should looke to God Man must turne his backe to the Creatures and his face toward God The Creatures must serue follow Man and Man must serue follow God And when God is serued in holinesse then shall he be inioyed in happinesse when God is proposed as the end of Mans being then shall God bee inioyed as the end of Mans desire CHAP. II. How Man fell from happinesse into miserie MAN being thus created with his duetie and happinesse written in him and set before him his businesse was by walking in the duetie to walke toward the happines To do this he was to looke vnto God as the rule of his obedience of whom also that little Image which hee carried about him was a representation and vpon the same God as the consummation of his felicitie In summe he was to walke with God vnto God and hauing pleased God in this world he was to enioy the pleasures at the right hand of God in the world aboue And now as Man was to see in God both what was good to be done and what was good to bee desired so also was hee to see by God what was the euill to bee left vndone and the euill to be lothed in regard of suffering For the same rule which sheweth vs rightnes serues also to find out crookednesse And accordingly as the Will of GOD was the rule of that which was good and righteous the goodnes of God was Mans good and happinesse so on the contrarie what was against Gods will was the euill of vnrighteousnesse or what was separated from Gods goodnesse or had an influence contrarie to it was the euill of miserie Thus was Man set with his countenance toward God to behold him as the highest marke ayme to whom he should fit his actions and affections Yea God and Man looked each on other God to Man for the seruice of loue Man to God for holinesse and happinesse And now because this most wise Creator knew that a Creature like a streame must haue continuance from the same spring from which it tooke beginning that the same hand must support him from falling which made him able to stand he gaue vnto Man a Tree of Life a most diuine Sacrament by the partaking whereof hee might haue truely eaten of that Word of God by whom Man was first made and who only is Life and is euen now the Tree of Life in the Paradise which is aboue In this Word is the Life and Light of Men and by the partaking of Him Man may continue in the Life and Light receiued from Him And if ADAM would haue eaten of this Tree hee might haue beene established in the state of righteousnesse and happinesse But that it might bee in the choice of Man to chuse Life or Death there was also set before him a Tree of death a Tree to which was annexed this curse That at what time soeuer Man eateth thereof he shall die the death And great reason there was that the Eater therof should die for it had a qualitie powred into it or annexed vnto it to ouerthrow all that the Tree of Life would haue preserued It carried with it a spiritual drunkenesse that would so captiuate the vnderstanding and turne about the will and affections that they should not looke to God as the rule of good euill to be done or vndone nor to the same God as the rule of that good and euill which is happines and miserie But this new fruit will teach Man to know good and euill after a new fashion For from the venom thereof there issueth a blind lust concupiscence which blotteth out the Image of God in the soule by which we once looked vnto God And this lust sitteth it selfe as God in this Temple of God When this fruit is eaten the vnderstanding wil and affections are to bee managed by lust yea euen the whole soule and body of man and that must bee good or euill which lust approoueth or disliketh God must be no longer the happinesse of man neither the absence or opposition of God the miserie of man God must be no longer the patterne of Mans obedience neither shall man care to walke with God vnto God nor to decline from the euill of suffering by declining from the euil of doing But lust that bestrideth the soule and body frameth vp new happinesse newe miserie euen newe good and euil to which the actions of Man must bee wholly leuelled euen to auoid the euill and to obtaine the good And this must be done with such authoritie that the precisenesse of the former course which fitted all actions to the rule of righteousnesse being trodden vnder foote as carrying with it a scrupulous basenesse these actions shall now onely and seriously bēe iudged Good or Euill which are apprehended and proposed by Lust. Let the things supposed good by this fleshly wisedome bee neuer so emptie of goodnesse yea the certaine meanes of miserie yet if this knowledge know them to be good and perswade the will and affections to imbrace them as good Man must mightily imploy himselfe for the attayning of them Accordingly if this new knowledge tell vs that worshipping of stocks murder yea miserie it selfe is good wee are bound to beleeue it yea to runne ouer the whole Countrie and sometimes out of the Countrie for the attayning and execution of such apprehensions of Good and Euill Neither doth this hold only in some men of extrauagant humours but it appeares since the eating of this fruit to bee a generall fruit of that eating For generally mankind is in bondage to this sensuall wisedome generally the liues of men are framed and leuelled thereby and commonly in the course of euery naturall man we shal find some one thing especially proposed as his chiefe good happines the contrary wherof is his chiefe euill and miserie neither of which are such as they be esteemed Yea the sway of this knowledge is so mightie that in many plaine and euident causes of good and euill the poore ruines of reason euen the broken remnants of Gods Image in the soule are put out of countenance and are ashamed to giue vp their verdict wherefore many times by men of vnderstanding for feare or flatterie euill is called good and good euill There are honourable Miseries which Reason plainly sees to bee miseries yet in the Court it is ashamed to call them so There are also glorious Murders which Reason knowes to be very butcheries yet among the lustie sonnes of this lustfull wisedome it is ashamed to say so There is a supposall of a God head or diuine power to dwell in a piece of wood or metall and this Reason sees to bee vanitie yet in some countries Kings bow to such imaginations and the Subiects must doe the same else for want of bowing they shall bee brought to breaking As in these so in infinite other things appeares mans mistaking of good and euill euen the good of
haue set their rest on their Creatour and haue made him the end of their being and the meanes to the end euen a God to rule a Sauiour to redeeme and a happinesse to blesse these arise with the Image of God in their fore-heads God seeth his face in the face of their soules their workes also testifie the same for them These are clothed with pure White the Righteousnesse of Christ and the Righteousnesse of the Spirit with the first the Iustice of GOD is satisfied with the last the Mercie of God is pleased and by the last the first is adiudged to them They haue fed clothed and visited Christ in his hungry naked and imprisoned members these workes are the fruits of Loue and Loue is the fruit of Sanctification and Sanctification is an inseparable companion condition and witnesse of Iustification So by the works of Loue they are proued and approued to bee the sonnes of God who is Loue and if sonnes then also heires if heires they shall for euer dwell in the house of Glorie euen in the presence of God Their right to eternall Glory is by inheritance euen by being heires annexed with Christ but their admittance into their right is by the Euidences and Testimonies of the workes of Holinesse For it is a true Rule That none but the pure in heart can see God and againe None can be pure in heart but he must first be new begotten by God euen a sonne and heire of GOD. And now to these is sounded forth that most blessed voice which openeth the doore of eternall Felicitie a voice that consummateth that Supremest Marriage wherein Man is matched to the highest Essence the chiefest Blisse Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you In this Kingdome the ragged and filthy garment of the body of sinne the diseased infirmities of this sinful bodie the tears of oppression yea all griefe is wiped away And in stead of these Man is infinitely purified sublimated and so fitted for the presence of the highest Being In the Puritie of Holinesse hee is pure without blemish washed from guilt by the bloud of the Lambe and from corruption by the holy Ghost yea there is a new Light as a new Eye plāted in the vnderstanding exceedingly quickened and enlarged to a spacious view of Truth and Glorie Likewise new Vertue anoynteth and bedeweth the Will steeping and seasoning it in a Diuine Nature by which it excellently agreeth in harmonie with the will of God and is holy as hee is holy In the puritie of Substance the Soule shall be highly clarified vntill it be capeable of the vppermost and chiefest Light And the body shall bee lifted vp into a proportion with the Soule for the body shall then bee a spirituall Body euen a Body like a Soule euen so pure shall they both bee that they shall admit into themselues the beames of the Fountaine of Light vntill they bee filled with Light and Glorie God will bee their Sunne and hee will shine into them as into Christall and in his Light they shall haue the fulnesse of Light Then shall the Knowledge of Man ascend into Perfection farre aboue these poore pieced and patched knowledges which we call Arts and Sciences Euen the highest Degree of knowledge which in this mistie time of Ignorance Imperfection iustly holdeth the highest degree of Eminence shall then be the bottome and lownes of this new knowledge and then shall it be knowne that this kind of Learning is of vse much like to that of a Lanthorne It may doe vs seruice in this Night of Mans fall and corruption but in the Orient brightnesse of the Kingdome of Glorie the new light by surmounting it shall make it vselesse yea darken and discountenance it For whereas now wee doe but flutter about the branches and extremities of Wisdome then shall we behold Wisdome in the roote The Glorie and Fabrike of the Creature shall be seene in the Originall euen in the Creatour in whom it was first made within before it was made without In him shall wee reade the Resolution of all profitable vnknowntruths and his Wisdome shall bee a most perfect Oracle instructing all glorified and blessed Soules And with this Wisdome shall we also behold an infinite Treasure of Power and Almightinesse The right Hand and holy Arme of the Omnipotent God shall bee reuealed vnto vs and then shall wee wonder at this Power alone and not at the mightie Wonders which this Power hath done for then shal we plainly see that such Power might well worke such Wonders And while wee view and consider this Power the Power of GOD will point vs to the loue of God For so meane a thing as Man may well bee amazed at so infinite Power and Maiestie but that at once with the power there appeares an infinite Loue which tells the Soule that though Power not matched with Loue be a Terror yet tempred with loue it is the very Safetie Rest and Blisse of Soules beloued For as much power as there is in God so much is God able to blesse those whom hee loues and as much loue as there is in GOD so much willing is hee to blesse those whom by his Power hee is so much able to blesse Thus from Gods Wisdome his Power his Loue and his Light issue continuall obiects and spectacles of Ioy. Yet is not this all of that which cannot all be expressed For this whiles there flowes from the Deitie into the Heart of Man a most pleasant streame of the gladding Spirit wherein is the extremest power vertue of reioycing This is the new Wine of the Kingdome of Heauen which makes the Soule drunken with high comforts raptures and extasies which inward comforts meeting and clasping with outward ioyes fill vp a Man with an excesse of Ioy and Happinesse that he shall be euen swallowed vp and ouer-rauished with Ioy. And yet their Happinesse stinteth not for there is an addition of a most delectable and soule-pleasing Harmonie Harmonie is a chiefe pleasure and the most excellent Harmonie is the chiefest of this chiefe pleasure and the most excellent Harmonie is the chiefest of this chiefe Pleasure and the Harmonie of the most excellent Essences is the most excellent Harmonie and the most excellent Essences are Spirits and the Harmonie of Spirits is in the Kingdom of glory This Musike of Spirits exceedingly exceedeth the Musike of mortall voices yea that chiefe Musike of hearts which between men is called Friendship and betweene Man Wife is called Marriage-Loue is but a counterfeit resemblance and carries but some small rellishes of that Diuine and Celestiall Harmony For in the Quire of Heauen the Saints and Angels euen the blessed Spirits agree in a perfect Vnison of Truth and Loue. Their vnderstandings think one thing their hearts euen their wils loue themselues and their companions with one loue They delight themselues each in other especially all in God For as there is between themselues a perfect consent so there is also a true agreement between these Spirits and the chiefest Spirit which is the very top of pleasure and delight What perfection can be higher then that of the highest Creatour And how can a Creature bee more perfect then when he is consorted tuned to this highest perfection God speaketh to the hearts of these blessed Soules and the hearts of these blessed Soules thinke and vtter thoughts agreeable to the heart of GOD. God that saw his Workes of Creation that they were good and pleased himselfe in their goodnesse Now beholdeth his worke of Blessing and Glorification and reioyceth in the rest ioy which he hath giuen to his Beloued The glorified Soules behold and admire the Goodnesse and Mercie of God that gaue not only the workes of the six daies but the rest of the Seuenth to rebellious dust and sinful ashes In the infinite Loue of God their loue still steepeth and drowneth it selfe and the more it seeth the Loue of God the more it loues God and the more it loues God the more it is beloued And out of the feeling of this surpassing Loue of God breake out those Songs of Ioy and Voyces of Exultation Glory and Honour and Prayse bee to him that sitteth on the throne to the Lamb for euermore And Halleluiah For the Kingdome of the Lord God Almightie is come And Let vs be glad and reioyce and giue Glorie to God for the Marriage of the Lambe is come his Wife is readie and shee is arayed in pure and shining Silke And yet this felicitie is not all but that it may bee as long as it is large and as infinite in continuance as it is in extent there issues from the Deitie into the glorified Soules the sap and nourishment of an eternall Life The Tree of Life nourisheth eternally the branches of the same Tree Death is swallowed vp into victory and it selfe dyeth by the Word which is Life But the Soules partakers of God from him who is Eternall doe sucke Eternitie and so become that Kingdome whereof there is no end And yet this is not all of that inexpressible Felicitie but the greatest and chiefest is yet left in silence for that must needs be greatest which cannot enter into the heart of Man But let the transcendence of that which is vnknowne be a double spurre vnto vs in this Race of Happinesse one because it is transcendent another because vnknowne Let the Eminence prouoke our Ambitions the Secrecie our Curiosities Let vs desire and striue earnestly to enter into that which now by reason of wonderfull excellence cannot enter into vs. Let vs indeuour carefully to walke in the light of Grace which will bring vs to the full Reuelation of the yet inaccessible light of Glorie where Happinesse shall at once bee fully knowne and fully enioyed In the meane time it may be sufficient for me to discouer That the Soules seated in Beatitude passe their time which shall neuer bee past in the very top of Blisse and Delectation They laugh at sorrowes past and are secure for infinite ioyes to come God is theirs and they are Gods and in this Vnitie is the fulnesse of Felicitie FINIS
of knowledge and make them lothe the works that are wrought vnder the Sunne euen to hate life it selfe And as this miserie comes of knowledge being gotten so euen the getting of knowledge is it selfe a miserie for vsually it is acquired by two meanes The one is a vehement and continuall labour of the minde which takes vp one halfe of the life to instruct the other halfe yea many times knowledge is a funeral garment al the life in working worne but the last iourney to the graue A second meanes is an extraordinarie instrument of the soule which is called the drie beame by which the soule seeth most cleerly swiftly and will dicourse out of a present apprehension as soundly as some will doe by much studie and premeditation but we must know that in this case the window of the soule is vsually enlarged by the flaw of the body and the body and minde doe often suffer some indisposition when these beames of the soule are ouer-actiue Hence may we truly ghesse that such greatnesse of wit hath commonly to accompanie it some touch of madnesse or sicknesse And now that wee may giue a conclusion to the poore knowledge of man as before it was conuinced to be a spy for griefe while it beholds the confusion miserie and vanitie of this world so may wee truely say that it can neuer be an Intelligencer of happinesse while it suruaies the beautie and glorie of this world and sends vs newes of them alone For among the varieties of this worlds best most excellent parts knowledge can neuer finde any obiect worthy of the soule of man nothing that may giue it the true happinesse of a soule nor any thing that may lift vp man aboue miserie there to giue him a rest of safetie and perpetuitie yea much rather it sees the soule made a drudge to the bodie and trudging in the errands of corruption wickednesse vanitie and if sometimes shee delight her selfe in her owne light that light is but as the shooting of a star for man eft-soones fals downe into his old station of grosnesse miserie And though sometimes it giues a man some ease in lesser euils and troubles yet is knowledge it selfe vsually astonished with sudden encounters euen in little matters and commonly ouerborne with mightie tempests of greatly-sensible euils Therefore wee may conclude that knowledge rather shewes man that hee is ill then makes him to be well it seemes that some great knowledge hath subiected man to an vnresistable reuolution of miserie from which all lesser knowledges can neuer free him without the helpe of the greater CHAP. VI. The vniuersall vanitie of the World BVt if in all this I had said nothing but that stil in spite of all that hath beene said these and the like master-pieces of the world would of force bestow some happinesse on Man yet herein I cannot choose but to say something that is when deadly sicknesse either casuall or naturall commeth vpon vs When the grinders are weake the keepers tremble and the lookers out by the windowes yea by the windowes of the soule grow darke What can honor riches pleasures or knowledge then confer vnto Man thus buryed in himselfe and vncapable of any outward comfort vpon this consideration that old Man did wisely who refused the pleasures of the Court being inuited to them because his eare did no longer taste the sweetnesse of Musike nor his palate did any longer rellish the sauourinesse of meate The gates of Man are shut vp by which the trade betweene the Soule and the World doth passe to and fro and therefore Man cannot traffick any longer with his old customers of this outward and visible world But now the dregs of life are come to the spending wherin thou shalt confesse that there is nothing but labour and sorrow And if yet I had in this said Nothing because some Philosophers inuented a way to preuent this miserie by ridding themselues of themselues yet this must needes bee something that Death the thaw of all cold and frozen comforts dissolueth both thee and all thy imaginarie felicities into nothing euen into that which such felicities do nothing concerne Surely whatsoeuer titles thou hast inioyed whatsoeuer pleasures thou hast tasted whatsoeuer riches thou hast possessed whatsoeuer plots or inuentions thou hast cōtriued or conceiued Death cuts them wholly from thee or thee from them there is no more relation betweene you neither doe they any longer concerne thee Therefore in regard of all outward things hath there beene a iust out-crie What remayneth to Man of all his works vnder the Sunne The dust of Man hath no feeling nor knowledge of the things of this life neither those things which haue been nor those which are Death hath digested all mans works and concernments into vanitie vvhether hee hath beene poore or rich wise or foolish sad or merrie Yea death is most terrible to them commonly who haue most sought a happinesse in the things of this life and seemes to bee reuenged on them for this their folly error Therefore are the miserable and wretched most familiar with Death and take most pleasure in it for which reason they may seeme to bee happyer then the others For if present ease and pleasure sweeten all former griefe and bitternesse but present griefe and bitternesse doth giue a distaste to al former pleasures then these to whom ease and pleasure are present in the last place haue a recompence and counterpoise to their sorrowes and they to whom griefe and vexation are last of all present feele an extinguishment of their former pleasures and hence it seemes the miserable goe hence in some degree of happinesse the voluptuous in a great degree of wretchednesse Howsoeuer bee what thou wilt O worldling doe what thou wilt thou shalt goe into emptinesse and vanitie thou and thy thoughts shall perish and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remaynes of thee in the world shal be of an equall condition to that mould wherein it is inclosed and the world shall conserue thy dust no more then it doth thy fellow-dust which lyeth next vnto thee CHAP. VII What remaynes of necessitie to be the happinesse of Man NOw the world being thus shut vp and bounded with vanitie there remaynes onely that highest Essence the Cause and Fountayne of all things in whom Man may seeke his happinesse Man is inforced to clime vp aboue this world of vanitie to reach his true felicitie His soule must set vp the ladder of contemplation thereon shee must ascend vp to her Maker to seeke in him a remedie of her miserie an obiect of blessednesse of perpetuitie And surely whither can shee more fitly repaire then to the Source of her being there to receiue a reparation of herill being and an eternitie of well being For hee that made Man is in all probabilitie most able to amend Man when he is mard yea there is none but he can do it Againe God being the Father of Spirits what can
Fountayne of goodnesse the Way to felicitie yea Felicitie it self The Manhood vnited to the Godhead is the Dore of happinesse and the Godhead vnited to the Manhood is Happinesse it selfe The life which in Paradise might haue beene receiued from the Tree of Life is now to bee receiued from that Manhood which is the Bread of Life And hee in whom is the Sabbath will now leade vs vnto the Sabbath which is in himselfe CHAP. IIII. The particular fitnesse of Mans restoring How it freeth him from miserie and in all points possesseth him of happinesse IT hath appeared how Man exchanged that which was his true felicitie but seemed not to be so for that which seemed to bee true felicitie but was indeed true misery Now let vs see againe how he can exchange his miserie for felicitie or rather how God doth it for him For God-in-Man our blessed Restorer hath done all things that may bee required for exchanging wretchednesse into blessednes and whatsoeuer God hath done is most fit yea necessarie for such an exchange To find the perfectnesse of our restauration in some measure let vs consider the miserie which we haue gotten and the excellence and happinesse which wee haue lost In our miserie we may with chiefest sorrow behold a roote of sinne an issue of corruption which being vgly it selfe begets also many sins vgly like it selfe and so altogether they prouoke the wrath and detestation of a pure GOD whereon attend all plagues temporall and eternal Man is the slaue of Wickednesse and Wickednes is the slaue of Iustice Wickednesse commands Man to offend Iustice commands Wickednesse to bee punished Here is the foundation of diseases famines pestilence heart-breaking cares and sorrowes the temporall death of the body and the thousand times more fearefull eternall death both of body and soule For Man being become a Nurserie of wickednesse wickednesse becomes the fuell of wretchednesse And as all these reall and positiue distresses afflict most miserable Man so hath he certayne priuations and absences of that excellence and happinesse wherein and whereunto he was created Hee hath lost the abilitie of doing the dutie of his Creation he hath lost the end and glorie of that duetie For hee hath lost obedience to God and he hath lost the Crowne of that obedience eternal fruition of God his soueraigne felicitie And now when the sore of mankinde was growne to this vastnesse that the whole world could not fit it with an equall plaister GOD who onely made Nature and can onely restore parts of Nature which are cut off and destroyed by his owne right hand and holy arme got himselfe the victorie ouer our miserie God doth put himselfe into the recouerie of mankind and if God be on our side Who can bee against vs for hee that will be against vs must needs be a Creature and therefore inferiour to him who made all things God being vnited to Man hath in himself an infinite store-house of blessednesse infinitely exceeding our miserie and whatsoeuer hee will blesse shall be blessed This blessednesse God imparts vnto Man either by turning bitternesse into sweetnesse euill into good or by taking away the bitter euill and putting the good sweetnes in the stead thereof And first toward the perfecting of this cure God in our Sauiour strikes at the roote of our miserie Sinne is the foundation of miserie our being against God who is holinesse sets God who is also happinesse against vs and after this we neede not to looke for any farther cause of wretchednes Neither is it a sufficient cure to heale vs of our old guilt of sinnes past because we still incurre a new by running into new sinnes because sin by lust hath dominion ouer vs. Therefore the chaines of this slauery vnto sinne must bee broken a sunder as well as the guilt of former sinnes purged Man being cleared from obligation vnto punishment must also be freed from obedience and obligation vnto that which obligeth vnto punishment This therefore our Sauiour vndertaketh and by a most precious Death and Passion satisfies the Iustice of GOD offended with our sinnes and after in a glorious Resurrection ray seth himselfe to a new life free from sinne which tooke away his former life and this free life by the spirit of libertie hee bestoweth on his members thereby discharging them from the slauerie of sinne and consequently of death the effect of sinne And that the Iustice of God might not yet complaine that though the breaches of the Law were satisfied yet the obedience vnto the Law was not fulfilled which was a yoke imposed on mankind by the Iustice of God in the Creation Therefore hee who freeth vs from the guilt of sinne and from the slauerie of sinne performeth also for vs a righteousnesse perfect without sinne that so the Law might clayme nothing of Man which by Man was not acquitted And this Righteousnesse as hee performed through his whole life so in that one action of his Passion he fulfilled a whole and intire Righteousnesse euen the length and breadth of the Law while for the loue of God and Man which is the substance of the Law he laid downe his life euen for the glory of God and the felicitie of Man Neither let the large communicablenes of this his absolute satisfying and bounding of the Law and Iustice of God be questioned much lesse censured by Mans foolish knowledge of good and euill for he who made this satisfaction is equiualent yea infinitely preualent to all mankinde his person is of more dignitie then all our persons and as an ordinarie King is more worth then a thousand of his subiects so this King of Kings is more worth then all the thousands of vs his Creatures And as his Person by reason of the Deitie is of such excellence so are also his actions euen of greater worth then if mankind had ioyned in the performance of them For according to the worth of the person is the worth of the action Now the person of Christ must surmount all creatures in dignitie for the worth of all Creatures floweth from the worth of Christ and the worth that giues worth must needes bee more then the worth giuen But if it be confessed that there is in Christ a sufficient worthinesse but there remaines a doubt how this may bee giuen to another It is answered that vnion makes a communitie the things of persons vnited are common to both by being one If a King marry the daughter of a meane person yet by the vnion of marriage his royaltie is cōmunicated to her by which though before a begger shee must of force become a Queene And now Man being freed from the burden of the Law and from the sinne and sinfulnesse which did sting vs by the Law the punishments which did before attend vpon sinne eyther altogether fall away or cease to be punishments Eternall death is a thing that cannot be made good no more then Darknesse can bee made Light
while it is Darknesse and therefore from the iustified sanctified is that wholly taken away But sorrow sicknesse temporall death and al other outward euils may cease to be euils yea they may bee turned into benefits and indeede are so by the excellence of him that dwelt in vs. But yet our Restorer ceaseth not in a meere deliuerie of vs from positiue euils but he goes farther in his bountie restoreth to vs a certaine abilitie of performing our dutie right of beholding our Creator yea a stabilitiein both which is more then formerly was giuen to Man As he freeth vs from Death so he giueth vs life as hee freeth vs from being disobedient to God so hee giueth vs an obediēce pleasing to God as he payeth for our defacing of Gods Image so he restoreth againe to vs the Image it selfe and finally as he taketh from vs the wrath and terrors of God so hee giues vs the pleasures and happinesse which are in the presence of God for euermore And all these benefits doth our Sauiour giue by one instrument or conueyance and by one action The meanes by which he bestowes and imparts his benefits is his Spirit and the action is Regeneration The Spirit of God is the breath and vertue of the Highest which cōmunicates life power to those whom hee vnites to himselfe euen as the Tree sends sappe into the graffe which it striueth to adopt after a sort and knit vnto it selfe By this Spirit is the vnitie and communitie betweene Christ and his members really performed forby this Spirit Christ liueth in his members and CHRISTS members liue in him Christ partaketh their miseries and takes them on himselfe and Christs members partake his Excellence and all the benefits of his being a Sauiour This Vnion is the knot of blessednesse it is the very graffing into the Tree of Life that which our first Parents lost both by eating and not eating hereby is recouered giuen to vs for by this Vnion we are one with God and GOD is one with vs which is the bond of perfection the action in which the Spirit of God entreth vniting is Regeneration or a new-making by which Man of sinfull and corrupt is made holy according to the Image of his Maker and from a slaue of sinne he is made an obedient sonne of God And now as wee beheld Man before in his miserie let vs behold Man restored to felicitie What euill can wee finde that is not taken away at least from being euill What good can we thinke of that is not supplyed in a greater degree then our thoughts can comprehend And if this bee not the true remedie of our miserie and our true exaltation to happinesse we are all lost for the world can shew vs no better After a supply of obedience to the Law and Iustice of God there is also a Sacrificé and satisfaction for the disobedience against the Law The greatest miserie of eternall death is vtterly taken away The euils of life are turned from punishments into exercises of the Spirit dwelling in vs or into chastisements of the corruption yet remayning with vs so are they benefits and no longer euils For the Spirit which is our life groweth by exercise as bodily strength doth by bodily labour and the sadnesse of the heart many times chasteneth profitably the remayning corruption of the flesh as frost doth the weedes As for corporall death which is commonly feared as the greatest euill it is turned into the greatest benefit For it is a dore both to goe out of this life of wretchednesse and to goe into a life of happines whereof the one is darkesome full of Serpents and hanted with spirits and the other glorious in light full of shining Angels and glorified Saints in Eternall blessednes As a dore in a partition betweene two roomes so is death between two liues it no sooner lets vs out of the one but it lets vs into the other so that we doe not so much goe out of life as go into Life for that onely deserues the name of life which is full of happinesse and that in perpetuitie and not that which is filled with miseries and whose speciall commendation is breuitie Therefore let it be farre from vs from henceforth to call that euil which deliuereth vs from miserie into felicitie Moreouer whereas we were in a continuall slauerie vnto corruption euen to that false knowledge of good and euill by which also we were obedient slaues vnto the Deuill the master and teacher of this knowledge Now that authoritie and command of corrupt and fleshly wisedome is broken downe foolishnesse sinne and the Serpent haue no longer dominion ouer vs neither are we at the direction of Lust to know and to doe onely what it teacheth and approueth Euils being thus altered and taken away from Man wee may also behold Man placed in his dutie which first and still is his way to happinesse Accordingly one and the same Spirit breatheth holinesse breatheth life and in the same seede whereby the Image of God isrenewed the life of God is communicated and by one new birth we are sons that is cōformable to God and Heires of God Thus are we most blessedly changed our miseries are cast behind our backs wee are placed in the path of dutie and therein we walke on to happinesse which stands as a marke before vs and here let vs settle our foot let vs fasten our steps in this path chalked out by the Spirit for the Spirit will both defend vs in this way and at last bring vs to the wayes end which is eternall felicitie In this path of the Spirit is perpetuall safetie and protection the Serpent cannot bite vs and if he doe bite his venom is turned into a medicine so that hee doth rather heale then poison For the Spirit is more good then any thing is euill it will sanctifie and blesse whatsoeuer befalleth vs and the malice of euils inflicted on vs is cured and made wholesome by the soueraign Spirit which dwelleth in vs. But perchance it will bee asked Why these seeming euils be not wholly taken away as well as altered it being better to the iudgement of Man that there were nothing bitter then that there should be a bitternesse though recompensed with sweetnesse Againe it may be asked why the remnant of corruption is so grent in Man that it leadeth Man captiue often to do that which he would not and the power of the Spirit is in so small a degree that hee cannot doe that which hee would To these and the like questions if the will of the Restorer were brought for an answere it might stand for an answere sufficient For it being Gods meere mercy to restore vs who can require him to shew vndeserued mercy in any other māner or degree then himselfe shall please But yet wee haue other reasons giuen one is that this place of our present being hauing been ouerthrowne made accursed by the fall of
but God but willeth and desireth him as the onely felicitie when the will toward the attaynment of this felicitie dependeth trusteth and leaneth on no other meanes but Christ Iesus but on Christ it resteth fully as the onely Mediator of happinesse when the will toward the attaynment of Christ and the vertues of his mediation yeeldeth it selfe vp to no other humane inuention but fully and wholly surrenders it selfe to the holy Ghost regenerating newbegetting then is Christ sealed in thy heart hee is come into thee and his feet tread on the very bottome of thy soule Thou hast taken vp thy rest in him and hee hath taken vp his rest in thee and this is the inward Sabbath of this life and an earnest beginning of the eternall Sabbath Accordingly hee calls out vnto Man My sonne giue mee thy heart for in the hearts of men is the Throne of his Kingdome and except hee raigne in our hearts wee cannot raigne in his glorie Thy knowledge of God in Christ must not bee dead but effectuall and working and the worke thereof must be the kindling of a seruent loue dependance and affiance in thy will and affections Thy will againe must worke by this dependance and loue and the worke thereof must be a dedication and resignation of all vnto God in Christ taking possession of thee by the Spirit Till thou commest to this point thou art short of happinesse For this is the Centre of descending to the Spirit of Christ and in the very ground of the hart doth the Spirit onely fasten his rootes Wherefore giue the inmost of thy heart to the Spirit of blessednes and know that in giuing thou dost rather receiue then giue For thy gift is but the gift of a sinfull heart that which belongeth to it and serueth it But thy receit is the receit of the Spirit of Life Ioy eternal Wherefore it concernes thee not to be niggardly to thy own soule for as much of thy soule as thou keepest so much of it thou losest and as much as thou giuest so much dost thou crowne with happines Thou maist perchance thinke it inough to beleeue he is thine but if thou haue no better warrant then such a thought hee may not bee thine For thou beleeuest that hee is thine too soone if thou beleeuest it before this worke of faith hath in some measure wrought home vpon thee It is not a rash presumption nor a bare thought that can snatch at Christ make him thine it must cost thee thy selfe before thou haue him The getting of Christ is by the way of traffike thou must not thinke wholly to gaine vpon him but as much as wee would haue him to bee ours so much must wee striue to yeeld our selues to bee his CHRISTS Kingdome is a Kingdome of power and hee will enter into thee as a King of power and it is not a bare imagination that makes way for this Kingdome but an affiance of the heart which actually and effectually surrenders vs vp to his Scepter and Rule Therefore the best way is hereby to get him first into thee and after to beleeue he is thine Many haue lost Christ because not hauing him they thought they had him For they sought not him whom they thought they had and so lost him who is found by seeking But on the other side if thou hast felt the depth of this faith though in a narrow breadth know that Christ is thine for whom thou hast ceased to be thine owne As much as thou hast gone out of thy selfe to possesse him so much hath he entred into thee to posesse thee so much as thou leauest to Christ yeeldest thy selfe to the renew ing of his Spirit so much dost thou knit Christ vnto thee and so much thou drawest yea suckest his Spirit into the innermost part of thy soule Hee who is Goodnesse it selfe and dyed for vs when we were sinners cannot restraine his Spirit from vs when with a full trust wee haue cast our selues wholly vpon him and with a whole resignation haue giuen vp our selues fully vnto him Hee who is Loue cannot resist loue but hee is ouercome and taken by the feruour of our hungrie and thirstie soules giues vs to drinke freely of the waters of Life Christ is the Phisician of our soules and to be cured by him we must deale with him as with a Phisician Now to be cured by a Phisician it is not inough only to beleeue that the Phisician can cure vs nor that hee will cure vs but this confidence in the Phisician must worke in vs a willingnesse and resolution to take and admit his receits by which he may cure vs. Euen so it is betweene Christ and our sicke soules it is not inough barely to think that Christ can cure vs or that hee will cure vs but our beliefe must open the mouth of our soules to receiue his medicines giuen vs in the Cup of saluation This Cup of saluation is the Spirit by which he communicates to vs his Redemption his Holinesse his Eternitie Therefore must we so belieue that we receiue Christ for such onely as receiue him haue the prerogatiue to bee the sonnes of God so must we beleeue that we bee baptized with the holy Ghost for those onely who are so baptized shall bee saued And if we thus beleeue hee who neuer sent away any vncured of their corporall infirmities that sought him here on earth surely hee will not denie his sauing health to any beleeuing soule that thus heartily thirsts after him sitting in heauen For the spirituall phisicke was Christs truest most proper profession and the cure of bodies was especially to draw our faith thereby to behold beleeue receiue his cure of soules Therefore especially yee sicke soules bee of good comfort for you the Master calleth especially But when yee come to him remember that yee desire to bee cured of the whole spirituall maladie euen of sin and of sinfulnesse of the corruption of sinne as well as of the guilt and miserie that follow it For Christ will enter into none to cure the death of sin but withall hee will giue death vnto sinne neither will he by his Spirit giue any one the Life of glorie to whom by the same Spirit hee doth not first giue the life of Pietie CHAP. II. How a Man may get this facultie which vniteth Man to God BVt Man is brutish and sensuall both in vnderstanding will and so it is impossible for him while he is such to discerne a spirituall happinesse and the meanes of attayning it and much more hard it is to esteeme and loue the one or other Hee beleeues that which hee sees he loues that which he tastes and feeles but his grosse palate doth not rellish this celestiall and vnpalpable happines Therefore Man must bee lifted vp aboue this low estate of sensuall and carnall knowledge and to effect this there needes a second hand of the first
miserie but not to this end onely to terrifie thee but that by terrifying it may make thee runne a-pace from miserie to felicitie Wherefore take courage and come with mee profitably to behold the countenance of miserie which as heretofore hath beene mentioned presents it selfe in a double aspect the miserie of corruption and the miserie of punishment inflicted on this corruption To discouer thy corruption thou shalt finde a strict and seuere Law the Counter-pane whereof is placed in thine owne heart and when thou comparest thy actions with this Law thou canst not choose but say thou art a Creature falne from the dutie of thy Creation for ill doe thy actions become him whom the Creator hath appointed to bee his seruant and the Lord of the World Now if thy deedes bee so vnrighteous in the sight of thy Maker how must not that highest Lord be displeased exceedingly with these lower Lords when hee seeth his perfection and Iustice crossed and contraryed with their imperfection iniustice when hee seeth his Creatures hyred by so many inestimable benefits only to doe him the seruice of Righteousnesse which is a thing of it selfe to bee loued to renounce their allegeance yea to rebell against their Creator with a course of opposition and to loue wickednesse more then a bountifull God commanding Righteousnesse Surely the wrath of the Almightie must needes smoke against such Traytors and rebellious Runnagates And if the Lyon rore how shall not the Beasts of the Forrests bee afraid Hence therefore the miserie of our corruption leades vs to the consideration of the miserie of punishment And that there is such a connexion betweene sinne punishment reason experience Gods owne Word do teach vs. Reason tells vs that hee who hath brought this great frame to an vnitie consisting of disagreeing parts by proportiō weight and measure is himselfe a God of Wisedome Order and Proportion And if he bee such hee must needes expect that Creatures of Reason Vnderstanding should also obserue Order Iustice and Righteousnesse For to say the truth as by this harmonie the Word was founded so by the same is it still preserued But if these Creatures which haue in them a power of resembling pleasing their Maker crosse him with a crosse of contrarie actions it must needes be expected that the Lord being crossed by his seruants in disobedience must also crosse them in punishment and being mightily inraged hee will returne the malice of their owne works on their owne heads Now wee know as the person is so is his wrath and as the wrath is so is the punishment An infinite person an infinite Wrath and an infinite punishment The very instincts of decayed Nature haue inspired the acknowledgement hereof into the terrifyed hearts of guiltie selfe-accusing Heathens who not knowing God but by the knowledge of nature yet because of their wicked liues vpon the hearing of thunder and tempests haue feared and shunned the furie of an Omnipotent Iustice. But now I shall little need to tell thee what experience hath already taught thee For I doubt not but to most that consider the life of Man it hath appeared that the mayne course of humane life is a connexion or succession of vnrighteousnesse and wretchednesse Man liueth as out of the sight of his Maker and Man liueth as out of the cherishing and fostering of his Maker being generally thrust out vnto a warre against brambles and bryers against the barrennesse and staruednesse of a cursed earth which he must resist and ouer-come with the sweat of his browes Yea each man eateth other men though not with the teeth of the body yet with the iawes of a fraudulent ouer-reaching and violent soule And yet there are further miseries wayting vpon Mischiefe for besides visible and palpable examples of sudden iustice executed and sent from heauen vpon diuers eminent and outragious crimes wee see in generall that this sinfull life at the best is but wise vanitie pleasant vanitie or glorious vanitie and at the worst vexation of spirit vexation of body losse of goods and losse of friends Yea Man is but a piece of reasonable miserie He hath reason to fore-see miserie and so to take it to his hart when reason cannot preuent it reason to fore-see death but not to auoid it For as sure as wickednesse is present so sure shal death be present for death and sinne wee see daily are in euery Man vnseparable Now the combining of sin and miserie in this bodily life for this life concernes the body most the soule least and so doth the misery of this life points our expectation to another life euen that there shall bee a pursuit of punishment after sinne in that life which is most proper to the soule that then the bodily miseries of this life shall bee seconded with spirituall torments But if we leaue these darker characters of reason and experience and come to diuine Reuelations there wee may reade running the fall and miserie of Man And these before are described out of the same holy Writings but here again they must be considered by the Learner of the doctrine of happinesse that by the full search and tenting of his miserie his miserie may be cured Briefly therefore to speake what hath beene spoken hee shall finde in Gods Word that wickednesse and sinne is the transgression of the Law that the Law being transgressed and offended is the ministerie of death That this death is both of soule and body in an eternall darkenesse absence from God who is Light yea in an eternall suffering of the fire of the wrath of God For Gods wrath is a Worme a Fire euer feeding on the tormented soules and bodies of disobedient wicked and sinfull men And now when thou hast found thy selfe a sinner and findest also the terror wrath of God against sinners I know thou canst not chuse but thinke thy selfe awhile the child of death and thy estate fearefull Thou wilt cry Wo is mee a man of sorrow and Wretched man that I am and call thy body a body of death But as I told thee before this terror is but thy way and not thy wayes end It is but thy entrance into happinesse yea it is thy aduancement vnto happinesse For the burthen of thy miserie will moue thee to seeke for one to ease and refresh thee The bitternes of thy wretchednesse will make thee more comfortably to rellish the sweetnesse of a Sauiour and the fearefulnesse of the Valley of death will make thee more stedfastly to list vp thy eies to the Hil of God from whence commeth thy saluation And surely this fruit of Humilitie doth God expect before he will exalt Hee will haue vs confesse our miserie to be fearefull and desperate in it selfe he will haue vs to feele it to bee a burthen intolerable we must tell him in wordes and deedes that we are weary and ouer-heauy laden and then is it for his glorie to helpe
if he vse long delay in the grant of thy Petition thereby hee teacheth thee the worth of his gift and demands of thee a large price of earnest and continuall prayer Surely we make no ill bargaine if with the Prayers of a whole temporall life wee obtayne that which is to be inioyed by a life Eternall Therefore bee not weary of continuance in seeking for whiles thereby thou acknowledgest the great worth of that which thou seekest and thine owne great neede of the bountie and supply of thy Creator God that takes pleasure in this acknowledgement of thy prayers will grant what pleasing acceptable prayers doe request of him And indeede where canst thou in thy wants better bestow thy thoughts and whither wouldest thou turne them from God since our helpe standeth only in the Name of the Lord and there is none but God that heareth and granteth prayers In GOD alone is the Sabbath and rest of our soules battered with necessities cares and temptations And therfore God inuited vs by his Apostle to take cares and sorrowes out of our owne hearts and to lay them in his hands for he careth for vs himselfe Surely if with the King of Iudah before the Arke of Gods presence we vnfold the letters of defiance which the infernall enemie sends vs in his firie temptations if with the same King being neere vnto death especiall the death spirituall we morne before God as Doues and lift vp our eyes to him on high no doubt but he that dwelleth on high will send downe his Angels of deliuerance to rebuke Satan to chase him away into the deepe and will also send the Spirit of life to adde life vnto our decaying life And though prayers of length and continuance doe not worke meerely by their length yet are they powerfull by another meanes For God being a Spirit hath professed himselfe to bee pleased by the seruice of the Spirit and the more seruice of the Spirit the more GOD is pleased So while in the length and continuance of Prayer much of the Spirit is powred out there is much acceptation of the same with God who is greatly delighted with spirituall sacrifices And as much Spirit in continued prayer is powerfull with GOD so much Spirit vented and darted forth euen in one petition is forcible with the same God God suffers himselfe to be ouercome by the feruencie of the Spirit whether by degrees vttering it selfe or all at once SALOMON in a long Prayer and the Publican in a short were both heard the Publican shooting forth the whole strength of his soule in one petition which SALOMON dispersed into many But in the length of our prayers let vs remember this that the Spirit is the wingednes of Prayer by which it pierceth the heauens and it is no longer prayer but babbling when some measure of the Spirit doth not expresse it selfe therein Now wee know that we pray in the Spirit so long as by the light thereof wee behold God in Christ to whom we pray and the fitnesse and necessitie of the things for which we pray and by the feruencie thereof wee earnestly desire and thirst after the things wee pray for I must needes confesse that some-times the Spirit of prayer supplication doth hide and withdraw it selfe so that we cannot perfectly fulfill all these parts but then let vs lament our own dulnesse and pray or at least grone some grone of the Spirit for the Spirit of prayer let vs bee earnest with God that he will open our lips that our mouth may speake to his praise wee shall seldome depart without a blessing And if God yet delaies vs for hee seldome finally denies vs let vs cast vp short eiaculations desiring God to accept our desires to pray and to giue vs those things which hee knowes to bee best which our hearts do implicitly pray for though not openly and finally to forgiue vs our dulnesse and to heare Christ Iesus praying for vs. But in the shortnesse of prayer let vs take heed that we doe it not out of idlenesse or neglect of God as if God were not worthy of more labour or prayer were a thing of little profit or value but let such short Petitions bee vented forth either by reason of impotency in prayer or vpon a fulnesse of the heart by reason of some incident meditation or because of our shame and confusion of face for some lothsome sinne when with the Publican we be ashamed to lift vp our eyes to heauen and to enter into a sudden familiaritie with God being so newly polluted and hauing so lately offended him and then it may bee in stead of prayer with PETER to weepe bitterly for GOD heareth the voyce of PETERS teares aswell as of ABELS bloud and anon to cast forth Lord be mercifull to me a sinner I know GOD forgiueth at once yet the comfort of that which hee doth at once must wee receiue by degrees and wee must not too suddenly leap out from the sorrow for sin into the comfort of Gods promises but with MIRIAM wee must for a certayne time and that proportionably greater or lesse according to the measure of the sinne I say wee must beare the shame of offending so high a Maiestie and by vndergoing some burthen punishment of sorrow acknowledge the weight of sinne make sinne lothsome to vs and feele it burthensome and intolerable and being armed to this point that voice of Christ is then both sweetest and fittest to be heard Come vnto me ye heauy laden and I will refresh you DAVID hauing his pardon pronounced by the Prophet yet after he ceaseth not to feele the lothsomnes of his sinne and in the 51. Psalme prayeth that his sin may bee pardoned and his iniquity purged that which was at once done in heauen he desires with time to feele more sealed and imparted to him on earth Lastly such may vse short prayer to whom bodily infirmitie alloweth not the bent of long meditation of such GOD requires according to that they haue and not according to that they haue not and to them a short Petition may bee accepted for a long Prayer yea a sigh of the Spirit may bee like a Diamond of great value though it lye in a little roome But ordinarily let vs thinke it best to imitate the ancient Saints who haue worshipped God in a continuing and combined forme of prayer the patternes whereof are often to bee found in the Word of life And as our prayers must be continual so stil let vs striue to make them earnest seruent and vehement that it may still appeare vnto God that wee haue an earnest desire to bee heard Otherwise coldnesse in asking may wel deserue coldnesse in granting and since giuing is more then asking that which doth not merit the lesser how may wee think it should procure the greater Againe God himselfe by the Parable of the vniust Iudge like SAMSON hath shewed vs how hee may be bound for he hath
For how can a Creator continue his bountie when hee sees his Creature doth onely make vse of him that he sorues his owne turne vpon him and makes himself the end of God and not God the end of himselfe Therefore euenholy HEZEKIAH while he is more carefull to shew the glorie of his Treasures to the Heathen Ambassadors then to giue glorie to God for his health by which he inioyed them the treasures must bee carried away to the same Babylon whose Ambassadors he had intertayned with the sight of them The heart of man being filled with blessings must not bee lifted vp within it selfe but it must bee lifted vp with praise and thankfulnesse to the Authour of those blessings Therefore hauing receiued some Talents of grace let vs returne vnto God some other Talents of glorie and then to vs by whom hee receiues aduantage shall more bee giuen but if otherwise that which wee haue shall be taken away God hath put al things in order to himselfe and vpon this order the God of order rayneth his blessings If then wee will bee vnder his blessings we must be vnder this order wee must looke towards him glorifying praising if wee will haue him looke towards vs blessing sanctifying Therefore in summe Let vs pray continually and feruently and in al things giue thanks which is the will of God in Christ Iesus towards vs. If wee conclude our Psalme 33. with Prayer Let thy mercy and grace bee multiplied vpon vs as we trust in thee let vs begin it with thankfulnesse Reioyce in the Lord O ye righteous for it becommeth vpright men to bee thankefull For if thus Psal. 66. we call to him with our mouth and also exalt him with our tongue God will heare vs and will consider our prayer wee shall againe praise God who doth not put backe our prayer nor his mercy from vs. CHAP. VII Of Meditation ANother speciall preseruatiue and restauratiue of the Spirit is Meditation Hereby the beames of the heauenly Spirit are contracted into a point vpon the soule as the beames of the Sunne by a Cristall whereby the light and heate of grace are increased and multiplied into a spirituall Fire The soule goeth in from the flesh into the Spirit and bathing and anoynting her selfe in that Oile of gladnes shee sharpneth her sight and quickneth her might becomes much abler to see into heauen to see into her selfe to see and iudge the things on earth Hereby she groweth in the knowledge acquaintance of her soueraign Good hereby she takes out Lessons of a comfortable departing out of this world of vanitie vnto her Citie of blessednes and hereby shee iudgeth best of her own fitnesse for that happy voyage And hauing iudged her selfe in Meditation by the same she studies to increase that which is right in her through the remembrance of profitable motiues and documents heard read or conceiued and shee indeuoureth to cast away all that presseth downe and whatsoeuer sinne hinders by cleauing on too fast If we would speak of the subiect of Meditation wee might name all that is for al things haue in them some profitable doctrine and are Teachers of the glorie of their Creator But if we aske for the chiefest Matter and that which is most aduantageable to the Citizens of the New Ierusalem which is our present businesse Then let the soule flye vp from this place of miserie and take vp her rest in her only Rest. Let her thoughts bee on her happinesse and the way vnto it and let that be her chief meditation which is her chiefe concernment And that shee may draw neerer vnto happinesse by the wings of an inflamed affection Let her consider the beautie of the highest Essence let her thinke vpon a glorie creating and vncreated let her thinke on the Light of that Light which darkneth and shaddoweth the Sunne when shee hath thus thought let her know the glorie happinesse which shee shall inioy is more beyond her highest imagination then imagination can be beyond any thing which is seene Let vs also consider what God hath beene and is to vs as well as what hee is in himselfe and to this end let vs cast our inward eye on the great loue of him who is both our Fountaine and Felicitie our Beginning and End Let vs consider how great things this infinite loue hath done for vs from how great a miserie hee hath translated vs to make vs partakers and intoyers of himselfe and by the greatnesse of the effects let vs ghesse at the infinitenesse of the Cause There is nothing greater then Himselfe and this greatest Himselfe hath he giuen to Man by a wonderfull and mysterious Incarnation Hee hath also giuen the Bloud and Life of this incarnate Deitie to ransome vs the slaues bondmen of guilt and punishment from eternal death He hath giuen vs also his most pure sacred Spirit to purge the most lothsom corruption of our lustfull generation He hath giuen vs infinite blessings of this life and all these that we might serue him in holinesse without the feare of our enemies and hereafter may inioy him in that Kingdome wherein wee shall triumph ouer these enemies But hauing waighed though the weake ballances of our vnderstandings bee far vnable to beare and containe the exceeding weight of this infinite loue of God then let vs consider how wee ought to answer this loue with loue his mercies by thankfulnes and obedience And when we haue found out our dutie then let vs examine our performance euen whether the goodnesse of God hath had a perfect working vpon vs and hath brought forth fruits answerable to it and whether we haue sufficiently yeelded vp our selues vnto God in his blessed work of making vs blessed And herein let vs rippe vp our soules euen the very bowels of our consciences and let vs tent the bottome of our hearts to feele what is sound and what vnsound in them that the sound parts may be cherished and the vnsound healed If wee see any sparke of the Spirit let vs kindle it into a fire let the infinitenesse of that loue which is our patterne draw vs on by imitation to a continual inlargement of our loue and of the fruit of loue obedience If by Meditation we taste the sweetnesse of God in the Spirit dwelling in vs Let vs thirst afresh for the liuing GOD who the more he is thirsted after the more hee giues of the waters of Life So shall thirst increase that which satisfies thirst and the satisfying of the thirst shall increase our thirst that so the satisfaction may still increase The Riuer of Regeneration points vs to the Ocean of Regeneration euen the Spirit within vs vnto the great Spirit aboue vs. From him it confesseth that it commeth to him it desires to returne that so it may come larger from him then it returned to him But if by the inquest of our meditation wee finde that some rebellious
aspiring sinne hath assayed and vndertaken the conquest and death of the Spirit And on the other side we finde the Spirit grieued yea fainting and gasping for life Let the soule and all the powers thereof rise vp in armes for the suppressing of the body of death and for the rescuing of life Eternall Not a common fire but the fire of Hell hath feized not vpon our common houses but vpon the Temples of the holy Ghost what haste or care can be great inough to rescue such vnualuable habitations from so abominable a desolation Let vs run therefore and that speedily into the water of Baptisme to quench the firie darts of Satan let vs steepe our soules therein vntil the flame of sinne bee extinguished our soules washed cleane restored to their former beautie yea made fairer then before For euen by sins may the Spirit take occasion to increase grace though not by the nature of sinnes but by the soueraignty of that Spirit which powerful aboue all things turneth all things to his owne aduantage of sinnes maketh a plaister against sinne and by falls makes vs more safe from falling The mightie Spirit of God is as powerfull as ouer when with AARONS rod wee bee changed into serpents God can turne vs againe into rods bearing blossoms and fruit But that we faile not in this precious Art which turnes Scorpions into medicines and iudgement in to mercy Let vs obserue the true rules of iust proceeding And first sitting downe in the Court of Meditation let the sin which hath laid violent hands on the Spirit bee brought before our consideration euen in the vglinesse thereof Let it appeare iust as it is ragged putrifide and lothsome without the couering of Fig-leaues euen of partiall and deceitfull pretences Now that we may the more carefully view and iudge our sinne let vs remember that this Iudgement is the Iudgement of God and not of Man wee sit as in Gods place to iudge our selues that God may not haue neede to sit himselfe in iudgement vpon vs. For if we doe not iudge our selues well God will come himselfe to iudge vs better he will by his punishments set our sinnes in order before vs and his punishments will be double One for the sinnes which wee haue committed another for the partiall and corrupt iudgement of the same sins Wherefore without shewing mercy on these Cananites which shew crueltie to vs by being thornes in our sides pricking vs vnto death let vs take our sinnes and strip them starke naked that euery part and circumstance of them may appear Hauing done this let vs in one sight euen in a view of comparison at once behold the purenesse and holinesse of our Maker expressed in his Law ioyning therewith the infinite loue which hath powred it selfe out vpon vs in his inestimable benefits And euen then let vs also look on our deformed sins so contrarie to his puritie and on our selues offending by those sinnes against so great a Goodnesse And when we thus haue seene so pure and so gracious a Creator and withall behold so impure vngratefull and rebellious creatures how can the soule chuse but flie into her owne face to teare herselfe in pieces for disobeying the voice and crossing the goodnes of a most pure and bountifull God The sinne being compared to the Law will appeare crooked and full of deformitie it will be called foolishnes and filthinesse because it transgresseth the Lawe of the highest wisdome and puritie In summe the Soule in zeale indignation and reuenge will pronounce iudgment against her selfe and her accomplice the body she will pronounce the body worthy of smart and punishment eternall and in testimony that she beleeues what she saies she will perchance chastise him with mourning fasting and aspetity which also may bee profitable to this end that the sinfull body tasting some degree of his owne deseruings may loath that sin which deserued to feele without end and measure the punishment which she for a season only and in measure inflicteth on it And on her selfe will shee likewise powre forth iudgement That she who was made to the Image of God and should haue guided her selfe and the body according to that Image for forsaking her function hath deserued to lose both the Image of God and the sight of God for euermore She iudgeth her selfe worthy to passe from the darknes of sinne vnto the darknes of punishment and eternall horrour And in testimony hereof she sets the Vnderstanding Will and Affections against themselues to accuse vpbrayd and lothe their owne filthines so that the soule which hath doomed her selfe to deserue eternall trouble ratifies her sentence on her selfe by a selfe-vexation But is this the end of Iudgement that soules may therby despaire and dye No surely But this humiliation and Prostration is the foote of the valley which they must descend into that will ascend to the height of the Mountaine of God We are the sonnes of death and to vs is appointed a space to abide in the valley of death That is our naturall and first walke and in it must we doe the homage of our naturall condition before we may comfortably looke vp to the bills from whence commeth our saluation In summe God wil haue our miserie consequently our neede of a Sauiour acknowledged before a Sauiour shall be imparted But hauing condemned our selues and our sinnes euen to the pit of hell and being as sicke of sorrow as we are of sinne then may we hopefully go to the Phisicion of our soules who came into the world only to cure the sicke and to giue them only Light who sit in darknes and the shadow of death Behold thou selfe-iudgeing and selfe-condemning Soule thou hast preuented the Iudge of the world thou hast done vpon thy selfe his worke of Iustice and hast left him nothing to doe but this worke of Mercie Accordingly hee offers thee the waters of Baptisme which are the waters of Life Wash and bee cleane And that thou mayest know how to wash vnto cleannesse know and consider the diuers conditions of thy filthines and the diuers operations of this Water proportionable to that diuers condition that so to thy seuerall kinde of defiling thou mayest fit a seuerall kinde of washing In thy sin thou hast contracted thy olde contrariety vnto God thou hast brought backe the flesh vpon the soule thou hast for the time healed vp the cut of Circumcision and art become one with thy flesh from which by Regeneration thou wert diuorced So by touching this Pitch is there come vpon thy soule a spot of thy old corruption and to this is added the guilt of a sinne which hath proceeded from this corruption So art thou in a double disease thou art defiled by the touch of thy flesh and thou are arrested seized by guilt the fruite of Sinne the fruit of the flesh Thou art filthy and thou art guiltie Now in the water of Baptisme there is also a double vertue fitted for