_; therefore say you, it is false that the Scripture saith, that God is a Man.

To each of these take this particular Answer, 1. If your Spirit have neither Shape nor Substance, it is but a Shadow, and no more then what the _Egyptians_ Sorcerers produced before _Pharaoh_, what _Moses_ brought up were real Substances, but their's no other but Shadows, but therefore a Spirit without Substance is not positive; for that which is privative can have no Being without a positive, because that which is positive hath a Being or Substance: Now he that will not admit God to have a distinct Being of himself, his God that he worships is nothing but a Shadow.

_2dly_, Where you speak of Spirits being immaterial Substances; if they be immaterial, how are they Substances, and what Existence can they have, and how can a Soul be immortal in a mortal Body; it is said, _the Soul that Sins, it shall die_; yet say you, it is immortal and cannot die, and would prove it in 2 _Tim._ i. 10. when as that Place shews plainly, that it was Christ's Death and Resurrection which _brought Life and Immortality Light_; so that if there be not a Resurrection, then can there be no immortal Life.

Therefore it is, that the Scriptures doth affirm, that there can be no Salvation without a Resurrection, so that if the Dead should not rise, then were all Faith vain, and God the God of the Dead (seeing Death is not abolish'd) and not of the Living; so that there is no Spirit that can subsist or have any Existence without a Body, either Spiritual or Natural.

Again, doth not the Gospel _bring Life and Immortality to Light_, and is this Life and Immortality brought to Light without a Body, but it will have a Spiritual Body suitable to that mortal Spirit made immortal. And doth not the Scripture affirm, that it shall have a Body like unto God's own Glorious Body, and yet you say, God hath no Body, and a Soul hath no Body.

Do you not read also, that Christ had a Body, and that it was after the _express Image of his Father's Person_: Would you trace substantial Truth into an Allegory, and say Righteousness, Knowledge, and Holiness is the Image of God, and yet must have no Body to act for it self in. When God said, _be ye holy, as I am holy_, must we turn our Souls out of our Bodies, to make them like your bodiless God.

When we are said to worship God in Spirit and Truth, is this spiritual Worship performed without a Body, although there is a Mental, Privy, and Praise without a vocal Expression, yet it must arise from a Heart, and that Heart must be placed in a Body.

There is no Light without a Sun, no Stream without a Fountain, and no Spirit without a Body.

_3dly._ As to your third particular, this I must tell you, that no Light of Nature can discover Spiritual and Evangelical Truths, and it is very gross for any Man to subject the Spiritual Truths of the Gospel, to the heathenish Principles of Philosophers, making the New Testament no other but for the Confirmation of the Principles of Nature, which Nature you call right Reason, which say, you never repugns the Gospel, nor the Gospel it.

By this your Discourse I find, that you own that Christ came, but to confirm the heathenish Principles of Nature, as, that God, and Spirits, and Angels, were all without Bodies, being immaterial Beings, and you know not what.

Now give me leave to be plain with you, and to tell you, that I could never read that the Gospel of Christ was ever sent to enlighten Nature, Nature or Reason hath no Interest in it at all. In the moral Law it hath, and therefore it is written, _the Law came by_ Moses; and what to do, but only to enlighten Reason unto whom the Law was given: But as to the Gospel, _it came by Jesus Christ_, and particularly belonged to another Seed; namely, _to the lost Sheep of the House of_ Israel; so that you can no more distinguish between the Law and the Gospel, than between the two Natures of Faith and Reason, it is all a Mystery to you. Do you know what right Reason is, if you do, you must ascend up into the Kingdom of Heaven, and view it in the holy Angels; for you will not find neither pure, nor right, nor uncorrupted Reason any where in this Orb below the Stars: For it is evident that Reason, Notion can never be capable to comprehend Spiritual Truths, as from the Power of its own Nature, it only serves to comprehend natural and temporal Things, it being but natural it self; but Gospel Truths are comprehended by another Light, according as it is written by _David_ saying, _in thy Light shall we see Light_, &c.

So that from what is said, we need not fear (as the World have) of the Heathens rising up in Judgment against us, for maintaining Gospel Truths against their Darkness of Reason.

_4thly_, As to your fourth Point, where you charge me of fathering upon the Scripture those things that are not, and you make a Wonderment of it, that I should say, that God was a Man, and to quote Christ's Words for it, telling the young Man, _that there was no Man good but one, which was God_; this you tell me was false, for you say, the Text saith that _none is good but one, which is God_. Here your Ignorance appears very great, and may be wonder'd at, considering your great Learning and continual Study; but it appears, it is but in those heathenish Philosophers; for observe for better Instruction, did not that young Man call Christ Master, and own him to be a Man and no more: Now to this you may find that Christ's Answer did tacitely imply, that if he was but a Man, he was not perfectly good, and that no Man could be perfectly good.

And furthermore, for a more full Answer in the Old Translation, attending to mark it, is render'd thus Word for Word, _that there is no Man good but one, which is God_.

This is plain Scripture, and yet you are ignorant of it; I perceive you are not very conversant in Scripture, your Philosophy turns you out of all Scripture Knowledge. But to proceed farther, cannot you find by Scripture, that God was ever called a Man, did not you ever read that Scripture that saith, _God was a Man of War_.

Much more might be said of this, and several positive Proofs from Scripture might be produced to confirm it withal, but because it is not the general received Opinion, therefore it must be quarrelled with; for the Honour of this World must be both sought after and submitted to.

And whereas you farther say, that the Apostles of Christ did ever teach after they had received their Commission, that Spirits were immaterial and could subsist without Bodies, now answer to this:

It is most certainly evident, that the Apostles never taught, that any Spirit could subsist without a Body, but the contrary altogether; for their Doctrine was, that as the Soul and Body lives together, so it dies together, and at the Last Day rises together, and is ever without Separation.

When the Apostles said, _That many Spirits were generate into the World, which denied that Christ was come in the Flesh_, did he mean Spirits without Bodies: And when _Paul_ said, _that the Spirit speaketh expresly, that some shall depart from the Faith_: Now what Spirit was that, but _Paul_'s own Spirit of Faith, in his own mortal Body; for without a Tongue it could not be expressed.

And where the Apostles tells of the Doctrine of Devils, were those Devils bodiless, and teached damnable Doctrine.

So that the Apostles never taught that there was any Spirits without Bodies, but always Spirit and Body went together, and so makes Longitude and Latitude profoundly, as your Philosophical Notions teacheth, although you cannot apply it to any sublime or spiritual Thing, you knowing nothing of it, but all is nothing and of no Substance; and so in that your Darkness I leave you, seeing you are no Friend to the Light; and rest yours in all civil Respects,

JOHN REEVE_'s, the only true Witness unto the very true God, amongst
many pretended Spiritual Messengers in this confused Age_.

_An Epistle wrote by the Prophet_ JOHN REEVE _to_ ISAAC PENNINGTON,
_Esq; dated 1658. concerning an Answer to a Book of his, with several
Mysteries and Divine and Spiritual Revelations declared by the Prophet,
concerning God's visible appearing in the Flesh_.

In your Self-return, you seem to mourn over the sunk Spirit of both Creations, so termed by you. Also you write as though many from a Satanical Spirit write most accurately, both of the Works of Creation and Mystery of Redemption by an immediate Gift of God from our Lord Jesus Christ. To this I answer, a little Season will produce Mourning enough in you, when you shall see your Angelical Motions like Lightning, cast down with Confusion of Fear from their former Perfection of imaginary Glory, rational Dreams and Visions, Revelations, Inspirations, Experiences, or Voices proceeding from an incomprehensible Spirit.

Again, I have both read and heard a Voice to say, that the Secrets of the Lord are his Choice Treasures, reserved only for Redeemed ones; but I never read or heard from any Spiritual wise Man before now, that any Satanical Spirit was able to intellect deceived Persons, exactly to write of the hidden Mysteries of the Everlasting God. Again, you pretend unto no such Revelations as I proceed upon, but say you, there is another Way more certain than Reason or Revelation, which whether as I presume you were led into, the Lord will one Day make manifest, from the true Light of Life Eternal. To this I answer, your Light as terming of the true Inspirations of the Lord Jesus Christ, written by me to you, is because as yet his Holy Spirit vails them from your Eyes; but as for your new Sound of teaching them from your God, more certain than Reason or Revelation, from the Divine Voice spoken in the Ear, through the Glorious Mouth of my Lord. I declare that in all Ages the Elect lost Sheep of _Israel_, did never read or heard of any more than two original Ways either Natural or Spiritual in Mankind, whether you call them Creature or Creator, Light or Darkness, Truth and Error, Revelation and Reason, Inspiration and Imagination, Truth and Unbelief, Flesh and Spirit, and such like.

'Tis confess'd, that visible Appearances of God or any else unto Mortals is teaching of all, but he that expects that kind of Teaching any more until Men are immortalized, lieth under at present as great an imaginary Deceit, as ever yet appeared in this Land. It is also granted that the most holy God speaketh to his Chosen Messengers by Voice of Words, even to the hearing of the Ear, unto which Truth for Ends best known unto himself, by his gracious Power only, can bear Record in this present Generation, unto the Grief only of all Angelical, Wise, Envious, Proud, Inglorious, Hypocritical Reprobates that hear of it.

Moreover, yet if your more sure way of teaching from God were Vision it self, yet it is impossible for you to enjoy any true and lasting Peace, unless it swallows up all your former Writings produced from your own Spirit, without an immediate Commission from God, and in the room thereof, perswade your Soul to pour in your Oil, into the natural Wounds of oppressed Persons, under what Opinions or Appearances whatsoever.

Again, you say, O Lord God, pity the Captivity of Man, yea, pity the Captivity of thy own poor Seed, hear the Prayers of that Spirit that interceedeth with thee for every thing, not according to any fleshly Imaginations, but according to Truth and Righteousness of thine one Ballance. From the God of Truth, to this I answer, concerning that Spiritual Captivity of the Elect, in Reference of a right understanding of the Creator, you need not trouble yourself about that, unless you think through much importuning the unchangeable God, may be perswaded to loose their Bonds before the decreed time thereof; but if you think that Glory of God's Eternal Love towards them, will provoke to their Spiritual Darknesses through the invisible Appearances of his own pure Light, then you may know, until his own Glorious Season, that all the Desires of Men or Angels are of no Effect, no nor of the Son himself, if you imagine a Father besides. 'Tis confess'd, when the Time draweth near of some great Deliverance of the Chosen of God, usually the Lord provokes his People to cry unto him with Sighs and Groans, which cannot be uttered but from the innocent Spirit of his Spiritual redeemed ones, as his Due, he may receive all Honour, Praise and Glory for their Deliverance out of their natural Darknesses, unto his marvellous Light.

Again, I declare from the true Light of the true God, that the Spirit which entereth with the Creator for all Mankind, upon the Account of his Eternal Happiness, was never principled upon a Spiritual Foundation of Truth, whatever subtile Expressions of God's righteous Ballance proceedeth from him. Moreover, is it not the new heavenly Glanses of Christ Jesus in Man's dark Soul, which upon an immortal Account, becomes all Light, Life, or ravishing Glory in him; and of the contrary, is it not the absenting Voice or Virtue of the uncreated Spirit of the Lord Christ Jesus, that occasions Mens Spirits to be full of Satanical aspiring Wisdom about the Creator; and whence think you cometh this to pass, or possible could be of the Spirit, if the Creator were, and Angels were essentially living in one another there.

Again, if your literal Request unto the Lord God, as in Reference unto the miserable Captivity of poor Mankind, lying under the miserable Yoak of unmerciful rich Tyrants, especially over his own innocent Seed or chosen People, then this will most necessarily follow; nay, you cannot deny it, if there be any Light in you, that all your conceived Spiritual Speakings, or Writings, or Prayers, in the Great Day of the Lord Jesus Christ, will become but fiery burning Death in you of utter Darkness, according to the true Saying, _If that Light in you be Darkness, how great is that Darkness_. Unless as before said, answerable to your Profession of Love unto God, and Pity unto Man, you are a bountiful Reliever of his oppressed Ones, according to his Bountifulness towards you, then mind the Virtues of Christ Jesus thus shining in you, will occasion from the refreshed Bowels of his own Seed new Spiritual Acknowledgments, and a loving Return in the Lord for you, why because it is rare to find a merciful rich Man.

_Friend_, I certainly know that if you are one of God's Elect, you cannot be offended with me for writing the Truth, though at present, I be contrary to you in Spirit. Again, you write that you would beg unto the Lord for me, both with Tears and Blood, and you would speak somewhat concerning me, but you are afraid to open the Spirit before the Season thereof. _Friend_, As to that if ever the Lord of Life and Glory manifest himself to your Soul, then you will see clearly the Vanity of those Words.

Moreover, if I should tell you, that in the pure Eyes of the Lord Christ Jesus, that one Handful of your Silver Tears, are of more Value than a Horse Load of your Tears and Blood, you might account it a very strange saying from me; truly I unfeignedly believe it will be found a principal Truth, when our Lord Jesus Christ shall say in the Day of Judgment, _Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, for when I was a hungry, ye fed me; Go ye Cursed into everlasting Fire, when I was an hungry ye fed me not_. So that without Controversy, there is nothing in Man comparable to Love, Mercy and Forgiveness, even to his greatest Enemies.

Again, It is a marvellous thing, if you or any other Man, should have a Spiritual Gift to distinguish between Divine and Diabolical Appearances, and yet defer the Examination thereof to another Season, or did the most wise God ever Commission any Man or Angel to make a Discovery of any Spiritual Counterfeits, and yet that Messenger remaineth dark in his own Understanding, concerning the Creator that sent him. I remember such a like Scripture Saying as this, _him whom you ignorantly worship, declare I unto you_. Moreover, if the most wise Creator, either visible or invisible by himself or Angel, hath appeared in your Spirit, whereby unto your thinking, I was clearly discovered as a deceived Person among the rest, is it not a strange thing that you should have Power over that Light above Men or Angels, before you for the producing of it at another Season, the Creator himself will visible make it manifest, _even so come Lord Jesus Christ, for thy glorious Namesake, come quickly, and in the visible Sight of Men and Angels bear Record whether thy Holy Spirit sent me (as I have declared almost these three Years) or no_. Again, when the Lord made Choice of such a simple poor Man as I was, as many can witness in the City of _London_, that have known me about these twenty Years, that I might instrumentally discover the two principal Heads of mischievous Darkness in the Land; as namely, _John Robins_ past, and _John Tawney_ almost spent, truly I had no Power in me to put by his Message until another time; why because (whether you can believe it or no) his Voice was so Glorious in me, that it shun as the Sun, and it was of Motion swifter than Thought, and so pleasant to be declared by Tongue; yet for all that Godlike Glory piercing in me, and through me, there arose a Desire in me to be eased of that Burden of the Lord committed to my Charge, because of that sharp Sentence that I was to declare against any Man that should despise it; then the Lord spake again unto my Soul, Words of turning Death, of sensible unutterable Darkness, answerable to that _Jonas_-like Rebellion in me, against so great convincing Glory; and truly I was compelled immediately to cry unto him for Deliverance from the Wounds or Anguish of my Soul, that I might presently obey his Word that shined in me with such Light, and Majesty, and Glory in whatsoever it should command me.

Wherefore _Friend_, happy are you if preserved from slighting an Appearance, that is contrary unto your Light, though it strike at the Foundation on which is built all your Spiritual Enjoyments; for alas, you know in the End, all false Lights will be made manifest unto those that possess the true Light of Eternal Life in them; Blessed therefore are those, that in Obedience unto the Creator from a purified Spirit are compassionate to all Men, but especially to those innocent Appearances, in the Name of the Lord, though they all differ in their Declaration for them. If there be but one true Messenger from the Lord among the rest, they shall as formerly, receive an Angel of God unawares, and with him be Partakers of the Glorious Secrets of the everliving God, to their eternal Consolation: For this I know, from the Spirit of Truth, that those that are left under a Spirit of rejecting and despising of false Appearances, coming forth in the Name of the Lord, they not clearly knowing them to be so, they will as readily despise a true Messenger of the Lord to their eternal Hurt; wherefore are all those, that neither Honour nor Life it self is dear unto them, but upon an Account of Spiritual Wisdom amongst wise Men, when the Glorious Things of Eternity, though in base Appearance presented unto them, from that Spiritual Rock of all Ages, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, God and Man, is one distinct Body or Person glorified; for whatsoever Men dream from their imaginary Gods, of two or three Persons, or a vast incomprehensible Spirit, essentially living in all Things and Places; from an immediate Voice from the highest Heavens, I positively affirm against Men or Angels, that there neither is, nor ever was any other God or Creator, but that God-man Christ Jesus, which was nailed to the Cross, the which Glorious God will one Day visibly appear with his mighty Angels, to the Everlasting Terror of those that reject his Person, as to love a thing for an infinite God to dwell in or to be; yea this very true God in Opposition to all other Gods, Men, or Angels, is already come with his invisible pure piercing Light, to make an everlasting Distinction between the imaginary notional Mysteries of Men in rational Darkness, and the Spiritual Mysteries of his everlasting Kingdom, by true Inspirations from an holy and unerring Spirit. _Even so come Lord Jesus Christ, visibly also according to thine own Word, come quickly._ Amen.

* * * * *

Yours with all the Elect, in that only wise very true God, which in the Sight of Men and Angels visible appeared in Flesh, and in that very Body of Flesh and Bone, is ascended far above all Gods, Heavens, Angels, or Men, and there to remain until the Resurrection of all elect Things, or the Judgment-Day, whose uncreated Spirit of fiery Love, is all Variety of immortal Crowns of new ravishing Glories, prepared for all those that long for his visible appearing, to make an everlasting Separation, between the merciful Elect, and unmerciful Reprobate.

JOHN REEVE, _the only true Witness unto the very true God, amongst
many pretended Spiritual Messengers in this confused Age_.

_FINIS._

Transcriber's Notes:

Archaic and colloquial spelling and punctuation was retained.

Missing or obscured punctuation was corrected.

Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).