it is Recorded in Sacred Scripture to be A Natural Tree Planted by God in Paradise And of such A Nature That whosoever did Eat of it should have their Eyes opened against themselves and so to be made As Gods To know Good and Evil It may be God would Admonish Adam both Inwardly and Outwardly of what He did Inwardly and in His Heart either Forbid or Teach him That He would likewise for the greater Evidence Set before His Outward eyes But I desire withall that they will grant This that What was Outwardly done The Same also happened Inwardly in the heart of Adam That he was there Tempted by the SEED of the Serpent To make some Account and Reckoning of his own Wisdom Will and Nature and not to Submit Himself unto God As Void of all Name Knowledge or Work But to be SOMETHING of himself And There are Two Causes that move me to think so The First is this Because the Promise is That the seed of the Woman should Bruise the Head of the Serpent Now We read of no Natural or Living Serpent whose head was so Bruised by that Seed Therefore say I As the Spiritual Seed of the Woman was in Adams Heart So likewise was the Serpents Seed For Man indeed was made Good Not of the Substance of God But out f Nothing And therefore He Alwayes Turns Himself from God and Inclineth to His own NOTHING and Vanity For I call The Devil Sin Death and Hell NOTHING As many of the Ancient Fathers have done and especially Taulerus For God Never Created Them But they are A NON-ENTITY A NOT-BEING which is Contrary And Perfectly oposite to ENTITY and BEING And Peradventure this was the Devil that dwelt in Adam and Seduced Him As well as in Lucifer The other Cause is this That the Scriptures likewise Witness That The City of God And The Heavenly Ierusalem and The Kingdom of God is a Paradise Within Us And further that God and His Almighty Word Is Our Paradise The Tree of Life The Temple Where we Dwell Walk Sacrifice and Pray As we likewise are His Temple and Paradise And That The BEAST Spoken of in the Revelation Which the Whole World Great and Smal Do At This Day Worship in their Hearts As likewise The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is Within Us. For All the Whole Exterior World or Whatsoever either is Or is done Outwardly are but Onely An Accident and A Figure Signifying The Truth of the thing And The Internal Nature And therefore There is Nothing True of whatsoever is Seen with our Eyes For the Figure and Fashion of this world must pass away and Perish As being Nothing else but a certain Imaginary world And The Figure of the World That is True Right Eternal and subsisting of it Self Consequently all things which in the Bible were done Externally and Signifyingly must again be done and again brought to pass After their Manner And All the History of the Bible All Moses and the Prophets and in Summe the Whole Scriptures Do To This Day Stand in Force And are Continually Accomplished and Fulfilled Internally and Spiritually All things are By Christ Translated into the Truth And it must needs be That All the Prophesies which God spake From the beginning of the world by the Mouth of his Holy Ones must still be Called back Reiterated or Done over again therefore that Shadow or that Tree Was and is Nothing else in the Truth But the Nature Will Knowledge and Life of Adam Of This He should not Have Eaten This He should not have Ascribed or Arrogated To Himself But Rather To be Free and Freely Subject To God and not to have Known anything But What God Knew In Him Nor to have Done any thing But What God Did in Him Nor to have spoken any thing But What God Spake in Him and so forth in the rest To the End That God Without any Impediment Might have Exercised His Almighty Kingdom Will Nature and Power In Him But Himself should have been utterly Void of all Knowledge Will or Nature And not have Arrogated any of These As Proper to Himself This Pleased God This was That Which He Commanded And what He would have had Done To this Interpretation agreeth GERMANE DIVINITY which Resolves That this Tree in the substance thereof is Nothing else But our Own Will and Knowledge of which Alone In all the Earthy Paradise of this Wide World of our Hearts We Ought not to Eat But to Account it as Forbidden Except we will also Eat of Death and Destruction Now then As soon as Adam Fell and did Eat of This Tree The TREE was Immediately Planted in His Mind And afterward Derived into All the Branches and Fruits thereof So that As the Same Word Precept and Forbidding was Common to all So is The same Fall All We which are In Adam Have now Eaten of Death and haue Received from the Serpent This Undigested Poyson Of an ill Bird an ill Egge Hence it may easily be perceived How Every Man is His Own Greatest Enemy And what he ought to think of Himself Of his Own Will Understanding Wisdom and Knowledge Seeing it is the Counsel Seed Wisdom Knowledge and Head of the Serpent Which must By Christ be Bruised In us I say it must needs be That As in the Old Testament was Signified by Circumcision and in the New One by Baptisme All things which we have By Nature and Inheritance from Adam Must Dye That we may Unlearn and Put off All Things Even as we would do The Devil And Death it self viz. Our own Will Prudence Wisdom and Righteousness Wherewith as with Figleaves Our Adam doth Vainly seek to Hide Himself For that is SIN and the Sting of Death Namely To Eat of This Tree And to Arrogate to a Mans Self His own Wisdom Providence Will Nature or Himself But Alas for Woe Who knowes This Who thinks of it Who is it That is Displeased with his Own Will Understanding or Wisdom Oh when shall we forsake them Every Man Delights Himself In His Own Will and Recreates His Mind Sweetly and Contentedly therein Reposing upon His Own Knowledge Understanding and the like The Tree is Fair to be looked upon and Sweet to be Tasted and therefore All Mortal Men do Greedily Swallow and Devoure Death as Adam did But This is the Misery No Man knoweth it No Man thinketh of it But Judgeth it to be Good And All flesh thinks Assuredly That This Is The Tree of Life Even To follow their Own Wills And their Own Conceit and opinion of Good which indeed is false As to Know Much to Learn Much to discern Many Sciences And in sum To become Gods And in the mean time They are not Aware That This is Adams Fall His Biting of the Apple Yea His Bitter Death It Self Continually do we speak of This Miserable Adam and of His Fall and never Take notice that the Same is done In us We Talk of His Eating and detest
it and Him for it And yet WE Continually Eat as well as He. O MAN VVho art Thou That dost so Prepare A Rod foâ— thine Oâ—n Back and givest Sentence against thine Own Life In Condemning Thy first Father Adam and Pereeivest not That thou art First in the Same Trap Here then Consider Diligently VVhat OUR Will Knowledge and Understanding is Whereof we Boast so much And wherewith we Think we may Come into the Presence of God VVhereas Indeed It is Nothing But The Bitterness of Death And The Fruit of the Forbidden Tree VVho is there Among ALL Living Men That Perceiveth This Or will Learn To put Off Deny Fear and Mortifie or Kill His Own VVill and VVisdom Nay rather VVe Hold it Fast Extol and Value it as Pure Gold VVhen as Indeed It is Eternal Death And In This Misery The Whole VVorld â—yeth sick But VVhere are Those Blessed Redeemed Ones THE TREE OF LIFE WHAT IT IS And why Adam was Shut out Forbidden and withholden from it and not suffered to EAT thereof I Can also be Content there should likewise Outwardly have been in Paradise The Tree of Life as you read in the Scripture Whose Fruit might have been so Seasoned and Endowed by God And How it had that Nature that He who should Eat of it should Live for ever and Never Dye And when Adam had first Eaten of the Forbidden Tree and had Fallen as God foretold into Death it might not Now be That He should be permitted to Eat of the Tree of Life Otherwise he must have Lived for ever And the Word of God If thou eat thereof thou shalt dye the death had been false Moreover God who is meer Love and cannot for ever be angry with His own workmanship did well provide That Man in this Misery Hated of God and an Enemy to Him might not for ever Leada Wretched and Calamitous Life And for that cause he drave him out of Paradise from the Tree of Life into this House of Penance as it were The World And shewed him a Way whereby he might again come out of Death into Paradise To this Tree of Eternal Life But In the mean time He fenced The Tree of Life with a Flying Cherub and a Glittering Sword Lest Adam in this Banishment should Eat Life For it seemed better to the Good God That Man should Dye and so by Death put off this miserable Life and Changing It To be Translated to a better For He knew That Life after this Death Cold Calamity Banishment would be so much more Welcom and He so much more Dear unto God after Victory Therefore God Who cannot Hate Us Ever deals Mercifully with Us Howsoever he handleth Us If we would alwayes take it In Good Part And not Suspect Him to be our Enemy For so is The Nature and Suspicion of Mans Heart Now I do Thus think That for Agreater Testimony The Same thing did likewise Happen In the True Paradise i. e. In Adams Heart As There is The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Which is the Seed Speech Counsel Knowledge Wisdom and VVill of the Serpent So there also is The Tree of Life The Seed Speech and Counsel of God or of The VVoman And As God and the Devil are Even so are These Two Trees So Contrary The One to the Other That the One brings Life The Other Death And therefore It is Impossible That whoso Eates of the One should at the same Time Eat of the Other or come unto it As being Separated by a Flying Cherub and a Glittering SWORD Thus I Interpret VVinged Sin and Obstinate Disobedience Which is elsewhere called in Scripture A Separation For who so Eats of the Tree of Knowledge of Good And Evil That is He that Greedily Swallowes down and Devoureth Humane and Diabolical VVisdom He Is already separated from the Tree of Life That is from the VVisdom speech and Knowledge of God Neither of these Wisdoms Speeches VVills Knowledges Can indure the Other Neither can One come from the One to the Other So great is the Gulf between them Being as Far Divided asunder as Heaven and Hell He that Eats of the Tree of Life That is Of The VVord of God He is Born of God and cannot Dye No Nor Sin For Their Fruit Doth Eat The Eater and Translate Him into His Own Nature That is Into Life As Elsewhere The Scripture Speaketh Of Eating of Christ His flesh For indeed It is The same Thing To Eat Christ To Live in His Word To Believe To Know God and the like As likewise it is All one to Be in Adam To Live in Adam To Dye To Eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil To Obey the Seed and Word of the Serpent And to become GODS Therefore He that Eats of the Deadly Tree And cleaves to the Word and Wisdom of the Serpent And Being Born of Satan and Affected as men are Lives in Flesh and Blood He cannot Do Well or Please God As Contrariwise The Other Cannot Sin Do Evil or Displease God Therefore He that will have the One Must needs part with The other We must of Necessity Go out of the Wisdom of Man and The Serpent and from The Forbidden Tree That so The Wisdom of the Tree of Life may Enter into Us Adam and the Wisdom of the Flesh must Dye in Us That Christ may Live in us and The Spirit Have the Government The Life of the One is Alwayes The Death of the Other And The Weakness of the One The Strength of the Other No man can serve two Masters And in vain shalt thou strive To Reconcile Couple together and Make Agree God and Adam or Christ and the Serpent Light and Darkness The Old man and the New That the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil planted in the heart of Adam Is the Seed Speech and Spirit of the Serpent And that great Idol ANTICHRIST Sin Death the Devil and the BEAST spoken of in Daniel and the Revelation which is the Greatest and most ordinary Worshiping of Idols VVHat do you think is the BEAST of which Daniel writeth that Resisteth and Blasphemeth the Most High and killeth his Saints What is that Old Serpent that overthrew Adam and Eve What is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil What is the Shameless King and Antichrist Of which Daniel wrote and Pâ—ul to the Thessalonians What is That many-Headed Monster and the Seven-Headed Beast which the whole world Adoreth Of which is spoken in the Revelation What is Sin What Death What the Devil Himself But every mans own Will Wisdom Reason Religion Righteousness Skill Delight For which cause Paul calleth it Death it self Enmity against God and Folly before God And Saint Iames calls it Earthly Humane Devillish wisdom Because these three are one and the same and that is Devillish which is meerly Humane And contrariwise For Man the Devil Adam and the Serpent are the same and do agree For the Serpent did
the soul then and not before expect to hear and see God God is never seen or heard but when all things in us as of us are at rest Those that come and acknowledge him and deny themselves and all they are even all their parts both of Nature and Grace these are come to enâ—oy their rest these onely keep Subbaths these are they that have overcome and are set down with him in his throne even as he hath overcome and is set down in his Fathers Throne In the evening it is said God came into the Garden and called to Adam in tâ—e cool of the day Gen. 3. 8. that is when the heat of Adams lust and self-will was over till then lust made such a noise in Adams soul God could not be heard Then the Lord God puts Adam upon the examination of his soul Adam where art thou whâ—t hast thou done hast thou tasted 〈◊〉 eaten of thine own will that forbidden frâ—it whiâ—h 〈◊〉 shalt find the very eating or tasting will be death to thee which every soul thâ—t God hath really spoken to findes true in his own feeling and experience Thus have we run through this hour allotted it may be God may open your eyes that you may see into these things and I pray God you may even far beyond what I am able to express that you your selves may say and feel that this knowledge is that one thing necessary For this is that word which if you believe not will be the savour of death unto death but if believed and received will be the savour of life unto life THE STARRE IN THE EAST Leading unto the true MESSIAH 1 COR. 2. 2. But I determined to know nothing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified In two Sermons Preached at a Private meeting at KENSINGTON BEloved there are such things In-wrapt and folded up in the sacred Sriptures of God Almighty which being once known he that knows them in a right way he need not with the Apostle here being taught by the holy Spirit deire to know any thing more And because the treasure that is in these words and also in all the words of God is so fast lockt up so that no natural man can come at them he knows nothing of them for he perceiveth not the things of God neither indeed can he for they are spiritually discerned Therefore let us implore and beseeâ—h his help who hath the keys to open the seven seals as it is in the Revelation of S. Iohn He who onely was counted worthy to open the book that He may unloâ—k and reveal to us these precious mysteries I determined to know nothing among you c. What doth the Apostle mean by these words was he a man that knew nothing or was he an ignorant in all those other things and therefore sleighted them That because he had no learning therefore sleighted learning No 〈…〉 me leave to tell you He was no Fool he was 〈…〉 he was no Babâ—â— no not in all that great and â—hiefest learning which was in his time accounted so highly of for he was as great a proficient Therein as most of them all He was brought up as he â—aith of himself at the feet of Gamaliel and he waâ— a great man in the learning of the Pharisees who were at that time the onely learned men of the Church yea of the whole world Insomuch that they were had in reverence of all because they thought these Rabbins had all knowledge that these were the onely men to whom God himself opened and revealed himself So that he was counted a madman or a fool one led with the spirit of error and schism that should dare to oppose or speak a word against them Yet our Apostle here being inferiour to none of them all and could have gone their paths to have gotten their estimation in the world if he had then seen any excellency in them as before he did he could have gloried after the slesh as well as they But now having to do with these Corinthians and seeing the vanity of all humane learning without this knowledge he layes all aside and undervalues all as dross and dung and comes to them in wonderful plainness of speech that he might preach to them Iesus Christ and not himself as they did to gain honour and profit in the world and to make themselves great in the esteem of others it was death to them to fail of these ends These they put so 〈◊〉 confidence both Preachers and People in this kind of way and in this learning being onely litterally learned and knowing in the Scriptures onely Externally so that all the world was undervalued to them for so it was at that time All this great fabrick of the world was divided into two parts onely viz Iews and Barbarians if they were not Iews they were Barbarians and Heathens And this kind of learning was then and so alwayes is accompanied with all manner of riches and honour with all the glory and splendour of the world every man bowed to their parts and worth they were presented with gifts and it was accounted a great honour to have them accepted by them they were repaired to at all times As to resolve doubts and give counsel c. they were as Oracles in the peoples esteem generally And he that went not this way was like to lead an obscure beggerly life no body taking notice of him scarce having a hole to put his head in nay He should be sure to be trampled down and cast under foot by these great men by their great blustering and by their great parrs and by their great learning The foxes have holes and the birds of this world have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head Well notwithstanding all this our Apostle sticks not at it but layes all aside learning credit honour and dishonour riches poverty he tramples all under foot and is content to expose himself to whatever their malice could bring about he reposes no confidence in whatever Parts he had equal with them and sayes that he expected and was content to be accounted a Fool and to hide himself and be as one that had nothing in him He will never go about to dispute it out with these great Rabbins that is not the way he knew that would do no good for he had experience that of disputations there was no end for every one stuck so fast and unmoveable to his opinion one to shew his wit and eloquence another to gain honour and riches another because he had declared what he held and being once past the bars of his lips he must not recant and be a flincher and discover his ignorance wherein he had declared so much confidence but must then stand it out to the death so one for one end and another for another mens Ends being infinite and unspeakable so that therein he had no hope Well
their father which is in heaven Til this time Iesus Christ was crucified dead and buried but when once this Lion of the Tribe of Iudah begins to rouse up himself then it shall appear that there is now a King born that will bear rule that shall be such a Messiah spiritually as the Iews expected temporally a Potent and Mighty Prince whose Government shall be upon his shoulders His Name being WONDERFUL Counsellour and Prince of Peace And now all those Accursed Iews which â—rucified him and made him to serve shall now be made to serve him as the Prophet saith You have made me to serve with your iniquites Now all those headstrong lusts those Kings and Rulers of the Earth which cryed Let us break his bonds in sunder and cast away these cords from us He shall now rule them with a rod of iron and crush them in pieces like a potters vessel So that we shall live no longer the life of natural carnal men in the vanity of their mind to fulfil the lusts of men and the will of flesh and of the world but they live the life of spiritual men we shall then shew that we are the Off-spring of Christ Till you become to this whatever you think of your selves there can be nothing well done for before this we altogether think our own thoughts do our own actions go our own ways For all the imaginations of mans heart are onely evil continually But before this great and not able day of the Lord come the Lord will set signs in the heavens and in the earth and there shall be great stirs and wars and rumors of wars and the Inhabitants of the earth shall be troubled amazement and terrour shall seize upon them because of these things And when thou seest these things come to pass I say within thee then look up for know your redemption draweth nigh When you see the red Dragon watch against the woman shall be delivered of her man-child spoken of in the Revelation that he sends forth whole floods of water out of his mouth to drown her then know the child is born But before this time when you see the woman in travel and hath great pain and cryeth out extremely and hath bitter pains I say Bitter pangs then you may know the child is near delivery that is when this beloved old man our own will as the Scripture terms him who was never by us denyed anything himself desired but all was carried smoothly according to his own desire and now to be crost and contradicted Oh â—his is great pain to him Oh he cryes out like a travailing woman Oh he would by no means forsake himself his own will his own pleasure his own profit Take up his cross and follow Christ What forsake all that is dear to him this is death to him Oh! when you hear your flesh cry out Oh! would to God I had never been born then I had never seen this day Oh! let me dye let me dye I am weary of my life when ye hear him like Iob bitterlycurse the day of his birth Oh Beloved this day is a terrible day to flesh and blood it never saw such a day Oh it s a bloody day it comes with a terrible confused noise of the warriors and garments tumbled in blood as the Prophet speaks it was never so haled and puld this way the flesh tother way the spirit it was never so torn in pieces But know Beloved when these pains are upon you that the child is at the birth near to be delivered Beloved these things will be if ever Christ be born in the soul And when it is so that the flesh hales one way and the Spirit another Oh then it behoves you to pray That so your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath nor in the harvest Oh Beloved pray that these things this Seed do not dye without fruit that in the midst of this biting bitter winter you do not fly but bide by it and indure and wait the fruit that in the midst of winter you may enjoy your Sabbaths a day of rest peace lest that when other men enjoy their Sabbaths their harvest you have nothing but winter bitterness trouble and want and no fruit to refresh you Brethren I beseech the Lord that you may prove try and examine your selves by these things see if this day hath overpast ye hath your woman had pains and bitter agonies have you suffered such contradiction between the flesh and the spirit that these wars and terrours and rumours have struck through the very soul of you that you have felt it as bitter as gall as bitter as bitterness it self for saith our Loâ—d Luk 21. 22. Then be the dayes of VENGEANCE that all things which are written may be fulfilled insomuch as you may say of your selves Call me not now Naomi pleasant but call me Marah bitterness for the Almighty hath dealt bitterly with me This work being gone through you may be sure the child is born to you and to you a Son is given else not Tell me of what you will of education and good nature and the still work of Gods Spirit except this work be done in you so that you can speak of the work thereof experimentally you do but befool and delude your own souls And this work being gone through and the child born then as I said before he grows and increases in age and perfection every day He is not grown to a man in a moment but by steps by degrees He that hath this work brought about in his soul he need fear nothing he is in a free and safe condition all the men upon earth nay the powers of darkness cannot hurt him although the Dragon the Devil Sin Lusts the old man Self Lucifer Adam the Serpent c. these with all their fiery darts for when I name one I name all as I opened them to you upon another occasion for I opened near 20 of his names severally for these names and many such the Scripture gives him to set out that evil one within us which the most part of men are little acquainted with although they hug them in their bosomes eat drink sleep work play with them all these I say although they send forth whole floods of water after the woman yet they cannot drown her 〈◊〉 this work delivers and frees men from the powers of darkness this work brings down the strong holds disarms the strong man and sets the soul free Saves it delivers it carries it above all waves The next remarkable action Christ did he was circumcised That is He submitted himself to all outward Ordinances because he knew that all powers were ordained of God and so far forth as they tend to God and tend to love and peace we ought to submit So then we are then circumcised with Christ and Christ is
Nay he that goes no further and rests on that goes no further sees no more then the very Devils for they by long custom and experience have gotten whatever can be known in the history far beyond any man upon earth And therefore he whose faith hath brought him no farther then to believe in an external Christ in that Christ that was born at Bethlehem and there brought up and afterward wrought miracles and was crucified dead and buried and rose again c. This man The Letter kills him he knows no more nay not so much as the Devils themselves know and believe nay I say herein the Devils outstrip thee the Apostle Paul was so far from accounting this any thing that he slights the knowing any man after the slesh Henceforth know we no man saith he after the flesh no though we had known Christ yet henceforth know we him no more insomuch that if he had known and seen exactly what Christ did what he said how he lived how he dyed and how he rose again all is nothing henceforth we will know him no more after this manner No no but let me know all his actions his death his life his miracles his passion his resurrection all within me let me know and experiment them in my self if we know him thus this is knowledge worth prizing indeed this is worth Boasting of as 2 Cor. 5. 16. Christ died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him that died for them and rose again and again Col. 3. 1. If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above This is that we should labour to finde Christs death and Christs life in us to see if Christ hath done all his actions not onely among the Jews at Ierusalem other then spiritually but in us I must finde that he hath been born and brought up in me that he hath put all the Doctors to silence within me that he hath wrought all his miracles in me opened my eyes as he did then open the eyes of the blinde open my ears as he did then so opening my lips that my mouth may shew forth his praise And as he cast out then both dumb and deaf Devils That there are the same to cast out in us If these actions be thus done in thee as verily as ever Christ did any of these actions in the flesh if this knowledge and this experience be fixed in your mindes and you feel the power thereof in your hearts then you have crackt The Shell you have gotten the Marrow the Fatness of the word Yet for all this we must not do with the Letter as I then told you because it is the shell as men usually do with the shells of Oysters or of Eggs Having once the Meat throw away the Shells no no for they are the means to bring the Word to us for to us because of our weakness cannot this word be conveyed without The shell therefore our merciful God hath bin pleased to convey it to us in earthen vessels and under Earthen resemblances that so we might hear it understand and receive it If we look upon it as it runs in black and white letters t is true It s a Lofty Majestical kinde of writing That carries Majesty and Authority in it and the proof is in it self Whereas other Writers are fain to bring proofs and witnesses of the truth of that they write whilst this carries proof and Authority in it self and at the best it is no more but he that can get within it He that can get into the midst of the burning bush He shall see Such spirit and life That eye hath not seen ear heard nor ever entred into mans heart to consider In short he shall know what it is to marry Achsah To have the vail rent and what it is to enter into the Holiest of All. And so of this history concerning Moses bringing Israel out of Egypt To see what slavery they were in and how Pharaohs Taskmasters beat them and increased their bondage taking away their straw and making them Toil harder and harder and yet the more they oppressed them the more they increased I say All this and the rest in the history runs High and Majestically and that is the best you can say of it but he that through the history shall see that the History was not written barely for a history but mainly and chiefly for us He shall see there is therein contained an eternal LIVING SENSE He that looks within himself shall finde all verified in himself And not onely This Scripture but the whole Scripture All the five Books of Moses Ioshua the Kings and all the battels of the Kings and so throughout that whatever part of Scripture he shall read he shall be able to say and feel experimentally This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears this day is this Scriptare accomplished in me for the substance of all those histories throughout is verified to this day and shall be to the worlds end It is no matter what other Pharaoh there was what Typical Pharaoh there was so we have found the True Pharaoh Nay it were no matter then though we had never heard of that Pharaoh for that Pharaoh doth but Type out unto us what the Spiritual Pharoah is How he labours to strengthen and advance himself in his Kingdom and if any offer to go out from him he will lay heavy burthens upon them He will make them groan under service insomuch that their cry shall come up before the Lord And if they do get out from him by strong hand it is By Miracles and wonders and he will be sure to pursue them till he himself be quite overthrown in the midst of the Sea and so he that sought for honour and glory in overcoming them the Lord shall get himself a name on that Pharaoh and on all his Host. And That we may come to the history in particular concerning bringing Israel out of Egypt There be three principal things in the Chapter 1. The Preparation before this vision That Moses saw 2. The vision it self the bush burned and was not consumed 3. The effect That followed of the vision viz. Moses his Commission to Pharaoh To deliver Israel 1. For the Preparation to the vision that is in the first verse Moses kept the flock of Iethro his father in Law and he led the flock to the backside of the desart c. Moses it is testified of him in the Acts that he was a man mighty in all the learning of the Egyptians for being brought up as a Kings Son he wanted for no teaching in the Kingdom For the Egyptians had the chief learning of the world For I must tell you We and all Antiquity are beholding to the Egyptians for all their and our chief learning in natural things Now we must labour to see in all the words of
the blessed Apostles and Disciples were brought to Oh! but where are such Disciples now where are your Great Doctors and your learned men Are they Doctors in this School of the Cross of Christ No no nothing less Are They Dead men Are They come to this to let others rejoyce in the heaping up riches And adding Land to Land and making themselves and their posterity great in the world These things should not concern Dead men And saith David again I am as a broken pitcher that can hold no water Just so is This man He is a broken pitcher that can hold Nothing Pour Riches into him Health Wealth Praise Honour or the contrary Whatever ye give to him or take from him He is all one if ye take his Cloak from him he will give you his Coat if ye strike him on the one cheek he cannot revenge He will rather turn the other Curse him and He will pray for you And all this he learns of his dear Saviour JESUS CHRIST And all this He hath attained by being united and by being made One with Him whose practise and Command you know it was so to do and whose Nature and life he partakes of knowing assuredly by experience That there is No other way to find rest to his soul But by forsaking his own will and living Free in the world and Dead unto it and to his own proper will and affections Oh Beloved How Happy and how Free doth such a soul live how at liberty and free from those Chains that most men are fettered with as love of Money and Honours and Houses and Lands Distracted with hopes on one hand and Fears on the other and are never at rest but are like the Troubled Sea tumbled this way and that way rolling to and again and never quiet But this Man is Delivered Set free from all such things What a comfort is it for a man to be made Willingly to leave the love of the world to live free and above all hopes and fears What a comfort is it not to fear death for this man dyes daily not to fear To Answer All our enemies in the gate to look boldly and undauntedly on Death on Satan as knowing them overcome and brought under what a comfort is it to Find See and Feel The life of Christ In Us and that we are in some measure and every day more and more made conformable to our Head And that we shall now for ever Overcome and be at Rest and Sit down with Him upon His Throne even as he is set down upon his Fathers Throne what a comfort is it to feel and see our graces Faith Hope and Patience And the rest to Revive to live and flourish which in former times flagged and dyed what a comfort is this To see That when either the North wind or the South wind blow Let him be in any kind of condition Yet His Garden prospers His Soul flourishes And the Spices thereof flow out and Christ and He To eat the pleasant fruits thereof To this man Nothing is a Rod to him Nothing a judgement Let God do what he will with him He can see no Anger no Frowns in any thing but all that comes is to Him Mercy and Loving kindness This is The Soul That lives with God and lives in God This soul is at Rest And none else But This Soul For he hath in pâ—rt Possession of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Heaven Possession of him Even while he is in the body which possession he knows he shall never be deprived of but shall have the FULL Possession and Enjoyment thereof for ever and ever In His Fathers due Time O my Dear Freinds To What A Blessed Tranquillity AND SERENENESS of SPIRIT Is This Soul Attained These are to Him BLESSED and HALCION DAIES Here end the SERMONS of JOHN EVERARD And All that can be of His Expected Here follow certain brief Collections out of some Sublime and Mortified Authors Translated out of Latin by Dr. Everard Hereunto Annexed to these Sermons as things suitable to His preaching and giving further light each to other viz. To him who is in the light 1. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. These two placed in the midst of this book the other six herefollow 2. The Tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise of God 3. Dionysius the Areopagite his Mystical Divinity 4. Certain grave and notable sayings in Latin and English 5. The saying of a certain Divine of great note and name 6. A lovely glass or example of our Lord Iesus Christ his life taken out of Taulerus his works 7. Another short Instruction out of the same Author 8. A short Dialogue between a Learned Divine and a Beggar THE MYSTICAL DIVINITY OF Dionysius the Areopagite Converted by Paul the Apostle who did at Athens believe and cleave unto him ACTS 17. 34. Written to Timothy Translated into English By Dr. EVERARD JOB 36. 26. Behold God is great and we know him not ISA. 55. 6. For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord. LONDON Printed by Iohn Owsley for Rapha Hartford at the Bible and States Arms in Little Brittain 1657. THE MYSTICAL DIVINITY OF Dionysius the Areopagite Written to Timothy CHAP. 1. What the Divine Mist or Darkness is OTRINITY That art above ESSENCE above GOD above Goodness the Governour of the Christians wisdom concerning God Vouchsafe to direct us to the More-then-unknown More-then-shining Highest-top of Mystical Oracles where the simple and absolute and unchangeable MYSTERIES of Divinity do Hide by the More-then-lightsome MISTINES of Secret-Teaching SILENCE in the Darkest Darkness Even Him that over-shineth That which is More-then-most-Glorious and under that which is utterly impalpable and invisible doth More-then-fill the blinded or Eye-less Mindes with More-then-fair Shinings 2. And these things I pray for but do thou O my friend Timothy by thy most intent study and exercise about MYSTICAL Visions leave and forsake thy senses and all sensible and intelligible things and thy mental operations and all things that are not and that are and after an unknown manner lift up and advance thy self to the Conjunction and Union with Him who is above all Essence and Knowledge for by a free and purely absolute departing from thy self and all things having separated all things and being freed and loosed from all things thou shalt be brought back to the Super-essential BEAM of the Divine Darkness 3. But take heed that none of them that are not Entred or Initiated in our MYSSERIES do hear these things I mean such as are still detained and holden in the things that are and do imagine nothing to be super-essentially above the things that are but presume by their own knowledge to understand HIm that maketh DARKNES his Secret place And if these Divine Institutions concerning Mystical things be above Them what is to be said of such as are yet more strangers and
those that hunger and thirst for them and who cannot be satisfied without them and to none else Besides all this the importunity and sollicitations of many Scholers and other Christians from time to timeâ— who having experience of these practical things in themselves who though they want much of the Doctors schollership and parts yet deemed them worthy the publishing and have now prevailed to communicate them publiquely assuring themselves that those who have the things themselves in them will not be captious to spy out faults but receive in good part what is well intended Moreover another main reason of deferring them no longer is the abuse of many truths more broken forth of late them foâ—merly many of those Diamonds of truth being therein cleared and polished which have been so much abused and abased either by those filthy dreamâ—rs who have as to men wofully mistaken corrupted and defiled many glorious truths and by their false and devillish conclusions have not onely given occasion but a justification to defile the â—lesh falsly pretending that truth allows it though truth in it self cannot be corrupted or defiled or else by those blind Seers of 〈◊〉 times who yet calling themselves Prophets but are not do as Isaiah saith Isa. 5. 20. call truth errour and errour truth call darkness light and light darknesâ— evil good and good evil c. here also thou shalt find many of those Diamonds and prâ—cious Tâ—uths taken up from under their feet having been by them so trodden in the dirt as to men I say still they not knowing the worth of them by their viâ—ifyings and by their foul names of Errour Heresie Familsm c. because they knew not a true and right Diamond or if some yet not all and thâ—m they knew not they presently vilifie as cheating and counterfeit indeed few can know them from such or from dirt they have so daubed and trampled them in the miâ—e yet here thou shalt find them made orient spaâ—kling and refulgent as â—it to be numbred among those foundation precious stones whereof the New Ierusalâ—m is built Rev. 20. And those blind Seers pourtraitured to the life and their seemingly-holy disguises pulled off And yet in all this we have said commendatory of the Author Christian friends do not think that we have gone about to praise or liâ—t up Man or that we would have you fasten your eyes on any creature whatever No no God forbid far far be any such thing from our thoughts for what is man or wherein is he to be accounted of neither was it the Authors practise at all to lift up Man neither do we here present him as a perfect man but with Eliah as the Apostle saith of him Iames 5. 17. He was a man subject to like passions as we arâ— and with Lot Abraham David Pâ—ul and Peter he had his infiâ—mities but he could say also with Paul 〈◊〉 me that is in my flâ—sh dwelleth no good thing But I dâ—ligâ—t in the Law of God aftâ—r the inward man now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it but sâ—â— that dwelleth in me neither did he ascribe any good either graces or gifts to himself but all to God he would not set that crown upon his own head or upon the head of any creature but with Paul confessed Gal. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And when God had wrapt up his spirit in pâ—eaching even as it were to behold himself in the third heaven yet he had that prick in the â—lâ—sh which would cause him often to say even in publique Beloved if at any time you find any good by me or see any truth more then you did before or find your souls raised from death to life or the Cripple from his mothers womb healed and cured within you or if you see any grace any gift in me as Peter to the Jews Ye men of Israel why look ye on us so earnestly as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk if you see in me any good know that is none of mine I dare not claim it neither can any creature claim it But if you see in me or your selves any sâ—â— any evil that is most properly mine and yours and yet it is not I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me but all good is Gods whatever it be that comes under the notion of Good under what name soever it is Gods and his onely So that we have onely hereby laboured to set and six your eye on him from whom all excellencies slow to see and behold the excellencies and vertues not of man but of him who calleth from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God and that you should wonder and be amazed that the Almighty should stoop so low as to work in men and to communicate of his own nature and put â—orth his mighty workings in and through such poor nothings as men are And in this respect let no man â—ear to speak to the utmost freely and fully of the Vertues Excellencies and workings of the Lord in the hearts of his people for in them he displayes his gloâ—ies they are his Sanctuary his Temple in them he rests as in his holy hill where every one speaks of his glory and although these motions and mighty miracles be wrought in man yet they are not of man or by man Therefore let men or whoever shall have occasion to speak either of the dead or of the living but keep to this rule and fix their eye on him to whom all glory and praise is due and then let them set forth freely and fully whatever vertues or what ever is praise-worthy in any of the sons of men thus far made the sons of God then they need never fear to be charged with flattery or hope of rewards from men Let not so far as lies in man the graces of God and his glorious working in his Saints dye no not when thâ—y dye 〈◊〉 this is far from over praising the dead or the 〈◊〉 as the mistake hath been though man may and must return to his mother the Earth and to his principle of dust yet let the Lord alone be exalted and in this sense spare not to speak out freely the vertues and endowments of God in any man although for the best of man or men we must say of them with Daniel and other Saints To us belongeth nothing but shame and confusion of face for ever but to the Lord honour and glory mercy and forgiveness for over and â—ver Let no man appropriate to himself or put upon others any good for all good is fâ—om God and whatever is evil is mans although naturally and generally mens practises are quite otherwise appropriating all good to themselves and nothing of evil whereby the poor blind creature Man deludes his poor soul while
be for a fire and his holy one for a flame and it shall burn and devour his thorns in one day And he is FIRE in three regards In regard of Burning Heat Light First The nature of Fire is to burn Fire cannot burn it self take notice of that fire cannot burn fire but all things else it will burn and consume So doth Christ he is that fire that burns up all our works and whatsoever is not himself and his own work INUS he consumes and annihilaâ—es The Light of Israel shal be for a fire and his holy one for a flame it shall burn and devour his thorns and his brâ—ers in one day Know this the more sin the more fire the greater burning Mal. 3. 2. Who may abide the day of his coming who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like refiners fire and like fullers sope Christ is this fire and let me tell you this burning and consuming is for your good it is that out of the old ashes of the old man you may have a new life a new resurrection Examine thy self hath this fire cut off thy hands and feet and pulled out thy right eye hath it consumed thy young men 〈◊〉 hath it burnt up thy OLD heaven and thy OLD earth that so ye may enjoy a new heaven and a new earth 2 Pet. 3. 7. Nay further let me aske thee hath it thrown all thy gods in the fire hath it burnt up all thy idols yet I tell ye this burning is not unto death but unto life as Christ said of Lazarus This sickness is not unto death but be sure that as the Lord Jesus Christ burneth up and woundeth so he healeth and maketh alive again I would and I heal Secondly the work of fire is to heat so Christ after he hath destroyed and burnt up all our actions then he breathes into us a gentle warmth and heat of his own Spirit to cherish and revive us again that so we may no longer live our own lives but the life of Christ. Thirdly The nature of fire is to give light when That day dawns to us that Christ comes into the soul we shall find He brings light with him and this is called Christs day Our first day is our own day that is a day of darkness a day of gloominess and thick clouds but the day of the Lord is a terrible day our flesh trembleth for fear of thee for who shall abide the day of thy coming and who shall stand when thou appearest for thou art like refiners fire and like fullers sope When Christ comes into the soul he comes not onely with light to discover but like fire to burn up all that building that we have made to our selves and that we have raised by our own power and breathes warmly and gently by his Spirit his own life until by degrees he brings a glorious light into the soul He then turns us from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God And all this is done by one and the same act in God although those acts be divers and distinct in the creature that is the same act in God which comes to the obstinate and perverse and hardens them which comes to the humble and meek and softens them the same act in him Hardens and Softens as the Sun doth wax and clay That same God which was darkness at the bottom of Mount Sinai was light in the top of the Mount He is the same God in himself to all but he works diversly in regard of the creatures He is the same God in a frozen and hard heart as he is in a repenting and bleeding soul but to the one he appears not but in wrath and vengeance ready to take revenge on them for their sins but to the other he appears in mercy and love and marries himself to them he communicates to them his sweet loves and their wills are swallowed up in his and these onely are they that can say in truth Not my will but thine be done but the other they cannot forsake themselves their own will their own ends but this is but by the way And this you see in brief what the fire is Our God is a consuming fire But now what is the salt I know it is divers wayes taken and expounded Some take it to be wisdom and discretion in speech and for proof they cite that place of the Apostle Let your speech be alwayes gracious seasoned with salt for so Solomon saith A wise man may hold up his head before Princes and they give this reason As salt keeps things from stinking so doth wisdom so salt and season a mans words that his words may not be unsavoury to wise men so that he is not laught to scorn Others take it for holiness and sincerity in life and conversation as our Saviour saith Ye are the salt of the earth Mat. 5. 13. that is say they when by their living well speaking the Truth in their words and expressing holiness in all thir actions this seasons their lives maketh them savoury before God and men So also they interpret that of our Saviour Mat. 5. 13. Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savâ—â—r wherewith shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men when men live not as they profess they are unsavoury and men tread such mens profession under their feet and therefoâ—e say they He admonisheth them to strive for integrity of life and soâ—ndness in doctrine and constancy in suffering for these things honour their profession and seasons them with salt and makes them savoury to God and to men But to be short and without any more circumstances that we may come to the matter intended The fire and the salt are both one and that is Christ himself as I have told you He is the fire so He is the salt as the Apostle saith Heb. 2. 11. Both he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all one So Jesus Christ he is the fire that salteth and the salt wherewith it salteth as is exprest in the verse before the Text. Indeed I confess the Apostles also were called Salt Mat. 5. 13. Ye are the Salt of the earth saith Christ himself not that they were the Salt themselves or the salt indeed but they were those which uttered the salt they taught salt as I may say and where rathâ—r as we may call them Salters those which sold and uttered the true salt which is CHRIST to the world But I say of them as the Apostle Paul saith 1 Cor. 3. 4 5. While one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo who is Paul or who is Apollo but Ministers by whom you believed neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God c. and in another
was never of the Fathers sending he comes unsent the true Christ is hid from thee But as the Apostle saith if our doctrine be hid it is hid to those that perish but to us who believe it is the Savour of life unto life but to all others the Savour of death unto death He is to us sweeter then the hony or the hony comb more dear to us then thousands of gold and silver This Christ is more precious whom we are now unfolding to you that truly believe then all the riches and glory yea then all the lives in the world And That we may come to open this Iesus Christ to you if so be your eyes are open or else we shall speak but parables and paradoxes to you as Christ did to the Jews and they will but make you more mad as he did them more enrage them against himself That ye may understand what we speak of and intend we must first wave the knowledge of the History of Christ externally and then we shall come to the knowledge of the Mystery of the true Christ of that Jesus Christ which is able to save your souls and to make you wise unto salvation The other knowledge cannot do so for if it could the Devils themselves should be saved Therefore it must needs be another kind of knowledge then they have it must be more then the knowledge of the Letter and outward face even of the whole Scriptures It must be a hidden knowledge and that is the knowledge of The Mystery namely a real lâ—vely and experimental knowledge of Iesus Christ wrought in thy heart by the power of himself Even like unto Flowers or Herbs or any other thing that grows on the ground by the heat and power of the Sun if there be not something communicated to them from the Sun that is of the Suns own nature they grow not at all but they wither and dye if the Sun warm them not and comfort them they grow not but dye So if there be not in every one of us something of Jesus Christ that is of his own nature the same mind the same quickning Spirit the same disposition and the same new nature something of his own off-spring we are but in a dead and perishing condition all that ever we know otherwise is meer folly in this regard be their knowledge never so excellent and glorious to those who have not Jesus Christ in them As that wicked Pope said when he had shewed such a vast treasure of riches See saith he how that Fable of Iesus Christ hath inriched me So to these men what ever they talk of Jesus Christ and of the knowledge of him to them the true Christ is a meer fable a meer tale as he thought outwardly to inrich him so they think this Fable of a deceitful Christ hath and will enrich their souls But except we know Christ feelingly experimentally so that he lives within us spiritually his own natural life insomuch that whatever any man hath known in the Letter and History of him that he know the same within him as truly done actually in his own soul as ever Christ did any thing without him in the days of his flesh else it profit nothing And to find all that ever you read of him to be verified in you experimentally It is not Jesus Christ without us can do us any good he is no Christ to us all his actions are in vain to us they are all as a meer tale a meer song to us As one of the Fathers said It was not that Christ that the Virgin Mary carryed in her womb that did save her but that Christ that she carried in her heart And our Saviours own words express as much Not blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps that thou hast sucked but blessed are they that hear the word of God and kept it They that would have any benefit by Jesus Christ they must have him in their hearts Born within them not only to know that Christ was born at Bethlehem but born in them and not to know onely that Christ dyed at such a time so many years ago this will do you no good except you experimentally find and feel how he is crucified dead and buried within you Let no man what ever he be delude you and make you believe that any other Christ will save you Let no man upon pain of the salvation and damnation of his soul once dare to think that any other Christ will do him any good and that he experimentally feel Jesus Christ risen again within him and all other actions that ever he did that still he finds him doing the same in him as Saint Paul saith My beloved of whom I travel in birth till Christ be formed in you not Christ divided and by halves but whole Christ formed in you When you begin to find and know not onely that he was conceived in the womb of a Virgin but that thou art that virgin and that he is more truly and spiritually and yet as really conceived in thy heart so that thou feelest the Babe beginning to be conceived in thee by the power of the Holy Ghost and the most High overshadowing thee when thou feelest Jesus Christ stirring to be born and brought forth within thee when thou beginnest to see and feel all those Mighty powerful and wonderful actions done in thee which thou readest he did in the flesh For Christ is not divided saith the Apostle but yesterday and to day and the same for ever There is not one Christ without us and Another within us but that same Christ that was then upon earth must be spiritually in us growing and encreasing and doing the same actions still Now Beloved here is a Christ indeed that will save you here is a Christ A real Christ that will do you some good this is The Christ which indeed Alone and Onely will bring you to heaven If your faith hath wrought and formed such a Christ in you then you may have boldness through him Of this Christ you may boast and triumph against all the powers of darkness with St Paul Rom. 8. so that neither heights nor depths nor things present nor things to come nor Angels nor any creature shall be â—ver able to separate you and this Iesus Christ our Lord blessed for ever Rom. 8. 38 39. What ever other faith you have believe as strongly and as confidently as you will or can do be sure it is but Head-knowledge of Christ it is but a bold unwarranted presumption and no faith For Externall Jesus Christ is a shadow a symbole a figure of the Internal viz. of him that is to be born within us In our souls Beloved you know it is said of Abraham He saw Christs day and rejoyced so all the Saints that ever were are or shall be must See the day of Iesus Christ as well as Abraham did if we look for any
you what I mean not that Christ in regard of dwelling can come in or go out but in regard of his workings in us and to us Christ in himself cannot grow greater or less or more exalted for his praise is far above the earth and heavens but to us he is more manifested and to us and in us he grows and increases and so his life comes to us by degrees And so far forth as we lay down our selves and all that is in us or whatsoever is acted by us at the foot of Christ and that we are ruled and guided by him then we shall see how he speaks all in us doth all in us hears all in us sees all in us for it is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father which dwells in you This is to have Christ come into the soul because before we are really sensible of this he is as it were not there But he being I say once come into the soul for we must make use of such expressions for our understanding then he opens those eyes that before were shut he now makes those feet that were cripple from the mothers womb so that they could not set one foot forward in his wayes now he makes their feet like hindes feet he makes them run his ways with delight and he shews his miracles in all their members he turns all into a new creature and in this sense he grows more and more in them till they come to a perfect stature even the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Before they could not endure this life it was the old life they were taken up withal how they might please the flesh and fulfil the desires of the flesh and were by nature children of wrath even as others Those were the thoughts they were taken up withal at bed and at board all their thoughts words actions eyes ears tongues feet were all imployed in this service else they were unquiet and never contented To see Christ to be all in all in us this is to know him experimentally and if ye know him thus then you know him as you ought to know him else he is but a fable to you for so to know him is to have all the Scriptures fulfilled in you as our Saviour said This Scripture is this day fulfilled in your ears Beloved such a light such a key ye have gotten who see these things that whatever place of Scripture you read or hear that you shall be able to say and feel it in your own souls That this day is this Scripture though writ so long ago fulfilled in your ears in your souls When you read the Story of the Conception Birth Life Death Resurrection of Christ of his Whipping Crowning with Thorns Buffeting Spitting upon you shall be able experimentally to say and cry out Alas this day is this Scripture fulfilled in me And Beloved this is a daily doing all the Scriptures over again this is the enduring of the word for ever as David speaks sayes the soul Alas my soul was like a Leopard spotted from head to foot with the leprosâ—e of sin and he hath commanded I willâ— be thou clean he hath washt away with his bloud all my spots I found that I was grown crooked and bowed together with my strong sinews of lusts and he hath made me straight I found I had a continual running issue that continually ran to the polluting of my soul and to the dishonour of God and the touching of his garments hath healed me Oh happy soul to whom God hath been pleased to give this key this is saving knowledge of the Scripture all other knowledge of the Letter is but the flesh of the Scriptures that which the carnal man may comprehend and although it be never so great never so exact it is meer dirt and dungâ— it s not worth one rush for thus to know the Scriptures as I have said is to have the whole Scriptures fulfilled in us as David saith I will hearken to what the Lord saith in me Now we come to the third thing What it is to know Jesus Christ crucified I determined to know nothing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified And again saith the Apoâ—â—le God forbid that I should rejoyce in anything save in the Cross of Christ whereby the world is crucified unâ—o me and I unto the world And again I count all things loss and dung that I may win Iesus Christ and know him crucified Before we can live the life of Jesus Christ we must of necessity know his death and find that he is crucified in us In a natural life a man must first be born and live before he can be crucified and put to death but in the spiritual life in us its contrary a man must first see that Christ is crucified before he is born Beloved I tell you if you take but this key to unloâ—k this pâ—ecious Cabinet of God you will find precious Iewels will come tumbling down to your hand Christ Jesus as he was crucified upon the cross so by way of equivalency he is still and daily crucified in us for he is the lamb slain from the beginning of the world and shall be to the end of the world You are deceived if you think the passion of Christ is past when he had suffered under Pontius Pilate Every man before he comes to be a spiritual man he was a carnal man a natural man And this natural man possessed the house and he is the strong man and not onely strong but armed and when ever I speak of the strong man or the old man or sin or the Devil or Satan or Lucifer or Antichrist c. I mean and intend one and the samething and so doth the Scripture as I conceive and I would have you well to consider this thing for they are those enemies the Scripture most minds us of and gives us warning to beware of and watch against they be our bosome enemies that betray us as for outward enemies we meddle not now with them but the Scripture hath given these Enemies or rather this Enemy of ours several names that thereby we may come to know him or by some of them at least that we may see in our selves the several effects of all those names and the several workings according to the nature of those names So long as this strong man keeps the house that is so long as our own wisdom strength gifts abilities of nature reason understanding will affections so long as these keep the house Iesus Christ is crucified these are those Jews who have Crucified the Lord of life these have kept him under and made him to serve your iniquities these have laden him as a cart is pressed with sheaves these have kept him down these have put his feet in the Stocks with Joseph and the irons have entred into his very soul. This is
and rule in thee and be KING in thy soul and Tread all his enemies under his feet thou hast betrayed him into his enemies hands Thou hast delivered him up to be crucified As long as thy sins live and thou pretendest to be a servant to him Thou hast made A MOCK of the Son of God And counted the blood of the Covenant an Unholy thing wherewith he would have sanctified thee therefore ye must seek to have your part in the first Resurrection if you hope the second death shall have no power on you But Let me remember my self Perhaps friends I speak Riddles to you for you may say in your hearts Far be it from me to crucifie my Saviour I find no Christ crucified in me nor I would not do it no not for a Thousand worlds What to have my hands imbrewed in the Death and BLOUD of the Son of God God forbid No poor soul I believe thou feelest it not so Because the strong man keeps the house and He keeps all at peace But if once Jesus Christ come into thy soul Even He that was dead and now begins to live That he begins to rouse up himself like a Lion He will then Make all the beasts of the Forrest to TREMBLE And know this if he once Will Lift up himself it is not in our power nor in the power of all the lusts and corruptions in the world nor in all the powers of darkness to keep him Down But Till this time He is content To serve your iniquities But When He doth Arise He will then shew you and make you sensible How you have scourged and crucified him All this while He will make you Amazed to see How all this while you have had him Live in you and been so near you and you have Crucified him What I Crucified my Saviour all this while and I not aware of it Oh wretch that I am Oh! now now he cryes out Oh! let these Jews dye let them live no longer these lusts ' these Sins of mine that have crucified and put to death The LORD of Life When I read the story of his life and death how he was used deâ—ided buffered c. little did I think that I was He that was in doing all those things to Christ my self Then thou shalt clearly see that when Christ commanded thee These and these things to be done Thou hast cast his Commands behind thy back and thou wouldest not have him rule in thee but thou chosest rather to follow thine own will and what self and flesh commanded Oh! here now thou hast Newly pierced Iesus Christ to the heart with a sharp spear Thou confessest truth it is God commands me to do these things to cross my self to forsake my own will and follow him Tush but it is all one I will and I must have my own will I will not stand bent to these Laws thou sâ—â—ppest in sunder these bands and casts these cords from thee Oh Friend thou art now The very man that hath newly wounded the Son of God and brought from his sâ—de water and blood Oh Beloved these are The Spears These are the Mocks these are the Scourgings these are Vinegar and Gall to Christ And that man that hath Thus Crucified him He hath more truly crucified him then ever the Jews did But after a man is brought to see and feel This How do you think Can that man that sees how he hath crucified Christ In him and put him to death Can he go on and crucifie him still Can he wound and put him to death still Can he be so Cruel to take these Spears these sins and lusts and wound him to the very heart again Oh! no no He cannot He cannot he will rather chuse to dye Ten thousand deaths Whatever he doth he will not wound again So Meek and Merciful A Saviour But it may be there is this Qâ—estion which may run in your thoughts and it may be it is Hard for you to conceive How Christ should suffer and not God to suffer seeing he is God and man It is certain God cannot suffer and therefore ye must understand That Christ in Himself cannot suffer but he suffers in his body in his members Those types and shadows of his sufferings are but to shew how He still suffers in his Members Internally and spiritually He suffers In regard of Us and to Us and for Us because we live and our sins and lusts live and our Self lives and therefore He suffers He is Crucified and dead For whatever we see done by Christ in the letter is An Embleme of that He doth for Ever For He is the Lamb slain from the beginning Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and the same for ever Did you see him yesterday nailed to the Cross he is the same to day and for ever c. yet He HIMSELF suffers not but his body For Example my body can never suffer unless my soul be in it neither can my soul suffer without my body and yet my body cannot suffer without my soul Then wonder not if it may be thus in a creature if Jesus Christ in himself suffereth not but onely Himself in his members neither can his members suffer unless he be in them I my self saith Paul fill up in my body The measure of the sufferings of Christ. Beloved These are Divine sublime things if your eyes be but open to see them And you having This KEY put into your hand by God himself for God himself must interpret his own meaning then you will have Such a light such a Demonstration of Truth so that Those Scriptures which you knew not before what to make of them nor what they concerned they were So dark and Obscure and Contradictory Now all the whole Scriptures open of themselves and shew you all their Hidden Iewels and Unspeakable Treasures And now my Brethren God forbid that after an hours or more patient hearing that I or you should fall under the reproof of Iobs friends In ventum verba protulisse or to have entertained you here so long with Wind or lyes as Ephraim is said to have dieted himself with Hos. 12. 1. He feedeth on wind and followeth after the east wind He daily encreaseth lyes God forbid That all we have said should be but as Lyes or wind or Nothing to you But if you see these things in experience Then Beloved you shall see wonderful things How all Davids Psalms come in How the Fat Bulls of Basan came about him like Bees and How his feet were fast in the stocks and how he was overwhelmed in the mire and so throughout the whole Psalms and the rest of the Scriptures still seeing and taking them as done spiritually and invisibly And so you shal come to see The Scriptures to be A Bottomless SEA where in the Elephant may swim and the Leviathan may sport himself Neither would many
man alive as the highest and gloriousest Saint But the One he is senâ—ble how Jesus Christ is near him and He knows how he hath been overtopt in him and overmastâ—â—ed by him and therefore he is ashamed and will do so no more But the Other not knowing of thisâ— he goes on according to his own laws and his own will and kills him Again and Again and runs his own wayes and thinks his own Thoughts and pleases himself Rushes upon any thing that tends to satisfie his own will He rushes upon any sin as a horse rushes into the battel as the Prophet speaks without fear He pleases himself and Tickles himself in his own delights cryes Ha Ha and he feels nothing sees no danger what ever men talk of Hell and Death and Bitterness Destruction and Damnation yet he believes none of these things and therefore he goes to the same course again and again But having onâ—e espyed the King Him who stands Behind the Hangings Him whom he hath so often kickt at and crucified then he is amazed at his Horrid Oaths and Blaspheâ—iâ—s of his Pride and Arrogancy against Him of his Envies and Reproches against his Brethren being onâ—e come to a true sight of this He is amazed and confounded in Himself Sayes he Have I been the man that hâ—th put the Son of God to death have I trampled his Blood under my feet I will not any more adde to hiâ— torments no not to gain the world Hath he dwâ—lt so near been my guest and lodged within me been my life and my stay and have I been he that hath starved and famished him have I so often moâ—kt whipt derided crucified him and knew it not Rather then I will do it again I will dye ten thousand deaths All the world shal never make me commit thosâ— Horrid Facts again I will now be ruled by him I will now do his Will not mine own I will now by his assistance live as he will have me live now I am content to deny mine own wisdom gifts parts strength For now I see I am Nothing And so by this means Christ shall be fed nourished and brought up and he shall grow in wisdom and stature and favour with God and man By this means Ye shall bring Christ to the Temple who shall put all the Doctors within you to silence and so non-plus them that not one shall be able to gain-say or answer him By this means you shall find him do all his miracles more truly over again the substance of his miracles as I shewed you before you even you your self us shal see him work all his miracles in thy sight within thee and this shall make thee more run after Christ to see these Divine miraâ—les far more affectionately and with more wondring and with more true love then ever they did in the dayes of his flesh to seeâ— his external mighty works and miracles This was that S. Paul determined and desired Onely to know for he knew this knowledge would never leave him till it had discovered such things such Miracles as neither eye had seen nor â—are heard no nor ever entred into the heart or thoughts of any man things unutterable unspeakable Let others seek after what they will to get glory and splendour in the world and to get those things that the world accounts great matters or any external literal knowledge of Christ though never so glorious though never so received yet sayes he I lay all in the dust for the Excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord by whom the World is crucified unto me and I unto the World for all those things shall vanish with them and perish in the using and come to nothing But these comforts will stand a man instead this is such knowledge that it will set one foot in Heaven while the other is upon earth when as other men who rest in the Flesh and in the Letter who know none of these things God knows when they come to dye how many weary winter Cold and comfortless steps they have to fetch that they shall be forced to Fly upon the Sabbath and in the Harvest and have their Oyle to buy when all things are at rest with others and they enjoy a fulness and a harvest and have Oyle in their Lamps at the Bridegrooms Coming for they have given up their wills and their lives to Christ So that Christ and they have such sweet Embraces as if they were in heaven already Insomuch that they are gotten above the world â—and all things below go they Even or Odde with other men they alwayes go Even with them they have gotten above Themselves and their own wills Now Christs will is their will And Christs â—eace is their peace And They have begun â—â—eir Eternal SABBATH and are at Rest in the bosome of Jesus Christ their Blessed Saviour OF SVFFERING AND REIGNING WITH CHRIST ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together In eight Sermons Pâ—eached at Kensington Publique Meeting-place T Is true the Coherence of the Text imports An exception after some vast and immense Priviledges asserted and those priviledges Such whereof a Christian may boast of and triumph in as first of his Sonship Ver. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God have received the Spirit of Adoption Verse 15. For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father 2. Such is a Christians Priviledge and Sonship that he is delivered and set free from the Spirit of bondage he need never fear more And 3. He hath also received the Spirit of Adoption whereby he can own God and cry to him and call him Abba for he is his Father 4. The testimony of the Spirit of our Father with our Spirit Verse 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God And lastly Of our being made the Heirs of God and Co-heirs with Christ As in the former part of the Text And if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ. Our Text being much like the Exceptions in the Kings general Pardon wont to be given in the end of a Parliament where at the first beginning you would think he had forgiven all and every One but by that you have read it to the end you will find so many exceptions and limitations he hath scarce forgiven any So this out Text is such a restriction or limitation narrowing and bounding all those large Priviledges Immunities and indulgences and tells us in plain terms Except we suffer with him we shall not regin with him for every one is ready to catch at the Priviledges and assume them to themselves but stay as if he should say Although these be very large priviledges yet let me tell you to whom they
Mourners and Rejoycers Isa. 66. 10. Rejoyce ye with Ierusalem all ye that love her Rejoyce for joy with her even all ye that mourn for her that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory You shall come to know what Heaven is which is so much talked of and so little known 7. You shall see what our Saviour represented and intended when he said Iohn 16. 21. A woman when she is in travail hath great sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a man-child is born into the world And lastly we shall also see what it is St. Paul means 2 Cor. 1. 15. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so also our consolation Aboundeth by Christ So that you see both the Law and the Prophets And Christ and his Apostles do plentifully bear witness to the Text and to both parts of it both for our suffering with Christ and our reigning with him for as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15. 19. If in this present life onely we had hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable But our Life is Hid with Christ in God As then There is a Season to every thiâ—g and an appointed time for every purpose Eccles. 3. 1 c A time to be born and a time to dye a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance a time to lose and a time to get c. So will I enstyle this Text A CHRISTIANS TIME His whole time from the very beginning to the end so that besides or beyond which he hath not noâ— cannot look to have a minute a moment Nay he is not at all when he is not either suffering or being crucified with his Saviour or else in being glorified or reigning with him In both which states he is very safe although he cannot alwayes see it so Or you may call iâ— if you will his Non-age and Full age Gal. 4. 1. when he is under age and differeth nothing from a Servant though he be coheir with Christ who is heir of all things or else his Full-age or partaking with Christ in his Inheritance and glory Or else if that be too long ye may call it A CHRISTIANS YEAR that is his winter and his summer his winter of affliction and suffering and his summer of joy refreshing and consolation Or if that be too long then cal it HIS DAY as Gen. 1. The evening and the morning were the first day and so the fâ—rst day and every day after consisted of an evening and a morning first the evening then the moâ—ning And Luke 19. 42. If thou hadst known in this Thy day the things that belong to thy peace You must observe this order or else a Day is improperly applyed to him because he hath first his Night and evening of darkness and sorrow and then his Morning of joy and refreshing after that NIGHT of sorrow as Psal. 30. 5. Heaviness may indure for a Night but joy cometh in the morning Call it all these or any of these so you pervert not the order that we must be first servants and suffer with Christ before we come to be heirs in pâ—ssession with Christ we must first have our winter first sow our seed c. before we have our Summer and time of reaping From hence take notice of the perpetual and constant method God takeâ— with all his children first he gives them their Evening their Non-age their Winter c. First lets them have their time of suffering their winter of affliction their evening of sorrow Their serving-time first and then afterward cometh their Morning their Summer their Full age Their Morning of joy and consolation and their time of Reigning first Servants then Heirs as you may obseâ—ve in those Types of Jesus Christ which Types set out not only his Person but his Body Ioseph was first sold for a slave and was cast into prison before he was advanced to a kingdom And Mordecai he had his sorrowing and fasting time before he was advanced a tristibus semper sed necessariis incho at Deus as Origen saith And as our Saviour saith Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest But it is quite contrary in the Devils method towards his servants He gives first their Summer first their morning first their good wine but Christ he keeps the good wine last God first plucks up and then plants first pulls down and then builds first kils and then makes alive 1 Sam. 2. 6. And as it is Rom. 5. 15 16. For if through the offence of one many be dead much more the Grace of God and the gift by grace by Iesus Christ hath abounded unto many For if by one mans offence death Reigned much more the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall Reign in life by One Iesus Christ. But wicked men They may rejoyce here but they have their portion but their suffering succeeds and is coming apace as Abraham said to Dives Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy Good things but now he is comforted but thou art tormented Friends you may rejoyce sing and dance and be merry but you have small cause if you consider all you may sup well but you are like to have au hard breakfast You prefer your life and your lovial time before the life and time of the people of God you think they are a melancholy people but judge your selves whose condition is best theirs or yours He that will be my Disciple let him here take up his cross and then his Crown follows whatever He loses parts with denies himself in t is that he may have an hundred-fold with Christ in his Kingdom He now sows that he may then Reap but it is quite contrary in thy condition nothing will content thee but to reap now rejoice now and to be frolick here and then follows everlasting darkness instead of leaping and dancing your feet will for ever stumble on the dark Mountains Beloved these things are worth your consideration which if you seriously do it may be that your spirit may be saved in that day of the Lord do not overprize your contents here but rather use them soberly use them but use them so as if ye used them not there will come a time will abundantly recompence all your suffering Bearing and forbearing But I fear to some this is harsh doctrine as Christ his doctrine was to the young man when he bid him Sell all and he should have treasure in Heaven he went away sorrowful for he was very rich worldly riches glistered more in his eye then heavenly riches
doing so and if there was at any time any good in thee know that is none of thine that is his own work and no praise belongs to thee at all Now what sayest thou Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people so should ours in numbring our sins Nay farther consider that not onely all thy own sins are laid upon thee but all the sins of all the men in the world that ever were are or ever shall be Because thou art of that Body of that Race A member of that sinful body and race proceeding from our first Parents which stained the Race and House in the very root by rebellion and Treason And that all this hath been in doing by thee almost this 6000 years so that when thou wert but six dayes old thou wert a 6000 years sinner when thou wert little above a span long thou wert an Everlasting Transgressor As in the body of Christ All the Members have right and interest in all the excellencies and graces of the whole body the Faith of Abraham the Zeal of Iosiah the Patience of Ioh the Meekness of Moses and adde to that whatever virtue is in the head Christ which is in Heaven They are all thine Thou sharest in all so that we may then say Thou art all fair my Love there is no spot in thee So thou being of that sinful race and body thou hast right and thereby art intitled to all the vilest sins that ever were committed in the world As it was said concerning those that crucified Christ that God might bring on them all the sins that ever were committed from the bloud of the righteous Abel What canst thou now say for thy self O wretched Off-spring of the race of flesh and bloud but that Nebuchadnezzars Oven should be heat seven times hotter will it not be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement then for thee What canst thou say is not Tophet prepared of old and prepared for thee O thou foul and leprous creature The pile and fuel thereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone shall kindle it Esay 30. 33. Hast not thou by thy so often sinning Even trod the bloud of the Covenant under thy feet and done despight unto the spirit of grace hast not thou chosen thy sins and lusts before thy Saviour and hast therein cryed out for a Barabbas to escape and concerning Christ hast cryed crucifie him crucifie him What will ye crucifie your King I say you crucifie Him cruciâ—ie Him His Bloud be on us and on our children c. Yet thou condemnest Iudas when thou readest how Villanously he betrayed and sold his dear Meek and precious Master I ask thee Who now hath sold his Master what for 30 pieces nay for the pleasure of one darling sin which will for ever destroy thee And thou condemnest the Devil who sinned but once and was thrown down from his place and thou condemnest Adam who eat but once of the forbidden fruit and was immediately cast out of Paradise and will not that weight of sin that as a TALENT of Lead lies upon thee make thee once groan or complain many aggravations by circumstances might be presented before thee for circumstances alwayes aggravate nay sometimes create the sin Friend What sayest thou to this charge if thou canst say nothing to me then what shall I say to thee Then thus Onely the blood of Jesus Christ purgeth from all sin if thou hast not right and part in that all thy sins lie upon thee And what ever he performs in thee that God accepts and nothing else for be assured what ever prayers what ever sighs what ever groans thou puttest up to him he loaths all but what his Son makes but all His requests are heard and granted I know you can in words have present recourse to that saying That though we are sinners indeed and grievous sinners yet the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin I know that this very word were it spoken by Christ himself is enough indeed to silence Death and Hell and all the powers of darkness and is armour of proof against all Satans fiery darts and it is a most undoubted truth bâ—t then say I it is Christ himself must pronounce this saying to thee The blood of Iesus Christ purgeth thee from all sin If Christ pronounce these words then art thou indeed for ever acquitted but if thou sayest this of thy self to thy self and by thy self thou art not acquitted I know if Christ speak these words it is present death to all sin and unbelief they are the utter destruction to Sin and Sathan but if spoken onely by thy self they do but harden thee in sin they do but give new life to sin Thus much have I spoken to thee that thou mayest come to this first work of Humiliation namely Condemnation of our selves But O my Dear Brethren what are my words if Christ speak not by me he must preach his own truth to thee And this I say except thou first come to this work of Condemnation thou wilt never come to the second which is Annihilation not to any of the rest For every step is one above another These steps are ascending for as Solomon prayed that God would hear the prayers of all those that came and prayed in that house of the Lord and did see the plague of their own heart 2 Chron. 6. for except they saw that their prayer was in vain so say I not that it is in vain to pray but it is vain to trust to faith in vain to trust to Christ it will do no good except you see the plague of your own heart for thou mayest pray long enough and believe in Christ long enough if thou doest not see thy just worthiness of being destroyed if thou doest not see just cause of censuring and condemning thy self to the lowest Hell and that thou seriously confess That hell was not made in vain but that it was justly made And for thee and that it were just and righteous that God should cast thee thither nay not onely so but that you feel your souls in the Bitter agonies of Hell already and that the Torments thereof are seized upon you then there were hope That thy spirit would be saved and delivered Till thou art come to this never tell me of the blood of Christ That it purgeth from all sin but thou art none of them to whom it belongs for thou hast neither part nor portion in this matter If ye suffer with Christ then also shall ye be saved by him and reign with him SERMON VII ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together BEloved I will trust your memories for that which I have delivered before out of these words and come immediately to the second of these six steps which I have
of man take away Iness as I may call it and selfness and propriety and then there is a fair paper for God to write what Commands he pleases then no Command crosses them You know our Saviour Christ saith Matt. 10. 39. He that will deny himself shall save himself and again There is no man that hath forsaken houses or lands or wife or children or good name for his sake and the Gospels but he shall have a hundred-fold even in this world houses and lands and wife c. Brethren if you did but believe this could you be so over diligent so eager so covetous for the getting holding and saving of them or would ye not rather if Christ should command you eâ—en Run out of Church and burn you houses presently if you knew you should have a hundred-fold for them but whether you believe it or no his word is true and all men shall be â—ound lyars Heaven and earth shall pass away before one tittle of his word shall fail his words were the words of truth it self they could not admit of the least shadow of untruth and those that Christ hath brought to this condition we now speak of know them to be unspeakably true viz. That one hours joy one hours enjoyment of sure secure peace and joy in the Holy Ghost which they have instead of those things is more worth a thousand fold then a thousand years enjoyment of all the wealth and riches in the world nay they find it better to have One minutes enjoyment of this ravishing contentment then to have all the honour all the riches all the attendants or whatever the world could afford them though for ever And if the scales of ignorance which now blind and darken your understanding were but fallen from your eyes you should undoubtedly find it so and till then you will never believe me nay though one should rise from the dead and affirm these things you can look on them but as empty words wind and shadows Yet let me tell you O Beloved were your eyes but opened you would be so in love with this condition nothing could keep you from it you would not say as the sluggard in the Proverbs There is a Lion in the way no no your souls would be restless till you attain thereto I beseech you exaamine your souls and try them whether you are in this condition or you are not let not things hang wavering and weigh down neither side If God be God follow him if Baal be God follow him you will be hankering towards heaven and fain you would be saved but till you be brought to a resolved Resolution to take it by violence there is no obtaining Consider this man in two things 1 Consider what ever God gives he arrogates nothing to himself and counts himself not worthy of any thing neither can he rejoyce in it as his own but as given from God 2 What ever Lesson God sets this man to perform he ascribes the whole power and strength of it to God onely attributing no power to himself while he doth it yet he doth it not but God in him Or if he avoid any sin he confesseth it was by no power no watchfulness no wariness of his own whereby he did it for herein is the misery of all that man will not acknowledge but some power he hath of his own he can do something of himself And herein was the sin of Adam not so much in eating an Apple but that Adam would have and appropriate a power to himself he would be something without God for if Adam had taken seven Apples it had been nothing setting self-will aside and aiming at self pleasing against the Command of God But Adam would have power in himself he would have his own will he would have an essence of his own this was that which ruined him and so also all his posterity to this day and for ever Thirdly Consider This man he takes all well that God doth whether he give to him or take from him all is one to him he is never troubled he suffers no rending in his soul in leaving them neither rejoyces in the getting of them for he knows they are Gods and they are due to him whensoever he shall call for them As an honest man that knows a sum of money is due he having it ready he had as live the owner had it as himself for he cannot account it his own he cannot boast and pride himself in that which is none of his own This is that we call Reducing our selves to nothing To just nothing so that here we have set before you A lively Statue and Portraiure of a sequestered man which hath lost all that ever he hath in this world 1 He receives all as from God and looks on them as none of his own and he not worthy of the least mercy being less then the least as Iacob confesseth Gen. 32. 10. not in word onely but really he is so in his own esteem Not worth the ground he goes upon as we say And then secondly he uses them all to the glory of God and not to the satisfaction of the flesh and his own will and lusts but distributes them as God commands And if he have Wife Children Honours Riches c. he sets not his heart on them And thirdly I should have shewed you but I forgot he is as glad and rejoyces as much in the good of others as in his own good he is not contented to enjoy plenty himself or any good temporal or spiritual but he would have others enjoy the like and is willing to communicate to them Fourthly he is ready to part with them willingly when ever God calls for them And lastly Because as Eliphaz saith to Iob because the consolations of God seem no small thing to him therefore he is indifferent in all these things so God take not his holy Spirit from him and those inward joyes and refreshings from his own presence he cares not let him take from him else what he will Now what is it think you that this man feareth that hath thus overcome and is set down with Christ in his throne he cannot so much as fear death for he dyes dayly And what do you think now can separate this man from the love of Iesus Christ what can â—inder him from boasting and triumphing though not of or in himself but as the Apostle doth Ro. 8. 35 36 37 38 39. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written For thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter nay in all these things we are more then conquerors through him that loved us for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth
indure STRONG MEAT and not to be alwayes Fed with PAPPE SERMON VIII Rom. 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together THose which have no part in Christs sufferings they have none in his glory And those are expressed in Phil. 2. 4. in two words 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2. 7 8. 1 In Emptying of himself 2 In Humbling himself And these are sufferings indeed Far beyond his scourgings far beyond his nailing to the cross far beyond his crowning with thoâ—ns far beyond his whipping his mockings c. All those sufferings are not worthy to be named the same day with these for though he was God equall with his Father yet he came down from Heaven And dwelt among Us among men in the similitude of sinful flesh and took upon him the form of a servant And made Himself of no reputation and he had not so much as a hole to hide his head in and also he became Obedient unto death Now if these sufferings of Christ be in us If we Empty our selves viz. Of all that gall of sin and bitterness that is in us and also of all our Excellencies and Endowments both of Nature and Grace and lay it all down At the feet of Christ giving him all the power and glory for ever Then be assured whatever we do on this foundation God accepts it be it never so little And though we do never so much without this it is to God no more Then the cutting off a dogs neck and as odious as the offering up of swines blood under the Law On whom saith God Isa. 66. 2. and to whom will I look even to the humble to him that is of an humble and contrite spirit and trembleth at my words This foundation being laid Then come what will come Then neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heights nor depths nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 8. 38. They instead of separating us from Christ shall make us nearer to him and shall make us morâ— conformable to our head To fill up that which is behind of the measure of Christs suffering IN US which is his body And you may remember we compared these sufferings with Christ to those six steps which are the six steps that led up to Solomons Throne to wit 1. Was To abhor in our selves all those sins and defilements that we are guilty of which we called Condemnation The second was To beat our selves to dust to just Nothing which we called Annihilation yea to less then Nothing and vanity The third was Willingness to forsake all to Sell All for Christ which we called Resignation That is To be alwayes in affection and readiness till GOD call us to action The fourth was Indifferency which we are now to come to to stand equally affected to all conditions Faith being the ground as I told you the last day Believing undoubtedly that nothing can be better done then what is done God doing All. We have a pattern set us of this by the Apostle Paul He was come to this Ephes. 4. 11 12. I have learned saith he Implying That he was long about the work before he could attain it but now I am grown to be a good Scholar in it That is in what estate soever I am to be content and now I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me I know Now but not till now Both how to be abased and I know how to abound Every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry to abound and suffer need Phil. 4. 11 12. I have learned and I am instructed saith he which implies that there is a secret in Gods school which cannot be attained at the first entrance and by Beginners but when we are well entred and exercised therein we may know how too look with a smooth face upon all changes for they do as Christ their pattern in that of Iohn 4. 34. which is a copy set St. Paul by Christ My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work they account it not their meat and drink to do their own will As all the world doth but to do whatever He wills And to suffer whatever He Wills this is Their meat and Their drink and as the Apostle sayes I count it not in any case expedient to consult with flesh and blood surely in this case it is not onely not expedient but altogether unlawful for how tart is this to flesh and blood To tell a man when he is to go a journey he must be alike patient and alike thankful and he must neither desire fair weather nor foul To tell a man that is at Sea He must neither desire a wind with him nor against him To tell a man that expects a harvest he must neither desire a good harvest nor a bad Sunshine nor Rain To tell a man that is Naked that clothes and no clothes must be all one to him To tell a poor man That money or no money must be all one To tell a man that is sick that pain and ease health and sickness must be all one to him Labour and pleasure Ease and suffering Liberty and Imprisonment Glory and Infamy All this must be alike to him How can flesh and blood indure this Doctrine if we consult with it And therefore He that Means to practise this must not at all consult with flesh and blood As the Apostle saith I â—onsulted not with flesh and blood And the reason is because Thou mayest not desire any thing that may cross Gods will or his providence for that weather that is for thee may be hurt to another and that wind that is against thee may be for the good of another c. You will say it may be Here is a doctrine indeed What will this Babler bring us to at last Acts. 7. 10. Then certain Philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoicks encountred him and some said What will this Babler say other some He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange Gods beâ—â—use he preached unto them Iesus and the resurrection What new doctrine is this I have been an Auditor and a Professor this 20 30 or 40 years and I never heard such a doctrine as this And I have heard above a 100 Preachers and none like this man I never heard my own wayes so much thwarted He clean contradicts our byas and we have been alwayes taught otherwise and therefore this cannot be true doctrine these are some new tricks and some new crochets and devices some new querks and quillets for novelty This Doctrine is as strange to you as if I were A Setter forth of
live And With those men which Live â—pon the shadow and content themselves with Shels and Husks There is no peace to be had with them except ye make the Substance Vail to their Shadowes And the True God to stoop to their Idol Baal Otherwise They are like Saul Before He was converted Acts 9. 1. Exceedingly Mad against them like Inraged Mad Bulls and Breathing out Threatning and Slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord And are still seeking to the High Priests and the powers of the Earth to assist them with Commissions To make Havock of the Church But Oh! that the Lord would graciously Shine Round about them And smite them to the earth Causing them to hear That voice Why Why persecutest Thou Me It is Hard for thee to Kick against the Pricks But St. Paul â—e was now come to those things of which he knew and found Christ His bod was but A shadow He now possest the 〈◊〉 let the shadow go And if men woâ—ld never sleigh the Shadow or the Letter or the Shell Till the did it on the same ground the Aposâ—le did 〈◊〉 instead of blaming them I should Highly commend them But this is that which is too common in these dayes they throw away the shadow and the shell too soon they throw away the Letter and Ordinances upon a meer supposition 〈◊〉 they are in S. Pauls condition and this is thâ— very ground of the Error of Many in these dayes and therefore I caution hence 〈◊〉 much and charge you Not to throw away the Letter noâ— sleight the body of Christ in the least exâ—epâ— inrelation to the Spirit the Life and the Substance Onely comparatively And you as come Really 〈◊〉 enjoy these things not to cast them quite 〈◊〉 as I said before but not to rest in them 〈…〉 the Handmaid before the Mistress or the 〈◊〉 before the Marrow or the Casket before thâ— IEWEL or the â—ield before the PEARL Le no man saith the Apostle Iudge you in Meats 〈◊〉 Drinks or in respect of an Holy day New 〈…〉 of The Sabbath dayes which are shadows of Thing To come But the Body is Christ. For beloved Christs body was Symbolical 〈◊〉 well as his actions they all held 〈…〉 that we might not rest in them bâ—t this is 〈…〉 flesh in us is ready to abuse to our own 〈◊〉 and condemnation The cunning politick Devil in us when he cannot hold us in prophaneness by the Chains of ignorance then he labours to do it by the Chains of knowledge Sayes he in us if the letter be a shadow and nothing then we will neglect it we will throw it away there is nothing now to be done we will live as we list we Owe No duties to God or man we will please our selves and deny our selves nothing for we are gotten above Word Ordinances Sacraments Worships and all Oh Beloved these are the Devils strongest Chains of all These Chains of Knowledge to abuse the highest liberty and glory of a Christian to the Idleness and Luxuriousness of the flesh He that is taken in These Chains a thousand to one if he ever get out as the Apostle saith Heb. 10. There is after this no more Sacrifice for sins such will hardly ever recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil and as he expresseth it in Heb. 6. It is impossible for those who were once inlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance and he so goes on and explains it by a similitude For the earth which drinketh in the rain which cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God else it beareth thorns and bryars and is rejected and is â—igh unto cursing and in the end to be burned This caution I thought good to mind you of that in taking you off from Resting on these things that you do not quite slight them nor think your selves come to the Spirit when ye have scarce Attained The letter and Outside But as I was saying Christs body and his actions were symbolical for though he healed the lame and cured the deaf and raised the dead and the like yet this was not the Substance nor the End of his coming for he by them shadowed out to us what he doth internally in our souls For Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and thâ— same for ever He did then Those actions of curing the blind cleansing the lepers casting out devils and the rest So he doth the same still as David saith Psal. 103. Praise the Lord O my soul which cureth all thy diseases and healeth al thy infirmities which redeemeth our lives from destruction and crowneth us daily with loving kindnesses and tender mercies These are the diseases Christ cures daily and so cures that they never mortally fall sick again Those he cured then they might fall to the same diseases again or worse it may be and besides that curing them saved them not from death as this curing doth The young man that was raised from death dyed again and Lazarus dyed again but those he cures in soul they are cured for ever them he quickens for ever them he so raises from death that they dy no more As old Simeon said of him Luke 2. 34. That he was for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and he was for a sign which shall be spoken against He is for a sign in the flesh and in his Humane nature of what he did from the begining and of what he is still in doing He himself in the body in his humanity and All his actions were typical These things I often represent to you because we are Backward to reâ—eive them we are loth to turn our eyes inward in hearing and reading the Scriptures To see all those things fulfilled in our selves Nay we do not yet feel and believe That we are those that Christ came to cure that we are the dumb and the deaf the halt and the blind Little do we think that Devils are to be cast out of us but those whom Christ hath cured they are able to see really that they are The men that Christ then by them represented They see when they read of the Iews crucifying of the Lord of life of their cruel whipping mocking c. crowning him with thornâ— and the like they can say to themselves as Nathan said to David when by a parable he had represented his sin sayes he and so can this man say to himself Thou art the man And so likewise in all his other actions Far be it from any one to think that to heal those External diseases was the End of his coming But thus think Did he arise from death to life he doth the same
thoughts and all his former thoughts were banished Even so doth this man behave himself when once God hath spoken to him and discovered himself to be so near He doth as David sayes he did Set the Lord alwayes before his eyes then he minds God and observâ—s his workings his out-goings and incomings he alwayes then puts God forward in him He must do all Before He was the forward man and who but he All Gods acts in him he arrogated to himself and as he thought the actions were His done by His power wisdom and parts so he took home The glory and praise of all to himself But now Upon Gods appearing to him this man is Undonâ— slain crucified Then he can with all his heart let God Be all and Do All Speak in him Move in him Live in him Work all his works in him and for him He now minds God in whatsoever any creature saith or doth to him He no longeâ— lives his own life but the life of God t is true He lives as the Apostle saith Yet not He but Christ in him He now As a New man Hath no words but the words of Christ no thoughts but the thoughts of Christ made One spirit and life with Him and so he becomes throughout A changed Man A New man But the other he that is not aware of God He that is a Reprobate who knows not That Christ is in Him He takes no knowledge of all this but does what he list and as he thinks He speaks his own words and thinks his own thoughts and All their thoughts words and actions All their aims and endeavours tend to the fulfilling the desires of the flesh Either more gross and open or else more subtile and refined and more hid from the eye of the world Their desires and aims are How they shall procure such a benefit to themselves such an estate or how he shall be delivered from the danger of the times and he is full of carking and caring how his flesh shall be provided for and the like And truly beloved it cannot be otherwise for whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh and whatsoever is born of the Spirit is Spirit for it can never act without its own sphere and compass were we born of the Spirit we could not but dye to the flesh and seek the things of the Spirit then all his thoughts for the advantage of the flesh Cease and he is altogether fot Increasing and Perfecting This life of God begun in him let God live more and more and himself less and less As John Baptist saith he must increase but I must decrease This is his life now which before was his death and contrary his death is his life God is now A welcom Guest Yet Not that God is more or less there you being alwayes Gods Temple as well before you see him as when you see him for Christ cannot Alter his lodging in the reality of it This is a certain truth Nothing can make Christ depart in regard of his Essence and Being but to you he may depart and so you are to understand all such expressions for if you think and as some preach that God comes and goes from place to place from earth to heaven oâ— from heaven to earth departs and returns and that you can stay Him and change Him or make him return These are all childish fopperies in this ye do as it were Create another God to your selves and make the true God an Idol but it is spoken in refâ—rence to the Creature in regard of our sight and apprehensions As To you He is departed and dwels above far remote And indeed and really he is as having no being and is as no God to thee However thou mayest flatter and deceive thy self Until thou hast smitten and taken Kiriathsepher and marryed Achsah Calebs daughter Till there be power given To rend the vail But then you shall see Him who is the truth of all things The substance of all things and not before for whatever you can see are but Shaddows and not the Truth As in this my body you cannot see the Internality and the Truth of it for the truth and Substance of it doth not consist either in the coldness or in the hotness for it hath been hotter and it hath been colder neither in the Oldness nor Youngness for it hath been younger and may be older neither in the heaviness nor lightness for it hath been lighter and may be heavier nor in no accidents you can name Then if so none hath ever heard or seen or spoke that which is the Truth of me for my Substance cannot be seen but onely Accidents the truth consists in things internal and t is the like for any other thing you behold besides And so likewise such is the Word of God it consists not in any thing you can hear or see or can perceive or comprehend for Gods Word is as himself Mighty Incomprehensible Omnipotent c. not included in any place His Word is the Being and life of all things the Letter cannot possibly contain the Eternal Majesty of the Word it is not the Word of God till it be expounded to the heart and made a word of power and quickning in the hearts of his people The Word is Eternal and was before any Letters or Scriptures were and shall be for ever when all those things Cease Gods speaking is His creating Let it be done there can be no resisting sayes David whatever he commanded it was wrought God Hath spoken As many Words as he hath made Creatures But He hath spoken One Great and mighty word and that One WORD includes All those Words and that One Word is Jesus Christ the Onely begotten of his Father and the first born of every creature all the rest of the creatures are but as so many Letters of this GREAT Word for he is called the Word He being in the bosome of his Father He was Unspoken Unuttered Unpronouncedâ— there was not then any one creature in heaven or earth but God was ALL there was then Neither Father Son nor Spirit as divided But He being Once pronounced He is the Word Spoken then immediately there is Father Son and Spirit For these are expressed Several or TRINE onely in relation to the creatures which to me is clear for there is not diversity in God but God is one and in Himself cannot be more and I hope it is clear to you If any should think or say unto me the words of Pilate Oh Sir What thing is truth I must answer thus truth is not possible to be either spoken or heard for God onely is truth and nothing else can be now it is impossible to see or hear God saith our Saviour No man hath seen God at any time for we cannot see him and live we must depart Out of the nature of man and return into God and be one with God Else we can never know
so In-stil this Wisdom and Fâ—igned Goodnese into the Nature of Adam that the Serpents Seed and Wâ—rd was in Adam made a corporal Man So that now the same thing may be said of them both And as they that are born of God and in whom the word of God is made Man or Flesh are called Gods and One Spirit with God so all men being Sprung of flesh and bloud before they be Born again and before they are Planted into Christ and Born of the Spirit are justly called Devils and the Devils Children and off-spring Therefore that which is Humane onely is evil and that which is Devillish is Humane Again What is the fall of Adam but the wisdom of the flesh and the fruit of the Forbidden Tree What is that Old Dragon that came out of Hell and Drew down from Heaven with himself with his Tail a great part of the Stars of Heaven But onely the wisdom of this Tree Which extols it self against God and would it self be God and place his Seat with the Highest I pray What else Are the thoughts of the flesh What is Sin What Arrogance but the Fruits and Wisdom of this Tree What are the Decrees of all men and the bent of their Reason against God Their Devises Light Books c. but the cunning of the Devil from this Tree Eaten What is all the worship of Idols The false Religion of all the wicked Iews Turks Gentiles Mamalukes and all false Christians What are all their Leagues Conventicles Ceremonies But the Apple of this Tree Which counterfeiting The Tree of Life sheweth to be pleasant fruits but are such as are death it self No man can sufficiently express The general worshipping of Idols wherewith All the corners of the World and the Hearts of men are stuffed How common it is to all men Who is he that Adores not Himself and saith to his Own Hand Reason Knowledge Honesty Art and Wisdom Thou art My God In thee I Hope In thee I Trust They do not I grant say thus with their mouth but their Whole life and their Idolatrizing mind saith as much by their deeds Here Here it is that all Mortal men deny God and testifie it by their works For if they think there be A God why do they not leave Vengeance to God Why are they so Anxiously careful Why do they so exercise mischief and fraud and so deceive one another Why do they make War and Strife right or wrong for mine and thine Why do they so Lye Deceive and Flatter one another Why do they forget God and His sayings making no account of his Commandements Wherefore do they labour Night and Day to Get and Heap up Riches Truly all this is because they believe not That God hath any care of them or will or can Revenge for them And therefore it is necessary that they Help and Revenge themselves Otherwise they might look long enough unto Gods Hand but be overcome and starve before Roasted Geese flye into their mouthes as they say and before he will avenge them on their Enemies And they might be killed ten times over and they might all beg their bread if they will have ought to do with God and truth in good earnest No they must not be wanting to themselves but make their own Markets by Lying Deceiving Cousening and Usury This This they are assured will do them good and inrich them Whereas his commandments would come too late for to Help them and fail them at most need and the Word of God is an insufficient Help in Adversity Therefore it pleaseth them To kiss their own Hand To speak Bigge words And to Admire themselves for who else is Our God saith the Whole world by their Works Of that Great Idol of Mans Wisdom and Knowledge How men kiss their own Hands and the whole world doth diligently Worship Onely it SELF and the works of their Own Hands That is the Inventions Arts Counsels of their own Reason and Wisdom VVHat Other thing is the Worship of Idols Superstition Witchcrast Evil Doctrine and the Ordinances of men Then the Wisdom Reason Inventions Crafts Actions Instincts and Prudence of men Therefore the worshipping of Idols is but to fashion such a form like unto God not according to his word as He Teacheth Figureth and Formeth Himself In us But according to our opinion and Judgement of God Moreover what is sin Other then Our own Will Wisdom Counsel Sown in the mind of Adam and in his posterity by the Seed of the Serpentâ— Consider the Purpose Course Life of All mankind where how thou wilt and it is nothing but Humane wisdom Here Will every man be his Own God Lead Teach Govern Actuate Revenge Defend Excuse Inrich Himself and the like and every mans own Head Will and Reason is instead of A God unto Him Though the sin and fall of Adam be nothing but Humane Affectation of The Cunning Reason and Wisdom of the flesh Which is therefore worthily called by God Folly and Enmity against God yea Death it self and Devillish Wisdom All men ought with Christ to bring Man to nothing and by daily lesâ—ening and depressing Him to make him An Ass A Fool and a Child But now it is clean contrary All men build up The Man that he may prove Wise Glorious and Famous Here are so many Cart-loads of Arts to the end The wretched and unprofitable Man may become Great Eminent Praised and Excellent And may obtain many Places Titles and Names Here young men are purposely inslamed with a desire of Glory that they may not be content to sit in the lower form but may Domineer in the Pulpits and Teaching-places And to the end there are Artificers imployed to make the Scholars Accute Witty Knowing in all kinds of Crafts and Exercises and in all Exercises Arts and Literal Deceits Whereby it appeareth clearer then the Light That the world is contrary An Enemy to God Here Every body Kisseth his own Hands and Adoreth the Wisdom of his own Wit This he accounteth instead of God his Way and Word and indeed which is of all things The greatest and Onely sin and that very fall of Adam And the fountain whence all other sins do flow as Iob confesseth For this is to be obedient and addicted to serve Himself to Admire and Adore Himself to follow his Own will Briefly to be His Own Being glad and willing to be somewhat and to do to Omit and to know somewhat in himself and not to be utterly void of all Name Wâ—ll Work and subject onely to God this is the Onely and most deadly Sin Yea rather the Sink and Mother of all Sin For the Delight Will and Wisdom of the flesh is Death it self and a man is thereby no more profitable better nor religious then a Swine in his death But so far forth as he doth Nothing knoweth Nothing Willeth nothing but bears and suffers and sees God making Holy-day In Him This man
pleasantness of fruit nor any such thing But he is that by which all these have their pleasantness light and sweetness and whatever excellency any creature hath he is not that thing as some have foolishly conceited because God is in them therefore they are Gods c. this declares in such much ignorance and weakness But he is the cause and being of all such excellencies and he himself infinitely transcends whatever can be thought or imagined For he that conceives in his God that there is in him light or sweetness or glory as we accont glory or light or sweetness or that he should be Musick to the ear or some glorious or glittering sight to the eye he that conceives God or Heaven to be any such thing whatsoever he is deceived Beloved I hope though I have some cause also to fear it that you are not so childish as to conceive that there is Musick Viols or Harps or Organs or any such thing in Heaven He transgresses against the first Commandement whosoever he be that apprehends any of these things to be in God or in heaven according to the letter and he is as great an Idolater as he that makes A Golden Calf and then falls down and worships it nay he is a more dangerous Idolater and Transgressor for the other Idolaters were so gross and absurd that very reason condemns them but this is more spiritual and more close Idolatry and therefore more dangerous For the Kingdom of heaven consisteth not in meats and drinks but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. that is it consisteth not in food or rayment in riches or honours or whatever is accounted precious or amiable to the world but saith our Saviour The Kingdom of God is within you and again My Kingdom is not of this world neither cometh it with observation But I say more then al this he that would find God let him be silent and sit in darkness neither to see any thing nor to hear any thing for he that thinks he hears or sees any thing or thinks of any thing that hath any manner of form or thing in his imagination when he thinks of God he is an Idolater As for instance will you see God in a man as he is in a good man so he is also in an evil man God or Christ dwels in them both in regard of Essence both in good and bad but here is the difference Christ lives not is not formed in them as to them in the one but in the other he is as to them the one sees it and knows it and prizeth rejoyceth in the seeing knowing and believing of it the other doth not but is Anathema Maranatha and separated from Christ 1 Cor. 16. 22. Christ lives in every man in regard of himself and is as much in the one as in the other But I say here is all the difference to the one Christ is manifested to the other he is not God lives in al but all know it not A good man hath God in him and he seeth knoweth and believeth it the other do neither see know nor believe it and so rejoyce not in the manifestations of God in them but they believe they have a power will and a Being of their own and this they glory and rejoyce in presume on and live to themselves and sacrifice to their own drags and regard not God in whom they live move and have their being Again would you see God in the Sun Moon and Stars or in Beasts or Trees and in all other creatures Know he is the Life Act Motion of all creatures take away from all or any of these all that may be taken away all Accidents and then that which remaineth is God In the Sun or Moon or any thing else you must first strip it of all visibility and of all form and representation Glorious or Base and then you shall behold God not as that form but as the Cause Essence and Being of whatever is in it Or as in a man take from him highness and lowness for those are Accidents weight and lightness greatness and littleness youth and age for all these are Accidents what remains then but he that was is and is to come the All in all he that is Alpha the first of all and shall be Omega the last of all What remains then but the first begotten of the Father Jesus Christ even him that is the Ancient of dayes he that is above all through all and in all Ephes. 4. 6. For beloved there was something of me before I was either hot or cold before I was either dry or moist before I had either weight or lightness yea before I had any manner of shape These things I say being taken away what remains then but he that is I am He that is Alpha and Omega For take away heights and depths things present and things to come and then nothing can separate Christ and us as the Apostle in that case reasons Rom. 8. ult He was perswaded nothing could separate him from Christ neither death nor life nor angles nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heights nor depths nor any other creature should be able to separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord For nothing hinders or separates us from Christ in this case but these things Although I know many men say and teach in a general way sin is the cause of separation which is a truth but too general a truth But this is a cause more particular and the cause of abundance of particular sins Seek therefore to remove the root and cause and then particular fruits effects and branches will wither and dye of themselves For were it not for the vail of Accidents that is between God and us we should see God we might then see God in the Gold and God in the Light God in the Sun and God in the Water and God in the Earth God in the Trees and God in the Flowers and God in every pile of Grasse and God to be All in All were but those things those Accidents removed from our sight for where any thing moves God is the mover nay where any thing hath a Being a Substance he is the Being of that Being the Substance of that Substance if we may call any thing Substance or Being but God For he is the Motion and being of every thing great or little glorious or mean they are all not onely his workmanship as most men teach and believe but he is also their Substance and Being and the Saints They see that the Lord is among them as in Sinai and that he was not more present and glorious in Mount Sinai then he is in all Creatures And further let me tell you this is The Angel of the Covenant spoken of in the Revelation whom these types and shadows
to starve and do you look I should relieve you Depart I know you not Lord say they we never saw thee a hungry but we fed thee or naked but we clothed thee or in prison but we visited thee They wonder that Christ should lay that to their charge for who more careful to relieve him outwardly yet you see Christ will not know them Therefore take notice that it is not enough that if no man demand ye need not to give or if you do give you have done all for ye may be guilty of neglecting Christ notwithstanding Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be satisfied Let Christ be fed and satisfied in thy soul give Him such meat as he can eat His meat is to do the will of his Father and to fâ—nish his work therefore in that regard also take heed ye displease not the Son left he be angry and ye perish in the way Take heed ye suffer him not to starve Thou feedest him in his members yea Outwardly but that is not enough I tell you that is but an embleme of feeding Christ that is but the outside thou dost but as it were perform the smal matterâ— of the Law and neglectest the weighty matters thereof Tell me where thou feedest and where thou restest at noon Beloved what need Christ any rest he is in heaven and is there any weariness where there is no weariness there is no need of rest he is farre above the malice of men and devils Isa. 66. 1. Where then is the place of my rest ☞ For Answer hereunto we must consider Christ as a Body not as any one particular member for a member cannot suffer without the body for if a member be cut off from the body all actions cease in that member and where there is no life or action there can be no suffering separate the action which is the effect of life from the body or the life which is the cause of action the body is not capable of suffering So in Christ consider the body compleat and so Christ suffers still and hath need of Rest As he is in every creature so he is called The beginning of all the works of God and he indeed is All Things and so he is at rest and cannot suffer Here is a great mystery Beloved that Christ should be in the Creature and yet be at Rest that he should be in the Variation and Alteration of things in the world and yet He not vary that He should be the substance of things changed and yet He not changed I will shew you it in an example The light and heat of the Sun comes through the ayre now you know the wind and the ayre is subject to change nothing more it is changed and turned every way and yet the sun though it do come through the ayre is the same it is not moved nor changed though they suffer an alteration yet it suffers none Wonder not then if such a thing may come to be in a Creature as the Sun is that he that is the Lord of all Creatures should be so and infinitely more No marvel though he can turn them upside down as he pleases and vary and alter them as the wind They all shall wax old as doth a garment they shall perish but thou shalt endure as a vesture thou shalt change them and they shall be changed but thou art the same and thy years never end that is they shall all purifie and corrupt but thou art the same thou changest not Dear freinds now we have answered you where He rests Iesus Christ blessed for ever he indeed suffers in his members But he Rests in himself in him there is no shadow of change And in our temptations and affâ—ictions we rest in him When we can in all troubles have recourse to him as David did and find succour under the shadow of his wings this is a repose for our hearts in all conditions in our selves we can do nothing there we cannot rest but in him we may and can when as we are in such an affliction like as our Saviour was that he saw No comfort every thing was Sad and dark round about he was compassed with sorrows on every side he was in such a labyrinth of sorrow as never man was he saw no comfort at all neither in life nor in death above him nor below him from God or men I say were our condition as bâ—d as his if it were possible that we were in the very midst of the heat and fire of afflictions when the flood of tentation ariseth fourty cubits above ourstrongest hold yet then we might rest in our Head even as he rested in himself so we may rest in him seeing that all things work together and shall turn to the best to them that love God It is a strange speech and as rarely beleived that though God bring us through never so many and never so bitter tortures and torments That yet we may be at rest in an assured perswasion that all shall turn to the best which notwithstanding are not punishments judgements as they are generally taken nor so to be accounted Ill indeed had it been for us if it had been so for they are not to be looked upon as vengeances but as fatherly corrections not as ministers of his wrath but as Evidences of his love and such love that neither heighth nor depth death nor life c. Nay nothing can separate us from Christ Here is the rest of a Christian and then they may be said to Rest with him at noon in the very heat and height of tentations and afflictions And if the soul shall ask O my God where art thou Beloved he is nigh thee he is with thee he is so neatly joyned to thee that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come shall be able to sepâ—rate between him and you And in his due time he will rouse up himself like a Lion When the heat of tentation shall have humbled us and laid us low and qualified the proud heart of man and the Smart of affliction mellowed and tempered us he then will appear for our comfort and rest The fourth thing is For why should I be as those that turn aside to the flocks of thy companions She would fain know with an unsatisfiable desire what pleases him and where he rests and where he feeds for if he do not resolve her and answer her she shall turn aside to the creatures to the flocks of thy companions as anon we shall shew you what it is There is in the souls of all men a propension to worship a God if they find not the true God they will worship somewhat that which their own fancy tels them is a God It is the nature of gratitude to be returning somewhat The soul is given of God it
any creature but thou wilt be willing to do as Abraham did by Sarah to buy a field to bury thy dead out of thy sight for they are dead to thee and thou art dead to them and when death shall come to call thee hence thou canst look him in the face with great joy and reâ—oycing and then shalt thou know what is the benefit of eating The hidden manna then shalt thou finde and taste both what it is and how delicious and sweet it is then shalt thou finde that one day in Gods house is befter then a thousand elsewhere then shalt thou finde that God himself will be more to thee then all the creatures put together then shalt thou finde that one day of true love to God one hours enjoyment of the love of God doth give thy soul more joy and content then all the creatures could ever afford thee then shalt thou feelingly say as the Queen of Sheba by Solomon She said to the King It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom howbeit I beleeved not the words until I came and mine eyes had seen it and behold the half was not told me of thy wisdom and prosperity exceeding the fame which I heard I have heard much of the love of God by his Ministers and of the ravishing content that was therein but now I am come to enjoy it I finde they did not relate the tenth part thereof and that it is such love which fastens and knits us together for ever and ever to the unchangeable God through Iesus Christ his onely beloved Son who is the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person OF EATING HIDDEN MANNA The Heads or Substance of a Sermon preached for Mr. Hodges at his Wednesday Lecture in OLD JURY REV. 2. 17. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it IN a little corner of Asia were these Churches seated unto whom God by the Evangelist Saint Iohn wrote The words I have now read are as David sayes of the blessed man whose tree never withereth but is alwayes fresh flourishing and green planted by the Rivers side such are these words and all the words of God they have not onely a dead Letter but they have a living sense this Tree bears fruit in all Ages in all times As our Saviour Christ sayes what I say to you I say to all men the words of God are so spoken and meant that they are not onely true of that man that time in that place in that age in which they were spoken but they are true and concern as much all men all ages all sexes all places But if ye shall say to me as the Apostle â—aith Rom. 10. 6. Who shall ascend into Heaven or who shall descend into the secrets of God to bring Christ from the Grave or to fetch him down from Heaven behold he is nigh thee even in thy heart c. Behold I am he whom God hath appointed at this time to unfold this word from God now read to you to open to you these sweet promises of mercy and grace but it will be so onely to those whose eyes are open to see them so the promise here made is large I will give him to eat Hidden Manna but it is not without a condition let them be what they will be pretend what they will let your confidence be never so great ye have no interest in this promise without the condition would you eat of the hidden Manna then ye must be overcomers he that overcometh shall eat But give me leave a little to wave the condition the Apostle Iohn saith That there are three that bare record on earth the Spirit the water and the Blood and these three agree in one So say I here is both a condition and a promise and they both agree in one A man cannot eat except he Overcome neither can he Overcome except he Eats therefore let no man think he can Overcome except he eat this hidden Manna and he that eateth doth Overcome as Christ tells the Disciples without me ye can do nothing so without ye eat this hidden Manna ye can do nothing ye can never overcome for in eating this hidden Manna we get strength to Overcome and as we eat we overcome and as we overcome we eat this was your vow made in Baptisme to renounce the Devil and all his works and to fight manfully under Christs Banner against sin the World the Flesh and the Devil thou hast there given up thy name to Christ and hast bid defiance to Satan as much as in thee lieth and hast said I renounce thee Satan and I will be one of thy Souldiers O Lord Christ. There is no man that hath prepared his heart to seek God but he shall be sure to find enemies enough he shall have temptations to wrastle with and to overcome David sayes that he found his enemies innumerable Psal. 118. they compassed him on every side and came about him all like Bees and the Lord himself tells us that all the imaginations of mans heart are onely evil continually Dost thou think then that thou hast no enemies Then let no man say if I found any enemies I would fight with them for I may say to thee as Delilah to Sampson Arise the Philistines be upon thee there be enemies enough even in the chamber within thee lying in wait and if you do not arise and stand upon your guard you shall be overcome instead of overcoming But that you may understand this Text I will lay down three things which will be necessary to unfold it The first is this All these seven promises made here to the seven Churches of Asia though they be diversly exprest yet it is all one thing suppose they be promises of eating of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God or promises that we shall not be hurt of the second death or that we shal have the crown of life or of the white stone with the new name in it or of ruling the Nations with a rod of iron or the receiving the bright morning Star All these promises they are one and the same thing and they are pronounced by one and the same Spirit and let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches wheresoever Christ shall be there shall his members be also and every member shall have a full and plentiful part there shall be nothing wanting to them they shall all have a satisfying part they shall be all as branches that are nourished with one and the same root the same sap goes thorow the whole body that is in the
Goodness the Wisdom Excellency and Beauty of him You may say these indeed in themselves are glorious creatures but say withal Where is He that enlightens them and makes them so glorious Oh! What and How glorious is He that thus shines in them and through them And as they All testifie the glory of their Creator so they All suffer him to be their Lord and Ruler Every thing is contented to stand in his place and be obedient to him the beasts they are appointed for food to man as other things are for beasts every one increasing and yielding their sweetness and fatness to the next creature above them and this they do willingly without grudging And All these creatures though they do speak God yet that they say of Him it is nothing in comparison of him Though they say something yet they all say not All of him but in us there is such a deal of ignorance which I was about to say was the greatest sin that we are so far from using them as we should making them serviceable to us and keeping them in their place that we are rather serviceable to them and are their servants and we make them Masters we are sooner turned into their kind then they into ours And the creatures though they speak God and speak aloud of him yet know this they still cry Plus ultra plus ultra there is more behinde still look beyond us for we are nothing when thou beholdest The Beauty glory sweetness or Excelencie of any Creature or of all the Creatures together Hear This voice from Them Look Beyond us for we All are Nothing Nothing to Him who made us and gave us to be What we are And we all speak infinitely short of Him As when I see This Church or House I know he was a workman that built it yet I know not All of him I neither knew what age he was of nor what means he had but that he was a workman this his works do tell me So in the works of Creation when I look upon any of the creatures I must needs acknowledge he was a Rare workman and a wise that contrived and made it but they come infinitely far short of him And they still cry with that man in the Gospel We believe But Lord help our unbelief 2. For their prayers You know prayer consists of two parts Of Prayer or Invocation Of Praise and Adoration As I told you every creature praises God the work praises the workman and every creature praises God I and with a loud voyce But whoever heard and understood the noise and the language of the stones and the voyce of the still and quiet earth But even All these praise God Aloud and he receiveth it at their hands They all praise him in his Sanctum Sanctorum The whole world and the Heavens and the Heaven of Heavens are all but His Temple as David saith In this Temple doth every one speak of His glory In this Temple they all sing praise and Hallelujahs to him every one even as it were vocally as Psal. 84. 3. David complains that the Swallows and the Sparrows were more happy then he for they might draw nigh unto God in his Temple to praise him for what is their chirping crying and singing but the voice of nature and to whom do they cry and to whom do they sing but to their Creator and God knows their voice and their cry as David saith He feeds the young Ravens when they cry unto him As a mother knows the signs the Child makes knows by the nuzling what it craves even so doth God by all his creatures The eyes of all things look up unto thee and thou givest them their meat in due season What the eyes of all men nay of all things You know one creature understands the voice of another they understands one anothers complaints one anothers singing and rejoycing one Dog understands the voice of another and so every creature in its kind and shall not God who is the God of nature he knows whereof we are all made and He knows all our complaints and wants The Lions seek their prey of God and he feeds the Ravens when they cry unto him But if these should not preach Gods praise yet the very stones do speak his praise and cry unto him but yet in such a language as God understands who made them and therefore you to whom God hath given rongues and understanding if you do not praise God and glorifie him if you hold your tongues all these dumb creatures and even these senseless stocks and stones shall rise in judgement against you for this is a true rule Nature hath done nothing in vain What 's the reason the poor sheep bleats when it comes to the slaughter and the swine Roars when he is killed do you think they cry to us that pursue them kill them no no but to God who is witness of their surrendring up their precious lives according to his will STEVEN when he was stoned to death nor Jesus Christ when he was crucified and said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit they did not cry more Audibly I say not more Audibly in Gods eares to God to take notice of their innocent yielding up their lives then these creatures do Cry to God when they suffer cruelly and unjustly crying to God Lord lay not this sin to their charge And Father into thy hands I commit my life and my spirit and fall asleep as Steven did and return to their rest 3. The third thing is their Decalogue but this belongs onely to us because they need none they never broke their law they alwayes walk according to Gods will The water and the sea summer and winter hay-time and harvest with all other things these all keep their appointed time they all obey thy will O God True it is they have not that reason that we have and therfore they have not so exact A Decalogue Yet God hath power even to break this exact Law yea man also may if God give him a dispensation and then if he break any of these Laws it is no sin as God commanded Abraham to kill his son and he did kill him in his intention and he had killed him had not the Angel staid his hand and it was not Evil but Obedience in Abraham But if any one shall do this from their own will then it were sin for he that gave the Law may break the Law And for this third part we need say no more 4. For their Sacrifices or Sacraments I do not say they sacrifice as of themselves but they are not onely an occasion of our praising God and sacrificing to him but they are also the matter of our sacrifices yet David in that of I Chron. 16. 31 32 33. Exhorts Let the Heavens be glad and the earth rejoyce and let men say among the Nations The Lord reigneth so withal saith he Let the sea
Christs Disciples by him to be led into al truth is this voice the voice of the Spouse which continually looking upon her own ignorances and infirmities cryeth Oh thou whom my soul loveth tell me Teach me where thou feedest where thou restest at noon But you know what the holy Ghost saith He that is wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool then of that man And indeed we much wonder to see a Dwarf because that if he live to he never so old yet he is but of a childes stature and will never increase or grow higher What are such Christians if they may be so called but Monsters like those silly women the Apostle speaks of always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth who cannot indure strong meat to make them grow tall men in Christ but are still feeding themselves and others with nothing but milk with the Principles and Beginnings of Christ But those Plerophoria's Those Fat and full things of Gods House though they talk of them yet they never reach them And those that do speak of them give them an offence and get their hatred and hard sentence He must be a Familist or a Seâ—tarie or an Antinomian or some such like and to say the truth in few words they censure others and applaud themselves and though they have been long Teachers yet they themselves had need be taught the very lowest things in Christianity And Children they finde their Auditors and children they leave them You see our Saviour grew up in wisdom and stature and the grace of God was with him being filled therewith He stood not at a stay but increased he grew from the Law to the Gospel he submitted to the Law in all things and fulfilled all righteousness but he rested not in the Law but grew up to the Gospel he begun at Circumcision and submitted to the Law and was obedient even unto death and he rested not there neither but he also ascended and rose again to Life and Glory So S. Paul to avoid offence because of some that were weak in the faith he circumcised Timothy Acts 16. 3. because of the Iews for they all knew that his Father was a Greek yet afterward he saith Circumcision is nothing nor uncircumcision but a new creature And again when Paul saw that they began to rest upon Baptism he slighted it and undervalues it when men begin to make the Shadow the Substance or the Image the Truth He undervalues them although being rightly used he practised and used them himself So they be but used as Means and Schoolmasters and Tutors to bring us to Christ But if they instead of bringing us to him keep and bar us from him away with them If we begin to admire them and cry up them and make our duties and the Sacraments themselves though appointed by Christ himself to be our Saviours we are to slight them and disesteem them in that regard as Paul did the holy Law it self in that Epistle to the Galatians and elsewhere For all these Ordinances are for no other use but that they may be as steps to him as guides to him who is the truth and the substance nay Paul went so high that he not onely undervalued the Law or Ordinances or Duties if they hindred from Christ but he attempted to draw aside and undervalued and slighted the very Person and Body of Jesus Christ in that case If men rest in any outward priviledge or enjoyment they keep us from Christ. Beloved be not offended see what himself saith 2 Cor. 5. 16. when some slighted him who it may be knew or heard Christ personally and began to prefer the Shadow before the Substance he undervaluing all but a New creature he bursts out in an holy defiance of all things else besides it let it be Moses or Christ Jesus himself in regard of his body and external presence or knowledge Henceforth know we no man after the flesh one would think he had spoke there generally and inclusively enough but he boldly addes Yea although we have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth know we him no more as if he should say tell not me of outward Priviledges or Ordinances I seek a proof of Christ in you shew me the New birth the new CREATURE is Christ formed in you this is that onely that I travel in birth for and for nothing else And so likewise to instance in Baptism which some think is come in the room of Circumcision Well let it be so we will not contend about that Christ removing that burthensom and legal Ordinance but for Christ the substance we ought and must contend for to the utmost yet some there are that would have Baptism administred after such manner that it is as burthensom yea more burthensom to some then Circumcision you know what I mean as to instance the unseasonableness of weather sometimes the weaknes and sicknes of some bodies besides that of Circumcision was onely for the males not for Females as the Ordinance of Baptism is with many other reasons too long to stand upon therefore more burthensom then Circumcision they speak of plunging over head and ears as if it were an absolute injunction because the Apostle saith Rom. 6. 4. Buried with him in Baptism therefore they must be plunged Truly there is a great deal of sâ—ir more then need for Baptism is but a type and shadow of the true Baptism and I conceive and to me its clear that the Apostle there sets the shadow against the substance one to set out the other for Christs Baptism was his humbling himself and emptying himself and submitting to his Fathers will in his whole Passions and sufferings which is the thing Baptism holds forth For to Zebedees children when they desired to sit one on his right hand and the other on his left he saith Can you be baptized with the Baptism wherewith I must be baptized intimating that they were not able to pass through such a sea of sufferings as he was to pass through they not knowing what they said or what Christ meant they answered We are They thought submitting to Baptism was but a small thing neither indeed was it taking it onely as external But because the Apostle saith Buried with him in or by Baptism therefore a great deal ado there hath been in several ages of the Church by some affirming Baptism is no Baptism except they be plunged or ducked under water a very childish and weak conclusion without any true ground yet mistake me not I do not say childish in regard of the Appointment but in regard of Resting and dwelling therein and not going on toward perfection it self And truly with some men herein lies the top or quintessence of their Religion making such ado about Shadows and Figures and Resemblances while they let the Truth the Substance and the Thing pass and regard it
or none Evil Actions as they are Actions that are in Scripture attributed to Satan that are not likewise ascribed to God either for things External or Internal Truly friends I may not keep back any part of Gods counsel for fear of the Iews Although they be Angry at the preaching of these things First For External Actions If we look upon Iob Did the Sabeans come and take away his Oxen and slew his servants and was that done by Satan upon that Commission given to him Iob 1. 12. All he hath is in thine hands why yet we know it was God gave him that very Commission who is the Lord of all Hosts yet acted by Bands of Sabeans and Armies of men Did the Chaldeans set upon his Camels drove them away and slew his servants know as David saith The Lord teacheth my fingers to fight And the mouth of the sword of the Chaldeans could not bite till God bad it Did the fire burn up his sheep and his servant yet we know that it is the Lord God Who raineth snares fire and Brimstone Psal 11. 6. and in that very History it is called Ignis Dei The fire of God Job 1. 16. Did a great wind come from the wilderness and blew down the house and killed Iobâ— children yet 't is certain He that is the Lord Bringech the windes out of his treasure Psal. 135. 7. Iob saith The Lord hath taken away c. Job 1. 21. But to come nearer yet Did the Devils enter into the Girgasites swine So that they ran headlong into the sea and were drowned but yet they did not could not enter into them till Christ bade them go no no He that sends is greater then he that is sent the Lord is above the servant though the Devil may desire to do mischief yet he cannot accomplish it till he be authorized and impowred by God himself Now to come to spiritual Actions and such as may seem to have a Near and almost inseparableâ—ffinity â—ffinity with the worst sort of evil Sin for the other were but Medicines Nocumenta Documenta Nocuments are Documents Did the Devil Harden Pharaohs heart yet the Text saith plainly of God I will harden Pharaobs heart Exod. 7. 3. Obduration and hardness of heart is a grievous sin and a Heavy punishment yet God saith I will harden Did the Devil tempt Absalom to take his fathers Concubines yet 2 Sam. 12. 11. saith God I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house Yet again Thou didst it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel Did a Lying spirit that is the Devil Seduce Ahab that he might go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead yet it is recorded in the same place Behold the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy Prophets saith Micaiah 1 King 22. 23. I will sum up all in HIM who is the sum of all Christ Jesus Ioh. 12. 40. who citing that of the Prophet Isaiah Isa. 6. 10. where God commands to make the heart of this people fat and shut their eyes c. Christ saith plainly Ioh. 12. 40. HE hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not seeâ— nor be converted And saith he These things spake Isaias when he had seen the glory of God And then spake of him So likewise did the Devil enter into Iudas his heart to betray his Lord Luk. 22. 3. It was true yet I will say as Austin upon Psal. 61. towards the end of it Malignus Iudas Traditor Christi Maligni persecutores c. Iudas was wicked who betrayed Christ the Jews were wicked who persecuted him with malice to death all of them were impious and miserable wretches to crucifie the Lord of life And yet Paul saith to the Romans Rom. 8. 32. The FATHERâ— spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tradidit BETRAYED HIM yet it was HIS FATHER And Ephes. 5. 2. tradidit seipsum And He gave up Himself and yet Iudas He betrayed him What shall we say herein Dispone si potes distingue sipotes dispose and distinguish if thou canst To that end Let us then take the counsel of our Saviour Let us give unto God the things that are Gods and unto man what is mans let us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with boldness give unto God as the SOLE SUPREME Agent The Glory of all Actions of what nature or kind soever as actions As to the soul The power and act of seeing but of seeing doubly or dimly to the organ it useth so God gives to the soul the Act and power of Hearing smelling tasting speaking thinking Going and Doing and the like but for the Evil and viciousness of any or all these to the organ they use and imploy In bâ—ief Take this as the sum of all let God have all the glory honour and praise of all actions they belong to him alone but to our selves let us take shame and confusion Baldness to every head and shame upon all faces Ezek. 7. 18. Gods righteousness in all these is like the great mountains and his â—udgements are a great depth Psal. 36. 6. like the mountains indeed Eternal and Eternally mountains though we climb never so long never so high They are still past finding out and are like the great DEPTH Depth still though we sink never so low and therefore Cusanus speaks learnedly to this point Omnia creat Deus etiam alterabilia mutabilia corruptibilia contraria c. that is God creates all things alterable changeable corruptible contrary yet he created not Alteration Changeableness Corruption nor Contrariety for seeing that he is HIMSELF Entity Life and Substance Essence and Being He doth not cannot create Non-Entity Destruction Death or Ruine but Hee is Alone BEING LIFE and SUBSTANCE And yet so it musts needs be for God is the God of Order and order implyes plurality and diversity And then secondly what harmony or musick is made upon one string or if it be a Monochorde yet there must be divers fâ—ets and stops and cliffs In this case you know The sweetest Harmony is made where there is the greatest discord and Variety To go a step or two further In that famous and memorable story of Ioseph his Brethren t is said sold him to the Midianitish Merchants in their malice and they into Egypt where he was tempted by his Mistris An act worse then the other yet when he makes himself afterwards known to his brethren Gen. 45. 5. Ioseph saith plainly Misit me Deus c. God sent me hither before you into Egypt They did it and God did it they indirectly God directly yet Ioseph saith it was not you but God sent me before So also in that act of Shimei he was set on by the Devil to curse David yet David saith Let him alone let him curse the Lord hath
have and so Many such rewards This is nothing but the Devils preaching and the Devils learning within thee it s no better then the Devils work and thou canst expect no other But the Devils Wages All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me He is the God of this world and hath great power given him over the Kingdoms of this world and he can bestow much of the glory of them upon his servants but God He speaks first in the center of the earth He begins first with the heart Preaches within thee reforms first the heart here onely preacheth His well-beloved Son in whom Onely he is well pleased Except Thy actions be The actions of his own Well-beloved Son in thy heart he neither owns nor accepts them they are strange fire to him and you know what became of Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire before the Lord The Lord He Pours precious ointment on this Aarons head and from thence Drencheth his beard and so down to the skirts of his garments so far as the heart is reformed the actions cannot be amiss That soul that is in love with Jesus Christ Beloved where the love of God is shed abroad in the heart it is death to him to that soul to go a whoring with the creatures he can have no peace to commit adulterie with the world That whorish woman he cannot endure Satans preaching hearken to me and I will give thee these and these thing no no his peace lies in hearkening to what the Lord saith in him and he preaches no such doctrine but bids him leave the world for its enmity to him he bids part with these things Take up the cross expect reproches persecutions and death from the world This preaching is of God let thy life be in forsaking the glory of the world though thou livest in the world yet let thy heart thy affections dwell and abide with me Use the world as if thou usedst it not count nothing in the world thine own be thou but as a steward in whatever thou hast Alwaies ready to give an account of all This preaching is from God from Heaven The Devils preaching is quite contrary And when thou hearest such preaching as is contrary to this and such whisperings within thee Conclude it is the Devil and not God and that such preaching and learning will destroy thy soul therefore I say always look to thy heart that It be set right before ever thou expectest the actions can be good if that be not so conclude all that proceeds from it is naught we must look mainly to the center to the Heart that life may come from thence Even as the life in the body by the blood flows from the heart to all the members if not those members are dead so the life of true grace flows from the heart as from the fountain for if either fear or Law or Heaven or Hel reward or any hopes or by-ends Urge the heart To goodness These are but dead works and you shall know it by this do but take away these respects and by-ends and these works Cease take away hope of reward and fear of punishment and this bodie is dead he works no more why because there is no life no heat within to move him tell him I mean he whose heart is set right for God reformed by him tell him he must deny forsake the world he must be emptied of all the glory of the world of all self-seeking self-glorying self-praising why herein is his life his peace his glory but to the other who hath been onely taught by such PRECEPTS as come from men from Self This preaching is death to him but his life and peace and joy is to hear How he shall be advanced esteemed honoured c. how he shall be made rich and great therefore you may easily hence distinguish what preaching and practise is from God and what from Satan and Self Thus much may serve for the first thing to open unto you the meaning of these words All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth to me it seems very plain and clear and I hope to you also that That which before seemed obscure now is made manifest The second ground Christ also as he is man hath all power given unto him as being united to God so also to man and this definition as being united to God is very large and deep as the river at the entrance into the Sanctuary which at the first entrance took a man but up to the ankles and then a little further up to the knees and then to the middle and at last it would quite down and swallow up all it grew into a vast Sea The meaning of the words in this sense we are not able to comprehend or understand but the more we wade into them the more we are drowned and swalloed up Jesus Christ he had the same glory in himself when he was upon earth as he had with his Father before all worlds and he is his well-beloved Son in whom onely he is well-pleosed But as he is man he to Us-ward emptied himself of all his glory And came in the form of a servant he was subject to the like passions and infirmities as we are except sinful and hereby man came to be further made known unto him that is in regard of his humane nature he was hungry and thirsty and weary and suffered death and the like and yet in regard of his Divine nature he held his glory and Union with his Father and it was necessary it should be so in both regards for had it not been so he could not have complyed so with the creatures and felt their wants and necessities and had he not retained his unity with his Father which he could not in regard of himself As God either lose or diminish nor increase he could not have complyed so perfectly with his Father for the salvation of mankind For as he was in the bosom of his Father he was unknowable to any creature he was known onely to himself he was inexplicable not to be unfolded and in this regard the more ye enter into darkness and unknowing the more ye know of him for he is nothing that we can comprehend or understand as we are creatures until we come to be One with him and swallowed up into him But let us observe that Christ never made this boast of himself that All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth till he was ready to leave the earth never till he had been crucified dead and buried and rose again It is remarkable he never all the while He was on earth ever appropriated all power to be his till he was ready to depart out of the earth And Beloved this is for our imitation Christ was no boaster though none might boast more but he was meek and lowly he became a servant to all
when he might have been advanced and made a King he ran away from among them he was Far of another Spirit then is now in the world and alwayes was in the world among the men of the world and no greater sign of a carnal earthly low base spirit then to be alwayes seeking the great things of the world to be tickled and itching after the praises of men to lift up our selves to be some-body in the world to desire to sit above and to trample upon their brethren to have the cap and the knee and yet how many of such men forsooth must be the onely gracious and religious men of this age but you see these are far from the life of Christ As far as the East from the West As far asunder as darkness and light Are these the men that brag of Power and Wisdom and Holiness and yet are thus swallowed up in the world love the praise of men and greetings in the Market and the Highest seats in the Synagogues and the uppermost rooms at feasts Their Phylacteries must be broad and long viz. to be known from other men that they may be bowed to and reverenced of all men Are these the Doctors and Teachers of all others Are these the Disciples and Ministers Christ hath sent out to preach to us the life of Christ by their Doctrine and example Judge ye Beloved ye must know that all Christs actions which were imitable while he was here upon earth they were symbolical they shew that he is yesterday and to day and the same for ever for whatever he did then he did but shew and represent to our senses by external actions what he is still Doing in the souls of men and will be to the end of the world For did he cure diseases in the body he did it to shew us how be cured the diseases of the soul Did he heal the blind and cure the lame cast out Devils dumb Devils and deaf Devils yes yet these do but shew what he doth daily when our mouthes are shut up as to things appertaining to God and his glory his power dispossesses this dumb Devil when our ears are shut up and we can hear nothing but what pleases self and flesh and the carnal man Let the Charmer charm never so wisely now Christs power and wisdom in us dispossesses al of his nature he turns the minstrels out of doors to those deceiving pleasures and allurements of the world that in our crosses make us such deceiving musick he saith Give place and He Himself enters aâ—one and brings us to own and delight in him and in what he administers to us Those actions of his he did then upon the bodies of men do but shew what he doth upon their souls for he then cast out but some Devils not all he healed and cured but some of their diseases not all for that was not the end of his coming for had it been so he would have cast out all Devils as well as some and cured all diseases as well as some but he onely by them did teach our dull capacities which else could not conceive what he did in the soul but by representing the same thing Outwardly even by those things which were most equivalent to them Did he resist the temptations of Satan and so made him depart from him it was to shew that he doth the same in those that are his even by himself in his own person and through his own power in â—hem For whatever actions he did they were done by him onely for a resemblance of his internal workings Did he pray whole nights it doth but shew that his Spirit in us makes continual requests and expressions even with sighs and groans which cannot be expressed Did he come before Pontous Pilate and was accused arraigned whipped buffered mocked and crowned with thorns yea he was and this was to shew how our carnal judgements Arraign him and How we whip him and peirce him by our sins mock and grieve his blessed Spirit Was he nailed to the Cross did he dye and was he put to death by the Jews and was he buried and a stone rolled upon him never to rise again they did so and in these and other his actions lies all our hope and our faith this is our Anchor-hold and our trust and whoever shall deny it let his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth Yet these were but symbols and representations of our killing of him crucifying and burying of him daily in our souls by our sinâ— by following our own wils and by our Arrogance Pride and selfness and thereby his life is crucified And also it is to shew how we have daily quenched the motions of his blessed spirit so that it lives not in us but the Old Adam the Old man is alive and Christ the New-man is dead within us And so likewise in the rest of his actions Did he â—ise again the third day and triumph over hell and death it shews How this mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah hath and will raise up himself and overcome all his enemies and hath and will put them all under his feet in our souls then after he is once arisen he will appears to al the brethren to five hundred brethren at once where-ever Christâ— is risen he will appear and shew himself If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me as he saith Iohn 12. 32. As you know it is the nature of fire to draw all things to ascend upward to its own center so if Christ be risen and ascended in us he will so display his own glories and beauties in us that he will draw all our affections upto him so that we cannot buâ— eagerly and vehemently desire to be like him to draw all our love to the love of him and all our hatred to hate that which he hateth and all our love to love that which he loveth our hate and love joy and grief and all our other affections to be like his Even as fire also endeavours vehemently to make every thing like it self so doth Christ where-ever he comes with his life light and glory Thus you see that what Christ did for a time in the historie the same he still also doth as truly as really and as constantly in the mysterie he did some things visibly to shew that he doth the same things as truly invisibly he did so much as was enough to manifest himself to be Emanuel and that he was God manifested in the flesh And as I said when Christ was ready to leave the earth then he made this boast of himself and never before did he ascribe this power to himself Even so till we are made one with him till we are made like him and till we can sit so loose to the earth that we are with him ready willingly and freely to leave the earth we can never claim this power till