of bloud upon thee is not thy nakednesse covered with scarlet of such price as puts a God in debt The redeemed adore the redeemer this is in the text Giving thanks to the Father who hath delivered us from the power of death c. a redeemed soul feeds two with every mercy himself and God he admires love this is feeding himself and then he praiseth God and this is feeding of God too Paul could not speak about soul-deliverance but he must make a breaking off and a breaking out Who shall deliver me I thank God Christ The soul is naturally active but as 't is freed by Christ 't is much more active and ascending it sends to God all that is done upon it The soul blesses necessarily as 't is blessed Soul-blessings make their qualitie in us suitable to themselves and to their own nature so much of God as they bring with them so much of God they leave in the soul and the soul necessarily carries as much of God to Heaven as it hath of God from Heaven in any mercy In the Devils arms there is singing drunkkards sing and worldlings sing In Christs armes there is singing too there is singing of halelujahs here the redeemed lift up the Redeemer every soul in Christs arms sings to him all Christs children can sing sweetly there are songs of Sion songs of deliverance Divine love makes gladnesse of heart a heart gladded gets into that bosome that made it so to dilate it self and that makes more gladnesse A redeemed soul is every day more admiring more praising him that redeemed him then other So many souls snatched out of hell so many sweet instruments of melody hath Christ in this world Christ glorifies to be glorified not a soul that Christ pulls out of the devils mouth but he is like Jonah when he came out of the belly of hell a humble relater of wonderfull things to God and man All that Christ takes out of the devils bosome and sets in his own stroke him and kisse him 3. The redeemed obey their redeemer Not a lambe taken out of the power of the wolf but follows the shepheard Your obedience is come abroad unto all saith the Apostle Whom Christ takes they become followers of him in the sight of all Redemption from the power of Sathan and the power of sinne are the same redeemed souls are out of both and obey neither they onely observe him that hath taken them I will run the waies of thy commandments when thou hast set my heart at liberty saith the Psalmist He speaks as a captive set at libertie that was glad of his legs and observe what wayes he takes to runne in I will runne the wayes of thy commandments The soul still is in behaviour as the power under which it is if under the power of sinne it walks sinnefully if under the power of Christ it walks holily in his commandments The soul is still according to the hand in which it is would you know in whose hand and power you are observe well then of what behaviour your souls are Sinners you wallow in your lusts and live according to the power of your corruption and yet many of you plead and glory in your redemption by Christ Your heart gives your tongue the lie and your life speaks you slaves to the devil and your lusts Is it a small thing to you to belie Christ and belie your souls to distract and make void divine redemption Are your souls redeemed and yet are they in slavery to sinne Acknowledge truth that discovers you and confesse your sad state this would better become you A bad state is remedilesse whilest 't is plead for as good the wicked may justifie themselves but God justifies none it will be double death to justifie that which God and conscience condemn Sinners you cut off your souls from grace by wicked confidence God does nothing for the man that thinks all is well but prepare double miserie for calling evill good As corruption is in strength let every soul complain O wretched man that I am c. Corruption makes wretchednesse according to its strength in every soul for as lust lives it misleads sinne will beare sway where 't is not thrust out the old man is not as some old men that sit still and do nothing but is very stirring corruption as it lives is imperious all must be her servants gifts parts yea the very heart Lust as it lives will bewitch your affection adulterate your judgement creep into your bosome and become your full delight then are you wretched souls indeed then are you galley-slaves Sinners consider this point corruption as it is in strength keeps its propertie in all the best of you all will find the devils heaven a hell Ah Lord what will his hell be then You will be weary of your lives as lust lives in you 't is such a bondage make what sweet out of it you can the more artificiall you become in acting and managing corruption the more power it hath in you and the sooner will it kill all your felicitie dead you will suddenly in the flame of lust cry out as that Martyr in a flame of fire in an other case Hell is come is come Sathan is come is come as he cried out Christ is come is come We may releive our selves from this point too respecting this land If power work irrisistablie to save the soul the salvation of the body is much more easie to it One devil is more strong then all the wicked men in England and yet the power which opposeth him about the soul which he most looks at and contends for is too hard for him Fearfull souls be strong you will see irresistable power snatch poore England as a brand out of the fire Power it self as irresistable should releive and as it hath such a propertie and so works snatching creatures when almost ready to be destroyed this should much more releive and raise the heart Were we much lower then we are yet irresistable power can put forth of a sudden and snatch us out of the mouth of lions and 't is its propertie so to do You are left now to fetch in your relief from God onely strike in to do it as you behold any propertie of any divine attribute to put forth it self Now you heare that this is the propertie of divine power to work irresistably Redemptio à nihilo que dam creatio est Means are still enough to that power which is absolute and to work so of a sudden to snatch out of miserie when all is ready to be swallowed up feed your weak souls with this and move at the throne of grace upon it and surely you will heare of God and England will be raised from the dust and have beauty for ashes Before your pots can feel the thorns he shall take them away as with a whirlwind both living and in his wrath And the righteous shall see this and joy
according to the will of God Verily unlesse a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abides alive but if it die it bringeth forth fruit John 12.24 God hath taken counsell of his will and turned the sea of love into a new channell the first covenant gave out all favours without bloud but the second through bloud through Christs bloud and our own Christs cup is called Gods will and our cup is called Christs will the will of God orders both these and therefore is Christs cup when full of bloud said to be Gods will not my will but thine c. And our bloudy cup also called Gods will if any suffer according to his will c. Great favours to come through great hardships is the will of God Means carry proportion to their end death to make death the death of Christ to make the death of the serpent bruising to bruise it was so proportioned by God It shall bruise thine head and thou shalt bruise his heel Nature hides her choise things closest and bids art use pains sutable to prise to obtain them and so doth grace she hides life in death our life is hid saith the Apostle where In bleeding dying Christ Wisdome orders great things to be obtained with great pains grace and glory in bloud in Christs bloud and our own Christ gets heaven by suffering and all that will live godly with him shall suffer too Means are generally proportioned to their end so by God to Christ and so by Christ to us This world is thrown upon men which is providence disposing sutable to things disposed this world is worth nothing and comes for nothing but the world to come is invaluable and the way to it proportionable the bloud of Jesus Christ and the bloud of his people the one per modum meriti the other per modum congrui Things are prised rather as they come then as they are farre fetched and dear bought makes all the prise and gives all the worth with us weak creatures upon this ground the Scripture when it speaks of our great fortune tells the great prise it cost as eying our weaknesse who look more at what things cost then at what things are and as knowing if any thing will work and take with us this will To him that loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his own bloud Rev. 1.5 Man is a legall creature and looks much at what is given for a thing and prises this more then that which comes for little he values things more under a notion of prise then under a notion of freenesse What did this cost why it cost Christs own bloud Fancie works foolishly in weak brains colour is more then the cloth and scarlet colour a generall taking colour and therefore is Christs garment dipt in bloud and he admired in this habit Who is this that comes from Edom with garments died red from Bozra Use Let no man be offended if mercy come any way to sinners though through never so much bloud and misery Sinne had totally and finally closed up every wombe of grace and it could not enter into the imagination of any creature that ever any dramme of mercy should find any way to them that the earth opens after much sweating and labouring and that heaven opens after much sweating and bleeding to send forth favours to sinners is beyond the expectation of men and Angels Mercy lay buried under impossibility of resurrection impossibilities reduced to difficulties and grace become fesable though with much cost is admirable Deadly sentence was with redoubled strength passed and not with a syllable of revocation for any lost creature to make the least guesse at any restauration By dying thou shalt die c. Here is the grave of a whole world of felicity and a stone rolled upon it daring all powers in heaven and in earth to open it if they can and that grace notwithstanding so buried should rise and become atainable is admirable I wonder that all the world is not bleeding and howling in hell and every one catching his bloud as it falls and writing out his fall in capitall letters to the glory of justice to all eternitie 't is wonderfull to me that it is not the whole imployment of all the creatures in this world to drown one another in bloud to stab tear and rend one another in pieces without any ceasing as that world below doth that there are not two hells a higher and a lower an upmost and a nethermost and that this is not as bad as that that all of this side heaven is not hell out-right Murmuring spirits be patient you think much to see so much spoil and bloudshed in the land 't is the way of God to bring great things to man through the bloud of prime brave persons are brave things brought forth Is there a braver person then Christ in the land or in any land and yet through his sides and through his bloud must great and gallant favours come You eye your pain and not Gods pleasure his way is in the deep the Leviathan tumbles there in the sea in the red sea in bloud and death to life and glory do ye think to justle God out of his wayes as ye justle a man Murmuring is spirit justling against spirit a bad against a good and the worst will have the worst for God treads such to death as will not give him his way You know that God fell out with his own people deadly when they disliked the way of hardship which he had cast them into to humble them and to do them good under heathen princes Let a wise man propose such an end and such a way to it let it be what it will red or white fair or foul you honour him in all and with joy look for good in this way give God this honour Wisdomes way to great things is in bloud in the bloud of some prime persons to the life and welfare of many One or two things may make us give God the honour of his way to such an end let his way be never so sad in our eye God alwayes makes his way most just to what end soever he bends mercy comes clothed but like your sinne when it comes clothed in scarlet your sinnes are crimson scarlet sinnes you die mercies red and bloudy 't is not God Justice treads upon sinne properly upon man accidentally as he lies under it if no body did ly under sinne justice would tread no body to death to bring life into the world nor shed a drop of any ones bloud to bring the greatest blessings to us God goes after man because man will not go after God justice follows sinners because sinners will not follow righteousnesse God doth not step a step in a way of punishment but as you lead him and to trace you in your wayes of sinne all wayes of bloud and death you chalk out to him you lead love out of his way and
Blessed be one good neighbour or how solitary should we be in earth Defile not the land which ye shall inhabite wherein I dwell saith Christ Numb 35.34 The earth would be hell did not Christ dwell in it you have much misery kept off by one good neighbour you have and you might have more if you did but get more acquaintance with him You have lived a great while in the earth and so hath Christ do ye know him do ye love him he maketh the earth a blessing as base as 't is to such A mans felicity dependeth altogether upon the favour of God let his dwelling be where ' twill Earth is heaven hell is heaven when God dwelleth with one there Mourning creatures tell me where do ye dwell In a vally of tears In earth doth Christ dwell with you doth he dwell in earth too in your hearts then be cheared for he will wipe all tears from your eyes and if your hearts be a rest for him he will be a rest for them when you have none in earth When the earth trembles and melts you have one that dwelleth in it that will see you shall do well Christians visit your next neighbour often lie in his bosome whilest you live on earth you will live very desolate else were the earth a better place then ' t is I pitty all that live in this world 't is so base and miserable but them that live without God in this world my heart bleedeth over them Some live where they have no good neighbour nor no friend and they truly have a bad life on it some live so in earth that it were as good they were in hell almost whipt in body tortured in soul longing for death and yet it must not be because not yet full ripe for hell Ah Lord here is a dwelling in earth indeed what difference now between earth and hell All you that live in earth and live in your sinnes expect such a life every houre The earth groneth it beareth so many and so naught sinners do not you grone too Do not you grone to Christ to be better The earth will be eased of her burden quickly but not you your place will be changed quickly but not for the better all that are now in earth will be anon in hell that do not leave their sinnes quickly the sword and strange diseases are going about for this purpose and do you not see how they sweep the earth Coloss 1.16 Visible and invisible c. THe works of God afford man a full soul-imployment Some things are subjected to sence and these are called visible but other things are not subjected to sence but ordered for more noble powers of the soul to make at and these are called invisible The soul is manifold in its acts and operations and so is Christ that all the soul may follow him There is a manifold grace of God as the Apostle speaketh a grace visible and a grace invisible and the soul can make at both and so Christ would have it The eye can see the eare can heare the heart can conceive here is working without and within Conception is operation about invisibilia unseen things 't is a spirit at work upon words shaping out to it self what they but mentioned as countries and creatures where the body never was nor never saw but onely shall divine conception 't is a spirit taking shiping as it were in the word and sayling round the world taking in visible and invisible things to leave out none of Christ The soul is noble in its acts and Christ would lose none for want of imployment if visible things be to low to be busied about there be invisible if there be nothing without doore to be found for imployment to wit in earth it may find something within about invisible things by going to Heaven Creation is laid by Christ with gradation higher and higher visible and invisible if one room be too low the soul may go higher as high as it will as high as it hath power the works of Christ lie as high as the tallest spirit can reach The soul is not forc'd but drawn to noble action Creation is temptation the works of God are laid so as to entice the soul higher and higher like Jacobs ladder till it come as high as it should be When the eye of the body is weary of looking upon bruits trees and such like visible things as are here then the eyes of the soul may go one room higher in the ladder towards Heaven to things which are not seen to that invisible place and societie above The soul is remiss'd in his acts in works as well as in words Christ leaveth this without excuse Man was never without full imployment Adam had it and the sonnes of Adam have it There is a double book of words and a double book of works to reade and one higher then the other one visible and the other invisible one for the eyes of the body another for the eyes of the soul and I wonder what idle souls will say for themselves when Christ cometh to reckon with them You have a talent and imployment for it a soul such a noble soul and such noble imployment both neglected will lie heavie upon you Bodily sloth you cannot bear and soul-sloth Christ cannot bear soul-sloth is enraging sinne and observe how angrily Christ chargeth it Thou wicked and slothfull servant shouldst thou not have imployed what I gave thee to my advantage Matth. 25.26 take from him what he hath saith Christ A man hath his soul taken away that imployeth it not an idle soul becometh a besotted soul a besotted soul is no soul a spirit dead and buried in the flesh powers and parts are blasted and withered when neglected Soul-idlenesse about divine things springeth sometimes from too much imployment about humane and such men neither know their hearts nor yet this time worldly now and you will be worldly when the world cometh to be burnt The soul is first let loose from divine things and then when 't is abroad it will not be lured in again by them though held up to them Wicked worldlings you know not what you do when you let your souls loose to the world there 't is curst and becometh wild and will not return though words of God and works of God all that God is and doth be held up to it and therefore is the prodigall said to be lost for this my sonne was lost c. Sometimes soul-idlenesse about divine things springeth from dislike of them Some the God of this world blindeth them and 't is idle to talk to these of visible or invisible things for all that is good is invisible to them they know not how to set their spirits about any thing but to make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it Ah Lord how blind how base are some souls No word of God no work of God visible to them under a divine
yet no mourning for the dead This generation affrighteth me what are become of spirituall bowels are they ript up too are bad men dead and good men dead and is there no life left Ignorant men dead men of light dead death passeth over all passion swayeth high and low 't is a pang of death and presageth the death of all if the Lord heal it not Prepare coffins and graves for the dead dead sinners dead Christians buy your winding-sheets make your wills if there be any life in me your condition is dangerous The axe is laid to the root now I beleeve every dead tree will down ere Christ lay down his axe Danger onely stirreth some men sinners stand up from the dead do you see nothing coming towards you God is against you is not he all enemies and all engines the sword of man may be sheathed yet will you be cut off not a wilfull sinner will be spared for the anger of the Lord is against you justice visites but seldome but when she doth she sweeps every room Every one that is proud and every one that is lofty Esay 2.12 Proud flesh is dead flesh every one that swelleth against Christ shall be lanced every one that stoopeth not shall be broken Without Christ will sweep clean within he will do the same even amongst his own he will throughly purge his floore If you have any life in you think of these things Londoners Londoners now trading is dead think of your dead hearts these two yeares and upward trading hath been very dead why this tenne yeare this twenty yeare thy heart hath been dead a dead name a dead state a dead body suit a dead soul If you have any love to your bodies or any love to your souls looke out after spirituall life or all will die for ever Two things tend to spirituall life Christ strongly applied his ordinances throughly pursued Christ is the first risen from the dead and whom he taketh by the hand arise next after him Death and him that had the power of death Christ hath destroyed and all that would do the like must come to him Perversnesse will kill sinners quite the dead want life because they will not come to Christ You will not come to me that you may have life Dead hearts look to it your sinnes loved and Christ rejected you cannot live you must let Christ kill any thing so he will but make alive your souls cut off any thing a right hand so he will but unite what remaineth to himself Our merit must not be thought of for alas what can the dead do but Christs merit and order both must Christ killeth and then maketh alive he slayeth pride and bringeth souls to fall at his feet willing to be done any thing with and then he doth all for them Waters of life are given to swouning persons they that grone and are heavie loden with sinne and come to Christ they find ease a spirit of life and joy Coming to Christ is application of Christ He hath loved me and given himself for me He satisfieth for me he intercedeth for me he appeareth in the face of perfect righteousnesse for me All these are vitall acts the soul that indeed this moveth is joyned to all the living and is a lively soul indeed Christs merit and Christs spirit is this mans he hath eternall life abiding in him and is passed from death You must drink of the waters that Christ profereth you and then you will find a well of waters springing up in you to everlasting life He that shall drink of the waters which I shall give him c. If the stomach be weak to this lively ordinances must be looked out dead ordinances make dead souls Ordinances that are as the tree of life of the Lords own planting speak Christ to the life and make dead souls alive Coloss 1.18 That in all things he might have the preheminence THe latitude of Christs dominion is here exprest 't is without limits and without parallel Some are great in such a compasse every ones Sun hath a circle every ones glory hath circumference every ones Sceptre hath bounds they can command onely within such a countrie none are over all not the greatest Princes that are but Christ hath an universall command in all things he hath the preheminence Evill hearts swell bigge and sometimes rise high pride nesteth it self among the Stars and yet then it is below Christ No man is so bigge in conceit as Christ is in deed nor so high in thought as Christ is really Vice when at highest is below Christ Virtue when at highest 't is below Christ all is under his feet Evill men cannot over match Christ by their sinne good men cannot over match him in their virtue he is sweeter then the sweetest soul alive He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lillie of the valleyes he is above opposition and above comparison things averse to him can take nothing from him and things congruous to him can adde nothing to him Our righteousnesse extendeth not to him Our righteousnesse no nor Angels righteousnesse among all things in earth and in Heaven he hath the preheminence The command of Christ is proclaim'd in this expression how large his commission is to controll all Universall dominion is large too long and too broad for any creature to travell it speaketh many things we shall touch some We will travell as farre in Christs dominion as we can in an houre The word speaketh power destructive power instructive power inspective Christ hath a destructive power over all he hath many enemies yet not one above him many have fought with him but he hath slain them all In the field Christ hath preheminence I will instance but in one battell that Christ fought Exod. 14.28 He destroyed Pharaoh and all his Host that there remained not so much as one of them saith the Text. Which is admired again Psal 106.11 The waters covered their enemies there was not one of them left He had amongst all the preheminence indeed Enemies are many and they are upon Christs back and there for a long while and make long furrows but he fetcheth them off his back and layeth them under his feet all of them He must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet 1. Cor. 15.25 If you have many upon your back 't is very disadvantageous in fight you cannot so easily fetch them off all but it is all one to Christ to have many behind him as before him those that are upon his back he can fetch them off and lay them under his feet with ease he is the best at the use of his arms he hath the preheminence in warre a destructive power over all Christ hath an instructive power over all he can teach all nations his commission is so large English Dutch French he can make knowledge cover the face of the earth as the waters do the sea Christ can as the sunne till all
tittle of his will shall live though bad and good shoot at it Satan hath as large an army in the field now as ever was known bad men good men Satan is got into Judas yea and he is got into Peter Master drive gently drive warily save your skin and avoid the bloody cup and yet Christ will be too hard for both Christ wants wit and wants learning and many things else in the eyes of standers by and yet though so weak conquers God hath chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise God should be honoured in his way the Psalmist breaks forth sweetly into blessing God from this ground that God out of the mouth of babes should ordain strength And so Deborah notes it in her song specially and sweetly how Jael a woman did a mans work and used a mans instrument She put her hand to the nail and her righ hand to the work-mans hammer Women are usuall very aucherd at mans work left-handed but Jael is right-handed at it she put her right hand c. and that which was a work-mans hammer is now a work-womans hammer and she blesses God and extols him that â—â—us trode down strength by weaknesse and turn'd a woman into a man and a man into a beast and butchered him on the ground So should we now that children are turned into men little prentise boyes made valiant to cut off the mighty and do the great works of the kingdome and little towns and villages to waste great forces Certainly we of this Land are very much behinde hand with God in honouring and praising of him according to this admirable way of working Things that are precious you will lose none of them you save the very dust of gold The manifestations of God are the most precious things in all the world the very dust of Gods feet in every path of his we should carefully keep we should talk of all his doings how much more therefore of his wonderfull doings when he doth much with nothing and much for nothing for worse then nothing to wit sinfull man How God goes in the Sanctuary and how he goes out of the Sanctuary in the family in the city in the countrey in the army upon what weak legs and with what little toes should be all written down in the heart first and then carried up to heaven for God to reade Our father loves to have his children brought home to him often to see them and their Nurse how well they prosper together You cannot present God with a more taking sight in all the world then with one of his own actions with its speciall circumstances They were under the Law to lay their hand of the head of some offerings that was to point out Christ on whom they trusted Bring an offering to God any action of God with its speciall circumstances and you lay your hand on the head of the offering you point out Christ to all the world as he whom you trusted on in your way and as he whom you would have all else to do the like and on none else and this is very sweet to God he loves to lie high in the breast of all God hath done things in England so me thinks as to be crowned for ever in every English heart by a very noise amongst the Mulberry trees he makes the mighty run and fall Not by might nor by power but my Spirit saith God 'T is by how much God gains in your hearts that you are to measure his love to you in his works With little God doth much for you if with much you do little for him in speaking of him and living to him all will end sadly at last If nothing will set an instrument in tune you break it and burn it this makes me feare our state in the midst of hope God is very good to thee England but thou continuest very bad dead inwardly dead spiritually which according to reason one would think should make death corporally Finally this way of God should be trusted in or this God which can thus work should be firmly rested on When extremities are great and little means appearing then our hearts sink now misery is mortall but of our own making for 't is all one with God to save with few as with many Nothing kills the man so long as faith keeps alive and faith can never die if the soul well consider the point in hand that any thing is enough for God to work salvation by I am much in debt but a little oile in the cruce left God can blesse a little to rise to a subsistance and to discharge off all ingagements A little of God is enough to make one very rich very strong very wise very blessed in all conditions let misery be as much as ' twill Some are disheartened from duty because opposites before them are many visible advantages very few these soules lie insnared in their own devices and dye at a distance from God which they have set themselves to keepe their body safe with a little light and an honest heart God can enable to doe much to fight with the Prince of darknesse very learned heads and very malicious hearts Did not God inable many poore women and illiterate men to befoole the bloudy Clergie of the former ages of the world and to hold faith and a good conscience in despight of all Were not them we read of in the Hebrewes out of weaknesse made strong and the point in hand tells us that this is the way of God Resolution should carry on to dutie and then let God alone to carry on in it how weake soever you are or how strong soever your enemies are A great dore was opened to Paul and there were many enemies at it he but one and weake and yet along he would and venter upon Christ to make way through them which makes one weake one stronger then a thousand COLOSSIANS 1.22 In the body of his flesh through death IN severall verses foregoing the extremitie of Christs sufferings is mentioned and yet here againe In whom we have redemption through his bloud vers 14. This is repeated and amplified ver 20. where 't is call'd the bloud of his crosse Here is the same thing repeated but with variation of termes what before was called bloud and bloud of the crosse is here called death Christ did bleed to death for sinners Christ underwent much but it workes but little upon us Often repetition of the same thing is for energies sake that what is not laid to heart at once speaking may be at second often repetition of Christs sufferings speaks lowdly this That 't is a hard thing to be kindly and throughly affected with what others undergoe for us Doctr. Jacob underwent much for Laban so did David for Nabal heat and cold but both coldly remembred such cold carnall wretches they were both Earth hath no sense this is the state of our soules naturally Can a stone
simply considered never ceases they in heaven do Gods will and are proposed as our pattern on earth they are so exact in the observation of it but the painfull observation of Gods will which is by reason of corruption within us and wicked spirits without us this ceases as soon as we step out of this vile body but not before They move to Christ above as Christ doth to them with the same spirit of freedome joy triumph and glory That they may be one as we are There is no sighing and groaning mourning dying to accomplish Gods will above all move there as the Angels with delight every one milks out love from the breasts of Christ and sings over the Pail to behold how full 't is and how free it comes and yet though it cost all these to obey any truth of God here we are not to cease our course Every childe is brought forth with pain but some with more then others it costs life to bring forth some yet it 's horrible wickednesse for any to strangle the birth to prevent the pain Benjamin must be born though it cost Rachel her life She was a shadow of the Church which must bring forth Christ in all his will though we die in travell if you abide throughly of the faith Vse You see how heaven bears break truth and break your back and what groaning will that make no groaning so sad to do as that which is by not doing Gods will Heaven and Gods will are linked together break the link if it be but one link and the jewel falls and is lost Heaven is a Jewel hanged in a golden chain break one link of the golden chain and you lose the Jewel 'T is nothing to desperate souls to make void Gods Law I wonder at them Is it nothing to lose heaven to untwist the golden chain upon which your eternall treasure hangs Transgression stupifies this is the killing quality of sin Sinners mind not what they do when they throw off the will of Christ any part of the will of Christ you throw away your life Heaven lies wrapt up in truth in that truth which you will not submit to Would something would work upon wicked hearts upon the desperate wicked hearts of this age that sin might abate amongst us or else the sword of Gods wrath is like to eat us out Alas for us all I know not what hand of God is upon us wrath findes a great deale of matter among us to work upon and we can finde none When we presse love to Christ and observation of his will every man washeth his hands I do it saith one and I do it saith another Will you lie before the face of the Judge of all the world now he sitteth upon the bench upon the life and death of the kingdome Men are worst which think themselves best if there be any plague that kill thee England 't will be thy Laodicean temper that thou thinkest thou art clean and art not washed from thy filthinesse that thou needest nothing and yet observest nothing Euangelically that looks like a lovely State Our point sets us too high a great deal to speak to this generation it calls for exact observation and we are by the hand of God upon us cast into the quite contrary a generation that had a little conscience but now have none Loosnesse and lewdnesse overspread the multitude brawniness and benummedness the more ingenious good men become bad bad stark naught and stink above ground 'T is worse then blood and death to heare and see in every place where one comes what mire and dirt our troubled waters cast up as if war were a ticket under Gods own hand to dispence with all wickednesse O the oaths the execrations whoredoms oppressions outrages of all sorts that the very highwayes and villages are filled with where ever one comes The stink of your camps enough to kill a good heart at a great distance 'T is sad that the blood and bodies of the dead should taint and poison the living that we should die swearing and blaspheming If there be any tender hearts among you carry these things home and mourn for I am fearfull what they presage The work of this point is not only to winde you off from prophanenesse but wind you up to exactnesse to through walking with Christ We halt the fruit of it is upon us the hand of God will not yet cure it what it may Christ only knowes The heart must have its latitude 't is every ones saying this To hit the white is not needfull one may shoot well that doth not this But can one shoot well that aimes not at this I presse towards the mark I forget what is behinde if by any means I may obtain the resurrection Here is the property of grace in life it owns nothing but perfection makes at nothing else 't is in aim and industry all Christs Men are charmed with their own unsoundnesse the heart secretly sinfully ingaged aim and industry are really correspondent hereunto what ever verball flourish be made to better spirits and persons that stand by here is a man strangling himself in his bed which is a condition that makes little noise every thing is so artificially managed to destruction yet alas it is the common profession of this time How far will these times beare with a profession of Gods will How far will Christs honour and mine consist Here the soul wasts its strength If there be any intense through action now on foot it lies here so to shape the course and posture to the right and left that the man may take in all worldly advantages of both sides along as he â—â—es There is much art in this but 't is all cursed 't were well if the man had lesse policy and more integrity There is much advange in this but it comes to nothing the plague of an hypocrite is upon this condition which will eat a man out if he had all the world There is more of heaven in a plain heart in a moment then this man sees in all his dayes The advantage of through action is this A man gets much of Christ much grace much glory Some mens religion is a principle of jugling with conscience and the world 't is a temptation upon thousands at this day these lose what they seem to have Christ and all grace quite Christ kicks off every Judas quite that kisseth him and kisseth enemies to him too for his own advantage but a soul that cleaves throughly to Christ hath much of him the dispensations of Angels Stephen shined like an Angel owning Christ in the face of deadly and bloody opposers Externall dispensations cannot be stood upon how Christ appears to honour the persons of men that will go to the grave with him is more uncertain they have the face the tongue and the food of Angels when it may do them good and torture devils that vex them Externall concurrence is sure
ENGLAND Faithfully watcht with In her Wounds OR Christ as a Father sitting up with his Children in their swooning state Which is the summe of severall Lectures painfully preached upon COLOSSIANS 1. By Nicho. Lockyer M. A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX I will stand upon my watch and abide upon the tower and intensely fix my meditation to perceive what he will speak in me and what I shall answer when upon my argumentation Hab. 2.1 But watch thou in all things bear evils fulfill thy Ministery 2 Tim. 4.5 Published according to Order LONDON Printed by M. S. for John Rothwell at the Sun and Fountain in Pauls Church-yard and Ben. Allen at the Crown in Popes-head Alley 1646. To the distressed DOMINIONS OF ENGLAND EVery Creature since the fall is very unruly * Paerae Adam all the earth is wilde 't is the Scriptures Motto upon the creation and of the more magnitude any way the more unruly the bigger in bulk or brain the bigger bent upon it to destroy all neither God nor self excepted The misery of the creatures is distinguished in this point by Solomon oft into folly and madnesse there is a kinde of madnesse in all inferiour creatures and as such are cast into prison Job out of the grate of his own prison saw such a truth and instanceth some of the creatures below him instead of all the rest though not so meekly I think as should have been considering whom he spake to Job 7.12 Am I a Sea or a Whale that thou putt'st gnalai mishmar a prison upon me Job grants madnesse in creatures below him and their imprisonment upon this ground to be just but saw not his own strong distemper by which he did so criminate Christ which neither the Whale nor the Sea nor any creature else below man doth which was not only madness but folly and madness i. reason forced into more then unreasonablenesse Kingdomes and Nations may for their magnitude be fitly compared to Whales and Seas and the one as easily as the other doth the great God cast into prison when mad and truly thus have the Dominions of England for the generality been a great while and 't is well if all our bleeding hath any whit asswag'd it and therefore though wee have suffered much and yet may much more we cannot look out at the grate of our prison and criminate him that cast us in A contented person cannot be miserable no more can a contented Kingdome Contentednesse hath much when she hath but a house over her head A prison-house is a house * Yea a pit is a house beth habbor Jer. 37.16 although not all-out so well furnished and accommodated as other houses there is something harder fare lodging and usage but yet some shelter and some nourishment to keep life beside opportunities to cry out at prison-windows to enlarge short allowance and many a refreshment comes in at windows when dores are shut and the man still a prisoner The prison-house of the Whale is its own element which lessens much his bondage so I may say to these Nations our prison-house hath been our own Land which considering how small 't is how wasting and desolating our triall and how neer many big mouths which gape after us is the unexpressible love of Christ this mercy is more then all our misery Besides we have not been close prisoners we have had the liberty to cry out at our prison windows and have got many refreshments from Heaven this way in our greatest straits and hardships which indeed also addes much to the magnitude of our mercies Some stars which seem but small and scarce to twinkle with any visible rayes at first looking upon yet biggen much both in magnitude and lustre by a fixed eye upon them So truly will all the mercies of Christ to England in those Christians eyes who can seriously fix upon them Misery look't upon as mixed with mercy is as course earth inlaid with precious Ore very delightfull and gainfull but otherwise lookt on it imbitters and worsens those on whom it is of which great evill England take heed Many now complain much of bad times which should amongst Christians have a Christian construction but to speak properly in this point times are bad only to bad hearts and unto them indeed they are very bad Sinners have worsen'd very much I grant in these few yeers of Gods heavie hand upon us more I think then in many yeers before thousands look now very black in the face as neer death wrath and cutting off which lookt but a little while ago as Cedars in Lebanon and as if they would have liv'd a long life even life for evermore From marad which signifies to rebell comes marud which signifies poor afflicted cast out They which rebell under the hand of God against the will and wayes of God may talk and vaunt of impoverishing afflicting and casting out others but Christ will bring all these upon them The trialls which were upon England in the Bishops time occasioned many apostates so have those which have been lately upon us between the King and Parliament which generation of men are the sharpest swords to kill a Land * When changes in a kingdome make changelings i. from Christ so the Hebrews call an Apostate Deut. 21.18 Moreh signifies saith Mr. Ainsworth one that turns inwardly to the worse and such a one I may call Morah novacula a Razor If there be any Razors in a Kingdome to cut the throat on 't these are they The Eastern parts of the world had a prison which they called Maphecheth from Haphach vertit to turn because evertuntur sontium corpora the limbs and bodies of men were wrested and turned out of joynt But though these prisons were bad yet those are far worse which wrest and turn the soules of men out of joynt i. further off from Christ and his will then they were before and yet so hath thy prison poor England done to many Such sad events of Gods hand call every heart in his place to be a faithfull watch-man to be more then vigilantes to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Shepherds which gave tidings of Christ were called Sub dio degere Livers in the field One may be vigilans in his bed as the Critick speaks though he stir not out of his house but our condition calls every one in his place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to watch at home and abroad in the city and in the field to lay out and lie out to know no canopy so glorious as the open heavens my meaning is we should so intend the good of Church and State publike and private so watch over all as to give out all in the work At this height for thy welfare England and the glory of Christ I have sincerely aimed and endevoured and shall do in the few daies and little strength I have left An acceptable testimony of what I have done let this labour
your affections burn and your hearts beat to be redeemed That 's well then there is but one step more believe and you are redeemed out of bondage and this will be wrought it will spring and grow insensibly out of those pantings and breathings which are upon you I have seen the bondage of my people and I have heard their cry saith God When bondage makes crying out O what shall I do and who shall deliver me Enemies are got into a body and are deadly strong a body of death besets my soul and in the midst of this body shall not I loose my soul Now the sinner is turned from iniquity and now the redeemer comes to Sion Let the redeemed admire and adore the redeemer this one thing I will touch and give up the point and I am the rather induced unto it because 't is the use made in my text In whom we have redemption through his bloud Which words are spoken in way of admiration and thanksgiving and are but the continuation of that thanksgiving which is begun in the verse fore-going The redemption of the soul is precious silver would not reach it gold would not reach it onely the precious bloud of Christ would do it precious bloud must stirre and precious spirits leap from this consideration as high as heaven and spurtle up in Gods face Freedome binds man all must be sent to heaven that is saved from hell Let the redeemed say this and say that saith the Psalmist Redemption is obligation who ever hangs by his harp a redeemed person must not because he hath his advantage with him above all others his lesson set and laid before him yea his instrument tuned and put into his hand his lips are opened as the Psalmist speaks 't is but stirre thy tongue and matter cannot be wanting nor affections be able to lie still He that died for us must be perfumed and carried home honourably and buried in his own countrey as Jacob was he that died for you on earth must be perfumed by praises and carried to his own countrey and buried in heaven You must not bury Christ in his works but take him up out of his works and words and carry him to heaven and bury him there Nature abhorres burying things in their own bloud you must not bury Christ in his own bloud but take him up out of his bloud and bath him and perfume him and lay him to sleep in the arms of his father The redemption we speak of here and would have you thankfull for respects your souls and your bodies what mercy comes to either is a blessing from Christ as a Redeemer Not a deliverance in these bloudy times but from the bloud of Christ from that great redeemer that sits in heaven Bodily redemption is but the outside of soul-redemption I hope the blindest sight will be able to see the out-sides of mercy Blind wretches look upon temporall redemptions which now Christ makes and see if you can blesse him for these you had not had the lives of your bodies nor the livelihood of your estates at this houre had not your redeemer pleaded for you had not he pleaded for you w th his bloud you had been all ere this tumbling in your own bloud you had had your bloud trod under foot by those which have long trod under foot the bloud of Christ One redeemer works all redemptions for soul and body one redeemer pleads in soul-cases and in bodily cases See a full plain place Prov. 23.18 Enter not into the fields of the fatherlesse for their redeemer is mightie he shall plead their cause with thee It is but one redeemer that pleads for us in spirituall things and in corporall and therefore in all mercies both spirituall and corporall let Christ be honoured and praised Coloss 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his bloud THe way of grace is here considerable life comes through death God comes in Christ and Christ comes in bloud to save The choisest mercies come through the greatest miseries prime favours come swimming in bloud to us Through a red sea Israel came to Canaan Many a man lost his life and much bloud shed the very land flowing with milk and honey made to flow with bloud ere Israel could inherit the promise seven nations were destroyed ere the land of Canaan was divided to the Israelites Acts 13 19. Israel came to Canaan through bloud and kept in Canaan through bloud Samson was strangled in his own bloud like Christ to keep bloud and life in that blessed people The harlot had her life by a scarlet thread and so had the rest of her faith As the promised land so the promised crown came swimming to David in bloud how many men died and how near was David death many times ere that promise of his honour did live Josephs garment was dipt in bloud and he dead alive for so many years and this was the way to his greatnesse and to the saving of the life of all the holy seed Sinne makes mercie so deadly hard in bringing forth to cristen every precious child every Benjamin Benoni every sonne of Gods right hand a sonne of sorrow and death to her that brings him forth Adam's sweets had no bitter till he transgressed Gods will one mercie did not die to bring forth another till he died One creature was a felicitie for another and none a death to or for another mercy generated mercy and man fed upon the cream and top of all and yet the bottom as sweet as the top mans felicitie was no creatures misery under him they were happy in him and he in them and all in the presence of God to each I will rain bread from heaven saith God to Moses and this was an extraordinary thing then and yet ordinary to Adam before his fall spiritually understood he had all his provision without cost or toil his felicity descended from heaven upon him as dew heaven and earth opened and not any ones sides or veins and so mercy streamed upon him he had his felicity with no more hardship then Angels Man would have his pleasure and God would have his too divine pleasure hath turned the course of love The sea hath runne so many thousand years in such a channell yet God can when he will turn it into another though so broad and big an element The sea is bottomlesse but not boundlesse 't is ordered by the pleasure of God and so is mercy the will of God bounds it orders it keeps it in and lets it forth through what channells it will life through death heaven through hell The first covenant was sealed with life the tree of life was the seal of Adams first grace and favour the second covenant is ratified with death the tree of life must die or else none could live by eating of it 't is not life out of life now as out of the first covenant but life out of death and this necessarily because
please themselves in this but Christ is not pleased Sinne maketh motions that is nothing how is it harkned to This denominateth dominion or not doth every stirring make thee grone wretched man c. Dost thou carry sinne to Christ when it is about to carry thee to the Devil Lord this is the plague of my heart heal it this universally practiced speaketh the reign of Christ some of you are by pangs plaintifes against corruption and then another while defendants and plaintifes against one corruption upon some more then ordinary evil that falleth out upon it and then defendants in reference to another that taketh better to your designes this mans eyes are out and Satan hath him by the hand and the Lord knoweth whither he will lead him You that cannot so well understand this may consider the next Sinne universally hated Truth universally loved speaketh Christs dominion indeed in the soul Truth is homogeneall and is all sweet to a sweet soul the heart conquered by Christ all his Lawes are holy just and good Christs yoke is easie and burdensome things light Truth is no pressure not simply as a truth I think where the soul is sincere the pressure is if any that it cannot love enough nor obey enough things of such a noble nature One of the first things Christ taketh is love here he fortifieth till he hath taken all other parts here he mounteth cannons against all that is naught and issueth out from hence and taketh in all that is truth Love is Christs fort-Royall in the soul mighty vast and holdeth play on all sides for all truth and against all sinne A soul under the command of Christ loveth much though he can do but little loveth all truths though he can scarce practice one Christ is a King of glory into whatsoever everlasting doores he cometh every line in Christs book is glorious every hair upon Christs head glorious where he is a head Christs head is bushy and black as a Raven lines of truth are black hairs of that head that ruleth and they are all beautifull in that heart that is married to Christ The summe of all is this as Christ ruleth in the heart so is the life you may look without and see who ruleth within a through conversation speaketh a through dominion of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Having spoke to discover a few things more I would deliver to draw your hearts to come under the rule of Christ Whom Christ ruleth he defendeth power attendeth truth Christ upholdeth goings in his paths men may justle against us but Christ will uphold Christ will make his own way and lead bravely if men would but follow him this is all that Christ calls for that men will but follow him Follow me saith he often and I will make you this and make you that Christ will make his way rhrough the blond of thousands through the bloud of Towns Cities Kingdomes but he will have his own Kingdome stand Malice strikes craftily and desperately yet this head will ward as well no evil shall accomplish its end as long as Christ reigneth Why do the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing The wrath of God maketh the wrath of man vain in its hottest pursuit He is dead that seeketh thy life saith the holy Ghost Kings and great men rage against us but they will burn to death with the flame that is in their breasts a bad spirit beats out it self to death The cannons which malice mounts are double loaded and recoyl and kill the cannoneeâ—s and that is Christs way of destroying those that would destroy his Christ delighteth those which he ruleth through obedience takes Christ Christ taken expresseth it This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased Christ did throughly obey and he fed upon the sweet of it here he had meat to eat in this world which none knew of There is no straight when a man doth his duty Christ maketh enlargement in bonds joy in sorrow life in death Christ doth counterwork the world there desire is to rob us of peace and rob us of joy but it shall not be saith Christ In me you shall have peace what ever you meet with in the world Wisdomes wayes are pleasant when bloudy when men are froward Christ is kind the churlishnesse of Laban made God speak often and very sweetly to Jacob Christ smileth upon tender consciences when the world frowneth his bosome is open to give rest when the sighing spirit breatheth out it self to him What is thy request Hester will pride trample thee under foot It shall not As no time is unseasonable to shew duty to Christ so no time unseasonable for an obedient soul to find favour with him Finally whom Christ ruleth he crowneth obedience maketh losse and Christ thinketh of this and worketh it to gain in another world Duty maketh laying out and yet laying up laying out of name state strength life on earth and laying up of other guise things then these in Heaven Hence forth is laid up for me a crown c. What you lose in earth Christ layes it up in Heaven and when you come home you shall have it again with advantage your name again your estate again your life again all that you loose in obedience to your heavenly head and soveraign Christ doth nothing in order to merit but much in order to bounty If you suffer with him you shall reign with him Spiritually fight and maintain Christ a King and he will crown you Kings Troubles affright much but alas what is man Call upon flesh and bloud upon your weak hearts to think of eternity you and all that quarrell with you shall move before the King whom you obey 1. Coloss 18. and he is the head c. MAnna lies in a heap in this word as I have formerly told you Head speaks every office of Christ as King Christ is Head as Priest he is Head he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 head-priest Prince-Priest as the Greek word notes both and as the authour to the Hebrews useth the word Christ bears office to the creature but no inferiour office he doth officiate to rule the body but 't is as the chief Commander he doth officiate to save the body but 't is as chief-priest as head-priest as prince-priest as king of Salem There was a principalitie in the priest-hood under the Law there was a holy crown put upon the mitre Exod. 29.6 I will demonstrate the principality of Christs Priesthood or Priests office The designation of Christ to his Priestly office is noble we are sacrificers according to the law of a carnall commandment our ordination is from men but his from God the Counsel of State above sets out this embassadour of peace called of God an high priest Heb. 5.10 Christ had princely ordination ordination as noble as his person the Father ordain'd the Sonne He testifieth thou art a Priest c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contestatur so