A testimony for God's truth: First, concerning new and heavenly Jerusalem, and Jerusalem from below.

Secondly, concerning Christ, the great mountain that fills the whole earth.

Thirdly, how man and woman was created in the image of God, and to be meel-helps one to another.

Fourthly, how every one ought to improve the talent God gives them, to his glory, and their eternal happiness. By G. F.

THE apostle writes to the church of Christ, and saith, Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. All Jerusalem's children are born of the spirit, and led by the spirit of God. And as many as receive Christ, he gives them power to become the sons of God; even to them that believe in his name. And whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God; and they that believe in the light, the life in Christ, do become the children of light, as in John i. 12. and xii. 36. and 1 John v. 1.

And now in this heavenly light, power, and spirit, they come to be heavenly Jerusalem's children, that is from above. For such as hate the light, and do evil, are condemned by it, and they that have not the spirit of Christ are none of his; but all the true christians, in the new covenant, and new testament, in Christ Jesus, to whom Christ hath given his life, which is his light and his power, them that believe in it, and receive him, do become the children of light, and the sons of God; so they are heavenly Jerusalem's children, born from above, of the spirit and the light.

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The apostle saith to the converted Hebrews, Ye are come unto Mount Sion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, and to the general assembly and church of the first born, which is written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant;' and hither Jerusalem's children were come then, while they were upon the earth.

The children of God, that were born of the spirit, and the children of the light, they were come hither in the apostles' days, they were come to that heavenly Mount Sion, that looks over the whole world For natural Sion, the watchtower, looked over into Canaan; but this heavenly Sion, spoke of in the new testament, which is the joy of the whole earth, looks over all the earth, and in this joyful Sion, Christ the elect and precious was laid. 1 Pet. ii. 6. And Christ the deliverer comes out of this Sion. Rom. xi. 26. And the children of heavenly Jerusalem, which is the city of the living God, they see the innumera

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ble company of angels. And is not this the city that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sought for, which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God; is not this heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, that they sought for? And are not all heavenly Jerusalem's children written in heaven? seeing the apostle said, 'Jerusalem that is above, is the mother of us all' that believe in Christ, and receive him, and are born of the spirit, and they were come to the General Assembly, the church of the first born, written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.' All these were and are born of the spirit that come to heavenly Sion and Jerusalem, and to God and his son, and to the just men's spirits made perfect; for it is the spiritual birth, heavenly Jerusalem's children, that sees these things and knows them; that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and may know fleshly things, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit, and knows spiritual things.

And John in the Revelations, he saw the great holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God, out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, having the glory of God; and her light was like unto a precious stone, and the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, nor of a candle, for the glory of God doth enlighten it, and the lamb is the light thereof. This heavenly Jerusalem is and was the mother of all them that receive Christ, who gives them power to become the sons of God, and they that believe in the light are the children of the light, and walk in the light of their mother, new Jerusalem.

And you may read how this new Jerusalem is garnished with pearls, figuratively, and there is written on the wall the names of the twelve tribes, and twelve apostles, and of the lamb; the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there.

So here you may see there is no night here, but always day, in the holy city, new and heavenly Jerusalem, that is from above. All the children of the light, and that are born of the spirit from above, see it their mother; and the nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of this city, new Jerusalem, that is from above. And all Jerusalem's children, that have overcome, have right to the tree of life, and drink of the water of life in this new and heavenly Jerusalem. And in this heavenly Jerusalem there shall be no more curse, and none that are defiled enter into it, but they that are written in the lamb's book of life. And he that overcomes saith Christ, I will make a pillar in the house of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God; and I will write upon him my new name.'

Here you may see New Jerusalem's children, and the name of God, and the holy city, and the name of Christ written upon them, and their father's name written in their foreheads, that they may know that they are the children of New Jerusalem, and of God and Christ; and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. Rev. xxii. 4. and iii. 12. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith to the churches,' heavenly Jerusalem's and Sion's children. And therefore all that are born of the spirit, the children of the light, that believe in Christ, and receive him, their mother is new and heavenly Jerusalem; and this spiritual birth cannot own any mother below this new and heavenly Jerusalem. And all heavenly Jerusalem's new born babes are nourished with the sincere milk of the word, and the bondwoman's children, that are born after the flesh, persecute new and heavenly Jerusalem's children, that are born after the spirit; the bondwoman's children are in bondage, but Jerusalem's children, which is from above, are free, who give glory to the Lord God over all for evermore.

So new and heavenly Jerusalem brings forth a new and heavenly generation, a spiritual household, heavenly and spiritual citizens, and a royal priesthood, that offer up living and spiritual sacrifices.

And in the apostles' days, before the apostacy, all the true believers and followers of Christ, had Jerusalem that was above for their mother, but since the apostles' days, in the apostacy the outward christians have gone into many sects, and they have got many mothers, and by law they force others to them; but they that are brought out of the night of apostacy, by the light, power, and spirit of Christ Jesus, they are come to new and heavenly Jerusalem, and can own none of their mothers, that they have set up since the apostles' days, that are below heavenly Jerusalem, that is from above, in whom there is neither sect nor schism, rent nor division, contest nor strife, for no unclean thing comes into it.

And the Lord said, 'Behold, I create new heavens, and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.' Isaiah saw this by prophecy. Isa. Ivi. 17. And John said, 'I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the first earth was passed away, and there was no more sea.' Rev. xxiv. 1. And the Lord said, 'Behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy, and I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping and crying shall be heard no more in her.' Is not this heavenly Jerusalem that Isaiah prophesied of? Isa. lxv. 18, 19. And is not this the heavenly Jerusalem that John saw in Revelations? xxi. 2, 3, 4. This new and heavenly Jerusalem that is above, it shines over all the nations, for the nations of them that are saved walk in the light of it, where it is always day, and there is no night there, for the Lord God and the lamb is the light of it, in which light the nations of them that are saved walk.

Natural men may know natural sciences, and the natural tongues and languages, and the natural arts, and natural philosophy; for the natural Jews and Pilate could set their natural tongues, which began at Babel, over Christ, and yet crucify him. And the whore of Babylon and confusion, the mother of harlots, she hath power over the natural tongues, that is whored from the spirit of God, and so these natural men, with these natural things, that know nothing, but follow their own spirits, and see not the things of God, they are foolishness to them; but God is pouring his spirit upon all natural men, upon all flesh, that with his spirit they may know the things of God, and serve and worship him in spirit and truth, and know heavenly Jerusalem their mother, with the spirit that God pours upon them.

And John saw the mother of harlots drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus, and their blood was found in the mother of harlots, the mystery Babylon, the false church. And were not these saints, martyrs of Jesus, and prophets, of heavenly Jerusalem's children, whose blood was and is found in the mother of harlots, the false church, the mystery Babylon? Rev. xvii. 18.

He that was born after the flesh, persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now; and the children of new Jerusalem, that is above, and is your mother, they and their mother never persecuted any. But the mother of mystery Babylon, and of harlots, she and her harlots were and are the persecutors, in whom is found the blood of the righteous, viz. the free born children of Jerusalem from above.'

G. F.

How all nations may see with the light, the life in Christ, him the great mountain that fills the whole earth.

CONCERNING the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, spoken of in Daniel ii. which did dash to pieces the image whose head was fine gold, which was Nebuchadnezzar's and the Babylonian's monarchy, and should dash to pieces the breast and arms of silver, which was the Medes' and Persians' monarchy, and likewise it should dash to pieces the belly and thighs of brass, which was the Grecians' monarchy, and the legs of iron, and his feet part of iron and part of clay, which was the Roman's monarchy.

So all these four monarchies were but one image, the head was gold, and the breast and arms silver, and the belly and thighs brass, and his legs iron, and his feet part of iron and part of clay; and this same stone, cut out of the mountain, brake the image of iron, clay, silver, VOL. VI.

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brass, and gold to pieces, and they became like unto the chaff of the summer threshing floor, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them. So here was the end of these four monarchies, and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. And in the days of these kings, (or four monarchies,) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to others, but it shall consume and destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.' Dan. ii. and Luke i. 33.

Now is not this stone Christ, that becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole earth? And did not he come in the day of these four monarchies, who dashed them to pieces, and set up his kingdom? And did not Christ say, when he was come, My kingdom is not of this world?" and also did not he say, 'All power in heaven and earth is given unto me?'

Now Christ's kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that shall never be destroyed, but shall stand for ever, and his kingdom stands in righte ousness, and power, and peace, and joy in the holy ghost; and Christ said to Nicodemus, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God;' and again, he saith to him, Except a man be born again of water, and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' John iii. And also the apostle saith, that none that is defiled or unclean shall enter into the kingdom of God and Christ; and the natural man knows not the things of God, they are foolishness to him.'

So this everlasting kingdom of God, which was set up above sixteen hundred years ago, shall never have end, for no unclean or defiled person can enter into it, nor none can see it, nor enter into it, except they be born again of water and of the spirit; this everlasting kingdom stands and remains over all, and the unclean and defiled cannot enter into it, and they that are not born again cannot enter into it, nor see it, so they are not like to destroy this everlasting kingdom, it remains firm, and will never have an end; though the unclean and defiled, and them that are not born again do not see it; yet John saith in Rev. i. 9. he was in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.' And the apostles told the saints, That they were delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of his dear son." And was not this while they were upon the earth? Col. i. 13. So these were born again; and Christ saith, 'The law and the prophets were until John,' and he was the greatest prophet born of a woman, 'but the least in the kingdom is greater than John;' and since John Baptist preached, men pressed into the kingdom, and those are they that are born again, and have the spiritual eye that see the end of the