who can be against us 〈◊〉 likewise if God be against us who can be for us If a man flye from a Bear what help hath he if a Lion meet him and to flye from an iron weapon and a bow of steel strike him through when God is become thine enemie who dare be thy friend when God shall deny a man comfort then all comforts and Comforters fly from him when the God of all comfort shall deny his creatures power to comfort thee then like Iob if thou lay thee down thou sayest when shall I arise and the night be gone and thou art full of tossings too and fro unto the dawning of the day Iob 7. 4. He seeks for comfort but none dare give when the day comes he wisheth for the night and when the night comes he wisheth for the day and is full of unquietness While a man is in the body the Almighty hath visible Chariots to ride in towards thee In this life he shoots visible arrows Nah. 3. 2. The noise of a whip the noise of the ratling of the wheels of the praâ—sing horses and of the jumping Chariots He striks with visible swords his Chariot-wheels shall rattle against thee in poverty disgrace imprisonments in this life c. these are his rods whatever else seems bitter to us He hath the earth to swallow thee up as it did Dathan and his company and he hath waters to drown thee as he did Pharaoh he hath Whips Racks Strapadoes Halters and the like All these he hath and a 100 times more he useth for the body in the hands of man But adde unto these the invisible torments of thy invisible part And a wounded heart which as Solomon saith and such who have felt it know full well is far above all the rest The spirit of a man may sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear I but now if a man shall say with David Psal. 139. 11. Peradventure the darkness shall cover me and I will flee far hence when I have put off this body I shall then be at rest then dark death shall cover me and it shall ease me and hide me from all these things No no Then hath thy God invisible Chariots in which he rides and invisible weapons which shall pierce thy invisible soul The day and the night are all one to him Psal. 139. 12. When thou hast put on death he hath then also fiery Chariots and Horses still to affright amaze pursue wound and kill with a never dying death And therefore let us learn to fear him who can cast both boâ—â— and soul into hell But let us not fear any 〈◊〉 and I hope especially some among us we have not so learned Christ as either to fear them or trust in them Some saith David Psal. 20. 7. put trust in Chariots and some in Horses but we will trust in the name of the Lord. These are things we should never regard for all the Creatures are but Chariots wherein God rides therefore we should not much heed them but God in them neither men nor things but God onely who acts in them and by them for they can neither do us any good or hurt as of themselves but as they are acted and commanded by God and therefore I say we should neither fear them nor trust in them First Not fear them for so saith our Saviour Mat. 10. 28. Fear not him that can but kill the body c. Not trust in them for saith David A horse is counted but a vain thing to save a man Psal. 33. 17. And again put not you your trust in Princes nor in the son of man in whom there is no help For what is it that we trust to when we trust in them Fear them not saith the Psalmist why for their breath is in their nostrils they are but a puff of breath which is soon past and gone As soon as ever the Gate of our Life is broken down by some disease or other we come to nothing The snare is broken and our souls are escaped and what can such poor creatures do to us either for good or hurt Secondly Trust not in them no not in Princes nor in the son of man whose breath is in his nostrils in whom there is no 〈◊〉 and wherein is he to be accounted of The words are very remarkable and emphatical for when he had said Trust not in Princes one would think he had gone to the highest pich of power on earth for what is greater and who are of more power then Princes yet he addes nor in the son of man whose breath is in his Nostrils that is when a man hath trusted so long to things without himself till he hath no more to trust to and all fail him yet at last of all he will trust to himself and indeed the last trust is in a mans self therefore Christ nameth this before all to deny a mans self and take up his Cross herein daily But let us have our eye onely upon God and say as Elisha of Eliâ—ah and afterward as Ioash to Elisha 2 King 13. 14. so let us cry to God alone O my father my father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsmen thereof for indeed he is the Horsmen and the Chariots So when we look round about us both on the right hand and on our left above or below us let us take heed we rest not in any Creature whatsoever but let us look up and see that God is the strength of Israel his people and let us call upon him and say O my Father my Father the Chariots and Horsmen of Israel and to say with Iehosaphat in any strait O our God we know not what to do but our eyes are upon thee But as I told you there were chariots of divers fashions some that are made open and some made close And of old the Princes and great Ones of the Earth had Chariots of divers fashions and for divers uses so hath God Almighty As he hath Chariots Of Triumph so of Warre And those are both Offensive to pursue Defensive to deliver So also the Lord Almighty hath his Chariots Both Open and close wherein he Rides In some of his Chariots in some of his Creatures God rides more close in some he rides more open In some Creatures God is more apparently seen in others he is more hid But yet I will say as Austin saith of his Iudgements in some he is more hidden in others he is more manifest yet in all he is alwayes just And so say I of his presence in all his Creatures in some he is more conspicuous and apparent in others more secretly but in all alike truly and apparent to the seeing eye The Heavens are an open Chariot wherein he appears more visibly plainly Psal. 19. 1. The Heavens shew forth the glory of God and the Earth
the soul then and not before expect to hear and see God God is never seen or heard but when all things in us as of us are at rest Those that come and acknowledge him and deny themselves and all they are even all their parts both of Nature and Grace these are come to enâ—oy their rest these onely keep Subbaths these are they that have overcome and are set down with him in his throne even as he hath overcome and is set down in his Fathers Throne In the evening it is said God came into the Garden and called to Adam in tâ—e cool of the day Gen. 3. 8. that is when the heat of Adams lust and self-will was over till then lust made such a noise in Adams soul God could not be heard Then the Lord God puts Adam upon the examination of his soul Adam where art thou whâ—t hast thou done hast thou tasted 〈◊〉 eaten of thine own will that forbidden frâ—it whiâ—h 〈◊〉 shalt find the very eating or tasting will be death to thee which every soul thâ—t God hath really spoken to findes true in his own feeling and experience Thus have we run through this hour allotted it may be God may open your eyes that you may see into these things and I pray God you may even far beyond what I am able to express that you your selves may say and feel that this knowledge is that one thing necessary For this is that word which if you believe not will be the savour of death unto death but if believed and received will be the savour of life unto life THE STARRE IN THE EAST Leading unto the true MESSIAH 1 COR. 2. 2. But I determined to know nothing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified In two Sermons Preached at a Private meeting at KENSINGTON BEloved there are such things In-wrapt and folded up in the sacred Sriptures of God Almighty which being once known he that knows them in a right way he need not with the Apostle here being taught by the holy Spirit deire to know any thing more And because the treasure that is in these words and also in all the words of God is so fast lockt up so that no natural man can come at them he knows nothing of them for he perceiveth not the things of God neither indeed can he for they are spiritually discerned Therefore let us implore and beseeâ—h his help who hath the keys to open the seven seals as it is in the Revelation of S. Iohn He who onely was counted worthy to open the book that He may unloâ—k and reveal to us these precious mysteries I determined to know nothing among you c. What doth the Apostle mean by these words was he a man that knew nothing or was he an ignorant in all those other things and therefore sleighted them That because he had no learning therefore sleighted learning No 〈…〉 me leave to tell you He was no Fool he was 〈…〉 he was no Babâ—â— no not in all that great and â—hiefest learning which was in his time accounted so highly of for he was as great a proficient Therein as most of them all He was brought up as he â—aith of himself at the feet of Gamaliel and he waâ— a great man in the learning of the Pharisees who were at that time the onely learned men of the Church yea of the whole world Insomuch that they were had in reverence of all because they thought these Rabbins had all knowledge that these were the onely men to whom God himself opened and revealed himself So that he was counted a madman or a fool one led with the spirit of error and schism that should dare to oppose or speak a word against them Yet our Apostle here being inferiour to none of them all and could have gone their paths to have gotten their estimation in the world if he had then seen any excellency in them as before he did he could have gloried after the slesh as well as they But now having to do with these Corinthians and seeing the vanity of all humane learning without this knowledge he layes all aside and undervalues all as dross and dung and comes to them in wonderful plainness of speech that he might preach to them Iesus Christ and not himself as they did to gain honour and profit in the world and to make themselves great in the esteem of others it was death to them to fail of these ends These they put so 〈◊〉 confidence both Preachers and People in this kind of way and in this learning being onely litterally learned and knowing in the Scriptures onely Externally so that all the world was undervalued to them for so it was at that time All this great fabrick of the world was divided into two parts onely viz Iews and Barbarians if they were not Iews they were Barbarians and Heathens And this kind of learning was then and so alwayes is accompanied with all manner of riches and honour with all the glory and splendour of the world every man bowed to their parts and worth they were presented with gifts and it was accounted a great honour to have them accepted by them they were repaired to at all times As to resolve doubts and give counsel c. they were as Oracles in the peoples esteem generally And he that went not this way was like to lead an obscure beggerly life no body taking notice of him scarce having a hole to put his head in nay He should be sure to be trampled down and cast under foot by these great men by their great blustering and by their great parrs and by their great learning The foxes have holes and the birds of this world have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head Well notwithstanding all this our Apostle sticks not at it but layes all aside learning credit honour and dishonour riches poverty he tramples all under foot and is content to expose himself to whatever their malice could bring about he reposes no confidence in whatever Parts he had equal with them and sayes that he expected and was content to be accounted a Fool and to hide himself and be as one that had nothing in him He will never go about to dispute it out with these great Rabbins that is not the way he knew that would do no good for he had experience that of disputations there was no end for every one stuck so fast and unmoveable to his opinion one to shew his wit and eloquence another to gain honour and riches another because he had declared what he held and being once past the bars of his lips he must not recant and be a flincher and discover his ignorance wherein he had declared so much confidence but must then stand it out to the death so one for one end and another for another mens Ends being infinite and unspeakable so that therein he had no hope Well
and dissentions but the soul yields to Christ he having cast out those unclean and unruly spirits and they now with Maâ—â— sit quietly at Christs feet and hear his Heavenâ—â— Doctrine and there is a confessing and subscribing that he hath done all things well they will no more contend with him nor direct him but confess that what ever he doth is the best Well then we hear no more of Christ after this till he was thirty years old I beseech you go along with me and look altogether within your selves and it may be the Lord may shew you all these things and a thousand times more then I can speak I beseech him to open your eyes and to give you understanding for this day through Gods blessing I shall put such a key into your hands that unlocks all the Scriptures even as a fine curious contrived Cabinet which we know not which way to open yet having found the secret Lock of all the Drawers then they all fall to pieces and every one comes to your hand So shall I do this day if God say Amen give you such a secret key that takes all the Scripture to peices and you may come to see what use every several part thereof is for Those Scriptures that before were hard and dark and you could not tell what they should mean now they all fall off as easie and come to hand as you desire but it is not I nor any thing I can do though I should preach and beat these things into you till midnight till Christ himself be pleased to come into the soul and work these things in you by his own power the hearing by the ear will not do it it must be the experimental touch of these things upon your hearts that must teach you these things Well after Christ was thirty years old he began to fall to working of miracles â—nd it is said the first miracle that we read that Iesus did was in Cana of Galilee where at a feast he turned the water into wine Those things which before to you were but dead flat waters these precious truths that heretofore were so untasteful so unrelisâ—able that you had as live dye as drink thereof the wayes of Christ are so harsh and thwart to flesh and blood Christ must come and make those waters that before were deadly they were so bitter you could not endure to taste them Oh! it was Gall Vinegar and Wormwood if you tipt but your tongue in them you would have no more of them away with them now he comes and makes these waters first drinkable that you begin to endure to take a draught of them and afterward he turns them into wine delightful and pleasant drink nay he made such wine that it was wondered at Thou hast kept the good wine until now Oh! the wayes of Christ to that soul that hath experience of them are more pleasant then the purest wine they as David saith Are as sweet as honey and the honey comb are more desirable then gold yea then much fine gold And now those wines that we so much prized before now are turned into water they are now harsh and distasteful its death to them now to drink of those waters but he that is overcome and governed by Christ he turnâ— all into wine then all Christs wayes are pleasant though he walk contrary to them yet still he gives these souls wine to drink and such wine as they never tasted the like before Do you now tell them of drinking of their old waters no they can despise them all he despises his sinful pleasures he despises the world he can despise honour pleasure ease profit all though they were his life before now he can despise them all If Christ before had commanded to for sake our pleasure our profit our friends our houses our lands our lives Oh! this had been harsh wine we should have dyed to have heard of it but as soon as Christ comes he convinces and overcomes our inward darkness and mistakes our judgement of these things is quite turned our eyes begin to be opened we have new eyes new tastes we can now see and relish the wonderful things of Gods Law Now Christ doth nothing but go up and down in us preaching and teaching in our Temples and working miracles from place to place in our souls in one place he makes clay and anoints their eyes and opens them in another he cryes to the ears Ephatha be ye opened and then all things shine gloriously to these eyes and all things sound melodiously to these ears What thunder is not a well tuned cymbal and what voyce so hoarse and harsh that is not a clear Organ when God sets his voyce to the instrument and the instrument to his voyce when our spirits are set right there is a sweet harmony between us and all the wayes of God seem they never so harsh to flesh and blood all Gods dealings they esteem them to be right though God afflict them yet they see it is in faithfulness as David saith I know O Lord that all thy judgements are right and thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me and again saith he I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way Before they could endure to hear of nothing but ease pleasure honour profit credit and external freedom from crosses I I ye cannot bring news so fast of these things as they have eyes ears hearts hands and all ready to receive them ye are the welcomest Guests that can be to them but if you tell them they must deny all these things they must part with these things they must sell all and follow Christ as he told the young man That they must enjoy them as if they enjoyed them not as Paul saith Oh bitter they have now neither eyes to see nor ears to hear you nor hands to receive all this Doctrine shall fall to the ground for them they cannot endure any thing which brings not good news to themselves to their carnal self As when the Sun shines you know it shews all things below it self and darkens every thing above it self for in the day ye can see nothing above the Sun all the Stars which are above the Sun are obscured and all things else So while a man is in the state of unregeneration he can see nothing above himself but if it be any thing that leads him to the love of himself that he can see Heaven is welcome to him out of a self-love and so far as he apprehends it will make him happy but if ye shew him any thing above himself he cannot see nor hear any thing he is therein stark blinde and deaf this is not the generation that he is wise in but the children of this world are wiser in their generation then the children of light I said Christ being once come into the soul conceive I pray
and rule in thee and be KING in thy soul and Tread all his enemies under his feet thou hast betrayed him into his enemies hands Thou hast delivered him up to be crucified As long as thy sins live and thou pretendest to be a servant to him Thou hast made A MOCK of the Son of God And counted the blood of the Covenant an Unholy thing wherewith he would have sanctified thee therefore ye must seek to have your part in the first Resurrection if you hope the second death shall have no power on you But Let me remember my self Perhaps friends I speak Riddles to you for you may say in your hearts Far be it from me to crucifie my Saviour I find no Christ crucified in me nor I would not do it no not for a Thousand worlds What to have my hands imbrewed in the Death and BLOUD of the Son of God God forbid No poor soul I believe thou feelest it not so Because the strong man keeps the house and He keeps all at peace But if once Jesus Christ come into thy soul Even He that was dead and now begins to live That he begins to rouse up himself like a Lion He will then Make all the beasts of the Forrest to TREMBLE And know this if he once Will Lift up himself it is not in our power nor in the power of all the lusts and corruptions in the world nor in all the powers of darkness to keep him Down But Till this time He is content To serve your iniquities But When He doth Arise He will then shew you and make you sensible How you have scourged and crucified him All this while He will make you Amazed to see How all this while you have had him Live in you and been so near you and you have Crucified him What I Crucified my Saviour all this while and I not aware of it Oh wretch that I am Oh! now now he cryes out Oh! let these Jews dye let them live no longer these lusts ' these Sins of mine that have crucified and put to death The LORD of Life When I read the story of his life and death how he was used deâ—ided buffered c. little did I think that I was He that was in doing all those things to Christ my self Then thou shalt clearly see that when Christ commanded thee These and these things to be done Thou hast cast his Commands behind thy back and thou wouldest not have him rule in thee but thou chosest rather to follow thine own will and what self and flesh commanded Oh! here now thou hast Newly pierced Iesus Christ to the heart with a sharp spear Thou confessest truth it is God commands me to do these things to cross my self to forsake my own will and follow him Tush but it is all one I will and I must have my own will I will not stand bent to these Laws thou sâ—â—ppest in sunder these bands and casts these cords from thee Oh Friend thou art now The very man that hath newly wounded the Son of God and brought from his sâ—de water and blood Oh Beloved these are The Spears These are the Mocks these are the Scourgings these are Vinegar and Gall to Christ And that man that hath Thus Crucified him He hath more truly crucified him then ever the Jews did But after a man is brought to see and feel This How do you think Can that man that sees how he hath crucified Christ In him and put him to death Can he go on and crucifie him still Can he wound and put him to death still Can he be so Cruel to take these Spears these sins and lusts and wound him to the very heart again Oh! no no He cannot He cannot he will rather chuse to dye Ten thousand deaths Whatever he doth he will not wound again So Meek and Merciful A Saviour But it may be there is this Qâ—estion which may run in your thoughts and it may be it is Hard for you to conceive How Christ should suffer and not God to suffer seeing he is God and man It is certain God cannot suffer and therefore ye must understand That Christ in Himself cannot suffer but he suffers in his body in his members Those types and shadows of his sufferings are but to shew how He still suffers in his Members Internally and spiritually He suffers In regard of Us and to Us and for Us because we live and our sins and lusts live and our Self lives and therefore He suffers He is Crucified and dead For whatever we see done by Christ in the letter is An Embleme of that He doth for Ever For He is the Lamb slain from the beginning Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and the same for ever Did you see him yesterday nailed to the Cross he is the same to day and for ever c. yet He HIMSELF suffers not but his body For Example my body can never suffer unless my soul be in it neither can my soul suffer without my body and yet my body cannot suffer without my soul Then wonder not if it may be thus in a creature if Jesus Christ in himself suffereth not but onely Himself in his members neither can his members suffer unless he be in them I my self saith Paul fill up in my body The measure of the sufferings of Christ. Beloved These are Divine sublime things if your eyes be but open to see them And you having This KEY put into your hand by God himself for God himself must interpret his own meaning then you will have Such a light such a Demonstration of Truth so that Those Scriptures which you knew not before what to make of them nor what they concerned they were So dark and Obscure and Contradictory Now all the whole Scriptures open of themselves and shew you all their Hidden Iewels and Unspeakable Treasures And now my Brethren God forbid that after an hours or more patient hearing that I or you should fall under the reproof of Iobs friends In ventum verba protulisse or to have entertained you here so long with Wind or lyes as Ephraim is said to have dieted himself with Hos. 12. 1. He feedeth on wind and followeth after the east wind He daily encreaseth lyes God forbid That all we have said should be but as Lyes or wind or Nothing to you But if you see these things in experience Then Beloved you shall see wonderful things How all Davids Psalms come in How the Fat Bulls of Basan came about him like Bees and How his feet were fast in the stocks and how he was overwhelmed in the mire and so throughout the whole Psalms and the rest of the Scriptures still seeing and taking them as done spiritually and invisibly And so you shal come to see The Scriptures to be A Bottomless SEA where in the Elephant may swim and the Leviathan may sport himself Neither would many
overcome by lust and Absalom to fall by Ambition and Abiram by murmuring Iudas by covetousness the Richman by gluttony and that Simon Magus was overcome by covetousness and the like But here is the misery of all miseries and the height of all aggravations For a man to go to hell by his Religion and profession of truth for a man to go to hell by hearing of Sermons By receiving the Communion by praying by preaching by abstinence By overcoming of Vice by Resisting of sin by giving of alms c. to bless themselves and say I thank God I am not thus and thus as the Pharisee said I am not as other men nor as this Publican I do not as other men do I do not swear as such a man I do not blaspheme and lye and be drunk as such and such I go to Church twice a Sabbath I attend diligently I read and repeat the word in my family I pray twice a day nay not onely so but I keep a strict watch over my heart and tongue I have overcome swearing and filthy speaking and lying and covetousness all these have I killed my life is unspotted No man can say Black is my eye But may it not be said of thee as it was once concerning Alexander that when he came to besiege and take a City and the enemy stood upon a high steep mountain or bulwark upon which stood Elephants so that they were in such a strait they knew not what to do for if they killed they should kill more of their own Army then of their Enemies For if they killed the Elephants that stood in the front their heavy bodies would tumble down upon them and kill them So say I I fear that in killing of sin sin hath killed thee Are not all thy good deeds fallen upon thine own head and hath not all thy labour and pains that thou hast taken Killed thine own soul And for all this Potent strength that this Lucifer you see hath yet he hath gotten Armour on besides And his armour is Innocency And the more of this he hath the more strong and the better Armed is He I say the more innocency and unsportedness This Lucifer hath so much the more strong is he against God but as David saith Psal. 119. 71. It was good for me that I was afflicted for before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have respect to all thy Commandments So may I boldly say It were good for thee to Fall Nay it were better that God would let thee fall then stand that thou mayest come to see thine own pride and glory laid in the dust and that thou be made to see Not what a strong excellent creature thou art but what a vile and sinful and what a weak creature thou art that so thou mayest say it was good for me and I find it by experience Oh it is good for me that I sinned and that I fell for before I sinned I went astray I had like to have gone to hell by all my good actions by my pride in them I was even at the very pits brink had this never been disclosed to me Oh Beloved Humility is the Top of all graces all is nothing if we have not That with them Beloved examine your selves Try and see whether these things be in you or not and if they be if you find them so I tell you you will never look so much to find any of them without your selves as within One Name more and then we conclude for this time The â—â—th name that is given him is The Red Dragon Rev. 12. 3. so called because of his colour And there appeared another wonder in heaven and behold a great red Dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads Friends I would fain bring you acquainted with This enemy also that you may once come to know him that you may beware of him for I open all these several names that so I might fully describe and set him out to you that you may know him that if you find him not in you by one name yet you may by another and if not by one or two yet by all his names compared together That as Moses put his hand into his bosom and pulled it out leprous so I would fain have you finde that these things are in your own bosoms you are all Lepers but know it not And though I take some time in opening these names yet I hope it will be profitable to you for as yet I am not half gone through them This Red Dragon makes his Fiery assaults upon the Soul daily and hourly and there doth he make Wreck and spoil he there cruelly Rends and Tears your poor souls and you for all that see it not nor are sensible thereof There He Seises upon his Prey Which but with a very strong hand will he forsake And by those his fiery darts which the Apostle speaks of he wounds the soul to death and destruction and there is no delivering the soul from the jaws of this fiery Dragon but by the Almighty power and hand of God for he goes about like a Roaring Lion seeking his prey and whom he may swallow up and devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. And his Armour is bloâ—d it is no less then your bloud your life that feeds him And he Thirsts for bloud which is your life and that is his life his meat and drink And there is no overcoming this Dragon but by destroying That which is the very life of your lives viz. Of your carnal and fleshly lives the life of pride and the life of covetousness the life of arrogancy and self-boasting c. All Humane and worldly wisdom must be brought down The natural man as born of the old Adam must be crucified and slain and be utterly stript of all his wisdom and power ye must take up arms and go to war within your selves and fight with your selves fight with your own wills with your own affections You mus resist and cast away that which is sweet and dear to flesh and bloud you must cut off your right hands and pull out your right eyes else this Devouring Dragon will never be overcome Every man loves his blood dearly the natural mans sin is as dear to him as his blood it is so interwoven and runneth into the very nature of man even as the blood through every part and membâ—r so that take away the bloud and you take away the life And nothing will satisfie this bloudy red Dragon but bloud this he lives upon and therefore whenever ye look and behold in your selves or any other A dearness in sin A love to sin you shall finde how loth they are to part with it Can a Blackamoor change his skin or a Leopard his spots Neither can ye which are accustomed to do evil learn to do well saith Isaiah Therefore He is A Sore Enemy SERMON III. ROM 8. 17.
Christ as Act. 10. 42. it is Christ that was ordained of God to be judge of quick and dead he is not onely Judge at that great and last day but he also is Judge in this life as our Saviour sayes Ioh. 12. 31. Behold now is the Prince of this World judged or cast out there is no man nor nothing of man that is judged or condemned but it is Christ that is The Iudge in that soul for if we tarry till Satan condemn Satan if we tarry till Belzebub condemn Belzebub till the strong man bind himself we may tarry a day too long as the Proverb is for never while the world stands can we expect that flesh will judge flesh that our own will will condemn our own will that Lucifer will judge Lucifer this can never be if you expect that you may wait till it be too late the door will be shut and there is no more hope The Scripture then makes mention of three sorts of men that are Judges the first are Carnal men Rom. 7. 14. 1 Cor. 3. 3. For we know the law is spiritual but I am Carnal sold under sin For ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among you envyings and strifes and divisions are not ye carnal and walk as men that are led meerly by carnal and fleshly sense given up onely to please their appetites and fleshly desires they see no farther and their aim is no higher The second sort are Animales reasonable men and they are such as are more refined of a higher and more sublime nature even those that mind the intellectual part their souls And these reasonable or rational men as we call them being guided by reason there they rest and there they are satisfied for let a man but shew a reason for what he does and who will condemn him But neither of these have the wisdom that is from above for all this wisdom is but earthly fleshly and devillish Iam. 3. 15. Can it be expected that either of these two will judge themselves will carnal fleshliness judge carnality no it approves it it justifies it or will reason condemn reason how can it overthrow it self it is impossible a Kingdom divided against it self it cannot stand but yet the rational man doth judge and condemn and sits as Judge oftentimes over the actions of the carnal man But there is a third sort of men and they are Spiritual men Gal. 6. 1. and 1 Cor. 2. 15. Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness considering thy self left thou also be tempted But he that is spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man And This MAN judgeth both these the Spiritual man Omnia judicat judgeth all things we esteem little of the carnal man every one condemns him but we highly esteem of the rational man because he is guided by reason and doth all things that reason guides him to he minds not his body onely it is reason he should regard that but he regards his soul too and That above his body he knows he hath an Eternal soul and therefore it behoves him and he hath reason to look for an estate and well-being for it and who can now judge who is able to blame this man can any man do better But now comes the spiritual man and he judgeth all things when he comes he judgeth and condemneth the very best and highest actions of this reasonable man and tells him that his very thoughts are abominable to God his hearing reading praying his sacrifices are an abomination In the two former men we could not find such a judge but here comes ONE who indeed is no man nor any part of man but the Son of God himself he comes now into the soul the spirit of God he is the judge this spiritual man this Christ being formed in the soul this word being spoken in the soul for Christ is the Word spoken It comes and sayes Reason for all thou art so set up and esteemed amongst men yet thou art a fool and Reason sayes again that God is a fool But let me tell you God is capable to understand Reasons wayes but Reason cannot understand Gods ways And beloved God and Man have been a long time at this God sayes Reason thou art a fool and again Reason sayes God thou art a fool But now Reason must be condemned Reason must be cast the inward man must judge the outward the New man the old the second Adam the first This is that voice in the soul This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased hear him Do you think that is meant onely of his words that he then spake when he was on earth No but Hear him that is Hear Him in your selves Hear Him in your souls the one is but a fleshly hearing this is a spiritual a soul-like hearing His Word silences all Of this word we may say Blessed is he that hears my words and doth them And as David saith Arise Lord and judge the people but by the way Do you think that God ariseth or removes from place to place No no Rise Lord in our souls be Judge there among the Gods amongst those that have been our Gods and have ruled over us those strange Lords bring them down and do thou Lord exalt thy self the wicked flourish in thy House and Courts And break down the carved work c. In that place that should be thy House witness those effects those murthers and thefts and cruelties that express themselves daily many in action and many more lye lurking in the soul to betray the innocent and guiltless man Oh then sayes this soul let God arise and his enemies shall be scattered and again Psal. 35. 24. Iudge me O God according to thy righteousness and let not mine enemies rule over me Judge me according to thy righteousness not according to flesh not according to reason but according to thy righteousness And if that condemn me this condemnation is not unto death as Christ said concerning Lazarus This sickness is not unto death So likewise This delivering unto Sathan is for the crucifying of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Oh Lord sayes this soul judge thou me my flesh hath judged me and my soul hath judged me the carnal and the rational man hath judged me but they can find no fault with me but up Lord exalt thy self that so this man of sin may shew himself no more in me Now He that hath been judged and condemned by the world must now condemn the world Now He sits down with Christ in his Throne To judge even the twelve Tribes of Israel all Outward and formal profession The wisdome of the world which hath long condemned the wisdom of God to be folly must now by
and sold under sin and ye are yet carnal saith the Apostle Carnality never judges carnality never look that flesh should find fault with its own actions neither doth the Reasonable man find fault with his reasonable actions but sâ—ith the Apostle The Spiritual man judgeth all things that is the Spirit of God as David saith Exalt thy self O God above the heavens and shew thy self thy glory and thy majesty Come thou unto us O Lord and judge the heathen be thou judge among the judges among the gods among those that are and still would be gods and judges Do thou O Lord put all thine enemies to silence and Rule THOU in the midst of thine Enemies But to silence our own reason all our own affections our own will our own joys our own fears our own hopes and then hear what God shall say There is no hearing of God till all these be put to silence as it is said Gen. 3. God came into the Garden in the COOL of the day what do you think was meant by that that God came at evening when the sun was going down do you think that the day was too hot for God to walk in no no that cannot be but t is meant he came into the soul in the cool of the day that is when lust was cool when the heat of Adams desire was over when his own will was silent and there was a calm then God spake and said Adam where art thou Till then there was such Noise and such a Hurly-burly in his soul This lust would be satisfied and the other lust would be satisfied such crying and calling making such clamour and noise there was then no hearing God speak but these being All put to silence God comes in with a still soft voice not while the thunder and mighty rushing was and speaks in the soul Hear now what God saith Hear him judge you hear him condemn you and if ye do this This delivering over to Satan is not unto death but that your spirits may be saved in the day of the Lord This casting of our souls into the lower hell as David complains is that we may be saved from the condemnation irrecoverable I came to send fire on the earth saith our Saviour and what if I will that it be already kindled The kindling of this fire is a happy kindling t is that you may escape the Unquenchable fire suffer therefore this condemnation to be wrought in your souls it is a blessed a happy condemnation The day that this work comes into thy soul is the blessedst day that ever thou sawest the happiest hour that ever passed over thy head the brightest and gloriousest day that ever dawned to thee Indeed it is The day of the Lord A day of darkness and gloominess of clouds and thick darkness but it dawns to everlasting light and glory I told you wherein and how you might examine your selves And that you might have a glass large enough to see your whole body open your eyes to see the glass of the Law and view your selves round by it and then I will warrant you you shall see cause enough of condemnation then you will see so much in your selves that you will have no wisdom nor leisure left to judge other men if you did but see the true resemblance of your selves you could do nothing else but be alwayes judging and condemning your selves you could do nothing but lay all the Bitter curses you could devise upon this Meroz Even upon your Corrupt Self you would so Hate and lothe your selves in your own sight you would not others praises which formerly you have so much sought for It may be we have read and heard the Ten Commandments over and over a thousand times but that is not enough But as the Scripture requires an ear in an ear so we must have an eye in an eye He that hath ears to hear let him hear and He that hath eyes to see let him see I opened to you the sins of the first Commandement from which I know you will free your selves most in you think That of all the rest you are most free from having other Gods you were taught That from your Cradle Thou shalt have no other Gods but me But as I then shewed you you that do worship any other god as all of us do some make their belly their god some pleaure their god some profit their god some credit and praise their god and these we obey and worship and fear and love Whatever it was that drew you from obeying Gods Commandments was it for pleasure was it for honour or whatever else consider what you have done you have made them your gods and done more then bowed your knee to them so that as often as thou hast said the Ten Commandments so often hast thou dissembled with God and rebelled against that which thine own mouth hath acknowledged And I doubt I may say of you as the Prophet said of Israel So many Cities so many Gods Shall I say so many men so many Gods Nay so many LUSTS so many Gods And those that have many Gods have no God This is generally acknowledged for even among the Heathen there was not one learned and wise man but did confess there was a God and that there could not be any more then one God although they gave several names to the divine power in several creatures for the Apprehension of the ignorant and called them Gods yet they knew that God was but one Take therefore that sacred spotless Law open it and look upon it view thy self well and it will shew thee clearly all thy Gods Do but look upon the actions of this very day nay since you came into this place and see if there hath not been matter enough to cause this work of Condemation Besides consider this seriously you are not represented to God as doing of one action but according to the Tenor of your lives thou art not presented to God as thou art dying when thy mouth is full of holy words nor as thou art doing any good action not as thou art sitting in the Church at thy prayers not as thou art hearing a Sermon not as thou art relieving the Poor c. but all thy whole life every minute being always as present with him as if every particular action were now in doing there is no passing of time no succession of time with him so that from hence conâ—lude and resolve it to thy thoughts if ever thou swearest an Oath thou art with him alwayes swearing if ever thou blasphemest thou art ever blaspheming if ever thou toldst a lye thou art with Him alwayes lying if ever thou committedst adultery thou art alwayes doing that act as to him if ever thou brokest Covenant and Promise thou art with him alwayes doing so if ever thou trampledst the bloud of the Conant under thy feet thou art alwayes
live And With those men which Live â—pon the shadow and content themselves with Shels and Husks There is no peace to be had with them except ye make the Substance Vail to their Shadowes And the True God to stoop to their Idol Baal Otherwise They are like Saul Before He was converted Acts 9. 1. Exceedingly Mad against them like Inraged Mad Bulls and Breathing out Threatning and Slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord And are still seeking to the High Priests and the powers of the Earth to assist them with Commissions To make Havock of the Church But Oh! that the Lord would graciously Shine Round about them And smite them to the earth Causing them to hear That voice Why Why persecutest Thou Me It is Hard for thee to Kick against the Pricks But St. Paul â—e was now come to those things of which he knew and found Christ His bod was but A shadow He now possest the 〈◊〉 let the shadow go And if men woâ—ld never sleigh the Shadow or the Letter or the Shell Till the did it on the same ground the Aposâ—le did 〈◊〉 instead of blaming them I should Highly commend them But this is that which is too common in these dayes they throw away the shadow and the shell too soon they throw away the Letter and Ordinances upon a meer supposition 〈◊〉 they are in S. Pauls condition and this is thâ— very ground of the Error of Many in these dayes and therefore I caution hence 〈◊〉 much and charge you Not to throw away the Letter noâ— sleight the body of Christ in the least exâ—epâ— inrelation to the Spirit the Life and the Substance Onely comparatively And you as come Really 〈◊〉 enjoy these things not to cast them quite 〈◊〉 as I said before but not to rest in them 〈…〉 the Handmaid before the Mistress or the 〈◊〉 before the Marrow or the Casket before thâ— IEWEL or the â—ield before the PEARL Le no man saith the Apostle Iudge you in Meats 〈◊〉 Drinks or in respect of an Holy day New 〈…〉 of The Sabbath dayes which are shadows of Thing To come But the Body is Christ. For beloved Christs body was Symbolical 〈◊〉 well as his actions they all held 〈…〉 that we might not rest in them bâ—t this is 〈…〉 flesh in us is ready to abuse to our own 〈◊〉 and condemnation The cunning politick Devil in us when he cannot hold us in prophaneness by the Chains of ignorance then he labours to do it by the Chains of knowledge Sayes he in us if the letter be a shadow and nothing then we will neglect it we will throw it away there is nothing now to be done we will live as we list we Owe No duties to God or man we will please our selves and deny our selves nothing for we are gotten above Word Ordinances Sacraments Worships and all Oh Beloved these are the Devils strongest Chains of all These Chains of Knowledge to abuse the highest liberty and glory of a Christian to the Idleness and Luxuriousness of the flesh He that is taken in These Chains a thousand to one if he ever get out as the Apostle saith Heb. 10. There is after this no more Sacrifice for sins such will hardly ever recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil and as he expresseth it in Heb. 6. It is impossible for those who were once inlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance and he so goes on and explains it by a similitude For the earth which drinketh in the rain which cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God else it beareth thorns and bryars and is rejected and is â—igh unto cursing and in the end to be burned This caution I thought good to mind you of that in taking you off from Resting on these things that you do not quite slight them nor think your selves come to the Spirit when ye have scarce Attained The letter and Outside But as I was saying Christs body and his actions were symbolical for though he healed the lame and cured the deaf and raised the dead and the like yet this was not the Substance nor the End of his coming for he by them shadowed out to us what he doth internally in our souls For Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and thâ— same for ever He did then Those actions of curing the blind cleansing the lepers casting out devils and the rest So he doth the same still as David saith Psal. 103. Praise the Lord O my soul which cureth all thy diseases and healeth al thy infirmities which redeemeth our lives from destruction and crowneth us daily with loving kindnesses and tender mercies These are the diseases Christ cures daily and so cures that they never mortally fall sick again Those he cured then they might fall to the same diseases again or worse it may be and besides that curing them saved them not from death as this curing doth The young man that was raised from death dyed again and Lazarus dyed again but those he cures in soul they are cured for ever them he quickens for ever them he so raises from death that they dy no more As old Simeon said of him Luke 2. 34. That he was for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and he was for a sign which shall be spoken against He is for a sign in the flesh and in his Humane nature of what he did from the begining and of what he is still in doing He himself in the body in his humanity and All his actions were typical These things I often represent to you because we are Backward to reâ—eive them we are loth to turn our eyes inward in hearing and reading the Scriptures To see all those things fulfilled in our selves Nay we do not yet feel and believe That we are those that Christ came to cure that we are the dumb and the deaf the halt and the blind Little do we think that Devils are to be cast out of us but those whom Christ hath cured they are able to see really that they are The men that Christ then by them represented They see when they read of the Iews crucifying of the Lord of life of their cruel whipping mocking c. crowning him with thornâ— and the like they can say to themselves as Nathan said to David when by a parable he had represented his sin sayes he and so can this man say to himself Thou art the man And so likewise in all his other actions Far be it from any one to think that to heal those External diseases was the End of his coming But thus think Did he arise from death to life he doth the same
to starve and do you look I should relieve you Depart I know you not Lord say they we never saw thee a hungry but we fed thee or naked but we clothed thee or in prison but we visited thee They wonder that Christ should lay that to their charge for who more careful to relieve him outwardly yet you see Christ will not know them Therefore take notice that it is not enough that if no man demand ye need not to give or if you do give you have done all for ye may be guilty of neglecting Christ notwithstanding Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be satisfied Let Christ be fed and satisfied in thy soul give Him such meat as he can eat His meat is to do the will of his Father and to fâ—nish his work therefore in that regard also take heed ye displease not the Son left he be angry and ye perish in the way Take heed ye suffer him not to starve Thou feedest him in his members yea Outwardly but that is not enough I tell you that is but an embleme of feeding Christ that is but the outside thou dost but as it were perform the smal matterâ— of the Law and neglectest the weighty matters thereof Tell me where thou feedest and where thou restest at noon Beloved what need Christ any rest he is in heaven and is there any weariness where there is no weariness there is no need of rest he is farre above the malice of men and devils Isa. 66. 1. Where then is the place of my rest ☞ For Answer hereunto we must consider Christ as a Body not as any one particular member for a member cannot suffer without the body for if a member be cut off from the body all actions cease in that member and where there is no life or action there can be no suffering separate the action which is the effect of life from the body or the life which is the cause of action the body is not capable of suffering So in Christ consider the body compleat and so Christ suffers still and hath need of Rest As he is in every creature so he is called The beginning of all the works of God and he indeed is All Things and so he is at rest and cannot suffer Here is a great mystery Beloved that Christ should be in the Creature and yet be at Rest that he should be in the Variation and Alteration of things in the world and yet He not vary that He should be the substance of things changed and yet He not changed I will shew you it in an example The light and heat of the Sun comes through the ayre now you know the wind and the ayre is subject to change nothing more it is changed and turned every way and yet the sun though it do come through the ayre is the same it is not moved nor changed though they suffer an alteration yet it suffers none Wonder not then if such a thing may come to be in a Creature as the Sun is that he that is the Lord of all Creatures should be so and infinitely more No marvel though he can turn them upside down as he pleases and vary and alter them as the wind They all shall wax old as doth a garment they shall perish but thou shalt endure as a vesture thou shalt change them and they shall be changed but thou art the same and thy years never end that is they shall all purifie and corrupt but thou art the same thou changest not Dear freinds now we have answered you where He rests Iesus Christ blessed for ever he indeed suffers in his members But he Rests in himself in him there is no shadow of change And in our temptations and affâ—ictions we rest in him When we can in all troubles have recourse to him as David did and find succour under the shadow of his wings this is a repose for our hearts in all conditions in our selves we can do nothing there we cannot rest but in him we may and can when as we are in such an affliction like as our Saviour was that he saw No comfort every thing was Sad and dark round about he was compassed with sorrows on every side he was in such a labyrinth of sorrow as never man was he saw no comfort at all neither in life nor in death above him nor below him from God or men I say were our condition as bâ—d as his if it were possible that we were in the very midst of the heat and fire of afflictions when the flood of tentation ariseth fourty cubits above ourstrongest hold yet then we might rest in our Head even as he rested in himself so we may rest in him seeing that all things work together and shall turn to the best to them that love God It is a strange speech and as rarely beleived that though God bring us through never so many and never so bitter tortures and torments That yet we may be at rest in an assured perswasion that all shall turn to the best which notwithstanding are not punishments judgements as they are generally taken nor so to be accounted Ill indeed had it been for us if it had been so for they are not to be looked upon as vengeances but as fatherly corrections not as ministers of his wrath but as Evidences of his love and such love that neither heighth nor depth death nor life c. Nay nothing can separate us from Christ Here is the rest of a Christian and then they may be said to Rest with him at noon in the very heat and height of tentations and afflictions And if the soul shall ask O my God where art thou Beloved he is nigh thee he is with thee he is so neatly joyned to thee that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come shall be able to sepâ—rate between him and you And in his due time he will rouse up himself like a Lion When the heat of tentation shall have humbled us and laid us low and qualified the proud heart of man and the Smart of affliction mellowed and tempered us he then will appear for our comfort and rest The fourth thing is For why should I be as those that turn aside to the flocks of thy companions She would fain know with an unsatisfiable desire what pleases him and where he rests and where he feeds for if he do not resolve her and answer her she shall turn aside to the creatures to the flocks of thy companions as anon we shall shew you what it is There is in the souls of all men a propension to worship a God if they find not the true God they will worship somewhat that which their own fancy tels them is a God It is the nature of gratitude to be returning somewhat The soul is given of God it
type of this spiritual Pharaoh You see how discouraged he was but to come into his presence but to ask to let the people go to serve the Lord and much more to bring the thing to pass he went for No mâ—rvel if an Embassador for Christ be in this regard discouraged for All the Powers of darkness are before him Christians look on your enemies they have Cities walled up to heaven You have the tower of Babel to climb the soul to be Rescued and brought out of the claws of all the Devils in hell But this is your comfort Christ doth this for you but it must be done in you What 's thy name LEGION If all the whole earth were gathered into one Body into one Army All the Engines and Politick Engineers for war and all the Artillery thereof this were a potent mighty almost inconceiveable strength yet this is Nothing to these Legions One of which One Sin is able to destroy the soul for ever which is of more value then all the world yet all this power cannot destroy one soul whom Jesus Christ hath purchased Then what shall they soul do that hath Legions of these as thick in thy understanding will affections as Motes in the Sun as Devils in the air as thick as words as actions â—y as thoughts For where this strong man keeps the house Mat. 12. 29. all he doth speaks thinks all is sin and he lies close and safe in his trenches and strong holds he thinks himself invincible unconquerable And indeed so long as Men do but take up Arms against him Or use never so many ordinances or duties which they force themselves unto he laughs at the shaking of your spears Job 41. 29. And the neighing of your horses and all the strength you can make of your selves though you call in all the parties you have from all quarters in the soul Yet he is quiet as t is said David was or as a Christian ought to be in his God he can lie down and sleep in the midst of his enemies because God is his strong hold his Castle of defence So sure and safe is Satan in his conceit in the soul where he hath kept long possession foâ— he hath all the men in the world the whole Arm of Fesh he glories in his Offensive and Defensive weapons And indeed till the Lord Jesus begins To rouse up himself That King of Kings and Lord of lords that Mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah Aâ—ise in us and dress himself in his Glittering Armour as David speaketh he fears nothing for as I said before he is so strong that indeed he thinks himself too strong for Christ for so long as Christ suffers himself to be Overmastered by our sins and strong lusts he seemes Too weak for him And he insults over him as a Turk over his poor Gally-slave as I may so say or as if you will some cruel Marshal over his prisoners though the Kings best subjects he lays them at his pleasure Neck and Heels he casteth them into noisom dungeons where is nothing but Satans excrements and the filthy spuings of our lusts and These also he sets as Centinels that they stir not whilst he himself jets up and down in pride saith I le bring down the oroudest of you all What know you not me I have his Majesties Commissino for what I do So also This is that Spiritual and true Nebuchadnezar that jets up and down in his own pride Saying Is not this great Babel that I have built for the honour of my majesty and for the glory of my Kingdom Dan. 4. 30. This Devil in us he looks on himself as a Peacock and saith VVhat a goodly Christian am I what a height I have gotten what large knowledge have I obtained I think there is no point in Divinity but I am able to speak to it what doth no body take notice of me and so Arrogates the doing of all good to himself and All Evil as none of his Ah where is the man that can say I find all these things truly and really in my self this were a certain forerunner of the Sun Arising Of the day Break and of the day-stars arising in Our hearts Now will the Lord Christ arise triumphantly in thy soul and make All these beasts of the forrest to tremble Now as it is exprest in Rev. 6. 2. He will ride on conquering and to conquer as David saith Gird on thy sword upon thy thigh O thou most mighty with thy glory and thy majesty Ride on prosperously thine arrows shall pierce deep into the heart of all Our and the Kings enemies now though Satan in us muster up All his forces as now most certainly he will Yet he shall fall from heaven like lightning that which he hath Enjoyed as his heaven had the command of our souls where he hath ruled as Lord and King but yet as a Tyrant though we saw it not but were willing servants as to our Leige-Lord and natural King and were at the command of every servant and lust more then ever the Israelites were under the External Pharaoh under him we made bricks did all servile work our wages was but hard fare and tripes Oh! was not this an Egyptian blindness and darkness a darkness that may be felt but Israel when they most felt their slavery and groaned were nearest deliverance from under Pharaoh we are alwayes in darkness and slavery but when we begin to feel our spiritual darkness when we begin to feel the plagues of Egypt upon us Our water turned into blood and the frogs crawl and cover over all the Land when we are sensible of the murrain the boils and blains and the Plague and Carbuncles in our flesh the hail and the locusts Even the LOCUSTS of the bottomless pit which come all out of the mouth of the Dragon and from Belzebub Prince of the Devils then we shall see the death of our first-born our dearest right hand and right eye sins then we shall feel in our selves that this conquering King begins to carry captivity captive then shall Pharaoh with all his Host be overwhelmed in the midst of the sea Then the soul shall sing the song of Moses Exod. 15. The Lord is my strength and song he is become my salvation the Lord is a man of war the Lord of hosts is his name Pharaohs Chariots and his Host are drowned in the sea the depths have covered them they sank to the bottom as a stone as lead in the mighty waters thy right hand alone is become glorious in power thy right hand O Lorp hath dashed in pieces the enemies and David throughout his Psalms is full of these expressions all tending to empty the creature of all good and all power and to ascribe all to the Lord neither had the Israelites any good success any further then the Lord went with them and did their workes for them Here
have and so Many such rewards This is nothing but the Devils preaching and the Devils learning within thee it s no better then the Devils work and thou canst expect no other But the Devils Wages All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me He is the God of this world and hath great power given him over the Kingdoms of this world and he can bestow much of the glory of them upon his servants but God He speaks first in the center of the earth He begins first with the heart Preaches within thee reforms first the heart here onely preacheth His well-beloved Son in whom Onely he is well pleased Except Thy actions be The actions of his own Well-beloved Son in thy heart he neither owns nor accepts them they are strange fire to him and you know what became of Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire before the Lord The Lord He Pours precious ointment on this Aarons head and from thence Drencheth his beard and so down to the skirts of his garments so far as the heart is reformed the actions cannot be amiss That soul that is in love with Jesus Christ Beloved where the love of God is shed abroad in the heart it is death to him to that soul to go a whoring with the creatures he can have no peace to commit adulterie with the world That whorish woman he cannot endure Satans preaching hearken to me and I will give thee these and these thing no no his peace lies in hearkening to what the Lord saith in him and he preaches no such doctrine but bids him leave the world for its enmity to him he bids part with these things Take up the cross expect reproches persecutions and death from the world This preaching is of God let thy life be in forsaking the glory of the world though thou livest in the world yet let thy heart thy affections dwell and abide with me Use the world as if thou usedst it not count nothing in the world thine own be thou but as a steward in whatever thou hast Alwaies ready to give an account of all This preaching is from God from Heaven The Devils preaching is quite contrary And when thou hearest such preaching as is contrary to this and such whisperings within thee Conclude it is the Devil and not God and that such preaching and learning will destroy thy soul therefore I say always look to thy heart that It be set right before ever thou expectest the actions can be good if that be not so conclude all that proceeds from it is naught we must look mainly to the center to the Heart that life may come from thence Even as the life in the body by the blood flows from the heart to all the members if not those members are dead so the life of true grace flows from the heart as from the fountain for if either fear or Law or Heaven or Hel reward or any hopes or by-ends Urge the heart To goodness These are but dead works and you shall know it by this do but take away these respects and by-ends and these works Cease take away hope of reward and fear of punishment and this bodie is dead he works no more why because there is no life no heat within to move him tell him I mean he whose heart is set right for God reformed by him tell him he must deny forsake the world he must be emptied of all the glory of the world of all self-seeking self-glorying self-praising why herein is his life his peace his glory but to the other who hath been onely taught by such PRECEPTS as come from men from Self This preaching is death to him but his life and peace and joy is to hear How he shall be advanced esteemed honoured c. how he shall be made rich and great therefore you may easily hence distinguish what preaching and practise is from God and what from Satan and Self Thus much may serve for the first thing to open unto you the meaning of these words All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth to me it seems very plain and clear and I hope to you also that That which before seemed obscure now is made manifest The second ground Christ also as he is man hath all power given unto him as being united to God so also to man and this definition as being united to God is very large and deep as the river at the entrance into the Sanctuary which at the first entrance took a man but up to the ankles and then a little further up to the knees and then to the middle and at last it would quite down and swallow up all it grew into a vast Sea The meaning of the words in this sense we are not able to comprehend or understand but the more we wade into them the more we are drowned and swalloed up Jesus Christ he had the same glory in himself when he was upon earth as he had with his Father before all worlds and he is his well-beloved Son in whom onely he is well-pleosed But as he is man he to Us-ward emptied himself of all his glory And came in the form of a servant he was subject to the like passions and infirmities as we are except sinful and hereby man came to be further made known unto him that is in regard of his humane nature he was hungry and thirsty and weary and suffered death and the like and yet in regard of his Divine nature he held his glory and Union with his Father and it was necessary it should be so in both regards for had it not been so he could not have complyed so with the creatures and felt their wants and necessities and had he not retained his unity with his Father which he could not in regard of himself As God either lose or diminish nor increase he could not have complyed so perfectly with his Father for the salvation of mankind For as he was in the bosom of his Father he was unknowable to any creature he was known onely to himself he was inexplicable not to be unfolded and in this regard the more ye enter into darkness and unknowing the more ye know of him for he is nothing that we can comprehend or understand as we are creatures until we come to be One with him and swallowed up into him But let us observe that Christ never made this boast of himself that All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth till he was ready to leave the earth never till he had been crucified dead and buried and rose again It is remarkable he never all the while He was on earth ever appropriated all power to be his till he was ready to depart out of the earth And Beloved this is for our imitation Christ was no boaster though none might boast more but he was meek and lowly he became a servant to all
when he might have been advanced and made a King he ran away from among them he was Far of another Spirit then is now in the world and alwayes was in the world among the men of the world and no greater sign of a carnal earthly low base spirit then to be alwayes seeking the great things of the world to be tickled and itching after the praises of men to lift up our selves to be some-body in the world to desire to sit above and to trample upon their brethren to have the cap and the knee and yet how many of such men forsooth must be the onely gracious and religious men of this age but you see these are far from the life of Christ As far as the East from the West As far asunder as darkness and light Are these the men that brag of Power and Wisdom and Holiness and yet are thus swallowed up in the world love the praise of men and greetings in the Market and the Highest seats in the Synagogues and the uppermost rooms at feasts Their Phylacteries must be broad and long viz. to be known from other men that they may be bowed to and reverenced of all men Are these the Doctors and Teachers of all others Are these the Disciples and Ministers Christ hath sent out to preach to us the life of Christ by their Doctrine and example Judge ye Beloved ye must know that all Christs actions which were imitable while he was here upon earth they were symbolical they shew that he is yesterday and to day and the same for ever for whatever he did then he did but shew and represent to our senses by external actions what he is still Doing in the souls of men and will be to the end of the world For did he cure diseases in the body he did it to shew us how be cured the diseases of the soul Did he heal the blind and cure the lame cast out Devils dumb Devils and deaf Devils yes yet these do but shew what he doth daily when our mouthes are shut up as to things appertaining to God and his glory his power dispossesses this dumb Devil when our ears are shut up and we can hear nothing but what pleases self and flesh and the carnal man Let the Charmer charm never so wisely now Christs power and wisdom in us dispossesses al of his nature he turns the minstrels out of doors to those deceiving pleasures and allurements of the world that in our crosses make us such deceiving musick he saith Give place and He Himself enters aâ—one and brings us to own and delight in him and in what he administers to us Those actions of his he did then upon the bodies of men do but shew what he doth upon their souls for he then cast out but some Devils not all he healed and cured but some of their diseases not all for that was not the end of his coming for had it been so he would have cast out all Devils as well as some and cured all diseases as well as some but he onely by them did teach our dull capacities which else could not conceive what he did in the soul but by representing the same thing Outwardly even by those things which were most equivalent to them Did he resist the temptations of Satan and so made him depart from him it was to shew that he doth the same in those that are his even by himself in his own person and through his own power in â—hem For whatever actions he did they were done by him onely for a resemblance of his internal workings Did he pray whole nights it doth but shew that his Spirit in us makes continual requests and expressions even with sighs and groans which cannot be expressed Did he come before Pontous Pilate and was accused arraigned whipped buffered mocked and crowned with thorns yea he was and this was to shew how our carnal judgements Arraign him and How we whip him and peirce him by our sins mock and grieve his blessed Spirit Was he nailed to the Cross did he dye and was he put to death by the Jews and was he buried and a stone rolled upon him never to rise again they did so and in these and other his actions lies all our hope and our faith this is our Anchor-hold and our trust and whoever shall deny it let his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth Yet these were but symbols and representations of our killing of him crucifying and burying of him daily in our souls by our sinâ— by following our own wils and by our Arrogance Pride and selfness and thereby his life is crucified And also it is to shew how we have daily quenched the motions of his blessed spirit so that it lives not in us but the Old Adam the Old man is alive and Christ the New-man is dead within us And so likewise in the rest of his actions Did he â—ise again the third day and triumph over hell and death it shews How this mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah hath and will raise up himself and overcome all his enemies and hath and will put them all under his feet in our souls then after he is once arisen he will appears to al the brethren to five hundred brethren at once where-ever Christâ— is risen he will appear and shew himself If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me as he saith Iohn 12. 32. As you know it is the nature of fire to draw all things to ascend upward to its own center so if Christ be risen and ascended in us he will so display his own glories and beauties in us that he will draw all our affections upto him so that we cannot buâ— eagerly and vehemently desire to be like him to draw all our love to the love of him and all our hatred to hate that which he hateth and all our love to love that which he loveth our hate and love joy and grief and all our other affections to be like his Even as fire also endeavours vehemently to make every thing like it self so doth Christ where-ever he comes with his life light and glory Thus you see that what Christ did for a time in the historie the same he still also doth as truly as really and as constantly in the mysterie he did some things visibly to shew that he doth the same things as truly invisibly he did so much as was enough to manifest himself to be Emanuel and that he was God manifested in the flesh And as I said when Christ was ready to leave the earth then he made this boast of himself and never before did he ascribe this power to himself Even so till we are made one with him till we are made like him and till we can sit so loose to the earth that we are with him ready willingly and freely to leave the earth we can never claim this power till
daily in our souls Did he heal the lame and cast out Devils then He doth the same in our souls And whereever he doth them he doth them so as they shall never be Blind more never Dumb more never Deaf more the devil shall never possess thee more The whole letter of the word is but Christs Body and therefore we must not be content with that and rest in that When once we have the Substance of Christs actions there is no more use oâ— the signes we must labour to find out the Truth that is hid in this shell and to find the treasure the pearl that is hid in this field seek for THE WORD as our Saviour prayes Father sanctifie them with thy truth Thy WORD is Truth Mosâ— men henâ—e think when they read the letter of the word they think they read Gods word No no this is not the truth that Christ calls truth for he himself is the Word the Truth and the Life He is the meat and the marrow of which that is but the Bone and the shell Search the Scriptures for in them ye think to have eternal life for they testifie of me I am the substance I am the SOUL of them And they do but testifie of Me they are not the life the soul Yet I prize the letter as high as any man but I must not prefer the Handmaid before the Mistress Yet much ado there hath been among many men about this Letter of the word who pretend to know much in Gods word as if they knew whatever were to be known They are gone so far and are come to such perfection as they think that they can resolve any point in Divinity give the interpretation of any place of Scripture and many large voluminous works have been published to the world and filled it full of their Expositions but God knows how many of them have kept a deal ado and much blustring to little purpose And in our dayes and in our Nation what talk is there everywhere of Gods word when indeed and in truth most men are ignorant of Gods word and all is because they take these Literal black letters to be The word of God you are deceived Is it The Word of God because it is English or Latin or Greek or Hebrew can we tell whether ever God spake in any of these languages or if he did These Letters cannot be The word of God If any way The word be taken in vain it is this way when men think God speaks to them And they hear him when they read the letter You are deceived in this The letter doth but bear Witness to the truth Christ is the Truth and the letter gives Testimony to him See what the Evangelist sayes The Word is Joh. 1. In the beginning was the word Bibleswere not then and the word was God This is That Word so magnified both in the old and new Testament To which all their Sacrifices and Prophesies pointed to in shadows but the Substance of them is Christ as the Apostle saith Heb. 10. The Law is but a Shadow of good things to come But Christ he is The Word He is The Truth He is those good things promised throughout All the Scriptures The letter is but the Shadow the Signes the BODY and Substance is Iesus Christ. And if it be so then let me say thus much more to you Never any man ever yet Saw the Truth nor ever any man Heard the truth nor ever read the truth Those that onely read the Letter they are ignorant of the word for the truth is the word and the word is the Spirit It is the Spirit That discerns the word through the letter and it is the Spirit that applyes it where ever it works it is the Spirit onely that knows the truth And t is the Spirit onely that fructifies and thrives by it and lives in it The word heard or read is but the Bark the Outside the Sheath the Lanthorn but the Sap the Life the Sword the Light that is within And this is Onely Christ Co-Essential with the Father This is that word which the Scripture speaks of which is able to make the man of God perfect for as the Apostle saith The Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did for do you what you can yea keep the whole Law according to the letter yet this cannot make us perfect But this word this truth we now unfold is the Sure the real the true the eternal word against which The gates of hell shall never be able to prevail Have ye what ye can of the letter except ye have also Christ the substance thereof the letter will but deceive you for you have but the shadow and therefore you must needs be deceived for you to think you have the substance when you have but the shadow It is not any outward thing we can do will do us any good it is the Spirit the word it self that doth the deed Yet I must tell you more That this word and Christ and the Spirit All dwell Among us dwell In us and we know them not as Iohn 1. 10. He was in the world and the world was made by him He dwels among us and yet the world knows him not nay He came among his Own and his Own received him not These are strange expressions what may be the meaning of this Divine high-flowen Eagle for that is his Embleme I conceive it was to shew that he soared and flew higher in Divine contemplations of truth and in the knowledge of the Mystery then all the rest of the Evangelists This was he of whom it is said The Disciple whom Iesus loved and this is he thaâ— Leaned on his breast at supper This was he that had all those divine visions and Secret mysteries revealed to him in the Isle of Pathmos who writ the Revelation and was therefore called IOHN the Divine I conceive his meaning is when he saith He came and dwelt among us and yet the world knew him not although it was made by him was this that God in Jesus Christ dwells in every creature but the creature comprehends it not Because the light shineth in darkness and the Darkness cannot comprehend the light It is in him as the Apostle saith that we live move and have our being and yet we know it not because we are compassed about with darkness nay we are Darkness it self Is it not a strange thing that He should be in Us be so near us and be our light and our life our sun and our shield and yet we not know him we not be acquainted with him But He Shines in Darkness what 's that that is All creatures are darkness to him God in himself is light of lights infinitely far above and beyond all creatures if he put forth himself in the making of any creature that creature is infinitely below him the highest of creatures is