Christ in his temptations, drink his cup, and abide his baptisms, his agonies and death, thus resting from all their own works, come to the true Christian sabbath, and therein worship God in spirit and in truth, in the pure, living experience of that sacred, awful, reverential silence, which is known in heaven. These know what is meant by the smoke of the incense which continually ascends up before God, from the angel's hand, and from the golden altar, for ever; and are in good preparation to witness and understand the remaining wonders-the soundings of the angels-the measure of the temple-the leaving out of the outward court--the woman clothed with the sun-the dragon's tail, and many other deep mysteries, which are never clearly understood, but as he that has the key of David opens them. But, as far as needful, he fails not to open them to all who follow him in the regeneration, wheresoever he leadeth them, who are redeemed from the earth, and from among men. These shall stand with him on Mount Sion, and having their Father's name written in their foreheads, shall sing the new song, receive the blessing of those who obey his commands, have a right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city. They shall rest from their labours, and their works shall follow them.

Great part of the Revelations, as well as other mysterious Scriptures, is livingly known in the work and progress of regeneration; and therein

found very pertinent and descriptive, in regard to the many exercises, pangs, probations, and deliverances, which attend the soul in its seasons of refinement, and gradual renovation. And all this hinders not, but well consists with, the more outward meaning and fulfilment of such parts of sacred record, so far as they really respect things outward but I am firm in the faith, that many are musing and gazing after outward fulfilments, to the very great and sometimes injurious diversion of their minds from the only work, and fulfilment of many passages, which they may ever properly expect to experience. The Scripture is a sealed book; it is abundantly wrapped up in parable, metaphor, and mystery: yea many, very many things in it, which men whose minds are outward, will read and understand of outward things, are mainly meant of internal operations, discoveries, and overturnings, through which God, in his dealings with the soul, leads it along.

← He that hath an ear, let him hear,' is a very proper intimation, and is therefore often repeated; that the mind may be directed to an inward hearkening, in order to a right understanding: for many have eyes, but see not; and ears, but hear not, The eye and the ear that sees and hears divine things rightly, must be divinely opened. Many are blind because they think they see; and deaf, by reason of their confidence that they hear. Christ's coming was and is, that those who see and hear may be made blind and deaf;

and that the blind and deaf may see and hear: and blessed are those who are made blind and deaf by Him; for it is as needful to true seeing and hearing, to be first made blind and deaf, as wounding is necessary to healing, and killing to being made alive. He that will be wise, must first become a fool that he may be wise; and he that will see and hear, must first become blind and deaf.

O! it is a great thing to know that eye and ear closed, that ever sees and hears amiss, and to keep them steadily shut up, and the single eye and ear properly open. Keep to that in thee, O inward traveller! that shuts the wrong eye and ear, and opens the right: then wilt thou be of the number of such as our Lord pronounceth blessed, saying; Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.'*

Mat. xiii. 16

CHAP. VI.

The folly of self-importance. The author's concern, that himself and others may experience an entire reduction of self, and perfect resignation to the Divine will. His visit to Friends of Oblong and Nine-Partners, in the State of New York.

1784,

6th mo. 12.

I

HAVE divers times lately very

clearly seen the great folly of thinking ourselves of much importance, either in religious society, or in the world. O may my soul dwell ever in true abasement! for blessed and happy is he that knows a being brought down, yea down low, and there abiding: for until all self-exaltation is entirely rooted out of our minds, we are not what God would have us to be; and his turning and overturning in us, is in order, if not resisted, thus to make us; and until we do, from the centre of our souls, give him all the glory, there remains in us a source of unhappiness, disorder, and confusion. Oh man! how great is the work of thy salvation! how many deaths thou hast to die, before that comes to reign in thee, which lives for ever!-for know thou, that thou canst never fully enjoy that life which is hid with Christ in God, until thou diest to thy own selfish life. It is he that loses his life for Christ's sake, that shall find it; yea, our blessed Saviour declares; 'If any man hate not his own

life, he cannot be my disciple,*-and at this juncture of time I sincerely think I do so.-Lord God Almighty, carry on thy great work in my soul; bow every exalted imagination, and lay all that is not of thy own immediate begettings in me, level with the dust; that I may altogether, and at all times, hate my own life, with perfect hatred; until I come livingly to know that it is thy Only Begotten, in whom thou art well pleased; and with no man farther than he dies to himself, and lives, in the son of thy love, a life unknown to the benighted sons of Adam in the fall; and only faintly conceived of by thousands that have known a degree of renovation. Lord! when it shall please thee, awake them, arouse and alarm them, that they may arise from their lethargy, and be enabled to look and behold Jerusalem a quiet habitation; and be admitted, pure and perfect, into the communion and fellowship of her ransomed sons: where thou, O Most Holy! rulest God over all; and self-exaltation finds no admittance.

Having for some time past, felt drawings in my mind to pay a religious visit to Friends of Oblong and Nine-Partners Quarterly-meetings. and perceiving a like concern in my friend Daniel Aldrich, of our Monthly-meeting of Uxbridge, we laid our prospects before our brethren at home. Obtaining their certificates of concurrence from our

* 1 Luke xiv. 26