The PROPHETS Malachy and Isaiah PROPHECYING TO The Saints and Professors of this Generation Of The Great Things the Lord will doe in this their Day and Time Shewing amongst other things The Nature and Quality of the Apostacy The Judgement of the Lord upon the Leaders of the Apostacy How the Lord will deale with and carry himself towards others guilty of the Apostacy The certainty of deliverance at hand for the true Seed By a wel-wisher to the Kingdome of our Lord Jesus To which is prefixed two very useful Epistles by Christopher Feak and John Pendarves Ministers of the Gospel Thus saith the Lord God Howle yee woe worth the day for the day is neer even the day of the Lord is neer a cloudy day Ezek. 30.2 3. The day of the Lord is darknesse and not light as if a man did flee from a Lyon and a Bear met him or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a Serpent bit him even very darke and no brightnesse in it Amos 5.18 19 20. I have yet many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them now John 16.12 LONDON Printed for Livewell Chapman at the Crown in Popes-head Alley 1656. TO THE READERS Whether Such as follow the Lamb or such as wonder after the Beast Love and Pity for the Lords sake OUR dear Lord in the dayes of his flesh spake many words privately among his Disciples to this effect viz. that they should be hated of the world that they should be hated of all men for his Names sake yea and in that last solemn Addresse to his father related John the seventeenth wherein he hath left upon record a pattern of his intercession on the Behalfe of his Disciples who did then or should afterward beleeve on him through their word he doth expresly mention this matter surely his heart was full of it and much affected with it I have given them thy word sayeth hee there to his father and THE WORLD HATH HATED THEM because they are not of the world even as I am not of the world And againe in a certaine place hee testifieth saying If the WORLD HATETH YOV yee know that IT HATED ME before it HATED YOV If yee were of the world the world would love its owne but because yee are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore THE WORLD HATETH YOU Now to beare up their hearts under this Burthen of the Hatred of the world he puts them in mind of that lesson which hee had formerly taught them Mat. 10.24 John 13.16 saying Remember the word that I sayed to you the servant is not greater then the Lord c. If they have persecuted mee they will presecute you also if they have kept my saying they will keepe yours also The spirit and life of the incouragement lyeth in this that the Son of God was their Brother and companion in Tribulation and in suffering the hatred of the world they should drinke out of the same cup with him in all the afflictions which they were to indure from the world Now if any Man that observes the considerablenesse of these and many other passages of this Nature should desire to know the particular reason why the Lord Jesus with his Disciples was allwayes thus hated persecuted and Abased by the world Did Hee and they give any just Cause of hatred and ill-will against them I answere no surely there were never a more innocent and harmelesse sort of people in the world then they But the true reason of this inveterate hatred is expressed by himselfe John the 7 and 7. in a Conference betwixt himselfe and his Bretheren which did not beleeve in him The world sayeth Hee cannot hate you but me it hateth because I testifie of it or concerning it that the workes thereof are evil Observe the matter seriously and you will well perceive that the world hath workes of its own the world is full of its owne proper workes doings and bufinesse which it is alltogether conversant about Things which it must mind and manage with all care and Industry then secondly consider these workes are such as are exceedingly beloved and delighted in by the world and the world cannot indure with any patience that any sort of men should account them evill workes but then thirdly if any should presume not only to Account but also to Call them evill workes and so testifie against them as evill workes and odious in the sight of God for such a Testimony though given by the Son of God himselfe who for this purpose came into the world that hee might beare witnes to the truth would the world hate him and persecute him even unto death if not hindred by the overruling power of God himselfe And therefore if the true Disciples of Christ himselfe who having his Spirit his Truth his Cause his Glory and all his precious Concernments dwelling and working in them mightily are constrained by the power of his love to second and confirme This his great Testimony against the world and the wicked workes thereof should incurr the same hatred indignation and wrath from the world which was measured out unto him they must by no meanes think it a strange thing but rather rejoyce exceedingly in their being thus made conformable to the fathers first borne among many Brethren And blessed be the Name of the Lord that there are any among us who are counted worthy to suffer shame and violent Dealing for his Name and for their Testimony concerning the world that the workes or Deeds thereof are evill But will it not bee well worthy your time and leisure to inquire into these two or three particulars first what doth the Lord Jesus understand in the Scriptures before mentioned by the word world Secondly what are those evill workes which our Lord testified against in the dayes of his flesh and Thirdly what is the nature of the Testimony of Christ and his Disciples that the world should be so much incensed with hatred and indignation against them for it Hearken oh yee Children of men and consider with all your might and with all speed for the time of Consideration is allmost spent and passed away To the First I shall return this Account undoubtedly by the word world in the Scripture mentioned a Certaine part of mankinde namely the degenerate part the worst part contra-distinguished from the Best namely the Church is here to be understood for the Church and the world are Contrary one unto the other evermore This degenerate part of the world or of mankind I distinguish thus some of them are such as having departed from the light and Law of Nature did afterward by degrees degenerate into Brutishnes and profannes as namely the nations of the earth which neither worship God nor love their Neighbour according to the written rule but live and walke after their own and their Rulers lusts and inventions in all things being full as of all ungodlinesse so
But to hasten to the second Question What were those EVILL WORKS which our Lord did testifie against or for which he did bear witness against the world and for doing whereof he was hated of the world I answer Without Controversie THOSE EVILL WORKS may be reduced to two or three generall Heads Either such as were wrought by them in the way of an ECCLESIASTICALL BODY or such as were brought forth in the Manner and Method of a CIVILL STATE or else such as were done by the confusion and mixture of ALL together as the Holy Spirit in that notable Prayer of Peter intimates where all sorts of Interests Civill Ecclesiasticall Military are declared to Combine together against our Lord. Acts 4.27 Of a truth against thy holy Servant Jesus whom thou hast anointed both HEROD and PONTIVS PILATE with the GENTILES and the PEOPLE of Israel were gathered together Here is a Combination in the Church in the Court in the CAMP against the Saviour of the world And upon examination of the works and workings of all these parties we shall find cause to say they were to be testified against as Evill But more particularly to reckon up some of them as we find them occasionally recorded by the foure Evangelists and as we goe along to compare them with those evill works which are now carried on in these parts of the earth as done by the High Priest by Herod by Pontius Pilate by the Gentlemen of the long Robe of both professions c. First let us begin with their Counsells against Christ those works of darknesse they are evill works within doores Mat. 12.14 The Pharisees went out and held a Counsel privately how they might destroy him Here were consultations held against the life of Christ So Mat. 27.1 All the chief Priests and Elders of the people tooke counsel against Jesus to put him to death We shall have an exact account of all their wicked murtherous Consultations against the Person the Doctrine the Honour of the Lord Jesus in that day when he shall Judge the secrets of all men according to his Gospel But in the mean time we know that these Deeds of Darknesse were some of those evill workes which our Lord did testifie against And in like manner at this day we know in that light of truth which will not faile us that there are many close cunning consultations to destroy that Cause of Christ which not long since was in shew highly honoured and contended for by him who is known by the name of his Highness the Lord Protector c. but who gave him that Name I leave to him to Answer when he shall be called to a strict account for all the evil counsel given against the Lord and his followers because of their righteous reproofs of the Army and their Generall for the Hypocrisie Apostacy Oppression and Persecutions whereof they are guilty in the sight of the Sun Another kind of evill works was their watching of the Lord Jesus and sending forth Spies which should feign themselves just men that they might take hold of his words that so they might deliver him to the power and Authority of the Governour Luke 20.20 And the Scribes and Pharisees Luke 11.53 urged him vehemently and provoked him to speak of many Things laying wait for him and seeking to catch something out of his mouth that they might accuse him Certainly every man who loves the Lord Jesus will easily grant these were very wicked workes But are not such practises frequently used by the Spies which are Imployed from the Court and Council at White Hall I am sure before our Imprisonment Many who came to catch our words feigned themselves to be Just men to be good men whereby they were capeable to intangle us in our talke The same Spirit which wrought effectually in those children of disobedience doth work in these as effectually and we doubt not but we shall prove these Spies to be guilty of the same evill workes with those Spies which watched Christ and their Masters to be of the same conspiracy with the Pharisees and Herodians namely at that Day when his Highnesse shall stand before the Judgement seat of Jesus Christ without either his Clergy or his Lawyers to plead his Cause We shall then understand what Instructions they were which he or his Secretaries gave his Catch poles when he imployed them and what conference he had with them when they read our Sermon Notes in his hearing and all those works of darknesse and secrecy shall be brought to light and Our Lord Himselfe shall second our Testimony That their Deeds were evill Again Other evill workes of the world and the men of the world which the Lord Jesus did testifie against was Their devouring widdowes houses while for a pretence they made long prayers Mat. 23.14 Surely this was a double evill worke and therefore He tells them they shall receive greater Damnation Not only widdowes Houses have been devoured by the new Rulers but whole Families in pressing and forcing or else inticing men to the ends of the earth for Gold and Silver thousands having perished in the Enterprize but while these Families were devoured by Sea and Land what frequent fastings and long prayers were made at White-Hall The Lord beholds this Hypocrisie and it will one day appear how abominable this project was in the sight of God as it doth in part already not withstanding all their long prayers to colour it over as a Designe against Antichrist and his Kingdome Besides these evill works before Mentioned the Lord declares against them because of their extortion and excesse as it is in Matthew because of their ravening and wickednesse as it is in Luke yea he speaks of their Binding of heavy Burthens and grievous to be borne and laying them on mens shoulders but they will not move them with one of their fingers For my part I am verily perswaded that the same evill workes are Done to the Innocent people by this present Sword power and their cryes enter into the ears of the Lord of Hoasts though they pity them not who Doe thus oppresse them Many more might be added which in the Judgement of all the true Disciples of Christ will be accounted evill workes but I must not inlarge a Preface beyond its proportion this therefore shall sufface for the second Point what kind of evill workes they were which Christ testified against and how like unto them the evill workes of this present Generation of Rulers will be found to be when they are examined by the Righteous Judge of all the world Now as for the Nature of the Testimony given by Christ concerning the evill works of that world or worldly Church which hated both him his doctrine and his followers which is the third generall Head to be spoken to it 's plain that it is no lesse then a Divine Testimony As saith the Apostle If we receive the WITNES of men THE WITNES OF GOD is greater Now
This Witnesse or Testimony whereof we are speaking from John 7.7 is not the witnesse of a man a mortall man but the witnesse of God the witnesse of one who is God and man and so it is most Authentick And how often Doth our Lord in his Ministry and Testimony inculcate this upon his hearers That he spake nothing of himself but as the Father gave him Commandement John 12.49 50. And again John 8.38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father So that when the Lord Jesus testified it was the highest Testimony which could have been given to the truth His Testimony was an unquestionable Testimony a righteous Testimony a witnesse which will carry the cause against the whole world for Let God be true but every man a lyar as it is written that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings The sayings of Christ from the father concerning this present evill world and the wicked works thereof will be made good at the last day Let no powers on earth think or hope to enervate his Testimony in the least by any pretences excuses or distinctions whatsoever Now as Christ Himselfe was in the world so ought those who are Christs Ministers and Witnesses to be in the world likewise Those whom he sendeth were born and anointed to this end viz. to bear witnesse to the truth in his sted and on his behalf and let the Princes of the world and the people of the world assure themselves The Lord never did nor ever will leave himselfe without witnesse Some of his Servants shall be stirred up by his Spirit to plead the Cause of their Lord against his adversaries altho they know before hand that through the hatred of the world they shall be exposed to a thousand dangers distresses deaths for the truths sake The Dragon the beast the scarlet Whore the false Prophet the Kings of the earth although by a complication of interests they are desperately ingaged and inraged against the Lamb and his followers against the Lord and his witnesses neverthelesse the wrath of God hath been and now is revealed from heaven to their very faces against all their ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse by those witnesses which he hath raised up and furnished with Heroick spirits to contend with the whole earth and that wrath so revealed by his Servants the Prophets shall be executed likewise for The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy which the true Church is never destitute of altogether So that I am perswaded and I believe many others that Matters are carried at this day betwixt the Servants and Spirit of Christ and the Servants and Spirit of Antichrist as they were carried in those dayes betwixt the Spirit person of Christ and the Spirit and persons of the Priests and powers of the earth It is not to be expected that his Highnesses Court Chaplaines who are fed at his Table should lift up their heel against their Good Lord and Master in testifying openly that his Counsells are evill that his Instrument is an ugly Idol and an Image of Jealousie that his Government is evill that his workes in imprisoning the Servants of Christ without Just Cause are evil that his Extortion and Rapine in Imposing and gathering in all his Taxes by an Arbitrary power contrary to the Law of God and the Land is evill that his devouring whole families in sending thousands to the ends of the earth and multitudes against their wills upon a base and beggerly Designe that stinkes in the nostrills of God and good men is evill and abominable And which of his City and Country Clergymen fed and Cloathed by his Tyrannicall execution of the Popes Cannon Law will declare against him for maintaining the Relicts and Remainders of Popery and for his setting up New-Carnall spirituall Courts of Prelaticall Tryers or Comissioners to reigne over the Parish Ministers in the Byshops stead Which of those Inslaved Preachers Lecturers and Augmentation-Men who come cap in hand to their Inferiors or equalls for their Approbation and a box full of Orthodox Orders to preach in such or such a steeple House and to receive the ancient profits and perquisites of the parish for their paines dare to turn head upon their Ecclesiasticall Lords and joyn with Christ and his spirit to testify against these New invented Babylonish Abominations Alas poor wretches they have no heart no spirit for the Interest of Christ they are ashamed of the testimony of our Lord and of us his prisoners who by the most powerfull Illapses and influences of his spirit are inabled and Constrayned to bid Defyance to the scarlet coloured Beast and to all his 7 heads of Blasphemy and to all his ten homs of persecution to all the Kings of the earth which commit fornication with the mother of Harlots and with all her danghters But because these Men thus lamentably yoaked by their new Lords Spirituall and Temporall dare not particularly and couragiously in the power of the Spirit bear their Testimony for Christ against the world or world like Church that their deeds are evill therefore the Lord will raise up others to supply this defect And be it known to all the Kings and Princes which oppresse and persecute the Children of the free woman that the Lord will furnish himself with a sufficient Number of faithfull Servants who shall in his strength maintain that Conflict and Combate which is needful till the great of the Battel of the Almighty God As Christ told the Chief Priests and Scribes who were displeased that the Children cryed Hosanna to the Son of David If these should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out so I say in words of truth and sobernesse seeing the Chief Preachers Pastors and Teachers are dumb and connive at the present Apostacy Hypocrisie Oppression Tyrannicall Government and going back to AEgypt the Lord is as it were compelled to furnish himself from among the private Christians and the weakest and meanest of the Brethren to bear a Testimony against this wicked Generation of Backsliders and if they likewise should hold their peace altogether the stones of the streetes and the very bruite Creatures would immediatly cry out for the Lord will not altogether and utterly leave himselfe without witnes This Insuing Treatise was not Composed by any of the University-scarlet Doctors nor by any Batchelour of Divinity or Master of Arts and sciences I am perswaded their Acadenicall Vnction will teach them to practice complyance and to sing Placebo But surely this is some Honest Sool who observing the Common Clergy to be as mute as Fishes when they should have cryed aloud and have lifted up their voyces as a Trumpet to shew the Apostatized Christians their transgressions and the Hypocrites their sins hath so far layed their Abominations to heart that he cannot for bear to speak a word for God against such an adulterous Generation and to encourage that little Remnant which speak often one to another and think upon Jehovah's
They are so heartily and throughly sensible of the sufferings of the name and honour of their God that their care for that swalloweth up all other cares they minde not so much their own sufferings under the oppressions of these workers of wickedness as the sufferings of the name and interest of their dear Lord under that dishonour and shame these wicked tho refined hypocrites throw upon it their careful thoughts are solely taken up about the concernments of the name of their God They thought upon his name yet notwithstanding these excellencies they are not per-sect But 3 They are subject to many insirmities for they stand in need of the sparing mercy of their God and Father and I wil spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him 2 The work it self which these sincere hearts exercise themselves in as the great duty incumbent upon them in this their day is Consultation about the concernments of the great name and cause of the Lord at this time They think and they speak both parts of counsel they thought upon his name they consult in their own own hearts and thoughts about the name and interest of God and they speak often one to another about it they are often enquiring of and communicating their light to each other that if possible by such communications they may be able to find out something of the mind of their God and Father they could not by their more private consultations in their hearts and thoughts the subject of these their so serious consultations is the name of their God they thought upon his name their care is not how shal we get from under the unsupportable oppressions of these workers of wickedness that are set up nor how shall we free our selves and our Posterity from the bondage and slavery of these sons of violence nor so much how shal we bring down these proud and lofty men that speak such proud and stout words against the Lord his name and honour though possibly that may be more remotely in their thoughts too but all their cares are dissolved into a godly and holy carefulness for the name and honour of their dear Lord they thought upon his name how that was dishonoured the Lord had gotten himself a great name by delivering his people out of Babilon rearing up the glorious structure of his Temple and building up the ruined wals of Jerusalem setting up his true Worship again there in despight of all those great oppositions of his enemies round about and these backsliders dispise and dishonour this great name of the Lord of hosts doing what in them lies to bury it in Oblivion now these lovers of the Name of God think on this are very solicitous what they should do at this juncture of time to wipe off that dishonour is cast upon this great and glorious name in the view of the whole world O say they what shall we do for the name of our God wherewith shall we honour it what course shal we take to exalt and magnifie it in the eyes of the world before whom it hath been thus dishinored here 's the Center of all their thoughts and consultations They thought upon his Name 3 Let us see how exceeding kindly the Lord takes this at their hands 1 The Lord by two eminent acts manifests his great acceptance of them how is the heart of God taken with this blessed work The Lord hearkned and heard it as it implie the lowness weakness of the voice of these holy consultations that the Lord must hearken and listen to speak after the manner of men before he can hear it so it also implies great intensness of spirit with delight he hearkned the Lord is so wel-pleased with these blessed consultations that rather than miss hearing their voice he will hearken and listen with the greatest intenseness of minde the Lord hearkned as if the Lord had said stand aside Sathan cease thy accusing clamours in mine ears silence you exalters of wicked workers You are of your Father the devil and the lusts of your Father ye w ll do he was a lyar from the beginning and so are ye wrongfully charging the innocent with things they know nor peace ye waiward froward children through the noise and din of your peevish wranglings nothing can be heard be stil all I wil hear what these my Beloved ones say that stand up for my name and honour in such a day as this what though they discover much weakness and infirmity in the management of their work yet I delight in them and love to hear their voice The Lord hearkned and heard it he hearkens til he hears all and he takes special notice of what he hears let 's nothing slip and so delightful and pleasing to him is that he hears that as if he were distrustful of his memory A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name here is the Lambs book wherein he sets down all the service his servants do for him that he may give them a suitable and ful reward when he comes into his Kingdom that possession his Father hath decreed to give him the Lord is so taken with what he hears that he wil book it all down set it all upon Record not a thought nor an expression not a word nor a sillable wil he loose the heart of God is so taken with these breathings that he writes a Book of Remembrance that when those Heavenly Records are read he may remember to do them honour then who thus honour him now by their loyalty and faithfulness cloathing them with his own Robes his own glory Thus shal it be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honour 2 The Lords acceptation of the work of these blessed souls appears by those rich promises he makes to them which are 1 Such as concern reward for work done As 1 They shal be mine saith the Lord of hosts this is a note of special peculiarity for as it hath relation to other persons it s put in opposition unto my Jewels in the next words saith the Lord of hosts there is a day a coming wherein I wil make up my jewels gather up my treasure and in that day they shal be mine mine in a more special and peculiar way and manner than my Jewels shal be as at the first when the children of Israel were in Egypt there were two Mines my people and my first born as as the first-born in whose stead the Tribe of Levi was chosen were Gods in a more special and peculiar manner then the rest of Gods people of Israel they were those whom he chose to be alwaies in his presence to serve before him continually his favorites to whom he manifested his glory and by whom he revealed his mind and Wil to the rest of their Brethren so here are TWO MINES too mine and my Jewels and this mine being put in opposition to my Jewels
When I have brought you to cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils by letting you see through the glass of experience that he is not at all to be accounted of when you can cease vvholly from man that you care for and look at no man any otherwise than in me and trust to and rely upon me alone 6 and lastly THEN when you know the way to exalt me alone to give all the honour and the glory of the vvonders I bring to pass in the world to me vvithout any competitor though of the best of men for I wil be exalted alone in that day THEN shal ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not and the day shal come wherein you shall be delivered out of the hands of your enemies and you shal tread them as ashes under your feet and burn them up leaving them neither root nor branch and in your going forth in the performance of this vvork ye shal grow up as Calves of the stall be ful fed with the love and fulness of your Lord and Saviour HAving opened the words and supposing it in sufficiently evident that the interpretation given is according to truth let us with a truly religious sericusness observe the lessons the Holy Ghost would teach us from them 1 That the time of the Lords arising to work DELIVERANCE for his people is a dark day yea a black midnight of apostacy then wil the Lord come to his Zion as a Refiner to purifie it vvhen the professing vvorld are running back again even to Babilon then and there shal deliverance be vvrought for the true seed Mic 4.10 Thou shalt go even to Babilon there shalt thou be delivered there the Lord shal redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies this is the state and condition of Sion immediatly before the time vvhen the Lord wil make her horns iron and her hoofes brass wherein she shal thresh and beat in peices many people consecrating their gain unto the Lord. In the e Mat. 29 midnight of the Virgins sleep shal the cry be heard the Bridegroom the King the Lord of hosts is coming when professing Zion comes into a Laodicean Church-state Rev. 3.20 then the coming of our Lord is at hand he is f at the door The apostacy here is so universal and so gross notwithstanding all their curious coverings to hide it from the eyes of men yet the Lord sees it that the Magistracy the Rulers are Rulers of g Isaiah 1.10 Sodom h Mal. 3.15 proud workers of Wickedness the Princes are i Isaiah 1.23 rebellious and companions of Theeves every one loveth gifts and followeth after reward they judge not the Fatherless neither doth the cause of the Widdow come unto them the Ministry the Priests k Mark 2.8 depart out of the way of the Lord corrupt the Covevenant of Levi to the causing many to stumble at the law the Worship and commands of God become l Verse 9 contemptible and base before all the people because of their straying from the wayes of God by an irreligious partiality in the law or accepting of Faces as the margent of some Bibles hath it making the Law by their uncouth forced and private interpretations to seem to countenance the designe of those whose designs are not suitable to the design of God but are against the Lord and guilty of so much hypocritical unrighteousness to the provoking the eyes of his glory that he wil not forgive them seeking their own interest not the interest and honour of him whom they profess to be their Lord and master Jesus Christ and the multitude of this professing people grow up prophanely wicked snuffing m Mal. 1 13 at the Ordinances of the Lord as at a wearisom burden behold what a weariness is it the true Worship of God true Religion becomes a weariuess to these outside professors who n Isai 1.11 13 14. fil the Lord with the multitude of their sacrifices and weary him with their new Moons and their appointed Feasts their Sabboths and calling of Assemblies with their Fasts they o Mal. 1.14 polute the Altar of the Lord the Worship of God with their blinde and sick and torn and lame and corrupt performances their cursed deceit yea they are Idolaters in the sight of God p Isai 2.9 the mean man boweth down and the great man humbleth himself to their Idols that they are become to God as q Mal. 3.5 Sorcerers an adulterous Generation in this sad day of apostacy wil the Lord come to his Sion as a refiner and purifier of silver and as Fullers sope now wil the day of the Lord of hosts come upon professing Zion and lay all low before him teaching them by a smart and dreadful dispensation the way to exalt the Lord alone in this day wil the Lord come as a swift Witness against and avenge himself on his adversaries in Zion those vvho are profest friends members of professing Zion but in deed and in truth are his real enemies enemies to the righteous and holy designs of God and deliver his remnant and pick out his Jewels from amongst the professing rubbish of defiled Zton 2 That notwithstanding the gross wickedness of this day yet Sathan transforms himself into an Angel of light clothing his Children and followers in his best livery they have notable coverings to hide it whereby they deceive the multitude of the professing world and themselves to boot so that they dare not only assert their innocency in putting the Prophet to prove his charge against them but when the Prophet preaches to them the long-sufferance and tenderness of the heart of God towards them the grace and love of God in that promise r Mal. 3.7 Return unto me and I wil return unto you saith the Lord of hosts they scorning to acknowledge their guilt throw it back in his face with a wherein shal we return impudently asserting their righteousness to be such as they know not nor none can tel them wherein they should return and do better 3 That the leaders of this apostacy that cause the people to err notwithstanding their curious outside coverings of religious performances and good aims and ends for the good of the Church people and glory of God wil be the subject of the sore displeasure and wrath of the Lord of hosts the Lord wil be a s Verse 5. swift Witness against them and come neer to them to Judgement t Heb. 6.4 5 6 If those who were once inlightned and have tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the world to come fall away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance at the hand of this hypocritical oppressing and persecuting Generation wil God require the blood of his Prophets and Witnesses that hath been shed u Isai 1 24. Ah saith the Lord I will ease me of
ravished mine heart with one of thine eyes with one chain of thy neck the Lord is thus ravished with his Spouse When she looks from the top of Amana from the top of Shenir and Hermon from the lyons dens from the mountains of the leopard and her lips drop as the hony comb yea so ravished is he with the glory of your present Work as he wil keep the Idea of it in his Book of remembrance he wil have it alvvaies before him why should you undervalue it and grow weary of it as of a low and mean thing seeing the Lord prizes it at so high a rate that it rejoyceth the very heart of God as those peculiar and rich promises annexed to it manifest Be not weary of it but keep close to your Work and you shal not only possess rich and glorious Reward but at the appointed time shal be accomodated vvith safficient furniture to carry on that glorious work of your Lord vvherein you shal grow up as Calves of the stal Be not weary of your work think not the time long nor your Work stale the Lord is now in the midst of you and it is exceeding dangerous for you to go forth to another Work Til the breaker up go up before you til your King the Lord pass on the head of you so long as the cloud abides on the Tabernacle the Children of Israel are not to journey but when the cloud is taken up m Deut. 1.33 and goeth in the way before them then is it safe for Israel to go forward let not an irregular ambition after a higher and more noble Work draw you into a sinful seeming 〈◊〉 of your Lords care of his Work cause that vvil greive the holy Spirit vvho dwels in your Temples n Cant. 2 7 I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem by the Roes and by the Hindes of the field that ye stir not up nor awake my Love til he please be faithful in your present Work and vvait the pleasure of your Lord and in the very next Verse you vvil hear his voice The voice of my Beloved and no sooner do you hear his voice but behold he comes leaping upon the Mountains skipping upon the hils no hils nor mountains of opposition shal hinder him but you shal behold him coming to give you your hearts desire o Ch. 3.6 Who is this that cometh out of the Wilderness like pillars of smoke perfumed with myrrh and Frankincense with all powders of the Merchant and vvhen he forsakes that houling desart he vvil not leave you behind him p Ch 8.5 Who is this that cometh up from the Wilderness leaning upon her beloved O then blemish not your Lords Work by any impatiency of Spirit but vvait your Lords leasure he vvil come and vvil not tarry q Ch 3.5 I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem by the Roes and by the Hindes of the field that ye stir not up nor awake my love till he please r Ch. 8.14 Make haste my beloved and be thou like to a Roe or to a young Hart upon the mountains of spices 2 Let your love to your Lord Jesus and his name appear seek by all vvayes and means possible to convince the professing world that it is nothing but love to your beloved that moves you nothing but love strong as death verily this vvil prove of much advantage every vvay behold vvhat an advantage vvas gained by such a conviction as this upon the spirits of men in the 5th of the Canticles the Spouse of Christ by a sluggish and ununvvorthy carriage having lost the sight of her Beloved the consideration of the excellency and glory of his love blovvs up the embers in her sleepy heart into a fire of love her soul fails vvithin her she is ready to dye for vvant of her Beloved she runs hither and thither to seek him and she cals after him but all in vain in this hot pursuit after her Beloved she encounters with the Watchmen but meets with very unkind entertainment nothing but smitings and woundings from them she turns to the keepers of the wals and they handle her very roughly They took away my vail from me all this while she suffers loss she neither finds her Beloved nor gains any advantage her passion of love was such as obscured her beauty and excellency that it appeared not so plainly what in truth it was but when her Love brake forth clearly from under those clouds I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem if ye find my Beloved that ye tel him that I am sick of love what a wonderful change is wrought what an advantage is gained not only to her self a good esteem of her person O thou fairest among Women she is now longer counted worthy of stripes but of the highest praises but also to her Beloved it sets their hearts upon an earnest enquiry after him What is thy beloved more then another beloved that thou dost so charge us the intenseness and fervency of their mind in the enquiry is set forth by the doubling of the question What is thy beloved more then another beloved O thou fairest among Women what is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost so charge us O let your love to your beloved appear this wil wipe off all that dirt and dishonour the wicked world casts upon you and the cause of your Lord you stand up for and provoke the daughters of Jerusalem to enquire after your beloved with whom you are so exceedingly in love 3 Seek earnestly after a spirit of light and discerning from the Lord to enable you to hold forth your beloved to the world in all his glory the glory of his person and the glory of his word of truth when the Spouse had in answer to their question in the 5th of the Canticles made a ful description of the glorious excellencies of her beloved my beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand c. concluding This is my beloved and this is my friend O daughters of Jerusalem behold what blessed fruit this brings forth Whether is thy beloved gone O thou fairest omong Women whether is thy Beloved turned aside that we may seek him with thee her Beloved is now become their beloved also and they joyn issue with her in a through search after him let this be no smal part of your work to hold forth your beloved to the world in all his glory and lovely excellencies convincing them that this is your beloved and this is your friend that it is your love to him that moves you and acts you in all your wayes that it is the enjoyment of him that is the mark you shoot at then wil the daughters of Jerusalem be in love with your beloved also and account of you as the fairest among Women the most excellent would you have the daughters of Jerusalem be your friends and assistants in seeking after your beloved then