Two Treatises, Title page 1 – To the reader
TWO TREATISES: VIZ. 1. An Epiſtle General, TO THE Myſtical Body of Chriſt on Earth, the Church Univerſal in BABYLON. II. THE Face of the Times: Wherein is diſcovered, The RICE, PROGRESSE, and ISSUE, of the ENMITY and CONTEST, between the SEED of the WOMAN and the SEED of the SERPENT, &c.
The Deſign of it being, To awaken up the preſent Generation of God's People, to a more diligent and curious Obſervation of the preſent Signs of the near Approach of the Day of the Lord.
Both written, By Sir HENRY VANE, Knight, in the time of his Impriſonment.
Printed in the Year, 1662.
AN Epiſtle General, TO THE MYSTICAL BODY OF Chriſt on Earth, THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL IN BABYLON,
Who are Pilgrims and Strangers on the Earth, deſiring and ſeeking after the Heavenly Country.
Written by Sir HENRY VANE, Knight, in the time of his Impriſonment.
Printed in the Year, 1662.
THE Epiſtle to the Reader.
READER,
IT might be thought juſtly due to this Worthy Piece, eſpecially being Poſthumous, that by the Care of ſome or other it ſhould not come into the World, without the attendance of ſome Preface or Epiſtle to the Reader: But there being ſo appoſit a Letter written on the ſight of it, by a Perſon that well knew the Author, all labour is ſpared the Publiſher, ſave only the tranſcribing thereof, and commending it to thee, which follows in theſe words.
My choice Friend,
THe view I had of that General Epiſtle, written by that Worthy, Faithful, Dearly Beloved, and Honoured Friend of ours, I cannot paſſe without ſome acknowledgment to his Memory, whoſe Name lives like a Box of precious Oyntment in the Houſe of God. Who in and through the rich Mercies of the Lord, offered up himſelf a living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable, in the day of Power from the Lord, and that willingly and chearfully, like a Lamb, whoſe great love and burning deſires were after the Flock, the Sheep and Lambs of the Lord.
Who, that they might be fed and taught, ſpared not himſelf in life and death, by water and blood, to miniſter unto them; yea, how did the care of all the Churches fall on him? the whole Flock, the ſcattered and wandring Sheep on the Mountains and Hills, ſolitary in the Fields, diſperſed in the Woods, driven into the Wilderneſs.
How did his heart in this Epiſtle long and look after them, and call them together, under the wing of that one Shepherd? What a bleſſed Example of Patience, Faith and Courage hath he left them?
And though many Brethren knew not him, yet he knew them, and owned them. If he was rejected by many, till now by his Death many of thoſe Vails are rent, And they mourn over him whom they pierced before: Now they ſee he was a Son and Heir of the Kingdom, of whom this Nation was no longer worthy.
How had God filled him with the Spirit of Wiſdom, Ʋnderſtanding and Knowledg in all the Works & Workmanſhip of Gods houſe, through the ſpiritual view God had given him of the heavenly and eternal duplicate page things themſelves, having taken him up into the Holy Mount with Himſelf, where he ſaw what he is made to teſtifie, that which was from the beginning, the Word of Life which he had ſeen and looked on, his hands handled, his heart poſſeſſed of that Eternal Love, Truth and Righteouſneſs with the Father, which was made manifest unto him.
So he believed and bears his Record in Truth, having received Power and Wiſdom to underſtand all Myſteries, Bezaleel-like, made able to know and ſearch out the heights and depths, and all the ſeveral growths in God's Houſe, to ſhew forth and to diſcover the cunning Works of all ſorts, the curious workings in Gold, and Silver, and in Braſſe; As appears in his Natural, Legal, and Evangelical Conſcience.
Very skilful alſo are his Carvings and Cuttings of Stones, to ſet them in Gold▪ knowing the value of every of the Precious Stones of Zion, their Qualities and rare Vertues, each moſt coſtly; and to ſet them every one in their Order, in their Ranks, Rows and Places, fitted for each Tribe and People, (the right Stone for each Tribe) how to fix them in the Breaſtplate of Judgment, each in his ſocket of Gold, with their true and right Engravings, like a Signet; how to call and write upon each its true Name and Work according to its Nature, (each Work of the Spirit after its kind) For the Gifts, the Operations, the Adminiſtrations of the Spirit are various and manifold, to ſet forth the manifold Wiſdom of God.
As in the Natural Creation there are bodies Celeſtial and Terreſtial: The Glory of the Celeſtial is one, and the Terreſtial another▪ Nay, in the Terreſtial there are varieties. When all the Creatures were made, they were all brought to Adam; he gave them Names according as they were, to every Creature his own Name; to the Fiſhes in the Sea, to the Creeping-things and Beaſts in the Earth, and to the Fowls in the open Firmament of Heaven, each in their proper places and Elements. The Earth brought forth her variety of Herbs, Plants, Fruits and Trees, every one after his kind; all which are but the ſhadows of the Kingdom above, the things of higher and better natures.
As in the Paradiſe and Garden of the Lord, there were varieties of Fruits and Trees both for delight and ſhade, with the River to refreſh them; yea, the very River divided it ſelf into four heads, to water every quarter, unbowelling it ſelf to them in equal ſhares, to feed and make them fruitful.
Such is the Univerſal Love, the Spring and Fountain of Life, in whom all live, move and have their being, to gather together all things in one, whether viſible or inviſible, as into their head; That as all Mankind are made of one Blood ſo all Souls of one Spirit, who breathed at firſt the Breath of Life into them, that he that was the firſt may be the laſt, the beginning and the ending, He that was, and is, and is to come: What diſtance and difference ſoever there may ſeem to be here, yet all the ſame, to day, yeſterday, and for ever, the ſame God, the ſame Father of all, the ſame Jeſus and Saviour, the ſame Spirit and Comforter; yet the Appearances, Manifeſtations, Workings and Revelations, manifold and various: And all, to ſhew forth the Glory, yea, the Riches of the Glory of Him, that hath called us, and worketh all theſe in us and for us.
Yea, were not the works of the Tabernacle ſo? and yet each beautiful in its place, each work and workmanſhip; ſome works of Wood, ſome of Stone, others of Braſs, ſome of Silver and over-laid with Gold, the choicest of beaten Gold; and the more holy and inward, the purer, the inmoſt the pureſt of all; each room and place as it came neareſt to the living Oracle (the Mercy-Seat) the narrower, the finer, the holier: and the more and the farther any thing or place was diſtant from thence, the larger and courſer; the more outward, the leſs holy.
So were the Offerings of the Lord, all pleaſant, that came willingly; the skins, the Badgers skins, the red dyed Rams skins (for the Covering of the Tabernacle on the out-ſide) good enough, yet very courſe: the Boards of Shittem wood, the Curtains, the Pillars of Wood, of Braſſe, of Wood over-laid with Gold, each according to its place and ſervice in the Tabernacle, more or leſſe excellent, as more or leſſe inward or ſpiritual: So was the Linnen, the Purple, the Blue, the Scarlet, and curious Works; the moſt curious and pure for the Vail next the Mercy-Seat.
So was it in the Compoſition of the Perfume and anointing Oyl, after the curious and choice Art of the Apothecary (that no Compoſition or Mixture muſt be made like it) of the choiceſt Spices.
So for the Lamps of the Canaleſticks to give light, and for the Altar of Incenſe evening and morning (Oh! great is the Mystery of Godlineſs in all theſe things) no Lights, but what was made of this pure holy Oyl, muſt burn before the Lord; if the Prieſts or Levites did burn any other, they muſt be cut off.
And ſo for the Incenſe of ſweet Spices; the Lord, that Spirit, is very curious, and can ſoon ſpy and ſmell out the Mixtures of Fleſh, or any falſe Compoſitions, and abhor them.
So in the Prieſts Garments for Aaron and his Sons to miniſter in; the nearer the Miniſtration was to the Lord, the Purer and Holier, and the Garments the more curious. The imbroydered fine Linnen Coat, holy and pure; the Robe of the Ephod, of blue; the curious Ephod with the two pretious Onix Stones, and the engraving therein, ſet on the ſhoulder plates; the curious Girdle of the Ephod, with the wreathes of Gold, and the holy Breſt-plate of Judgement, with the twelve pretious Stones coupled to the Ephod, and of the ſame curious workmanſhip; with the curious Girdle, the Miter, the Plate of Holineſs, and the Crown for his head. For the other Prieſts, not ſo curious, nor ſuch works, in regard their Inſtitutions was leſs glorious.
In all theſe things, how excellent, how skilful, and what a cunning ſearching Spirit of diſcerning and Judgement, had this wiſe-hearted Soul (in the Mysteries) unfolding the Riddles and hard Sayings, ſtill opening them in Spirit, faithful in all God's Houſe, and keeping nothing of the Counſel of the Lord back, nor hiding his Light under a Buſhel, but ſetting it up in the Candleſtick, ſo, that it gave light to many of the Lord's Houſe.
I was one of the number of thoſe, that conſtantly attending on his Diſcourſes, as oft as I was in Town, knew him more in his Family Exerciſes and Diſcourſes for many years than moſt; from whom I received more help and light in the knowledge of God, than from all the men in the World beſides, and found his Miniſtry moſt ſearching and trying: What others took for Gold, he proved it to be but Braſs; and ſome Doctrines that others preferred for Spiritual, he tryed, and found them Carnal.
He had ſuch a Breſt-plate of Judgement and Diſcerning, that he did conſtantly bear the remembrance of all the Tribes of Iſrael on his heart before the Lord, and diſtinguiſhed every Tribe after his condition; yea, he had this ſingular and peculiar gift of Judgement, to diſcern the two Natures, the two Seeds, the two Covenants, to admiration: Many a Soul he hath put upon the ſearch, that thought he had attained and ran well, whom he found to be but in Egypt, or at leaſt but departing thence.
Shall we ſay he was a Scholler? Nay, but a Rabbi, a Doctor in the knowledge of Chriſt, in whom a greater Fulneſs of the riches of Wiſdom and Knowledge were treaſured up than in moſt; like that Diſciple that lay in Chriſt's boſom: He obtained ſo long a ſhare of his life and growth, having the true ſight and meaſure of every man's ſtate and growth, yet himſelf ſate on a Rock higher than all, and was ſuch a bleſſing in his Witneſs (and Teſtimony to the Lord, in his threefold ſtate, of Life, Death, and Reſurrection, and ſo of our conformity and likeneſs to Him therein) that no Book extant, but the Striptures, did ever clear ſo much Truth as his Retired Man's Meditations; and this bleſſed Epiſtle now of his, is as a Key that further opens that to the Sons of men, and they are to be underſtood better in ſpirit, and in operation, than in words.
How did he, ſeeing Truth lay ſcattered, maimed, and mangled in parts and parcels, gather it all up? yea, and all the Profeſſions and Profeſſors of it, and made one whole Garment of Truth amongst them all, and that without any ſeam or rent; reconciling and healing all the Wounds and Diviſions that have been amongſt good People, from the crown of the Head to the ſoale of the Foot, in the Spirit of Love, Righteouſneſs, and true Judgement; aſſigning every Profeſſion and Principle, his true and proper place and ſtate in the Body, whether Natural or Spiritual.
VALE.