zeal in persecuting the Church Act. 22. 3. and out of conceit he did God good service Rested satisfied We know the Scribes and Pharisees who were the most Zealous for Sabbaths and prayer and other points of Worship yet they make it their Rest but come to our daies and see if we swarme not of the same only seeming professors of God who are very Zealous for the same things and from their very Zeal are made to Rest with high thoughts of their condition But how far this zeal which is most commonly led with more affection then Judgement will bring man into a form of Truth First It will leade man into a whole conformity to what it doth conceive to be truth that it shall according to what it hath serve God in all good conscience Acts 23. 1. and according to the Law to be unblamable and untaxable Then his conversation shall bee very strict in the observation of what the Law requires and hee shall act the same with much vehemency of spirit taking all opportunities for the doing of the same Secondly It will carry the soule on to suffer cheerfully what he may meet withall in this very particular Thirdly he may by Zeal afflict his body sore 1 Co. 13. 3. with fasting and mourning under pretence the one to honour and obey God the other for dishonour brought to God So as he may be almost spent in body and spirit and estate in prosecuting the things of God according to his light Farther hee may out of Zeal come to Gospel precepts and may be Zealous for that light in externall formes which is there required to be obeyed so as he may gather Churches and may suffer much in the conforming to and practising with so much vehemency the Ordinances coÌ„monly practised by the Churches in the Apostles and our daies so as his Zeal may lead him out to teaching and helping forward that worke studying night and day to finde out matter to furnish himselfe for edification so as for paines in the Churches and for Zeal to observe the severity of those formes and any thing required to bee practised in the said Churches so as now it will have communâ—on in Ordinances with none but those of his own stamp judgement being mightily carried forth to judge and pity those who are opposers of that light Now this soul through Zeal may goe thus farre yea to act up to the highest things the Scriptures doe require in matters of visible practise and yet be not at all taught in the Spirit neither got into the life and power of what he doth professe but meerly zealous for shadowes and wants the power so as he is commanded by the form and not the forme by the power dwelling within him Now grant farther That such a soule did act in truth according to this dispensation yet notwithstanding in this particular there were no cause of Rest for nothing visibly seen flowing from the Creature ought to be its Rest but some invisible flowings into the Creature which is being and substance from which and unto which a Soule through Zeale for God acts Also a Creature thus zealous Rests not at home but reformes abroad also beginning with his own family and so goes abroad to others and labours for a reformation and practises the same with much Zeal so as he can not endure the visible appearance of any sinne in himself or others He may help with much Zeal the purging of Cities and Nations of drunkennesse or swearing or any open prophanesse he may be for punishing of evil doers in this particular with much severity and seeming to be much troubled at the neglect of it he may rejoyce much in this practise and may help forward this work in a Nation very much and yet this no Rest at all also he may be zealous yea mad of Zeale for the worship of his God in reference unto others not only taking all opportunities to inform them in the same but using all Coercive powers for confirming them thereunto so as he may be an instrument to bring families and most part of Cities into this outward conformity to the matters of worship and here hee lookes upon an action done of great moment and weight and partly makes this an evidence of his true enjoyment of God by Reason of his zeale for God and the effect thereby produced which is the good of many Now the cause of a Souls thus Resting partly flowes from want of the information in judgement of the great deceite of the heart in putting man by zeal upon such publique actions and then to cause it to Rest and further it conceiving it's Zeale for God and from a principle of God not being acquainted with a Pharisaicall Zeale to be seâ—n of men or to get a name amongst men or that Zeal which men have but not according to knowledge or the Zeale Paul had before conversion which excels both for vehemency and downrightnesse is the Zeal of many a Professor who are at Rest in our daies Now a poor Creature because he is made to suffer freely and to hazard life and liberty in the prosecution of his Zeale he is much puffed up under these considerations 1. That now this is a suffering with and for Christ and therefore he shall reign with him and enjoy much from him 2. That this is a parting with all for Christ and a great point of self-deniall and so an evidence of a disciple of Christ when indeed the Soule is in himselfe and hath not at all attained that estate to forsake himselfe Therefore let every heart though never so Zealous for God take notice that his heart may deceive him in his Zeale and his affection may blinde his judgement and so it proves blinde zeale Or Secondly Consider that though it be such Zeale as is good and to be approved of in it's dispensation yet not at all to be Rested upon nor to be an evidence of any true enjoyment of God though he pretend God in the fore-front as Jehu did The fifth false Rest THe next Rest of a Soule though I might not have spoken of it because I have partly given it forth yet that things may be the more opened it s the Creatures Righteousnesse or sanctification and outward holinesse wherein both in carriage and words he doth most sweetly in probability savour of high enjoyments of God This is to be a testimony of the same to others though not to himselfe yet notwithstanding his Rest is to him a high evidence of the true and reall possessings of God when alas it is continually a vanishing Rest and evidence and when the Creature stands in need of it it is taking its wings and flying away and proves a miserable comforter in the saddest straits of a Soule But first Let us consider that true holinesse of a person made manifest in actions flowes from the justification of a Soule made manifest in the Spirit so that the truest holinesse or outward sanctification
transformed into another likenesse the cause yet remaining which of the two consider the effects that follow as namely Security or lukewarmnes or fulnesse and self conceitednesse and so false Restings are of as dangerous a consequence as the other Thirdly Humility is by resembling of such property of words and actions in an other as is most lovely in the eyes of himselfe and others and here lies a sad dâ—ceit when men doe only resemble the words or carriages of another which it may be in that party flowes from a principle or power of God in him and by a resembling of him and getting into his form think their condition is the happier and so glory in it more then before so that though his Humility flow from a divine work in him yet the others is but shaped out of what is expressed by or from him and here lies much danger especially if man Rest in the same The fourth way whereby humility comes most commonly to be attained And the way indeed is from the enjoyment of God thereby man comes not only to have the effects or branches cut off but the cause or root of the same taken away So as now man hath it not in the form or shape but in power and substance and now man is truly what he seems to be but not before whereby as the Creature is humbled so God is exalted and this is the Creatures joy though not hiâ— Rest wholly This humility now is the effect of Goâ— enjoyed whereby man is made to partake of Gods nature and this nature breaks out into these particulaâ— effects but now this very effect of humility though iâ— be from the enjoyment of God yet it is not the Reâ—â— of a Saint but the cause which is God The next part is the gift of Utterance which is thâ— many have that knows not God and many have noâ— which sweetly enjoy him So that man who is freeâ— carried forth to utter or make known any thing hâ— conceives is truth yet there is neither cause of trusting to it or Resting in it neither is there cause why a Soul should the more glory in the enjoyment of it â— be troubled in the want of it The last part or Gift we shall speak of is Memory This part of Memory is that which doth most sweetâ— adorn man in the visible making of it forth and â— makes man much adored for it It is 1. Away to grow very profitable in respect of him that hath it and beneficiall to them for whom he imployes it as namely In that dispensation of hearing after which the party which enjoyes this Part is able to repeat or declare almost verbatim what he hath heard this makes him very profitable in what he hears in respect of gathering knowledge and beneficiall to others from the improvement of the same This is the reason why two Ministers so professing of themselves studying their matter the one brings it in a peece of paper and the other in the same method or forme though in his understanding because the one excels the other in this Part of Memory and this makes the one more esteemed then the other and the one to appear more weake then the other But alas though all these were in one man in a higher strain then I have declared yet they all were but a poor Rest or cause of joy or contentment to any heart and truly when God appears so as to manifest himself the Soul shall see the weaknesse and folly of his spirit to be satisfied in the whole not to be any cause of Rest though they were dispensations of God and were freely given by God For all these may be in a very hipocrite or in a meer naturall man First of all to conclude this Rest 1. It is an abuse of a Gift and an affront put upon the Giver to make it either cause of Rest or an evidence of a true enjoyment of God 2. That Soul most commonly who is not led in the Spirit either to behold God or enjoy him to be the Rests of spirits is most usuall and it can hardly be prevented to Rest upon such Rests as we have declared but consider that must be â—he Rest of any who fees or enjoyes not one manifested to him to be above it Man must have some Rest either true or false But that must be the safe Rest the which no hipocrite doth attainâ— nor can enjoy which is God manifested in the Spirit further why should any man place his Rest upon any thing which will come to nothing or is given to change Or why should we make that the ground of our happinesse which is but a tallent given to be improved which may be taken away at the Owners pleasure being given onely to bee improved and then mans Rest and peace ceaseth and in this particular doth the folly of mans heart appeare in abusing the end of every dispensation as of this of Parts As First The abuse of Parts lyes in the boasting and glorying in the gift and not in him who gives it And also in this to make them his Rest 2. For a man so to glory in them as to make a gaine of them and prove them for to get honour and preferment and glory in the world This I fear was partly the end of Simon Magus in defiring the gifts of God Alas all gifts are empty without God be manifested in them and poore contentment do they afford to him that Rests in them And here men are setting them in Gods place and labouring to dispossesse God who is or ought to be the satisfaction of the heart And this is another abuse of Parts A world of deceit lyes in mans heart about gifâ—s or parts if abused First They will not make forth themselves unlesse it be where they be honoured or else they labour for the same by the improvement of them being the most free where it 's the most applauded and the most straitened and weary of that place where it is not adored and exalted and set up above the proper station of the creature being much cheered when exalted and much cast downe when rejected or at least not so applauded as he requires or expects here is man much abusing Parts and setting them in Gods stead in the which man shall be brought to a losse when God doth manifest himself in that heart The fourth false Rest THe next Rest in order to this is Zeal for the truth Zeal in the matters of God is that which the most gothrough before the manifestations of God yet though it be good in its place and a dispensation to be owned yet it is but a deceitfull Rest We know the cry of him in the Scripture who was Resting and glorying in his Zeal for God when he cryed come see my Zeal for the Lord of hosts So we know many mens zeal goes before their knowledge of God in the spirit We hear of a zealous Saul who was mad of
here or joyne one with another witnesse their crosnesse of spirit what a smell of false principles this of Rests appears withall and truly argues much deceit and unpossessed like with God If one either hath attained higher or live in the use of Ordinances waiting for the reall enjoyment of God being lower why should that heart who hath either enjoyed more or lesse of God have such an unlikenesse of any thing of God in him seeing God is love and he that dwels in the lowest enjoyment of God dwels in Love but truly the being bound to formes or bound up in formes and the using of them before we be led unto them by God occasions all this Resting in and condemning of all that doe not in all things walk up into and in the use of these formes and Church relations which the letter of the Scriptures owns to be a dispensation of God But Secondly As this is the cause of and doth much savor to be occasioned either by our being bound up in them or falsly led out to them so also it is occasioned by the want of a divine principle within whereby that principle of God might command our formes and Church relations and not formes and Church relations command the souâ—e so as the Soule onely seeing something in the letter wanting a divine light within to discover unto him either the time place manner or end by this it comes to passe why he is darke in and Rest upon and is commanded by and so bound up in the form repuired in the letter being ignorant of truth in the Spirit but to come more fully to the thing in hand This in my judgement was the Rest of the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3. 17. in her concluded riches yea in her insensible poverty and thus it prevailes with many a heart First When especially the Soul hath been much under the Law and hampred by the Law and so kept in a cloude from the view of Gospel truthes and now come to see a clear truth in that which he so much opposed he is so taken up with it as he hath no peace untill he fals in obeying of it so gathers peace comfort and Rest in the same thinking it is now got into a very high estate and the very name of a member of a Church together with the greatnesse of the love of God in bringing this Creature to beleeve and obey who was darke opposite yea a despiser of the same this doth help forward his Rest in this particular Secondly It considers and reasons with it selfe now I am got into the communion of Saints and enjoy now their society which before it wanted fellowship with and also from consideration of the purity of the Ordinances it now enjoyes It before was alive in the use of corrupted Ordinances now it enjoyes them in the purity of them before in and amongst a mixed people or he had fellowship with devils 1 Cor. 10. 20. now with Saints but truly though this be a Laodicea condition yet it is a false Rest for there is no true Rest either in the purest Ordinances or visible relations for these a man may enjoy and be ignorant of the enjoyment of God in them as the wofull experience of many will seale unto and testifie the truth of whatwe are speaking of Thirdly Another cause of Rest in these relations flowes from his continuall growth in Gospel light and his encrease and growth of knowledge and most commonly the whole bent of such a spirit is taken up with labouring after the knowledge of points of judgement and with matters nice and curious things which most commonly pleaseth the fancy and understanding and to know such things it is his continuall study and end of all his labour when still he wants the life and power of Christ in his heart neither doth he know him but either by his profession or by hear-saies not in any true way of experience Fourthly Another cause flowes from his conceived peace and comfort he enjoyes in the same and thus he reasons before I had no peace either in conscience within me or from Ordinances practised by me but now I enjoy much peace in my condition when indeed he may have stopt the mouth of conscience his peace come in from a false ground not spoken from God but drawn forth or Imagined in his particular practise Many a soule feeds upon an imaginary peace when it is ignorant of peace truly manifested in the heart and in this most commonly doe the affections blinde and bribe the judgement and so peace remaines onely in the imagination and not enjoyed by any powerfull manifestation But if mens hearts in Church relations may so utterly be deceived then it stands in need of these ensuing cautions 1. Beware of making thy being a member of any Church to be either evidence to thee or ground of peace in thee neither let any conceive better of their conditions because they are in visible fellowships and neither let their joy or peace be the more unlesse they doe uprightly enjoy more of the discoveries of God to them then they did before 2. Beware that thou thinke not thy outward uniting in a visible manner with Saints is a uniting thy spirit more unto God or God uniting himselfe more to thee or that for or in thy present practise thou art got the nigher to God lest thou Rest more secure in thy present condition then before for carnall security doth most commonly follow the most of men in those dispensations 3. Beware thou goe not before God leade thee for most commonly when God leades man into formes when he forsakes them he leades them out of them into that dispensation God will appear in therefore beware that thou be not led by thy owne imaginations then thou shalt not be left in and bound up in formes but shalt continue in them so long as God continues in the same But many who live and make a God of their forms they neither know when God leads or not leads when God is present or not present it s all one if they can enjoy the desire of their hearts and that which speaks peace to them namely Their formes and Church relations It is to them yea its life and happinesse in them But in the next place observe Though God do own all or the most formes and administrations yet it is but for a time untill a higher dispensation appear or the substance of that forme be enjoyed and then God departs from it and seldome or never appears in that forme any more especially if the soul be caught up into God for as the old Testament formes which were of Gods own appointment and God was in them for the time they were to be used so also they were to cease 1. When the substance thereof was come Heb 5. 18. 2. When a more glorious administration was and did appear then did God both depart from them and dis-own them and they no where
other to be that in an especiall manner which both in word and action hee seemes to be and that he do not pretend to live in God above all formes when indeed he neither lives in God nor knowes what it is to be led by God out of the same into that which is truely sweet if the soul were led into that he pretends to enjoy The Tenth false Rest THe next Rest which in order we shall speake of is a Sutability to the externall letter or some quallified frame wherein this Creature takes his joyfull Rest in the view thereof Indeed when a man is wounded yea deadly unlesse there be speedy helpe in this condition the Creature will bee willing to enjoy any Chirurgeon for the Cure thereof yea him that but pretend faire and by his skill do give some ease therein at present and hopes for the future though this party do it but to serve his owne ends not from any principle of good to the party who is the patient yet he being ignorant of his faire pretences he heales up his wounds though falsly and afterward the wound breakes forth again to the greater damage to the party Thus it is with a poor distressed wounded helplesse heart whom it may be God is a preparing for mercy he lying in such a desperate condition would gladly have his wound Cured by God but there coming a pretended Physitian into the heart speaks like God appearing to the Creature to be God and to heale in the same way God heales Soules yet the soul being ignorant accepts of it and freely entertaines it whereby it comes to have a time of peace and Rest onely because he apprehends his desperate wound to be cured And thus souls do in a time of straights accepts of those proffers when in another condition he would not but at present necessity putting the soul upon it Now soules that live under the sight of the want of God would in the sight thereof be in a way to attaine God seeks and presses to know in this case what to do at last it lookes upon the Scriptures in this case to be the only Teacher whereupon hee gives himselfe to a diligent searching of the same where he meets withall some places how the Saints were formerly quallified and these preparations they had within them whereupon he sets a labouring with his own heart to bring it into such an estate of mourning humiliation or repentance with hungring after God as also loathing fin and having a wearinesse and burthen under it and when he hath thus done hee runs to Scriptures and seeing his condition sutable to that he makes Scriptures the ground of his faith and so cures his wounds by it and so drawes peace and comfort from it Now the creature being ignorant of any other work he wrests from this Scripture influence as is pretended and from thence concludes his enjoyment of God and that now from some perswasions of spirit concludes it to be the witnesse of the Spirit when indeed the creatures heart in this case is not upright and he being in darknesse is not able otherwise to judge of himselfe or his condition neither of his heart which do tell him that this his sutability is upright but the soule wanting the manifestation of light he is not able to passe true sentence upon the same but Rests and man makes his habitation here and though he pretends to make Scripture the ground of his thus beleeving yet it is his quallifications and sutability to Scriptures which is the ground of his thus Resting and beleeving Or Secondly That which in this case the soule is most establisht in is when it may be a Creature is in some sad condition a Scripture is cast in immediately upon the soule un-sough-out or laboured for and this sutable to the soules condition from which there is ioy and peace yea sometimes the heart is so ravisht with it and so over come by it as indeed it 's hardly able to expresse its joy and peace yea sometimes the heart is so overcome as it cannot expresse it or hardly knows for the present where it is But here lyes the Angel-like designe sometimes of Satan to come in the same manner and with the same effects to deceive that God comes in with to save and so transformes himselfe into Gods shape And one of the cheefest waies he hath is to apply himselfe in such a way of working like God as he may the most prevaile with the soule and resemble God and so keep the soule much below God Now Scripture way Satan thinking is most like Gods way of any other especially when he brings in Scriptures sutable to the condition of the party and so that he may cause the soule to beleeve that at such a time God was pleased to manifest himselfe by casting in such a Scripture so sutable so as now his transformed worke is the more surer seeing it hath such a foundation as this yet this he doth of purpose to deceive Thirdly Man 's owne Memory or fancy being upon some serious meditation may in the same manner and way bring and represent before the soule such a Scripture and here lyes most of the deceite of the fancy and and imagination thus to work this way there coming in a Scripture into the thoughts of such a soules fancy and imagination to drive on his owne Designe makes it as it were a nose of wax to apply it to what use or way hee please yet he will make it the ground of his imagination and fancy and so man this way comes to Rest upon a deceite and fiction and not upon any ground in the glorious manifestation of God Now Scriptures it is true doe display in a Mystery most Precious things which if a soul did enjoy them their thus enjoying of the Truth there displayed would be a Rest unto them but so long as a man reads Truth in the letter without him until he can read it in the Spirit within him there is little cause of Rest to such a heart As Instance For a man to be overwhelmed in grosse darknesse and in this darknesse the soule not able to behold the glory of God Now from his reading in Scriptures hee sees God there expressed to bee a Light and to be full of Glory yet notwithstanding from the fight of this in Scripture though he want this light within him and his darknesse to be expelâ—ed out of him yet he Rests with the fight of this in the Scriptures satisfied as though God were become light and glory in him and had expelled all darkness out of him and hee carried up to behold it truely and live in it so that that I drive at is to unbottome any soul of making a nose of wax upon the letter and because Christ saith in an upbraiding way Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to have Eternal life so many now think to have this Eternall life in the Scriptures or in searching
most commonly Satans way to apply himselfe to such a cure for to cause a soule to Rest below God as is sutable to a Soules condition so he brought in a promise to Christ He hath given his Angels charge over thee c. Mat. 4. 6. Here he came to apply himselfe sutable to the condition of Christ O when once a soule is brought into a Pinacle condition wherein he is brought to see the glory of much then Satan lobours to cause the heart to fall downe and worship him hee coming smoothly and bringing the Promises of God a long with him to back the truth of what he doth and here after the soule is betrayed by represented glory in a promise meerly cast in from Satan wherein the soule fals down and worships the very cunning working and the high exalting of Satan and in this condition he is brought to see and apprehend high things and is brought into a Pinacle to behold almost the glory of every thing made over by Satan to the Creature in a promise upon the soules submitting to him and upon this Pinacle he sets him that is he causes him to Rest and so the poor heart being not wise in the Spirit is deceived and betrayed though the actions knowledge light joy Rest of this soule be glorious and for God in his own eyes yet it is but Satans transforming himselfe into an Angel of light resembling or coming in and working in the Creatures heart in the gloriests manner and shape God workes in But Secondly Others being wounded in Spirit and weary in soule for the want of any glimpse of God leaving no means un-attained to get his soule cured and unburthened and having Rested upon many false props before and being unbottomed of them he tries this particular it being of a higher nature and more likely to speake peace unto him viz. a running to Scripture to finde out some particular promises sutable to his condition and having found out some sutable Promises either presently seems to speak to him from a sutablenesse in him so it may be being a conditionall Promise or else the soule meditates a while upon it and it runs much in his thoughts and at last he closes with it strikes this load and burthen of his spirit here he drawes comfort and peace from it yea it may be so much as indeed the soule is mightily overcome in his spirits with joy and can doe nothing but rejoyce upon which he Rests builds his faith as he cals it and so concludes it to be a manifestation of God I will not deny but God may make these waies if in truth cause of support unto a soule in his travelling towards his Rest But for a soul to strike saile cast Anchor and have all the waves in his heart stayed and his very wearinesse of spirit at this present put to a period is as if the children of Israel had stayed either beyond the red Sea or when God gave them Manna before they came to enjoy a reall possession of the land of promise though God did this either to refresh their spirits and so to under-prop them or else to give them it at the desire and repining of their spirits to see how they would use it or abuse it Now this being a discription of a Saints Spirituall travell though God should cause a glimps of glory or heavenly Manna to refresh a heart to be given to a soule in the view of a Promise yet for a soule to Rest in this and make it his habitation it smels too much of mans deceite and abuse of every dispensation and a daubing up his spirit with untempered morter and so hatches Cockatrice Egges and weaves the Spiders Webbe so that it is but a kindling of a fire man warming himself in his own sparks whose conclusion shall be death and sorrow and before ever the creature know what true Rest is by sweet experience hee must be brought to a death in all these But from my own experience of the fallacy of my own heart and the contrariety of the false Rests that I have gon thorow I make bold to propose these ensuing particulars to such a heart not intending to weaken the workings of God in any poor heart though under low Administration but only to discover the nakednes of man in the way of his own heart And First of all When did the Lord manifest himself to thy soule and give thee a particular right unto and interest in this promise the application of which thou makest thy Rest Secondly How was God Revealed to thy heart in this promise Or whether is it not the great necessity thou hast of it that makes thee fly to the promise and suck sweetnesse life comfort and Rest from it Or is it God in Christ clearly Revealed unto thee in the same For it was necessity that made many run to the Ark and hang upon the outsides thereof though none but those that were within were saved Scribes and Pharisees did challenge a propriety in God and all externall priviledges but it was but from a sutablenesse of holinesse they had to the promise and not Revelation of God in them discovering the Truth the of God to them Thirdly What inward Testimony of God hast thou for thy great joy peace Rest And what is thy inward Evidence that witnesseth the truth of what thou enjoyest For every one that beleeveth hath a Testimony within himselfe 1. Joh. 5. 10. And every heart that hath ever seen the appearance of God within him hath found a lively Testimony coming along with that Manifestation of God which is the only proofe of the truth of what he enjoyeth and not any Qualifications nor outward Testimony either of man or from man 1 Joh. 3. 24. Fourthly How was peace in this particular enjoyed by thee Was it from some inward Voyce of God or discovery of the same Or was it from such a sutable form of words to thy condition either cast in or found out in searching Or was it from a clear Manifestation of the glory of God in thee sutable to those formes of words in the Scriptures without thee whereby the forme of words came to be made good to thee so that thy comfort peace satisfaction or Rest do not flow from the forme of words as thou seest them in Scripture without thee but from the enjoyments of God within thee sutable to that without thee Fiftly What glorious power of God was made out in thy spirit in thy thus closing with Promises Thy thus closing may seeme to be done in power but the spirituall Coming of Christ in the manifestation of his glory is so great as indeed it is not ordinary but extraordinary in the heart of him that knows his coming A Promise Closed with before Christ come in the Spirit may seem to be done in glory and power by reason it may be hee could not before beleeve nor live in that freedome or joy he now lives in
from sin which formerly hath both dishonoured God dishonoured Truth and taken away his peace Now sometimes when this comes to be subdued and the soul delivered from the same he Rests upon it and concludes from it great cause of safety and security and as an infallible Testimony of Gods love and here he makes his center when indeed the heart cannot have true Rest in any deliverances wrought for it by God but must be carried up above the same into the Deliverer who is God so as in inwards so in outwards bee it of what nature or quallity soever yet many after the receipt hereof wax the more secure make a God of their deliverances ct so Rest upon them with which though they were in love yet they are not given for that end no more then God delivering the Children of Israel at the Red Sea should afterwards be a stop unto them and a center for them before they came into the land of Promise Or that deliverance of Daniel or of the Three Children or of Jonah none of these were to be a cause either of Security or Center but to be rather accompanied by God to put their spirits out of themselves after him who was to be a Rest unto them and a Deliverer of them so that the common or speciall deliverances of God in these cases are abused and the end thereof dealt deceitfully with and they are made that which God did not appoint them to be viz. Rests and that which satisfies the creature with the receipt thereof yet in the second place I doe not deny this to be one of Gods dispensations and the way he deales with spirits both to discover themselves with the vanity and misery attending the same where mans heart is made a heart of misery preparing for mercy this being the way to Rest and peace happinesse and glory when God comes in the first place to free the soule from this his deliverance though it be of God still as the other is the way to happinesse so his deliverance the way to rest that is the way to make the heart enter into it and be centred in it For though the Rest in this deliverance be discovered yet it may be long before such a heart do enter into it as David saith plainly return unto thy Rest O my soule for the Lord hath delt bountifully with thee Now though God may have dealt bountifully with a soule yet that soule may not be returned nor centred in his true and proper Rest though it be in a further worke then deliverance inward or outward So that in the first place many hearts it may be have been in deep distresse of Spirit in the pit where no water is and now are it may be in such a condition as they are at great freedome and live in much joy yet such a heart it may be freed in his own sense and yet intended by God to be brought into his former bondage and misery because his wound is falsly cured and having not been willing to waite Gods time is faln thereby into carnall and unsafe security therefore soules had need beware of false deliverances 2. Satan that Spirit of deceit may drive on his design in this particular to have a soul delivered by deceit seeing before he could not prevent the cause of the sense of his misery seeing he could not prevent that he labours to deceive the Creature by proposing and working deliverance for it before God deliver it the heart being willing to imbrace and to have deliverance before his time 3. If this be not but that God goes forwards to make such a heart a heart of misery and so prepare it for mercy and worke admirable diliverances for it both within and without yet notwithstanding it is not sufficient the soule Rest here but such a heart is to wait for a higher dispensation of God this being Gods leading way thereto The seventeenth and last false Rest THE next and last Rest which wee shall speake of is by some waited for and by others pretended to be received to wit The extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit whereby both worship without and God within is confirmed and in their apprehension sealed up for truth Now for my own part I look upon both either in the condition of waiting for it or in the pretence of the receiving of it to be un-sound or an un-safe principle 1. In a waiting way there are who are waiting to have the Spirit powred down in such a manner as they shall be able to doe miracles and visibly to cast out devils But I thinke this is a meere mistake for those casting out of devils and visible powers given to the Apostles and Saints was given only as a dispensation of God in that administration the Apostles lived in and not to be any dispensation intended to be given to any other after that administration was confirmed and setled 2. Those visible powers were given them for the confirmation of the Gospel in a visible forme to sâ—ale the truth of that forme of words which was to be left unto all ages Now if we had new Scriptures to write and a new Gospel to declare then I confesse for the establishment of the same it would be necessary to have the same confirmed by visible miracles and powers But 3. It was given to be a figure of the glorious manner of the workings of God in the soule and the casting out of devils and curing sick opening eyes and the like Isa 26. 12. Phil. 2. 13. these were to demonstrate unto us that as the coming of Christ in the form of flesh was attended with these signes and miracles so the coming of him in the Spirit should be attended with inward signes and miracles to wit internall and divine powers the casting out of the many devils within the opening of the eyes of the understanding and the curing the wounds of the soule Luke 24. 45. Eph. 1. 18. Isa 60. 1. Iohn 5. 25. the opening mans eares to hear the voice of Christ within to have a dead Lazarus soule raised up in the Spirit Now the Rest was but as figures though reall of what God did hold forth should accompany the second coming of Christ in the heart Mal. 3. 2. Mat. 25. 12 13. And if soules did waite for this their expectations should not be so much frustrated as it is in the other and shall be And as for the great miracles that shall be wrought must be within and felt by soules when Christ appears in the heart So that these externall powers shall be turned into these sayings The coming of Christ shall be with power and great glory Mat. 24. 30. Now men are deceived I feare who seeke for his coming in any carnall or fleshly way or that he will make that to be the powrings down of the Spirit to wit the casting out of devils c. But it shall be more spirituall and heavenly even the power of the Spirit