the eare but now mine eye seeth thee I abhorre my selfe in dust and ashes and repent Job 42.5 6. Whil'st Iob had not such an apprehension of Divine power as it was the lesse sinfull that his soule did not stir in reference to it as he ought but assoone as hee rightly understood it all other powers stirr'd thoroughly and Iob answerably repented and went about his businesse to stoop to that power which he saw above him Every faculty must have the honour of its place Divine Ordination must have the honour of its end or the man dies for it When you see these things say that winter is neare c. Saith the Scripture That is make use of what you apprehend and answerably stir and prepare or you wil perish with the world So you shall have expressions frequent when you heare this or that then doe thus and thus That is when one faculty does its Office let all the rest doe so too or else you are lost men If any sentinell shoot off and be not regarded the whole army dies for it Any soule-power misworking overthrowes all so any soule-power disobeyed in working by other powers overthrowes all If apprehension bee blinde and sleepy the soule is undon If apprehen sin see and speake in and by conscience and yet the heart lie still all will miscarry by surprise Apprehension is a power placed to prevent surprise Sad things concerning man by Divine Ordination worke at a distance for a time that man has his eyes in his head that sees this saith Solomon that is apprehension discharges its office if this Office and power bee sleighted by other powers in the heart all is taken by surprise I thinke apprehension now does its Office in most of you how is it obeyed in heart in other maine powers of the soule Surely now no man but must needs apprehend that hee may want much of God speedily as much as the Apostle apprehended these might doe much might all might now what stirring of heart under all that you apprehend yee are convinced are yee converted Doe yee stir now for your selves as the Apostle did for these Doe yee wrestle hard with God for all that yee apprehend yee may need Can yee apprehend the necessity of much and be stirr'd little Can yee see bloud and death in the Land and lay nothing to heart Can'st thou see better bloud then thine own shed and yet make no preparation for the losse of thine Though many be slaine yet shall not I ah Lord that soule is slaine already 't will be wofull when that body comes to be slain too Dost thou see a Sword in the land separating between soule body and doest thou not yet set to separate between sin and thy soule Art thou resolved to die in thy sinne wilt thou bleed to death in thy sinne this will make every drop of bloud that comes from thee as gastly as Hell What a deadly bleeding is that when soule and body bleed to death together when the soule bleeds as fast with wounds from conscience as the body with wounds from man When soule and body bleed mortally together ah Lord let mee not be neere that man how will hee sigh how will hee looke speak gaspe and groan and yet many such sad sights may be for ought I can discerne in many mens preparations to this houre Sinners God deales with you now as with Balaam he stands before you with a drawen sword hee threatens your bloud your death if yee make a step further yee cannot but apprehend this now as well as I Balaam and his Asse too must needs see it now What now will yee doe will yee make no use of such palpable apprehension How exceeding sinfull wil that sin become which rids it out now against bloud and death and will live when the man must no longer live I beseech you all consider the dealings of God and consider your eternall state Christians what doe yee see what doe yee doe yee see bloud good bloud a great deale of good bloud fall does good bloud stir in you You see death most deadly comming towards you upon the point of a mercilesse sword as mercilesse I dare say you Londoners shall finde it if it prevaile as ever was drawn doe yee fit and prepare for it to be hewed to pieces drag'd to death trod to death under Horse-feet yee cannot but apprehend that things may goe very bad and that yee may need very much speedily does apprehension make due impression Doe yee worke out Heaven-ward as the Apostle doth here answerable to what yee apprehend you and yours may want Sinne is in great power where the soule will not give up when he sees God comming against him Thy love to sin will be an everlasting love that dies not to sinne now thou and it will goe to Hell together Affection to evill becomes Almighty unconquerable and there is no way but one with the man Man must die or his sinne that justice is at worke which will kill one or tother I bleed and mourne to see how some men sinne in the face of Justice at swords point sweare curse and drinke drunk and yet going about deadly workes I see plainly now that a man may see misery and yet not seeke out to be blessed hee may see himselfe and others very open to and very neere upon deadly danger and yet neither seeke out for himselfe nor others why else doe we see so many continue still yet as they were Pauls spirit surely is few mens happinesse to stir effectually towards God as they apprehend just cause Apprehension workes divinely upon affection as it keepes it selfe pure from unbeliefe and no otherwise Unbeliefe is full of shift and evasion the life of apprehension dies in this Apprehension made from the Word of God or works of God workes no longer nor no stronger then as faith workes with it Why doe such mighty apprehensions as wee raise sometimes by the word die and come to nothing but because faith dies men believe but whilst they see us and heare us speake Keepe faith alive you will else see Hell often and feele it too and yet doe nothing to shun it Yee will see misery and yet not prepare for it yea yee will see judgement at the doore and yet scoffe at it so did they of the old World and another old World is this Apprehension workes divinely upon the heart as the will is subdued A stubborne man fights against all apprehension he does not like he shootes at God a great way off and kills him before he can come neere the heart to doe any good there I will not heare him say's Ahab hee never prophesis good to mee A stubborn heart does prejudge kill things before they can come neere him Apprehensions worke as wee manage them the strongest are quickly kill'd if wee fight against them the truest quickely made delusive if an unsound heart be in us Apprehensions are best and worke best
speaking and doing how hee does shape all to a gaining and saving end of lost man Glorious power how big-bellied with Heaven are these words what a transcendent shape have they to save In what a little can God wrap up much in what a little all in a word Heaven in a word the Heaven of Heavens in a word he wraps up glory infinite glory According to his glorious power How smilingly doth Heaven look upon us in this expression God breakes out glory in your very faces here can yee see so much of the World to come and in this World and not admire FINIS USEFULL INSTRVCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times COLOSS. 1.11 According to his Glorious power c. ALL Starres are glorious but some are very neere the Sun and double in magnitude and glory and as a sun in comparison of other stars All dispensations of grace are glorious but some exceede in glory so full of Christ and glory that they give a great resemblance in the heart of his triumphant state in glory and set the soule as in the borders of Heaven when the body is in the belly of Hell this is here called glorious power as appeares by the expressions following unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulnesse He speaks of such an assisting power as is superior to all opposing power and makes up of it selfe to the soule whatsoever the Creature could and much more According to his glorious power Doct. WE are come now to the sight of the holy-Land there be glimpses of Heaven upon Earth power workes glitteringly and gloriously here Christ hath a glorious Dominion in dying man Strengthened with all might according to his loving glorious power c. Things which give being give beauty and being glory and being Esse tale esse esse et radiatum esse Splendidum esse Nature hath a power to put forth and a power to shape unto beauty and glory the earth gives vertue and glory life and beauty which makes the earth such a glorious foote-stoole under us So doe the Heavens give influence and glory the Sun derives not onely influence but its very glory to the Sars which makes the Heavens such a fruitfull and such a glorious Canope over us So doth the Sun of righteousnesse give glory and vertue We are called to glory and vertue According as his Divine power hath given us all things that pertaine unto life and godlinesse through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue 2 Pet. 1.3 Divine power makes vertue glory and vertue that is grate unto a glorious and very Heavenly height grace unto tranquillity and tryumph let disadvantages in the World be what they will Hee spake this to sufferers they might thinke their calling to be to nothing but misery or at least to nothing but naked godlinesse and Gospell-profession which exposes to much hardship no saith he yee are called to more then naked vertue then meere conscience according to such Gospell-prnciples yee are called to glory and vertue to the participation of such vertue as will worke gloriously and never leave working so let what opposition soever be made till it rise above all opposition unto all glory Divine power workes in order to truth The promise to us Gentiles is which stand not in the first and prime relation not in the highest sphere of love rest yea glorious rest dispensations so rich as to rise unto glory joy and tryumph as their rest above is And in that day there shall be a roote of Jesse stand for an ensigne of the people to it shall the Gentiles seeke and his rest shall be glorious glory saith the Originall i a rest so glorious as shall be very neere that glory which is above He shall quiet guilty conscience and crown it sprinckle it and adorne it hee shall give a spirit of Peace and a spirit of tryumph a glorious rest a rest next to that above where there is no restlessenesse nor any thing wanting that may make the soule fully happy The promise is a Lord and a glorious Lord streames yea Rivers broad Rivers But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad Rivers and streames c. The expressions note Divine Power working gloriously Isa 33.21 in the Kingdome of grace raising grace here under the Gospell to a glorious height a power setting the soule in Heaven the body being in Earth the soule in glory though the body in shame These are the words of promise now the worke of power is to make words of promise words of truth to accomplish truth to give full being to all that God hath said that not a tittle fall to the ground Power workes gloriously necessarily as engaged by promise Divine power workes in order to dignity and majesty as well as in order to truth Christ hath a Kingdome and a throne here as well as above and Kingdomes and thrones must not onely have power simplicitèr but power ornatè not onely a power which is absolutely necessary to uphold the being of such a thing but power also to adorne dignify and felicitate such a being upheld Kings and Kingdomes have a power unto glory as well as a power unto life and lively-hood I will fasten him as a naile in a sure place and hee shall be for a glorious throne unto his Fathers house Isa 22.23 Power workes in order to state as well as in order to truth he shall be for a glorious throne We are Kings and therefore must necessarily have power ornatè power gloriously working in us grace and grace unto glory being and triumphing There is being in Christ and triumping in Christ triumphing is glorious power and this necessarily belongs to a crown a Kingdom Power workes in Order to expresse words and to types and shadowes it doth in the new house as it did in the Old and more They had presence filling presence glorious filling presence The glory of the Lord filled that house so doth this power workes thus still presence filling presence and glorious filling presence There is grace riches of grace and exceeding riches an inheritance riches of inheritance and riches of glory and all in the Saints That you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints Eph. 1. They had aide and glorious aide under the old Covenant power and glorious power so have wee and much more our Ministration doth exceed in glory saith the Apostle by how much nearer all glory then they Power workes and will worke still more and more glorious within and without as the Christian world drawes nearer and nearer full glory as all things worke stronge stnearest their spring and rise Power workes gloriously now but it will worke far more gloriously every day then other the Moone will become a Sun and the Sun seven fold more glorious then now it is Power workes in order to its own absolute nature Nothing is too
the exercise of al I dread to thinke what this presages Wee shal see poverty and heare cursing see bleeding and heare blaspheming and both in one house yea both in one person Wee shal see bodies wounded and soules breathing themselves through these wounds in the face of God and man because in a helpelesse state This grieves me no man layes to heart what God already suffers in these evil dayes from impatient spirits I have heard some as I have gon along the streets breake forth most bitterly against the most religious of the Kingdome as the cause of al our misery laying bloud at innocent mens doores great ones doe thus against conscience poore ones doe thus out of ignorance as rich mens echo being their creatures made through feare or hope or both all sides I am sure breath not forth al but little very little patience Ah! yee of little patience what doe yee meane to make a miserable condition remedilesse a state miserable damnable will you sin in poverty that wealth may never returne will you sin in War that you may never have peace wil you sin in bloud and death that Hell may follow Because men have killed your Trades your States your Bodies shall the devil have your Soules Is there any evil in the City or Country which God hath not done God takes away much to save the maine and you make the losse of much the losse of all the losse of your soules through impatience A rod should humble you and your skin swells with stripes Gods Hand on your back should make your hand on your mouth and you curse you curse and God curses surely you wil be cursed you sweare and stare because you have lost your peace your temporall respect and God sweares you shall neither have temporall nor eternall rest Ah Lord what hath this soule done murmured and sworne himselfe out of al for ever Yee men of no patience have you no light no conscience no soule doe yee sinne against no light no soule no God are yee heathens are yee worse I will tell you the evils of impatience that you may dread it and every degree of it and make them as I name them motives to endeavor after all Patience i a heart freed from all impatience The first evil is this so farre as the soule is impatient so farre 't is set at a distance from God Impatience grieves God grieved withdrawes So farre as Saul rages so farre is the Spirit of God gon So farre as the soule is shut out from God 't is shut out from al. A bedlam is put alone and there chained and whipt he is fit for no company but forlorne spirits like himselfe a Legion of these possesse every impatient soule No soule hath lesse fellowship with God then passionate God cannot dwell in fire nor worke in fire any otherwise then to torment the tormented Froward children are frowned upon and kept at a great distance 'till their hearts come downe A soule that hath little of God hath much of the devil if you would see the devil face to face looke a passionate man in the face you shall see the devils eyes his browes his tongue his mouth al as blacke as horrid as firey as Hell A second evill of impatience is this Impatience maimes parts gifts graces and makes a man otherwise able feeble and uselesse The counsells of the froward are carried head long saith the holy Ghost if their counsels how much more then those things they doe without counsell and thus most an end doe passionate men doe all they doe Passion puts out a man's eyes cuts-off a man's armes it thrusts a man in hast still to the wrong doore to the wrong end of his busines Passion cannot observe modus nor media agendi 't wil up to the top of the house presently before there be any staires made 't wil run and leave tools behind yea 't will run and leave God behind and so buries her honour still in an untimely birth A passionate man hath Reubens judgement written in his forehead never to excell Thirdly impatience is the mother of al evil 't is a sin-teeming temper it brings forth children to old Age and then most of al passion in old Age brings forth by troopes Impatience 't is a spirit set on fire of Hell prepared and ready to every hellish worke to sweare to curse to kill to speak evil to doe evil t is a short possession a man mad for so many houres that will not stick at any thing that the devil and deprav'd nature bid him doe he wil flee in the face of servants children wife magistrate God any one 't is a Snake whose tongue is his sting his teeth poyson he takes in and casts up venome by mouthfuls his heart brings forth sinnes by troopes he speaks as many sinnes as words he burnes al black with too much heat he over-heats words workes the wheeles light a fire still in carriage especially when loaded with any heft and burne cart and carriage both Passion 't is the devils glasse-house black fire workemen are at it in this soule day and night t is the devils sinne-moul'd to make many sins quickly many great sins on a sudden Impatience puts a price onely upon praesentia * Appetitui apta carnal present things a measse of potage at present better then birth-right although Christ and Heaven be wrapt up in it Tell an impatient man of things to come Heaven and Glory Praesentibus futura majora and the like he cannot stay so long Heaven a great way off is no Heaven to him he must have a Bird in the hand a Heaven here or else Heaven and earth shall ring of him he must have what he wil and when he wil or he wil make the house too hot for al that are in it This renders an impatient person utterly uncapable of the great'st blessings because these are longest a comming and he cannot waite Le ts have a golden Calfe as for this Moses we know not what 's become of him nor when he will come a golden glittering Calfe at present better then to stay for Moses though hee brought the beames of God the glory of Heaven shining in his face Le ts eate and drinke for to morow we die Magna â—â—â—antiâ nulla Impatience must have a Heaven at present a belly-heaven as for a soule heaven a heaven in promise t is a dead thing This renders an impatient man utterly below motive our greatest Gospel motives are fetcht from great things to come in another World and the greatest things are nothing at such a distance to this man hee cannot waite so long for a Heaven though hee lose his soule There is no divine contemplation in an impatient heart which is that that makes Heaven here So that an impatient man loses his Heaven here-after and here too Impatience 't is a soule still in a hurry never at home never at leisure to goe to
you looke to your joy in this sensuall season and make it divine Let your laughter be turned into weeping as the Apostle speakes if ever that were seasonable 't is now Some can smile and weepe 't is a comly countenance now if you can so joy now doe Remember God when your hearts are cheer'd remember the afflictions of Joseph in your bowles what a wonder is it that this cup of beere is not a cup of bloud thus lay your hand on your breast In your chiefe joy forget not your selves forget not your brethren Forget not God lest God write up your wickednesse on the walles in your consciences as hee did belluine Beltshazzars and make your soules ring of your unseasonable joy to the day of your death Germani'es wicked feasting 't is deadly cured their great drinking is turned into great bleeding their great feasting into famine Be instructed England be instructed so else wil be the deadly cure of thy excesse You observe dayes and good times as you call them I am affraid of you observe your soules observe your joy how holy it keepes these holy dayes These holy dayes are betraying dayes they are the divels snare to thousands how many thousands have more wrong'd their soules in these few dayes then in al the dayes of the yeare besides and yet this soule-undoing time must be call'd a blessed time Our wickednesse upon this blessed time hath brought many a curse our evil joy much griefe if we shal yet continue it when shall our griefe end The devil hath many snares for the poore soule of man but they are worst which are wrapt up in joy least discerned but catch most and kil deadliest Slips in mirth and in joy are pleaded for the divel hath enough now the man does the divels worke the divel may keepe Christmas holy-day too now if he wil his work is done for him I am led to brand a bad joy I am commanded by this point in hand to stigmatize al joy that is not divine that makes not an ascending frame of heart I will doe this in three or foure things briefly Bad joy hath this grand evil in it It strips God of all No evil carries the heart so totally from God as evil joy it carries away the heart and every heart string The soule and all that is within as that ful expression of Davids is the soule and all within the body and al without every sinew and nerve are set intensely awry when joy is awry A man is very heartily wicked very totally wicked every faculty every sinew stretch themselves to sinne when sinfull in joy There be many sacrificers to the divel but none sacrifices so bountifully to the divel as joy doth when corrupt she sacrifices totum universale totum particulare al in generall al in particular al the man al the joints nerves and sinews of the man to the utmost All the bloud all the spirits in the bloud al the spirits generaly throughout the whole state doth bad joy set a dancing after the devill so that God hath nothing left him in this man A merry divel jostles Christ out of all Bad joy hath this ground evill in it 't is stiffnecked hardest of any to returne to be reclaimed A mans joy commands all and is all and wil be all to the heart A man is most hardely brought to part with his joy What is so deare to a man as his joy let it be what it wil 't is his Heaven the soule and Heaven are inseparable they are so identified so one in another above al other things Joy and the soule are more identified more one in another then the soule and any other passion or thing whatsoever 'T is almost impossible to separate things which are so neere onely the power of a God which can doe any thing can doe it Hence 't is that t' is so hard to bring a man to leave sinne when his soule hath found out joy in it when the sinner can make musicke to himselfe in his sinnes when the sinner by art hath made an instrument of his sinne a Lute to play upon and delight his senses withall Joy 't is a fragrancy made from many flowers with much picking choosing and composing of flowers t is honey gather'd with much art from much variety the soule is not easily brought to put that by which it hath so spent it selfe for and so laid out its utmost art and skil after Bad joy 't is the soule in the armes of the divell hee holds fast 't is the soule in the bosom of the devil two evil spirits deare each to other making their felicity in and of each other evil spirits endear'd are harder to part then evil bodies Bad joy 't 'as this grand evil in it 'T is the completion of evill 't is wickednesse ful sinne growne old out liv'd al vertue yea out liv'd all conscience for till conscience was quite dead bad joy could not live Bad joy is an evil that hath conquer'd vertue truth conscience God and triumphs in this victory all the tone now is hang sorrow and yet hell now gapes for the man and never so wide as now Sinne may be growne old when the man is young 't is many a young mans case the Lord knowes nothing mature in them but sinne as you may see by their joy and triumph in it fit for hel ere they come to age to be fit for their patrimony Bad joy hath this grand evil in it It sets the Soule very neere wrath at the gates of hel knocking to goe in Evil joy 't is a Malefactor upon the gallowes there is but a step betweene him and turning off The triumphing of the wicked is short Job 20.5 when once a sinner beginnes to triumph he has but a little time to live Seest thou a sinner laughing stay a little the next change of countenance will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth You say of some notorious persons that the gallowes groanes for them when you see a man notoriously wicked joying and triumphing in sinne Ah Lord hel groanes for this man hel opens for this man in a moment he will goe down to the pit We leave him there and conclude FINIS USEFULL INSTRVCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times COLOSS. 1.12 Giving thanks to the Father c. Defin. THanksgiving according to the sense of this and other Texts is a divine returne of divine love 'T is a Sea going forth into al the veines of the Earth and returned againe to its selfe by Rivers and Streames God is infinitly out here below and yet all upon finite man man is to make a returne of al and in Gods own coyne love for love to make Gods owne doings and dealings acknowledge him and own him al love to the Creature respecting body and soule in prosperity and adversity to cal him Father giving thankes to the Father Man is the mouth of the Creation to make all the workes of God speake and