Stars constellations signs celestiall hes Much operation in our bodies all Their generation standing and their fall Bodies of Elements compounded been Of humors some more grosse and some more clean In some more equall some lesse equalling Whence strength and weakness health and sickness spring Hence dispositions and affections move Which in some lesse in some more vicious prove Our distance also from the temp'rat Zone The frigid and the hot the Horizon Climat our customs and our education Our frequent fellowship and conversation All these and many more have force upon Our facile minds and fond affection By this connexion of so many things Distinguishable by so many signs So many various thoughts impression have That poyson'd inclinations do receive Hence is it that some sole-commanding thing Bears rule in every one as Soveraign King Which in the fervor of a strong respect Follow the Aples that they most affect And in the frenzie of these carnall fires Dote on the idol of their chief desires And from that folly never can refrain Untill the sting of death revive their pain So when the soul physician comes to cure Our sicknesse sees and what we can endure And unto our infection he applyes For all contagions severall remedies Corrections crosses that we may relent Comforting cordials lest our heart should faint And when we have been gained and allured And of his favour faithfully assured By real feeling of our lost condition And â—delivâ—ry by our Lords tutition Yet not the lesse we must be humble held So as the devils darts may be repell'd He did in Paradice with our Parents plead And prosecutes his splen against their Seed Nor is the old man yet so fully slain But that he can recover life again If we be left a little to be try'd By light temptations we shall step aside Unlesse we be prevented or restrain'd And so by free immediate grace maintain'd Now these strong reasons and right grounds may be Of Christian cases the varietie Nor do I doubt but that the Christ'an-call Maner and time be not alike in all Some saved are with fear some love constrains Some hurled from the fire with harder pains Much difference of exercise can make Which also may the name of tryall take And. Enough dear friend now have you made us see Our own experience more perspicuouslie For we be of our birth and breeding wilde As likewise of all people most defil'd But as by times some of us hes been tam'd Then of our selves we have been much asham'd Made it our study vice for to detect Destroy and to draw vertue to respect We censur'd be by many that are good To be too rigide being people rude Who to be too far curbed do disdain And plead for recreations too profane But since it pleas'd our King us to recall To this His Paradice spirituall And since we did with you assemble here We have been set to get the heart sincere And what by speculation we take Make it impressions unto practice make And with much order do our selves addresse To shew to men their nat'rall naughtinesse And that ev'n in the best there doth remain Some of the life of death as yet unslain But as for us we have been so ingrain'd In that corruption which all flesh hath stain'd It so habituall unto us became That we converted were unto the same And when our eyes at first to see were clear'd Our miserie and mercy most admir'd The causes and the wrath so vively seen His everlasting armes to interveen There did concur force fear love infinite Our full reclaiming thereby to compleat And now our crosses and corrections we Find for the death of sin in us to be Even such by which heav'ns wisdome does reform us And to our King and Comforter conform us An. This grave and graced person in his speech If ponder'd well it were might many teach For this we know that of one propagation Countrie and clime and of one education Are all that tribe and surely such as here Arrived be most zealous do appear And as for us who came from every airt Of severall qualities partake apart As also some more early some more late Have called been unto this happy state Some by our Soveraign King his ointments sweet By love came running when he did invite Some from the sense of wrath when they did cry Such mercy felt that they did melt thereby Thus we by conf'rence find that there must be Strong reasons ' for this strange diversity Of exercise and that it is to train Us to the truth from triffles false and vain And this we know though we be civill bred And in the plat-form fair of vertue led And have not been brought under publike blame That could have brought us unto open shame That yet the seed of ev'ry vice remains In us as others only grace restrains And as we more or lesse infected are Our antidotes stronger or weaker were And more particular or plain to be You pardon will to save our modesty For our dear Lover who by grace hath lov'd us Above the grace bestow'd hath never prov'd us And when our Sex to suffer for their love Is call'd they constant do and loyall prove Tho. We as these Ladies congregated are From every airt where shines the morning star Diff'rent by birth humors and education By sight society and conversation Some in their youth have hither been translated Some in their age here happily been stated Some sav'd by fear and some by force constrain'd To come but all by Love and mercy gain'd So that with us strange diff'rences must be But far more strange is this strange harmonie Where contrare inclinations do incline All to one end O endlesse depth divine And that the rod upon our folly lies More happinesse it is then we can prize Chastis'd we be as children for our good When through the fire or the most furious flood Of sore afflictions we be safely led Who in the barren wilderness are bred The purest white drinks in the blewest dye And if you do take pains for to apply Some red some green according to the grain But unto white shall never turn again Right so though we be stain'd we can receive By industry and education grave Civility and righteous colours sweet But the first tincture never shall delete Untill by blood and water both our blots Be purged out for cleanging all our spots This is the myst'ry deep that we should mind How we may be unto our King combin'd By bands of love in sucking in His blood Which doth our consolations all include While we perceive the spawn of our proud foes Remain unpurg'd wherein can we rejoice We suffer not it is but this old man And we should beat him down in what we can Delight to see him totally destroyed And all devices for that end imployed That we unto the image of our King May once appear and so his praises sing Mariona Grissella Ma. WE do not deem that
the Church the Spouse of Christ and of every chosen Child of God and Member of the Body mysticall after Regeneration Neverthelesse of all the tryals troubles and temptations they are to meet with in the strait way II. Secondly in particular there is represented the sad condition and sharp affliction of the Child of God under desertion made appear in a threefold consideration 1. First More felt then real Debated from Page 8. to 23. Where it is made evident that the Child of God after Regeneration may be wrapt under fearfull clouds of darknesse and discouragement and impossible to be comforted till there come a reviving from the inward Comforter And this is most properly Love sicknesse being for tryal and prevention Psa 42. Psa 30.7 8 9 10. 2. Secondly Real and felt And this is debated from Page 23. to 49. Wherein there is notice taken of the severall most prevailing tentations upon several ranks of persons viz. The Court-bred the School-bred the Countrie-bred and the Citty-bred the Civilian also and the most savage of conversation Neverthelesse the party deserted not able to discern the speciall cause of the affliction untill the means be sanctified by inward supply And this is for chastisement and correction tending to humiliation Psal 51. 1 Sam. 1.16 3. Thirdly More real then felt Debated from p. 49. to 76. Where it is made appear that the believer may be lying under much guilt unsensible unâ—ill a timous wakning come and when it is come under much perplexity untill a word of peace be pronounced And this is for tryall and wakening Isa 39.12 2 Sam. 24.10 11 12 13. III. Thridly After all this serious debate unto small purpose the smoaking flax being long smoothered and now breathed upon it kindleth swiftly and breaks out sweetly in an excessive flame of spirituall fervour And whereby then and not till then the party being prevailed with there appears a correspondent alteration of affections in the whole strain and uniforme expressions of the whole Society 1. First The perplexed person under absence is now upon renewed sense elevated unto a most sublime soul-ravishing rapture in a SONG p. 76. and the continuation thereof p. 77 78. 2. Secondly The Associates sympathising therewith in extasie SONG 2. p. 79. 3. Thirdly The continuation of the Sympathy in extasie SONG 3. pag. 80 81. 4. Fourthly The Soul-rapture upon renewed sense again renewed SONG 4. pag. 82 83. 5. Fifthly Solide grounds of spirituall security by way of Echo p. 84. 6. Sixthly A timous warning to guard against carnall security with comforts and incouragements unto chearfulnesse against trials and troubles till he end his journy p. 85. to 96. 7. Seventhly The grounds of Gospel-ordinances presented under the name of the Pallace-garden from p. 96. to 107. wherein there are nine severall MAZES making up the Garden viz. First A Border of Restriction p. 98. Secondly A Beam of Instruction 99. Thirdly Cordials for Incouragement 100. Fourthly Loves Mystery 101. Fifthly The Fountain unexhaustible 102. Sixthly Loves Labyrinth 103. Seventhly Loves Mirrour 104. Eighthly Loves Emblem 105. Ninthly Loves Union 106. 8. Eightly The Jewel of Jewels a Vade-mecum for heart impression and preservation p. 110. to 114. 9. Ninthly The Symphonicall desires and delights of the Redeemed in their retirements closing with that Song Rev. 15.3 4. p. 114. to 121. 10. Tenthly A harmonious Consort and a Song of praise p. 121. to 126. 11. Eleventhly Reviving Recollections and Solliloquies closing with the Song of all Saints Rev. 7.12 p. 127 to 1â—4 12. Twelfthly An Objection by the mere natural man answered and the party advised p. 134. to 142 In all which there is represented sure grounds of â—oud comfort under all the trials incident to the Child of Goâ— after regeneration from his birth in his life and death and after death his soul injoyments boâ—es rest and resurrection soul and bodies second conjunction small absolution and endlesse beatitude carrying also through the whole discourse from infallible truth the terrours of the Law against all that be under the Law all â—eâ—ding to 〈◊〉 serious study of keeping a Communion with God in the Spirit with a spiritual and chearfull conversation undeâ— all dispensations crosse or comfortable in that humblenesse and singlenesse of heart the fruits of saving faith which workes by love to the praise of the Author and our own peace And as to the additions of a preparatory Paradox explained in a comparison betwixt the first and second birth going before a subsequent survey of the first and second death resurrection and generall judgement they bâ— hereto annexed for making compleat the intended designe of delineating the pedigree of the new Creature from the right stock of his portraict from his true Parentâ— and Procreation his crosses conflicts comforts and confidences from the right Fountain in life and in death his restauration from death and darknesse unto immortall life and light of glory from the all-glorious and ever blessed Author of his being and this his most blessed well-being TO THE OBSERVANT READER UPON THE ENSUING POEM YOu who desire to know the plain tho strait Path-way to new Jerusalems high gate Whose pav'ment bright emboss'd with Gems be far More rich and fine then the most glistring Star In glore excells the boundlesse saphire bounds Of lights vast Curtain these pure Christall-â—ounds Whose azure Canopy and pleasant fields Great ground of soul-amazing wonder yeelds If any in designs so high aspires As to resolve through waters and through fires Of tort'ring trouble to climb the steep yee-rocks 'Twixt Heaven and earth in spight of Satan's strocks And will rest satisfi'd with nothing lesse Then Heav'n yea God Himself eternall blesse Resolving to endure all grief all pain All losse this great prize All in all to gain Lo here 's a Pilgrim who being guided by Truths sacred threed and Gods directing eye Is now come near his journies end not stayed By fained fraud or vain hopes not dismayed By force frowns hate or groundlesse fears expecting Gods call to enter Jordan and neglecting Fond vanities he 's looking from the top Of Pisgah by the eye of faith and hope Toward the Promis'd Land which to enjoy Through 's time he mainly did himself imploy But while God spares soul-wasting idlenesse He loaths and therefore on the Wildernesse Through which he 's come and all that did befall Him in his way there-through and in his call Thereto reflecting all he well observes And unto others carefully preserves Lo therefore here held forth thou 'lt clearly see Of Christian cases the diversity Sometimes rapt to the third heav'ns by loves wings They see their strange soul-ravishing sights and things Vnutterably glorious whence doth spring Amazing joy true peace which makes them sing Here neither reason faith nor hope but love And sense cause the soul-chariot-wheels to move Sometimes these soul-transporting objects be Vail'd whence flow darknesse great perplexity Afflicting trouble tort'ring grief of mind By which they are
may more clear this Divine science see And with the whole affections of our heart To learn the Heavenly Methods of this Art I know the heart contrite and broken spâ—rit Is for our King a Receptacle meet I know with timous comforts he doth turn Unto the pure in sp'rit who for him mourn I know the thirsting soul and hungry heart In His sweet face have fulness for their part I know that pleasures in eternitie Attend their souls that fleshly follies flee I know the penny-earn'st of Peace and Bless Received by the meek and lowly is And wisely witnessed here may we see The might of truth and height of mercy free The strength of Faith shining through filial fear The wing of Love weak ones to hide and bear Hele. I wonder much that you so wise and grave Such groundlesse expectations can conceive For shew'd you are so far of this my case That I presumed should have made you cease But presuppone that these your strange conceits Were true of me which unto me relates But nothing unto me I think belong Yet were it fearfully free Love to wrong And should bewray ingratitude so far As justly might me from his grace debar For sure I am I had not been cashiered If to offend my King my heart had feared But gading I so far astray have stept And in confusions such my self have wrapt That now mine eyes are dimm'd my tongue bedumb'd Mine ears are deafned and my heart benumb'd That what I hear I do not apprehend But sure I see my well you do intend Jea Yet with permission and submission now My friend let me obtain this sute of you This is a day of grace and it may prove If you improve it well a time of love Unto this timous counsell grave advert Gainstand these griefs that do disturb thy heart Think on what light life liberty and peace Thou lately tasted hes by special grace The earnest of these Treasures rich procured For thee and by the Lover sweet secured But under cloud eclipsed thou must be By proof to find thine own infirmitie In Patience Faith Dependency Submission Importunately presse thou hes commission Then look and long and to this promise cleave And when thou art rebuked yet believe He. Madam your counsell gracious grave and good Does all desir'd felicities include But I have forfault all these offers fair And of these Blessings now am stripped bare And when I hear of former happinesse Grief horrour and despair the more increase Once was I light and now in darknesse ly Once was I life now in deaths jawes I dye Once had I freedome now in bondage bound Once had I peace now in vexation stound You speak of pleasures in a word anew But dolefully may I bid them adiew For I an earn'st of wrath endure I think Might all the sinfull sons of Adam sink The evil spirit when he does depart Returning enters in the empty heart And every devil of whatsoever deceit May in this soul receive a several seat And I will tell you more Jea No more Refrain There is too much of this untimely strain O fearfull but it be for to let slip Of Sacred Truths by Faith the saving grip And O! how bitter are the agonies Of absence in soul-searching secrecies O horrour terrour dread what dreadfull height Is absence totall in eternal night When timely tastes do so the godly tare Where shall the godlesse go beneath despair But I forbear Sir speak to her so plain That she may be brought to her self again Sam. This darknesse does th'approach of day presage And us the more unto the means ingage Thou harden dost thy self in thy mistakes And of our tendernesse advantage makes Thou dost expose thy self a present prey Syrene deceits of Sathan to obey Misled with carnal wit by quaint convoyance So subtilly to worke thy souls annoyance Wilt thou prescribe his coming or confine His counsels to these finit thoughts of thine Dare thou his faithfulnesse draw in debate Because he doth not on thy humours wait Doth he his influence dispense for hyre Dar'st thou a reason of his rules require But these demands in time and place recall Examine and answers receive we shall And now in patience yet we shall persist And with convincing arguments insist Think on when we from darknesse unto light Translated were and did receive our right Unto His Royal Court and House of Wine Where loves bright banner over thee did shine Then didst thou see in darknesse thou hadst been Clos'd Embrion-like into the womb unseen Untill thy Lover Mover in this place The fruits of His free love made thee imbrace Then didst thou clearly see that gracious He Indur'd to be obscur'd for gracelesse thee And that He might thy glorious dayes begin Assum'd thy flesh and suffered for thy sin Purg'd and perfumed thee His Bride to be And did present himself Bridegroom to thee Thy King thy Captain and thy Husband now And to engadge thee more him to avow His Princely Robes thou saw him lay aside Enter the lists and in his armour bide Till all thy foes he had defyed in fight And from their malice fred thee by his might And led thee here among these sweet contents Where only children of the King frequents But that thou may'st convinced be the more I shall this Countrie set thy face before For as it seems thou dost so sullen ly Thou art surprysed with a lethargie Or for a proof art left a little space To try what love thy Lover can displace Thou knowst the Citty of our Royall King Where He to breed and woo his Bride doth bring What glorie and excellencie alone Believers shining see about the Throne Thou seest Him righteous Judgements dayly read Give doome unto thy foes thy causes plead When from His Ivorie pallaces he comes Thee to imbrace the smell of His perfumes Affect the Virgin-bowels for to move Frames and inflames the quickned heart to love For certainly unto Beleevers true That be renew'd all things becometh new And in this World of wicked workers we A World enjoy of sweet felicitie Consisting in a Righteousnesse procured For us with sp'ritual joy and peace secured And this new heav'n and earth and citty fair Whether the Elect chosen called are Above comparison you know excells The rarest fairest richest parallels The River that out-through the Citty slides For every severall Cittizen divides Unto refreshment and the fruitfull tree That renders various fruits abundantly For every season unto all affections And soveraign physick health for all complexions Our everlasting light without declining Advancing gloriously and brightly shining Curse from the Crosse force from affliction shed The sting from death from fear and bondage fred Where we may dayly sing among the branches And swime among the streams our thirst that quenches And bath us in that River sweetly flowing And feed upon the Spices neatly growing About the banks of these delicious fields That hony milk and wine so pleasant yeeldâ—
the naturall man by natures light Convinced be but never see aright Till by the Holy Ghost he be renewed And in the heart by speciall grace indued And led unto the new and living way Where closing with his Saviour he may Discern from whence these waters spring that flow And make the barren fruitfull ground to grow Come then incline divine assistance can From nature thee renew a spâ—ritual man Aright to see His condescensions Applying by firm apprehensions Him shining clear in His Anointed Who is for thy approach appointed For He unmov'd all motions moves Which minutly His praises proves Extracting from most clear distractions A cluster sweet of solide actions For all that is was or shall be Is His eternall wise decree Whose high designs ador'd as His duration Admits no parallel or alteration Whom we in Christ our Saviour sweet must see Imbrace enjoy or die eternally But come and do not in your dreg remain Take up the Book and read and read again A serious Survey of this journey take This Child of Grace through all his tryals tract Here shalt thou see an unseen strength sustain The weakest that hath at the battel been And wisdome shining in the most unwise Might make affections in a rapt to rise Which in the Babe new born again doth grow Whereby he doth in Songs of Praises flow A Garden here with arbors for reposing A Jewel clear the ground of all rejoycing A Fountain whence waters of life do spring A Mountain thence thou may'st with safety sing A Spirit here perceive our sp'rits inspires With sighs and groans and answers such desires Come then in faith and as thou seeks receive Light life relief from darknesse grief and grave In brief behold these whole assertions here By proof from truth believed made appear And He above believing shall convoy Thee with Himself Himself for to enjoy Himself who is thy Potent Prince Victorious Light Life Delight and Lover only Glorious Come then attend His call and humbly say Come Lord thy servant hears and shall obey A SURVEY Of the FIRST and SECOND DEATH Closing with a SEPARATION-KISSE Betwixt two intimate FRIENDS The SOVL and BODY By way of DIALOGUE betwixt NATURE and GRACE Under the Names of FLESH and SPIRIT Heb. 9.27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgement Ephes 2.1 And you hath he quickned who were dead in sins and trespasses 1. THE body of man is of the earth naturall earthy 2. The soul of man is of a spirituall nature spirituall 3. The two joyned together in the time of life make up a person 4. The separation of the soul from the body is the naturall death of the person 5. The separation of Gods favourable Presence by His Spirit from the soul is the spirituall death of the person 6. All the Off-spring of the first man by his apostasie and disobedience are deservedly deprived of Gods favourable Presence by his spirit so come to the world dead in sins and trespasses 7. All these the naturall Off-spring of the first man that be left in this forlorn condition living and dying in this darknesse and ignorance of God and do never attain unto the first resurrection do ly under the first and be lyable unto the second death at the last day 8. The Elect and Chosen of God be by His free grace in a time of love called and by the effectuall working of His Spirit moved to believe His word and to joine with Jesus Christ for Salvation By whom neverthelesse that they be spiritually dead in sins and trespasses they are by His Spirit quickned to see and serve the living God dying unto sin and living unto righteousness and thereby made partakers of the first resurrection Against whom the second death at the generall resurrection shall have no place 9. To be spiritually-dead the mere naturall man knows not nor by reason of his atheism can know till the second death sieze upon him first at the seperation of the soul and body and secondly again at the resurrection and judgment 10. The Believer knows by woefull proof what it is to be spiritually dead by the dead works wherein they have walked before they knew themselves under darknesse 11. The Believer knows likewise what the second death means by being sometimes from provocation and sometimes from tryall deserted and often kept at distance and of such continuance as hath been both a hell of torments and hes bred fearfull anxiety and knows also and believes the Scripture-descriptions of the eternall torments never dying death and dolour that the wicked atheist must endure and perish under everlastingly As also by being condemned in themselves and saved by the Lord they know what it is to be absolved from that dreadfull condemnation 12. As to the dissolution of the body albeit it be a beginning of the second death to the wicked as it is a preparation to the second resurrection of the Godly whose souls are then feasting upon their Saviour His Face in Paradice It may be more properly named a Sleep as it is often in Scripture especially seeing the soul hes had her night of partiall separation in the body suppose but short in comparison of time yet under many sufferings whereas the bodies night in its element is free of trouble and for the length of time it is to rest there under darknesse It is not considerable in respect of the splendor of that day of eternal glory which is at the out-breaking And seeing it is with this temporall death of the bodie that the Believer hes only adoe let us look a little more particularly upon it and specially as it concerns the Believer It is appointed for all men to die naturall death being the separation of the soul from the body is rightly named unto mere naturall man the King of terrours A metaphor from a King or Tyrant who is unresistable for power unsatiable and unexorable for cruelty undefatigable for persistence furnisht with all manner of forces for execution in all places at all times through all the Continent where any of the sons of men takes life attending them constantly till every one of them fall under the fatall and finall stroak And there is nothing created in this Universe whether from within us or from without us from the furthest remote of the Stars to the least pile of grasse or pickle of dust which were all created for our good but hath been or may be the occasion of this dissolution As also by what means amongst so many and at what time so uncertain unto any that it is a wonder that the rationall creatures who knows themselves subject to it can think of it without terrour and most terrible that the most of men are over-turned before they think seriously of it But here appears the greatest wonder that ever any of the blind-born deservedly forsaken and self-lost generation of apostate man should come to know any more hereof then
strange combustion does it make As if in shivers it should shake And when that revolution's spent The second to essay is bent But when the time prefixt is run Must be renew'd before begun Right so our hourly changes are Which seem to us irregular They be by divine art compos'd And wisely done as well propos'd So that this last of time shall crown All that is past with high renown Believe believe this shalt thou see With these thine eyes most certainly Were there not thousands in thy case When I was sent thee to imbrace Into the womb and can God misse Now in accomplishing thy blesse Me to direct again aright To fetch thee up unto his sight And I so long who was conversant With thee and with thy case acquaint Shall I not know thee love thee move thee And thou delighted be to prove me So now confirmed in the faith to meet This be a kisse of separation sweet FLESH Dear soul I dow not let thee go Nor dare I sweet soul say thee no Shall I refuse thee thee my life Shall I consent O fearfull strife I must agree my life to give Or grieve him dying by whom I live I am convinc'd I ought to yield Creation only wields the shield But death by sin doth beat it down Now new Creation is my crown It moves me likewise dearest Lover Who art alone my nearest Mover To see thee thus so long detain'd With me where we be daily stain'd The Galley-slave in fetters ty'd With sad affliction daily try'd Can have no more desire to be Deliver'd hence then thou of me And reason more for he 's but fred Of grief but thou with glorie clad I from this life have thee deferr'd Too long now let me be interr'd Suppose with losse of life I be Divorc'd from thy society So as thou may more blesse enjoy Then can compare with my annoy Sprent out spring up at thy desirings Possesse the prise of thy aspyrings For here I do consent and say Angels conduct thee in the way And I am moved to believe That thou wilt come me to relieve In that day of refreshing clear Which we confide shall soon appear Spirit Enough enough it 's all I crave Sincere submission to have For that I entered this debate Lest out account should come too late Now shall I further let thee see Thou shalt me fail or I fail thee And would thou have me with thee hence When thou denuded art of sense Thee to enjoy was my delight Albeit it was my drowsie night As thou a time must be absented Yet are we so by faith indented And sure ingrafted in our Head Living we be when seeming dead Let us while we do live believe And so we shall by dying live Hence carnall thoughts hence natures night Welcome now sweet celestiall light Light light light light light light so bright What we have seen sets out of sight And makes us to conceive of seeing Above the bounds of this our being Hence incredulity vile ghuest That faithlesse fears does still suggest O happy choise by closely cleaving Unto our Life by firm believing Thy glory by degrees begun Now fred of suff'ring and of sin And I shall still attending be Again to be possest of thee The fathers of the former ages The greatest and the gravest sages The clearest Saints that e're were seen Our meeting there shall not preveen Where We our Husband Head and King Enjoying shall his praises sing In glory unconceivable where we Shall God for evermore adoring be The FIRST and SECOND RESURRECTION AND THE GENERAL JUDGMENT Closing with a SONG of DEGREES Ascending from what we were to what we are and from thence to what we shall be after time AS AN INTRODUCTION TO That New SONG of endless PRAISE ot be taught in and entered unto when there shall be no more time Matth. 25.31 to the end When the Son of Man shall come in His glory c. 1 Cor. 15.12 to the end Now if Christ be preached c. THe Resurrection of the body and the Generall Judgement is universally acknowledged where Christianity is known except amongst the brutishly ignorant or the profest Atheist But if it were so known and believed as it is condescended unto it would put Believers to a more serious study to try their condition then they be at as yet for who could indure to know believingly that living and dying in their naturall estate without the interposition of a Mediator and Saviour for their restauration they being raised up to join with their soul again should then be cast down in utter darknesse finally and rejected of God totally deprived of all further expectation of grace the gnawing worm of conscience wakened the wrath of a sin-revenging God upon the guilty person where in these everlasting burnings amongst innumerable legions of devils and numberless multitudes of condemned men they be to indure eternal torment Can it be imagined say I that any person so believing and that there were a possibility of recovery could be in rest untill they had unto their utmost endeavour used all imaginable means not thinking any pains too great if it were in compassing the Continent and the coasts of the sea for timous relief If we seeing one of our neighbours in the extremity of a Gout a Gravel-stone or Gangren And that we were certainly perswaded that within such a short space we should be in the very like condition unlesse we did apply our selves to such a Person who could assuredly prevent this so fearfull terrible and horrible torment would there be any delay made or difficulty impede us in our journey for finding out the Physitian Much more if he were at hand making offer of our relief and the removall of all our fears could we make the refusall Again Is it not evident that the most part of men do intangle themselves in most dangerous travels and troubles for gaining of a little uncertain treasure pleasure or preferment whereunto few attain And where attained is past before it be well possest Is it possible then that if the Resurrection of the body and the General Judgment were believed and the blessed condition of those that have accepted of the offer of grace in time and the utter ruine and eternall perdition of all such as have contemned this Great-salvation to sieze upon them in that day when they shall call to the mountains to fall upon them and cover them from that fierce wrath which undoubtedly they must underly for evermore No certainly it is neither probable nor possible but if these Truths were believed there would be little rest amongst the Believers untill they attained to that assurance of relief that might give them solide rest And yet every man is so convinced that none that is worthy to have the name of a man dar be so shamlesse as to deny such unquestionable truths seeing that thereby they should be found to deny the Scriptures of God dyted by His own
Spirit and the power of God seen in the creation and conservation of all things the Son of God and the Saviour of the World who in our own flesh hath died and risen again who hath testified all these truths and recorded them in His Testament to us according as He had Himself experimentally tryed the unutterable joyes of the one and the unsuperable dolors of the other to have been wrestled with sustained and fred of but by Himself alone who was God to sustain as He was man to suffer And yet for all this conviction and formall profession what is the greatest part of all ranks doing but deceiving themselves satisfied with a brain-light without any heart-change a lip-religion without any life-reformation So reasonlesse is the rationall creature become as to deny Him reasonable service who is the Author of their reason in believing Him and acquainting themselves with Him for their good But to proceed According to the difference betwixt the Believer and the unbeliever in life and death so is it after death when the Righteous Judge of all men shall give the finall sentence Then shall the carnall man who refused that great Salvation which is now obtained by believing in the only Son of God for the remission of sin being laid down in the grave bathed in the abominations of His apostasie and impenitencie be raised up again at the Latter-day soul and body joyning to receive the irrecoverable sentence of eternall condemnation and rejection from the gracious presence of God unto the place appointed for them And for the further manifestation hereof the Lord hath been pleased to suffer some being spiritually dead and refusing to come to the Physitian of souls for life and being thereby self-condemned to ly under desperation and torment of conscience even in this life So that both word and example may joyn to the conviction of such as will not be converted Whereas the true Believer who in their life had been dying unto sin and attained unto the first Resurrection in living unto righteousnesse laid down the body under hope shal at the second Resurrection both soul and body being joyned again in that spiritual and incorruptible constitution agreeable unto immortality lift up the head with joy in coming before the Judge knowing that all judgment is committed to the Son of God who is their Kins-man Mediator and Redeemer who knows well for whose transgressions He hes made Himself an offering for satisfying the justice of God that He may see His seed the travell of His Soul and be satisfied That the pleasure of the Lord in justifying many does prosper in His Hand and in congregating and uniting to Himself who is the glorious Head and making up all the Members in one Body to become the fulnesse of Him who fills all in all that the Marriage-day may be solemnized and the marriage fully accomplished before God and all the Hierarchy of Angels Arch-Angels Throns Dominions Powers Seraphims and Cherubins with Hosannas and Hallelujahs shouting for joy and sympathising in all cordiall harmony the praises of their King the Author and Finisher of their Salvation with songs sutable and acceptable to that all-glorious Auditory and the glorified associats and assistants in that unlimited circumference whereof the All-blessed and infinite Essence of God is the incomprehensible Center and that from minutly renewed and revealed matter without intermission for evermore And for the further establishment of which truth some of Gods Children even in this life have attained the fore-tastes of the first Fruits of these eternall Consolations that they are to feast upon after this life everlastingly And seeing it is so and known to be so by the Believer where should the furthest extent of his deepest apprehensions and greatest fervencie of his affections be fixed but upon Him alone by whom he shall injoy all this blesse salvation and consolation And to this end that as they know they may commend and as they prove they may love and praise Him according as they can attain to see and conceive Him by the mirror wherein He shines making Himself and His excellencies the matter of our songs in the house of our pilgrimage untill we come up to see Him as He is and enjoy Him in the fulnesse of that blesse by the earnest whereof we are sustained under Hope And for this end let our study be to take Him up more particularly 1. First what He is in Himself 2. And secondly what He is to us 1. He is in Himself 1. The mighty God the everlasting Father wonderfull Counseller the Prince of Peace Isaiah 9.6 2. He is the second Person of the all-adored Trinity 3. His delight hes been from all eternity to be conversant with the sons of men And for that end and that the fulnesse of the God-head might dwell in him bodily hes by the operation of the Holy Ghost assumed unto Himself the nature of man from the seed of the woman in the womb of the Virgin whereby He becometh the kins-man flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone subject to all our infirmities sin except that He might be a mercifull and a compassionate high Priest and a propitiatory sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour unto God in giving full satisfaction unto justice for the sins of the Elect in cancelling the hand-writing that spoke against them and nailing it unto the tree of the crosse when after the agony of His Soul He gave His Body to be crucified and His Blood to be shed for the Redemption of His beloved inheritance whom He hes thereby justified and will sanctifie and espouse to Himself delighted to see the increase of His grace in the Believer as the fruit and off-spring of the travel of His Soul and to whom He hes made Himself known to be the only Messias 1. First As Christ anointed Priest Altar and Sacrifice to satisfie and intercede for and reconceal us to God Prophet to instruct us in aâ—l truth and reveal the Fathers will to us and King to renew and defend His ransomed flock 2. Jesus a Saviour able to save to the utmost and cleanse them from all their sins 3. The Word incarnat from whom all our spirituall life comes 4. The Fountain opened from whence flowes all our consolation 5. The true Vine and prime branch whence influence ascends to all the members 6. The morning Star and Sun of righteousnesse by whom we are illuminate and revived 7. The Rock invincible and Corner-stone whereon our Salvation is built 8. The Mediator to procure acceptance to our persons and grants to our petitions 9. The Captain who is only able to conduct us through the wildernesse with safety 10. The bountifull Provisor for us in the midst of all our malicious enemies 11. The faithfull Witnesse who for all our failings and faithlesnesse will not deny Himself who changes not 12. This is our Emanuel our strong and mighty God who being with us what is it to us who be against us