back But Secondly To what must they be turned I answer The Conscript first-fruits shall as Elijah and John did in Types Turn the hearts of the Fathers to their Children the hearts of Children to their Fathers and the disobedient to the wisdom of the Just that is to do right and shew mercy in a four-fold conformity lest God come and smite the Earth with a curse Malach 4.6 Luke 1.16 17. And Thirdly What is that curse or what are the dangers if the hearts of Men and Saints are not turned back from those now more than ever swelling sins I answer The Old World hearkened not to Noahs Sackcloth-Prophesie but remained inanimadversive minded nothing and knew nothing till the Flood came saith the Text Therefore God smote the Earth with a curse destroyed the World Apostate Israel hearkened not to Elijah's and the Prophets Sackcloth-Prophesie for 1260 days and the restraint of Rain continued so long Had it continued longer it had cut off Man and Beast So the Antitype-Apostasie hearkened not to the Witnesses Prophesying in Sackcloth for 1260 years They yet repented not saith the Text Therefore The neglected and not regarded Witnesses smote the Earth with all plagues and with the plague of all plagues the restraint of the Rain of Spiritual Graces in the days of the 1260 years of their Sackcloth-Prophesie Wherefore Should not their hearts be turned back at last nothing could be expected but that the curse threatened should devour the Earth Therefore hath the curse devoured the Earth saith the Text Isa 24.6 The Earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it It shall fall and not rise again vers 9. Lastly Babylon the great came in remembrance before God to give unto her the Cup of the Wine of the fierceness of his wrath Ch. 16.19 The Old Apostate World was drowned with water But the Antitype-Apostasie shall be drunk with the Wine of the fierceness of the wrath of God Jerem. 25.15 27 c. The Wine of the fierceness of bis wrath This is an expression that a man would think could scarcely be exprest and the plague thereby threatned is the plague of all plagues From all the plagues wherewith the Sackcloth-Wituesses smote the Earth and principally from this Plague may all Men and Saints have great cause to say good Lord deliver us Thus we see the dangers are most dreadful and superabundant if the hearts of Men and Saints are not turned back from the sins aforesaid But they may say we see the dangers sufficiently and that the Plagues are like the curse laid upon Cain greater than we can possibly bear But where 's our safety wherein consists our remedy I answer Fourthly The safeties of Men and Saints consist in having their hearts turned back from those sins aforesaid in getting like those Harpers the Harps of God in learning their Song not in deceit but in deed and in flying from Sinai to Mount Sion as Lot to Zoar For those Harpers shall be the first-fruits redeemed from the Earth and from among men Ch. 14.3 4. to wit from those sius aforesaid and from those dreadful Plagues they produce For they shall not be defiled with Women vers 4. and therefore shall not worship Idols nor act Spiritual Fornications Their worship shall be according to the sincerity of the simplicity in Christ and the practice of it wrought in a fore-fold conformity of Truth contrary to the prevaricatory multiplicity of Antichrist in deceitful pretences delays and half-performances Such shall be the fruits of those first-fruits in Antitype Ston where safeties shall clothe the conscript-Church as dangers compassed her about before in the Spiritual-Wilderness There shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye Ch. 21.27 There shall be no faithless dealers nor false accusers Therefore there shall be no more curse Ch. 22.3 There a River of Water of Life shall refresh the City of God and the Tree of Life shall afford food for her Inhabitants And the leaves of that Tree shall be to heal the Nations That is To turn their hearts back that so they may be safe Ch. 22.1 2. Turn us again O God and we shall be saved Psal 80.3 Turn us again O God of Hosts and we shall be saved vers 7. Turn us again O Lord God of Hosts and we shall be saved vers 19. This petition we see is three times exprest in the same Psalm And this assertion we shall be saved is thrice annexed to that Prayer This Prayer is the Prayer of these times I wish with all my heart That all Ministers and Magistrates Men and Saints would make this seasonable Formula the Patern of their Prayers in this juncture of time and praying continually say Turn us again O God from halting betwixt halves in our Opinions and Practices and we shall be saved Turn us again O God from our disloyal revoltings from Faith and good Manners and from affecting a confident fruitless dead or dying Faith Turn us again O God from the constant Errors of our hearts and our contented ignorance of thy ways and we shall be saved Turn us again O God of Hosts from worshipping the works of our own hands Literal and Spiritual Idols of Gold c. and from our Spiritual and Literal Murders and Sorceries and Fornications and Thefts And we shall be saved For As there is no Name but the Name of Jesus under Heaven by which we can be saved So there is no other way or means on Earth by which Men Saints Sects and all Nations can be safe but by turning from Sinai to Sion from those sins to serve the living God and stand with the Lamb He is and shall be the Rock of safeties to all Ages and to follow his perfect Patern of true Christian practice in a four-fold conformity is as the Fruit only keeps the Tree from being cursed the only outward means thereunto But here I must partly by constraint conclude this first Part because many that promised to futher me are slack in persormance and not a few faln off like Demas through covetousness whereby I am betray'd into the hands of deceitful men drawn into some debt and thereby have suffered long imprisonment Haecreferunt tantos Secula Fabricios Paul was a day and a night in the deep But my dangers are most from the multiplicious dasnings of shallow waters Shallow Professors men of busie ignorance some literate some illiterate have most resisted me retarded this Treatise Such men that cannot read it or not understand what they read have done me as the Copper-Smith did to the Apostle the most harm by their ignorant defaming of Me and It Wherefore I humbly request the truly Learned and Judicious if they find we deserve it to suffer Me and It to Anchor in the safe Harbour of their Candid Favour and Protection Lastly A third cause compelling me is the confident opposition of
mind and quick sight and seemed to be a second Jeremiah For as Jeremiah wrote the History of the sad calamities of captive Israel So St. Hierom wrote the beginning of the History of Gospel revolted Israel with like Lamentations And as Jeremiah shadowed Type Iraels bondage by a boyling Pot looking out of the North So St. Jerom represented Gospel Israels thraldom Apostacy by a boyling Pot looking out of the North also That the boyling Pot in Jeremiah was all the Remnant of the whole house of Israel plainly appears from the Text Then the Lord said saith the Text Out of the North an evil shall break forth upon all the Inhabitants of the Land Chap. 1.14 And that St. Jerom's Pot of Apostacy the whole Gospel-Church and Saints was if conform to her Prototype or Patern general of Formal Professors a toto of Saints a tanto cannot be denyed And that boyling Pot of deadly broth which the Prophet healed did no doubt prefigure the general Apostacy grievous miseries and evil manners of all Israel in Type and Antitype There was not one drop of Broth in that Pot that was not deadly bitter and unwholesome because the bitter fruits of inanimadvertency mistaken wild Gourds for good Pot-herbs were put into it Careless inadvertency and inconformity in practise to Gospel Rule are the Colocynthes that imbitter and poyson all good works of Men Sects and Saints in the body of Apostacy Nor does long boyling make them better but their manners more bitter The Broth was never the better for long boyling till the Prophet healed it and then there was no more death nor hurt in the Pot And the healing of this Pot of the Grand Antitype Apostacy if we can but hint that will doubtless be the healing of the sad bleeding Divisions and evil Manners of all Church-Societies Sects and Nations And why is there such need now of the Balm of Gilead Because the waters of strife in the boyling Pot beat like Billows one against another and the general practice seems but a continued dashing of divided Sect and Church-Societies whiles the Locusts Formal Smoke is magnified and their Crowns of Deceit most admired and mistaken for true practice For Jerubaal made a golden Ephod and placed it in Ephrah And all Israel saith the Text that Apostacy was likewise general went a whoring after it which caused the ruine of Jerubaals Family So all Professors and I might say allmost all Saints pudet posse dici non posse refelli run a whoring after the Locusts Crowns as it were like Gold and mistake them for true Righteousness which general Apostacy hath the more because least perceived procured many general calamities and threatens more if not inevitable destruction to those that persist therein And I saw saith the Text when the Lamb opened one of the Seals and I heard as it were the voice of thunder one of the four Beasts saying come and see Chap. 6.1 And when he had opened the second Seal I heard the second Beast say come and see Verf. 3. And when be had opened the third Seal I heard the third Beast say come and see Vers 5. And so the fourth Beast Vers 7. And what was the cause of this fourfold Call like thunder There was need of it then and now more Men were ever inadversive and most men now mind nothing Come and see What shall we see might slothful Professors say The Prophetick Scriptures so blasphemous are blind Hypocrites shew nothing to any and what can be gathered from them are but conjectures we search those Scriptures that shew us the plain way to salvation but have no leasure to mind useless and uncertain Notions Thus these filthy Heathens tread under their feet the knowledge of those things that are most sacred of highest concernments to them to all Natitions nor do such mind at all things necessary to their own salvation but forsake the means of their own safeties For whiles they thus contemn the Prophetick Scriptures and despise their lowd calls like thunder they reject the plain and have no profit by either This fourfold call Come and see was a call to animadvertency that men might hear and hearing obey There were never more hearers then now nor fewer that hear Many hear to no purpose few hear indeed Many attend diligently to Lo here and lo there few hearken to those sacred calls of God that call to animadvertency and what are the fruits of their fruitless hearing Faith comes by hearing saith the Text but by their hearing comes strife Effectual hearing is like the small Rain that distilleth upon the tender Grass and makes it grow but these by hearing grow worse Fruitful hearing renders men animadversive to act conform to Gospel Rule but Formal Professors by hearing become more mindless mind either nothing or what is evil Violence therefore as it was once filled therewith before filleth the Earth For what is the almost universal practice of men and Professors but a coaltern colluctation like swelling Waves of the Sea of Sects against Sects and of one Church-Society against another whiles Formal Smoake Usurps the place of pure Religion and the Locusts Crowns are cryed up for true Christian practice Nor better fruits can they bear that mind not to know Truth from Errour that mind not or mind by halves or mind amiss Paul was minded to know nothing nothing in comparison to him but Christ and him crucified But men and Professors seem minded now to know nothing absolutely This threefold inanimadvertency the threefold foundation of the Apostacy of Antichrist and of all evil manners is we see as an epidemick sleep almost universal Abraham slept a deep sleep and an horrour of great darkness fell upon him And Men Saints and Sects now sleep like that Prophetick-adumbration a deep sleep also but do not so much as dream that such a general deadly Lethargy and darkness of inadvertency and Apostacy lies upon them There is therefore now transcendent need of a four fold Call to animadvertency that men Sects and Saints as Christ call'd Lazarus out of his Grave may thereby live and manifest their life by their ready minding of those things wherein their own safeties and highest concernments chiefly consists Elisha asked and obtained of Eliah that a double portion of his Spirit there was need of that then might be upon himself And it hath been and is my daily prayer for all Religious Ministers and Magistrates that a double portion of the Spirit of God never was more need may rest upon them that thereby they may have a double proportion of power to call unto Animadvertency and say like thunder come and see That so all Sects Saints and Heterodox Professors may come and see what the Locusts Crowns like Gold are and what true Righteousness in practice contrary thereunto is what their Smoak of Formal Profession is and what pure and undefiled Religon contrary thereunto ought to be which come next to be handled Fifthly And there
largest Magnitude must needs amount to a Redemption from death Righteousness saith the Text delivereth from death But the want of this Righteousness is as Death to those that want it and their usual both Temporal and Spiritual overthrow Vespasian asked Apallonius what was Nero's overthrow Nero said he could touch and tune the Harp well but would sometimes screw up the Pins too high sometimes too low And this ill-tuned Harp a Heart tun'd too high or too low like the Harp of Nero is the almost Epidemick overthrow They thereby usually perish that have it and are the cause that others perish I shall but present this perfect pattern of a wel-tuned Harp The man wounded by Thieves wanted help There was res rect a in se right in itself The good Samaritan the best Harper considering that Incomplex-right made it Complex took care to know it and to conform his Will and work to that known right They that are so busse as to pass by that which is right to others or take no due notice of it have not the Harps of David but Nabals voice Folly is with them be they never so wise or Learned But God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth 1 Tim. 2.4 God therefore as the greatest meroy to fallen Man and Saints revolted hath promised to call raise and draw them by the delicious harmony of the Harps of God that so they hearing his call may come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved For Truth is the Door of Life and Knowledge the Key to open it Knowledge of the Truth is twofold In Theory In Practice Theorical knowledge chiefly from Scripture as its Fountain is the knowledge of sound Doctrine Practick Knowledge is the Knowledge of that which is right in it self and due to be done to every man The first is opposite to Heresie The second opposeth Heathenism and Hypocrisie The first serveth to acquire a Form of Godliness The second conduceth to procure the practice and power of it The first is the Extrinse ground of Faith The second is the fruit and proof of Faith and the immediate Foundation of all good manners The Object of the first is Janua Doctrinae Truth in Doctrine The Object of the second is Janua justitiae Truth in practice Both are the Key or Means to Men Saints and Sects to come to the Door of Life that they may be saved without both can none come They that read not the Scriptures nor hear them read or seek not diligently to understand them by reading such Books or hearing such Teachers as fitly unfold them come not to the knowledge of the Truth Therefore such slothful Professors that would be saved by a Faith Implicit or wanting practice come not to the Door of Truth that they may be saved For God would have all men to be saved by a Regular means in a rational way and come to the knowledge of the Truth truth in Doctrine Truth in Practice without which they cannot be saved He that will come to the knowledge of the Truth must try all things Try all things saith the Text 1 Thes 5.21 Jacob wrastled with God by prayer all night not without much corporal labour prevailed and obtained the blessing So they that would come to the knowledge of the truth must not only wrastle with God by Prayer but expect to take serious pains in trying all things that they may find that which is pleasing to God and profitable to men Which Beroean-disquisition is the greatest pleasure to such as are sincere but a burden to base minds Heathens and Hypocrites Therefore Few find the strait-Gate the door of Life by coming to the knowledge of the Truth because they wrastle not like Jacob with God by Prayer nor take the pains to try all things But If Prayer without Pains will procure it many will not want this blessing But De Caelo ignavis precibus Deus ipse repugnat God resists the slothful though they make many prayers Hence we may demand why such Sects Jews Papists Turks c. and many Formal Professors so long abide in their blind Schisms and fruitless Formalities The Answer is almost as Obvious as the demand easie They count it Sacriledge to try their own Tenents Filthy Heathens hold it the highest Profaneness and so do Formalists and Hypocrites to examine what themselves mis-suppose to be true Religion But Sola nobilitas est unica virtus Virtus consist it in actione Actio virtutis est disquisitio veritatis None are noble but who try all things to find the Truth Ther 's no Nobility but what 's faithfully and soberly disquisitive A second Answer to the same demand may be this Therefore Sects Saints and Nations are so far from agreeing and so ready to make and maintain Divisions Because these Harpers that by their exemplary practice shall appease their Rage scarce yet appear to be the presidents those predicted first-fruits for others to follow Samuel's sons the Text sayes not they knew not the Law but walked not in his wayes turned aside after lucre took bribes perverted judgment They gave no good examples for others to follow Samuel was sufficient to teach his sons the knowledge of the Truth in the Doctrine of Faith and manners but they were so wicked that they would not learn to know that particular Truth that attends upon practice for which cause they were cast out and their Government translated For men may and many do attain to the knowledge of the Truth in the Doctrine of Faith and Manners and may add the greatest Gifts and Parts to the strictest Profession and soundest Doctrine and yet never come to the knowledge of the Truth to be saved but remain as Eli's sons did men of Belial and most wicked if they seek not to come to the knowledge of the Truth that particular Truth that attends upon practice That is If they do not duly consider that right and mercy that is due to be done and that they may do it to every man For the doers only of the truth in practice and not the sayers hearers or knowers of the Truth in Doctrine are justified and accepted in Gods sight But it 's the common practice of many strict Professors of Locusts and Hypocrites especially and too much of true Saints to take competent pains to come to the knowledge of the Truth in the Doctrine of Faith But to the knowledge of the Truth in practice they come not or scarce come They have hired Farms or are busie in seeking perhaps to come to the knowledge of the Truth in the Doctrine of Faith without regard to the knowledge of it in practice whereby they may be saved and by which true conviction and peace may be procured to all people Lastly Supercilious Pride surpasseth all other means that most oppose the peace of Men Sects and Nations Who is David sayes Nabal who 's the Son of Jesse Nabals folly might further thus plead I