intend it should be discovered unto them God he is pleased that the devil and death should possess our life and carry it away and there is no recovering of it but by going into death and into Hell God he goes in there bindes the strong man in his house and recovers his goods There is no delivery from Satan but by being delivered to Satan and this delivery to Satan is conviction of the Spirit a cleer sensible discovery that we have been in Satans power 1. Therefore the use of it is this to call upon us to entertain convictions of the spirit that discover sin and hell and death within us It concerns us to entertain these for here is our life our salvation We must be delivered to these before we can be delivered from them Be not afraid to go into Egypt saith God by Jeremy and serve the King of Babylon for God hath delivered all-into his hands God hath delivered all flesh into Satans hand 't is in vain standing out in thy knowledge in thy righteousness thou must let all go thou must be content seeing 't is the will of God to be Satans and Hells vassal to bear thy burthen to endure thy captivity and hence the Lord will bring thee forth I do not speak that any soul should entertain Sin and Satan and Hel as the world doth with delight and pleasure for 't is death to him so to do Hell is Hell to him the devil is the devil to him but yet he sees there is no withstanding of it He must come under his power and feel he is under his power and then he shall have deliverance Therefore agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way If God hath delivered thee unto Satan into his power 't is but while thou art in the way Tell the devil and sin 't is your hour I am your captive but I shall have deliverance and this discovery that I am your captive is the way of my deliverance This is the way for me to be delivered out of your hands Do not stand against conviction of the spirit do not stand against God when he convinces you that you are sinful for you will never make your selves righteous This it teacheth us first 2. In the next place This is that should quiet and still the soul in such discoveries God discovers Hell and death and sin and the power thereof to our soul Qu. Alas What shall I do I shall be damned the pit will shut her mouth upon me Answ No God is now saving when thou thinkest he is destroying Psal 18. 16. David there tells his experience and how God had delivered him out of hell He sent from above he took me and drew me out of many waters he delivered me from my strong enemy and from them which hated me for they were too strong for me But see through what a condition David was brought unto this salvation ver 4. The sorrows of death compassed me and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid the sorrows of hell compassed me about the snares of death prevented me c. to the 16 ver 'T is a description of those terrible workings in the spirits and souls of Gods people which do usher in salvation and life He discovers the foundations of the earth discovers hell there There is the Revelation of Jesus Christ that last book of the new Testament and that Revelation of Iesus Christ makes all those terrible discoveries there we read of The rising up of Iesus Christ in the soul this discovers flesh and hell and sin and so destroys them This should lift up our heads when darkness comes when we think that God is destroying his Saints he is saving them 3. And thirdly it should put us upon this to consider whether we have ever been delivered to Satan or no what discoveries have we had of Satans power of sins power hells power it concerns us to look to this For the way to be delivered from him is to be delivered to him We know the old way of Ministers that this discovery must be to such a measure and for such a time we have done with that God he works how he pleases he makes deep humiliation to be the foundation of glorious salvation From the greatest discoveries of hell and death he brings forth the most abundant glory The most dangerous estate of the soul is to be in a dead Palsie The physitian coming to one that 's taken with a dead Palsie he puts him into a Feaver to cure him This way the spirit of God takes with him that lieth dead God puts him into a feaver sends fire into his bones to secure his life his soul for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved That 's another thing to be taken notice of that sin hell and death are destroyed by a discovery He was delivered unto Satan was in his power when he committed that sin now let him see where he is for the destruction of the flesh for the destruction of Satan whose kingdom is in the flesh Satan Hell and Death are destroyed in the Saints by a discovery And the reason why the discovery destroys them is because it is such a discovery as 't is 't is a discovery by quickning You hath he quickned that were dead in trespasses and sins This holy seed which is of God cannot endure sin which is death to it A discovery by the spirit is not a notional discovery as when a man or a letter shall come and tell us but such a discovery of sin and hell as makes us feel it The spirit once awakened in a Saint sin can have no entertainment there The power of the Lord Iesus delivering us to Satan that discovery destroys Satan Hell and sin cannot be entertained but in his own place and the spirit once awakened in the Saints cannot agree with hell light and darkness Christ and Belial cannot agree And that is it that concerns every one of us that minde life and peace and salvation in good earnest to make after light after knowledge not head-knowledge but heart-knowledge the light of the spirit stand up from the dead and Christ shall give you light Wait to be renewed in the spirit of your minds to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Let us not stint our selves to any measure or degree of knowledge Take heed of refusing knowledge because 't is new and strange but examine it Entertain strangers kindly for by it some have entertained Angels unawares Wait for the Revelation of the Spirit the teaching of the Spirit And take another thing here That there is no discovery that destroys flesh and saves spirit but that which is made by the power of the Lord Iesus 'T is not mans discovery nor the discovery that our own Reason makes 't is not a letter discovery but a a discovery of light and power by the Lord Iesus that makes an
when the people undertook to obey it the Lord pittied them O that there were such an heart in this people that they would obey me It was a manifestation to discover sinfulness and weakness death and the curse and so to usher in a manifestation of life and power But now ye are come to the Gospel state ye are come to Mount-Sion ye are come where God dwells ye are come into a comforting and chearing presence ye are come to the Mount that may be touched without fear or terror It may be touched There are spiritual senses as 1 Joh. 1. 1. That which we have heard which we hame seen which our hands have handled of the word of life that declare we unto you that you may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ and so it s the Mount that may be touched We are come to the City of the living God We are come where God dwells we are come to communion with God and one with another in the spirit we are come where God is in the midst of his people He hath quickned us who were dead in sins and set us down in heavenly places in the heavenly Jerusalem If we are come to the heavenly Jerusalem we are past the wilderness we are come to our rest There remaineth a rest to the people of God and that 's the heavenly Jerusalem of which the earthly Jerusalem and Canaan were but a Type This heavenly Jerusalem is the mother of us all And to an innumerable company of Angels Not onely to be administred unto by Angels as under the legal dispensation but to administer unto Angels for to them is made known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God And to the general Assembly and the Church of the first-born We are come to the General Assembly we are above particular Churches though we walk in them yet we are not bound to them nor bound in them We are come to the Church of the first-born who are written in Heaven We are come to those that are in Christ that partake of the divine nature in which God lives and acts and whom God fills who are born of the spirit who are sons and heirs together with Christ Who are written in Heaven There was a first-born written in earth in the letter in flesh Let Israel my son go for he is my first-born said God to Pharoah but this was after the flesh We are come to God the Judge of all We have boldness towards God We are above the judgement of men yea above the judgement of our own Consciences It is a very small thing to me saith the Apostle to the Corinthians to be judged by you or of mans judgement yea I judge not mine own self 1 Cor. 4. 3. We are passed from death to life and we are come to God the Judge of all we can stand before God the Iudge of all We are come to the spirits of just men made perfect We are come to see and to acknowledge the spiritual and divine nature whereof through exceeding great and precious promises we are made partakers we are come to see and to be the spiritual man the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness we are come to the holy one born of the Holy Ghost to Christ formed in us who is not tainted with any pollution who sinneth not nor can he commit sin Though he dwell among devils and death yet he partakes not of their filth and guilt but shall overcome and destroy them all And to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant We are come to Iesus to the truth as it is in Iesus to the power and wisdom of God which is Iesus we have the Law written in our hearts We are come to Iesus instead of Moses who is the Mediator of a better Covenant If we be Christians indeed we are not come to a Law that hath onely a sound of words written on stone but we are come to a Law written in our hearts we are come to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant We are come to the efficacy of his mediation And to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel The blood of sprinkling It is an allusion taken from those sprinklings under the Law all which pointed to this We are not come â—â— corruptible blood we are come to the blood of sprinkling that is incorruptible That speaks better things c. It speaks and what doth it say It makes intercession for us it makes intercession in us and the Lord he is with us by a word of power speaking and commanding sin and death Satan and Hell out of our souls This is the Doctrine The glorious state which is the true Gospel state it is the state of every true Believer though it may be many do not know it it is a state in the spirit and it is revealed by the spirit This is the Gospel state and therefore if you profess the Gospel do not sit down below it Let us all be making to it let us not stay at Mount-Sinai but let us pass on to Mount Sion Let every one of us look whereabouts we are whether we be under a spirit of fear if we be this is Mount-Sinai or whether we be under a spirit of love of power and of a sound minde if we be this is Mount-Sion Are we in earthly or in heavenly places Take notice that there are three states 1. One is in Egypt under the bondage of sin Satan death and hell 2. Another is leading out of Egypt in the wilderness at Mount-Sinai leading up to Adams perfection to a perfection in nature but there is no resting here This is but a shadow Christ in the flesh came in this natural perfection but he dyed to it and in it and rose again to the life of God 3. A third state is the spirits of just men made perfect Here is rest and stability Here is the kingdom of God do not sit down below this for if you do you sit down at best in natural Reason in a shadow in a lye Some sit down in the filth of nature but do not ye sit down no not in the excellency and perfection of nature Look to the high calling of God in Christ Iesus unto which ye are called But I pass over from the Doctrine and come to the Vse which the Apostle makes in ver 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven God speaks once and twice and we hear him not God is continually speaking He speaks in every creature he speaks in every providence he speaks in every administration do you know his voice He speaks on earth and he speaks from heaven See that ye refuse not him that speaketh God speaks from
upon him as intending this natural body so they betake themselves to fasting whipping themselves such bitter doings but it s the body of sin and the body of death where lust doth war War against whom Against the soul saith Peter I beseech you abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul war against the Spirit the flesh lusteth against the spirit Gal. 5. as the spirit lusts against the flesh They war against God and the Spirit and God against them there is Satan death and sin in these lusts the wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God the friendship of the world is enmity to God it wars against God This is that James saith in Verse 4. from this Text Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity to God c. These lusts do war against God they are the bryars and thorns that are set in battel against God as it is in Isa 27. 4. Who will set the bryars and thorns against me in battel I le go through them and burn them together Lusts they war against God God comes forth in his appearances these oppose him God appears in a Law why Lust stands up in a Law I must have this I must have that says Lust God he calls he would have the heart and he would have love and he would have righteousness Lust says I must have it It wars against God and think you what Lust shall get by this warfare against the great God That you shall see here in the second ver Ye lust and have not ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain ye fight and war yet ye have not And so Lust is miserably disappointed Lust wars and fights and kills and it does not onely war and fight and kill but it preys too Lust will be Religious Lust will murther and devour and commit all outrages and it will be as civil and as Religious as any in the outward shew Ye ask too and yet ye have not and so here 's nothing but disappointment in Lust in going out to the world ye fight and war and ye have not Ye have not what ye would have ye have not enough Disappointment in respect of Satisfaction and Rest that is the lot of Lust of all desires going out from God going out to the creature go out to any thing but God ye shall never have it Ye shall have this thing ye shall have the other thing but ye shall never be happy and the thing ye seek is happiness Every man seeks it Lust calls for this thing and the other thing ye may have the thing but ye shall never be happy He sends leanness into your souls he gave them their desires and sent leanness withal into their souls There are two things that cause the disappointment of worldly and fleshly Lust The one is that it wars with God which is Omnipotent Lust crucifies him The other is because it seeks satisfaction and rest in those things that cannot afford it and so t is like the grave and hell still it cries give give It desires shadows it clasps about them it cannot desire God It desires nothing but to kill him It would kill him that is onely desirable that is onely life and onely happiness How happy are they in whom God is killing Lust How miserable are they that are serving their Lusts when will be an end of this drudgery While ye are walking on in your Lusts you 'l set upon any thing If you can't move heaven you 'l see if you can move hell You 'l try if you can get it by Prayer if you cannot you 'l get it by fighting but you shall have it neither way You do but kill your selves all the while You war against the soul you war against God and man and must needs war against your soul While that Lust lives it brings nothing but torment It s a very hell unto a man It s the very devil therefore when James prescribes the remedy he says Resist the devil and he will flie from you Serving lust is serving the devil Its drudging in hell You 'l ever be poor you 'l never be rich you 'l be drudges while you live or else be thieves and murtherers you 'l fight and war ye kill and yet ye have not God says that hee 'l famish all the Gods of the Heathen this Lust is the great God famish this and they are all famish'd and God will famish this and what will you be famish'd with it O awake rather that it may be slain you will suffer continually while you live in it whiles you are led by it it will be with you as with a man that hath a dogs stomack it will never be satisfied like one who hath a wolf in his body it will eat him and devour him there is no satisfying him Who is it that would live in peace and not in torment if you will live in peace give up your lusts submit your selves to God let him dispose of you as James expresses in that which follows Turn to God and desire nothing but him all desires and prayings which are not after God they are only stretchings out and inlargings of heart and there is nothing but filling with wind nothing but emptying it self O that God would come in and destroy all these hungry dogs and all these greedy hell-hounds these same lusts and devils You lust and have not you kill and desire to have and cannot obtain ye war and fight and have not Here 's the progress of your lust it comes to fighting The devil is a murtherer lust is angry even unto death if it cannot have what it would have it throws firebrands and arrows t is hungry and it breaks stone walls much more through flesh walls Ye lust and ye kill whom doth it kill why it kills man 't will make you kill your neighbors Ahab for the liking he took to Naboths vineyard must have the vineyard he is sick he could not live without it here was the lust of Covetousness David must not live because he was better then Saul here 's the lust of envy Saul he 'l kill him Vriah must not live because he had an handsome wife here 's lust in David Mordecai must not live because he will not stand up to Haman a pair of gallows is built for him here 's the lust of pride it hunts for the precious life of his neighbor ye kill one another and ye kill your selves O I pitty you Lust wars against the soul it sucks the very blood of body and soul it blinds mens eyes that they do not see it and these Lusts they kill one another squable one with another there is contention among Lusts which should have the mastery and as fishes in the Sea the greater devour the smaller so it is here and many a man blesses himself in a fools Paradise is overcome while he thinks he is Conquerour Ye kill But whom do these Lusts kill They kill
world and flesh have all their rest and contentment here in the creature they have left the Creator and are turned to the creature They have forsaken the fountain of living water c. The Lord comes out of his place to punish them The Lords coming out of his place his appearance is destruction to all them that run a whoring from him After indignation hath been upon the Saints then it comes upon the world Iudgement begins at the house of God Wel what shal the end of thē be that obey not the Gospel The righteous is delivered out of trouble and the wicked comes in his place saith Solomon Behold the Lord comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity Assyria and Aegypt and Babylon are the scourge of God upon his people When his people are chastised then he throws his rods into the fire I will punish the stout heart of the King of Assyria Isa 10. And it is a righteous thing with God saith the Apostle 2 Thes 1. to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you that are troubled rest with us It is the glory of God after he hath lent his power to his enemies to take it into his own hands and to plague them to bring them under his feet While the world is rejoycing indignation shall pass from the people of God upon the world The world I count all earthly minded people that have their joy in the creatures The friendship of the world is enmity to God If their eyes were open they would little rejoyce considering what would be the end of this the end of this mirth would be heaviness God comes forth and all their Candles go out no more the voyce of the Bridegroom in thee every one that hath his life in the earth and in the creature is treasuring up wrath to himself against the day of wrath and so much Joy and Glory as they have had so much sorrow and torment shall seise upon them The Lord is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The Lord shall turn his hand upon the world after he hath purged his people And this is also to be taken notice of here That there is hope unto the people of God that the bitter cup is passed from them and the indignation is going off them when God begins to take the world in hand when indignation begins to seise upon them Hide thy self for a moment till the indignation be overpast for behold the Lord comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth It will not last long when God hath the world in hand he is come out of his place to punish them therefore lift up your heads You that wait for God and have your hope in him lift up your weak hands and your feeble knees when God begins to afflict the world he is drawing it off from his people their yoke is breaking when the worlds neck is going into it when God begins with Aegypt then Israels warfare is accomplished when the rods are throwing into the fire then the childrens chastisement is at an end And according unto this truth the Saints have a pleasant prospect upon the world in all the trouble and distress of it In Famines Earthquakes Pestilences Wars in all the confusions and distresses thereof then they that wait for God that love him and his appearance are called upon to lift up their heads for their redemption draweth nigh Luke 21. 28. And here is the ground of it in the Text God is come forth to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The indignation will soon be over Hide thy self for a moment A moment and all thy trouble will be at an end all thy deaths will be dead the worlds death is coming now and deaths death is coming now The Lord is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth Out of his place That expression cals for our observation and it hath a word before it Behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth And this is that is held forth to us here That while the inhabitants of the earth do live in jollity and prosperity God is as it were withdrawn out of the earth gone into his place God is everywhere and what is Gods place He is every-where but now he is pleased not to manifest himself here in the earth in the world It is a kind of withdrawing into a place going into a hole hiding himself and as it were leaving things in mens hands to rule by Satan leaving the earth and men to do their will and their pleasure There is the same expression in other Scriptures beside this Micah 1. 3. Behold the Lord comes out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth The Lord is in a retiring place as it were it is a Metaphorical speech he is everywhere he doth not appear that that we see is man and here is the Devil in them and lust in them and violence in them a time of great jollity great rejoycing great prosperity to the inhabitants of the earth What is this time God is gone into his place he hides himself he is retired He saith I will go down and see if it be so in Sodom according to the cry of it He went down and by his appearance set Sodom on fire he retires is not seen and the fool saith there is no God The heart of worldly men saith God sees not neither doth he regard God is gone into his place le ts the Devil and sin range everywhere and do what they will There is that expression in the Gospel The Kingdom of heaven is like a certain Nobleman who went into a far Country to receive a Kingdom and return So God is as it were gone into a far Country to receive a Kingdom and who hath the Kingdom now Satan hath the Kingdom man hath the Kingdom and death hath the Kingdom sin hath the Kingdom there is little to be seen in the world but these The Spirit of God was abroad mightily in the Apostles time after Christs Ascention and then he was pleased to draw in again that the man of sin might come forth and shew himself as the Apostle hath it 2 Thes 2. He that lets will let till it be taken out of the way That was that glorious manifestation of light and power in some of the people of God in those times and that did let and the man of sin could not come forth but that shall be taken out of the way and then he should come forth and this same taking out of the way was as much as Gods going into his place And so much doth that expression hold forth of Gods being in heaven according to that of the Apostle The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the unrighteousness
top desolate and forsaken we have said of the Spirit as once that murmuring people said of Moses Up make us Gods that may go before us for as for this Moses we know not what is become of him And in this mist of darkness Satan hath conveyed himself in all deceivableness of unrighteousness and made such a deluge upon the face of the world that till of latter yeers as it was in Elias his time the true Church Saints of God were not discernable though doubtless in the darkest times God reserved a small remnant to himself who bowed not the knee to the Idols of mens inventions nor fell down before the Throne of the Beast The reign of Antichrist hath been long and so taking being beautifyed by the excellency and glory of flesh that the whole world wondered after the Beast whatever was prone and apt to deceive and bewitch the world that hath he cloathed himself withal not onely learning wisdom greatness and power humane but whatsoever the Gospel afforded outward that hath been given to him to carry captive into his own place to that great City Babylon there have Ordinances and the letter of the Scripture been brought into cruel bondage and made to fight against the Spirit and a form of godliness to war against the power what God hoth joyned hath been there divorced and put asunder and the abomination that maketh desolate set up the whole world in their Religion Worship and Righteousness have lien in darkness and are not aware of it they liked not the Faith once given to the Saints neither contended for it they received not the truth in the love of it and therefore were given up to strong delusions to believe lyes and by the signs lying wonders and cunning craftiness of this man of sin whereby he lay in wait to deceive have been led about and taken captive by him at his pleasure And think not this strange neither wonder at it Art thou a stranger in Israel Ought not these things so to have come to pass Ought not our Lord to be crucified in Sodom and Egypt before he ascend to his last and most glorious appearance in the world is it not necessary the man of sin should first be revealed before Christ can come in his brightness and that the highest glory should be born out of the womb of the deepest darkness this was the Let kept Christ at a distance seeing by this he was making way for a more glorious and admirable discovery of himself and the Gospel then the world yet ever knew By this he will commend himself to us in his second appearance as the Law commends Grace and as Pharoah and the Red Sea commended that deliverance of old here is a time for Saints to keep their garments white and the name of Chrâ—st unblemished when the world is become Satans Synagogue here is a season beautiful for the Faith Patience and Testimony of the Saints to appear and for those that call themselves Apostles and are not to be tryed and found lyars By this good pleasure of God in so ordering things will be built up an everlasting Monument of the worlds folly and blindness in the greatest exercise of their wisdom and knowledge who though they had an open faced discovery of God in the Gospel 2 Cor 3. 18. and not the writings of Moses onely but of Christ himself left to them and life and immortality brought therein to light yet despising the light and instruction of the spirit herein and causing that to withdraw and trusting in their own wisdom and making flesh their teacher professing themselves wise have become fools and turned the truth of God into a lye and by that their wisdom know not God in this wisdom of God but heap to themselves brain inventions and by the Doctrines of men make void the Counsel of God to their own destruction and have turned that which gave in it self a savour of life into a savour of death unto death And now that the fulness of time for those better things kept in store for us draws nigh and that Egyptian darkness and slavery which the world hath been kept under is nigh to cursing how hath the truth multiplyed how hath God remembred his people and for some good number of yeers past been making way for himself again to be owned and breaking forth in such measures of light as the world hath been able to bear and gradually destroying the power of the beast in his mark his image and the number of his name and is still going on till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth and in these discoveries also hath Satan of late been putting in for a part resisting the truth as Jannes and Iambres withstood Moses seeking to set up that in form and flesh and so preserve his Kingdom which God is doing in spirit and power but he shall proceed no farther for his folly shall be made manifest to all and those precious souls who have in these days stood at a distance from the outward part of worship because it hath been the Court trodden down and the man of sin hath here so long had his abode and hath so polluted and stained all forms of Religion and made that his shelter and thicket where he hath lain concealed shall see him trodden under their feet and cast alive in the midst of these his deceitful workings with the false Prophet into the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone and whatever hath been captived into Babylon shall be brought back and set upon Mount-Sion the redeemed of the Lord shall return and being filled with the Spirit and restored to their first state shall shine in the perfection of beauty and holiness and then shall all Saints sing in the unity of the spirit the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy ways O thou King of Saints Reader Amidst the diversity of those gifts and administrations in dispensing whereof God hath enriched this latter age there hath not a brighter spirit shone forth then what dwelt like a fixed star in the Author of these following Discourses who whilst he lived here was indeed dead by the Cross of our Lord Jesus and in that voyce being now dead he yet speaketh what thou seest here of him thou hast upon great disadvantage being imperfectly taken and never designed by the Author beyond the private edification of his Hearers these things were most pleasantly beheld in his life where they were written in a perfect Copy from whence all that he taught seemed to be borrowed and transcribed his ministration of them also gave not a little more lustre to them then what they now seem to have but at best this heavenly treasure ran through an earthen vessel so may perhaps need the laver of love to wash off what it contracted by that passage I leave it to
there 's light Quickning Comforting Directing and there 's Majesty and Glory and all the burning of the Lord comes forth at last in shining and Glory There is no shining without burning The day of the Lord burns like an Oven And he shall sit as a Refiner of Silver The tryal of your faith is much more precious then Gold The manifestation of God the Ministry of the Spirit is full of variety of operation Killing Saving Tormenting Refreshing We are the savour of death unto death to some and the savour of life unto life to others We should look what acquaintance we have with such a Ministry with burning and shining light Whether we have dealt with fire with burning and whether through that we have come to know what belongs to shining There is the Divine nature to be brought forth bright and shining The worlds part is to be burnt and dazled the Christians part is to have flesh consumed and the Divine nature to come forth in glory If any be in the fire let them hope to shine Have ye that in you that will endure the fire When I am tried I shall come forth like gold 'T is the righteousness of God only not of man that will endure this tryal 'T is the Divine nature only that can stand before devouring fire and everlasting burnings When this day breaks forth all the righteous Pharises and Formalists will be found to be the sinners in Sion that are affraid This manifestation of God is terrible to the world It is a marvelous light He hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light It is not the light of this world It is another Spirit then that of this world The world marvails at it and despises it because it is death and destruction to them For a while they Master it but at last it prevails against them and they see there is no standing before it In Low manfestations of God the people of God appear as Incendiaries and are so indeed This old world is to be purified by fire as the other was by water How was Herod scorcht and dazled with this fire The world prevails against it for a while and beats it down and then it riseth higher and higher till it prevail over the world Christ appeared in fleshly eyes there and riseth again in Spirit and after a long apostacy is rising again the second time If we be of God and have the Divine nature in us we shall rejoyce not onely in the light but in the fire They shall glorifie God in the fire Ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light Let us a little consider of these words Ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light the light did in part please you there is some compliance and closing of carnal hearts and worshipers with the spiritual Ministry and true appearance of God The world strikes in for some time into the way of Christ and the appearance of God Herod heard John gladly and reformed many things he liked the light well but he could not endure the fire there is that which is held forth in the spirit that pleaseth the natural man salvation and glory and eternal joy but when they hear of going into the fire and what they must part withal then with the young man they go away sorrowful The stony ground sets forth a sort of people that hear the word with joy but because they have not much root they are scorcht and burnt up by the Sun of persecution and wither away many take up the profession of Christ and when they hear of salvation and glory its good news to them but when they hear what it will cost them that all must come through sufferings and offering all to death that they may receive all again by a Resurrection this they like not and so fall away for a little while they can bear God company but so soon as they see the cross in the way they turn aside There are some lusts and corruptions that some men are not enclined to while the fire of God comes forth against these in others they are well enough while God comes forth against some sort of men they can bear well enough while John came forth against the Sadduces and Pharisees Herod liked it well but when the fire of God breaks forth against their own lusts as against Herod It is not lawful for thee to have thy brothers wife they can bear no longer And there are lusts that fight one against another for there is enmity in Hell when the fire comes forth and fights against a lust in another we like it well but when it strikes at our own lusts we cannot bear it And sometimes we fall out with the world and are tyred in the greatness of our way and then we can entertain something of Christ and of truth Worldly men can go along with Christ for worldly designs but if their design be spoyled no longer walking with Christ It concerns every one of us that have taken up a profession that are complying with such a Ministry as we look upon to be a Ministry of the spirit to look inward and to consider whether we have the love of the truth in our hearts whether we are able to bear the charge to the journeys end and to hold out in all weathers There are many builders that lay a foundation but they are not able to go through with the charge of finishing These are foolish builders that expose themselves to laughter and scorn Ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light in the manifestation of God through John but it was onely for a season here was not the love of the truth here was not the divine nature here was not that which will abide therefore it was rejoycing in the light onely for a season how doth it concern us to look whether we have the love of the truth in us whether we have the testimony of the Father that we love the truth There is a Jew that is one inwardly and there is a Jew in the spirit there was a Jew that was one outwardly in the flesh that which is for a season onely is because it wanteth root there is a Christian indeed and a Christian onely in appearance and shew what a goodly shew doth the Corn on the stony ground make but when the burning comes it withers away when the Sun of persecution ariseth such shall be discovered how hard it is to know a Christian indeed until the fire comes until the salt comes Every man shall be salted with fire and every work shall be tryed by the fire How doth it concern us to see that we have our foundation in God that we may be able to stand in that day We may be great and glorious in mans eye and yet in the day of the Lord prove no better then chaffe or stubble that the fire takes hold on and consumes what discoveries have we daily
light and in this state and condition what wonder is it if the Devil work at his pleasure In such Mists and Foggs as these the Devil brings into our hearts and Congregations all manner of filth and baseness that can be exprest or thought of Fornication not once named among the Gentiles brought into a Christian congregation Vse This calls upon us not to trust to our own hearts He that doth so is a fool saith Solomon And if we walk in Churches and Congregations le ts not rest there as many do who look upon themselves and think now they are safe now they are secure they are in a Church they have many eyes to watch over them they have Shepherds and Overseers We may be all Overseers and all overseen al asleep The wise virgins slept Take heed of carnal security When we see no sin and feel no evil 't is carnal security 't is the Devils peace When we see no sin and are not either complaining of sin opposing sin fighting with sin or else chasing it driving it before us 't is carnal security 't is the Devils Cradle 't is the Devils Bed Be not high-minded saith the Apostle Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall There be many say we are Kings and we raign O how excellent is our estate This is the voice that is heard in many Churches in many Congregations when Paul stands by that hath the Spirit of God and saith I would to God it were so I would to God you did raign indeed then we should raign with you There is a worldly and fleshly walking in Church-fellowship The Devil gets into that form as he hath got into all others We will be wise to the world and yet we will be in a Church as the Apostle hath it in ver 10. of the foregoing Chapter You are wise in Christ strong in Christ you are honorable This is that that is too too much seen in Churches and Congregations But we saith the Apostle are fools for Christs sake we are weak we are despised and are content to be so 'T is Christs cross that we bear and we can rejoyce in nothing but in this that we are fools that we are weak that we are despised But we shall appear honorable When Christ shall appear we shall appear with him in glory Saints may fall asleep fall into carnal security be puft up with pride and so be under a great power of the Devil a great Snare It may be any Saints case it was a whole Churches case here and a Church that was gathered by the Apostle Is there not need that we should watch Watch and pray that you fall not into temptation Is there not need that we should watch one over another Therefore it is that Churches and Congregations are gathered that there may be watching that some may be awake while others sleep But see here what watchmen are if the Lord do not keep the City The Congregation of Saints are the City of God Here are men watchmen and all the City asleep all intoxicated all drunken and lying in carnal security the Devil and sin and death are walking among them and they are not sensible of it 'T is a sad thing to think of that there may be and are Churches that are gathered together that they may laze and drowse together that they may nourish one another in carnal security strengthen one another in the world and in the flesh that thinks t is enough there is a form of Godliness that we are in Church-fellowship and so lie down together and sleep and t is a sad thing I have no quarrel with Churches or any form but such as have not the Spirit in them Here all are asleep asleep in death You are puft up when you should mourn and here is Paul he mournes so that he wakens them all he obtaines the Spirit of God comes forth to them in the Spirit wakens them and raiseth them up in the Spirit to take vengeance upon Sathan upon this sin upon the flesh in this incestuous person Deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh Ye are puft up and have not rather mourned Mark here how the Apostle charges the whole Church and judges them and they being judged he brings them to judge this incestuous person And indeed there is no man fit to judge till he hath been under judgement himself Ye are puft up First he arraigns them in the Spirit judges them brings them all to mourning and then he takes them up with him into the Judgement Seat and so they deal with this incestuous person they deliver him from Sathan by delivering him unto Sathan They deliver him to Sathan for the destruction of the flesh Another thing worthy our thoughts is this That there may be a partnership in sin We may be defiled by other mens sins by partnership by a partaking Partake not of other mens sins saith the Apostle to Timothy There is a partaking of other mens sins while we see them and are senseless of them We partake in them by any complyance or suting with them You are puft up saith he and have not rather mourned q. d. There is such a person among you thus defiled and you are not ashamed Here is the Corinthians sin and whole Churches sin as 't is laid to the charge of the Princes of Judah Jer. 36. 24. that when the King did cut the Roul that Baruch had written from the mouth of Jeremie which was the Prophet of the Lord the Princes they looked on and none of them rent their garments None of them were sensible of that contempt and rebellion against God The Apostle to the Ephesians chap. 5. calls upon us not to have fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darkness but rather reprove them Mat. 18. 15. This is that which our Savour expresses when he speaks of a brother offending Quest If thy brother offend thee saith he what 's the meaning of a brothers offending What is it If he hath done thee any hurt or wronged thee Answ Nay but this same offence by a brother is a brothers sin And this doth appear plainly by that that Christ commands If thou hast told thy brother and reproved him and so hast wrought upon thy brothers conscience that he is convinced thou hast gained thy brother So that the sin of a brother is an offence and a wounding unto all the brethren if they be awakned if they live at that time if they be not asleep as these Corinthians were If they be not in carnal security and intoxicated with pride they shall feel a wound in his wound they shall find a loss in his loss therefore he saith if he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy brother He doth not speak of any outward wrong for which men go to Law to recover them Right but when there is a sense of the wound and suffering of him that sins in thee there is a sword that pierces thy soul
sin when the Lord is not with us it hath this issue nothing but foiling nothing but scorning nothing but reproach and shame With the power of the Lord Iesus To mention the name of the Lord Jesus and not to have the power of the Lord Jesus is nothing but prophaning that name taking it in vain 'T is nothing but a bug-bear All mans power it is on the body it is not on the Conscience It is impossible man should deliver himself or his brother from one error from one sin all that he can do is to restrain and lock up sin all that man can do in matter of error and sin is to bring forth Hypocrisie It is Gods prerogative to fashion hearts and to know hearts Psal 13. He fashioneth their hearts alike and understandeth all their thoughts And this is that God will make all the Churches to know Rev. 2. the latter end All the Churches shall know that I the Lord search the heart and try the reines If the Churches go forth with Carnal weapons to deal with the Devil and sin in their own power they shall know that this is the Lords prerogative It is only he that searches hearts and tries reines They shall find they have done nothing whatever they have seemed to themselves to have done They shall find they have confirmed and settled the Devil in his habitation while they have seemed to throw him out I have the keyes saith Christ of Hell and of death The keys are the power the power of man is not able to conflict with Sathan and Hell Christ hath received all power in Heaven and Earth And Christ manifested in us we shall go forth against principalities and powers and against the Rulers of the darkness of this world with the power of the Lord Jesus The weapons of our warfare are not carnal saith the Apostle but mighty through God The new Testament is the Ministry of the Spirit and so t is an able Ministry God hath made us able Ministers of the new Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit Letter and man and noise of words could never yet scare the Devil This we spake of before taking occasion from the Apostle calling the Corinthians to mourn which doth tell us they had no power of themselves 'T is a professing they had no power We cannot rid our Consciences or Congregations of sin But if we wait power will come in And when we once come out of this delusion of the Devil to see we have no power to see how the Spirit of power hath withdrawn from us and hath been absent a long while we shall begin to mourn after him and he will visit us and then we shall know what power is again We shall know what the Kingdom of God is that is not in word but in power We have hitherto known little of any Kingdom but in word When once we are sensible of this want of power and of this withdrawing of God that the man of sin might be revealed we shall mourn after him till he turn to us again 'T is by the power of the Lord Jesus only This is allowed and granted everywhere as a principle but how little do we act according to our Principles The Spirit of God only can throw out error and sin this is granted But the will of man and the actings of man this shall be called the Spirit of God The pride of man comes forth which is nothing but the Devil the name of the Lord Jesus that is put upon it To walk and act according to that Principle the Spirit of God Not we but the grace of God We live not but Christ in us 'T is looked upon as that which tends to confusion as that which lays by all mans gifts Object 'T is said then what will ye throw off your Ministers your Teachers Sol. The Apostle saith We have but one Master but one teacher that is Christ that is the Spirit Ye have the annointing that teaches you all things and need not any mans teaching 'T is not mans teaching we look after now if we understand ourselves but we look if we can find the name of God the power of God in the speakings of men God holds forth his anointing in man gives us a proof of Christ in man But take mans Ministry and all Ordinances if the Spirit be not there if the anointing be not there they are of man they are nothing So you see it is the power of the Lord Jesus only that rids Consciences and Congregations from sin In the name of the Lord Iesus when you are gathered together with my spirit and the power of the Lord Iesus In the second place take notice of this That the Lord Jesus and his power is in all Saints as well as in Ministers The Apostles Spirit joynes with them when they are gathered together The whole Church men and women the simplest as well as the wisest the weakest as well as the strongest with the power of the Lord Jesus The power of the Lord Jesus goes with you if you censure him and therefore my Spirit shall be with you In the name c. So the power of the Lord Jesus is in every Saint acts there and manifests it self there at the pleasure of the Lord Jesus It is the Spirit that makes Ministers and those Ministers that are made by the Spirit do minister the Spirit And that is ministring the Gospel when we Minister the Spirit But if we have only the Letter of the Gospel we have that that is no better then the Law If we be able Ministers of the New Testament it is in the Spirit I am a Minister of the New Testament so far as the Spirit speaks in me and by me and I would not be owned any further And all my work is to prove if the Spirit of God will go forth into any heart while I speak I know that Paul is nothing and Apollo is nothing If we be a sweet Savour of Christ then we are something In whomsoever the spirit stands up and speaks that person for that time is a Minister a true Minister The Spirit doth not regard Sexes the Spirit regards not Age Learned or unlearned 'T is not Age nor Sex nor any Major part can Minister Spirit but whom the Spirit pleases Obj. The Spirit will not teach by a woman For it is said let not a woman speak in the Church Sol. Where the Spirit doth not teach 't is but a womans teaching So far as we speak and speak not by the Spirit the woman speaks who is commanded silence And my Spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus The Apostles Spirit would own the meanest of the Saints and the power of the Lord Jesus in them There are in whom the Spirit acts and Ministers more constantly and there are in whom he doth Minister occasionally there are whom the Spirit of God hath made Overseers Acts 20. Look to the flock over which the
it were dead and slain Rev. 5. John saw the Lamb as it had been slain he is as it were slain but he lives all this while and he raigns and rules but there is nothing seen but the Kingdom of Men of Devils of Death of Hell The Lord he is slain he comes forth at times and makes appearances and as he looks up still he is knockt down and the world cries Devil and Blasphemy In all the appearances that hitherto he hath made he hath been slain the Devil hath possessed all the Mountains that ever he raised up the seven Mountains the Whore sits upon them That the Apostle hath Heb. 6. They crucifie afresh the son of God and put him to open shame God makes his appearance and still he is crucified still he is slain whilst he riseth in flesh still he is killed If you ask who it is that kils him His enemies kill him sin and hell his friends kill him therefore Christ saith Father forgive them they know not what they do These are the wounds I have received in the house of my friends He kils himself he gives up his life for that which Pilat and Herod did they did by the determinate Counsel of God Awake O sword against the shepherd that is my fellow I lay down my life of my self and no man takes it from me saith Christ he gives up himself It is the blood of God in us that redeems this earth Thou hast redeemed us by thy blood There is no man shall live but he in whom God is dead in whom he lyeth slain for a while or as it were slain and by this God comes forth in a more glorious Kingdom His Kingdom is more glorious when he comes out of death into it comes upon Death comes upon Hell and all the powers of it God is pleased to make himself enemies that he may appear to be above them God is slain his blood is shed in Christ and Christ in the Saints he suffers still I fill up the sufferings of Christ saith the Apostle Here he dies and here he rises And this it may give us some light and instruction touching sin in the knowledge whereof we are exceeding defective All have sinned that the Apostle saith and sinned the utmost of sin Slain and murdered the Lord of life And think of it what you will you never see sin in a true light till you see your selves murtherers and betrayers of the Lord of glory the Spirit convincing of sin it convinceth of this and this is that that earthly-mindedness doth the earth in us this love of the earth this love of the creature it kils the Lord and buries the Lord it keeps down the Lord. Do you not know saith Iames that the friendship of the world is enmity unto God And you that know God and love God mind what you do whilst you go out after the earth Here is killing the Lord and burying him keeping him down Either we are crucifying God or else we are crucifying the world and the world is crucified unto us one of these two We are crucifying God while we do not look and long for his appearance all living in the earth being at home in the body is crucifying the Lord. The Devil is the god of this world he is a murderer and so are all those that serve this world murtherers and betrayers of the Lord of life The earth buries him the earth covers him the Princes of this world crucifie the Lord of glory You that profess to know the Lord of glory see what you do whilst you are climbing up in the world making after the greatness and the glory thereof the earth hides his blood and covers him here he is buried worldly lusts fleshly lusts these kill and flay and bury God in you keep down Christ in you This is the reason why the world makes so little account of God and makes no more of God then a fancy they have slain him and they have buried him and they raign but he will rise and then wo to the inhabitants of the earth The Devil is come among you and then you shall see the Devil the Devil is among you but you do not see him then you shall be delivered up to him It is a comfort to them that they cannot see God that their souls long after him and they love him but they cannot see him Why He is not discovered where he is he lyeth dead a great while He lyeth dead in the hearts and souls of his People And it should make us beware of passing judgement upon any That they are not the Lords and the Lord is not in them because he is not at present manifested he lyeth dead there is his blood and it may quicken though it be now as dead And it should make us very wary of judging any persons those that walk in the greatest opposition unto God God may lie dead in them and when he rises in them that shall suffer for him that did before persecute him and whosoever he be that lives he hath seen God dead in him and now he is raised This is indeed the conversion of a sinner it is the quickening of Christ in the heart He is dead in the earth here is his blood and he will rise up the earth shall discover her blood shall no longer hide her slain he will come out of his place he hath come forth in many appearances and hath been killed again but he will come forth in his own body and he will stand in the earth and rising from the dead he dies no more death hath no more dominion over him and he coming out of the grave will bring forth all his with him of which we had a type in the coming of the people of God out of Aegypt and out of Babylon they brought forth all the riches out of Aegypt returned with all the vessels out of Babylon When God brings us forth out of death and hell he will bring us forth with all the goods and all the riches that death and hell have robbed us of The earth shall no longer cover his blood And it cannot be it is impossible he should see corruption it is his blood and therefore must recover it is the Lamb but as it were slain he rules still he rules amidst his enemies he rules in death in hell but is covered is not seen He shall live and his people shall live with him And look we into our hearts what we find of the death of Christ of the resurrection of Christ of fellowship with him in his sufferings and the power of his resurrection This is that Pauls heart did beat upon Phil. 3. 10. We know him and the power of his death and fellowship of his sufferings Look what we know of him and look for his revealing in us When it pleased God to reveal his Son in me Know ye not that Christ is in you Prove your selves whether you be in the faith Christ
in time There is nothing that is but it hath been Grace coming forth is nothing but the Childrens coming out of their minority from under tutors and governors The Saints coming from under the Law and out of the flesh There is a time appointed of the Father for this this is the time of grace grace hath appeared and we receive the adoption of sons God tels us we are his begotten his inheritance and he is ours Grace comes forth and appears by degrees and there was never but some appearances of grace But a low appearance of grace is counted as no appearance in respect of a higher That appearance before Christ in the flesh is counted no appearance in respect of that which came forth with Christ in flesh That appearance with Christ in flesh is not appearance in respect of that which comes forth with Christ in the Spirit When he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation to them that wait for him He appears now to salvation but now he appears in sin and weakness and this is not appearing in respect of that which shall be the glory is no glory in respect of that which is coming that is at the dore God brings forth himself out of the dark he hath put himself into the dark and he comes up by degrees he lyeth under vails and coverings and hides his face There is everlasting mercies but they are hidden Your life is hid with Christ in God and God reveals this by degrees There is grace not appearing and salvation not appearing where it is And there is wrath and destruction not appearing also where it is they will both come forth And till these do come forth it is very irrational for any to judge that that which now doth not appear is not there and will never appear It is the comfort of them that wait for grace and cannot see it I know thy poverty saith Christ to one of the Churches in the Revelations but thou art rich Rev. 2. 9. There is nothing to be done for our salvation and glory but the bringing it forth the making it to appear We have a life but 't is hid and vail'd and so we are said to be dead as 't is in Col. 3. 1. Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory Grace hath appeared teaching us 'T is a blessed thing to know the teaching of grace There is the Laws teaching and Graces teaching there is a Letter teaching and the Spirits teaching In the first teaching we are ever learning but never able to come to the Knowledge of the truth but are still led about with lusts Here is onely a profession and nothing but a form but there is the teaching of grace which is the writing the Law in our minds and putting them in our hearts Here is the Covenant of grace the Law of grace when we are delivered up into the Doctrine as the Apostle expresseth it Rom. 6. 17. the form of Doctrine into which you were delivered as 't is in the Margent We are delivered up into the Doctrine we are formed and fashioned and moulded into it There is an appearance of God in Majestie in Mount Sinai that makes servants and slaves and bondmen that saith Do or you dye Do or you are cursed And there is an appearance of God from Mount Sion in love and grace The God of grace or the grace of God hath appeared and he teacheth us his ways and he makes us sons and he brings forth his own nature in us 'T is our life our meat and drink to do his will and finish his work The everlasting Covenant in blood comes forth and makes us perfect to do his will Here is the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Iesus that frees us from the Law of sin and death 'T is a sad thing to be only under a Letter and under a Voice to have nothing but a Letter and a Hearsay Nothing but a voice and direction without here is nothing but enmity within But the word is nigh thee in thy heart when we come to this teaching this inward teaching this Law of the Spirit All other teaching without this inward teaching doth but put us into a Dream into Fancies and we think and seem that we eat and drink but when we awake we shall find our souls hungry and thirsty But this grace of God that teaches effectually delivers us up into the Doctrine moulds us into the form of that which is taught The God of grace appearing to us we are turned into his Image from glory to glory by his Spirit 2 Cor. 3. latter end Let 's all look after this teaching this inward teaching They shall be all taught of God Let us look after the teaching of Christ who spake with authority and not as the Scribes Let us look for power and life and light from God And let 's deal with man for nothing else but that we may hear God by him and see God in him and be able to say God is in you of a truth The grace of God which brings Salvation hath appeared teaching us grace and favor it is exceeding winning God doth overcome all our evil by good Love is mightily constraining She had much forgiven her she loved much Let favour be shewed to the wicked he will not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly as 't is in Isa 26. 10. Thou after thy impenitent heart treasurest up wrath and dispisest the goodness of God that leads thee to repentance Bounty is leading to repentance but the God of grace and the grace of God it sets up repentance in us Let us go forth then in grace and in love And so let us be winning and working upon others Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly c. Many men will say if I deny my lusts all the lusts of the world here 's an end of my life What shall I do How shall I live Thou shalt live the life of God It brings death upon this life this Worldly life and brings us to live in hope Looking for that blessed hope It is a foolish thing to a carnal heart to think of suffering it self to betaken off from the present enjoyment of the world the satisfying his lusts to live upon hope But the hope that is in God is firm and sure and surerer then the World The World passeth away and the lusts thereof and they that have their life in these things find nothing but shame and Death but this hope never makes men ashamed Which hope we have as an anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast and which entereth into that within the vail And here le ts take notice of this That the grace of God that brings Salvation is made out in teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts Every one
of us talk of grace and Salvation If we be partakers of grace and Salvation indeed then we are delivered from worldly Lusts in some degree We are taught by it to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts We are taught by it likeness to God and not to be fashioned to this world To deny ungodliness is to deny every thing that is not like God Not to walk like men the Apostle condemns the Corinthians that they walked like men It may be 't is a strange thing to hear we should not walke like men Like whom should we walk Like the Devil Like beasts So some do No you should walk like God The grace that brings Salvation It doth not bring you to satisfie sensuality to satisfie Lusts nor to follow the creature but it brings in power it brings in and raiseth up the life of God whereby we deny these Lusts whereby we famish these Gods of the Earth God saith he will famish all the Idols And this God doth when he riseth up in us he famisheth in us the Love of the World the love of flesh This grave and hell he starves them both This grace of God that brings Salvation leads up into Heaven into God into the Spirit and satisfies and fills us in the other World And we deny our Lusts after this They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and Lusts They have done it and they are doing it 't is as good as already done for there is that power in them which will do it a greater power then is in the World 'T is the Circumcision in heart by the Circumcision of Christ 'T is dying with Christ and being buried with Christ 'T is dying to this fleshly State to this glory and these contentments It is the consecrating us to God so that he becomes our delight he is our Joy he is our riches We sought them in the flesh we sought them in the World Then we sought Corn and Wine and Oyle now nothing but the light of Gods countenance this is grace and this is Salvation And the world and the flesh which is generally sought after by us it is a vail of death It is a vail upon Christ a covering upon the life of God It is the grave and the prison of the Saints it is Babylon and the Northcountry into which we are carried The North-country far from the Sun far from light far from life When we come into flesh we are buried here we are estranged from our own life which is the life of God And the grace of God appearing that is as it were the Sun drawing nigh When the Sun comes in the Spring and Summer the face of the Earth is renewed We come into the nature of wrath but as grace returnes again so this life appears and comes forth this Sepulcher is opened and this vail is rent and the Earth gives up her dead and no longer covers her slain The flesh and World and glory thereof riches and contentment are a vail and covering upon the life of the Saints For God is life and Salvation union with him that is life indeed and the appearing of this union is life manifested That which the World and natural men do call death is indeed the swallowing up of death as 't is called Isa 25. He shall take away the vail and the covering that is upon the face of all People He shall wipe off all tears and shall swallow up death in Victory The World and flesh is a Vail and is a Vail of tears when this Vail is rent by the comming of that which is called death then life-comes indeed and death is swallowed up in it God who is our life appears Grace and Salvation is not leading us into contentments of the flesh into the abundance of the riches of the Earth 'T is not satisfying of lusts but the killing of lusts 't is bringing forth the Spirit bringing forth the life of God Godly in this present World By this will appear how far Salvation is from most men Salvation is far from the wicked as David hath it because they keep not thy Statutes Little do wicked men think there is no Salvation but in keeping Gods Statutes but that is the truth of it Salvation is conformity to God to be made like to God to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and the love of the World is enmity to God This is Salvation and the same is destruction to wicked men Worldly men they have their life in the Vail their life is in the World and in the flesh When God appears and throws off the Vail there is nothing to be seen by them but death and destruction And what is the second death that the Scripture speaks of but the appearance of God The manifestation of God 't is the second death 't is everlasting destruction to them that know him not that have no life but in the flesh and in the world When God appears here ends their life and here begins destruction they are destroyed from his presence That which is life and Salvation indeed is death hell and destruction to a worldly man and if he speak his heart he will say if this be salvation let me have none of it I know not what it means I know no other life but this in the flesh What saith the Apostle The life I live I live by the faith of the Son of God t is not I live but Christ that lives in me though I live in the flesh yet I do not War after the flesh though I live in the World I am not conformed to the World but transformed On the other hand the life of the World is give me Corn Wine and Oyl ease in the flesh honour in the World the life of the Saints is lift up the light of thy countenance make me after thine own heart form me according to thine own Image fashion me to thy Will teach me to deny my self It is feeding hell and destruction to satisfie worldly lusts it is life and salvation to deny these to crucifie these therefore le ts be acquainted with grace and salvation what it is Le ts not deceive our selves with names of things le ts not call evil good and good evil put light for darkness and darkness for light Le ts not call wrath and destruction grace and salvation Whoever thou art that only looks to the world and flesh and outward things thou dwellest in wrath and destruction Thou hast vexation here and the Gospel makes thee mad for it puls thee from these things and with the more power it comes forth the more hell works within thee Now begin to learn what is salvation it is to have power to deny these lusts to crucifie the flesh to be taken out of sensuality to be redeemed from among men Is this a strange thing to you then salvation is strange and grace is strange 'T is to be conformed to God to know what his good and acceptable
returns the life of God in you revives us according to the Divine nature It is the grace of God that brings Salvation that only cures us of distemper and makes us perfect men in Jesus Christ It is Jesus Christ is the only perfect and sound man the wisdom of God and we are sound when he is formed in our hearts brought forth and raised up in us The Apostle attributes this sound mind to the grace of God God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power but of God and of a sound mind The Spirit of Jesus Christ is a spirit of a sound minde While we have not the spirit we are under a cloud we are in a distemper and in weakness even in the purest state of flesh God finds weakness and folly in his Angels he hath not put trust in them There is no sound and perfect state but the state of God all that are born of God are born into that state and he is their wisdom Jesus Christ the wisdom of God and is made so to us of God Of the Prodigal t is said when he came to himself he remembred his fathers house Paul says that he was mad against the Church 1 Tim. I was exceedingly mad how came he changed the grace of God was exceeding abundant towards him which is in Christ Jesus This revived his soul The grace of God that brings Salvation teaches us to live soberly It makes us sober indeed it makes us mad in appearance Paul says he was mad before the grace of God appeared Festus told him he was mad after the grace of God had appeared There is a seeming madness and a seeming sobriety Sobriety is madness unto mad people Mans sobriety is madness unto God and Gods wisdom is folly and madness unto men The spirit of God coming upon the Disciples there 's a multitude that cry these men are full of new Wine they are drunk they spake truer then they were aware of 'T was new Wine indeed they had drank but such wine as they knew not of and that which they look't upon as Drunkenness was true sobriety and they but then came into their wits to a sound mind There was a Spirit of Power and Glory then came upon them and the Spirit of fear it was vanishing away When Christ began to manifest himself his kinred said he was mad They went forth to lay hands on him and said he was mad As the grace of God does appear in us and to us it makes us signs and wonders in Israel It is from the Lord of hosts It takes us off from following our own reason and it leads us in a way that men do not walk in The way of the Spirit is not the way of men it transforms us out of the World and changes us by the renewing of our mind The mad world thinks us mad when we begin to be sober There 's Gods wisdom and mans wisdom mans wisdom is foolishness to God and Gods wisdom is foolishness to man Solomon says of man that folly and madness is in his heart till the wisdom of God come in there is nothing else and he that is in the height of madness his madness is not seen to himself madness is continually there here is madness that he stumbles at God There is no such madness as is discovered by the wise and prudent man when he discourses in matters of Religion There was not such a mad and frantick man to throw fire and arrows of death as Paul when only humane learning led him in the practice of Religion The madness of men appears in calling evil good and good evil in running after shadows and leaving the substance in walking against the very light of their consciences to run into the world when they know the world is but a vain shadow in tempting God when they know he is stronger then they The grace of God makes a man sober And there is this ground for it Reas Because God is the only wise God To the only wise God If God be only wise then every man must be a fool but man will be wise says Job though he be born like a wild asses colt and here he discovers greatest folly Whosoever yields God that title The only wise God he does deny it to himself unless it be in Christ unless it be by grace if the grace of God hath entered it teacheth us to live soberly God hath let Satan enter upon this Creation that mad Spirit that carries us to destruction setting up himself in it and striving with God though he shall never prevail as God breaks in and throws out Satan wisdom comes and madness goes and therefore every one that looks upon himself as sober and would be counted so let him consider whence this sobriety comes hath the grace of God appeared that brings Salvation Is it from God or from man There is not such a mad man as a worldly wise man dealing in Religion The foolishness of God is wiser then men and the weakness of God is stronger then men and the wisdom and excellency of men is foolishness to God He takes the wise in their craftiness their light is nothing but darkness whosoever they be that have not the madness of man and flesh discovered to them do not yet know sobriety All that the world calls sobriety and wisdom it will appear but madness in the day of the Lord The wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God what folly is this what do you get by enmity to God Flesh is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be If you be truly wise and sober it is by the grace of God appearing that hath brought Salvation And whosoever is indeed made wise and sober by this grace of God appearing he must look to be accounted mad and foolish True sobriety must needs be accounted madness of those that have it not I and the sons whom thou hast given me are for signs A man instructed by God by a strong hand Noah was lookt on for a mad man and condemned by the world and he that is made sober by God he knows what the sobriety of the world is the world does not know what his sobriety is and he can carry himself boldly before the world in that it counts madness and folly knowing that it will justifie it self and bring confusion on all their wisdom That 's the first The grace of God that brings Salvation appearing is that only that teaches sobriety Secondly The grace of God that brings Salvation appearing is that only that teaches true Righteousness It teaches us to live soberly and righteously Till the grace of God that bringeth Salvation appears we do not know true righteousness all the righteousness that we practise before is but the shew of righteousness Till the new man be brought forth there 's no true holiness but he is created after the Image of God in righteousness and true holiness Ephes 4. 24. Paul