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<DATE>2013-03-19</DATE>
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<NAME>Geremy Carnes</NAME>
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<ITEM>Checklist: x *Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate x *Review over structure: FRONT,BODY, BACK, DIV or rarely GROUP x *Add LANG, add DIV TYPEs, make sure that @types makes sense as a navigational aide, and work in the context of the whole text, validate x *Survey book for troublesome formats of all kinds, including lists, illustrations, tables, music, math, end-notes, quasi-tabular arrangments, and marginalia. x *Proof title page(s), remove decorative HI x *Examine marginalia. Is it all best tagged as NOTE?
*Observe divtop and divbottom material marking beginnings and ends of divisions, check that they are correctly tagged as HEAD, HEADNOTE, CLOSER, OPENER, ARGUMENT, TRAILER, EPIGRAPH, SIGNED, DATELINE, BYLINE, etc. x *Check for GAPs, ABBR x *Check PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N="" x *Check ^, oe, abq, italic I / J, _Initals, space between &amp;c., --, LB, # x *Check for illustrations and correct usage of FIGURE. Add FIGDESCs if necessary. x *Check q; startq endq Q x *If appropriate, check for yoghs. x *If appropriate, check for Latin problems, e.g. oe and ae digraphs x *If appropriate, check for abbreviation and brevigraph problems. x *If appropriate, check for units of measure, symbols (alchemical, astronomical, etc.) and the like. x *Correct illegibles from proofsheet x *Check illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs, &punc; x *Final validate Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ]. Converted [ 89 ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible". DONE</ITEM>
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<VID>45948</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title">
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<P>SHORT DISCOVERY OF THE STATE <HI>of</HI> MAN: Before The fall, in the fall, and out of the fall againe; wherein is al&s;o laid open the ignorance and error of <HI>Robert Hall</HI> Preacher at <HI>Colebrooke</HI> in <HI>Buckingham-&s;hire,</HI> and <HI>Edmund Board</HI> of the &s;ame Town a Profe&s;&s;or, who are contentious, obey|ing not the truth (which they be erred from) but do oppo&s;e them&s;elves again&s;t it, as may be &s;een with the &s;ingle eye in that which followeth,&mdash;by W:B:</P>
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<Q>The Lord fru&s;trateth the tokens of the lyars, and maketh diviners mad, he turneth wi&s;e men backward, and maketh their knowledge fooli&s;h. <BIBL>I&s;a. 44:25:</BIBL></Q>
<Q>But the &s;ecrets of the Lord are with them that feare him, <BIBL>P&s;a: 25:14:</BIBL></Q>
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<P>IN the 4th: Moneth <HI>59:</HI> At a meeting in Colebrooke, as I was moved of the Lord, I &s;pake the&s;e words, verily, verily I &s;ay unto you, except a man be born again, he can in no wi&s;e enter into the Kingdome of God, and I al&s;o declared that God made man in his image, after his likene&s;&s;e, having dominion, and was ble&s;&s;ed of God, Gen: <HI>1:26:28:</HI> al&s;o that this &s;tate was lo&s;t from Adam, (in which he was ble&s;&s;ed) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">y rea&s;on of &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, which brought the cur&s;e, (marke) man was made <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n the image of God, and in that &s;tate was ble&s;&s;ed, here was the fir&s;t word man (in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">mage of God) that ever I read of in Scripture, Let us make man in our image after <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ur likene&s;&s;e, and let him have dominion, Gen: <HI>1:26:</HI> man in the image of God, like God, upright having dominion ble&s;&s;ed of God, (marke) this &s;tate was lo&s;t and erred from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">y tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion lo&s;t the dominion, &s;huts out of the kingdome: therefore ex|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ept a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdome (or dominion) of Gods nor <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e ble&s;&s;ed of God, nor be in the likene&s;&s;e or image of God, the&s;e things I did and doe &s;till <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ffirme and te&s;tifie, and that as Adam lo&s;t the dominion, the peace, and the ble&s;&s;ing of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">od, goeing from God into tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, &s;o mu&s;t all that ever enter the kingdome again, which is righteou&s;ne&s;s, peace, and joy in the holy &s;pirit,) come to the light which Christ <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;us hath enlightened them withall, (which &s;hewes them &s;in,) and believe in it, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ey it, to be led out of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion by it up to God again, This is the work of the la&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">dam, to de&s;troy the workes of the Divell, to quicken up to God again, and to bring again <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">t which was driven away by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, (marke that) Ezek: <HI>34:4:</HI> for it is your <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">iquities that have &s;eperated between you and your God, and your &s;ins have hid his
<PB REF="2"> face from you, I&s;a: <HI>59:3:4:</HI> for this purpo&s;e was the &s;on of God manife&s;ted, to de&s;troy the workes of the Divell, <HI>1</HI> John: <HI>3:8:</HI> (marke) to de&s;troy that which the Divell hath wrought, di&s;obedience, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, all unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and &s;in, this the Divell wrought, the old Serpent when he led man out from God, (who is light) into darkne&s;&s;e, the thick cloud, the &s;eperation, I&s;a: <HI>44:2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">:</HI> which mu&s;t be broken down and de&s;troyed by the power of God, before fallen man can be reconciled to God again.</P>
<P>Now &s;uch were the things which the&s;e men, <HI>Robert Hall,</HI> and <HI>Edmund Board</HI> op|po&s;ed, &s;aying my doctrine tended to no other thing, then to bring people from Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t, to be as the fir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t Adam was, who &s;aid they was not in Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t, neither had he the holy &s;pirit &s;aid <HI>Robert Hall,</HI> in his fir&s;t &s;tate, but was earthly, And that the breath of life, which God breathed into man, (whereby he became a living &s;oule) was a created thing, the&s;e things was by them &s;poken, before many people, bringing the Apo&s;tles words (in their dark mindes) where he &s;aid the fir&s;t man is of the earth earthy, &amp;c. now the Scripture is true, (the fir&s;t Adam was in two &s;tates, who will deny it) but I query, whe|ther the fir&s;t &s;tate of the fir&s;t man was earthly, &s;eeing he was made in the image of God, in his likene&s;s, without &s;in, upright, and was ble&s;&s;ed of God, having dominion, and peace with God, I know the fir&s;t Adam became earthy, when drove from God by tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|on, into the earth, after he had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, and was afraid of God, when he &s;aw his nakedne&s;&s;e, and hid him&s;elfe, (marke) he had a &s;elfe now to hide after tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|on, then 'twas I heard thy voyce, and was afraid, here was a divi&s;ion and &s;eperation, (I and thy, twaine) after tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, but not before, (marke that) &s;o here is the &s;tate of the whole world, in tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion afraid of God, drove from God in the earth, hiding and covering &s;elfe, and loving and imbracing that which God will de&s;troy.</P>
<P>Now the&s;e men granted and confe&s;&s;ed, that man in his fir&s;t &s;tate had peace with God, and was without &s;in, in the image, likene&s;&s;e, and dominion of God, and was ble&s;&s;ed of God, but &s;aid <HI>Robert Hall</HI> he had not then the holy &s;pirit, and &s;aid <HI>Edmund Board</HI> he was not in Chri&s;t in that &s;tate, now this is to be con&s;idered with a &s;ober mind in the light.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t Je&s;us is called the image of God, (who was without &s;in) <HI>2</HI> Cor. <HI>4:4:</HI> and man was made in the image of God, before &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was after the like|ne&s;&s;e of God, and had dominion, and was ble&s;&s;ed of God, and &s;aith the &s;cripture, Adam which was the &s;on of God, Luke: <HI>3:38:</HI> Then I thus query, could Adam be in the image o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> God, without &s;in, in the likene&s;&s;e of God, the &s;on of God, at peace with God, and ble&s;&s;ed of God, and yet not have the holy &s;pirit, n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">r be in Chri&s;t, is not God holy? and can any be in his image like him, but &s;uch as are holy? or be in peace with him, but who are holy&punc; &s;eeing the &s;cripture &s;aith, there is no peace to the wicked &s;aith my God, I&s;a: <HI>57:21:</HI> and without holine&s;&s;e no man &s;hall &s;ee the Lord, Heb: <HI>12:14:</HI> and be yee holy for I the Lor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> your God am holy, Levit: <HI>19:2. 1</HI> Pet: <HI>1:16.</HI> can any man be the &s;on of God, or like God&punc; or ble&s;&s;ed of God, and not b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> holy, let the just an&s;wer, or can any be holy, like God, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> the image of God, without the holy &s;pirit, if thou &s;ay no, none can be like God (wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> is holy) but &s;uch as are holy, and that none can be holy without the holy &s;pirit, then whe|ther
<PB REF="2"> man had not the holy &s;pirit, when he was in the image of God, the &s;one of God, in peace and ble&s;&s;ed of God, before &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, or can any be the &s;ons of God, at peace, reconciled to God again, without Chri&s;t and the holy &s;pirit, yea or nay? or doe God &s;peake peace, to that which is n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t like him, or is his ble&s;&s;ing to two &s;eeds, or but to one, Gal: <HI>3:16:</HI> yea or nay:</P>
<P>Now if any other &s;hall &s;ay, that man in his fir&s;t state, in the image of God, before &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, when he was ble&s;&s;ed of God, had not then the holy &s;pirit, neither was he in Chri&s;t, Then doe I query, what and who&s;e &s;pirit was it, which he had, when he was made in the image of God, and ble&s;&s;ed, &s;elfe was not before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and Chri&s;t being the image of God without &s;in, <HI>2</HI> Cor. <HI>4:4:</HI> and man was made (in) the image of God, before &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and &s;elfe was, ble&s;&s;ed of God, having dominion over the earth, and the creatures, then what or who &s;tood he in, if not in Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t, or what &s;pi|rit was he guided and upheld by, before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, if not by the holy &s;pirit, or what was his fall, and what fell he from when he tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, did he fall from that which was earthly, or from that which was holy, pure and eternall of God, yea or nay? con&s;i|der it, But if any &s;hould &s;ay, that mans fir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t state was earthly, (as the&s;e men have &s;aid) then &s;ay I man fell from that which was earthly, for he fell from his first state by tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion, (did he not fall from that which he tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed) or doe any now fall from that which is earthly, or from that which is heavenly, when they tran&s;gre&s;&s;e and &s;in again&s;t God? Let Gods witne&s;&s;e in you an&s;wer,</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But doe not the &s;cripture &s;ay: the fir&s;t man is of the earth, earthly, and the &s;econd is the Lord from heaven, and as we have borne the image of the earthly, &s;o &s;hall we beare the image of the heavenly. <HI>1</HI> Cor: <HI>15:47.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Yea, it doth &s;o, and the &s;criptures is true, but he &s;peakes of a mi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">tery ver&s;e <HI>51.</HI> which the blinde cannot &s;ee, and a leight minde in vanity, and lu&s;t, and rebellion again&s;t God, cannot weigh the weight of holy mens words being from the light in them the ju&s;t ballance, neither can men, by the wi&s;edome of this world, comprehend and di&s;cerne &s;pi|rituall things; Therefore mu&s;t all people upon earth, be brought to the light, which they be lighted withall, which comes from Chri&s;t, the fir&s;t and the la<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t, the &s;aviour out of tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion, before they can &s;ee, and know that &s;tate which was before &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, for in the dark thou cannot &s;ee things that differ, (iniquity is darkene&s;&s;e) but come to the light which condemnes &s;in, and in it waite, and thou wilt &s;ee a great dif|ference, between a &s;tate before &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, and a &s;tate in tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, between a &s;tate in peace, and ble&s;&s;ed of God, in the image of God, the &s;on of God. And a &s;tate under condemnation, wrath, and the cur&s;e of God, out of his image, out of his &s;on, a tran&s;gre&s;&s;or afraid of God, without peace and the ble&s;&s;ing of God, for both the&s;e states Adam was in, the fir&s;t before he tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, the other after tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, &s;o the wages of &s;in is the cur&s;e and death, which came by &s;in, by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, in which &s;tate Adam was drove from God into the earth: Gen: <HI>3:24:</HI> and this image all tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ors have borne, and the Apo&s;tle &s;aid yee were &s;ometimes darkene&s;&s;e, &amp;c. envying
<PB REF="3"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 words"> living in malice, hateing and hatefull, Here was the image which they had borne, but were waiting to beare another image, to put on Chri&s;t and walk in him, who is the image of God, <HI>2</HI> Cor: <HI>4:4:</HI> the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, Rev: <HI>1:17:</HI></P>
<P>Now if any can &s;ay that the Apo&s;tle or them to whom he thus &s;pake, had ever borne that image, which Adam was in, before &s;in or tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion entered into the world, then let me know when it was they bore it, if thou &s;hall &s;ay, when they were infants, having done neither good or evill, they were in that &s;tate, then let me query, whether all men &s;ince tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion (in the naturall &s;tate) were not conceived in &s;in and borne in iniquity yea or nay? and whether the Apo&s;tle and them he &s;poke to had any other birth before re|generation in Chri&s;t the way to God againe, the truth, the light, the life, the fir&s;t and the la&s;t the image of God.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But how could Adam be in Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t, before Chri&s;t came into the world, or was borne of the Virgin, &s;eeing Adam was made in the image of God long before, could he be made in Chri&s;t, or by Chri&s;t, before Chri&s;t was, how can the&s;e things be?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The word Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t in letters CHRIST, was not known (neither was there any occa&s;ion of them,) before man had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, and lo&s;t that life in and by which he was created, but the power which was in that man (or body) which &s;uffered without the gate of Jeru&s;alem, was before the body, or creature was made, and it was the power of the mo&s;t high which over&s;haddowed the Virgin; and &s;aid he, a body ha&s;t thou prepared me (marke) this was the life and power in the b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">dy which &s;poke, in whom the fullne&s;&s;e of the God-head dwelt, and he &s;pake and prayed to his father, which was in him: John: <HI>14:11:</HI> &s;o though he was not known by them letters, or the name CHRIST, yet he was with the father glorified, before the world began, and was the word in the beginning, John: <HI>1:1:</HI> by whom the world was made, who &s;aid, before Abraham was I am, John: <HI>8:58:</HI> but the name or letters CHRIST, was not untill many hundred yeares after, &s;o thou may &s;ee, that the Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t of God, the word by whom all things was made, was be|fore it was made, glorified with the father, before Abraham, and Adam, and Mo&s;es, and the names or letters were, the image of God, the ble&s;&s;ed &s;eed: Then why was not man (who was made in the image of God) and ble&s;&s;ed of God, in that &s;eed, or power, or image, &s;eeing the &s;cripture &s;aith, he was made in Gods image, and ble&s;&s;ed of God, Gen: <HI>1:26:28:</HI> or wheth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">r there be any ble&s;&s;ing to more &s;eeds then one, and whether God did not &s;ay to Abraham, in thy &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d &s;hall all Nations upon earth be ble&s;&s;ed, Gen: <HI>22:18:</HI> and they that are Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ts are Abrahams &s;eed, and heires according to promi&s;e, Gal. <HI>3:29:</HI> in Chri&s;t, in the &s;eed, in the heire, in the image of God, (which was before Abraham was) is the promi&s;es (and the ble&s;&s;ing) <HI>2</HI> Cor: <HI>1:20:</HI> yea and amen: and not unto &s;eeds, Gal. <HI>3.16.</HI></P>
<P>Again in tho&s;e dayes before tran&s;gre&s;&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n was, there was no need of a &s;aviour, or words, or letters, or names, or preachings, or teachings to bring man to God, untill he had departed from him by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, untill &s;in entered into the world, and death by &s;in, and darkn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e, ignorance, blindene&s;&s;e, captivity, and bondage was, there was no need to &s;ay beleeve in the light, and come to the light, and follow and obey it which &s;hews
<PB REF="3"> you &s;in, untill &s;in was, and darkne&s;&s;e was, &s;in could not be di&s;covered, where it was not or before it was, there was no need to &s;ay know the Lord, and feare the Lord, and de|part from evill, and to tell of a redeemer, untill ignorance, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and bondage was, and to &s;ay obey the Lord, or his word, vntill di&s;obedience was &s;o there was not need <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">o mention the name Chri&s;t at that time, neither was it, though that &s;eed was a mi&s;tery hid from ages and generations, (the &s;eed of the Woman, which brui&s;es the &s;erpents head, which was borne of a virgin in due time) and is yet hid to and in &s;uch as walk in dark|ne&s;&s;e, and from all tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors, who love the evill and darkne&s;s, rather then the light.</P>
<P>Now when Mo&s;es and I&s;raell was in the wilderne&s;&s;e, and when they &s;inned in the wil|derne&s;&s;e, there was a rock which followed them, [marke] (&s;ome thing that's hard to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hem that &s;inneth) and the Apo&s;tle &s;aid, the rocke which followed them was Chri&s;t, (con&s;ider this well with a &s;ingle eye) he that was given for a leader and commander, and goes before his own &s;heepe, followeth them that &s;inned, (read within) and he is the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ight, which lighteth every man, that cometh into the world, which is to lead up to God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">gaine, out of the world, to the beginning, before the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion or hills was.</P>
<P>So that this one &s;eed (which was a rocke in Mo&s;es dayes to them that &s;inned, and cal|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ed a hard ma&s;ter by the &s;loathfull) hath in proce&s;&s;e of time, many names though one <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ower in nature, as he was called the word, a child, a &s;on, a &s;tone, the elect, the foun|dation, the doore, the vine, the lambe (of God and) &s;lain from the foundation of the world, (and all that is in the world, is the lu&s;t of the fle&s;h, the lu&s;t of the eye, and the pride of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ife, <HI>1</HI> John: <HI>2:16:</HI> and) he is called the lion of the tribe of Judah, the &s;aviour, the re|deemer, the mediatour, the way, the truth, the life, the &s;eed, the wonderfull coun&s;ellour, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he mighty God, the prince of peace, the immanuell, God with us, the Me&s;&s;iah, and Je&s;us which is called Chri&s;t, all the&s;e names and more, is given to the one &s;eed; now mu&s;t people be pooring and imagining, and contending about names, letters, and words, which was given &s;ince the fall, &s;ince tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, or be brought to the &s;eed, the word, which was in the beginning the &s;ub&s;tance, which was before the names, and ends the names, and the letters, and the words, and the imaginations, &s;trivings, and contending about words to no profit, and before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, who is the expre&s;&s;e image of the invi&s;ible God, who now is come a light into the world, and preacheth him&s;elfe the light of the world, John: <HI>8:12:</HI> and his witne&s;&s;e declares him to be the true light, that lighteth every man, which cometh into the world, full of grace and truth: John: <HI>1:9:14.</HI></P>
<P>Now Reader if the ble&s;&s;ed eye in thee be open, and thou &s;tand &s;ingle in it, thou wilt &s;ee &s;ome|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hing in what I have written for the &s;imple &s;ake, and for the truth &s;ake, and if thou can &s;tand &s;till, and but &s;ee the truth, then wilt thou &s;ee Robert Hal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">: teacher at Colebrooke, and Edmund Board in blindne&s;&s;e and error, and with a lye in their right hand, who &s;aid man in his fir&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ate, before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, (who was the &s;on of God, in the image of God, and ble&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d of God) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ad not the holy &s;pirit, nor was in Chri&s;t, but bare the earthly image, and that the breath of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">fe, which God breathed into man, was a created thing, let the &s;ober minded with Gods wit|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;&s;e, (the light in them) judge, whether that which made living be the created thing? or
<PB REF="4"> that which was made living by it? or whether a created thing, can create and make living, or whether that life, in which we live move and have our being, be the created, or the creator, let under&s;tanding judge: Acts: <HI>17:28:</HI> Deut: <HI>30:20:</HI></P>
<P>Now this was the great error which Robert Hall, charged again&s;t me, (viz.) that I went to bring people from Chri&s;t, to that &s;tate, which Adam was in before the fall; marke and con|&s;ider, and &s;ee what &s;tate Adam was in, before the fall, before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion (that was his fall) and then &s;ee wherein I have erred, if I had brought all people upon earth into that &s;tate, or wherein I brings any from Chri&s;t as he hath &s;aid, Adam before the fall, was without &s;in, before the fall was in the image of God, in his &s;tate before the fall, had dominion over the world, and was the &s;on of God, in the likene&s;&s;e of God, before the fall, was ble&s;&s;ed of God: Gen: <HI>1:</HI></P>
<P>Now if I had, could, or doe bring people to this &s;tate, (to be without &s;in, to be in the image of God, to be the &s;ons of God, to have dominion over the world, to be ble&s;&s;ed of God) wherein is my error, or what have I erred from herein, or what are they erred from which are brought into this &s;tate; let truth judge.</P>
<P>Now if any &s;hall &s;ay, we are erred from Chri&s;t, or from God in Chri&s;t, or from the &s;pirit, or from the doctrine of Chri&s;t, I an&s;wer nay? its he that tran&s;gre&s;&s;eth, that abideth not in the doctrine of Chri&s;t, and &s;uch hath not God, <HI>2</HI> John: <HI>1:9:</HI> and the father, &s;on, and &s;pirit ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> one, and Chri&s;t is the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, without &s;in, before &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, the de|&s;ire of all nations, the image and &s;on of God, glorified with the father, before the foundation of the world, to him, and into him, is our de&s;ire that people &s;hould come, in which &s;eed only the ble&s;&s;ing is, Gen: <HI>22:18:</HI> Gal: <HI>3:16: 1</HI> John: <HI>3:9:</HI> which all in tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion be erred from.</P>
<P>Then it was askt Robert Hall, what he went to bring people unto by his preaching:</P>
<P>He an&s;wered, he went to bring them from that &s;tate, (marke that) Now if any people were come into that &s;tate, to be without &s;in, in the image of God, the &s;onnes of God, having domi|nion over the world, and ble&s;&s;ed of God, as at the fir&s;t read I&s;a: <HI>1:25:26:</HI>) is it no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> the worke of the divell, of his mini&s;ters, and me&s;&s;engers, and angells, to bring them out o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> this &s;tate? is not this the &s;ame worke which the divell, the old &s;erpent did, when he brough<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> man from that &s;tate, in which he was without &s;in, and ble&s;&s;ed of God) at the fir&s;t, when h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, and was driven out of paradice, (peace, re&s;t, joy) into the earth, where he becam<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> earthly, un&s;avoury, unrighteous, and unfruitfull to God? and was it a work of the &s;erpent then to bring from that &s;tate which God ble&s;&s;ed, (who&s;e ble&s;&s;ing unchangeably, and promi&s;es are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> the &s;eed only, and in the &s;eed yea and amen: <HI>2</HI> Cor: <HI>1:20:</HI>)</P>
<P>And is it not now the work of the divell, the old &s;erpent in Robert Hall, and the re&s;t of h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> minde, to bring people from that &s;tate, which of God is ble&s;&s;ed? let them that fear God judg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> and then &s;ee who&s;e me&s;&s;enger and mini&s;ter he is, and who&s;e will and work he doth; and if he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> found doing the &s;ame work, which the divell did, when he brought man from his ble&s;&s;ed &s;ta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> into tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, then whether the &s;on of God, (the light of the world) will not de&s;troy h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> work, &s;eeing for this purpo&s;e he was manife&s;ted, even to de&s;troy the works of the dive<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">
<PB REF="4"> <HI>1</HI> Joh: <HI>3:8:</HI> and whether he will not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 chunk">|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">her the wages of &s;in be not death, and whether it be not a &s;in to bring people into &s;in, from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hat &s;tate which God doth ble&s;&s;e, yea or nay, and whether there be any other &s;tate among men, but the ble&s;&s;ed and the cur&s;ed, if not, then whether he that brings from the ble&s;&s; d &s;tate, do not bring under the cur&s;e, and whether he that brings to the &s;tate ble&s;&s;ed, brings not from under the cur&s;e, into peace with God, into the image of God again, into the re&s;urrection and the life which was before death, the cur&s;e, and the fall, &s;o if it be not an error to bring people from all error, into a ble&s;&s;ed &s;tate out of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, into the image of God, to be the &s;ons of God, to have victory over the world, through him, who is the &s;econd Adam, the light of the world, the quickening &s;pirit, the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, then I am cleared of that, which Robert Hall him&s;elf is in, and the ble&s;&s;ing of God is to him, that brings into the ble&s;&s;ed &s;tate, and is in the ble&s;&s;ed &s;tate which was before &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, Cant: <HI>12:3:</HI> Rev: <HI>22:13:14:</HI> Mat: <HI>5:9:</HI></P>
<P>Al&s;o this Edmund Board &s;aid, that he was through grace, in a more glorious &s;tate, then A|dam was in before the fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">l, (the&s;e are to high words for a lyar) and that he was &s;ate down with Chri&s;t, in heavenly places, and bad peace with God and was harmle&s;&s;e, and innocent, and with|out &s;pot, and that the bloud of Chri&s;t had clean&s;ed him from all &s;in.</P>
<P>Something of this, I may leave to his neighbours, at Colebrook to judge, which knoweth his words, and actions, and conver&s;ation, whether he be without &s;pot, or clean&s;ed from (all) &s;in yea or nay? if &s;o, then he have no &s;in, but if he commit &s;in, then he is a lyar, and of his father, who&s;e works he doth; now if it were &s;o, as he hath &s;aid he is, clean&s;ed from all &s;in, &s;o was man without &s;in, before the fall, (for &s;in, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was his fall and error,) and if he were without &s;in, and had no &s;in, and ble&s;&s;ed of God before the fall, then how much do Edmund Boards &s;tate, exceed this in glory? who &s;aith the bloud of Chri&s;t, hath clean&s;ed him from all &s;in, (marke) to be clean&s;ed from all &s;in, and to have no &s;in, what dif|ference is here, (if no &s;in had been committed, there had been no need of being clean&s;ed from it,) he &s;aid he is &s;ate down with Chri&s;t in heavenly places; now Chri&s;t is the image of God. <HI>2</HI> Co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">: <HI>4:4:</HI> and man before the fall, was in the image of God, Gen: <HI>1:26:</HI> he &s;aid he was innocent, and without &s;pot, and had peace with God, now if it were as he hath &s;aid, was not man in his fir&s;t &s;tate before the fall innocent, and without &s;pot (is not &s;in the &s;pot) and had he not peace with God before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, or was he afraid or hid him&s;elf before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, or after (read within) or was he ble&s;&s;ed in peace and domin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">on be|fore or after he had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed? &s;earch the &s;criptures, they te&s;tify of the truth; and are a true declaration: Gen: <HI>1:28:</HI> Luk: <HI>1:1:</HI></P>
<P>So that if any could believe that this profe&s;&s;or, were in a more glorious &s;tate, then man was in before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, yet I would have them believe the truth al&s;o, and &s;earch the &s;criptures, for they te&s;tify of him, which was before &s;in, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, glorified with the father before the world began, who is the alpha and omaga: the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, he that have ears to heare let him hear and under|&s;tand a right, Rev: <HI>22:13:</HI></P>
<P>Now if this man were clean&s;ed from all &s;in, without &s;pot, innocent, &s;ate down with Chri&s;t in heavenly places, and had peace with God, (as he hath &s;aid) yet in the light &s;earch him out further, and &s;ee if we can find him in a [more] glorious &s;tate, then man was in before the fall; before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, who was made in the image of God, the &s;on of God, and ble&s;&s;ed of God (then in peace) having dominion o|ver all before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and &s;in was, (then without &s;in the &s;pot, and innocent) &s;o that if he be not in a [more] glorious &s;tate then this, then &s;ay I, he is a lyar, for he hath &s;aid, he was in a more glorious &s;tate th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n Adam was in before the fall, (as many other can witne&s;&s;e) and if he be a lyar then of him which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ed
<PB REF="5"> from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> who&s;e work <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> people <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">tate, in which God ble&s;&s;ed man, before tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was; then he is no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> innocent, nor clean&s;ed from (all) &s;in, for lying is &s;in, and the &s;pot, &s;o not without &s;pot, not in peace, n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> ble&s;&s;ed of God, then not in &s;o glorious a &s;tate, as Adam was in, before lying and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was; bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hut out, without are dogs and all lyars, Rev: <HI>22:13:14:15:</HI></P>
<P>Now con&s;ider all them that are in tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion are in the fall, in the adulterated &s;eed, to which th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> cur&s;e is, and not the ble&s;&s;ing driven from God, into the earth, vagabonds ca&s;t out, loo&s;ing the ble&s;&s;ing, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> that are in lying, &s;wearing, pride, covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, wantonn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e, drunkenne&s;&s;e, envy, wrath, frowardne&s;&s;e, corrupt communication, lu&s;t, whoredome, idolatry, deceit, wildne&s;&s;e, prophanene&s;&s;e, mocking, the&s;e are i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> the fall, lo&s;t, ca&s;t out, driven, bani&s;hed from God by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, in the &s;eed of evill doers, which &s;hall never be renowned, but judged, cond<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">mned, plagued, and tormented day and night for ever and ever, if they be not converted, and changed into another &s;eed and &s;tock, Cain the envious, the vagabond, driven from God, I&s;hmaell, the wild man, the mocker ca&s;t out, E&s;au the prophane per&s;on, the cunning hunter lo&s;t the ble&s;&s;ing, hear this all profe&s;&s;ors, who are of that &s;tock and &s;eed, who&s;e deeds are evill hate|ing) the light, with which you be lighted, (and all you ungodly ones every where) which lets you &s;ee all your ungodly deeds, and hard &s;peeches, and your perver&s;e and crooked wayes you have walked in, its your condemnation in that &s;tate, even the light: John: <HI>3:19:</HI> which would lead you out of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, up to God again, (did you love it) out of the world, to the beginning, before the world and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion was, to Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, by whom the world was made, the word, which was before the words, and letters, and before the many things, and names, and languages, and before the &s;ects, and opinions, heapes and i|maginations were, the light leads out of all the&s;e, up to him from whence it comes, who hath a name a|bove, (and before) every name under heaven, the &s;aviour of the &s;oule immortall, glorified with the fa|ther the prince of peace, who brings out of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and &s;in, out of darkne&s;&s;e, the cur&s;e and fall again, all them that follow him in the regeneration, and I &s;ay again, except a man be born again, he cannot in|herit the kingdome of God, (which is righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, peace, and joy in the holy &s;pirit) &s;o to whom this may &s;eeme error, (as it hath to &s;ome) my advice to &s;uch is; come to the light, (which is true) in thy con&s;cience, (and be not ha&s;ty to &s;peake evill of things thou know not, as many as hath done, but fir&s;t ca&s;t out the beame) and let it &s;earch thy heart, and try thy reines, and wayes, and words, and in it &s;ee, if thou be not yet in the fall, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and error, for all that be from the l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ght, are erred from the right way, Chri&s;t the light, the way, the truth, and the life, who is the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, the image of God; and &s;o are in darkne&s;s, not able to di&s;cern things that differ; becau&s;e darkne&s;s hath blinded the eye <HI>1</HI> Ioh: <HI>2:11:</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e things are not publi&s;hed in envy to any man upon earth, but in true love to the &s;eed and truth of God, and for the &s;ake of the &s;imple, (who are to&s;&s;ed up and down with every winde of doctrine) that they may come to the word, which was in the begining, which the true light comes from, and in it be e&s;tabli&s;hed.</P>
<BYLINE>By William Bayly</BYLINE>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>King&s;ton upon Thames
<DATE>the 24^t^h: of the 4^t^h: moneth 59:</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>London;</HI> Printed the 6^t^h moneth for <HI>Mary We&s;twood,</HI> 1659.</P>
<PB REF="5">
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</TEXT>
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