O but sayest thou I am spiritually dead how then can I hear Know poor wretch that thy Saviours Ephata works as powerfully on the Soul as upon the Body Yea the Apostle reciting the prediction of Moses saith not him may you hear But him shall yee hear Even so be it Lord Jesus Christ that so loving me a Lazarus thou maist raise me though a Lazarus and be unto me a Jesus Notwithstanding these saving and comfortable promises me-thinks I feel my Soul still heavy and sorrowfull within me Objecting that these indeed are favourable and sweet expressions but they are too general considering her several defects grievous soars and Ulcers Requiring not only external and powerfull Baths and washings but particular application of Remedies and Medicines She confesseth that from these she is assured of the abilities and sufficiency of her spiritual Physician but she desires to have experience of his skill and to apply his several Medicaments unto her special infirmities Is this thy further request O my Soul Be strong and of a good courage Loe he calls thee Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Again I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance For The whole need not a Physitian but the sick Nay that thou mightest not have the least doubting or fear hearken to the voice of his Prophet seconded and expounded by himself and that in a full Auditory The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me there 's his calling to preach the Gospel to the Poor there 's his Office He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted to preach deliverance unto the Captives and recovery of sight unto the blinde to set at liberty them that are bruised to wit thee O distressed Patient with all thy Diseases Well thou art now even by his own most gracious Call admitted into his presence Be not ashamed but with boldness approach unto his Throne of Grace unâ—bareing thy soares and discovering all thy spiritual wants That so the two estates in Adam fallen and in Christ risen being compared all may behold with thee a revival from death even that first resurrection spoken of in the Revelations As also the difference and disproportion that is betwixt a Man in grace and a Man in sin And lastly be ravisht in the apprehension of such infinite mercy which administers Plaisters to every soare and in the conclusion works a general cure effecting in a good measure though not in absolute perfection those two great works of mortification and vivication in us For the more accurate perception and meditation of which great works I presume in all humility of Soul to speak Dialogue-wise unto my Saviour and according to my weak ability to describe him answering in and according to his Word That so both my self and others may the better understand how excellently and powerfully a true faith begotten and strengthened by God's Spirit doth apprehend and apply the saving and spiritual promises Doth mortifie our corruptions silence all objections and overcome all kinde of temptations by degrees perfecting holiness in the love and fear of God O Gracious Saviour and skilfull Physician seeing thou calledst me I come although ashamed to come I have brought if not a dead yet a deadly sick Soul unto thee If illumination be the antecedent of faith and faith the eye of the Soul and seeing a symptome of life in how dangerous an estate am I who walk in the vanity of my minde having my understanding darkned being in my own apprehension alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in me because of the blindness of my heart Poor Soul faint not nor despair thou wast once dead but now thou art alive I finde no signes of death but of life in thee A Trunck or senceless Corps perceives not nor complains of its misery as thou dost Neither art thou hopelesly sick for in thee witness these strivings there is the strength of a renued nature to co-act with the work of Grace Take then these receipts out of my Book and apply them I am the true light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World and am come for Judgment into this World that they which see not might see and they which see might be made blinde I am made unto thee wisdome and will enlighten thy darkness yea if thou criest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God For I the Lord give wisdome and out of my Mouth cometh knowledge and understanding Again faith is the gift of God O then ask and thou shalt have seek and thou shalt finde knock and the treasury of all good and perfect gifts shall be opened and bestowed upon thee Even the holy Spirit whom thy Heavenly Father will give to them that aske Him The voice of my beloved Thy Mouth is most sweet yea thou art altogether lovely The roof of thy Mouth is like the best Wine that goeth down sweetly causing the Lips of those that are asleep to speak But alass Lord how can I be delighted in these thy gracious promises or take comfort in this cure as long as the tormenting worm of Conscience feeds upon my entrails inditeing bitter things against me and making me to possess the sins of my youth being both my Judge and Accuser O my Patient I confess this thy pain and grief is unsupportable for the Spirit of a Man may sustain his infirmity But a wounded Spirit who can bear Yet for thy comfort know that there is balme in Gilead for all wounds and a Physician there for all Diseases And I even I am he and there is no other God with me I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal yea I will restore health unto thee and will heal thee of thy wounds And as for this gnawing Worm which thou complainest of know that it as other infects are generated of a putred matter even thy sin and corruption Yea it is nourisht therewith If then this cause of thy torture be withdrawn the effect will undoubtedly cease For I will forgive thy iniquity and will remember thy sins no more making them though as red as Scarlet to be as white as Snow Through my blood thou hast redemption even the forgivenesses of Sins If the Blood of Bulls and Goats and the Ashes of an Heyfer sprinkling the unclean Sanctified to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall my Blood that through the eternal Spirit offered my self without spot to God purge thy Conscience from dead works O my spiritual healer as thy Word assures me of thy ableness to cure so it also informs me of my uncapableness of cure In the sickness of the Body so
be unto God who gives us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Blessed Saviour and Soveraign Now I am assured that thou art a Rock upon which Man being built by faith becomes impregnable so high that he is far above Honours battery so strong as not to be taken by the assaults of bloody Persecutions so firm as not to be betrayed by covetousness nor undermined by voluptuousness The Siege of Troy one of the longest we read of continued but ten years and then she was buryed in her ashes whereas the Christians lasts a life an age and even then ascends a tryumphant Throne of Glory upon the Necks of his Enemies Every Christians life is a Book of the Battels of the Lord thou being as well nay more the Lord of Hosts in respect of our spiritual Fights and Victories as of our corporal those Enemies flâ—shly these spiritual those weak and mortal their Principalities Powers immortal those below and numerable these from above and innumerable O thy mercy in thy assistance O thy power in thy resistance Divine Monarch as it is thy sole act and gift our victory so let it be ours to retribute to thee alone the Glory The last Enemy that is to be destroyed is Death saith the Apostle so in these Meditations But why a double death to death Hath not the Martyrs Sword mortally wounded this Serpent Yes but yet he hisses still And therefore lest he may fright the fearfull we will add more wounds that so the weakest Christian may with Moses take this Serpent into his hand Yea more which is the Miracle it shall become a Staff an assistant in his Heavenly Journey As there is a violent and enforced death such is Martyrdome so there is a natural and timely dissolution In the one we dye in and for the Lord as hath been shewed in this other we dye in and to the Lord the one is ordinary the other is extraordinary the one common the other particular with both these Heads our Enemy Death playes the Tyrant and Sin the Executioner The Sting of Death is Sin 'T is an Observation that things common and universal are less admired or feared But what more general and frequent than Death what more frightfull and astonishing This is the Coloquintida that imbitters all humane pleasures So that oft-times the burthen of Man's sweetest Song is that dolefull complaint of the Children of the Prophet Mors in olla There 's Death in the Pot. This is the Water of Marach which the Children of Men murmur to taste of which will they nill they they must drink and dye But O my Soul behold a City of refuge for thee and all that are Children of the Prophets the Israel of God behold thy true Moses hast cast Lignum Vitae into this Spring of Sin to sweeten thy draught Thy spiritual Elisha hath cast Meat into this boyling Pot even himself broken and grownd by Gods justice that so he might correct the cursed effects of this wilde Wine which God created not For He is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven that a Man may eat thereof and not dye Wouldst thou have this more illustrated and proved Hear then thy Champions challenge to this allâ—conquering Enemy O Death I will be thy death view also his courage before and in the conflict I thirst The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Again I have a Baptisme to be baptized with and how am I streightned untill it be accomplisht Farther concerning the conflict it self hear the Psalmist in the Person of our Saviour The sorrows of Death compast me and the pains of Hell gat hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow Lastly in the conclusion of this truth that thou mayest know that Christ being raised from the Dead dyeth no more Death hath no more dominion over him that he hath abolished Death and hath brought life and immortality to light for thee and all believers through the Gospel according to the Apostle Hear his Conquest and tryumph first Proclaimed by St. Paul Death is swallowed up in victory O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory Then published and revealed by himself I am he that liveth and was dead behold I am alive for ever more Amen and have the Keys of Hell and Death Lastly view his right conveighed to thee in that large and royal Pattent of his Word Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or things present or things to come all are yours and yee are Christs and Christ is Gods Again God shall wipe away all tears from your Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither sorrows nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away Having thus strongly under the royal Standard of Christ Jesus entrencht thy self O my Soul against this mortal and heart-torturing adversary Let thy faith placed even upon the Platform of sanctified reason wait for to make a challenge to the stoutest assailants of the Enemy The van-curriers of whom is fear and its concomitants Pompa mortis saith one well magis terret quam mors ipsa Against these Light-Horsemen discharge this murdering piece of the Apostles Forasmuch as the Children are partakers of flesh and blood Christ also himself took part of the same that through Death he might destroy him that had the power of Death that is the Devil And deliver them who through fear of Death were all their life time subject unto bondage Examples of worthies invisibly conveighs courage into magnanimous mindes wherefore if fear renew its force and re-assault thee interpose as a strong Barracado the ejaculation of dying Jacob. O Lord I wait for thy salvation The Meditation of patient Job All the days of my appointed time will I wait untill my change come The fervent supplication of devout Paul whose desire was to depart and to be with Christ. The next assaylant and assistant of Death is grief to part with things of this life The beauty goodness and love of a Wife The youth numerousness and hopefulness of Children The fidelity affection and society of friends The hundreds thousands yea Ingots of treasure now to be left together with all the pleasures honours and pomp of the World being as so many arrowes to pierce thorow with sorrow the heart of the natural Man so many racks to his distracted Soul yea so many deaths in Death if we respect its inforc'd disunion But the devout Soul having not only a natural but a supernatural affection hath if ever then the spirit of Heavenly wisdome and spiritual discerning concerning things that differ And therefore willingly chearfully and resolutely with Mary chooseth the better part forsaking her earthly Spouse for a Heavenly the Impes of nature for the Fruits of Grace for her works follow her She voluntarily
of God for thy Salvation and the voice of God for thy acceptation Who but an experienced Christian can express the sweet of these yet how far short are his expressions of these streams of comforts which flow through the Priestly Office to every true Believer from the unexhaustible Fountain of Gods mercy What spots doth not this wash off What soares doth not this Jordan heal Yea what lameness and imperfection doth not this Bethesda cure O the consolation of Christs intercession in this imperfect state of grace Is my love weak and unstable as Water This love O Saviour is stronger than Death Is my obedience imperfect By thy obedience many are made righteous Is my zeal defective Lord Thy zeal of thy House hath eaten thee up Is my Faith small and subject to doubting O Saviour thou wilt give a blessing even to a grain of Faith as of Mustard-Seed And hast promised not to quench the smoaking Flax nor to break the bruised Reed Is my Prayer full of weakness ignorance and imperfection Thy Spirit it self maketh request for us with sighs which cannot be expressed Yea thou art entred into the very Heaven of Heavens to appear now in the sight of God ever living there to make Intercession for us To conclude Is my inherent righteousness imperfect And am I a transgressor of the Law Thy imputative righteousness is perfect and thou art a fulfiller of the Law For thou art the end of the Law for righteousness unto every one that believeth Yea that all further objections may be answered that all other defects may appear supplied behold here a gift as large as Mans wants and as full of mercy as he of sin Christ Jesus of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousness and sanctification and redemption Our Saviour Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life that Jacob's Ladder whose foot as expressing his humanity toucheth the Earth and whose top as respecting his Divinity reacheth unto Heaven This threefold office may be considered as the parts of this Heavenly ascent Upon whose first degree my faith which is the eye the hand and the foot of the Soul hath begun to ascend It remains now that I mount the next staff belonging to his Priestly office which is satisfaction the inseparable consequent of which is Justification The parts of which forgiveness of sins and imputation of righteousness do necessarily follow the former Our mercifull High Priest and Redeemer satisfying by suffering that our sins for which he suffered might be forgiven fulfilling the Law is continually interceding that his righteousness might be to us imputed So that to our comfort and confirmation be it spoken that when faith hath gaind footing upon satisfaction and intercession it must needs have hand-hold on remission and imputation Can the Lord be less righteous than Man Doth not the cancelling of the Bond succeed the absolving of the debt The satisfaction and releasement of the Prisoner follow the not guilty of the Jury O the perfection of all the ways of God especially of this his great work towards the Children of Men wherein mercy and justice do sweetly kiss each other He being just towards Man in his fall into Death that he might be mercifull in raising him to life And that he might spare his adopted Sons he spares not his only begotten Son O what is Man that thou art mindfull of him or the Son of Man that thou visitest him To proceed Justification by some Divines made an act of Christs Kingly office is that mercifull and yet just sentential act of God the Father whereby a believer is absolved from sin and death and the inherent righteousness of Christ is imputed unto the faithfull applyer for the attaining of life everlasting Hereby waving our debt and supplying our want at once delivering us from guilt and corruption Behold here is an Olive Branch which faith the Dove of the Soul brings home unto it in the time of Gods vengeance and in the midst of the great Waters of Sin Here 's a Golden Scepter held forth by the incensed King of Kings to every faithfull and humbled Esther Now I may say to my Soul as once the multitude to the blind Man See he calls thee Not in his strong Wind by which he rents the Mountains of pride Not in his Earth-quake by which he shakes secure and presumptuous sinners No nor yet in his consuming Fire with which he devours unexcusable Hypocrites But in his mercy even with a still small voice of compassion and pardon O my Soul Thou art not come unto the Mount that burnd with Fire and that might be touched nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest nor to hear the voice of those words which voice they that heard entreated that the Word should not be spoken to them any more But thou art come to Mount Sion and to an innumerable company of Angels and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of Sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel and to God the Judge of all whom thou maist hear with comfort proclaiming Himself unto thee as once before Moses thus The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Forgiving sin O what good news is this unto my Soul How truly is this called the glad tidings of the Gospel Tell me yee which shall hereafter read my thoughts even from the testimony of your own Souls For only experience can make you fit Judges in this case If there be any joy like to the joy of a justified sinner Any blessing like that of David Can I consider into how fearfull an estate sin hath cast me and unto what punishment Justice hath condemned me and not from thence proportion out and acknowledge the greatness of this deliverance Doth not the truth-speaking Word of God which is neither cruel nor partial tell me that I am a sinner For there is no Man that sinneth not That I am a debtor Since we must all pray forgive us our debts That I am a condemned Person For by the offence of one judgment came upon all Men to condemnation That I am a bond-slave to death and to him that hath the Power of Death the Devil all my life time being subject to bondage That I am a dead Man For We are all dead in sins and trespasses That I am an enemy to God and Christ and lastly by nature a Child of Wrath And shall I account remission of all my offences Satisfaction of all my arrearages Liberty from servitude Life in stead of death Nay more resurrection from death no mercy Can my powerfull Enemy be made my friend and Father my irefull Judge become my Mediator and Saviour and I not highly favoured gratiously yea
all the Children of pride For The Seed of the Woman hath broken this Serpents Head And the Devil shall be cast into Hell What though he be the Prince that ruleth in the Ayr for his number Legions for his strength a Principality a Power a Lion and for the depth of Policy and malice stiled the Ruler of Darkness and also the accuser of the Brethren yet know he is but a Creature and thy Saviours Vassal For By Him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible or invisible whether they be Thrones Dominions Principalities or Powers And he that made him can make his Sword approach unto him And though the number of fallen Angels be great yet the number of the Elect Angels its likely are far greater at least their Power greater as the issue of that great battel in Heaven if literally takeâ— illustrates So that thy eyes being opened by faith there are more that are with us than against us Christ is that Lion of the Tribe of Judah our Sampson to destroy that roaring Lion the Devil the wisdome of the Father and the light that not only enlightens our darkness but dissipates and puts to flight the darkness and subtilties of Sathan the only Mediator betwixt God and Man the Son of God the lover and friend of Men The Brother of the Brethren To conclude he it is to thy comfort whom the Father hath set at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all those Principalities and Powers and all might and dominion Who hath spoiled these Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly tryumphing over them even on his Cross. Therefore rejoyce yee Heavens and yee that dwell therein for now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdome of our God and the Power of his Christ For The accuser of our Brethren is cast down which accused them before God day and night Do I expect thee O my Soul to be a companion of this Heavenly Quire Why then do I hear thee utter nothing but mourning and as it were keep time with sighs Such a Song admits not of a burthen I will not bear a part with thee since in thy tears as in a mirror I see Hanibal ad portas another Enemy at thy Gates At thy Gates did I say nay entred and within thee so that now thy sobs me-thinks are vocal and articulate groaning out nothing but such sad captive complaints as these I am carnal and sold under sin O wretch that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death O my Soul though thy fear questions yet let it not make thee despair of a Deliverer say I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord whom he hath sent to be thy Saviour even in the midst of this fiery Furnace So that like those Votive Martyrs though with the Flesh thou obeyest and art invironed with sin yet with the Minde thou servest the Lord. I am not ignorant that like to the City of Ai there are behinde thee ambushes of thy first Parents transgression before thee the Armies of thy many actual offences on both hands of thee the wages of sins of commission and omission yea that the Infantry of thy in-bred and original corruptions have not only taken but begun to Fire thy out-works Yet fear not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord for these spiritual Egyptians thy Enemies which thou hast seen in this short day of thy life and travail thou shalt see no more for ever since the Chariot-wheels of their strength shall be taken off and in conclusion their selves shall be drowned and hid in that red Sea of thy Saviours pretious blood Wherefore armed with a holy and Jehu-like severity command as Joshua once the five Kings so these the heads and chief of these thy Enemies to be brought forth and let them be slain with a Christian magnanimity even with that two-edged Sword which proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Fear not with Gedeons stripling that Goliah-like transgression of Adam though as a second Briarius his many Armies of Pride Blasphemy Rebellion Unthankfulness Discontent Curiosity yea all manner of wickedness seem to threaten Heaven Neither quit thy ground though he brandish against thee that curse that Cherubs flaming Sword in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Let him strike yea let the stroke wound thee and bring thee upon thy knees yea let the wound send forth floods of penitent tears for this thy fall shall be thy rise this thy humiliation thy greatest exaltation This is that Weapon that gives both death and life For this thy misery is become the object of that infinite mercy which not only rescues thee but sheathes this his mortal Sword in this thy Enemies bowels Since by Man came death by Man came also the Resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive And lest he should again revive as Joab did to rebellious Absalom He again pierces his heart with these three Darts As by the offence of one judgment came upon all to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all unto justification of life for as by one Mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous That as sin reigned unto death even so might grace reign thorough righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. That Cloud is disperst But behold a greater storm arises even such a one as not only shakes and endangers the Battlements of a Christian conversation but blowes up the foundation When an Enemy besieges he ever is within view But if he take a Bulwork he gains possession and the loss seem irrecoverable Adams sin imputed like a furious adversary surrounds beleagures and shatters the whole Fort of Man But that Original corruption that holy David complains of as conceived and born in by propagation makes neerer approaches and undermines the Mud-walls of our Flesh taking possession of the Tryangular and chiefest Cyttadel which once yielded he fills every sconce of the sence with Armed Lusts and mounts through every Loop-hole a murdering piece which continually roares against Heaven And as for the Chief Commander Collonel and Mustar-master the understanding will and memory having put out their Eyes it makes them in the Dungeon of Ignorance grinde like Sampson at the Mill of Lust and fleshly desires Thus miserable and seemingly irrecoverable is our estate in Nature whilst our in-bred corruption that strong Man keeps the hold But let us not be discouraged for the Lord Jesus who is stronger than he is come upon him and hath overcome him taking from him all his Armour wherein he trusted and dividing his spoyles being sent by God in the likeness
who were deprived for a time of their Principalities for their refractoriness to Idolatry In defence against the first assault the pious Christian marching under Christs royal Standard victoriously opposes his Shield of faith with which and the Sword of the Spirit he disorders and puts to flight his Enemies reverberating and expulsing Sathans temptations with the blessed Virgins Antheme God scattereth the proud in the imaginations of their hearts and pulls down the mighty from their Seates and exalts them of low degree With the curse of the holy Prophet Isaiah Woe to the Crown of Pride Yea he concludes the Victory with that holy Maxime of St. James God resists the proud Now who amongst us shall be able to dwell with everlasting burning If the Lord condemns who can justify In pride in all these places the Spirit of God includeth ambition which essentially differs not being connatural and concomitant with her As for the temptation on the left hand the loss of any temporal dignities The valiant Christian poyses them with the glorious promises of Gods faithfull word whereby judging of their lightness he concurs with holy David that surely Men of low degree are vanity and Men of high degree are a lye to be laid in the Ballance they are altogether lighter than vanity And therefore returns this or the like counter-buff Get thee behind me Sathan for I value not thy threats since thou boasts of that which is not in thy power The haires of my Head are numbred the Lord maketh poor and maketh rich he bringeth low and lifteth up But say the Lord should suffer thee as he did in Job to be the Instrument of my debasement I will kiss Gods Rod even in thy hand and say with that holy Man The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the Name of the Lord and with that tryumphing Apostle In all these things viz. disgraces and losses of what kinde soever I am more than a Conquerour through Christ that loved me For what things were gain to me those I count loss for Christ yea doubtless I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I will suffer the loss of all things accounting them but dung that I may win Christ. The highest favours of Princes from whom flow Earthly dignities are but shadowes of true honour Shadowes for they weakly express them and vanish when their Sun is set or clouded He that pours contempt upon Princes commands me not to rely upon them Put not your trust in Princes nor in the Son of Man in whom there is no help If not in them much less in their gifts For in that very day in an instant they their gifts and thoughts perish My happiness is a better hope My honour is more surely fixt than by Man or Devil to be extirpated or extinguisht Can all thy power O Enemy of Man frustrate my Election whereby from Eternity I am enroll'd a Peer of Heaven Can all thy policy or force dim the splendour or annihilate that title of being called and truly adopted the Son of God Canst thou disrobe me of my honourable red and white Garments of Justification and Sanctification in my Saviour O Father of lyes canst thou turn light into darkness and truth into falshood Deprive me of my Crown and nullify these glorious and infallible promises Fear not my little Flock it is your Fathers will to give you a Kingdome Those that honour me I will honour If any Man serve me him will my Father honour Glory and honour and peace to every one that worketh good I am assured and conclude thou canst not And therefore I trample under foot thy power and vilify thine and the Worlds menaces and offers as believing in the royal might and truth of my Saviour That neither life nor death nor Angels Principalities Powers nor things present nor things to come shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord. Having thus routed and discomfitted the Wings and first Squadrons of the Enemy we must not rest here losing both our hopes and advantage A Christians whole life we have heard is a continued warfare To live unto the Lord and by self-denyal to overcome former temptations is a happy progress towards our Victory But to persevere to the end to dye for the Lord is the conclusion the Crown the tryumph of the Christian. By how much the Enemy is more powerfull and terrible by so much is the service more honourable and the conquest more glorious This last Phalanx of the Worlds force Persecutions are her Janizaries her Pretorian bands her last refuge in whom she puts her chiefest confidence led and marshalled by Sathans Lieutenant General described and set forth in the Revelations by him riding upon a red Horse destroying the fourth part of the World who may be also as expressing its mortal effects figuratively called Death whom Hell it self follows and attends Well is this the last and strongest of our worldly adversaries Yea have they begun already or will they shortly certainly assault us and notwithstanding our former Trophies contend with us for our Palme For all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecutions Let us like our English Martyrs with courage leaping and rejoycing run to kiss the Stake to meet our Opposers yea as the Apostle our tortures not accepting deliverance that we may obtain a better resurrection Are we hated by the World It is the surest mark of our Election by God So the word of truth Because yee are not of this World but I have chosen you out of the World therefore the World hates you Have we mourning here It ushers in yea accompanies an unutterable and inseparable joy Yee shall be sorrowfull saith our Saviour but your sorrow shall be turned into joy and your joy shall no Man take from you Yea do we so far suffer for well doing that we are delivered over to Death as Malefactors Remember we are not without a companion in our sufferings our blessed Saviour was Crucifyed and reckoned amongst the Transgressors Now the Servant is not greater than the Lord if they have persecuted him they will also persecute you To conclude if we be conformable to Christ in his Death we shall also be like him in his Resurrection we shall have a change rather than a loss For He that loseth his life for his sake shall finde it viz. Immortality which is only the true life This is a faithfull saying If we be dead with him we shall also live with him If we suffer we shall also reign with him if we deny him he will also deny us Thus then have I made good my proposition that this is the Victory that overcomes the World even our Faith Thanks
not less loving But O merciful Creator thy love met with hatred the very object of thy favour was thy Enemy whom thou didst not reconcile with a gift as fearing his power or ability to resist thee since he was thy Creature thy Prisoner thy just sentence of Condemnation waiting but the watch-word of thy will to execute him O unexhausted Fountain of wisdome there was no weakness or deficiency in thee which Man destroyed might any whit disable or diminish thy workmanship in a second Creation since all thy works keep time with thy Word What caused thee then O powerful Maker to give Life where Death was due Heaven where Hell was deserved Pleasure and Joy where Pain and Torment was incurred Why didst thou give mercy and forgiveness to Man and denyedst it to Angels honouring the Humanity with a Personal Union which in Adam was a Traytor by Rebellion Lastly Why gavest thou thy only begotten Son to Death that we might be thy Adopted Sons in Life Lord my Soul shall answer with St. Paul God who is rich in Mercy for his great Love wherewith he loved Vs even when we were dead in Sin hath quickened Vs together in Christ by Grace we are saved O only begotten Son of the Father the Word by which all things were made O light of the World God equal with the Father in Majesty why from such a height of Glory didst thou descend to this Vale of Misery forsaking Heaven for Earth making thy Foot-stool thy Throne being included in the Virgins Womb though the vast Universe cannot comprehend thee Lord thy own Spirit can best express the reason of this thy wonderful humiliation Jesus Christ came into this World to save Sinners Behold here God made Man Lord how low is the Foundation of thy Mercy laid although the height reach above the Clouds gracious Saviour who doth not in this Mirrour of thy Love perceive the powerfulness of thy Divinity as being the first and self-mover in this work of compassion thy mercy having its first motion from thy self according to that thy own protestation made unto thy Children I will love them freely But O my Soul now thou hast viewed this beautiful Gate of the Temple with admiration reverence and affection proceed for the birth of thy Saviour is but the beginning of his mercies All Princes are but Vice-Royes God only is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Yet who amongst them is not welcomed into his Kingdome with joyful Acclamations and royal Solemnities But loe here not only the King of Israel but the great Emperor of Heaven and Earth born in Bethelem the least of the Cities of Judah a City and yet affords no place but a Stable to lodge and entertain the Worlds Monarch Heaven must point him out by a Star Angels must preach him before any of his own acknowledge him and then Shepheards are his Heralds to Proclaim him The sequel and after-story of his Life is no less reproachfully miserable than this Prologue of his birth Poverty clothes Him with obscurity and affliction 30. Years in which space his very Infancy is not free from Persecution by Herod witness those Innocents of Bethelem who suffered for him who came to dye for them he flying into Aegypt from the wrath of Man that he might undergo the anger of God preserving himself not from pain but for pain O Lord had thy Loves Foundation been laid in Earth the hatred and ungratefulness of Man might have ruined thy proceedings and induc'd thee to have retrograded from thy purposed design but behold the Root of thy Mercy was in thy Self which brought forth the fruits of thy sufferings thy love being natural therefore immutable none of thy grievous pressures were obscured from thy view for thy praescience beheld as present all fore-past actions and future events so that thou wert not ignorantly or contrary to thy will overtaken by them no necessity did enforce thee to undergo so difficult a Task since constraint is only prevalent in a finite nature but thou art infinite comprehending all things circumscribed by nothing Lord Jesus let me admire since I cannot express this thy love and make me to love thee again in some measure that thus hast loved me without measure Here whilest my Soul full of wonder desires to stay and meditate thy goodness leads me still forwards and as it were reproves my lingring thus O Man bound not thy thoughts progress with the first mercies of thy Saviour to wit that Light shined in Darkness The Word became Flesh yea that the life of all things received life and the Son of God became the Son of Man behold more misteries of love not regarded the Creator rejected of his Creature He came unto his own and his own received him not He who ordained Holes for the Foxes Nests for the Birds of the Aire he who measured the Earth as with a span and clothes the Heavens as with a Garment he who is a self-moving Sphear whose Centre is every where whose circumference is no where He even the Saviour and Creator of Man hath not amongst Men whereon to rest his Head O admirable and unconceivable humiliation of greater force because not enforced freely not reciprocally undertaken being therefore of infinite merit before God and worthy of Man's eternal acknowledgment what could Man suffer which the Son of Man did not undergo nay what anger torment punishment or affliction could an infinitely inraged Deity inflict which God made Man did not endure for behold no sooner doth this Son of Righteousness whose light is in himself arise to be a light unto the Gentiles dissipating the mists of Superstition and Ignorance the morning of the Gospel succeeding the Evening of Idolatry no sooner did he appear to the glory of his People Israel dispersing those Clouds of Ceremonies which Vail'd the mercy Seat but that present Generation prefering Darkness before Light interposed unbelief to Eclipse his splendour witness John 3.19 And this is the Condemnation that Light is come into the World and Men loved Darkness rather than Light Also they retorted the beames of his Priestly Office saying None but God hath Power to forgive Sins They shuned the Light of his Gospel-Prophesie and Teaching witness that loving Lamentation O Jerusalem Jerusalem which killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy Children together as a Hen her Brood under her Wings but ye would not Lastly they denyed and rejected his Dominion with that abnegation We have no King but Caesar. Lord were the Children of Israel so severely punished for repining against Aaron though but a â—igure of Thee Was Heliodorus so suddenly and fearfully tormented for resisting the High Priest And doest thou who thus revengedst and defendest thy substitutes whilest thou wert in Heaven as being the summe of all Figures the substance of all shadows and an Eternal High-Priest according to the
Ejaculation or Hymn upon the foregoing Subject O Blest Creator let my first Birth be A Figure of my second Birth to thee Sooner than many others 'T was thy grace That fir'd my heart during my youthful race And caus'd me seek the free refreshing Gales Of thy blest Spirit to cool and fill the Sailes Of its desires That from the noisome Wombe And dark some Jaile of Sin I might become A free-born Son to thee and change my place This Earth for Heaven the Birth of Sin for Grace 'T was thy free-love which did desire to see Blest Parent thy own Image born in Me. That pour'd clean Water on me washt away My Natures Blood and stench and didst allay My shivering doubts and feares by putting on Thy Lambs warm Skin the Imputation Of thy Sons righteousness that from that heat A life of grace might spring and be compleat Lord since thou mightest have made my Grave in Wombe Or by miscarrying cloâ—'d me in my Tombe Or made my life through sin a living Death A treasury of wrath Let my new Birth And life bring forth to thee the thankful fruit Of holiness So shall I Retribute Thy own in my poor Mite and to thy praise Live thankfulness sincerely all my Days Amen ARGUMENT The REMEMBRANCER A Psalm for the Lord's Day Being my thankful acknowledgment of the Lord 's many Mercies to me in my Formation and Beeing LOrd who giv'st in mercy great A seventh Day to meditate On thy works of Creation Give me grace to think upon Thy great goodness unto me Who didst bring From a nothing Me a something for to be Next that me thou hast not made As frail Flowers which quickly fade Nor a Toad a Dog a Swine Or a Creature Serpentine But a Beeing rational Fit to see And to know thee Great Creator of us all That I was no Innocent Organ-less Deficient Nor a Monster from my Birth Void of shape a shame to Earth Thus and worser had I been But thy love Was far above Such thy just reward of sin Thou art he that gav'st me light In a Land made free from night Of dark Antichristian Mists Pagans and Mahometists Where poor Infants with their breath Sucking are Infectious Air Live a Life far worse than Death Here thou didst unto me give In thy life new life to live Where so many love the Night And with Owles do hate the Light Yea like Fish in Jordan's streams Swim with ease Into dead Seas Sleep and perish in false Dreams Wherefore Lord upon thy Day I will praise thy Name for aye Till thy second Sabbath blest Gives to me Eternal Rest Where from World Sin Sathan free I shall ring And sweetly sing Hallelujah's out to thee ARGUMENT Vpon God's gracious deliverance of me from the Infection of the Plague when being a Childe I was present in my Nurses Hand at the Bed-side of one that was sick and dyed thereof whereby many of that Town were infected and dyed Soliloquium or Discourse CHaritable Visits to our Neighbours many times prove uncharitable to our selves such proved this of my self Nurse and others to the sick Bed of the Vicar of the Town by which the Inhabitants were infected and many of his Parishioners followed him not only to but into the Grave whereof many were Children Plants of my Age and standing Cruel Death as an Enemy to time and Man-kinde Saturn-like delighting to devour tender Babes as well as aged Men which his enmity our good God converts to our good that so being fore-warn'd we might be fore-arm'd and alwayes prepared to encounter him as being both the most certain and the uncertain Adversaâ—y O my Soul hath Death often by sickness and danger shaken thy Glass and lest Summons and Suppenaes at thy Door and hath the great Numberer of thy Sands and Days from time to time sent thee Repreeves with King Phillip's Motto written on the back-side of them Mortalis es Is more than three Quarters of thy Years of Life posted away in Childhood Youth Man-hood sin and vanity O let the small remainder with Solomon be thy Ecclesiastes to preach this his experimental truth to thy Children and all following Generations Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity and vexation of Spirit that so thou despising all things under the Sun mayst soar aloft and enjoy that only chief good that is above the Sun thy God in Christ blessed for ever to whom in a thankful remembrance of this great signal and primitive mercy and deliverance I humbly present this following Ejaculation and thanks-giving The ANTIDOTE Ejaculation or Hymn upon the former Subject FIâ— lazie Soul shall the Idolaters give Vnto dead Marbles praise and wilt thou live Vnthankful Shall God's Instrument thy Tongue Be tun'd to folly not unto his Song When in thy Youth an ignorant charity Led thee into Death's ambush He stood bie Could else one and the same infectious breath Preserâ—e thy Life which brought to others Death O in this mercy greater mercies see Death swallowing others swallow'd up of thee Lord since in dangers thou new life didst give Let Souls anew as well as Bodies live That fill'd with praise faith hope and fervent love Heart Tongue may bless thee here my Soul above Amen ARGUMENT Vpon a dangerous fall from a Horse when I was a Childe whereby I received three hurts one in the Head another in the Arme and a third in the Leg and upon God's mercy in my recovery thereof Soliloquium or Discourse SInful falls are a just cause of falls under Judgments my first fall in Adam could my Childhood have pleaded innocency as to all other deserved not only this but that which is infinitely worse a remediless fall into Hell The indulgency of my Parents in satisfying my childish desires and my too early venturousness together with the much mettle and ill qualities of my Horse were the external occasion of this my sad disaster which left me not only on the ground and cruelly hurt but for a time senseless and only fit to be carried in a Coach unto my Fathers House whose loving care prepared not only one to set my dislocated Bones but applyed Balsomes unto my wounds by which means through God's mercy I obtained health strength and a perfect recovery YOVTHS EMBLEME Ejaculation or Hymn upon the former Subject O Gracious God and Father let my sense Be spiritualiz'd and from each Providence As Bees from Flowers suck sweetness then I shall Praise thee for greater mercies by this Fall Which was from thee a milde Correction For Adam's and my own Transgression For hadst thou judg'd severely I had fell Not only from my Horse but into Hell O Lord me thinks by this sad fall and fate Thou mind'st me of my Vnregenerate State When I indulg'd my will and rid upon A wanton Steed my loose affection Which gave me many falls wounded my Head My Reason-Faculties yea left me Dead And hurt in Arm and Leg senceless and mad Vnfit to act or walk
thus sp'rit'aliz'd shall bring No trembling but what 's good 'gainst sin Yea Anger sanctified shall still Burn up and cast out what is ill ARGUMENT Vpon my sight of a dead Corps and the Contemplation that Death is the Compleatment of all Diseases and therefore will be the Lord knows how soon notwithstanding those my former Recoveries my last and incurable Sickness but not my Conquerer since Death is swallowed up in Victory Soliloquium or Discourse WHat a lively Moniter is this dead Carkass the Daily News of Mortality hath not moved me so much as the fight of this one Trophy of Death Reports deliver things by whole sayle and from others when the Eye more feelingly gathers a truth from many particulars as being its own Judge Witness and Informer The common sounds of Death Posts through our Eares without any stop whereas the Spectacle thereof by a self-application Innes even in our Hearts The distressed Soul being fled unbodied unhoused and the battered Citadel surrendered into the Enemies possession Loe how the Successors of sin do Patrizare trampling upon these mud Walls and demolishing this Mansion of Clay The Luminaries of the Body which used to shine with a living brightness like the Gelly of a sliding Meteor lyâ— now intombed in darkness And that ruddy hue which gave the name of flesh to this whited Earth hath either changed its colour or its place Every particular Member hath now left off its motion and rests manacled in a long and a breathless sleep Yea the whole Body is made ready for its Burial lies imbalmed in a cold sweat It 's better to be in the House of Mourning than of Mirth to be humble than secure whil'st my Eye amazedly wanders over these dead Limbs methinks in them I view the true Anatomy of my own fate and read in pale Characters that immutable Decree It is appointed to all Men once to dye O Lord since this is thy will and the Law of Nature give me grace to seek out my Enemy rather than suffer my Enemy to seek out me that so my preparation may lessen both my fear and danger Since the suddain assault of ambushments annoy more than the open force of pitched Battails and the unexpectedness of death's approach terrifies and hurts more than his merciless Dart Wherefore let me dye Daily with Saint Paul that when I cease to dye I may begin to live rather than dye but once and ever with the rich Glutton in the Gospel The light of the Body is the Eye and the Eye of the Soul is Faith the one of these I must lose the other I may lose O Lord which only givest light in darkness grant that when I cease to see Vanity I may begin to view thee not through a fleshly perspective as now but spiritually in a far more excellent manner And when my Soul is divested of these Rags of Flesh and freed from her dull and sleeping Earth shall appear naked in thy Presence Cloath her with the Robes of beauty and glory as having already given her a new Name the Wedding Garment the best Robe that so when Death shall be swallowed up in Victory and the numberless automes of my dust through thy power new-molded into a Body my Soul may make a re-entry from which incorruptible and inseparable Union of Parts may proceed an Eternal perfection of Immortality and Glory Amen The TRYVMPH A Corolary Poem on the former Subject OVt-face me not Grim Death as though thy hate Ingraved in this dead Corps could make my fate Vnhappy bright Mettals ag'd with rust Are polisht best by fretting them with dust And the Refiner melts with Fire his Ore To make it purer than it was before What though a poisonous Wasp thou art as Eved Of putrid matter Death by Christ is dead Or if that Natures Lyon still thou be A Sampson's Lyon sure thou art to me Tryumph not then so proudly o're this dust As though it was not laid up here in trust Nor vainly think that this sad Chaos can Make me believe no Life because no Man Bodies are but the Souls Seat which in case She leaves we live still though we change the place The naked Grain which from the Seeds-Man's hand Falls to be buried i' th furrow'd Land Corrupts then Springs in a new forme So we Once Mortal put on Immortality Thou being but God's Chinick to reverse Man to his first Materials that his Herse May be a Phoenix Nest from whence shall rise When our Sun shines a Bird of Paradize The CIRCLE Another Corolary Poem of Mortality TEll me fond Man what Joy thou hast In Courting Pleasures or to tast These Earthly vain delights since all Add but degrees unto thy fall No sooner Nature hath begun and done Her work in thee but it 's undone Ripe Years no sooner calls thee Man But Age makes thee a Babe again Thus Circular is Mans course our Birth Derived from Dust returns to Earth Being only Statutes made of Clay Once to be viewed then thrown away Experimental Figures wherein Features Are drawn thereby to Limn out rarer Creatures ARGUMENT Vpon God's merciful Preservation of Me and my Family in health in a time of a General Sickness and Mortality which broke forth under the Vsurpation of Oliver Cromwell Soliloquium or Discourse NAtions in the Holy Scriptures are compared to Seas which have their Calmes and Stormes their Ebbes and Flowings So these have their Peace and War health and sickness in a continual Vicissitude O that these changes would prepare us for our last great certain and yet uncertain Change England and I in England bear witness to all this as having seen and experimented its truth particularly that of health and sickness when of a suddain as in the Dream of Pharaoh's Kine our flourishing health was devoured by lean and macerating Diseases Wherefore let us humbly acknowledge that the Lord alone Raigns in Heaven and in Earth that he wounds and heals he bringeth down to the Grave and raiseth up and that to God the Lord belongs the Issues of Death O Almighty Saviour thou art not only stiled in Scripture The Lord and General of animate but also of animate Hosts As of the Stars Hail Snow and of Diseases which last sort of thy Militia during his Rule that ambitiously called himself our Protector I saw quarâ—ered under thy Sergeant Major Death's Colours for many Moneths in the Towns and Houses round about my Habitation During all which time thou O Lord didst most graciously give to me and my whole Family a Protection from these troublesome and unwelcome Guests Blessing us all with a happy and un-interrupted health O most liberal and bountiful God and Father singular favours such as this calls for from me singular praises and acknowledgments since not any goodness in us above our Neighbours caused this distinguishing mercy For we were and are sinful beyond others but
answ 86 In particular respect of her Sences Tongue and Body 88 Christ answ 89 Of Christs Kingly Office Christs present Kingly Office 93. viz. His Government 99 His excellent person 99 His Laws 101 commended from the Author God 102 Antiquity 102 Holiness 103 His Protection 106 particularly from Satan 107 Sin 108 viz. Adams sin 109 Original 110 Actual 112 World 116 from Its 1 Dart-lust 117 2. Riches 118 3. Honours 119 4. Persecution 120 His conduct encouragement against Coveteousness 123 Sensual pleasures 124 Honour 126 Persecution 128 Death 130 Fear of Death 132 The pain and separation of soul and body 133 Comfort in the Resurrection 135 Christs Kingly Office at the last Judgment 139 Of Eternal life and Glorified state of Man in general 143 149 In particular 1. In Soul The Understanding glorified 148 The Will glorified 149 The Memory glorified 150 The Affections in general 151 In particular Love glorified 151 Fear glorified 153 Zeal glorified 156 Anger glorified 160 Joy glorified 169 2. In Body In general 164. In special Its Spiritualness 169 Its Swiftness 169 Its Splendor 171 Its Incorruptibleness Immortality 175 3. In the Senses In general 188. In particular The Sight glorified 195 The Hearing glorified 199 The Taste glorified 205 The Smelling glorified 210 Touching glorified 215 Of the Tongue the Organ of several senses 222 Twelve wonderful Actings or Works of God to be fulfilled 239 Namely 1. The raising of the Witnesses 239 2. The ruine of Rome 239 3. The ruine of the Papacy 240 4. Israels Conversion 240 5. The destruction of the great Turk 241 6. The binding of the Devil for a thousand years 241 7. The Conversion of the World 241 8. The destruction of all Christs enemies 242 9. The Saints peaceable raign for a thousand years 243 10. The destruction of Gog and Magog and of the World by fire 243 11. The day of Judgment begun with reward to Saints ends with judging the wicked 244 12. Christs Mediatory-Kingdom ends the Saints are translated to Heaven for ever 246 Errata IN the Titles of the Fourth and Fifth Pages for Death Read Faith Page 17. Line 25. f. Nebuchadonazzer Read Nebuchadnezzar p. 26. in the mergine for James r. Lamentations p. 27. l. 29. f. thus r. this p. 29. l. 6. f. affliction r. affection p. 33. l. 34. f. brawl r. crawl p. 39. l. 38. after the word Stephen add â—ye p 40 l. 28. leave out which p. 42. l. 32. f. Lunary r. Lunacy and l. 40 f. are r. were p. 48. l. 33. f. pleasure r. play sure p 49. l. 8. f. Philosophers r. Philosophies p 53. l. 12. for those excess r. whose excess p 54. l. 30 f. inordinate r. inordinacie p. 64. l. 30. f. Nature r. Natures p. 66. l 28. f. halt r. half p 85. l. 30 f. Joshua r. Josiah p. 87. l 31. f. be thy r. be to thy p. 89. l. 4. f. peculiarly r. in part p. 90. l. 17. f. exhautasting r. exhausting p. 92. l. 11. f. England r. Israel p. 105. l. 1. f. of my mind r. of mind p. 116. l. 26. add iâ— before descends p 119. l. 33. f aâ—centing â— accepting p. 130. l. 5. f. their r. these l. 40. f meat r. meal p. 134. l. 19 f. â—â—nding r. bending l. 40. f. yellowed r. Gellied p. 153. l 19. f. lights r. light p. 155. l. 15. f. eye r. eyes p. 157 l. 6. f. preservd r. preserd p. 159 l. 31. f. a spring r. aspâ—ring p. 161. l. 4. f. but its lip r. but in that life l. 22 f. Beasts r. Bâ—ats l. 24 f. thought r. thoughts p. 169 l. 20 f. Locamotion r. Locomotion l 28 f. Port r. Part p. 173 l. 12 f. immund r. immur'd p. 181 l. 9 f. the r. their p. 189 l. 3 f. substraction r. substratum l. 8 f. Elixa r. Elixar p. 193 l. 15 f. so what use r. what use p. 210 l. 17 f. Naâ—al r. Nadab p. 214 l. 26 f. with r. which p. 235 l. 30 f. to r. so p. 249 l. 13 f. I can proceed r. I cannot proceed DIVINE MEDITATIONS ON FAITH OR The Vision Exercise and Triumph of FAITH WHere the Treasure is there 's the Heart the thoughts the affections also A judicious mind is vertuously ambitious only being inamored with that whose true worth invites most its Contemplation glaneing over inferiour things with a superficial and general surview The Soul of Man is never un-imployed though often mis-imployed resembling in the perpetuity though not in the quality of its motion the ever and all-moving Creator who as he ever was so was he never idle as being a most pure act Is this true Is the mind of Man never vacant Art thou never idle O my Soul Strive then not to be idely employed that both in acting and in acting well thou maist be more like thy Maker And let the riches on which thou placest thy love be Heaven and heavenly things Where neither Moth nor rust corrupt nor Thieves break through and steal so shall such Treasure be not the Prison but the Paradise of thy heart Amongst all those precious Graces heapt up in the boundless Store-house of Gods mercy though each particular is to be admired yet are there degrees of preheminence For like as the beautiful Stones set in Aaron's Vestments the Planets amongst the lesser Stars So these three Divine Graces Faith Hope and Charity out-shine the rest attracting the eye of my Soul and as much invite my Contemplation as they necessitate my fruition These these are the Fundamental Graces Superiour to all other both in respect of the Excellency of their Object Christ Jesus and of their Subject wherein they reside a true Christian. The other viz. Temperance Fortitude c. being often-times bestowed by God on many natural Men in whom they shine with a dim Light never with a Sun-like splendor They like the Indians possessing those Treasures which Christians know best the right use of Such Diamonds being then only truly placed when set within a foile of Humility Thus my Soul through the free Grace of thy Heavenly Father hast thou exhibited to thy view and enjoying a Mine of Treasure a Heaven of Happiness Riches which exclude not but command thee to covet O follow thy Saviours Counsel be a joyful Man and industrious Merchant Part with all thy sinful Lusts Sell all thy worldly Vanities purchase this Field and Trade for these Pearls Thy affections are the price which that thou mightest disburse without delay look more seriously into their worth so shalt thou at once affect and possess them As the optick faculty is both weak and useless to us in the Discovery of things that are either too neer or too far distant and so out of the command of its Power so also if we suffer it at once distractedly to wander over several species though within the strength of its speculation it cannot give a true judgment or description of any
toward Zoar that Type of Heaven But no sooner did the Angel leave her but her eyes reversion discover her minds aversion Which her self would have seconded had not the Almighty in Favour to her Husband and in Mercy to Us made her an examplary Monument in a Pillar of Salt Next under the Law behold Saul not only a Member but chosen of God to be the Captain over his Church A man every way well qualified first for his Body his Proportion was so excellent that there was none like him amongst all the people And for his Mind it was endowed it seem'd both with Divine and Moral Vertues witness his joyning in Prophesie his performance of many Pious Duties as his Sacrifices at his Coronation his asking Counsel of God and inquiry after Sin confession and humiliation after Samuels Reproof his humility at his Election his patience and mercy at his Rejection and Defamation his Fortitude against the general and open Enemies of the Church the Ammonite his Zeal against the private and secret Enemies of Religion viz. all Witches and Wizzards Here then is a spring of Piety a profession and expression of Religion a Gourd whose glory may not only serve as a Canopy of state to Saul but as a shade to one of the Prophets A gourd indeed and so it faded For the eave of his last day ruined that frontispiece of Vertue which his whole lifes best Actions had raised towards Heaven For had he been with the Prophets and joyn'd with them in Prophesie His ignorance and wants now send him to enquire of the Devil Did he Sacrifice before to God Now behold the reward of Divination and Witchcraft are in his hand He whose custom was to ask counsel of God now seeks after a Witch and he whose seeming Zeal condemns his Righteous Son for tasting of an Honey-comb although ignorant of any restraint now contrary to his Oath and Covenant made with God without humiliation and judging of himself or confession of his fault willingly and wilfully swallows down the very gall of Sin His Humility did not more grace him when he lay buried in the peoples Stuff than his Pride did debase him when he presumed to be one of Gods Council That patience fortitude and mercy which abounded yea was extended towards others is now deficient to himself For he falls all along upon the Earth becomes sore afraid no strength is left in him and yet he refuses to Eat For having no conscience towards God no wonder if his Body wants the charity of Nature When the Creature abuses the Mercy of the Creator he must expect to taste of his Justice And when he ceases to know Himself he shall be made to know his Punishment Saul hath forgotten both his God and himself and therefore justly is he now forgotten and hears his Funeral censure pronunced by him who never spoke nor wished better to man To morrow shalt thou be with me Forewarning fore-armes not Sinners he that doubted of his Choise though from the mouth of Gods Prophet credits his refusal and death from the Devils Oracle Extraordinary Blessings are the free and voluntary gift of God and not believed of Sinners before enjoyed But his punishments are the due Burden of sins desert and therefore are expected before divulged The Soul being often-times aforehand sensible of that which the Body afterwards endures None but a false or temporary Faith hath a final cessation but such is this of Saul he now beleeves onely that he might dispair The first degree of a true Faith being usually the false ones last step God lifting up the one from the sense of judgement to the faith and sight of Mercy Sin dragging the other from the belief of punishment into the gulf of Despairation Though Saul hath his last day marked out even the morrow yet neither the love towards his Sons whose Lives bore the same date with his nor care for himself begets the least endeavour by delay or otherwise to out-live the fore-going Prophesie inevitable are the Judgements of God nay rather he hastens it shortning his flight that he might shorten his life And that sin according to its nature might have a companion he moves his Armour-bearer to be a traitour to his own Soul by example whom his precept could not force to be a traitour to his Prince For he falls upon his Sword which instead of Defence becomes a weapon of Offence So often-times God deals with the Wicked who as in life themselves are their worst Enemies so in death they prove their own Executioners Thus the Sacred Annals before and since Moses hath by the Deads example given most lively arguments to prove this falshood of the deadness of this seeming life of faith O admire here the infinite extent of the Mercy of God! who out of the carcase of this Lyon Sin this Eater Death brings forth both meat and sweetness for his Sampsons his Nazarites making the Downfal of the Fathers the Rises of the Children their Ignorance our Knowledge their faults and blindness apt spectacles to help the weakness of our sight It now remains that the holy Records of the faithful and powerful Gospel as the Eccho of the Old Testament consort in the like precedents that by so consonant an Harmony the dissonant and ungrounded judgement of the most hypocritical and temporary Believer may be convinced if not converted The purest Gold hath its Dross the best Wheat its Tares Yea the Moon is then most full of Spots when least empty of Light The Church of God in the Primitive times in its Infant Age had many who although they were deemed Members of Christ had not yet put off the Old man The Old Adam Many whose Image and outward Superscription seemed to be our Cesars yet proved to be false and unvaluable Coyn when they came to their test or exchange Witness Ananias and Sapphira a pair doubly united by Sin and Wedlock who before their trial were esteemed as Members of the True Church as Beleevers of the Apostles Doctrine and no doubt baptised in that Faith the effects of which seemed to lead them on to forsake the world for they sold their possessions to works of Charity and Piety And laid it at the Apostles feet Who would not here have parallel'd these with sincere Joses since both parties did the same duty though not with the same heart the one acting truly that Christians part which the other only play'd Mans natural light is comparatively darkness and the height of his Knowledge advantageth him only with a larger prospect of his ignorance he knowing most that confesses to know nothing The conscience of our want being the perfection of our science Only thou O Lord art the Fountain of Knowledge and Wisdom thou triest the Heart and the Reins and seest not as man seeth Shalt not thou who planted the Ear hear Thou that formed the Eye see Thou that teachest man Knowledge know Thou O
Grace ◠The Eye of Faith whose object is the only begotten infinitely Glorious and mercifull Son of God Christ Jesus with all his faithful Promises numberless Merits saving and incomprehensible Graces This then O my Soul is that Sight and Light in comparison of which all other is but Darkness or as Torch-lights to the Sun By this alone a true Christian shall as much transcend the rational as the rational the sensual Creature Doth the momentary splendour of terrene things entice us to affect and prefer them And shall the everlasting and perfectly glorious Vision of Heavenly things even of Him who gave Beauty Form and Beeing to thee and all things prove less deserving less effectual Was the carnal eyes of my First Parents so over-pleased with the transitory Beauty of an earthly Fruit that they forgot their Creator whose Image they bare and entered the death threatning the breach of his Commandement though open to the fury of a double Curse exchanging the eternity of Happiness for a momentary taste And shall not the Pearless splendour of Heavenly things animate me to prepare a hand a heart to receive and taste the Manna of Souls the Fruit of a Tree of Life not guarded with a Cherubs Fiery sword but obvious to all not rooted in Earth but sprang from Heaven being grafted into Humanity that his Living Fruit might become the saving and eternal nourishment of Man O Lord I earnestly cry out with those at Capernaum Give me evermore of this Food Have mercy upon my Infirmities for being Adam◠son I have a withered hand a carnal heart which carnality 〈◊〉 enmity with thee Therefore Create in me a clean Heart and renue a right Spirit within me Relieving my Spiritual wants with this apprehensive Grace by which supernatural gift I may be made able to apply thy saving Promises with all their dependances O Adam I cannot blame thee for the loss of this Grace since thou deprivest thy Posterity of those Treasures only which thou was possest of But in thy Innocency this thou hadst not yet wert thou not therefore defective for thy created purity needed not any imputative righteousness being of it self sufficient because accepted The beauty of thy first Purity was so far from Leprosie that not the least Stain was then apparent to deface its Candor Thy Innocency void of Sin and therefore required not a Saviour Thy Soul was the Resemblance of thy Creator and therefore a pleasing and most proper object for his All-glorious sight There was without Wrath Attonement without Enmity Mediation without Debt satisfaction without Jesus Application is unnecessary Infidelity was the first means of Death Faith is the only instrument of Life By the one came our Descent to Hell through the other our Ascent to Heaven That made us Fly from God offended this makes us Run unto Him appeased Man had his first Spring in the Creation his Summer in Paradise which should ever have continued had not his meridianal height suffered a declination So shortning his happiest dayes he changed both Place and Season As after the Fall Winter ensues so did his For what are our untimely times but as a Winter quarter wherein every Tree is Fruitless we being not seemingly but really dead in Sinnes and Trespasses And if there be any Sap in the Root or Understanding it serves for no other use nourishment or comfort but to leave us without excuse If any Leaves as Moral actions and outward Professions alas these may hide from men our Nakedness producing a supposition of Fruitfulness but cannot deceive God who shall cause such Leavy Fig-trees to wither O Saviour Jesus Christ my Years increase my Life decreaseth neither know I how soon thou wilt visite me by Death or Judgment when if only as outwardly glorious thou sendest me my Portion is with Hypocrites if defective of Fruit thy sentence hath already awarded me fit for the Fire Lord I am a stem of sinfull Adam sprung from a barren Root and therefore a Plant which but Cumbers this Ground O thou which only art Lord and Husband-man of Souls so shine on me by thy favour mould and manure me with thy Grace prune me with thy Fatherly chastisements that the old Man may be rooted up and the new Man spring up and grow that so the Winter of Sin past a Spring of Faith may ensue which in thee being only fruitfully perfect I may with a happy certainty expect an Autumn of Glory Whosoever believeth in me hath everlasting life are the words of our Saviour from whose graciousness every Soul may receive infinite encouragement to pursue the condition or instrumental means of so unvaluable a gift For what is more desired than life What more abhorred than deprivation Let this offer therefore of Immortality the height and accomplishment of Mans happiness like the streams of Paradise direct thee O wandering Soul unto the Eden of Glory In the midst whereof thou shalt finde the Spring of Faith the Fountain of Life even God himself From whom alone all Graces have their right ebulition and procession for God deals to every one the measure of Faith As in the first Creation he gave a Beeing to what was not so in Mans Regeneration his immediate Word wrought the one his written Word the other Pulpits are Heavenly Conduits from whence by Earthy Vessels the Ministers Voices as in smaller Pipes the Waters of Grace are conveyed into every open Ear. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God The life of the Body is the Soul the Soul of the Soul is Faith As the Infant lives not till God hath infused a Soul so the Christian lives not without his gift of Faith O thou whose gifts are the effects of thy free Mercy not our Merit and therefore without Repentance or Changeableness thou being Wisdome it self and therefore Unalterable Omnipotent and therefore above all contradiction and resistance give to me this Seal of thy love this first fruit of thy favour and my Conversion O bestow on me the Grace I ask because thou hast given unto me Grace to ask For thy bounty is not closed up because thou hast been liberal like to Man since thy love is without measure thou therefore give me because thou hast given Thy former favours being but earnests of thy future mercies The Body of Man like to the Pool of Bethesda hath five Porches or senses through which all external pleasure and delectation enters as it were to comfort the imprisoned Soul They being as so many Cranies dimly enlightning her Dungeon that so their poor and weak expressions might make her ambitious of a perfect liberty Amongst these the seeing faculty in comparison of the rest may be stiled the beautifull Gate for its Grace and Ornament and the Bodies mirrour wherein with delight it views the perfection of it self and others So that indeed the better half of Mans temporary felicities consists in outward objects
O have these fleshy eyes of ours such various presentations of pleasure to delight these Bodies of Clay with and can we imagine Faith the eye of the immortal Soul can be destitute of a subject worthy its view and contemplation O no my Soul The weakest-sighted Faith enjoys a far better and more excellent prospect viz. with Eagles eyes looking abroad upon the glorious Son of Righteousness and Son of God Jesus Christ. The Life of the Body gives the first power and motion to the Eye but this Heaven-aspiring sight gives the Soul its first Life Hear me saith God that is believe in me and your Soul shall live The Earthly Sun suffers sometimes an Eclipse so did ours once for all An interposition caused the one the other not any defect in his own Body or Light but a condense Darkness an Orb of Sin for a time obscured his brightness Women and Children whose shallow reach fathome not the depth of Natures works may with a flying fear hide themselves not daring to behold the labouring Sun when a learned Artist by Water or reflection searcheth out the cause and greatness of an Eclipse Worldly and carnal Men may mask their understanding with a wilfull ignorance But do thou O Lord which hides these things from the Wise and revealest them unto Babes make me to apprehend the reason and admire the infiniteness of thy suffering Earth affords not a neerer Union or Relation than friendship That mysterial incorporation and perfect conjunction of Wedlock is but an inclusive of this that being more particular this more general Society is the happiness of Mans life this is the height of that Conjunction and the perfection of that happiness He is either most miserable or undeserving that hath not had some taste of this reciprocal foelicity Since vice and vertue have both their favourites the one exceeding in number the other in worth Thus far hath my Meditations roved on Earth ascending this height of temporary delight that from such a rise my Soul may take a quick flight to Heaven The friendship of the World and all things else in it eminent or praiseâ—worthy are but dark shadowes of Heavenly things beames derived from that eternal Light to give Light to Man Doth not the Holy Spirit express the exceeding love of the eternal Father to us his Children by the tenderness of Earthly Parents His infinite and free mercy by the charity and friendship of the Samaritan stranger The ardent and unparallel'd affection of our Saviour Jesus Christ to us his Church by a Matrimonial and espousal love O all yee that have any illumination of Faith come and witness with me if there were ever or can be any love amity or affection like unto this which God hath shewed towards us Lord I would fain express thy acts of mercy the witness of thy love and object of my Faith but who is sufficient for these things or able to express what he cannot sufficiently conceive of How or where shall I begin when Lord my beginning was from thee Yea from all beginnings hast thou chosen me and in time hast thou called me void of love desire and freedome of will or any other congruity remote or sufficient to answer thee calling being the servant of Sathan and Bond-slave of Sin and therefore an Aliene from thee and the common wealth of Israel One not only sick but dead in sins and trespasses and therefore unable to move towards thee A natural Man perceiving not the things of God and therefore ignorant of thee Thy love alone was the cause of mine for herein is love not that we loved thee but that thou loved'st us first Nor foreknowledge of my after works or willingness to receive grace occasioned this free Election For not of works which I had done but according to thy mercy didst thou elect and save me From thy free and gracious predestination my faith with a devout affection makes haste to behold the Foundation thy dear Son Jesus Christ my Saviour O wonder O infinite Love O admirable friendship He whose glory and greatness the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain was inclosed within the Womb of a poor though pure Virgin God descends in humility from Heaven that Man might ascend Heaven in Glory becoming like to Man that Man might be like to him Not Rome the Metropolis of the World nor Jerusalem the glory of Judea must tryumph in the birth or be made more honourable by the first presence of Emanuel but Bethlem the least of the Cities of Juda. Which poor place either ignorant or regardless of so high a favour was not only void of thankfulness and common courtesie but of neighbourly hospitality A Stable a Manger and brute Beasts being the Palace the Cradle the company it prepared for the entertainment of the Worlds Saviour Behold here a mystery of mysteries He who knows no beginning now begins to be that his being in nature might give us a being in grace in glory And in his Infancy did our gracious Redeemer begin to suffer the entrance of his life being but the Prologue of his sorrow and the total thereof a continued passion His innocent Child-hood is made the subject of treason and nought but his slaughter must allay the Tyrants suspition What needed any unjustly or violently to have sought his Death who willingly came to Dye only living the life of Man that for Man he might be capable of Death This Herodian cruelty hath a deeper dye than Nero's Tyranny For he destroyed the World only in his wish but this Man by one act would have made not our Bodies only but our Souls mortal O sweet Jesus thou fleddest into Egypt not to preserve life but to die daily avoiding his merciless Power that thou mightest declare thy powerfull mercy Thy Death by which we live must not be constrained least ungrateful Man should esteem it no gift The strength and policy of Herod are unable to wrest that per-force from thee which thou purposest freely to give Infancy must not suffer for Man-hood since the greater includes the less but the lesser cannot comprehend the greater That perfection of Age that made Mans rebellion and sin more full more hatefull must make thy obedience and sufferings more compleat more acceptable Not Bethlem but Jerusalem the center of the World must be the Theatre of infinite mercy of merciless cruelty that thy passion being acted in the place wherein the Legal Ceremonies were celebrated the Types and Figure might more clearly point out the substance All those bloody Sacrifices being abolished by one Sacrifice of blood After this escape of danger in his Child-hood and reprieved of his life for a time did not the increase of his years multiply his sorrows No doubt he suffered as well as fulfilled the Law for us during those thirty years he obscured himself At twelve years of age we finde him disputing in the Temple when surely
And lest Hell should tryumph over us in punishment he in Person tryumphs over it with Victory In Person I say Although his Body lay still in the Grave since its local absence contradicts not his personal presence the inseparable union of the God-head with his Body and Soul even in Death permitting only a separation in nature not of natures a mutation of order no disunion If the Devils fear forced his Prince to supplicate when our Saviour sojourn'd on Earth what unexpressible terrors did then possess them when the Worlds Great Monarch reigned over Hell If in his humiliation they doubted his sudden judgment How did his exaltation assure them of their certain execution Here behold acted that Vision figuratively after manifested unto St. John of Sathans imprisonment for a thousand years although literally it was to be fulfilled many ages after For who hath the Key of the bottomless Pit of Heaven and Hell but he to whom all power is given both in Heaven and Earth He who openeth and no Man shutteth Or when should these Principalities be subdued if not at this general and most glorious Conquest Can any imagine this great Victory to be maymed or imperfect since he then led Captivity captive trampling over all those that resisted either his Power or our Salvation So conclude this what time since his coming doth so evidently demonstrate this truth to be by our Head in part fulfilled as the after events I mean the tranquility and delight of the Church amongst themselves those hundred years immediately succeeding his suffering What though the ten Persecutions did exceedingly rage against the Saints according to the 4th verse of that 20. of the Revelations The blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Church Yea they did even then reign most gloriously with Christ. As the Kingdome of our Saviour and the brightness of the Church shined most perspicuously when the purity thereof brake forth in their profession and constancy so the miseries of Christians and the liberty of Sathan is never more apparent then when the damnableness and obscurity of capital Heresies Eclipse the visible face of the Church For in the first we may truly be said to live and tryumph even in death in the last their supposed freedome is the greatest slavery and their seeming life but a cursed and eternal deprivation Three Days continued though not compleat was the proportion of time allotted to measure out my Saviours last sleep Had he dyed and presently revived unbelieving Man would have tearmed such a Death but a Transe Yea the scandalous Rulers would have blasted the wonderfull Miracle of his Resurrection with an accusation of self-contradicting and not performance of his former protestation Destroy this Temple and within three Days I will build it up again Wherefore O my Soul that thy faith might be confirmed in the sure belief of his dying The Jews convicted by the truth of his performance and his own Power magnified by the Divinity of the act he is content to lodge as it were in a second Womb viz. of Clay that all things being perfected the third Day he might lead his the way to a birth of Glory The victorious Soul of my Saviour after the reliction of his Body having trampled upon Death tryumphed over Hell and took a full possession of Heaven that his actions as they were the means so they might be as it were the story and prophecy of our succeeding All the Souls of the faithfull when they part with this hollow Clay in like manner though through his right conculcate Death and Hell enjoying the new Jerusalem Behold he now proceeds by the raising of his Body to assure us that our Bodies shall be like our Souls immortal as our Souls shall be made like unto his most glorious through the re-creation of his beautifull Image in us The object of my Faith hath hitherto been a Night-piece full fraught with Persecution and suffering tears and strong cries dying and burial but now the all-flourishing Rayes of the Immortal Deity personally in the Son of Righteousness at his rising breaks forth changing that Darkness into Light To this may be applied that of the Psalmist Mourning may continue for a Night but joy comes in the Morning Noah's Ark the true Figure of a Christians faith must be drenched in the Waves and driven by the Wind a long time before it shall rest dry and safe upon the Mountains of Ararat The humiliation of my Saviour was his night wherein the humanity did most manifest it self So his exaltation in which his Resurrection hath a part is his Day wherein the brightness and power of his God-head did shew it self most apparently Adam the destroyer of Man first enjoyed a blessing a Paradise before he merited a Curse a Hell But the Messias the restorer of Man must first be made an execration before he can purchase for us a re-possession Not long since I besought all true believers to weep with Christ who wept not for himself but for them But now my Soul breaths forth a more pleasing request which I prefer not to all but to those only which are mourners in Sion That as they have grieved with Him and for themselves in him so now they would be filled with his solace and tryumph in his Victory That as they have sowed in tears they may now reap in joy Every Man was a debtor unto the Almighty untill Christ our surety paid the mortgage and redeemed our Souls He satisfied the debt on the Cross least we should doubt of the sufficiency of his satisfaction For behold here our acquittance and the Bonds rent even the Bonds of Death torne asunder in and by his Resurrection Have we not then cause to rejoyce for so great a deliverance The mirth of Moses Myriam and the Israelites was expressed in a Song of thanksgiving when the Egyptians were entombed in the Sea The joy of Barak and Debora was proclaimed in an Anthem of praise when Sisera and his Chariots were discomfited The Virgins of Israel were not silent when David overthrew Goliah And shall we that are delivered from the slavery of a spiritual Pharaoh sin from the tyranny of a hellish Sysera a strong Goliah Sathan the Prince that ruleth in the Ayr and over all the Children of disobedience be empty of gladness and gratefulness when all the Creatures land and praise our Moses our Barak our David our Jesus shall not all the People especially the redeemed of the Lord say Amen Let us now walk forth with those of Emmaus to meet our Saviour after the Resurrection of his Body Praying earnestly that through the Power of his Spirit he would open the eyes of our faith that we may believe confess and rejoyce in his Resurrection The infinite affection of this Saviour of ours is apparent in every action His love made him depart from glory when he descended from the bosome of his Father his love made him conceal his
But now thou art delivered from the Law that being dead wherein thou weart holden that thou shouldest serve me in newness of Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter as being a Member of my Body of my Flesh and of my Bones Lastly Art thou ashamed of the nakedness of thy Body as being the Mirrour yea the effect of thy Souls wants Know that thou in the loynes of thy first Parents weart not more willing to lose and cast off that robe of righteousness than I am to restore and give thee a better As I then cloath'd thy naked Body so I will now cloath thy naked Soul Hast thou been a Prodigal behold thy Heavenly Father for my sake doth embrace thee in the armes of his mercy and covers thee with the best robe of my righteousness Hast thou been a vagrant and wanderer in the High-ways of sin and by-paths of iniquity an Alien to the Common-wealth of England Loe now thou art an invited Guest unto my Heavenly Pallace Eternal Feast and endless Nuptials being arrayed with the Wedding and glorious Garment of my Immaculate Holiness These are those Garments whose smell is like the smell of Lebanon and whose sent is Myrrh Aloes and Cassia Whose excelling sweetness doth overcome the stench of thy sins perfumes thy best actions and makest thee an acceptable Sacrifice to God Yea it makes thy Body like Moses and Stephen's face glorious upon Earth Is it not I that gives beautifull Garments to Sion and that cloath her Priests with Salvation That councel Men to buy of me white Rayments that they may be cloathed and that the shame of their nakedness do not appear That have promised to Him that overcometh The same shall be cloathed with white Rayment That appoint unto them that mourn in Sion to give unto them beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning the Garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness Wherefore O my redeemed be thou no longer solicitous and doubtfull of thy blessed estate only believe and thou shalt see the Salvation and glory of God O Lord thou hast opened my Lips therefore my Mouth shall shew forth thy praise I will greatly rejoyce in thee O Lord my Soul shall be joyfull in thee my God for thou hast cloathed me with the Garments of Salvation thou hast covered me with the Robe of Righteoousness Even as a Bridegroom decketh himself with Ornaments and a Bride adorneth her self with Jewels Therefore as thou hast freely given me all so I desire thankfully to enjoy all to thy glory To which end assist me with thy grace that these Eyes which thou hast enlightened may always devoutly behold and admire thy works That these Eares which thou hast opened may be for ever dutifully attentive to thy words And that these other sences which thou hast rightly disposed and ordered may continually obey thy will and exalt thy praise Yea these my weak hands which thou hast lifted up my feeble knees which thou hast strengthned my sliding feet which thou hast kept from falling shall readily observe thy precepts and run in the way of thy Commandments because thou hast enlarged my heart Finally Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glory For of thee through thee and to thee are all things to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen I have here Dialogue-wise for the more profitable and particular handling of things briefly and plainly shewed how many rare and precious gems are treasured up in this Ark of the Covenant the Prophetical office of our Saviour as also how graciously and comfortably they are offered to and received by the hand of faith to the benefit and Jubile of every true Believer It remains now that according to my former method my Meditations pass on unto the last object and foundation of faith the Kingly office of our Saviour which is as it were the tegment and compleatment of our salvation For we are therefore reconciled and justified by our Priest taught and sanctified by our Prophet that we may obey and be protected and governed in this life by our King and be for ever glorified with him in the life to come If Men enter the presence of Earthly Princes with much civil reverence with what divine worship honour adoration and admiration O my Soul oughtest thou to enter the presence of the King of Kings and meditate upon his wonderfull acts and office This is one of those glorious mysteries which the Holy Angels desire to look into yea with which their sublime understandings are and shall be for ever delighted busied and ravished How fervent then should thy thoughts be yea in humility how earnestly shouldst thou like Jacob strive with God by Prayer to give thee this blessing also that with the Eye of thy faith together with those blessed spirits thou maist prie into this Supream and perfect Monarchy of the Prince of peace and righteousness A King is the desire of most Nations yea those Barbarians which are ignorant of all other rules of life and civility do notwithstanding acknowledge the Maxime of a Soveraignty and as bound by a Cannon Law of nature do willingly subject their Necks to this Yoak Is rule and dominion then necessary so desirable and profitable in civil societies So much conducing to the flourishing of a Common-wealth Surely it is much more requirable and beneficial for the well-governing and flourishing of the Church In which as in a Kingdome there is a mixture of good and bad Enemies within and without and those the most powerfull pernicious and malitious of all others As also many Laws to be observed rewards to be conferred corrections and punishments to be inflicted Granted then it must needs be for these respects sake that the Universal Church which is a Body a spiritual holy and glorious Monarchie must have a glorious a wise and omnipotent King and Protector Wouldst thou now O my Soul see him and know him Loe thy Mother and his Spouse calls thee and all other longing Souls to view his tryumphs in these words Goe forth even with fervent affections O yee Daughters of Zion that is all yee pure and fruitfull ones in the Church of God and behold that is apprehend with a lively faith King Solomon that is the Lord Jesus Christ the true Solomon with the Crown wherewith his Mother crowned him in the day of his espousals that is in his glorious state wherewith his Father hath invested him after that by his death and resurrection he hath redeemed and married us unto himself in holiness and righteousness And that thou maist have further knowledge assurance and testimony of this thy King and Saviour hear the joyfull Predictions and unerring demonstrations of the Prophets In the life of old Jacob we have that he spake at his death these faithfull words The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his Feet
speak of our last and general Enemy Death but that even in the chaws thereof the World hath laid a fourth ambush of blood-thirsty and persecuting Hamans and unbrotherly Amalekites to assault every true Christian in his peregrination to our Heavenly Canaan Of these therefore next in our Meditation Were the Soul of a Christian corporeal or could force bend her knees and elevate her hands with their Bodies to Idolatry could it determine and have an end by the Sword Gibbet Fire or chawes of wilde Beasts or be blasted and defaced by the scandalous reproaches of slanderous tongues surely the Israel of God had been as Sodom and Gomorrah a by-word a nothing without succession upon the Earth And as once the old World so it these Waters had overwhelmed it these streames had gone over our Souls They even the wicked of the World had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us Then the proud Waters had gone over our Souls But blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their Teeth The Snare is broken and we are escaped escaped did I say yet the Lord knows many not without a fall without loss sometimes of their stuble-works sometimes of some gems ornaments and degrees of grace and spiritual comforts sometimes of their good name precious time and glorious professions Blessed Peter as thou wert the first of the Apostles so the first of Professors that denyed thy Master Glorious was thy confession thou art the Christ the Son of the living God Ignominious thy denyal I know not the Man Oh that the apprehension of Death should make thee deny thy life that thou shouldst more fear a Cross than value a Crown Yea the most Orient of Diadems that of Martyrdome But when the Lords back was towards thee and thy self-love had maskt his beautifull Image in thy heart I wonder not at thy tergiversation and counter motion As these spiritual desertions obscure Christ so they discover Man The same back-friend that would have counselled the Master perswades and obtains in Peter to save himself From what an incarnate Devil from Death No for who so will save his life shall lose it and thus to dye is to live for ever What then causeth this excentrical motion Surely self-love which declines that Centre of all things God and his glory This Daughter of the Philistims our flesh rather choosing to betray her Spouse her Sampson than she and her Fathers House this Cottage of Clay should be destroyed with the Fire of Persecution Sathan that Prince of this World is an exact Tyrant and therefore hath not only seeming rewards to inveigle some but racks and tortures to compell others to subject to his thraldome Such are those several sorts of Persecutions which for a time have made many of the Lords Worthies to seek quarter Peter fell not alone though as most eminent most eminently Blessed Saviour was not this the fury the Wolf that scattered the Sheep from thee the true Shepward of our Souls Where were the other ten Apostles when thou wast condemned and crucified I finde none but John present at thy Passion and he there rather as a Brother and Kinsman than as a Disciple For surely had he profest thee thou hadst not suffered alone innocently as it is written of thee Where were the seventy Disciples to whose faith and preaching thou gavest testimony with so many Miracles Where those many thousands which are said to believe which they themselves also testified by their acclamations confessions and frequent attendance Were they not all reduc'd to a few and as it were metamorphosed into the weakest Sex a few Women yea and those thine at distance too they stood afar off Sweet Jesus did the faith fail of these ocular witnesses these Champions of thy truth Yea after thy glorious ascension in the Apostles age do we finde a Demas In the Primitive and in succeeding times many holy Professors yea in this our age a devout Cranmer and others Who for a time shrunk from thee or rather from the chawes of this Devourer this opposite to nature this highest Pin of Sathans wracks this last and worst Enemy Death Disgraces slanders loss of goods yea all other bodily tortures included being but the attendants and degrees to this The Devil often in the Church makes his observation good that skin for skin yea all that a Man hath will he give for his life What need then have we O Lion of the Tribe of Judah which have not seen yet believe being therefore destitute of the sences testimony and want that Christian magnanimity that measure of grace and faith which those first Combatants enjoyed to fly unto thy Standard and to invoke thy assistance and strength against these worldly Enemies Which though invincible by nature and the flesh yet shall lye headless and vanquisht under the Sword of thy Word and Spirit Witness these holy Darts drawn out of that sacred Quiver thy most Holy Word already thrust through the sides and heart of this Absalom this Rebell and Traytor to our Souls so St. Peter most sweetly God hath given us exceeding great and precious promises that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the World through lust Our Enemy the World marching against us in four battalions as hath been formerly shewed three of which also the Apostle St. John as God's sentinel for our safety hath faithfully given us warning of by this his discovery that all that is in the World the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the World It is time for us now not only to prepare for but to begin the fight and that with courage and chearfulness the Alarum and on-set being given by Gods own Spirit animating and stirring up the affection of our godly zeal and anger thus Love not the World neither the things that are in the World If any Man love the World the love of the Father is not in him Know yee not that the friendship with this World is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend of the World is an enemy of God Behold also a Banner even that which we have vowed to fight under in our Baptisme even the victorious Cross of Christ triumphantly displayed by that great Christian Champion St. Paul who thus encourages us by this his pious exclamation and example God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the World is crucified unto me and I unto the World See also our Leader the Spirit of God which if our faith second will make us trample upon the flesh and all the volptuous and carnal desires thereof For if we be led of the Spirit we are not under the Law viz. under the curse
exchanges Earth for Heaven even for the City of the ever living God the new Jerusalem her Earthly associates for the beatifical vision and presence of the glorious Trinity those many Myriads of Angels the general Assembly of the Church of the first-born and the spirits of all just Men made perfect As for the overplus of her treasure uninherited she hath and doth take order by good works as by so many Bills of Exchange for the receipt of them above herein obeying the precept and counsel of our Saviour to lay up treasure in Heaven Lastly a Sceptre is not a Bar neither doth the massy weight of a Crown nor felicity of terrene things depress the high-soaring affections of this Christian Soul King David's choice is hers rather To be a Door-keeper in the House of God than to dwell in the Tents of wickedness Neither is there fear of loss where it is The Fathers will to give a Kingdome For The Lord God is a Sun and a Shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly O Lord of Hosts blessed is the Man that trusteth in thee Man being a compositum a sensible Creature is naturally deeply apprehensive of pain therefore impetuously an abhorror of separation Hence a third fearfull and violent assault of Death so powerfull and prevalent that it hath brought the strongest of Gods Warriours upon their knees and to a marvailous astonishment Hence as some interpret the reiterated and strong cries the wonderfull and bloody sweat of our great General Christ Jesus But because his apprehension and suffering are mysterious unconceivable and extraordinary see the conflict and hear the complaint of a dying sick Man Holy therefore truly royal Hezechiah I shall go saith he to the Gates of the Grave I am deprived of the residue of my years I shall behold Man no more with the Inhabitants of the World God will cut me off with pining sickness from Day even to Night wilt thou make an end of me I reckoned till Morning that as a Lion so will he break all my Bones Like a Crane or Swallow so did I chatter I did mourn as a Dove I might further instance here the mournfull Lamentation of Job and David upon the like occasion But what need I when every one of us in our healths can witness that in our Meditation of our dissolution we have often felt strong sits of this dead Palsey I will therefore hast to the Allay or Antidote them O my Soul I confess I have undertaken a hard task to perswade against Natures prescription and sence For what more universal more common more necessary and therefore more natural than the marriage of Soul and Body What amity more ancient or more diffusive than this betwixt these two friends Yea what expresses the glory and regal Power of the one what gives an active beeing and lively existence to the other but this mutual communion and effectual union Neither wants there negative arguments to dishearten and weigh thee down my Soul in this thy Eagle-like flight as being the unwelcome concomitants fearfull consequents and direfull defects of this unwilling separation Such the darkning of the Sun Moon Light and Stars I mean the Eyes the obscuring of those that look out of the Windows viz. the receding of the Soul by reason of the debility of the optick Nerves as the holy Ghost elegantly expresses such the palsyness of our hands the keepers of our house of Clay the weakness and binding of the Legges the strong guard thereof the want of motion in the Teeth the mills and grinders of our food such the bringing low of the Daughters of Musick by deafness in the Eares and hollowness of voice such thy many and present fears equal if thou beest ancient unto thy gray haires white like the blossoming Almond-Tree The losing of the silver Cord viz. the evaporating of the natural and vital Spirits the drying up the marrow and the relaxing of the Nerves and sinews the ligaments of the Bones such the breaking of the golden Bowle Pitcher or Wheele at the Fountain or Cistern viz. the rending in two of the heart-string those last pangs disabling it to force the blood extracted from the Liver as being the Fountain into the Veins and to perform its circular motion But all these are but the associates and symptomes of Death the followers they are far more terrible and distractive such are the privation of life the Pallace of the Soul being now a dungeon of corruption the pale hue of the Face and Body the breathless Carcass now as it were mourning for her Spouses departure Such the strange deadness of the late sparkling Eyes yellowed now like unto a fallen Star To conclude the whole Microcosme of the Body deprived of her created light and of that Spirit that moved in her and informed her the Soul becomes nothing less than a motionless lump an obscure and deformed Chaos These considerations O my Soul at the first sight I confess render Death a terrible Goliah before whom most of the Armies of Israel turn their backs Yet do not thou fear for a stone or two chosen and taken out of those running and pure streams of Gods Word from that Rock hewen out without hands shall from the Sling of every faithfull David not only pierce his forehead but also swallow up terminate and intombe Death in death Is thy sick-Bed through the fury of this adversary as full of torture as the hot glowing Gridiron of holy Lawrence yet such a Metamorphosis will thy high-soaring Contemplations and the power of faith work in thee that the full sence and influx of Heavenly joyes and raptures shall make thee senseless of thy pains and sufferings Thy feavourish fits being but Eliah's Chariot thy cold sweats but thy passage through Jordan into the Heavenly Canaan Hast thou not seen a fierce flame in thy Chimny suddenly to damp and recoyle when the Sun shines full upon it Did any Conqueror feel or regard his wounds when about to ascend his tryumphal Chariot And can the weak blaze of Deaths consumption out-vie the shining of Gods face and not be swallowed up of glory Can Deaths wounds be felt in the neer apprehension nay fruition of Immortality Surely no. Thou mayest as being in nature mourn a day or two with Mary but when thy Christ approaches thus neer doubtless thou wilt forget thy grief and run not out of thy Doors but out of thy Body to meet him Swan-like singing with David As the Hart panteth after the Water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God my Soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God Wherefore O my Soul or whosoever thou art that readest these Meditations amidst thy great pangs as the Apostle exhorts Look unto yea follow the example of Jesus the Author and finisher
of thy Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God Where also we shall sit together with him and be then perfectly changed into the same Image from glory to glory Thus reckoning that the sufferings of this present life even Death it self are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Let us not faint for though our outward Man perish yet let our inward Man be renewed Day by Day being confident that our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding weight of Glory Looking as hath been shewed not at the things that are seen but at the things that are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal Dread not then O my Darling this Lion Is not he faithfull who hath promised that he will never leave thee nor forsake thee That he will be thy guide even unto Death Or dost thou doubt his Power to whom belongs the issues from Death and at whose voice all that are in the Graves shall come forth Behold a Tree of Life indeed the spiritual Manna which do but feed on by faith and thou shalt not dye For He that eateth this Bread shall live for ever Was it with blessed Paul to live Christ and to dye is gain and shall thy cowardise and recoyling insinuate and imply a loss No let such thoughts as Impes of Sin first dye yea be annihilated since every true Believer is assured of a glorious change and an ineffable reward Corruption putting on incorruption and mortality immortality we dying no more but being made equal to the Angels For as we have been planted together in the likeness of Christs death so shall we be also in the likeness of his Resurrection Did many Worthies under the thunder of the Law and in the twilight of the Gospel as the Apostle witnesses undergo the exquisitest tortures not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection And shall we in this open day and Evangelical Revelation when by faith like Stephen we behold our Lord Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God ready to receive us and having as he promised taken possession and prepared a place for us stand back like Saul And being neer our Coronation seek still to hide our selves under the rubbish of our Earthly Tabernacles No what was humility in him will be esteemed shamefull and distrustfull pusillanimity in us yea which is worse disobedience to the Almighties summons Let the wicked hang down their heads and cry to the Mountains and Rocks to cover them but let all of us that have obtained grace be faithfull be faithfull unto the death and he shall give us a Crown of Life lifting up our heads because the time of our redemption draws neer even that day of recompence when the Lord shall say well done good and faithfull Servant enter into thy Masters joy Not it into us because not enough capable but we into it that so we may be as it were swallowed up in that infinite Ocean of Glory What though the Soul and Body have been unseparable friends contemporaries in life and being associates in joy sympathisers in sorrow two in nature one in affection Do we not read of Jesse and his Darling David Of an Eliah and his beloved Elisha Of an Hanna and her long desired Samuel Of a Mordecai and his entirely affected Hester All which cheerfully consented to a disunion and separation that so the conjunction of hearts might appear inviolable which seeks not so much the presence as the happiness of each other And shall thy Soul O Earth be summoned not to play before a mortal King as David before Saul but to sing the Song of the Lamb even spiritual Hymns before the Throne of Glory Not to serve before the Arke as Samuel or to be the Paramour of an Assyrian Monarch as Esther but to be ravisht up with Eliah and Paul into Paradise To be the Eternal Spouse of Jesus Christ and to behold the splendour of God not vailed and in a type as under the Law but face to face as being changed into the same Image from glory to glory shall it I say be sent for by Gods Sergeant and thy Servant Death once unprofitable as Onesimus to Philemon but now most profitable to thee and all Saints and wilt thou delay and be unwilling to part intreating with the Levites Father-in-Law for one Day nay one Moneth or one Year longer exile from thy Heavenly home thy Crown of Glory O let such unwise and such unthrifty prorogations be far from thy thoughts farther from thy practise Rather let both Soul and Body unanimously sing the Song of Simeon and sigh out the vote of Paul crying out Oh how we desire to be dissolved That thy incompleat holiness O my Soul might be perfected and become compleat glory That thy faculties being not only unimprisoned but heightned may approve thee according to thy Saviours promise like yea equal unto the Angels in all spiritual excellencies and Heavenly Prerogatives Again how do I desire O sinfull corrupted and mortal lump of Clay thy reduction into thy first Atoms and matter that so sin which hath possest and accurst thee may dye and be intomb'd with thee as having no longer work or nourishment in thee That Heavens great Chymist the omnipotent Spirit of God may cherish encircle and hover over thee as once upon the Waters separating the pure from the impure and producing a body spotless perfect and immortal even like unto the glorious Body of thy Saviour That so being made a proportionable and capable Pallace for thy Soul thou mayest enjoy an eternal reunion with it and both an everlasting communion with God To conclude O Man Death is a necessary absolute and unchangable decree of God Therefore it is thy wisdome to make it voluntary For It is appointed unto Men once to dye saith the Apostle and then comes the Judgment Comes the judgment did I say at the mention of this word judgment my Soul recoyles again not daring to peep out of her earthly Cabbin For she knows that this general Assize is an undoubted truth an Article of her Creed annexed to that of the Ascention and Session of our Saviour at the right hand of his Father At which we left when we first entred upon the three Offices of our Lord. And therefore now it fitly and in order comes to be the practical object of our faith as being also the last act of our Saviours Kingly Office in the Kingdome of Grace This being his total victory and destruction of all his corporal and spiritual Enemies his Day of Tryumph reward and recompence to all
hath adopted thee his Son and esteemed thee and stiled thee his Sister and Mother To conclude lest these foregoing degrees may admit of a division he vouchsafes thee this high favour to call thee the branch He the Vine thee a member He thy Head He the Husband thee the Spouse that so a union yea the perfectest of unions might be exprest and that sweetest of Petitions be fulfilled That all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us Those that are joyned unto the Lord being one spirit and one body in Christ. Tell me then O my Soul can such a Lord whose love to thee made him serve thee become a cruel Inquisitor to condemn thee Will thy friend thy brother be an Achitophel a Cain to thee Is it a thing possible that thy everlasting Father instead of the Bread of Life will give thee to the torments of Hellish Scorpions No though Parents may forget the Sons of their Wombe yâ—â— will He not forget thee Is it unnatural for the Root to suffer the Branches to wither for want of sap For the Head to deny animation to the Members yea cannot there be a true conjunction in Marriage without the cement of affection And wilt thou dare to think that that Root of Jesse thy Head thy Spouse the God of Order and Nature will destroy the Principlse of nature and with-hold the sap of his Grace and Mercy his all-quickening Spirit of Life and Glory his Eternal free and unchangeable love from thee a branch a member a beloved No account it impious Infidelity to give such a thought the least entertainment Rather if thou wilt meditate of that day which indeed is a Christians duty all being commanded to watch because we know not at what hour our Lord will come pitch thy thoughts upon the Resurrection and that happy and blessed assumption of thy Soul and Body reunited to meet thy Judge and Saviour The Apostle testifying that we shall be all caught up together in the Clouds to meet our Lord in the Ayre and that then we shall be ever with the Lord For wheresoever the Carkass is there will the Eagles be gathered together Wherefore as the same Apostle exhorts Comfort both thy self and others with these words Rely also upon and apply those golden and royal declarations of thy Judge As that he will not condemne thee when thou art judged That he that believeth on him is not condemned but hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life That there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Since God doth justifie thee who is he that condemns thee That we are often times corrected here that we should not be condemned with the World Further is it possible that thou shouldest be saluted with so sweet an invitation and denomination as Come thou blessed of my Father and be accursed Canst thou be the Heir yea the Possessor of a Kingdome and also the Slave and Prisoner of Sathan Will the righteous Judge give to them Torments of Fire and Brimstone to whom he hath promised a Crown of Glory Art thou commanded to pray for to long for to wait for thy destroyer No surely but for him that hath promised to deliver us from the wrath to come To conclude even amongst Men none that is a Delinquent must presume to possess the Bench the Seat of Judicature But know you not saith the Apostle that the Saints shall judge the World yea Angels Wherefore doubtless they must be just yea are acquitted and made innocent both imputatively and inherently in their own Persons Further if this be not sufficient to animate and strengthen thy hope let thy faith make the last Article of the Creed thy object Where thou believest everlasting life to take its beginning or rather begin its perfection immediately after death and the last Judgment The time appointed for the full reward and coronation of the Saints I know there are many gracious promises of temporal blessings and those often-times fulfill'd and confer'd upon the Saints in this life Some whereof though few of many as being a remunerating act of Christs regal and judicial Office I will by the way recite not impertinently as being earnests to them of future glory sensible tokens of Fatherly love a Pilgrims Staff for our Faith to lean upon in our lifes peregrination This maxime being first undoubtedly to be believed that the same promises made to perfect obedience under the Law had at the first a respect and are now truly applicable to faithfull sincerity under the Gospel Such that Magazene of blessings in the 28. of Deuteronomy where to the largest and several appetites every true believing and sincere obeying Christian as well as to the sacrificing Jew a most plentifull feast and satisfaction is offered Is thy calling in the City or iâ— the Field thou shalt be blessed in them both Desirest thou riches and plenty of all the fruits of the Earth and a numerous posterity and a blessed use and enjoying of them Thou hast a Pattent a great Seat for these also Art thou a Man of action and great employment for the Church or the Common wealth yea hath thy vertues splendour a shadow of envious and malitious adversaries If thou hearkenest unto the voice of the Lord thy God thou shalt be blessed when thou comest in and blessed when thou goest out and the Lord shall cause them thine Enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face Wouldest thou have thy forfeited Charter renewed and all the Creatures yea the most honourable serviceable unto thee Behold the Lord shall give his Angels charge over thee yea they shall pitch their Tents about thee and the Heaven shall give Rain unto thy Land in due season Dost thou wish for to the further glory of God a long life and an honourable place and esteem amongst Men The Lord hath promised that he will set thee on high that he will make thee the head and not the taile and with long life will satisfie thee Yea more which is the compleatment of all he will shew thee his Salvation But a long life if imbittered with sickness is but a tedious Death True But if thou fear the Lord and depart from evil it shall be health to thy Navil and marrow to thy Bones Yea thy light shall break forth as the Morning and thy health shall spring forth speedily Further dost thou desire wisdome beauty strength The righteous have promises of all these so far forth as they still perfect their happiness Whose Daughters so fair as Jobs Those that mourn in Sion have assured unto them beauty for ashes If the Feet of the Saints are beautifull surely no part else is deficient But
to make all good in few words hear thy King by the Prophet Isaiah The Lord of Hosts will be for a Crown of glory and for a Diadem of beauty unto his People and for a Spirit of Judgment to him that sits in Judgment and for strength to them that turn the Battel to the Gate But this World is a Bed of Vipers a bundle of snares a stage of dangers True yet if thou trust in him he shall deliver thee from the snare of the Fowler from the noysome Pestilence Thou shalt tread upon the Lion and Adder the young Lion and the Dragon shalt thou trample under feet O read yee faithfully and digest this whole Psalme which I may truly stile the City of David for strength and beauty the fortress yea Paradise of every true Christian. But the godly have but a few friends I answer Comparatively they have but a few Enemies the whole Creation except Sathan and sinners being at peace with a reconciled Soul such as Job speaks of being in League with the very Stones and Beasts of the Field And the malice of the malignant turns all to their good Yea more if a Mans wayes please the Lord he will make even his Enemies to be at peace with him But to conclude a good Wife and good Children are amongst the chief blessings upon Earth They are so and have not the Saints strong and comfortable evidences for them if the Lord see them good witness those twine-like Psalmes the 117. and the 118. which for their excellency and comfort sake deserve the Readers more full and perfect Observation I will not be further tedious for the Lord God is a Sun and a Shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly O Lord of Hosts blessed is the Man that trusteth in thee Having given my Soul by faith a taste of some few of those many temporal promises treasured up in the Scripture being they are to be but as Sallets to provoke my spiritual appetite I will return to feed upon Eternity O my Soul what surer Antidote against the apprehension of the last Judgment whose sting is Eternal Death than the Meditation and assured hope of Eternity of life which is Glory in grain and the deifying of Humanity Surely if there be any Spiritual weight that depresseth the Soul it is Judgment If there be any Heavenly Magnes that attracts and quickens it 't is Immortality For toucht with this though encircled with corruption thou shalt continue moving with the Needle until fixed upon the lines of life thou constantly adhearing to the true Flower-de-luce Christ Jesus Amongst Moses unfeigned Metamorphoses we finde the Rod chang'd to a Serpent a devourer of the Magitian delusions So this hope a branch of the Tree of Life springing from the Root of Jesse swallows up Death in victory in Eternity What seems yea is a fearfull truth to all unbelieving Egyptians becometh a Chimera a Phantasme to every true Israelite If any word is expressive or an Epitome of God of Heaven of Glory and consequently of all felicity it is this of Life I am the way the truth and the life I am the Resurrection and the Life saith our Saviour and he that hath the Son that is believes in him hath life saith St. John Since then God is life he that hath life hath God and he that hath God hath all things even the conflux of simple and unmixt happiness And therefore most wisely and succinctly those holy Men Penners of the Creed called the Apostles have coucht and exprest the excessive treasures and immense pleasures of the Heavenly Paradise under that one word life everlasting Herein O my Soul is included and assured unto thee the sublimest of Heavenly fruitions called by the School-men the beatifical Vision Which so far as I am able to express it is the Souls full repletion and apprehension of the excellencies of the Divine Essence not by the back-parts only and mediately as Moses but primarily and immediately in himself Yea also the Body being in the very moment of its resurrection spiritualiz'd as witnesseth the Apostle shall there with open face see and look upon the word of life receiving fulness of pleasure and satisfaction by those sences which now are unprofitable and uncapable of such glorious manifestations Here since this last act of our faith and last Article of our Creed is so full of comfort and unspeakable animation after the hearty and humble acknowledgment of my ignorance and fervent supplicating the assistance of the only illuminating Spirit I will more largely and particularly eye this Crown this unvaluable price even so far as my faith hath visual beames from Scripture or consequent demonstration If the Soul of Man in this state of her nakedness and deformity hath been by some Christians though therein Heretical deifyed and by most of the Heathen Magi magnifyed even to the heighth of created excellencies surely in her renovation and perfect reassumption of that her first Image and those first created Ornaments she must needs be more splendid and more to be admired But is this beauty of the first Adam in his innocency the heighth of a Christians hope No. As our second Adam in his divine descent and generation infinitely transcends our first Parent in Nature so he hath prepared a far more excellent weight of glory for his Children by Adoption his Members by Spiritual mystical and supernatural union Witness his own Oracle and declarative rather than necessary Petition The glory which thou gavest me I have given them Blessed Lord what a word is this What a communication my minde is entraunced and my weak Meditations swell even to an Impossibility of expression Can I not now know my Soul in her humiliation in the weakness of a Creature How can I then describe and conceive of her in her exaltation in the glory of her Creator Let this be sufficient for me to believe hence that that glory with which she shall be filled according to her Spiritual Nature is for quality infinitely excellent because Gods yet allayed and fitted to be received for quantity finite and limited as in her Not as divided from the Divine Fountain but by vertue of Inhabitation in a gracious real and inseparable union communicated to and made hers according to our Saviours Prayer That we all may be one as the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father that we may be one in them as also that the love wherewith the Father hath loved the Son may be in us and he in us Thus then the Souls of the Saints before the Resurrection and both Souls and Bodies after the Resurrection according to their several measures of grace here shall then have their divine plenitudes of Glory every Vessel being filled that is thrown into that Ocean of Life and Glory Further as a Wedge of
will from place to place like an Angel with incredible swiftness The Soul acting with a more enlarged and excellent advantage as to all its faculties and operations by the subserviency union and concomitancy of the Members and senses of our glorified bodies than it could do without them Of which in their due place with Gods assistance I shall treat more particularly O my Soul shall thy frail fleshly body be shining like the Stars and the Firmament in all its brightness glorious like the Sun yea like the brightest Son of Righteousness and be replenisht with the glory of God Shall it be thy radiant Garment and super-excelling Ornament Thy Chariot of Tryumph Yea more the completion of thy excellency and Coelestial happiness O give it now its due honour and inslave it not to Sathan and to sinfull lusts Thou shalt shortly be thine and the Angels glorious companion Debase it not so much as to put it to dig and delve in the Earth like a blinde Mole Nor to cloath it self with thick Clay nor to feed upon white and yellow dust which is the Serpents Meat and curse which shall within a short space of time shine like the Stars and Sun in the Heavens Yea suffer it not to be bespotted and defiled with uncleanness Nor to be joyned or united to an Harlot which conjoyn'd with thee shall be a perfect and glorious Image of God incarnate and for ever the Spouse of Christ and the Habitation and Temple of God the Holy Ghost What though as yet thou art in a state of humiliation ascend thou with our Lord into the Mount into the high Mountain of Divine and Heavenly Contemplation being both in Body and Soul raised from above the vanities of this low and evil World Let thy converse be with Moses and Elias the Law and the Prophets and by so doing thou shalt be transformed and transfigur'd yea thy face shall shine and thou shalt be changed into the Image of God from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. O Lord my God who art infinite in free grace and mercy in goodness bounty and liberality and hast abundantly manifested thy self to be all this to me a poor and miserable sinner in my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent in my nature to purchase for me not only salvation from everlasting death but such a shining and glorious state and condition of Soul and Body with thee unto Eternity give me a gratefull heart and an obedient life which is the real thankfulness of thy Children Yea let the Meditation and application by faith of this blessed and transcendent change not only ravish me in Spirit as Peter was at the sight of the representation thereof at our Lords Transfiguration but let me with holy Paul follow after it that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus as counting my self not to have apprehended and therefore through thy grace Let me forget those things that are behind and reach forth to the things that are before pressing towards the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Let me so run not as uncertainly so fight not as one that beateth the Aire but keep under this my Body and bring it into subjection least by any meanes when I have instructed others I my self should be a cast away Gracious God in order to this glorious and new life grant me to walk in newness of life that I being planted together with my Saviour in the likeness of his Death as to sin I may be also raised with and by him in the likeness of his Resurrection to Glory and having these precious promises let me through faith in them be by thee enabled to cleanse my self from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in thy fear for without holiness none shall see thy Face O Lord let my conversation be in Heaven although my body be on earth And since thy Word saith a Mans wisdome makes his Face to shine give me that true wisdome that is from above And since thou hast in infinite mercy given me this blessed hope that even my body shall shine and be glorious like the Stars and Sun after this life give me grace in this life to be a burning and shining light with John the Baptist and to be harmless and blameless a Son of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation Amongst whom let me shine as a Light in the World that they seeing my good works may glorify thee my Heavenly Father Amen I proceed now to the third Heavenly excellency of our Bodies glorified after the Resurrection viz. Their incorruptibility and immortality In order to our more cleer understanding of this so wonderfull a change in which as saith the Apostle This Corruptible must put on Incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality I shall from the ground of right reason and natural Philosophy humbly offer these considerations First that the body of Man is compounded although unequally of the four Elements And that at Death which is the dissolution of the Soul and Body The Spirit returns to him that gave it and the Body returns to the four Elements the first Principles of which it was compounded This is illustrated and proved from Scripture which witnesses that at the Resurrection The Sea gave up her Dead that is that part of the substance of the Bodies that were in it and Death and Hell that is the Earth or Grave delivered up the Dead that were in them Further this must be granted as an undeniable maxime that as none but God our Almighty Creator can make something of nothing so none but he can annihilate any Creature or any Atom of a Creature so as to make that something nothing If this be a certain truth as assuredly it is and that the Lord hath declared in his Word that the same Bodies in which the Soul lived here upon Earth shall again appear and be raised at the Resurrection as inspired Job attests saying I know that my Redeemer lives and that I shall stand at the latter Day upon Earth and though after my skin Worms destroy this Body yet in my Flesh shall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and my Eyes shall behold and not another though my Reines be consumed within me Then certainly at and after death that part of our Bodies that is a part of the four Elements from a Principle sympathy law and instinct of nature the compositum and structure being dissolved and separated shall return to that Element of which it is a part where it shall be kept and preserved by the all-governing Power and providence of God as in a Wombe or Treasury untill its new birth at the Resurrection In the next place consider that when the
Lord makes a new Heaven and a new Earth according to his promise which I humbly conceive only extends to this Orbe of Earth and Water and to the Regions and Elements of the Aire and Fire these two last are most frequently in Scripture called Heaven That flaming and Aetherial Fire not Elementary in which the Lord Jesus shall descend and appear with the ten thousands of glorified Souls and Angels and which shall consume all the wicked that are then in the World and burn up their works shall accordingly as it is the nature and true effect and property of Fire to purge and purify each of the four Elements from all that dross and corruptible quality that hath intermixt and cleaved unto them by the righteous Judgment and curse of God for Mans sin Whence shall proceed that admirable change as to their qualities although not of their substance deserving the name in the Scripture promise of a new Heaven and of a new Earth As it is most excellently set forth by Saint Paul in these words For the earnest expectation of the Creature wait for the manifestation of the Sons of God For the Creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope Because the Creature it self also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of God For we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together untill now The Elements then are made like unto the Heavenly supream Orbes pure lucid and incorruptible Hence I infer that these four Elements being thus wonderfully changed in their qualities and made incorruptible in which respectively the several parts and ingredients of our Bodies are laid up and reserved as being naturally a part of them There must necessarily follow the same and the like change and alteration in the matter and substance of our Bodies also Whence it will follow that although the first change in the Elements is supernatural and wonderfull that in our Bodies will naturally follow as an effect from that cause Our great God as in the first Creation caused the production of all things out of their first matter as so many streams from that Fountain so in this new and second birth of things he as a rational and natural Agent produceth this excellent change in the fore-mentioned qualities of our new-raised Bodies to be a necessary and certain effect flowing from the change of the principles out of which they are compounded It being more than probable that the Resurrection of our Bodies shall immediatly succeed the making of the new Heaven and the new Earth the Saints habitation as it was in the first Creation when the Lord made the Earth and all the Creatures first before he made Man the Lord and Possessor of it and them The premisses being granted I thence conclude that as Mortality is a necessary effect and consequent of corruption so the immortality of the Body to use the Apostles phrase is as necessary an effect and consequent of incorruption For that substance that can never more be corrupted may truly be said to be everlasting and according to the Apostles expression immortal Death signifying either in sensible or vegitable Creatures a putred and evil change or alteration as also a debasing diminishing and deforming separation as being the curse and fruit of Sin and abhorrent to nature Having hitherto discoursed of this marvellous change of our Bodies at the Resurrection and given some natural reasons thereof as a Philosopher I must now as a Christian ascend higher and prove this eminent change to proceed also from a far higher and nobler cause than meer nature even from the spiritual real and mystical union of our Persons through faith and the Eternal Spirit as Members to our Head the Lord Jesus who is God-Man blessed for ever As since sin God hath enacted this to be one of the Statutes of Nature It is appointed to Men once to dye And by another Law of Nature after Death hath dissolved this Microcosme of Soul from Body Every part of the body as hath been shewed returns to its proper Element so by the Law of Christ God-Man the Eternal Word that was made Flesh it is decreed and affirmed as an indubitable truth That he that believeth in him hath everlasting life And though he were dead yet shall he live Whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall never dye From hence it is most cleer that in a spiritual sence the death of the Saints is no death they being so united by faith that although the Soul be divided from the Body and each Elementary part of the body be divided from the other yet neither Soul nor Body or any grain or part thereof can be separated from our head the Lord Jesus in whom who is eternal life is our life Though we are dead in a natural sence yet we live spiritually in and by his Spirit In which sence also the whole mystical body of Christ the universal Church and every Member thereof is said to be joyned to the Lord and is one Spirit as being by the Holy Ghost the ever-living God that fills all things the Spirit of the Father and the Son as by an unmeasurable and everlasting Ligament tyed and united to the Lord Jesus our head So that like as it is said of the Soul That it is tota in toto tota in qualibet parte So it may be said that the for ever blessed Spirit of God the Father and the Son in and by this ineffable union and in dwelling is wholly and spiritually both before and after death in our Souls and in our Bodies and in every part of them although never so far by reason of a natural death separated one from another Here note that although the Scripture declares that in God all things live move and have their being as he is their Creator and Preserver and in whom and by whom they act and have their subsistance yet the difference is very great betwixt that life of the Creatures on Earth and this life of the Saints both as to the nature and duration of it That flowing from his Almighty power and goodness as a Creator this from his Eternal love as our Father in Christ that life being temporary this life Eternal as flowing from the highest Principle our spiritual and real union unto God in Christ. For the further clearing and proof of which immortality as well of our Bodies as of our Souls consider the words of our blessed Saviour As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself I am the way the truth and the life because I live yee shall live also Thou hast given me power over all flesh that I should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given
me My Sheep hear my voice and I give unto them Eternal Life To these let us for further testimony add the expressions of the Apostle Paul The life which I now live in the Flesh I live by faith in the Son of God Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Our life is hid with Christ in God When Christ which is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in Glory The first Man was made a living Soul the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit That was not first which is spirituall but that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual By one Spirit we are Baptized into one Body whether we be Jew or Gentile whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit He that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit By these bright Scripture-lights is evidently discovered and manifested to us that as the head in the natural body contains the animal spirit and conveyeth and gives animation to all the Members of the Body so the Lord Christ God-Man in one Person is the head of his Spiritual and mystical Body the Universal Church and that from him alone not only that spiritual life consisting in holiness and righteousness but also that eternal and immortal life in which both in Soul and Body we shall live in him and with him at the Resurrection for ever and for ever is given and communicated into every Member of his body the Church united to him in this life by a true faith and by the animation and in-dwelling of the Holy Ghost who is the life and spirit of God the Father and of God the Son Therefore in these and other Scriptures God the Father is sometimes called our life other-times Christ and the Holy Ghost is said to be our life thereby evidencing that this eternal life of the Saints hath its immediate rise and Original from the Trinity in Unity God blessed for ever Not by participation of the Essence of the God-head but by the real and spiritual union of their Persons as Members of Christs mystical Body unto the Person of Christ through faith and the inhabitation and vivification of the Holy Ghost The first of which viz. Faith shall cease and be swallowed up after death in fruition But the other shall continue to Eternity From what I have here offered although in great weakness for who is sufficient for these things I hope it is abundantly cleared that the eternal life of the Saints and the glorious incorruptability and immortality of their Bodies flowes from a far higher Principle or cause than from only meer nature made new refined and incorruptable And that though the Elements through their incorruptability are become Eviternal like the Superior Orbes and are in a natural possibility if God please so to continue without change or alteration Everlastingly yet in all this they fall far short of the Eternal duration of the glorified Souls and bodies of the Saints which have not only a perpetuity arising from the refined and incorruptible nature but an Eternity flowing from the spiritual real and inseparable union of their Persons through faith and the Holy Ghost to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ God-man as Members united to their Head In which respect besides the declared positive and unchangeable decree and promises of God who cannot lye as these Scriptures witness amongst many others formerly mentioned viz. God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life Who so eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last Day The Saints I say are placed and fixed in such a blessed and certain state and condition as living spiritually in God and God in them as hath been proved that it is as possible for God who is Eternal Life to perish and dye as for any of his Saints to dye or perish that live by and in his life according to that unanswerable Argument of our Lord and Saviour As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me even he shall live by me Because I live yee shall live also To conclude I humbly conceive that this Eternal Life of the Saints as to the reason and nature thereof far transcends the Eternal Life of the glorious Angels in that as far as is revealed in Scripture their life was given them by an act of Gods goodness will and power in their first Creation and is preserved continued and confirmed to the Elect Angels by an act of his grace And therefore those of them that kept not their first state are forever separated from God who is life and swallowed up into Eternal Death whereas the life even to the Saints proceeding from Gods spiritual inhabitation and communion with them is undeterminable unchangeable inseparable and is therefore Eternal O my Soul shall this thy impure mortal body immediately after the making of a new Heaven and a new Earth the refining of the four Elements of which it was formed and out of which it shall again be raised and reassumed appear at the Resurrection of the just as having its substance purified and made incorruptible Therefore according to the Scripture-phrase immortal and everlasting like as are the bright and superior Orbs Yea which is much more wonderfull shall this incorruptability everlastingness and immortality of thy soul and body be unchangeable and eternal because thy Person is spiritually and really united by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost unto the Person of Christ thy Head and unto God in Christ who is Eternal Life yea lastly doth this life excell and transcend as in respect of the cause and nature of it the life and being of all other Creatures even of the ever blessed Angels as being built not only as theirs is upon the Basis of Gods creating power and goodness which gives a beeing to all things but is establisht upon his declared promise and eternal truth and hath its unalterable duration from our dwelling and living in God and he in us and from that inseparable fellowship we have with the Father and the Son in the communion of the Holy Ghost O my Soul are these things true Have they been evidenst to thee out of the Scripture of truth O how oughtest thou in all humility and enlarged thankfulness to prostrate thy self at the foot-stool of thy infinite good gracious and mercifull God and Father in the Lord Jesus Christ admiring and adoring him First for the Revelation and manifestation by his Word and holy Spirit of so high ravishing and stupendious a mystery the wonder and praise of glorified Saints and Angels and the miracle of divine love Next let as the Prophet speaks one deep call unto another and from the sight of the
bottomless Pit of Hell Death and Sin out of which eternal love in Christ free grace and infinite mercy hath taken thee Call upon and bless God for this infinite depth of mercy Yea exalt and magnify the height and depth the breadth and length of this love which passeth knowledge O my Soul the mighty Angels leaving their first state as ambitiously seeking a greater as the learned conceive were cast down for their pride and discontentedness from the highest Heaven into the deepest abyss of Hell And our first Parents for the like ambition and desire of bettering their condition were cast out of Paradise From which examples I have reason to think should Man have had a thought or design of or by himself to be possest of so glorious a life prerogative state and condition as our gracious God hath freely given us in Christ It had been so high and unwarrantable a sin and ambition as would have justly deserved as great a curse and punishment O from this experience of infinite love for God is love pray incessantly in return thereof not only to be enlarged and raised to the highest and greatest love and thankfulness that a Creature can be made capable of But that thou mayest hence-forth have no will but his which shall be thy great wisdome in all things submitting all thou hast and thy whole Man solely to his most gracious and All-wise dispose whose free gifts bounty and unconceivable liberality are not such as Creatures bestow on their favourites but such as becomes the Majesty and immensness of a God who gives to his Saints benefits and blessings temporal spiritual and eternal not only above their prayers hopes and expectations but as the Apostle expresses above what we can either ask or think O my Soul shall thy body be incorruptible and immortal defile it not with lust any more neither let sin abound because grace hath abounded Since thou must know that thy incorruptability and immortality must in a true Scripture and spiritual sence begin in this life although they are to be perfected in the next Therefore our Saviour saith He that believeth on him hath everlasting life And the Apostle affirmes that we are made to sit together in Christ in Heavenly places And Saint John declares 1 John 5.12 That he that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life And blessed Paul affirms If Christ be in us the Body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness Again dost thou live in Christ and Christ in thee Art thou even as to thy body the Habitation and Temple of the Holy Ghost and spiritually and inseparably united to God in Christ and is thy life hid with God in Christ Dally no more with sin for there can be no communion betwixt light and darkness And know this although thou canst not dye eternally yet thy backslidings in wilfull and presumptuous sinnings may through thy Spouse his righteous with-drawing and desertion cast thee into such a swoon and transe that thy life peace and Heaven here may as to thy feeling be turned into emnity death yea and to an Hell upon Earth Give not that subtil destroyer Sathan occasion or advantage by spiritual adulteries and reiterated Rebellions to sue out a divorse in the Court of thy Conscience betwixt thy Spouse and thee For know this that although Whom Christ loves he loves to the end And his gifts and calling are without Repentance and that though thy Husband hath loved thee with an everlasting love yet such a suite will be very troublesome and chargeable and may cost thy Spirit many and unexpressible sighs groans and lamentations And may as it were break thy bones or make thy Body a very Sceleton only fit for a Grave Lastly for as much as the Children of God were partakers of flesh and blood Did the Son of God himself likewise take part of the same that through Death he might destroy him that had the power of Death viz. the Devil to deliver them who through fear of Death were all their life time subject unto bondage And did not take on him the nature of Angels but took on him the Seed of Abraham from which hypostatical union of the two natures in one Person and the union of thy Person to his Person by the Eternal Spirit is given unto thee eternal life in a far higher and more excellent way and manner than to the Elect Angels Did the Lord of Heaven and Earth the Heir of all things not only marry himself to thy nature but also unto thee For I am married unto you saith the Lord in the Prophet and is the honourable Ordinance of Marriage therefore called by the Apostle a great Mystery because even in Eves formation and in its first Institution it was to be a Type and lively Figure of this thy spiritual Marriage and union to the second Adam Hast thou through infinite mercy received assurance hereof that thou art thy Beloveds and that thy Beloved is thine Is the Marriage Day and Supper appointed and declared and in the interim hast thou an Espousal contract subscribed to by thy faith and by his Spirit O be exceeding watchfull and carefull of offending such a loving Spouse and glorious Bridegroom by any sinfull relapses and backslidings into any sin that may move him to jealousie For as jealousie is the rage of a Man so the anger and jealousie of thy God is said to burn like Fire against such unfaithfull and spiritual Adulteresses O as thou tenderest the love of thy God and of thy Spouse and thy peace of Conscience and thy Heaven upon Earth venture not to blot or blur so blessed an assurance and evidence of thy Eternal happiness union and life in him by sin or any presumptuous iniquity and rebellion Nor to crust it over by customary sinning or delay of repentance But by an holy chast and religious walking Keep it so fair written and legible that all other Saints but principly thy self at all times but especially in the time of trouble temptation and hour of death may read it Then though thy Eye-strings are broken the eye of thy faith shall behold it and see thy Name written in Heaven and in the Lambs Book of Life O blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who art the Resurrection and the Life and hast declared in thy Word of Truth that this my vile Body shall be raised and made a Heavenly and spiritual Body like to thine give me to behold this wonderfull change continually by faith the eye of my Soul then shall I not be abashed or dismayed at the baldness and gray-headedness of old age at my hollow Eyes wrinckled Cheeks blindness deafness my toothless Gums and pale countenance nor at the Palsiness lameness and decrepitness of my Hands Feet and
other Members as looking upon this weak diseased and aged Body as upon an old and weather-beaten Tent. Knowing that If the Earthly House of this my Tabernacle were dissolved I have a building of God an House not made with Hands Eternal in the Heavens Groaning earnestly and desiring with the Apostle Paul to be cloathed upon with my House which is from Heaven with which if I be cloathed I shall not be found naked That this Mortality may be swallowed up of Life Let me not O Lord with the Worldling who hath his Portion only in this Life be troubled at the Knell of every passing Bell sigh at every striking of the Clock nor be afraid or unwilling to number my Days or to cast up the accompt of my years but greatly rejoyce at the end of every hour day and year as hastning my approach to and the enjoyment of Eternity Being most willing to have my Body interred that after a long time like the matter of China Vessels it may be raised and made lucid transparent and a Vessel of honour fit to be made use of in the Palace of Heaven Shall my Body be shining and glorious like the Sun let it not now O Lord be spotted with sin and changeable and inconstant in its motion and conversation like the Moon Shall it be bright like the Firmament and Stars O Lord let it be a fixt and not a falling Star nor cast down to the Earth by the Taile of the old Serpent the Devil neither let me be a Meteor and seem to out-shine others in a Religious profession and in a short time vanish only leaving behind me an hypocritical and pestilential stench like those wandering Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever O gracious and mercifull Redeemer shall this corruptible put on incorruptibility and this mortal put on immortality Let this supernatural change begin here as it doth in all thy sanctified ones and let even my Body as well as my Soul be thy dwelling place and the Temple of thy holy Spirit in which let no unclean lust lurk or wicked Spirit enter Make me holiness unto thee O Lord and perfect holiness in thy fear Give thy Angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways Let them bear me up in their hands lest I dash my Foot against a Stone cause me to tread upon the Lyon and the Addar the young Lyon and the Dragon Yea let them according to thy promise be shortly trampled under my Feet Let sin dye in me by vertue of thy Death and let the life and immortality of holiness spring up and flourish in me by vertue of thy Resurrection Hast thou O Lord stiled thy Church thy Dove thy undefiled one And declared that she is fair and that there is no spot in her And is that which is spoken of thy Church applyable to every living Member thereof O thou that art the Eternal truth make good this thy Word unto thy poor Servant thy Spouse although most unworthy to wash the Feet of the Servants of my Lord. And since thou hast promised that all things shall become new And declared that those that are in thee are new Creatures and hast covenanted to give me a new Heart and a new Spirit and to take out my Heart of Stone and to give me a Heart of Flesh to pour clean Water upon me and to make me clean and hast testified that thy blood doth cleanse me from all sin and that by thy righteousness alone I am justified O let all these true and precious promises be fulfilled in me and to me So shall the incorruptibility of my Person as in respect of sin usher in and assure me of the incorruptibility of my Soul and Body in glory Let me dye daily with blessed Paul as to all the evil lusts of the Flesh that I may not dye Eternally but live everlastingly in glorified Flesh. O Lord who art the life and my life let my sinfull mortality even here put on a spiritual and heavenly immortality For thou hast proclaim'd it whil'st thou wert upon Earth That the Day comes yea now is when the Dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live even to Eternity For He that believeth in thee hath already everlasting life Let my union and communion with thee through faith and the in-dwelling of thy holy Spirit begin to make my Face to shine here as did the Face of Moses and thy Proto-Martyr Stephen since thou hast declared that a Mans wisdome maketh his Face to shine Yea we are said to shine here also in a holy conversation since thou commandest us To let our light shine before Men. And hast held forth in thy Word that the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect Day and hast promised in thy Book That if we let not wickedness dwell in our Tabernacles our Age shall be cleerer than the Noon-day and we shall shine forth and be as the Morning Lord although I now live in the Flesh yet let me not I humbly and with importunity beseech thee live unto or after the Flesh since such are said to be dead while they live yea twice dead and pluckt up by the Roots And thou hast justly threatned that those that live after the Flesh shall dye and that Eternally But they that live in and after the Spirit shall live and that for ever and ever But since after this life there shall be no Devil to tempt no World to allure or persecute nor Sin to intice or corrupt Let me with mortified Paul desire to depart and to be with thee which is far better Yea since to live is Christ and to dye is gain Let me with perfect Job all the Dayes of this my appointed time humbly patiently and believingly wait until my glorious change come Amen Having exercised my faith and contemplation upon this ravishing and pleasing subject the glorification of the Bodies and Members of the Saints in general and in the Gross I shall now lastly proceed beseeching the assistance of his most Holy Spirit who is my light the light of Men and he who alone enlighteneth every one that cometh into the World to speak particularly though with much brevity of the glorification of the Five Sences I shall go so far as I shall receive light from the Scriptures and right reason taking that sober and lawfull liberty that is granted to all those that have meditated upon the like subjects where some things are more obscure than others and not so clearly and fully held forth in Gods Word humbly to offer what probably and rationally although not positively may be the truth as not repugnant to Scripture right reason or the Analogie
but such as shall be exceeding ravishing and delightfull and as Musick to the Soul even such unspeakable words as blessed Paul heard when he was caught up into Paradise Then shall we being placed in glory at the right hand of our righteous King and Saviour hear with boldness and without fear or astonishment that most joyfull sentence Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the World Then shall we hear that great voice of God the Father who sits upon the Throne saying Behold I make all things new the Tabernacle of God is with Men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his People and God himself shall be with them and be their God Then shall these words which are faithfull and true be fulfilled God shall wipe away all teares from their Eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end I will give unto him that is athirst of the Fountain of the Water of Life freely he that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my Son To conclude I shall not say any thing as to the Musick of the Sphears as esteeming them to be only groundless dreams and phantasies of Heathens and Phylosophers I humbly conceive that as far as the glorious Heavens and Angels transcend and excells the nâ—w Earth and the Inhabitants thereof so far shall the ravishing and musical voices and sounds in this glorified state of the Saints excell all the pleasures and delights of this kind in this our low and corruptible condition O my Soul shall the sense of Hearing in the next life be as comprehensive and perfect in its kinde as the sense of Sight Shall it be made capable not only of Hearing and that with understanding also the Musick of Heaven the all-ravishing Hymns the mellifluous speech and voices of Angels the Language of Glory as also to hear him whose voice is as a Trumpet and as the noise of many Waters of him who is the Judge of Heaven and Earth the King of Kings the King of Saints and the King of Nations the Eternal Word the Lord Jesus Christ God-Man blessed for ever Yea shalt thou then O my Soul by the assistance of this glorified sense hear not as now the dreadfull and killing but the all delighting reviving exalting and transporting voice of the ever glorious Trinity even of the Eternal God Himself O let not this so excellent and usefull a sense be deboist so much as to be the Gate or in-let of vain and unprofitable discourses of wanton and lascivious words or of any kind of false slanderous or evil speeches all which are as so many Traytors to thee and Enemies unto thy God and Soveraign Nor let thy Eares be â—urfeited and excessively glutted with any kind of earthly Musick or with the pleasing sounds or voices of any of thy fellow-Creatures which although lawfull delightfull and refreshing to the natural and animal Spirits as being neer a Kin to them yet by the subtilty of Sathan the World and thy Flesh do frequently become snares and an undiscernable flattering and therefore the more dangerous Enemy and means to pollute thee with sin or to introduce some kind of fleshly lust or other But begin even now O my Soul to exercise every sense and member upon such objects and in such employments and actings as come neerest to those of Angels and glorified Saints This is to make this Earth a Paradise and to have even whilst thou art in this World as the Apostle exhorts thy conversation in Heaven To this end let thy delight be with holy David in the converse of the excellent ones upon Earth yea watch dayly at the Gates of Wisdome and wait at the Posts of her Doors yea with attention hang upon the Lips of her Teachers Be much in the exercises of the Church Tryumphant in praising God in the Assemblies of his Saints in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing with grace and making Melody in your heart So shalt thou O my Soul by a sanctified spiritual and internal sense heâ—e frequently even in this thy state of humiliation the counsels and instructions of blessed Angels the voice of God and of his holy Spirit viz. thy Father and Comforter behind thee saying This is the way walk thou in it And the loving expressions and invitations of thy most sweet and gracious Spouse and Saviour who standing behind the Wall of thy Flesh and looking forth at the Windowes of several Providences and shewing himself through the Lattess of thy intervening and impeding weakness and infirmity will often speak unto thee saying Arise up my love my fair one and come away For loe the Winter is past of thy doubts fears sufferings and temptations The rain of thy teares and mourning is over and gone The Flowers of my saving gifts which evidence the Spring of my Grace appears on the Earth of thy renewed nature The time of the singing of Birds the earnest and witness of my Spirit and of thy conscience assuring thee of my love and salvation is come and the voice of me the true Turtle is heard in the Land even in thy Soul my Habitation The Figg-Tree putteth forth her green Figges and the Vines with the tender Grapes give a good smell viz. thou art fruitfull in all holy and good works Now therefore arise my love my fair one and come away and inherit the Kingdome prepared for thee before the Foundation of the World O my gracious Lord and Saviour who when thou wert upon Earth in the zeal of thy Spirit cryed out unto thy Auditors He that hath Eares to hear let him hear and didst declare and expound the Words of thy Prophet That there should be many that hear but understand not intimating to us thereby that there is a spiritual and internal sense of hearing that many want that have the bodily sence and Organ O thou which openedst the heart of Lidia as well as her Eares when she gave attention to Paul's preaching and said to the deaf Man in the Gospel Ephtata and his Eares were opened give me an understanding Eare as well as thou hast given me an Ear of Flesh that I may both hear and understand know and obey thy will declared unto me by the Ministers of thy Word Yea let my Eares be always open to receive entertain and retain the holy instructions consolations reproofes and encouragementâ— of any of thy faithfull Servants and my fellow-members and Brethren But let them through thy grace be turned away sealed up and guarded against the Syrene Songs of all Sin and Sinners And if by force or surpriâ—e oaths curâ—ing lying slandering blasphemies vain
lascivious or any other evil speeches enter let my heart and Tongue hate scourge and execute thy Law upon them by a zealous and holy reproof if the Speakers be not Dogs or Swine giving them a pass and sending thâ—â— packing O blessed Lord let not the delightfull sounds of Musick nor the natural or artificial pleasing voices of any Creature be thy rival steal away in the least my time or heart from thee Nor let me with the Whore of Babylon and her Imitators carnally legally and only outwardly give thee an unwarrantable and un-Gospel-like Ear and service without my understanding and without my heart But give me to joyn with and delight to hear the Musick of the lower Heaven the Songs Psalmes and praisings of thee in the Congregations of the Saints That being trained up to have a Childs place in this blessed Chore upon Earth I may be fitted and preferred to have a Man's place in the glorious Quire of Saints and Angels in Heaven O Lord let me I beseech thee not only externally but internally hear thy voice for it is sweet that my Soul may be inwardly acquainted with the Dialect of Heaven so shall my Soul speak and answer thee in the same Angel-like Language in mental and Ejaculatory Prayers and praises here a service not only required but most acceptable to thee and with Ear and Heart hereafter hear thee and return unto thee in Soul and Body praises and glorify thee Eternally in the Heavens Amen Having in the six foregoing preliminaries in all humility declared my Opinion answered the chief objections and given the reason and ground thereof both from Scripture and the light of Nature As also shewed the necessary happy and spiritual use and end of the Saints exercise of all the Five Senses as tending much more to the glory of God and the increase of their innocent and spiritual delight compleat happiness and blessedness both in Soul and Body in that their glorified state I shall not need to add much more as concerning the sense of Tasting which undoubtedly shall as well as that of Seeing and Hearing be much meliorated and heightned in this life of Glory It being cleerly evident and agreeable to right reason that as the objects and subjects upon which this Sense shall be frequently exercised be they things potable as Waters Juices and Liquors or things edible as Roots Flowers Plants Hearbs and Fruits shall much excell not only in their powers vertues and beauty but also in their juice and relish the choicest of that kind now in being as hath been formerly evinced and illustrated by reason of their new birth and incorruptible nature so shall our senses and particularly this of the Taste be wonderfully enlarged and raised and proportionably fitted and enabled accurately to distinguish and discern of the different and innumerable excellencies as to their taste by which even now a skilfull Naturalist can give a right judgment as to their vertues of such a multitude of simples and individuals that so by the exquisitness of this sense our Souls and Bodies may not only be made the more happy and blessed but delighted in the use of Gods good Creatures as the medium and conveighance of nourishment ordained of God as formerly in Mans innocency to be usefull and subservient although not absolutely necessary to our glorious and Eternal Life we having a far more virtual and higher Root of Life for our life is hid in Christ with God And also that by the testimony of this sense both Soul and Body may be the more enlarged and lifted up in the praises admiration and adoration of the wisdome power mercy and goodness of our God the Creator giver and free restorer of such manifold and wonderfull blessings in and by his Eternally begotten and only beloved Son our Head and Spouse the Lord Jesus Christ. As for the killing or eating of the Flesh of any of the sensible Creatures I humbly conceive and that upon good grounds there shall not then be any such use of them they being now made incorruptible and in their nature as everlasting as the Elements out of which they are taken and so shall continue by vertue of this new Creation so long as it pleaseth God The food of the Saints in this new Earth being only a lightning and exonerating the fruit-bearing vegitives that so they may be continually bringing forth new harvests to the glory of their Creator not a bringing in bondage or unto destruction any of the Creatures now delivered and admitted to enjoy the glorious liberty of the Children of God This blessed state being as it were Paradise revived a new Creation and restauration of all things in this new Heaven and new Earth by the obedience merit and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ the second Adam although much more transcending of what was lost by the fall sin and disobedience of the first Adam That last Paradise being intended in the Eternal wisdome and decree of God as I humbly conceive and seems to me now to be clearly manifested to be but the Type shaddow and figure of this all things being made by and for him who is the Heir of all things the Head and Spouse of his Church the first-fruits of them that sleep the beginning and the first-born from the dead and the first-born of every Creature and the beginning of the Creation of God I shall now conclude this subject with this monition to all true Christians not to suppose or dream here of the Poets Elysian Field or of a Turkish Paradise in this glorious state nor to be so sinfully carnal as to imagine that the sinless Souls and Bodies of the new raised and glorified Saints either shall or can abuse this Sense by any excess and make it instrumental as now to sensuality gluttony and drunkenness nor on the other extream let no Christian be so unbelievingly spiritual as contrary to Scripture that affirms the same Bodies shall be raised to deny what it asserts as an object of our faith nor so absurd and irrational as the Papists in their Doctrine of Transubstantiation to deny to our Bodies raised the properties parts and senses of which a true Body subsists thereby to destroy the true nature and essence of the Body all that are truly Saints being practically and experimentally assured that if in this life wherein we are incompast about with a Body of Sin and Death this sense and the rest may be and is spiritually made use of by us in the enjoyment of Gods good Creatures to his great praise and admiration then much more will they be beneficial and He be honoured in them by us in that our sinless condition and life of Glory O my Soul shall thy sense of Tasting be not only retained but exceedingly perfected greatly enlarged and elevated at thy Bodies Resurrection and glorious living with thy Head the Lord Jesus Christ upon the renewed Earth Shalt thou eat
comfort declaring to them to the praise and glory of God thy experiences thy consolations and Divine manifestations And for as much as thou art zealous of spiritual gifts seek that thou maist excell to the edifying of the Church that spiritual Body of Christ whereof thou art a living Member And since God as the Apostle excellently observes hath set some in the Church First Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles then gifts of healing helps Governments diversities of Tongues Covet thou earnestly the best gifts For there are diversity of gifts but the same spirit But the manifestation of the Spirit is 〈◊〉 to every Man to profit withall To one is given by the Spirit the Word of Wisdome to another the Word of Knowledge by the same Spirit to another Faith by 〈◊〉 same Spirit to another the gift of Healing by the same Spirit to another working of Miracles to another Prophesie to another discerning of Spirits to another diâ—vers kinds of Tongues to another the interpretation of Tongues but all worketh that one and the self same Spiâ—rit dividing to every Man severally as he will For 〈◊〉 the Body is one and hath many Members and all the Members of that one Body being many are one Body 〈◊〉 also is Christ. If they were all one Member where weâ—â— the Body The Eye cannot say to the Hand I have 〈◊〉 need of thee again the Head unto the Feet I have 〈◊〉 need of you Now we are the Body of Christ and Memâ—bers in particular Therefore O my Soul since 〈◊〉 Tongue as to all divine and spiritual gifts is now thâ— principal Agent and Expressor And shall be then 〈◊〉 as a Member of Christ mystical Body in this his glorious Kingdome thou shalt be plac'd in thy Function and respective administration be not spiritually idle but â—it and exercise thy Tongue continually in declaring to others according as it shall be revealed to thee by the Holy Spirit the Magnalia Dei the wonderfull ways and works of God Freely thou hast received freely give O my Soul shalt thou then be as one of Christs Viceroyes over all inferiour Creatures shall thy Dictates Orders and Commands be received and obeyed by them as the voice of God O let not then thy speech now to them be mixt with oaths and cursings according to the woâ—t and fashion of the wicked of the Earth whose behaviours towards the poor Brutes are more like to Devils than Men or Christians Yea let thy employment of them and rule over them be gentle milde and moderate not cruel or oppressive since the good Man with the Scripture is mercifull towards his Beast And 〈◊〉 tenderness of thy God towards them exprest as 〈◊〉 of the reasons of his commanding a seventh Days 〈◊〉 That thy Beast may rest as well as thee teaches what respect and considerate pitty and compassion he expects from thee towards them as being fellowâ—Creatures suffering what servitude they undergo for thy sin and from which they shall be freed and delivered in thy glorious liberty But instead of speaking evil of or to the inferiour Creatures do thou now as thou shalt do in the World to come with thy Heart and Tongue praise and glorifie thy God after the Example of holy David Psal. 148. throughout in and for them admiring his love and goodness to thee to them as also 〈◊〉 unexpressible yea unconceivable power and wisdome declared in their various formes wonderfull strength 〈◊〉 qualities excellent virtues and uses as being 〈◊〉 great end of theirs and thy Creation as the Lord â—â—clares to Job when he bids him behold Behemoth and â—â—â—iathan and leaves upon Record for our Instruction and Imitation so large a description of them and of others of his Creatures This holy exercise both of mind and voice in the contemplation of the Creatures was without doubt a chief employment of Adam in his innocency Let it be thine then in thy return and travailing to this second Paradise that what is begun by thee here in grace may be perfected there in Glory O glorious God and mercifull Father O infinite loâ—ing and gracious Saviour and Redeemer O holy and Eternal Spirit my Sanctifier three infinitely glorious Persons One Omnipotent onely wise and Eternal God Blessed blessed blessed from everlasting to everlasting who hath so highly honoured and dignified me a 〈◊〉 Worm and no Man As to love me freely in thy Eterâ—nally begotten and only beloved Son the Lord Jesus God-Man and in him from before all beginnings to elect me unto Eternal Life and Salvation Creating 〈◊〉 unto immortality and glory by giving me an immortaâ— Soul and a Body that shall assuredly be raised to life and glory by thy Almighty Power and by the virtue of the Resurrection of my Head and Saviour who hast miraculously raised me from a sinfull death unto a spiritual life in my effectual Calling through Adoption the Sanctification and Inhabitation of thy holy Spirit as 〈◊〉 freely justified me in thy Son the Lord my righteousâ—ness and by this blessed and inseparable union to 〈◊〉 in thy Son by the Holy Ghost given me assurance 〈…〉 Life and Glory which shall indubitably begâ—◠〈◊〉 my Soul at my dissolution and be compleat at the â—â—â—union of Soul and Body aâ— the Resurrection of the 〈◊〉 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise 〈◊〉 with my glory Awake my Heart awake my Tongue 〈◊〉 self will awake early and joyn with the Arch-Angels and Angels and the Church Tryumphant in Heaven and with the Holy Catholick Church upon Earth in 〈◊〉 Heavenly exercise of praise and thanksgiving O Lord whose only prerogative it is to search the heart knowest that these are the desires and petitions of 〈◊〉 Soul yet with holy Paul I cry out that to will is present with me through thy grace but how to perform know not Blessed Saviour give me of thy fulness so soâ—â— to receive grace for grace Yea be pleased to add 〈◊〉 to grace since thou alone workest in us both the will and the deed and the Heaven aspiring piercing 〈◊〉 of praise ariseth only from thy Divine Fire of Knowledge and holy affections Eternal Father let not this noble Instrument of thy Glory my Tongue be tuned to the vain and wanton Layes of the World and Sin lest thereby being crackt unstrung and made untunable for thy service here it and my whole Body with voluptuous Diveâ— be cast 〈◊〉 useless into the Fire of Hell where a drop of cold Water will not be 〈◊〉 to cool a flaming lascivious Tongue But let me O Lord be continually chaâ—â—ing the Magnâ—lia Dei and be singing those Evangelicalâ— and prophetical Songs of the four Beasts and four and twenty Elders the figure and representative of thy holy Church saying and singing
of his wrath and shalt Judge amongst the Heathen and shall fill the places with the dead Bodies and wound the Heads over many Countries When thou shalt put a two-edged Sword into the Hand of thy Saints to execute vengeance upon the Heathen and punishment upon the People to bind their Kings with Chains and their Nobles with Fetters of Iron to execute the Judgment written this honour have all the Saints Yea is this thy victorious Kingdome and Government wherein righteousness peace holiness and purity shall be so greatly exercised and exalted by and under thy Saints upon Earth confirmed by thee in a Vision to thy Apostle John who declares that after Sathan was bound by thee a thousand years He saw Thrones and they to wit thy Saints sate upon them and Judgment was given unto them The Prodromus to which Sessions he saw Revelations the 19. from Verse the 11. unto the end of that Chapter And shall not both my Tongue and Heart in the certain belief that these wonderfull prophetical promises shall yea are now at the point to be made good unto thy Church and to be fulfilled praise and glorifie thee in the joyfull expectation thereof in those words which thy own Spirit Indicted on this subject and for this purpose O clap your Hands all yee People shout unto God with the voice of Tryumph for the Lord most High is terrible he is a great King over all the Earth He shall subdue the People under us and the Nations under our Feet he shall choose our Inheritance for us the excellency of Jacob whom he loved For God is the King of all the Earth sing yee praises with understanding God raigneth over the Heathen God sitteth upon the Throne of his Holiness The Princes of the People are gathered together even the People of the God of Abraham for the Shields of the Earth belongeth unto God he is greatly exalted O blessed Saviour who art that great Prophet promised by Moses yea the Lord God of the Prophets Hast thou foretold to us by them that after the binding and sealing up Sathan and all the Powers of Darkness in Hell the bottomless Pit thy Saints thy Church shall enjoy a Sabatisme a thousand years of rest and peace upon this Earth which I humbly expect when their six thousand years of trouble labour and persecution shall be expired typified and prefigured as I in all humility conceive in the Arks resting the 17. Day of the 7. Month as a Type of this rest in the six Days Creation and thy seventh Days rest and in thy appointing us a laborious Week and six Days of Work and every seventh Day to be a Sabbath a Day of rest to us and the Creatures And in the seventh Years rest to the Field and release to Servants the righteousness and holiness peace plenty and happiness of which their raign and Kingdome I but lately mentioned and evidenced by a few Scriptures of many that clearly hold it forth to us O let my Heart and Tongue in the assured faith of thy accomplishing this great work sing with joy the seventy-second Psalme The lively Prophesie of this thy peaceable Kingdome under thy Saints upon Earth under the Type of Solomon concluding with the Holy Psalmist Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who only doth wonderous works And blessed be his glorious Name for ever And let the whole Earth be filled with his Glory Amen O Lord the Judge of all the Earth hast thou promised to come unto us the second time without Sin unto Salvation but in flaming Fire to take vengeance of all that know thee not Hereby destroying them and Hypocrites together with the Apostatizing Nations called Gog and Magog as Sprung from a Scythian Root seduced from the true Faith by the deceits of Sathan at his loosing for a season The number of whom is as the Sand of the Sea and by him gathered together to incompass the Camp of thy Saints and the holy City thy true Church made up of Gentiles and Israelites Hast thou then promised a Resurrection of the Just even of all thine Elect ones and Martyrs and that They shall be Priests of God and of thee O Christ and that they shall raign with thee a thousand years For thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall raign upon Earth Even in that new Heaven and new Earth which thou wilt create shall our Salvation be then perfected and compleated in that first Resurrection the Redemption of our Bodies now sowen in Corruption but then raised in Incorruption sowen in dishonour but raised in Glory sowen in weakness but raised in Power sowen a natural Body but raised a spiritual Body and glorious like unto thee O Lord. For ever blessed Redeemer shall I according to Scripture-Chronology probably about twelve hundred and thirteen years hence with holy Daniel stand in the Lot at the end of the Days and in my glorified Body with the many myriades of Angels and glorious Saints upon the renewed Earth behold and enjoy thee personally a thousand years shall my Tongue then declare thy Acts and the wonders of thy love mercy and truth and praise thee with them for this thy great salvation as being in a sure possession of Glory O let my Heart and Tongue now praise thee in faith and assurance thereof Since Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Yea let me with thy Prophet and Apostle Tryumph over that last Enemy Death and singing say O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory The Sting of Death is Sin and the strength of Sin is the Law Death is swallowed up in Victory Thanks be to God which giveth us the Victory through thee our Lord Jesus Christ. O thou whose Name is called the Word of God who art the King of Kings and Lord of Lords the only Potentate to whom all Judgment is committed by the Father and who art ordained of God to be the Judge of the quick and of the dead we must therefore all appear before thy Judgment Seat when thy righteousness shall shine forth as the Light and thy Judgment as the Noon-Day in giving to every one according to their works And to all thine Elect called thy Sheep at thy right hand who are freely justified by thy righteousness according to the goodness of their thoughts words and deeds which and not any of their sins as being fully satisfied for and blotted out by thy Death and Merits shall then be remembred as being the fruits of thy own Grace That so thy Saints may be gradually rewarded according to their works not for their works both in the new Earth and highest Heavens with Eternal Life and Glory And inherit the Kingdome prepared for them before the Foundation of
be justified with God or how can he be clean that is born of a Woman Behold you were shapen in iniquity and in sin did your Mother conceive you By nature you are the Children of wrath And the Imaginations of your heart are only evil continually in you that is in your flesh dwelleth no good thing From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in you but wounds and bruises and putrified sores Ye have sinned and done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from my precepts Your iniquities are increased over your heads and your trespasses are grown up to the Heavens And the poyson of the Asps is under your Lips Wash you and make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine Eyes cease to do evil learn to do well Come now let us reason together though your sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though they be red as Crimson they shall be as Wool Confess and forsake your sins and you shall finde mercy For I am faithful and just to forgive you your sins And my blood shall cleanse you from all sins Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest And you that come to me I will by no means cast out But if ye will still do wickedly ye shall be consumed And I will rain snares an horrible tempest And I will break the hairy Scalp of you that go on in iniquity Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you See I have set before you life and good and death and evil therefore choose life that ye may live He that hath received my Testimony hath set to his Seal that God is true The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him I am made unto you of God wisdome and righteousness and sanctification and redemption And to be sin for you that knew no sin that you might be made the righteousness of God in me I am the end of the Law for righteousness to every one of you that believeth And was made a curse for you that the blessing of Abraham might come to you and that ye might receive the promise of the spirit through faith in me which grace comes by hearing and hearing of the Word of God and is the gift of God Be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which ye have heard for I in you am the hope of Glory But put on this hope for an Helmet and let it be as an Anchor of your Souls both sure and stedfast rejoycing therein firmly to the end And let every one of you that hath this hope in him purifie himself even as I am pure Above all things have servent charity for charity will cover the multitude of sins yea let all your things be done with charity without which though you speak with the tongues of Men and Angels you are become as sounding brass or a tinkling Cimbal And though you have the gift of Prophesie and understand all misteries and all knowledge And though you have all faith so that you could remove Mountains and have no charity you are nothing And though you bestow all your goods to feed the poor and though you give your Bodies to be burned and have not charity it profiteth nothing Charity suffereth long and is kinde charity envieth not Charity vaunteth not its self Is not puffed up doth not behave it self unseemly seeketh not her own Is not easily provoked thinketh no evil Rejoiceth not in iniquitie but rejoiceth in the truth Beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things Charitie never faileth Wherefore above all things put on charitie which is the bond of perfectness The end of the Commandement The royal Law And the fulfilling of the Law If ye therefore fulfill this royal Law according to the Scripture Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self ye do well Yea I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you That you may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven for he maketh his Sun to rise on the evil and the good and sendeth Rain on the just and on the unjust And put on the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both bodie and soul in Hell Whosoever doth not bear my Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple Verily I say unto you whosoever of you shall leave House or Brethren or Sisters or Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Lands for my sake and the Gospel shall receive an hundred fold now in this time Houses and Brethren and Sisters and Mother and Children and Lands with persecutions and in the World to come everlasting life Every Man that striveth for the masterie is temperate in all things now they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown but you an incorruptible Therefore so run not as uncertainly so fight not as those that beat the Aire but keep under your Bodies and bring them into subjection And add to your knowledge temperance For the fruits of my Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no Law Add to your temperance patience And in your patience possess your Souls and bring forth fruit with patience And let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and intire wanting nothing Being followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises Ye have heard of the patience of Job Also take for an example your Brethren the Prophets of suffering affliction and of patience And run with patience the race which is set before you Be ye wise as Serpents and innocent as Doves And filled with the knowledge of my will in all wisdome and spiritual understanding That ye may walk worthy of me unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God See that ye walk circumspectlie not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil understanding what the will
of the Lord is Being wise unto that which is good but simple concerning evil For the wisdome of the World is foolishness with God and 't is earthlie sensual and devillish But the wisdome that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie Wherefore if any of you lack wisdome let him ask of God which giveth to all Men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given you but let him ask in faith nothing wavering Put on humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any Man hath a quarrel against any even as I have forgiven you so do ye For before honour is humility And he that humbleth himself shall be exalted What doth the Lord require of you but to do justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with your God For God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble Yea I will hear the desire of the humble And although I inhabit Eternity I will dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit Wherefore learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall finde rest unto your Souls Blessed are you that are poor in spirit for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven That mourn for you shall be comforted That are meek for you shall inherit the Earth That hunger and thirst after righteousness for you shall be filled Blessed are you that are merciful for you shall obtain mercy That are pure in heart for you shall see God That are peace-makers for you shall be called the Children of God Blessed are you that are persecuted for righteousness sake for yours is the Kingdome of Heaven Blessed are you when Men shall revile you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you Marriage is honourable in all and the Bed undefiled but Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Wherefore flee Fornication every sin that a Man doth is without the body But he that committeth Fornication finneth against his own body Know you not that your bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you which you have of God anâ— you are not your own For you are bougâ—â— with a price Therefore glorifie God in yoâ—â— bodies and spirits which are Gods Also 〈◊〉 you not my Members Will you then take 〈◊〉 Members and make them the Members of 〈◊〉 Harlot God forbid What know you 〈◊〉 that he that is joyned to an Harlot is 〈◊〉 body For two saith he shall be one Flesh But he that is joyned unto me is one spirit This is the will of God even your sanctificaâ—tion that you should abstain from fornication And that every one of you should know 〈◊〉 to possess his Vessel in sanctification anâ— honour not in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles which know not God Ye 〈◊〉 heard that it was said by them of old 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not commit Adultery But I say 〈◊〉 to you whosoever looketh on a Woman to 〈◊〉 after her hath committed Adultery with 〈◊〉 already in his heart And whosoever toucheth another Man's Wife shall not be innocent Whoredome and Wine and new Wine takâ— away the heart and by means of a 〈◊〉 Woman a Man is brought to a piece of breâ—â— and the Adulteress will hunt for the precâ—â—â— life An Whore is a deep ditch and a straâ—â—â— Woman is a narrow Pit Her House inclinâ—â— unto death and her path unto the dead Lâ—â— not your heart incline to her ways go not stray in her paths for she hath cast down 〈◊〉 wounded yea many strong Men have beâ—â— slain by her her House is the way to Hell gâ—â—ing down to the Chambers of death 〈◊〉 that go unto her return again neither takâ— they hold of the path of life Know this thereâ—fore that no Whoremonger nor unclean Person nor covetous Man who is an Idolater hath any Inheritance in the Kingdome of God Blessed are ye that keep Judgment and thaâ— do righteousness at all times Offer to God thâ— sacrifices of righteousness and put your trusâ— in the Lord For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness his countenance doth behold the upright The work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect thereof quietness and assurance for ever He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life righteousness and honour Therefore yield your selves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as Instruments of righteousness unto God For he that doth righteousness is righteous even as I am righteous but whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God And shall utterly perish in their own corruptions and receive the reward of unrighteousness and shall not inherit the Kingdome of God But the righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of my Father And they that turn many to righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect For he that walketh uprightly walketh surely and shall be saved For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness his countenance doth behold the upright Fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth For the integrity of the upright shall guid them Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart But the hope of the hypocrite shall perish Remove from you the way of lying and let every one speak truth to his Neighbour For I am the Lord God of truth Give thanks for all things to God the Father in my name For he that offereth praise glorifieth me By me therefore offer the sacrifice of praise continually that is the fruit of your lips For every Creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving Praise ye therefore the Lord for it is good to sing praises to your God for it is pleasant and praise is comely These things have I spoken to you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full Verily verily I say unto you that ye shall weep and lament but the World shall rejoyce but your sorrow shall be turned into Joy and your Joy no Man taketh from you For the Kingdome of God is not meaâ— and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Yea the fruit of my Spirit is love joy and
peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no Law The joy of the Lord is your strength Therefore rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright Rejoyce in the Lord always again I say rejoyce Delight your selves also in the Lord and let his Commandements be your delights and he shall give you the desires of your heart Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and let him be your dream and he shall be unto you for a Sanctuary Be ye in the fear of the Lord all the day long For it is the beginning of knowledge a Fountain of life to depart from the snares of death Yea by the fear of the Lord are riches and honour and life Work out therefore your own salvation with fear and trembling perfecting holiness in the fear of God Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear Therefore fear not their fear for perfect love casteth out such fear But ye have received the spirit of Adoption whereby ye cry Abba Father It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing for I gave my self for you that I might redeem you from all iniquity and purifie unto my self a peculiar People zealous of good works Let therefore after my example and David's the zeal of my House eat you up and consume you And be like Phineas who was zealous for his God Be angry for sin as Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel but sin not Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath For whoso is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of Judgment Ye that love the Lord hate evil yea they hate those that hate me with a perfect hatred All that hate me love death Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the Flesh For the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would But if ye be led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law Now the works of the Flesh are manifest which are these Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft hatred variance emulation wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murthers drunkenness revellings and such like of the which I tell you before as I have also told in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Take heed Brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God He that believeth not shall be damned Therefore ye ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that ye have heard lest at any time ye should let them slip For if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward How shall ye escape if you neglect so great Salvation which at the first began to be spoken by Me the Lord and was confirmed unto you by them that heard Me God also bearing them witness both with signes and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will Take heed that your portion be not among the Unbelievers in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone Nor say with the Fool in your heart there is no God and the Lord will not do good neither will he do evil He that sacrificeth or gives worship unto any God save unto the Lord only he shall be utterly destroyed You shall have no other Gods before me Ye shall make you no Idols nor graven Images neither shall you set up any Image of them in your Land to bow down unto it For I am the Lord your God He that blasphemeth the Name of the Lord shall surely be put to death all the Congregation shall stone him Thou shalt not prophane the Name of thy God I am the Lord. It is a snare to the Man which devoureth that which is holy and after vowes to make inquiry An Hypocrite shall not come before God His hope shall perish The Congregation of the Hypocrites shall be desolate For what is the hope of an Hypocrite though he hath gained when God taketh away his Soul If you turn away your Feet from the Sabbath from doing your pleasure on my Holy Day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shall honour him not doing your own ways nor finding your own pleasure nor speaking your own words Then shall you delight your selves in the Lord and I will give you to ride upon the high places of the Earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob my Servant for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary I am the Lord. I conceive that in all things some are superstitious therefore ye are my friends if ye do what I command you Ye shall not add unto the word that I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it that ye may keep the Commandements of the Lord your God which I command you But shall with my Servant David hate every false way I know there are many that are neither cold nor hot and I will spue them out of my mouth He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy Happy is the Man that feareth always but he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischief The Soul that doth ought presumptuously the same reproacheth the Lord and that soul shall be cut off from his People As also the Man that will do presumptuously and will not hearken to the Priest that standeth to minister before the Lord your God or unto the Judge even that Man shall die Wherefore pray with my Servant David Lord keep back thy Servants from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over us so shall you be innocent from the great Transgression Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain Let your communication be Yea yea Nay nay for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil He that being often reproved hardneth his Neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his Servant that walketh in darkness and hath no light let him
trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God When ye are troubled on every side be not distressed when ye are perplexed be ye not in despair Be not faithless but believing Say not with despairing Cain my iniquitie is greater than that it may be forgiven Nor go not with him out of the preference of the Lord. Destroy not your Souls which I died for With hopeless Saul who took a Sword and fell upon it Nor do as Judas who went and hanged himself Whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God neither is he that loves not his brother He that loves not his Brother abideth in death Whosoever hates his Brother is a murtherer and ye know that no murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him Be ye not like the violent Man who inticeth his Neighbour and leadeth him into the way that is not good who shutteth his eyes to devise froward things moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass Nor like to Potiphar's wife nor to the strange Woman that flattereth with her lips nor to them who say Come with us let us lay wait for blood let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause cast in thy lot amongst us let us all have one Purse Imitate not Jeroboam who did sin and who made Israel to sin You shall not hate your Brethren in your heart you shall in any wife reprove them and not suffer sin upon them He that speaketh flattery to his friends even the eyes of his Children shall fail And a flattering mouth worketh ruine Wo to the Sheppards of Israel that do feed themselves Should not the Sheppards feed the Flock Ye eat the fat and ye cloath you with the Wool ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the Flock The wicked in his pride do persecute the poor but they shall be taken in the devises that they have imagined He that leadeth into Captivity shall go into Captivity He that killeth with the Sword must be killed with the Sword For they have shed the blood of the Saints and Prophets and God will give them blood to drink for they are worthy At the hand of Man at the hand of every Man's Brother will I require the life of Man whoso sheddeth Man's blood by Man shall his blood be shed For in the Image of God made I Man And blood defileth the Land And the Land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it Therefore whoso killeth any Person the Murderer shall be put to death Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a Murderer which is guilty of death But he shall be surely put to death If a Man cause a blemish in his Neighbour As he hath done so shall it be done unto him breach for breach eye for eye tooth for tooth As he hath caused a blemish in a Man so shall it be done unto him again Be ye not like unto unjust Zedekiah who put Jeremiah into Prison for speaking to him in the Name of the Lord. Not like cruel Herod who bound John in Prison and beheaded him for Herodias sake left you partake of their punishments If a Brother or Sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say Depart in peace be you warmed and filled Notwithstanding you give them not those things that are needful to the Body What doth it profit When I sit upon the Throne of my Glory I shall say unto such on my left hand Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Verily I say unto you inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these my poor Saints ye did it not to me Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his I will be a swift witness saith the Lord against those that oppress the hireling in his wages the Widdow and the Fatherless and that turn aside the stranger from his right He that doth wrong shall receive from the wrong that he hath done And with me there is no respect of Persons Behold a flying Roll the length thereof is twenty Cubits and the breadth thereof ten Cubits This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole Earth for every one that stealeth shall be cut off according to it And it shall enter into the House of the Thief and it shall remain in the midest of his House and shall consume it with the Timber thereof and the Stones thereof Therefore let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth Let no Man go beyond and defraud his Brother in any matter because that the Lord is the avenger of all such I speak to the shame of many is it so that there is not a wise Man amongst you No not one that shall be able to Judge between his Brethren But Brother goeth to Law with Brother and that before the Unbelievers Is any one will sue you at the Law and take away thy Coat let him have thy Cloak also He that by Usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance he shall gather it for him that will pitty the poor Woe unto such who like the Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites make clean the out-side of the Cup and of the Platter but within they are full of Extortion and excess Therefore exact no more than is appointed you Woe unto them that joyn House to House and lay Field to Field till there be no place that they may be placed alone in the middest of the Earth Of a truth many Houses shall be desolate even great and fair without Inhabitant Yea ten Acres of Vineyard shall yield one Bath and the Seed of an Omer shall yield one Epha Do violence to no Man neither accuse any falsly for a false witness shall not be unpunished A false witness shall perish Behold if a witness be a false witness and hath testified falsly against his Brother then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his Brother Bless and curse not Those That delight in cursing so let it come unto them As they delight not in blessing so let it be far from them As they have cloathed themselves with cursing as with a Garment so let it come into their bowels like Water and like Oyle into their bones He that uttereth slander is a Fool I will tear those in pieces
that laugh now for ye shall mourn and weep For your miseries that shall come upon you Your riches are corrupted and your Garments are Moth-eaten your Gold and Silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were Fire ye have lived in pleasure on the Earth and been wanton ye have nourished your hearts as in a Day of slaughter Behold the Judge standeth before the Door and my coming draweth nigh when all such shall receive the reward of unrighteousness As they that count it pleasuâ—e to riot in the Day time and living in pleasure are dead whilst they are alive Spots they are and blemishes sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you feeding themselves without fear Clouds they are without Water Trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead plucked up by thee roots Raging Waves of the Sea foaming our their own shame wandring Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever Beloved remember the words which were spoken before of my Apostle who told you there should be mockers in these last times who should walk after their own ungodly lusts These be they who separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God These are those scoffers in these last days walking after their own lust and saying Where is the promise of his coming For since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die For as in the Days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage and knew not until the Flood came and took them all away so shall also my coming be Watch therefore and pray lest ye fall into temptation For you know not what hour your Lord doth come Therefore be you ready for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh But if with that evil Servant you shall say in your hearts my Lord deferreth his coming and shall smite your fellow-Servants and eat and drink with the drunken I will come in an hour which you are not aware of and cut you asunder and appoint you your portion with the Hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth Solomon the Preacher the Son of David King of Israel was great and increased more than all that were before him in Jerusalem who kept not from his Eyes whatsoever they desired and with-held not his Heart from any joy For his Heart rejoyced in all his Labours whose wisdome also remained with him when he looked on all the works that his Hands had wrought and the Labour he had laboured to do as is before at large enumerated by him makes this acknowledgment Behold All is Vanity and Vanity of Vanities and Vexation of Spirit and there was no profit under the Sun Therefore love not the World nor the things of the World For all that is in the World the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eyes and the Pride of Life is not of the Father but iâ— of the World And the World passeth away and the Lusts therefore but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever Be ye not weary of well-doing for in due season you shall reap if ye faint not He that soweth to the Flesh shall of the Flesh reaâ— Corruption But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Are there any so foolish as to begin in the Spirit and to think to be made perfect in the Flesh If any Man have run well let none hinder you that you should nor obey the truth Remember Lot's Wife No Man having put his Hand to the Plough and looking back is fit for the Kingdome of God If any Man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him But ye are not of them that draw back unto Perdition but of them that believe unto the saving of the Soul The back-slider shall be filled with his own ways but a good Man shall be satisfied from himself Let back-sliding Children return and I will heal their back-slidings and will love them freely When the unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man he walketh through dry places seeking rest and findeth none Then he faith I will return unto my House from whence I came out and when he is come he findeth it empty swept and garnished Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other Spirits more wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there And the last state of that Man is worse than the first For if after Men have escaped the pollutions of the World through the knowledge of Me the Lord and Saviour they are again intangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them than the beginning For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness then after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandements delivered unto them But it is happened unto them according to the true Proverb The Dog is turned to his own Vomit again And the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the Mire I am the Vine ye are the Brances he that abideth in Me and I in him bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing If a Man abide not in me he is cast out as a Branch and is withered and Men gather them and they are cast into the Fire and they are burned As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue you in my love If ye continue in my Word then are ye my Disciples indeed And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free Whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful Hearer but a doer of the work this Man shall be blessed in his deed I am the Lord the hope of Israel all that forsake Me shall be ashamed and they that depart from Me shall be written in the Earth because they have forsaken me the Lord the Fountain of living Waters But he that endureth unto the end shall be saved If any Man see his Brother sin a sin which is not unto Death he shall ask and I will give him life for them that sin not unto Death There is a sin unto Death I do not say that he shall pray for it For it is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the Powers of the
exhorting you to repentance towards God and faith to our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold I am as one bound a Prisoner and a banished man separated from you not knowing what things shall further befall me But none of these things move or grieve me neither count I my life dear unto my self so that I might finish my course with joy For I am perswaded and assured that neither Tribulation or Distress Persecution or Famine nakedness or peril or Sword Death or Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord or cause to cease my love to him As therefore loving him because he hath loved me first Yea I am further assured that when I have finished my course a Crown of righteousness is laid up for me which my Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that Day and not to me only but unto all those that love his appearing And now my dearly beloved ones I know not God he only knows whether we shall see the Face of one another any more Wherefore that living or dead I may discharge my duty as a Husband and as a Father I take you to record this Day that I am pure from the blood of you all For I have not shunned to declare unto you the counsel of God Take heed therefore to your Souls which God hath purchased with his own blood for I know that after my departure grievous Wolves and Enemies such as the mighty Powers of Darkness the numerous tempting and malicious men of the World and that out of your own selves which therefore are the most dangerous of adversaries will arise strong innumerable and impetuous Lusts all endeavouring to draw you from the Faith and to destroy your most precious Souls Therefore watch and remember that by the space of these many years I have not ceased to warn every one of you Night and Day with tears Therefore my dearly beloved and longed for my Joy and Crown stand fast in the Lord my dearly beloved And I intreat thee also true Yoke-fellow help counsel and encourage our Children in the way of godliness and righteousness which is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come Hide not thy talent nor neglect the gifts that are in thee until I come again unto you Give attendance to reading to exhortation meditate upon these things that I have written and give thy self wholly to them that thy profiting may appear to all Be an example to our Children in Word in Conversation in Chastity in Spirit in Faith in Purity For in doing this thou shalt both save thy Self and Family now solely under thy charge and as to the care of whose Soulâ— thou must shortly be accountable at God's Tribunal O ye that are my precious Jewels my chief and only riches upon Earth my mouth is open to you my heart is enlarged ye are not straitned in me be ye not therefore straitned in your own bowels Now for a recompence in the same I speak unto you as unto my Children be ye also enlarged And now dear and beloved Christians for this is the highest and shall be my concluding Title and sweetest compellation as therein not knowing you after the Flesh I commend you unto God and to the Word of his Grace which is able to build up and to give you an Inheritance among all them that are sanctified Ceasing not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my Prayers That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ The Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him The Eyes of your understanding being enlightned that ye may know what is the hope of his calling And what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints And what is the exceeding greatness of his Power to us-ward that believe Your most affectionate Husband and Father J. H. From Antwerpe the First of January 1665. A Directory Letter Mutatis Mutandis sent by the Author to every one of his Twelve Children prefixt to the Manuscript of the following Epistle now Printed for the use and benefit of other Christian Families Dear Daughter Mary I Commend unto your serious and often Reading and Meditation this following Epistle a Work which cost me much labour study and time in the Collection yet performed with much delight and chearfulness as moved to write it to all my Relations by the good Spirit of the Lord as the best means I could use to counsel stir up and advise them with Mary to choose the better part which shall never be taken from them Wherefore loving Daughter let me lay this Paternal Charge upon you as I shall do upon the rest of your Brothers and Sisters for whom I am preparing Transcripts out of the Original written by my own hand That you read it over at least once a Quarter as long as you live as being not mine but the Epistle of our most dear Lord and Saviour presented to you only by my hands his most unworthy Instrument The subject matter thereof being his most sacred Word who is the Lord God of all the holy Prophets the Pen-men hereof And the great Prophet of his Church whose Word whosoever will not hear and obey are threatned to be destroyed My design herein I hope through the grace and mighty power of the most holy Spirit of Christ will be prosperous and effectual as being not only a Letter of advice and counsel from an earthly Father whom I am confident you love and will obey in the Lord But the Epistle and most powerful Exhortations of your heavenly Father yea the love-letter of your Head and Spouse the Lord Jesus Christ who hath married you unto himself in holiness and everlasting righteousness Dear Daughter the holy Scriptures being the Foundation of all saving knowledge and true Religion I have by the direction and assistance of the Lord skim'd off for you the Cream thereof and given you a few proofs of many holding forth as from his own mouth First The excellency of his Person Secondly The Fundamental Articles of the Christian faith and belief in the words of the holy Scripture only Thirdly what things are to be practised by you held forth in God's holy Law Fourthly what evil things are to be eschewed either respecting Doctrine or manners wherein you have the Lord Jesus Christ's encouragement and exhortation to the attaining of all saving graces and virtues and his Dehortation from all errors in Doctrine especially those that are sowen and profest in these worst of times and from all sins and vices in practice Fifthly You have herein many of his Holy Counsels directing
Redemption finished upon this Day of the Lord's Resurrection was by no less than by Divine Authority because the keeping of one Day in Seven as a Sabboth to God was not only sanctified and set apart by God's own example in the Creation Gen. 2. Ver. 2 and accordingly observed by the Israelites many Weeks before the Law was given Exod. 16.23 But is One of the Ten Commandments delivered by God's own mouth in Mount Sinay written by his own Finger in Tables of Stone commanded by himself to be put into the Ark of the Covenant which Decalogue or Ten Commandments are also by our blessed Saviour in his Sermon upon the Mount declared to be the rule of his Peoples moral obedience unto the end of the World Math. 5.17 and in the following part of that Sermon wherein he vindicates the Law from the corrupt Glosses of the Scribes and Pharisees he instances only in moral duties and moral Laws From all which Divines generally infer that the Decalogue is to continue in force unto the Worlds end and therefore it seems most apparent that no Authority that is inferiour to that which appointed the Seventh Day from the Creation to be the Sabboth could abrogate that Day and appoint an other Day to be used instead of it because neither the Law of Nature nor the Holy Scripture doth any where give the least intimation that any humane Power may change any of the Commandments of God and indeed so many absurdities would follow upon such an assertion as I am confident your Majesty will not own it It remains therefore that the change of the Day must be the work of Christ himself or of his Apostles who were divinely inspired Acts 15. 21. And to prove that it was so Viz. That the Lords Day by Divine Institution now succeeds in the room of the Jewish Sabboth I shall use no other Arguments than these which I finde in â—â—rned Bishop Andrews his Speech in the Star-Chamber at the â—â—â—sure of Mr. Traske who expresly saith that it hath ever been the Churches Doctrine That Christ made an end of all Sabboths by his Sabboth in the grave and that presently the Lords Day came in the place of it And that according to Austin's judgment the Lord's Day is declared to be the Christian Sabboth by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ which the said Bishop not only saith but proveth by these Arguments 1. Because he then began the new World Heb. 1.2 By whom â—e made the Worlds The first World which ended with his â—â—rial The second World or new Creation which began with his Resurrection 2. Because all the four Evangelists say Christ rose Vna Sabâ—ttorum that is the first Day of the Week 3. The Apostles kept their holy Meetings on that Day to Preach and Pray and Celebrate the Lord's Supper Acts 20.7 4. The Day is called the Lord's Day not only in the Apostles times but by the Apostle John himself Rev. 1.10 And he further adds that this Epithite Dominicum in the Scripture is only applyed to these two The Lord's Day and the Lord's Supper To shew that they are both to be taken alike in Scripture 5. He saith we have not only example but express precept for it 1 Cor. 16.2 That upon the first Day of the Week which was the Day of their Assembly then Collections or Oblations would be made 6. And lastly He affirms that in all Ages of the Church this Day was observed To this I may add our Saviour's rest upon that Day from his Works Heb. 4.10 His often visiting the Apostles during the Forty Days after his Resurrection upon that Day speaking of the things appertaining to the Kingdom of God Acts 1.3 Now what more material thing was there to be declared to them than this The change of the Sabboth and the appointing a set time for his Worship he accordingly appearing thrice on the first Day of the Week besides his being seen of the Women to teach and instruct his Disciples First to the two Disciples that went to Emmaus Luke 24.15 c. to the Apostles when Thomas was absent John 20.19 And the third time when Thomas was present John 20.26 As also observe that those wonderful and extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were poured out according to his promise upon the Apostles and Church then met together Acts 2.1 The Day of Penticost being the Morrow after the Seventh Sabboth to be accounted from the Day of the Sheaf-Offering Lev. 23.15 By all which he seems to have honoured and set apart that Day above others for his service Lastly this being a principal Institution might probably be one of those Decrees ordained by the Apostles as well as that concerning the Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.34 delivered by Paul to the Churches in all the Cities through which he passed Acts 16.4 But for the Observation of Easter to be an Annual Festival to Christians I find not any thing in the Holy Scriptures And your Majesty is pleased to place it only upon the Churches Authority And although I will not contend about the Churches Power in the Institution of such things as are simply indifferent yet I suppose I may boldly assert that such things as are only Instituted by Ecclesiastical Authority having no footstep in the Scripture may by Ecclesiastical Authority be laid aside Your Majesties most Loyal Subject and Humble Servant H. J. AN EPISTLE DEDICATORY To the the truly Noble Paire and my most Religious Parents MOst Honoured and best beloved Parents Three Sabbaths of Years the third part of Mans life is already Cyphered in my Youths Accompts and who knows how soon the Divine number of our dayes after my times last addition may conclude the Numeration of my life thus Haec summa totalis Wherefore lest Death should proclaime me Bankrupt before I had paid the due Debt of gratefulness which I owe you next to my Heavenly Father for my Life Education and Preservation I here presume to present you with this disordered and weak Meditations the Fruits of some few hours destinated for the Lord's dayes Preparation as a testimonial of my thankfulness for those your numberless Merits which are as far beyond requital as expression Let them I beseech you obtain a favorable Acceptance a patient Perusal and a Fatherly Censure glorifying God who with his Grace hath assisted my Weakness and shall supply the deficiency of all our Meditations with the fruition of himself till which Imperfection of Happiness I rest Yours in the Lord and in all filial Obedience J. H. To the Worthy AUTHOR OF THIS Divine Meditation The Unworthy Peruser wisheth all Health and Happiness ON Worthy Sir and live to view The like done by your Heire to you There 's one will bless With Int'rests this your gratefulness Sweetning your Budd Both to your own and Parents good Blessing the feet which I suppose Would highly grace a full-blown Rose Oft have I seen those Budds that prove Worm-eaten by that Canker Love Spending their
unhappy Man had not ambition and infidelity Eclipsed the apprehensive brightness of thy understanding thou mightest have made thy Ring-leaders fall a mirrour to view thine own in O blindness the more blame-worthy the less to be pittied 〈…〉 self didst both willingly wilfully and speedily occasion 〈…〉 thy gracious God imprisoned all thy sences within his 〈◊〉 command all Judgments would have condemned thy ungrateful disobedience how much more blameable art thou that mightest have viewed it toucht it and delighted thy self with the fragrancy of that pleasant Fruit eternally without offence and yeâ— still desirest more even to tast thy Death O bitter sweet sweet in thy deceitful expectation bitter in thy accursed fruition O behold now what knowledge thou hast obtained thou knowest now the good thou hadst and hast lost the evil thou didst want and now enjoyest Momentary was thy imaginary pleasure certain and eternal thy procured curse O the Childishness of Man's perfectest age which sold the little World himself the great World about himself for such a knowledge which made him know good not more but less by knowing evil All things that are good in themselves in their first enjoying gain from us most estimation but Man here blest with the fruition of all happiness which joyntly met in him as in its Centre undervalues it even in the first possession exchanging pleasure for pain knowledge for ignorance Paradice for Hell and Life for Death But what neeâ— is there of my weak descriptions in delineating the lamentable 〈◊〉 of Man's fall Since if every Christian would but deal faithfully with himself and retire into his own Soul viewing it in thâ— state of Unregeneration he might in that too lively Picture of dâ—â—d Adam learn the chief point of wisdome to know himself I appeal to the witness of thy Conscience O Christian Reader whither thou findest not naturally the Supream faculties of thy Soul the Enemies of God and goodness the bond-slaves and willing Vassals of sin and Sathan the parts of thy Body the Members of wickedness and ready Instruments of ill Is not thy memory a magazine of evil unhospitable to goodness Thy imagination and intellect like the Northern Seas frozen with ignorance to whom the Sun of wisdome gives so dim a Light that thy highest knowledge is to know thou knowest nothing Is not wickedness the Centre of thy will towards which it moves with a natural swiftness all holy motions being contrary to its course Lastly do not generally the parts of the whole Man which did before by their concordance and harmonious obedience so sweetly express the due praise of the most glorious Creator now rebelliously jar with a hideous and cursed confusion But what need these questions I would to God every Mans unhappy experience did not affirm and ascertain this truth as there is none free from Death so none from sin the cause of Death we all alike come into this World all suck in corruption with their first breath no sooner have our Souls a Beeing but they are in a deep Consumption so that our life is but a continued dying a Prologue of Death according to that of Job 1.21 Naked came we into this World naked of goodness as well as Clothes and naked shall we return again except thou cloath us to Christ our beginnings our foundations are laid with untempered morter Can then our after-works be unlike the Original We must all say with David In â—in hath my Mother conceived me and I was shapen in iniquity 〈◊〉 the Root evil and can the Fruit be good Is the Fountain bitâ—er and can the streams be sweet Do Men gather Grapes of Thornes or Figges of Thistles Hath Adam fallen and was accursed and shall his Off-spring stand and be justified No assuredly There is none good no not one we are all wrapt up in the same condemnation O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us now having waded in the gulph of 〈◊〉 miseries from that depth behold the height of Gods mercy â—â—y mercies O Lord are great and reach unto the Heavens and â—â—y truth unto the Clouds Thou hast delivered my Soul from â—ell my Body from Death thy Mercies are above all thy Works â—onderful are they Who can express them This World is a Monarchy the great Emperor thereof is God no admits of no Equal nor Partners in his Government Kings â—rinces and all things else are either Subjects or Subject to â—â—m nay more his Creatures For by Him were all things Created â—hich are in Heaven and which are in Earth things visible and invisible Crimes of the highest nature are only accounted Treaâ—ons in terrene States but the least breach of those general Staâ—â—tes enacted by the Earths great Law-giver is not only Capital 〈◊〉 infinitely punishable had Man offended either his Superiors 〈◊〉 Angels or his equals as Man it had been possible to have reconciled the one by submission the other by satisfaction but having traâ—sgressed the Commandement of God no created and â—nite substance can repair his ruines for infinite is his Justice inâ—nite our sins and consequently infinite our punishment Thus wretched and miserable are we in our selves by reason of our â—all and thus destitute of redress from others by reason of the â—reatness of our fault and unrecoverableness of our loss and â—â—stly O Lord do we deserve to be so since wittingly willingly and wilfully we made our selves so Of Man's Redemption by Christ. GOD is both infinitely just and infinitely merciful as his Mercy hinders not the Execution of his Justice so his Justice bounds not the extent of his Mercy Man is here infinitely indebted to God and utterly unable to pay God's Justice requires payment his Mercy places his Son as principal in the Bond who fully satisfies his Justice and repeales the Judgment pronounced against our Souls and Bodies O gracious Father in this thy Son our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. Thy love is infinite like thy self boundless as thy Divinity and so ineffable that the Tongues of Men and Angels are not able to express it Mercy implor'd hath its first motion or inducement from the suppliant but thy mercy first beheld us when we had no power to view thee being blinded by Sathan thy goodness raised us when we were dead and buried in sin and thy free love only procured thee to move in compassion towards us who were moved through transgression contrary to thee unvaluable and extraordinary gifts are assured although silent expressions of a fixed and ardent affection But who O Lord is able to value thy gift to declare much less apprehend thy love Friendship is reciprocal for a friend can no sooner exhibit any reality of benevolence but as it were by reflection he is presently apprehensive of the like from the receiver though not in quantity as being perhaps less able yet in quality as being
Order of Melchizedeck I say dost thou now being on Earth neerer to their reproaches and yet not further off from thy power pass over their iniquities suffering thy self to be crucified by them whom thy Justice should have crucified to be sacrificed by the wrath of them whom thy anger hadst thou come to destroy not to save should have sacrificed Was Noah Lot Moses Elisha all Prophets all Types of Thee by thee aided and made victorious over their unbelieving and insulting adversaries and why dost not thou O Lord of all Prophets being now thine own Orator and yet despised demolish Corazin or Bethsaida with other Cities of Judea either by Water or Fire O Lord thou art still the same God then thy Justice was manifested but now thy mercy is magnified as appears by that Deploration over Jerusalem where the Floods of Waters are now converted to an Inundation of Teares the Fire and Brimstone to love-burning and pittying sighes though some murmuring ask From whence hast thou this Authority others blaspheming make thee a Sabbath-breaker and esteem thee as a Conjurer a Glutton a Wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and Sinners yet hast thou not now a devouring Gulf for such Repiners Teeth of wilde Beasts for such calumniating Blasphemers unless we behold that one alone bottomless Gulf of thy mercy most extended and most deep even to Man in the depth of his misery Father forgive them for they know not what they do O Christ Did fear dead thy revenge due to those Sinners against their own Souls No fear is a duty of the Creature ruled by thee not over-ruling thee Passion is incident to inferiours and therefore below thee which hast no Superior Did want of ability smother thy anger No thy Power is not extinguished no less than â—nfinite although in thy humiliation clouded during thy pleasure Lord why did those many Legions of Heavenly Souldiers suffer thy Enemies to carry thee their General away Captive those Bonds which could not resist Sampson's force fetter the Armes of thee the Almighty who gave him strength those Nailes fasten thee to the Cross who wert as able to deliver thy self as thou wert willing to suffer O Saviour my thankful Soul by way of confession replies thus The unmeasurableness of thy love patiently swallowed up all these contumelies and reproaches for love instead of revenge thou forgavest thine Enemies instead of calling for power to destroy Man thou proclamedst his Salvation crying out It is finished the Angels when thou wert attached by Judas although within thy Call must only be admiring Witnesses of thy Patience not Executors of those Traytors Lastly thy Mercy only manacled thy hands and nailed thee to thy Cross making Thee a Transgressor by the bearing of our Sins that we might become righteous through the Imputation of thy Merits according to that of Peter Who his own Self bare our Sins in his Body on the Tree that we being dead to Sin should live in Righteousness by whose Stripes we are healed These things gracious Saviour yea infinitely more hast thou done for us which since we cannot apprehend let us with reverence admire rejoycing that we have view'd thee in thy Birth to be our Kinsman in thy Life our Example in thy Death our Saviour after Death our Resurrection and Glory Lord what art thou not unto us a Balme for our Wounds a Laver for our Souls a Sacrifice for our Sins and the Life of our Death What hast thou not suffered for us Wert thou not humbled in thy Birth persecuted all thy Life and though innocent adjudged to Death that our Nature might be exalted our Life enlarged our Guilt acquitted Wert thou not scourged disrobed Crowned with Thorns lifted upon the Cross derided athirst forsaken and slain that we might be delivered from the Judgments of thy Father clothed with thy Righteousness Crowned with thy Glory lifted up into Heaven freed from the mocks of Sathan satisfied with the sweet draughts of thy Love received of thee for ever to Live Eternally What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon his Name saying Glory be to God in the Highest Peace on Earth good Will towards Men Praise and Honour and Glory and Power be unto Him that sitteth on the Throne and unto the Lamb for evermore Soli Deo Gloria A Concluding Prayer O Eternal Infinite and Everlasting God by whom all things were Created that are made and in whom we Live Move and have our Beeing I thy poor Creature humbly beseech Thee to deal graciously with me thy Servant pardoning all my Offences and passing by all the errors wants and imperfections committed in these my feeble Meditations O Lord I praise Thee for thy favourable assistance of my weakness ever confessing thy gâ—eat Goodness in my Creation the Pride Incredulity and Weakness of my Nature in Man's Fall and thy Infinite Mercy in my Redemption O let the one rejoyce me the other humble me and the last make me obediently thankful in the observant performance of all thy Commands that so I may glorifie Thee which is the end of my Beeing repent and believe in Thee who art the Resurrection of my Fall and live with Thee Eternally which is the Compleatment of my Salvation and fulfilling of my Hope which is fixt in Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all possible Praise Obedience and Thanksgiving now and for ever Amen Vpon several temporal Mercies Providences and Deliverances Graciously Vouchsafed By the Lord Infinite in Goodness To the most unworthy Author And to many also of his neer Relations EBENEZER HETHERTO hath GOD helped me 1 Sa. 7.12 Bethel the House of God Gen. 28.19 A Pillar of PRAISE Erected by An English JACOB unto the onely Infinite Eternal and Almighty JEHOVAH in all Sincerity Humility Reverence and filial fear Hallelujah Eternal FATHER Glorious SON and Holy GHOST Three Persons but One GOD in Essence who the HOST Of Heaven and Earth did'st make and art Goodness Power Justice Truth Love Wisdome Holiness To Thee with JACOB SAMUEL A PILLAR I ERECT to tell All Future AGES to thy PRAISE Thy MERCIES to Me all my DAYES Their 's like their Faith was of firm Stone Mine weak like Me a PAPER One O let thy Strength made Perfect be In my Great IMBECILITY Two Mites Goats Hair from Hearts most free Are JEWELS in Thy TREASURY LORD had I Men and Angels Tongues That KEY would be below the SONGS Of THANKS-GIVING I owe to THEE For what in CHRIST thou did'st for MEE From which Eternal Love forth Springs The Temporal Mercies which these Hymns Commemorate O let Free GRACE Be Adamantine and my BASE And IRON-HEART to THEE attract Seal'd by Thy SACRAMENTAL Act So shall my Person and these Sheets Which I prostrate at THY blest FEET Received be as being PERFVM'D By thy sweet SPIRIT and only
and Night else I would not have lost my sleep nor travelled all Night only to see such a transitory delight as a Horse Race where usually our precious time our wisdom and our Moneys run faster away from us than our Horses The night of Ignorance and the Moon-shine of Unsanctified Reason is of all times most dangerous to Youthful Travellers who when they dream that they are galloping on the palfrey of Pleasure towards Paradice are before they so much as think of it upon the edge yea often fall head-long into that bottomless Pit of Hell Lord thy Word saith It is not good for a Man to be alone yet Experience teaches me also that Companions in sinful Vanities are great Incendiaries Thy merciful Providence Lord at this time mad'st my Companion in Vanity the Instrument of this great Deliverance and also made thy Word good for had not my friend whose Elder Years and Experience gave him knowledge of the way and danger even in that instant of time cried out and stopt my career I had unrecoverably fallen both Horse and Man into a deep and horrible Pit even into Death Wherefore dear Lord let me hence-forth never be alone but let a truly enlightned Conscience which is my best and intimate Friend be alwayes present with me especially in the Night of Temptation to fore-warn me from falling into the dangerous Pit of Sin which to all thine is the Figure as well as the deserver of the bottomless Gulph of Hell Amen The PIT Ejaculation or Hymn on the former Subject LOrd in this Night-peece there is drawn to Life The Day-peece of our Youth wherein most rife It is for Vs to travel in the Night Of Ignorance and by the Moon-shine light Of our unhallowed reason After Sin And Pleasures till we fall are taken in Their Gulph and snares how oft in Holy Writ Is Death Hell and Affliction call'd a Pit Yea every Sin especially a Whore Which Man and Beast Soul Body doth devour What cause have I that in my Youthful Days Have scap't these dangers for to render praise To Thee Preserver of Body and Soul From Death Hell trouble and from Sins controul Thou went the Voice behind me that cryed stay Avoid each sinful Pit This is the way Conscience thou also gav'st me to fore-warn Me as a trusty Friend of every harm Wherefore I offer Soul and Body both A living Sacrifice to thee by Oath Covenanting for to serve Thee whil'st I live That doest new Life from Sin and danger give ARGUMENT Vpon God's merciful deliverance of me in Three great dangers of Drowning twice upon the River of Thames and a third time in Rutland when being a fishing alone I slipt from off a Tree into a River Soliloquium or Discourse O Incomprehensible Creator and loving Father how delightfully ravishing and comfortably supporting is the Meditation and experimental knowledge of thy gracious Omnipresence to thy Children whereas the thought and belief of it to the wicked thy Enemies is most terrible for to all such our God is a consuming Fire O Lord thou art not only the God of the Mountains and of the Vallies of the Earth but of the Rivers also and hast been mercifully present to deliver and preserve me as thou didst thy Servant David and Paul in Perils of Land and in Perils of Water else had I sunk down into the deep Waters Yea the Floods had gone over my Head and Soul as well as in these three dangers they fearfully washt my Body and Cloaths In the two distresses upon the Thames when the Water-men were all at a non-plus thy only powerful providence preserv'd steer'd and rowed me into safety In the third when my own Feet slipt and betrayed me and the Tree I held by broke and fail'd me thy Hand alone saved and drew me out of a watry muddy and perilsome Pit If every lesser mercy O Lord calls for a tribute of praise how much more such as these which are thy so suddain and opportune reprieves from Death since it is a truth although spoken by the Father of lies Skin for skin and all that a Man hath will he give for his life Wherefore since our lives preservation is the greatest corporal mercy open thou my Lips O Lord and my Mouth shall shew forth in these Lines yea sing forth thy praise for three so great deliverances in this following Psalm of Thanksgiving The TEMPEST Ejaculation or Hymn on the former Subject NOt humane Courage Wisdome did direct To use or build Boats Ships The Architect Of these our floating Chariots was the Lord Who fram'd the Earth Heavens he by his word To Noah first i' th Ark a Pattern drew Vnparallel'd that we might it renew In little which is now so often done That in one first bold Drake durst like the Sun Incircle Earth and Seas live and lie Within an Intch of Death and yet not die Vpon a spawn of one of these I plow'd The back of Themasies when loe aloud The Wind beats up a charge on Sins old Jar Retwixt these Elements Renews the War I interpos'd by chance these Combitants As strangers often fall into made Rants By which rash act the force and strokes I bore Of both Maâ—gre two seconds arm'd with Oares Who spent and wearied gave up to the Wind My wooden Fort who entring us to bind And drive along Thames jealous grew Of such bold Seasures claim'd us as her dew And enters with a troop of Waves our Hull Erects her watry Streamers fills us full With churlish Billowes ordering us to lie In her deep muddy Dungeon till we die The Wind inrag'd with this affront us tore From out her Bands and drove us to the shore Thereby declaring the third Elements right To us her Subjects as it were in spightâ— Thus far I take a Poet's liberty To shaddow forth my danger Now unty O Lord my Sailes the affections of my Soul That fill'd with thy free spirit without controle Of an unthankful calme I may lanch forth Into thy Sea of Mercy praise thy worth O Lord my Soul iâ—barkt in Flesh sailes in Continually a Sea of Lust and Sin On which the Prince of th' Aire that evil spright Blowes raiseth fearful Stormes by Day by Night Filling the Sailes of my Affections With evil Aires raising my Passions Like swelling Billowes sometimes watry Waves Of Worldly sorrow fills me then the braves Of Earthly joyes o're lades me till a Train Led by mad Anger casts them out again Next in the Whirl pool of sad doubts and fears My Bark is whirl'd about neer drown'd with tears But if a calme succeeds these stormes then he Sends forth his Sirens Women-like to me His Tritons â—errâ—ne Pleasures and Delights That harkning to their Songs and Charms I might In such security run foule upon The shelves of Lust call'd Love Presumption And Prides high Rocks or if I take not care Be swallowed up
Almighty Saviour who delivered me out of the Belly of this Whale and gave me a reprieve from Death stood by me as he did by Paul in the storm and bad me be of good comfort since Sathan the Accuser of the Saints was cast out and overcome in his Victory his Indictment and Role of my Sins conceal'd and nailed upon his Cross That my Conscience was both cleansed and pacified through the washing of his all purifying blood And that Divine Justice was satisfied to the uttermost by his active and passive obedience and sufferings he being made sin for me that I might be made the righteousness of God in him Yea that he was made unto me of God righteousness and sanctification wisdom and redemption That my life was hid in him with God And that he had given unto me Eternal Life And that when he shall appear I shall appear also with him in Glory Blessed Saviour with these Cordials thou didst thou dost revive and rejoyce my Soul and in great mercy didst answer my Prayer and restored both my mind and body to perfect health For which I bless thy name and record thy praise here and in this following Hymn The REPRIEVE Ejaculation or Hymn LOrd how uncertain full of change Is our lives state now well anon Deaths Image as though man O strange Was Natures true Camelion Our Youth and Beauty like a Flower Withers as soon as lookt upon Much like the Gourd of Jonah's Bower An one Day liv'd Hephemeron Sin is the Nimrod and the first Tyrant that did both Worlds subject To Floods Stormes Earth-quakes and accurst Mutations Wars that Royal Theft My Microcosme a witness oft Was and is still of this sad truth Shaken and under Water brought With coughs rheums even from my Youth The effect of this Earth-quake at last Like others which presage no good Was to make Chasmes and Waters cast Out of my entrails ting'd with blood At which agast I trembling fell Into a clammy and cold sweat Was wrackt with thoughts of Death and Hell Of Sin and God's dread Judgment Seat Then my Physitian Lord thou wast Stopt by opening a Vain Of thy own Blood and my Soul cast Into that Bath which cur'd my pain Thus Gallen Esculapius Thou far excel'st mad'st me all whole And by o're-coming Death for us Cur'd both my Body and my Soul Thou gavest to both new life that I Being freed from fear of shame and death Might live in thee and never die And praise thee whil'st I have my breath Thou art Lord my Catholicon A certain Cure of each Disease The only Rock I rest upon My Joy my Cordial and my Peace Amen ARGUMENT Vpon God's Fatherly and manifold goodness in delivering me from Death and giving me a merciful recovery out of five several dangerous sickness Viz. From a deadly Surfeit in my Childhood from an inclination to a Consumption for many Years in my Youth And in my elder days from a painful Cough and Plurisie From two dangerous Agues And from many other like Disasters Soliloquium or Discourse THe tremendious curse for Man's sin and rebellion against God his Creator is Death temporal and Eternal The Quarter-Master and Harbinger of Death is sickness who prepares as soon as we were born for even then we begin to die matter or food corrupt humors and innumerable diseases for this all devouring Monster together with unremovable quarters until according to the Proverb He hath eaten us out of House and home So that this our dying Life is but a living Death Lord as all have sinned in Adam so all in him are dead witness that thy just Statute and Sentence It is appointed unto all Men once to dye To which Law as acknowledging my self a sinful Son of Adam I humbly submit and have these five times entertained Deaths fore-runners or Vanguard The first of his Messengers was a short yet dangerous Surfeit in the time of my Childhood out of which by thy blessing upon the means used by a friendly Physitian I was speedily recovered The second was a continued defluxion of Rheum which caused a constant Cough and inclined me for many years in the entrance of my Manhood unto a Consumption By this correction Heavenly Father thou didst most wisely bridle order and allay the strong and indomitable Lusts of my Youth that beholding daily Death thy Sergeant at the Door I might fear to act wickedness and submit to thy Discipline This friend of Death which thy mercy and wisdome made in a sence a friend unto me by thy special providence and ordering me to use fit means was after many years space and at a time and in a place where that Disease was always before dangerously afflictive discharged also and I wonderfully and perfectly recovered The third assailant was a deadly Plurisie the consequent and usual effect of a long and violent Cough which by a terrible pain and stitch made my breathing the necessary Servant and Bellowes of Life painful which after divers Moneths suffering and fruitless use of many remedies Thou O Lord that hearest and answerest Prayer heard mine and by thy blessing upon a Plaister laid to my Stomack and a Purge didst in one Night and a Day free me from all pains Coughs and Distempers to the admiration of my self and Relations The fourth Allie and Spie of Death was a violent Ague whose eight Hours hot fits might well deserve the Name of a Feaver This ceaz'd upon me at Homby where thy providence O Lord by this thy Attachment freed me from a worse because illegal detainure These fiery Fits the very shaddows of Hell at a certain Hour every other Day for some Weeks like a well-ordered Regiment made their assaults and as so many Roman Rams or whole Cannon battered all my Rampires of Earth the out-works of Nature preparing and making a breach for their General Death to enter at But even then also O most gracious God and Father the only expert Physitian that curest both Body and Soul Thou freely without any Fee for alas I had nothing of merit to give thee Visited me and didst attend to my cry and pittied my many sighs and groans walking with me in this Fiery Furnace so that although I was often burning like Moses Bush yet I was not consumed Yea thou mad'st these Brats of sin and death instead of Destroyers my Refiners Diseases and afflictions being not punishments to thine and beginnings of Hell as to the wicked But like the Purges Vomits and Blood-lettings of a skilful and loving Father and Physician for prevention and for the cure not for the destruction of thy Children and Patients according to thy Word this shall be the fruit to take away their Sin Praised be thy Name O Lord that in much loving kindness and faithfulness hath alwayes afflicted me and didst then also after a few Weeks give me a perfect
recovery by thy blessing upon the Medicine of a poor Widdow even after that the utmost endeavours of a skilful Doctor proved uneffectual The fifth and last dangerous encounter was with another Pursivant of Death a second painful and perilsome Ague From this Ague also after three very accute fits thou gavest me a happy and healthful recovery Lord what shall I render unto thee for these five most gracious recoveries and as it were new lives And for thy deliverance from many other lesser Distempers Yea what have I to return unto thee since all I am is thine and all my most spiritual Sacrifices are lame weak and sickly Lord although such were forbidden under the Law yet under thy Gospel we have a great High Priest which takes away the iniquity and infirmity of our holy things in whom thou hast declared even from Heaven that thou art well pleased with us And who is that compassionate Physician that came not to heal the whole but the sick Blessed Saviour heal now the infirmities of my Soul as thou hast done these of my Body That according to thy promise the dumb may sing and the lame may skip as the Lamb Yea open thou my Lips and my Mouth shall shew forth thy praise O Lord God what is Man that thou visistest him or the Son of Man that thou regardest him That as a Father and Nurse thou shouldest watch over us from Morning to Night and from Night to Morning That the left hand of thy gracious providence should be alwayes under my head and that the right hand of thy unchangeable and fervent love should continually imbrace me That thou shouldest lead me to Heaven by the Gates of Hell That thou shouldest wound me that thou mightest heal me Humble me that thou mightest exalt me That thou shouldest exercise me with sickness to teach me how to overcome Death The height and summ total of all sicknesses O for ever blessed be thy Name that gives me not only believingly but practically and feelingly to seal the truth of that cordial Word that saith That tribulation brings forth patience and patience experience and experience hope which makes us not ashamed Wherefore my heart which thou hast enlarged my lips which thou hast opened and my life which thou hast thus often renewed through Grace doth praise thee this Day for these and all others thy great Mercies and desires to perpetuate my thankful acknowledgment in this and the following Memorial to all Generations Amen The BETHESDA Ejaculation or Hymn on the former Subject TRue is that Axiome since the Curse Best things corrupted become worse Than others which are less refin'd By Man and Angels fall we find This truth confirm'd yea our best meatâ— Putrified are Diseases Seats Hence came my Surfeit by that food That pleas'd my tast was sweet and good This tempted me to an Excess That alwayes brings forth Putridâ—ess Which Nature striving to cast out By Vomit made me sick throughout This first assault Thou Lord withstood Of Death thus withering my Bud Of Childhood And by Friends advice Purg'd out my sickness and its rice Restoring health to me and joy To Parents grieved by my annoy All sins a surfeit and abuse Of what is good through our misuse A Lust rebelling to Excess And yet a want of Holiness Lord Vomit Purge me and supplie Thy Grace so shall I live not die Man's Life from Birth doth hasten on Towards Death by a Consumption Of moisture Radical like Lights We wast this Oyl by burning bright But Rheums and Coughs accession Addes Wings to Dissolution Such was my state for many Years Which ballanc't me 'twixt hopes and feares Vntil in Mercy thou though'st good To blesâ— the means drie up this Flood Of Mall-concocted humors So That it no more my Earth o're-flow O Lord the streames that drown'd my Soul Are wicked Lusts let Grace controle This Deluge lest it more and more Consume thy radicating store That Body Soul restor'd again May be it 'h full of Grace not wain As Art by Succors Forcers mount Waters upon a like accompt Rheum pumping Coughs raise it and Aire Above out of their place Hence are Those stiches pains and Plurisies Which us indanger and Disease Such was the cause such the effect Of my third sickness whose Aspect Prefigur'd and made way for Death By Stitches Coughs shortness of breath Yea all one Night to add to pain Thunders did roar and Lightnings flame When thus upon thy wrack I lay Lord thou didst turn my Night to Day And answered from thy glorious Throne My prayers teares my sighs and groans And blâ—st weak means refresht my Soul And on a suddain made me whole A wonder next a Miracle Was this my quick recovery Which merits Lord a Pyramid A Trophy that cannot be hid Of praise That Saints in after Days May bless love trust in thee alwayes Lord frothy Distillations Lustful Inflammations Shorten still thy Spirits breath Threatning to me a worser Death By pricks of Conscience and Heart grief O give unto my Soul relief Dry up O Lord these Springs of sin That do obstruct thy breathings in My sickly Soul Let Conscience be Freed from its pains as cleans'd by thee So shall my Soul and Body live And to Thee living praises give The Bodies Earth-quake Agues are Shaking us like a pent-up Aire Then breaking forth through our Earths pores It casts out Flames and Waters store Imbalming us with sweat as 't were To fit us for our Sepulchre Such was my two last Sicknesses Deaths prelude and a long recess Of Health which no Court-Pagentry Could flatter for to stay with me Nor yet my Office which transfer I did to God's Commissioner An all-controling Ague which Like the Familiar of a Witch Did haunt me at set-hours each Day At first till Mercy did allay And to each other chang'd my fit Lest I should be burnt up by it Here sometimes I as frozen lay Shaking for cold as Seamen say Those do neer the North pole Anon Burnt up as one i' th torrid Zone For eight Hours space at whose retreat I almost drowned was with sweat Thus alternative cold and heat Predominant were in the same seat And subject So the Scriptures tell Sinners tormented are in Hell Where weeping wailing gnashing Teeth Shew cold and heat and easless grief Out of this Aguish Hell in which I twice was cast some Years betwixt I cryed with David Jonah Then Thou savest me as thou did'st them Wherefore as they so I will bless Thee in my Heart Tongue Life and Verse O Lord I have since Life began Been sick of a Quotidian Which sometime doth me greatly shake With faithless fears which makes me quake Anon mad Anger boyles my blood Breaths out ill humors like a Flood O purge out quite this Malady And passions tune to Harmony So shall such holy temp'rament Give health to both with sweet content And fear
Alarm and discover this design Else had I quickly slept in Death been smothered Consum'd as on a Roman Pile upon my Bed At which great noise which did direct my Eyes and Hand I rose with-drew the Vaile and cast the flaming brand Into my Chimny-Fire converting prayer to praise And vowes of gratefulness unto thee all my Dayes Which here I pay adding this Application That when one of the Sex first in transgression Inflam'd by some wanton Insects the Gun-Powder of Lust Barrel'd up in my Heart like that kindling dust I' th Night the Sun-set of thy Grace which Coles did lie Smothering sometimes behind the graceful Tapistry Of my Christian profession yea when that Fire With noise and Hell-assisting fury did conspire To burn and break the Hoops and Bonds of Chastity That so the Dining Room on Fire my Body suddainly My surpriz'd Soul its Guest might sleeping burn and â—lie With all her goods thy grace in this Catastrophie Then didst thou fright my Conscience by guilts Thunder-clap And raised me up with holy speed for to draw back The hangings of hypocrisie And to cast in The renew'd Fire of Zeal this Hell-like Fire of Sin And to pour on the Waters of repenting teares With Daily Prayers and Fasting which this Devil fears Casts out O Lord thy temporal deliverances Of Body have been great but thy Indulgences And Mercies to my Soul exceeds as far As doth the Heaven the Earth the light of Sun a Star For by the one thou hast spun out the slender thread Of my expiring life but by the other thou instead Of Death Eternal the reward and fruit of sin Hast giv'n me Glory everlasting Life in Him Who is my hope O that I had the thankful Tongue Of Men and Angels that I might inrich this Song Of praise for thy redoubled favours and free love Which are beyond expression yea which soar above My weak conceptions Lord accept this Widdowes Mite Because I offer all I have for it 's thy right To me for sin belongs confusion shame of Face But to thee O Lord forgiveness mercy through free grace Amen ARGUMENT Vpon God's most gracious and wonderful Providence in preventing and delivering me from being Slain and from committing of Man-slaughter in my Lodgings in Sommerset-House about the Year 1647. Soliloquium or Discourse HE that dwelleth in the secret of the most High shall abide under the shaddow of the Almighty Gracious God I humbly and thankfully acknowledge that thou hast performed to me this thy promise although I come far short of fulfilling the condition For thou art no hard Master as the sloathful Servant slandered thee but the most liberal and bountiful Lord whose grace is free who gives without upbraiding and who savest us temporally spiritually and eternally for thy own Name sake Even when there is but a step betwixt Us and Death This truth was both verified and manifested when I and my Servant in my Lodgings in Somerset House were suddainly awakened out of our sweet and quiet Nights sleep about break of Day on a Summers Morning by a great noise upon my Stairs head seconded by the most forcible breaking open of my Dining Room Door though defended by two great â—olts and a strong Spring-Lock which first assault gave us only time to step out of our Beds in our Shirts to my Chamber-Door with our naked Swords and wound-up and ready-prim'd Pistols charged with Bullets against which Door without any Parly another assault was made by a kind of a Roman battering Ram which 〈◊〉 out and cast into the Flore three strong Staples the security of my Lock and Bolts The Door wide open a Person unknown to me with others following him with drawn Swords would have entred the Chamber not once answering my loud deâ— and of what they came for Whereupon they pressing upon me even to the point of my Sword I verily believed they intended to murder me and the rather because not long before reports were spread abroad of a design of massacring in one Night all the then Parliament Men in their Beds Wherefore in self-defence I presented my Pistol and struck Fire against the Brest of the Leading-man without effect which failure in all likelihood might have encouraged and provoked him and his associates to have rusht in upon us naked Men and to have hew'd us in pieces but certainly there was more with us than was against us else had not a valiant tryed Officer with some Files of Souldiers for such I understood them to be afterwards at the sight only of two Men in their Shirts been struck with such a pannick fear that they suddainly and with great speed ran back through the Dining-Room not stopping in their flight nor recollecting their spirits until they came to the bottom of my Stairs To which Stairs top I in my Shirt with the like speed pursued them where upon a second demand of their intentions and who they were the Officer told me he was sent by Order from Major General Skippon to search a House in Somerset-House Yard and to apprehend two dangerous and disaffected Persons which before they could attach were slipt out of their Beds into the Cellar of that private House which by reason of the height of that great House above that Lean too had a Cellar under the Cellar belonging to my Lodgings from whence forcing up a board of the Flore they crept up into my Cellar and from thence to my Stare-case under which they hid themselves and after our parly were there found and taken These Persons he told me he and his Souldiers pursued through the same Hole into my Cellar and Lodgings supposing all to be but one and the same House whereupon I telling him my Name and rectifying the mistake The Officer came up to the Stair-head and craved pardon for his rash and dangerous Error I returning to my Bed and he with his Prisoners the same way that he came my Door into the House Court or Quadrangle being all this time fast lockt and bolted as we left it at our going to bed O Lord how did this ignorant and innocent mistake by thy all wise permission and ordering involve me into a double danger that thou mightest redouble Mercies had these Souldiers 〈◊〉 more knowing in their actings I had been more ignorant of thine yea if I had not been in so great danger I had not been so graciously delivered Thus to the answering and satisfying of all murmurings and objections against thy Government of the World thou dost exalt and justifie thy Holiness Power Wisdom and Righteousness in bringing forth Light out of Darkness and that not only out of things casually evil as here but out of what is morally evil as in Adam's fall which thy Omnipotency could have impeded did not the conjunction and greater shining forth in the midest of this black â—oile of thy Wisdome Justice Mercy and all other thy Attributes through the darkness and
Mercies and Deliverances O Lord thy many favours have so indebted me that I am a Bankrupt and unable to repay Wherefore I humbly beseech thee to seize upon all that I am and have to thy use and service yea nail my Ear to the Door of thy House that I may be thy Servant for ever so shall I still be a great gainer for thy service is perfect freedom And I had rather with King David be a Door-keeper in thy House than to dwell in the Tents of Wickedness or to sit upon the Thrones of the KINGS of the Earth Gracious God and Father let me not here forget that when thou didst thus frequently preserve us from the Infection of this Disease thou didst then at several times deliver from Death and dis-figuring Eleven of our Children even when some of them were in great danger thereof by this Malady Lord are my Children living Images and legible transcripts of my self yea self-multiplyed Then surely their Reprieves from Death and danger is mine and so to be acknowledged by me Wherefore in all Gratitude I offer them up to Thee as living Sacrifices of Praise Humbly intreating that my Sons and Daughters may be thine here in all fillial Obedience and that thou wilt please to be mine my Wife and Childrens Portion in this thy Kingdom of Grace and our Eternal Inheritance in thy Kingdom of Glory Amen The HOVSE of CORRECTION A Corolary Poem on the former Subject COme hither proud white Clay and sadly view Pride plum'd of all her Feathers in her new Denuded of her Silks and Sattins Webs of Worms Imbroideries Tissues and her rich Perfumes Her precious Jewels Pearles Her Lovers pawnes Her o're-fine Hollands Cambricks Cobweb-lawnes Her Flanders Lace all which poor Tenants wrack She carrying Farmes yea Mannors on her back This is that Day that fearful Malady In and by which the sinful Bravery Of Zion's Daughters shall be tain away As saith the Lord Their Ornaments most gay Tinklings about their Feet their Cawles round Tires Much like the Moon their Chaines Bracelets Attires Call'd Mufflers Bonnets Adornments of Legs Their Head-bands Tablets and those other dregs Of Pride their Ear-Rings and Nose-Jewels Rings Their divers sorts of Clothing Mantles Crisping-Pins Wimples fine Linnen Glasses Hoods and Vailes And whatsoever fills Prides swelling Sayles Tell me ye vaunting Nebuchadnezars Proud Herods and ambitious Caesars Ye painted Jesabels Herodiases False Delilahs and unchast Bernices Of our worst times What will you trembling say When Sergeant Pox arrests you And that Day Confines you to your Chambers binds you fast Vnto your sickly Beds long time then cast You into Burnings like to Hell next spots Your Body like a Toad confounds besots Your mind and senses makes you speechless lie Extending Tongue and Throat to strangling nie Shuts up your Eyes with Scabs denies your sight As clowding quite its Medium the Light Next he scalds-off your Absalon-like Hair That hath so oft been wanton with the Aire And nobler Creatures swells your Head and Face Big like your mindes and the Gigantick race Covers your Face with a corrupted Mud Which eats out your Complexion all that 's good And least it should a Resurrection have He buries it in Pits as in a Grave Yea your whole Body he scurffs o're with Scabs To teach you Pride shall cloth'd be with such Rags Lord hast thou me preserv'd unto this Day And my Consort from this deform'd Hidra Of pain and evils this Complication Of Maladies to Admiration Yea when thou Four and Six times visited Mine and her dwelling freely ransomed Eleven Children from dis-figuring Although the fruit of theirs and of my sin Who have been and still am most apt to be Guilty and sick of Pride Idolatrie As to all Gifts and Graces Children Wife House Land and other good things of this Life Which are thy Tallents put into my Hand To use and to repay at thy Command Not mine who now can nothing call my own But sin and its wages Hell Death Corruption O Lord accept my thankful heart thy Gift Which I return with Eyes and Hands up lift For thy Protections Ten-fold Antidote 'Gainst these infections ne're to be forgot Wherefore let my whole Man my Life my Pen Thy Praises Register for aie Amen ARGUMENT Vpon God's gracious Preservation of Me and my Wife from Poysoning or any Distemper after we had drank off a Tankard of Beer at the bottom of which we found dead a great venemous Spider Soliloquium or Discourse AS in my former Recovery from a Surfeit of Meat There was Mors in Olla Death in the Dish so here also Death lay in ambush in the Cup. For no sooner was Nature plentifully refresht but that at the sight of a great venemous Spider which lay dead at the bottom of the Por we had reason to fear that our Refresher would prove our Destroyer and our Drink our Poison At the discovery of this Enemy we were both afrighted and the more which may seem extraordinary and strange because it was dead whereas usually living not dead Adversaries are hurtful Whither this black and ugly Creature was as full of Malice as Poison and therefore burst her self in the Beer in a kind of Revenge For or as the effect of her drowning I know not nor had we time to be Coroners since our present danger did not admit of any delay as to the seeking for and taking an Antidote Our fear as is usual not neglecting or betraying such means and succors as reason offered Viz. The taking a good draught of the Oyle of Olives which by the blessing of our gracious God drown'd both our fear and danger we both remaining without the least Distemper in perfect health O Lord how true is that Proverb Latet Anguis in Herba that poysonous Asps lie covered in Cleopatra's Basket of Fruit and Flowers and that in a spiritual sense as well as corporal When hath my Soul been more in danger of the sting and venome of sin than in prosperity and in the sweet enjoyments of the lawful and necessary delights and refreshments of this life Such as Meat Drink and Cloathing Wife Children Relations great Offices and Preferments Riches Friends and Recreations Honors stately Houses and great Revenues In and under all which sin and deadly corruptions lurk and lie hid Wherefore blessed Lord and Saviour who art the power and wisdome of the Father and art by him made unto me Wisdom Teach me that in the use and enjoying of all these thy temporal blessings I may neither be superstitiously abstemious nor presumptuously secure that so whensoever I shall discover the venomous Spider of Sin lie in the bosome of any Earthly delights or refreshments I may instantly resort to my Antidote the Oyle Olive of thy Grace called in thy Word the Oyle of Gladness the Anointing So should sin break and cast out its Poison in any vicious temptation