Gospel brazen Laver they are now all accounted priests as well as kings to God Use I. Let it serve for information first concerning those which have not yet washed themselves by believing in the Blood of this spiritual brazen Laver. O Sirs how do you think to be accepted with the Lord either in your persons or performances O you that contend so much about Religion alas to what purpose is it when you your selves were never washed from your uncleanness in the Laver of Christs Blood through believing O my friends that I could perswade you to read and well consider that Scripture Isa 1. 11. 12 13 14. and so on To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me saith the Lord I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs or of he goats when you come to appear before me who hath required this at your hands to tread in my Courts bring no more vain Oblations Incense is an abomination to me the calling of Assemblâ—es with your new Moons and Sabbaths I cannot away with it it is iniquity even your solemn meetings your new Moons and your appointed Feasts my soul hateth they are a trouble to me I am weary to bear them and when you spread your hands forth I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of bloud wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings cease to do evil learn to do well so Verse 18. Then come and let us reason together Thus you see what you must be a people washed and cleansed from your Pollutions through faith in Christs bloud ere ever you can come near God in Worship do not think that God will draw near the Swearing Blasphemer the Whoring Ranter the Sabbath Prophaner the Unjust Oppressour the Justice Wrester the Christian Persecutor I tell thee no no do not deceive thy self be thou never so great or honourabe in this world yet while thou remainest in this condition God regards thy service in his Worship no more then he values the cutting off of a dogs neck Isa 66. 3. So likewise your Worship is abominable in Gods sight you hear God accounts it so let it be put forth in never so glorious a dress or done in never so Princely a Chappel or dished up upon never so good a Velvet Carpet you hear what God accounts of it untill you have washed your soul in the bloud of Jesus Christ by Faith O Sirs labour to draw near to Christ and get your selves washed by his bloud Oh break off from your vile hellish and prophane lives or God will never draw near your Worships while you live you may assure your selves of it the pure God can never commune with such impure souls as you are in his sight you may make your selves as merry as you can when you are in your Worships but you may assure your selves while you remain unwashed with the blould of Christ the great God will be far enough from coming amongst you to cast in any true mirth in the midst of you Use 2. It shews you the danger that will necessarily follow our presumption in daring to meddle with any thing of the holy Ordinances of the Gospel without being washed in the bloud of Christ our spiritual brazen Laver you see if the Priests the Sons of Aaron should do it they should die for it Certainly then if God in his Justice should smite with death all these Priests in England which never yet were washed in the Laver of Christs bloud we should have more Pulpits empty then we should find Priests to supply them in England And how God should make use of such unwashen ignorant fellows to wash the unclean of the times when so many sanctified cleansed Ministers of his own must be thrust out of that work and must stand by as useless the mean while to me it is a great mystery Use 3. If it be threatned with death for any to meddle with the holy things of God without being washed in the blould of the Lord Jesus Oh how should we tremble then to think how many deaths men bring on their heads this day in the world Oh was there ever more medling with the holy things of the Altar by unsanctified men and unwashen Priests then in this day Oh how do the holy Ordinances groan under this intollerable burthen that the Childrens bread must become meat for every Swine Use 4. Lastly Oh you that are the Priests of the Lord indeed I mean Believers Ministers and People would you be accepted in what you do for God would the Minister of Christ be useful in his place to the people what great need have such ere ever they come into the plce of Worship First by the lifting up of an eye of faith through prayer to cast themselves into the brazen Laver of Christs bloud ere ever they cast them-into the Pulpit And you the people would you have the Blessing and miss the Curse which doth or may attend the Ordinance Oh then look up yea get up to the brazen Laver every time you come to the Ordinances of God remember the Priests the Sons of Aaroâ— were to wash every time they were to meddle with such things Now ye are the Sons of Aaron and of the Royal Priesthood Oh labour to come in dropping wet to the Ordinance with the bloud of Christ and that is the way to go out dropping wet with the blessings of God CHAP. 26. Of the anointing of the Tabernacle with with the Vessels therein THus having ended with the several particulars in the Tabernacle I now come to speak of the anointing of the Tabernacle For we find that when Moses had finished the Tabernacle with the several Vessels thereof all this was to be anointed all over with Oil Exod. 40. 9 10. Now the Vessels that were in the Tabernacle as they had reference to Christ as hath been shewed you so also do they refer to the Individuals of the Church of God this you may see in Zach. 14. 20 21. In that day shall there be upon the Bells of the Horses holiness to the Lord and the Pots in the Lords house shall be like the bouls before the Altar for every Pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness to the Lord That is every true servant of the Lord shall be under a great spirit of holiness in the latter Ages of the world Use 1. It serves to inform us of these two things First that the least member in the Church of God is appointed for some use you know there were several Vessels and Instruments in the Tabernacle as the Pots the Caldrons the Flesh-hooks the Fire-pans the Snuffers and the like now though these did differ in glory the one from the other for all had not alike measure of glory upon them neither were they all alike employed
wickedness My brethren where can you go into what Land Countrey County City Town or Family but you may blush to see the common prophaneness of it to your great grief what swearing lying couzening theeving brawling fighting and revelling is there abounding amongst men how do the most men tumble and wallow in the filth of uncleanness how are some buried up head and ears in their pride how do others glory in their oppression O how are others drowned in their malice how like swines do others reel up and down in their drunkenness what treachery and deceit and falshood dwells there in the mindes of men one against another as the Prophet speaks Micah 7. 4 5 6. The best of them is as a briar and the most upright of them sharper then a thorn-hedge Trust ye not in a friend put ye no confidence in a guide keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom for the son dishonoureth the father the daughter riseth up against the mother in law a mans enemies are the men of his own house To this agreeth the words of Paul to the Ephesians chap 2. 2 3 Where in times past you walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom ye had your conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desire of the minde and of the flesh and were by nature the children of wrath even as others Therefore it is that David when he was forced to flie into Gath among the Philistines because of the prophaneness of the people cryed out Woe is me that I dwell in Mesech and am constrained to live in the tents of ungodliness Secondly As this agreeth with Egppt for prophaneness so for false worship It is natural for men in a carnal concondition to worship God in a wrong manner as a good man said once every man is born with a little Pope in his belly To set up a false worship is the first thing a carnal man puts himself forth in This is the reason that the greatest part of the world lieth drowned in false worship and ante-christianisme it is because they are carnal and blinde and so want the light of God his holy Spirit to guide them into the truth Where will you expect to finde fish but in the water where would you see birds but in the air where would you expect to finde four footed beasts but upon the earth so where would you finde poor blinde carnal men and women worshipping but in their false forms pictures images and rejected ceremonies you may see how stiff the Pharisees stuck unto these things Matth. 15. 1 2. but you may see our Saviours answer Ver. 3. with 8 9. You know Paul the Apostle telleth the Saints in his day that they had been worshippers of stocks and stones dumb idols to this agreeth our Saviours words John 4 22 speaking to the poor carnal woman of Samaria You worship you know not what This is is most certain that the world for want of sight erre in every thing So that you see how well the natural estate of mankinde doth agree with the Land of Egypt for false worship or for worshipping God in a false manner Again Egypt was a place of hard bondage and cruel burthens a place that required brick to be made without straw Exod. 5. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. besides the officers of the place would often beat the people if they failed of ought of their work ver 14. they would also refuse to hear the peoples cryes ver 16 17. This answers unto the covenant of works which every carnal man and woman in the world is bound unto by nature and lives under This covenant even to fulfil it in the exactest measure thereof This covenant was made with us in the state of innocency which requires perfect obedience in thought word and deed and not onely perfect obedience but constant continual obedience to the last breath Deut. 6. 5. with Gal. 3. 10. So that if a man fails but in one point of the Law of Works he is guilty of the breach of the whole Iames 2. 10. Now this Covenant of works doth not onely reach the outward actions of the body as some think but the inward motions intentions and purposes of the minde for so our Saviour expounds this Covenant Mat. 5. 20 21 22 with 27 28. verses Now as the case stands with the creature with respect to his fall this covenant of works may well be compared unto Pharaohs task-masters and those that yet live under it to the Jews in Egypt who were under the power of those Task-masters Exodus 5. 10 11 12 13. 14 15 16 17. verses For first of all they required of the Jews brick to be made without straw ver 10 11. so doth the Law require full and perfect obedience of the soul both in body and spirit as ever it did Saith the Law Bring me forth the full tale of obedience according to my commands let not ought of the works be deminished which ye should do in soul and body I will not abate one jot of it bring forth the full tale of your duties let not one be neglected if there be you shall dye the death and perform them in such a manner as I have required or expect death without mercy what you do see it be perfectly holy without the least stain of sin in it in thy prayings in thy fastings in thy mournings in thy hearings in thy almes in thy works of mercy in all that thou doest see that there be not the least vain thought in it nor the least stain of hypocrisie in it if there be thou shalt be damned to eternity Likewise see that it be constantly so with thee from thy birth to thy death If in all thy life thou shalt but miscarry in a word or thought I will pour out all my plagues and curses upon thee Matth. 12. 36. with Gal. 2. 10. I will not regard any thing that thou hast done in my service before though thou hast served me to the last hour of thy life with all thy strength and with all thy power yet if at last thou shalt offend in one word or deed thou shalt dye the death a death eternal of soul as well as body Ezek. 18. 24. Deut 27. ver 26. Now when the soul comes to be awakened to the voice of the Law how is it overwhelmed with amazement and horrour like the Jews under their task-masters how bitterly doth the soul bewail his condition crying out with Paul Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from so cruel a bondage as this Thus the soul falling down flat on the ground cryeth out of his condition because of the hard usage it hath from the Law that it should require the full tale of brick and yet deny straw O saith the soul
out O what manner of love is this that we should be called the Sons of God CHAP. 19. I shall in the next place speak of the Candlestick which was placed in the Tabernacle IN this Tabernacle there was placed a Candlestick which was made of pure Gold and the fashion of it was thus It parted from a foot high in the stem into six branches three of the branches going one way and three of the branches going another way there were three bowls made like unto three almonds with their knobs and their flowers to every branch but in the stem of the Cnadlestick below their parting were four bowls with their knobs and their flowers Exod. 27. 17. Exod 37. 18 19 20. By the Candlestick in this place we are to understand to be meant the Church of God which Church is made up of true Believers which truly and sincerely profess and own Christ and his Worship being redeemed by his Blood from all the earth Rev. 7. 14. This is the signification of the Candlestick the truth of which you may read Rev. 1. 20. where the seven Churches are compared to seven golden Candlesticks which answereth to the Candlestick in the Tabernacle for that was made of pure beaten Gold Ex. 27. 17. Now the Church of God may be compared to a Candlestick several manner of wayes First As a Candlestick is made to mount or hold up the light that all in a time of darkness may see so doth the Church and people of God they hold up the light of truth and the bright shinings of the word and Gospel that all that are in the dark world who sit in the Region and shadow of death might behold the face of God in Jesus Christ shining through the Saints gifts graces and holy conversations in upon their souls Isaiah 2. 3. The Law shall go forth out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem by which means Isa 9. 2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light and they that dwelled in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined Though this latter prophesie doth principally belong to Christ yet it is to be applied to his Church also for it s through them Christ shineth upon the dark world therefore saith our Saviour to his Dissciples Matth. 5. 14. Ye are the light of the world meaning they were the Candlestick prepared of God to hold up and hold out the light of truth to the dark blinde miserable world Use 1. This informs then what a deal of duty lieth upon the Church both Ministers as well as others First For Ministers what care should they take and what pains should they expose themselves unto in order to the keeping up and holding forth the light and word of the Gospel to the dark nations of the earth what care did Paul take to fulfil his ministry and to discharge his duty this way Acts 20. 24. He counted not his life dear unto himself so that he could fulfil his ministry with you which ministration he had received from the Lord Jesus and that he might be useful this way you may take notice of Pauls practice Acts 20. 20. I have kept back nothing which was profitable to you but have shewed you and taught you openly and throughout every house But O good God how few such house preaching lights doth the eart afford us in this our age but contrariwise instead of men that should make it their business with Paul and the rest of the Apostles to go from house to house to enlighten the dark famiâ—ies of the earth in the knowledge of God and his Son Jesus Christ they rather bend their forces parts wits and purses to darken and put out the light of truth and the knowledge of God in all the families they meet withal where they go like unto those teachers of old spoken of in Ezek. 34. 18 19. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures and to have drunk of the deep waters but you must foul the residue with your feet and as for my flock they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet How far these or such as these are from being of the true Candlestick appointed to hold up and hold out the light of truth in the world let the reader judge But again this should teach all the Saints for they are a part of the Candlestick also to endeavour in their several places and callings to promote the glory of God in their generations to study godliness and which way they may be useful with their gifts and graces amongst their relations and neighbours and in their families in order to the bringing in of their souls to Jesus Christ therefore saith our Saviour Mat. 5 16. Let pour light so shine before men that they seeing your good works might glorifie your Father which is in heaven To this agreeth the words of Paul Phil. 2 16. with ch 15. ver 15. He exhorts all true Christians that they would labour to hold forth the word of life and that they would labour to live unblameable in their lives and spotless in their conversations and that they would keep themselves without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation amongst whom they were to shine as lights so verse 16. The reason of the former exhortation is given you viz. because they are to hold forth the word of life even as a Candlestick they are to hold up or hold forth the light of truth Secondly A candlestick is appointed to hold fast as wel as to hold up the light that it fall not down because the fall of which many times puts out the light so is the Church of God prepared and fitted to succour and keep up the light of Gods holy truth in the earth that it might not be thrown down by the malice of the devil and wicked men who labour night and day to put it out in the world There be two wayes by which God fitteth the Church as a Candlestick to keep up the light of truth in the world The first is by pouring forth upon them the gifts of the Spirit by vertue of which they are enabled to discover detect and finde out all errour and whatsoever may be contrary to sound doctrine as in Rev. 2. 2. Thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars Hence it is that the adversaries of truth are said not to be able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which St. Stephen spake Acts 6. 10. The reason you may perceive lay in this the Church of which Stephen was a member had a very great measure of the gifts of the Spirit which came upon them but a little before read Acts 2. 1 2 3 4. Secondly God fits his Church as
to Christ do arise they all flow from the Priestly office of Christ who wears the Priestly Miter the truth is it s from the Miter upon Christs Head that we draw all our comfort Alas Brethren what comfort could we take in God himself but through Christ and what comfort could we take in Christ but as he wears the Miter upon his Head as our High Priest whatsoever comfort we have in any other office of Christ namely as a King or Prophet it all originated in the Priestly office of Christ the truth is the Priestly office of Christ is an office of meer love and tender compassion set up on purpose for the succour and relief of poor sinners there is no mixture of terrour in this office of Christ there is a mixture of terrour in the other offices of Christ the Lord Christ is King and hath a Kingly office and by it Rules over his Church and Rules over all the world but all do not obtain mercy that he Rules over As for those mine enemies that would not that I should Rule over them bring them forth and slay them before me Luke 19 27. But there is not the least mixture of terrour in this of his Priestly office the Miter shews nothing but grace and love and wonderful compassion infinite bowels of tender love to the sinner a God reconciled in Christ by the sacrifice of himself which was slain for sinners the bloud of which speaks to you better things then the bloud of Abel for the bloud of Abel bespoke sin committed and a guilty soul and an angry God but Christs bloud bespeaks sin remitted and pardoned and a God recorcied again the bloud of Abel spakes for vengeance from under the ground but the bloud of Christ speaks for grace mercy pardon and reconciliation again from under the Altar Abels bloud bespake the sinner under the Curse but Christs bloud speaks him into the blessing again Acts 3. 26. Abels bloud spake the soul at a great distance with God but the bloud of Christ speaks him very nigh God again Eph. 2. 13. But now in Christ Jesus ye that were sometimes afar off are made nigh by the bloud of Christ Use 7. Then soul when ever thou hast to do with Christ view him in his Priestly atire having his Miter upon his Head O thou canst not look upon Christ under a more blessed consideration then this that can afford thee like succour as this will do for this will yield the soul blessed relief against all thy fears and temptations whatsoever the Miter was put upon the Head of Christ on purpose to be looked unto for relief and succour in a time of doubt and danger what was the great relief amongst the Jews against their sins the Jews you may observe they had many reliefs when they were in the wilderness if at any time they were stung with the fiery Serpents then they had their brazen Serpent to look unto as a relief against that distress when they wanted water they had their Rock to make at as a relief against that distress when they wanted bread they had their Manna from heaven as a relief against that distress and if they sinned whether they did go then they took a sacrifice and went unto the Priest and he was to offer for them so that the Priestly office then was the only relief they had against sin So now the Priestly office of Christ is the only relief and succour the people of God have against all temptations doubts and fears under heaven O make much use of the Miter in times of fear look unto it as the Jews were to look to their brazen Serpent upon the pole when stung with Serpents so when ever thou art stung with the Serpent of temptation and guilt and horour and terrour about guilt look up with an eye of faith to this Miter the Crown as I may call it of his Priestly office and thou shalt be healed and cured of all thy stingings so saith Christ himself Isa 45. 22. Look unto me and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else Mark look unto me he doth not bid you to look to that unhollowed Bear the Pope who to deceive the poor miserable world of their Estates and Wealth hath feigned a Miter and puts him upon his Head and Bug-bears the world with it as if he were some great one which by the pretended power of his conjuring State and Cross-keys of hell afrights the poor ignorant world into an opinion of some more then ordinary Authority must reside in this Beast for his Cap sake when alas he nothing but Cheats the world by it both of their souls and treasure he is a Limb of the Devil to Cheat men of their souls because he keeps them in ignorance about the Priesthood of Christ and arrogates and assumes that Authority as proper to himself he saith he hath the Miter upon his Head and he is in the Priestly Chair and he can procure pardon with God for sins and he hath the keys of Hell and Death which the holy Ghost only attributes to Christ Rev. 1. 18. And he can open Purgatory and let out of torment and he hath the key of David which the holy Ghost gives only to Christ Rev. 3 7. And he can open heaven and let into glory O horrid Blasphemy What a beast is this and how much to be abandoned by all those that love Christ and their souls how doth he dis-throne and shut out Christ of his great office as a Priest and Saviour 2. He Cheats poor souls of their Estates here because he takes their money of them to save them from sin and to discharge them of some torment and to let them into heaven when he himself shall not escape the vengeance of Christ but shall be for his juggling and deceit tormented in fire and brimstone for ever and ever Rev. 19. 20 21 Where the whole Rabble of that gang shall eternally dwell together And as for others viz. the lesser sort of Popes that imitates the High Priest in his garments with respect to his Cap and Linen Ephod it s a clear denying of Christ to be come in the flesh and John saith these are Anti-christ 1 John 4. 3. For if these garments were Types of Christ then they were only to continue untill the coming of Christ so reasons the Apostle Heb. 10. 1. Who saith that these things were shadows of good things to come but not the very Image and therefore when these good things were come which was the substance then the shadow must give place as no longer of use so saith St. Paul to the Colossians chap. 2. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. Well then if these Ceremonies were only the signs of Christ to come and to give place to him when he did come then what does their present use signifie but that he is not yet come and so as John speaks denyed