And whereas you farther say, that the Apostles of Christ did ever teach after they had received their Commission, that Spirits were immaterial and could subsist without Bodies, now answer to this:
It is most certainly evident, that the Apostles never taught, that any Spirit could subsist without a Body, but the contrary altogether; for their Doctrine was, that as the Soul and Body lives together, so it dies together, and at the Last Day rises together, and is ever without Separation.
When the Apostles said, That many Spirits were generate into the World, which denied that Christ was come in the Flesh, did he mean Spirits without Bodies: And when Paul said, that the Spirit speaketh expresly, that some shall depart from the Faith: Now what Spirit was that, but Paul's own Spirit of Faith, in his own mortal Body; for without a Tongue it could not be expressed.
And where the Apostles tells of the Doctrine of Devils, were those Devils bodiless, and teached damnable Doctrine.
So that the Apostles never taught that there was any Spirits without Bodies, but always Spirit and Body went together, and so makes Longitude and Latitude profoundly, as your Philosophical Notions teacheth, although you cannot apply it to any sublime or spiritual Thing, you knowing nothing of it, but all is nothing and of no Substance; and so in that your Darkness I leave you, seeing you are no Friend to the Light; and rest yours in all civil Respects,
John Reeve's, the only true Witness unto the very true God, amongst many pretended Spiritual Messengers in this confused Age.
An Epistle wrote by the Prophet John Reeve to Isaac Pennington, Esq; dated 1658. concerning an Answer to a Book of his, with several Mysteries and Divine and Spiritual Revelations declared by the Prophet, concerning God's visible appearing in the Flesh.
In your Self-return, you seem to mourn over the sunk Spirit of both Creations, so termed by you. Also you write as though many from a Satanical Spirit write most accurately, both of the Works of Creation and Mystery of Redemption by an immediate Gift of God from our Lord Jesus Christ. To this I answer, a little Season will produce Mourning enough in you, when you shall see your Angelical Motions like Lightning, cast down with Confusion of Fear from their former Perfection of imaginary Glory, rational Dreams and Visions, Revelations, Inspirations, Experiences, or Voices proceeding from an incomprehensible Spirit.
Again, I have both read and heard a Voice to say, that the Secrets of the Lord are his Choice Treasures, reserved only for Redeemed ones; but I never read or heard from any Spiritual wise Man before now, that any Satanical Spirit was able to intellect deceived Persons, exactly to write of the hidden Mysteries of the Everlasting God. Again, you pretend unto no such Revelations as I proceed upon, but say you, there is another Way more certain than Reason or Revelation, which whether as I presume you were led into, the Lord will one Day make manifest, from the true Light of Life Eternal. To this I answer, your Light as terming of the true Inspirations of the Lord Jesus Christ, written by me to you, is because as yet his Holy Spirit vails them from your Eyes; but as for your new Sound of teaching them from your God, more certain than Reason or Revelation, from the Divine Voice spoken in the Ear, through the Glorious Mouth of my Lord. I declare that in all Ages the Elect lost Sheep of Israel, did never read or heard of any more than two original Ways either Natural or Spiritual in Mankind, whether you call them Creature or Creator, Light or Darkness, Truth and Error, Revelation and Reason, Inspiration and Imagination, Truth and Unbelief, Flesh and Spirit, and such like.
'Tis confess'd, that visible Appearances of God or any else unto Mortals is teaching of all, but he that expects that kind of Teaching any more until Men are immortalized, lieth under at present as great an imaginary Deceit, as ever yet appeared in this Land. It is also granted that the most holy God speaketh to his Chosen Messengers by Voice of Words, even to the hearing of the Ear, unto which Truth for Ends best known unto himself, by his gracious Power only, can bear Record in this present Generation, unto the Grief only of all Angelical, Wise, Envious, Proud, Inglorious, Hypocritical Reprobates that hear of it.