ceivest; and for all the tender drawings and movings after any good thing, &c., thou must acknowledge Christ Jesus for all: for of him and by him are all our good things. Therefore are all to bow to him, and to confess and acknowledge him for all; for his glory he will not give to another, nor his praise to graven images. For man is better and of a better image than any thing man can make; therefore man is to make no image nor likeness of any thing within nor without as pertaining to the worship of God: but man is to be conformed to the image of Christ in him, who is pure and holy, which image is the best thing in man; and all the worship and service of God is to stand in it, and to rise up therefrom. And as man grows in conformity to this holy image in him, God then will break down all the images and the nature of them in man, within and without-who is worthy over all to be worshipped, served and obeyed with all the soul and whole strength, who is God over all blessed for ever!

P. L.

ABERDEEN PRISON.

CONCERNING THE NAME AND THING, TEXT.

It is a common question propounded unto us from time to time in derision and scorn, Where is your text? I understand the word "text" may be compared to that the woman draws her thread from when she spins; she must have something to spin out her thread from, some wool or some matter that a thread must be spun out and drawn from at length. So when one speaks of heavenly things, there must be some heavenly matter as a text to draw the heavenly things from. Now, if you ask for our text, that from whence we draw forth our testimonies from time to time-we say that the Word of God is our text; out from the Word of God do we draw our testimonies from time to time: and this we who preach the light do declare, that all who speak or pray, or perform any thing they call worship or service to God, and do not draw it forth from the Word of God, they are deceivers of the souls of the people with their words.

Objection. But all other sorts of teachers say that they have their texts from the Word of God, and then what is the cause of difference amongst you?

Answer. The difference is very great, yea, more than every one conceives, betwixt their understanding of the Word of God and our understanding of it, what it is; for we say very few are come to find the right text, namely the Word of God. But some may object, saying, Is not the Scriptures of truth the Word of God?

Answer. The Scriptures of truth are writings of truth, things or testimonies written concerning the Truth. Now there is an inward writing as well as an outward writing; so that is as much as to say Scripture written without and Scripture written within-the Word of God within, and the words of God without written in the book, the Bible. See Jer. xxx. 12.

"The word that came from the Lord to Jeremy saying, Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel saying, Write thee all the words I have spoken in a book," &c. Mark here, what I was that? Was it not the Word that spake to Jeremy, and bid him write the words that the Lord, the Word, had spoken in a book? So the Lord spake by his Word, and the words or sayings were written in a book, the Bible, commonly called Scriptures or writings. But now if it be enquired, Where was that Word that spake to Jeremy? See chap. xx. 8 and 9. "Because the Word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me and a derision daily; then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name; but his Word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay." Remark herehow the Word was invisible, and was in his heart as a fire burning shut up in his bones, and he could not keep in the Word, but brake forth from the Word speaking words. So the Word in his heart was the prophet's text, from whence he received and drew forth his words; so his text was not holy men's words that were before him, but it was the Word of God in his heart, which came to him and spake forth by him, the holy words which he was commanded to write in a book. Now these are thieves and robbers, (John x. 1, &c.) who come not in by the door but climb up some other way-who come not to Christ Jesus, whose name is called the Word of God, who is the holy text or Divine Life, Way, and Truth, the Divine matter from whence the holy men of God drew out their holy words-such who come not to this text, who draw not forth nor receive their words from this holy text, but are trained up at schools, and learn the art and craft of speaking and writing, which they call the art of right speaking and writing. And when they are thus trained up in this natural art, they take some sentences of Scripture calling them their text, and so spin out their speeches or sermons, and piece and patch them up

from old authors and commentaries which they have lying by them, adding their own imaginations; and all being made up as the man hath more or less art in a pleasing way and method, to tickle the affections of the people; and then having all ready penned down and got into the memory, they come before the people into the pulpit, and call the people to hear the Word of the Lord and that they call the preaching of the Word and the Gospel. And in their prayers, before the preaching, do pray that the Lord may assist them with his holy Spirit to deliver his Word and to preach his Gospel, whereas they know the words beforehand, and have them writ and got into their memory, and yet pray and mock God, seeking assistance to deliver that which they have already gathered, and pieced and patched up beforehand, without any immediate dependance upon the Spirit of God, as they in their wills and times, according to their human natural art, take a place of Scripture and patch together a discourse as is said before: and then the Lord must be called on to help to deliver this out, as the preaching of his Word and Gospel, which is a mere human natural work, standing wholly in the will and time of man, both in studying of it, and in setting of it together, and in the delivery of it; and yet with a feigned gravity and demure carriage, will pray to God for the assistance of his Spirit, as if there were a dependance upon him for what were to be delivered. Ah! the Lord abhors this deceit and hypocrisy, and taking of his holy name in vain, and belying of the Lord God, calling that his Word and Gospel, and the preaching thereof, which is not: the Lord will plead with these preachers, these thieves and robbers that come not in by the door Christ, but climb up another way than ever any of his true followers did, who received his Word from his own mouth freely, without money and without price, and freely they delivered it.

Are not such thieves and robbers as do run forth to preach him before he be come in them to send them?

Do not such go before him? The prophet Jeremy did not so, who was a prophet before Christ came in the flesh, and all the rest of the ancient holy men and people; yet he nor they did not come to the people to speak to the people before Christ was come in them by his Spirit and Word, for Christ was that Word that burned as a fire all the day long in Jeremy's heart, insomuch that he was weary with forbearing; so he nor they were no thieves nor robbers, they did not run nor come to the people until the Word was powerfully upon them, moving them, so they wanted not a holy text or matter to spin or draw forth their holy words from.

Now consider what coming that was which Christ understood, when he said, "All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers;" sure he did not understand his outward coming in that holy body, for then by that saying all the prophets, and Moses and all the holy men of God were thieves and robbers; but it was his inward coming he understood is plain, even that coming by which his Word was as a fire burning within them, purging them, preparing and making them ready for his work, and so sending them forth and filling their hearts with his Word, going before them, and they thereupon following after him, and not going or running or coming before him. And this was an immediate work in Abel, and in Enoch, and in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, before the law or Scripture was written without all these holy men had the Word of God dwelling in them, and did not run nor come forth with any holy thing before it.

And also Noah was a preacher of righteousnesswhere was Noah's text, trow ye, seeing then Scripture was not written? And sure he had a good text or matter from whence his holy conversation and holy words proceeded. The Word of God was his text and matter from whence all his holy life and words sprang forth among the old world. And the holy prophets who wrote the old testament, had not they a text to